at 18:30 (JST), October 21

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/20221021183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : consumer feeling the pinch
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221021_18/

Japanese consumers are feeling the pinch as prices continue to rise. The internal affairs ministry said on Friday that the consumer price index, excluding fresh food, climbed 3 percent in September from a year earlier.

Japan has not seen that level of increase since August 1991, except for when the consumption tax was increased.

The government and the Bank of Japan have set an inflation target of 2 percent to pull the country out of deflation. September was the sixth straight month that the figure exceeded that mark.

Key words : japan and thailand
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221020_41/

Japan and Thailand have held a meeting of public and private sector officials on the transfer of Japanese technologies to help the Southeastern country reduce carbon emissions.

The officials held their first meeting in Thailand's capital of Bangkok on Thursday in accordance with a memorandum concluded between the two governments on cooperation in the energy sector. Nearly 20 firms from the two countries took part.

Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries have a high ratio of thermal power generation using coal and gas. They face a challenge of reducing carbon emissions, while expanding power supply as high economic growth is expected in the region.

At the meeting, Japanese firms introduced technology to use ammonia for power generation. Ammonia does not emit carbon dioxide when burnt. Technologies concerning electric vehicles were also shown.

The Japanese government expects companies between the two countries to launch projects.

A senior official from Thailand's energy ministry said a reduction in carbon emissions cannot be achieved only through efforts by the country, so it is necessary for Japan and Thailand to cooperate and make efforts.

Japan plans to hold government and private sector conferences in other Southeast Asian countries to support their efforts to reduce carbon emissions in phases.

Key words : noble gases
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221021_02/

A group of researchers says it has found traces of noble gases on sand and other asteroid samples brought back by a Japanese space probe.

The discovery was made by a team that includes Okazaki Ryuji, an associate professor at Kyushu University.

The team analyzed samples in an airtight cylindrical capsule fitted to Hayabusa2. The samples were collected from the asteroid Ryugu, about 300 million kilometers away.

The team says it detected tiny amounts of noble gases such as helium and neon that are extremely rare in the Earth's atmosphere.

It says it believes that the gases were originally emitted by the sun onto the asteroid and released when sand or other substances rubbed against each other.

Earlier this year, other research groups say their analyses found amino acids and carbonated water in samples from the capsule.

Okazaki says Hayabusa2 brought back gases as well as solids and liquid. He says this shows Japan has advanced technology that can be used in a space mission to retrieve ice and highly volatile organic matter.

Key words : north behind missile launches
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