at 18:30 (JST), August 19

Asian View

"Asian View" is a five-minute news segment broadcast by NHK WORLD-JAPAN. It features the latest news and deep analysis from Japan and the rest of Asia. Listen to "Asian View" and get the latest information from a region that's playing an increasingly important role in the world.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20220819183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : north rejected
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220819_10/

The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has rejected a proposal by the South Korean president for economic assistance in exchange for the North's denuclearization.

The Friday edition of Rodong Sinmun, North Korea's ruling party newspaper, carried comments made on Thursday by Kim Yo Jong on Yoon Suk-yeol's North Korean policy.

Yoon said in a speech on Monday that he is ready to help improve North Korea's economy in stages if the North embarks on a substantive process for denuclearization.

Kim Yo Jong called Yoon's plan "the height of absurdity" as it is unpractical.

She also called Yoon shameless for planning a joint military drill with the United States. On the day after he made the economic proposal, South Korea's military announced it would start its regular joint drills with US forces on August 22, assuming an emergency on the Korean Peninsula.

She added that Pyongyang does not like Yoon as a person and stressed that the North makes it clear that they will not sit face-to-face with him.

She characterized Wednesday's launch of cruise missiles by Pyongyang as a weapons test. She also corrected the South Korean military's announced launch site to Anju in South Phyongan Province.

Key words : myanmar more charges
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220818_24/

Myanmar's military say they are considering bringing more charges against Japanese journalist Kubota Toru, suggesting that his detention may be prolonged.

Kubota was detained by security forces on July 30, as local protesters staged a demonstration against military rule in Yangon. He faces charges that include violating the immigration law. Security authorities claim that he entered the country on a tourist visa and filmed the rally. A closed-door trial for him was held on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, a spokesperson for the military-led governing council told reporters that Kubota may have also violated the electronic communications law. The military have yet to provide details about the possible charges.

The spokesperson said Myanmar, as a sovereign state, cannot overlook the violation. The official added that authorities will follow legal procedures when it comes to his release.

Japanese embassy officials in Myanmar have been trying to secure his release through diplomatic channels.

Key words : reported 255,534 new
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220819_04/

Japan reported a record 255,534 new coronavirus cases across the country on Thursday. A total of 287 people died due to the virus.

Twenty-one of Japan's 47 prefectures logged their highest daily tallies. There are 610 seriously ill patients on ventilators or ECMO heart-lung machines, down 17 from Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government confirmed 27,453 new cases on Thursday, a decrease of about 3,800 from a week ago.

A panel of experts tasked with assessing the infection situation in Tokyo has warned of a growing burden on medical institutions.

It cites the record number of 4,442 hospitalized patients in the capital as of Wednesday.

Key words : world health second
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Key words : japanese medicine
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220819_02/

A Japanese medicine manufacturer says it plans to start distributing its oral coronavirus medicine through ordinary market channels. This means patients across the country could soon be prescribed the medicine more quickly.

MSD, which is the Japanese arm of US pharmaceutical firm Merck, said on Thursday that the new system would make it easier for medical facilities and pharmacies to secure necessary amounts of the medicine Lagevrio.

The government is currently in charge of distributing the drug, also known as molnupiravir, to registered institutions as supply is limited.

But MSD says it has prepared sufficient production capacity to ensure a stable supply.

MSD says patients will pay nothing for the drug as the government is covering the cost. The price of a twice-daily, five-day treatment course has been set at about 94,000 yen, or roughly 700 dollars.

The drug was developed by Merck. The Japanese government authorized it last December as the country's first oral medicine for patients with mild COVID-19 symptoms.

More than 380,000 people across the country at risk of developing serious symptoms have taken the drug.

Key words : sendai tansu
https://emb3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/videos/20220726181948863/

Japan's samurai would store their swords and clothing in "Sendai tansu," chests made in the northern city of Sendai. Sales of the iconic furniture had been dwindling in modern times until its makers found a new market overseas.