at 18:30 (JST), December 23

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/20221223183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : taliban demonstrate
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221223_07/

The Taliban's ban on women attending university is sparking protests in Afghanistan and drawing criticism from the international community.

Local media reported that dozens of women demonstrated outside a university in Kabul on Thursday. They marched in the streets, chanting for freedom and equality.

Protests also took place in the northern and eastern provinces of Takhar and Nangarhar.

The Taliban announced on Tuesday that female students' access to public and private universities will be banned until further notice. They cited Islamic dress code infractions and interaction between genders as major reasons for the ban.

The group had prohibited girls from attending secondary schools after retaking power in August last year.

The ban is triggering a global backlash. The United Nations called on the Islamic group to immediately revoke the decision.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock condemned the Taliban at a G7 foreign ministers meeting on Thursday.

She said Afghan women and girls are being deprived of everything essential to their lives. She added, "Gender persecution may amount to a crime against humanity."

Key words : philippines concern
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221222_41/

The Philippines has said it is "seriously concerned" about China's reported new activities to reclaim land in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.

The Philippine Foreign Ministry issued a statement Tuesday after Bloomberg reported China was conducting construction activities in four uninhabited features in the disputed area. The statement said, "such activities contravene the Declaration of Conduct on the South China Sea's undertaking on self-restraint".

China's embassy in the Philippines slammed the report as "fake news." It said China "strictly abides" by the Declaration, which reaffirms China and other Southeast Asian countries' self-restraint in conducting activities on the uninhabited islands and reefs in the Spratlys.

The Bloomberg report comes two weeks ahead of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Junior's trip to Beijing, where he is scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Key words : consumer pinch
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221223_12/

Japanese consumers are feeling the pinch as prices continue to rise.

The latest data released on Friday shows consumer price inflation in November hit a fresh 40-year high.

The internal affairs ministry says the consumer price index, excluding fresh food, climbed 3.7 percent last month from a year earlier.

That is the biggest leap since December 1981.
The overall figure was pushed up by rising costs for food, as well as electricity and gas bills.

Key words : kubota experience
#N/A