at 18:30 (JST), September 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/20220919183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : severe tropical one person
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220919_23/

Severe tropical storm Nanmadol is leaving a trail of destruction in southwestern Japan, killing one person and injuring at least 69 others so far.

Local authorities have issued evacuation orders for millions of people in the Kyushu, Chugoku and Shikoku regions.

The severe tropical storm has left about 250,000 households without electricity.

There have also been large disruptions in transportation.
Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways have canceled over 800 flights in total scheduled for Monday.
Other airlines are also grounding some planes.

Shinkansen bullet train services have been suspended in many areas.

The Kyushu Shinkansen has stopped all services, and the Sanyo Shinkansen has suspended services between Hakata and Hiroshima.

Trains between Hiroshima and Shin-Osaka ran on reduced schedules in the morning but started suspending services at 2 p.m.

Bullet trains connecting Shin-Osaka and Tokyo are also running on reduced schedules.

Operators are urging passengers to check the latest information before traveling.

Key words : relatives concrete five
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220917_15/

Relatives of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea have called on the Japanese government to take concrete steps to bring back their loved ones.

Saturday marks the 20th anniversary of the first Japan-North Korea summit, at which Pyongyang admitted to the abductions. Five abductees were repatriated after the summit.

However, 12 of the 17 abductees officially recognized by the Japanese government remain unaccounted for.

Eight parents of abductees have passed away without ever realizing their wish to be reunited with their children.

At a rally Saturday in Saitama City, north of Tokyo, the 45-year-old son of abductee Taguchi Yaeko said there are more and more such cases.

Iizuka Koichiro said looking back on the last 20 years he cannot help but doubt the Japanese government's commitment to bringing back the abductees.

Iizuka said he wants the government to understand the abnormality of the situation over the last two decades. He urged the administration of Prime Minister Kishida Fumio to study fresh approaches to break the deadlock and bring back the abductees.

Key words : china and north
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220919_10/

The value of trade between China and North Korea posted a third straight month-on-month increase in August.

Statistics released by Chinese customs authorities on Sunday show last month's trade between the two countries was worth about 90.3 million dollars.

The figure is more than triple what it was for August last year. But it is only around 40 percent of the number recorded three years earlier before the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Last month, Pyongyang declared victory over the virus.

But the operation of cargo trains between North Korea and its major trade partner, China, has been suspended since April this year.

This apparently has been affecting the North's economy, as procuring goods from China has become more difficult.

On Sunday, an empty container displaying the name of a location in North Korea was spotted at a train station in the Chinese border city of Dandong.

A building on the North Korean side of the border bore a slogan calling for economic self-reliance.

Key words : trade exhibition
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220916_35/

A large-scale trade exhibition has kicked off in China featuring products from Southeast Asia. The four-day China-ASEAN Expo began on Friday in the southern city of Nanning.

China's Vice Premier Han Zheng emphasized that relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have entered a new stage. He touched on a regional trade agreement called RCEP that took effect this year. The pact includes ASEAN and other East Asian countries.

Han said, "We want to make the best use of this opportunity to create an open, cooperative, and friendly group, and work more closely with an ASEAN that shares the same destiny as us."
At the exhibition's many booths, business people from ASEAN and elsewhere held talks with Chinese customers.

Meanwhile, the US has agreed with a number of Asian countries to start negotiations later this month on a new economic partnership called the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, or IPEF. Observers say the US wants to shore up its economic ties with the region in response to China's growing presence.

But IPEF doesn't cover the reduction or elimination of tariffs. Experts say China may try to take advantage of this to deepen its trade and investment ties. ASEAN is China's largest trading partner.

Key words : Saturday marks self-defense
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220917_06/

Saturday marks 30 years since Japan sent its Self-Defense Forces to Cambodia for UN peace-keeping operations.

The SDF's first peace-keeping mission, which began in 1992, helped the Southeast Asian country to rebuild after decades of civil war.

Many Japanese civilians also contributed to Cambodia's recovery. In 1993, a police officer on a UN peace-keeping mission and a man working as a UN volunteer were shot dead.

Malinda Kosal, a spokesperson for the National Centre for Peacekeeping Forces, Mines and ERW Clearance, told NHK that Cambodia will not forget how Japan contributed to Cambodia's peace.

She said Cambodia is a small country but that it has acquired many friends by sending its own peace-keepers on UN operations.

Since 2006, Cambodia has sent more than 8,000 peace-keeping troops on missions to nine countries, for the removal of landmines and other tasks.

Key words : estimate united nations
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220918_22/

The internal affairs ministry estimates that, as of last Thursday, there were a record 36.27 million people aged 65 or older in Japan, up 60,000 from last year.

The ministry says 15.74 million of them were men, and 20.53 million were women.

They make up 29.1 percent of Japan's population, an increase of 0.3 percentage points from last year.

Data compiled by the United Nations show that this figure is the highest among countries and territories with a population of more than 100,000.

The figure is 5 percentage points higher than the one for Italy, which is a distant second.

The ministry says the number of elderly workers in Japan reached a record 9.09 million last year.

The ratio of workers aged 65 or older to the elderly population is 25.1 percent, one of the highest among the major countries.

The ministry says 50.3 percent of people between 65 and 69 have jobs. The ratio rose by 0.7 percentage points from the previous year to top 50 percent for the first time.

Since April last year, companies have been required to try to keep their workers on the payroll until age 70, if they wish.

The ministry says the number of elderly workers is expected to continue to grow.

Key words : ordered pay damages
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220916_18/

A Japanese court has ordered the government to pay damages over the death of a Cameroonian man in 2014 while he was detained at an immigration center in Ibaraki Prefecture.

The Mito District Court handed down the ruling on Friday.
Presiding Judge Abe Masahiko ordered the government to pay damages worth 1.65 million yen, or about 11,500 dollars, to the plaintiff.

The 43-year-old man died at the Higashi-Nihon Immigration Center in Ushiku City, north of Tokyo, in March 2014.

His mother sued the Japanese government for its failure to give him the necessary medical treatment even though he had asked for help. She demanded compensation worth 10 million yen, or about 70,000 dollars.

The government had called for the dismissal of the case, claiming that it was difficult for the detention center staff to judge whether to take the man to hospital, as they lacked the necessary expertise.

Key words : thailand amusement park
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