at 18:30 (JST), October 03

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/20221003183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : indonesia president
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221003_03/

Indonesian police say 125 people have died as a result of chaos that followed a professional soccer match in the province of East Java.

Police say spectators invaded the pitch after a match at a stadium in Malang city on Saturday night. Host Arema FC lost to Persebaya Surabaya.

Police responded by firing tear gas, causing a stampede among panicked fans.

Police say about 40,000 fans, all of whom were supporters of the losing side, had been allowed into the stands to watch the match. They add that roughly 3,000 of them streamed onto the pitch.

A supporter, who saw the match from the stands and left the stadium before the turmoil developed, said tear gas wafted out of the venue and that his eyes and throat ached. He said he wonders why the riot was allowed to happen.

A man said he rushed to the stadium to rescue his son, who had been watching the match from the stands. He said many supporters cascaded onto the pitch to voice their disappointment at the loss. He said the chaos worsened when more spectators got onto the pitch to flee from tear gas fired by police into the stands.

President Joko Widodo said on Sunday that he hoped the disaster will be the last soccer tragedy in Indonesia. He ordered police to thoroughly investigate security arrangements at the match.

Key words : defense chief agreed
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221002_05/

The defense chiefs of Japan, the United States and Australia have agreed to strengthen defense cooperation among the three countries.

Japanese Defense Minister Hamada Yasukazu, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles met in Hawaii on Saturday.

Hamada told his counterparts that close coordination among the three nations has never been more important to maintain and reinforce a free and open Indo-Pacific that is based on the rule of law.

The ministers confirmed that their countries will expand joint training and promote cooperation in the fields of defense equipment and technology.
This comes as China has been rapidly increasing its influence over Pacific Island nations.

Hamada talked about the Japanese government's plan to revise the National Security Strategy and related defense programs by the end of the year to drastically enhance the country's defense capabilities within five years.

He also said the government is determined to ensure that Japan's defense spending will be substantially increased.

The ministers agreed to align their countries' strategies.

Austin said at the meeting, "We are deeply concerned by China's increasingly aggressive bullying behavior in the Taiwan Strait and elsewhere in the region."

He added, "For decades, our three democracies have worked shoulder to shoulder as an anchor for stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and around the globe."

He said he was looking forward to strengthening the trilateral defense cooperation.

Hamada later told reporters that he conveyed Japan's concern over China's growing influence over Pacific Island nations such as the Solomon Islands.

He said he also conveyed Japan's determination to contribute to the peace and stability of the region by increasing its presence.

Hamada added that he talked about the importance of helping nations in the region to build up their defense capabilities, such as troop training in close coordination with the US and Australia.

Key words : japanese lawmaker
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221003_06/

A nonpartisan group of Japanese lawmakers will visit Taiwan for the first time in three years. The trip comes amid China's increasing military pressure on Taiwan.

About 20 members of the group working to promote exchanges with Taiwan are expected to take part in the three-day visit starting on Saturday.

Furuya Keiji, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party and former chairperson of the National Public Safety Commission heads the group. Other members including lawmakers from the LDP, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Nippon Ishin Japan Innovation Party will also join.

The lawmakers are scheduled to meet President Tsai Ing-wen as they aim to strengthen collaboration with Taiwan.

They will travel to northeastern Taiwan, about 110 kilometers across the sea from Japan's Yonaguni Island. They plan to examine Japan's possible options in the event of a contingency involving Taiwan.

The group is also making arrangements to hold a strategic dialogue with Taiwanese and US lawmakers next month in an apparent effort to step up their diplomacy to keep China in check.

Key words : china holiday
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221001_15/

The Chinese government is warning people to refrain from traveling across provincial borders out of fear of the coronavirus spreading, as a weeklong national holiday kicked off on Saturday.

October 1 is China's National Day, marking the founding of the People's Republic of China.

The ruling Communist Party's National Congress is scheduled to open on October 16 in Beijing. The government is maintaining vigilance toward the spread of COVID-19 ahead of this.

Travelers using airplanes and high-speed trains are required to show negative PCR test results taken in the previous 48 hours.

The Beijing railway station is normally crowded with people heading to their hometowns and tourist destinations during the holiday.

But there were fewer-than-usual travelers around a square in front of the station this year.

A 45-year-old man from Liaoning Province said there were not many passengers on the train he had taken, and he had to undergo strict screening at stations and show a negative PCR test result.

The National Congress of the Communist Party is the most important meeting of the nation's leaders, held once every five years. Banners heralding it have been put up around Beijing.

Key words : kabul street
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221002_03/

A UN mission in Afghanistan says at least 35 people were killed and more than 80 were injured in an apparent suicide bomb attack on an education center in Kabul.

The Taliban had earlier reported 19 deaths, including students, in a major explosion at the institution in the western part of the capital on Friday.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said on Saturday that it has come up with the latest figure on casualties after inquiring at local hospitals.

The UN mission said that at least 35 were killed and 82 others were wounded, and that most of them are girls and young women.

Taliban rulers quoted eyewitnesses as saying that a man broke into a classroom and detonated a vest laden with explosives.

High school students preparing for university entrance exams have studied at the education center.

The Taliban have banned female students from attending since the Islamist group took power about a year ago.

Following the incident, Afghan women took to the streets on Saturday calling for measures to ensure women's safety.

Key words : inoki
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221001_12/

Former Japanese professional wrestling star and ex-lawmaker Antonio Inoki has died at the age of 79. Inoki, known for his many visits to North Korea to meet top officials, died from heart failure on Saturday morning.

He started his career as a professional wrestler at the age of 17, and founded a professional wrestling promotion company, New Japan Pro-Wrestling, in 1972.

One of his high-profile matches is the 1976 fight against the late boxing legend Muhammad Ali. The wrestler fought Ali in Tokyo, going the full 15 rounds with the then-heavyweight world champ in the match, which ended in a draw.

Inoki was first elected as an upper house Diet member in 1989, and a second time in 2013.

Inoki's mentor, Rikidozan, also a very popular wrestler, was from an area now part of North Korea.

Inoki visited North Korea several times and met top officials in his efforts to improve relations between Japan and the North.

Those officials included Kim Yong Il, a close aide to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The meeting took place in November 2013, when Inoki visited the country to take part in an event for sports exchanges.

Inoki organized an international pro-wrestling competition in Pyongyang in 2014. About 20 wrestlers and martial arts practitioners, including those from Japan, the United States and France, took part. The event drew more than 10,000 spectators, who filled the venue.

Inoki visited North Korea for three years in a row from 2016 through 2018 to meet North Korea's ruling Workers' Party vice chairman, Ri Su Yong. He said he brought up the issue of Japanese nationals abducted to the North during his meetings with Ri.