at 18:30 (JST), October 25

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/20221025183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : at least 50 airstrike
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221025_11/

Myanmar's military has conducted an airstrike in the northern state of Kachin, killing at least 50 people. Part of the state is controlled by the armed forces of the Kachin ethnic minority.

Local media report Myanmar aircraft raided the area on Sunday night, leaving at least 50 dead and 50 others injured. The reports said a celebration sponsored by the armed group's political wing, Kachin Independence Organization, was being held there at the time. They added many of the victims were civilians, including local popular singers.

The UN office in Myanmar expressed grave concern over the attack in a statement released on Monday. It said, "What would appear to be excessive and disproportionate use of force by security forces against unarmed civilians is unacceptable."

Meanwhile, the Myanmar military justified the attack in a statement. It said several key members of the Kachin armed forces, not civilians, were killed in the attack. It added the attack was necessary in response to actions carried out earlier by the group.

The armed forces of the Kachin ethnic minority have long been in fighting the military, calling for broader autonomy. Since the military took power in a coup in February last year, the Kachin forces have reportedly conducted drills and fought jointly with pro-democracy forces against the military.

Key words : china sitting next
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221024_33/

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson has avoided clarifying what happened to former leader Hu Jintao, when he was escorted out of the Communist Party's National Congress on Saturday.

Hu was sitting next to President Xi Jinping when he was whisked out of the closing ceremony of the congress.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin was asked about Hu at a news conference on Monday. Wang simply said a Xinhua News Agency correspondent has already reported related information.

The state-run agency posted on its English-language Twitter account around midnight on Saturday. It said Hu attended the congress even though he had been recuperating from ill health and left early because of his deteriorating condition. It says the staff accompanied him to a room next to the meeting venue for a rest. It adds that his condition has much improved.

People in China do not have unfettered access to Twitter because of the government's tight grip on the Internet. So far, no media have reported on Hu's sudden departure.

Speculation on what happened to Hu has been rife. Some say he developed a health problem, while others say politics played a role in his sudden exit.

Key words : north praise
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221024_23/

North Korea's ruling party newspaper has praised Chinese President Xi Jinping for starting an unprecedented third term as the leader of the Communist Party. It called for deeper ties between the two countries.

The Workers' Party newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, carried an editorial lauding Xi on its front page on Monday.

The editorial says that Xi's leadership has protected China's core interests from oppressive maneuvers by hostile forces -- an apparent reference to the United States.

It stressed that North Korea and China must step up unity and cooperation, as scheming by imperialists is becoming apparent.

The front page also featured a congratulatory telegram to Xi from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

On Monday, Chinese customs authorities said the value of trade between China and North Korea in September was around 104 million dollars.

The figure increased for four months in a row, becoming the largest since February 2020, when effects of the pandemic became apparent.

The coronavirus pandemic has taken its toll on North Korea's economy, and Pyongyang is believed to be hoping to expand cooperation with China.

Key words : china export growth
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221024_31/

Chinese officials announced the latest trade data on Monday after 10-day delay. It shows that export growth slowed in September for the second month in a row.

The value of China's exports in dollar terms grew 5.7 percent from the same month last year, which is 1.4 percentage points lower than the previous month.

The value of imports rose 0.3 percent.

Exports to the United States dropped significantly, and exports to the European Union increased at a lower rate. The economic slowdowns in the US and the EU are likely pushing down demand for Chinese products.

China's trade with Russia remained strong amid economic sanctions on Moscow by Western nations.
Crude oil imports to China from Russia rose about 21 percent year-on-year, and liquefied natural gas climbed about 32 percent.

Key words : goto step
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221025_15/

Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has decided to appoint former Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Goto Shigeyuki as the new economic revitalization minister. He will succeed Yamagiwa Daishiro, who stepped down on Monday amid a series of revelations about his links with the controversial religious group previously known as the Unification Church.

Goto is a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. He currently serves as chairperson of the party's Research Commission on Social Security System.

The 66-year-old lawmaker was appointed health, labor and welfare minister when Kishida formed his first Cabinet in October last year.

Prime Minister Kishida apparently expects Goto to work instrumentally in compiling a new economic package aimed at tackling soaring prices, and in smoothly handling Diet debates on a supplementary budget that will fund the package.

Goto joined the Finance Ministry in 1980 and was first elected to the Lower House in 2000 on the ticket of the then-Democratic Party of Japan, an opposition party. He later joined the LDP. He is in his seventh term at the Lower House.

Key words : unesco welcome
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221025_12/

A UNESCO advisory body has welcomed a local government proposal for a new railway for Mount Fuji, a World Heritage site in central Japan.

The highest peak in Japan was registered as a World Heritage site in 2013. It straddles the central Japanese prefectures of Shizuoka and Yamanashi.

Local officials need to address a range of challenges facing the mountain, including overcrowding and traffic jams.

The Yamanashi prefectural government drew up the concept in February last year to build a railway on an existing road, connecting the foot of Mount Fuji with the fifth station. Visitors start their climb to the peak there.

NHK has learned that International Council on Monuments and Sites, or ICOMOS, an advisory body to UNESCO, welcomed the railway concept in an internal document.

ICOMOS stated that "it could offer an integrated approach to address many of the challenges relating to visitor management and environmental degradation that are facing the property."

The advisory body also said the concept could present "an opportunity to improve the overall facilities in and around the higher stations."

But ICOMOS added that the proposal is clearly at an early stage and much work is needed to explore its feasibility and draw in support from the relevant stakeholders.

Some local residents are concerned that the railway construction could damage the environment.

The Yamanashi prefectural government hopes to gain the understanding of locals based on the opinions presented by ICOMOS.

Key words : electric vehicle
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221025_16/

Electric vehicles are becoming more popular in Japan but finding somewhere to charge them is still a problem.
Come spring, however, that's going to change when a new sharing service will connect charging stations and EV drivers through a smartphone app.

The service is bringing together three main players.
The electronics firm Panasonic is busy developing the app.
Mizuho Bank will handle the settlement of the usage fee. And Sompo Japan will cover damage insurance.

With the app, drivers will be able to find a charging site, make a reservation and pay the fee while the station owners will be able to register the facilities they have in parking areas and other locations.

The owners will be able to sign up from late November.

A Panasonic official told a news conference that it's impossible for just one company to enable an EV society. He said the group hopes many drivers will sign up.

The Japanese government is aiming for a five-fold increase in the number of charging stations around the country by 2030 from the current level.