at 18:30 (JST), December 27

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/20221227183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : china inbound traveler
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221227_03/

China's government says it will drop quarantine requirements for inbound travelers starting on January 8.

The move marks a shift from the current policy of requiring all arrivals to quarantine at hotels or other facilities for five days, followed by three days of self-isolation.

Officials say visitors will still have to undergo PCR testing within 48 hours of their departure for China.

Beijing is also planning to improve the availability of visas for foreign nationals visiting for business or educational purposes, and to drop the limit on the number of international flights to and from the country.

The officials say outbound travel by Chinese nationals will be restored in an orderly manner, keeping the state of COVID-19 infection in other countries in mind.

The move to promote cross-border travel comes at a time when China faces an economic slump which has been largely blamed on its previous zero-COVID policy.

The latest decision is seen as an attempt by the government to facilitate economic recovery despite a surge in cases nationwide following the relaxation of restrictions earlier this month.

Key words : japanese firm china
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221226_23/

China has been seeing a rapid surge in the number of new coronavirus cases across the country since the government eased its zero-COVID containment policy on December 7.

The Japanese embassy in Beijing says many employees of Japanese firms in China are testing positive, and are being instructed to work from home. More plants are also operating at smaller capacities.

Health authorities in Qingdao, Shandong Province, last Friday estimated that the numbers of new infection cases have been increasing by between 490,000 and 530,000 people per day.

The city in eastern China is home to many Japanese firms.

The head of Japan External Trade Organization's office in Qingdao, Yoshikawa Akinobu, told NHK that the virus began quickly spreading around December 16.

Yoshikawa says there are Japanese firms that see 30 to 40 percent of their workforce testing positive.

Production at some firms has dropped by nearly half, although they are trying to maintain operations with the workers they have.

The Japanese embassy says some Japanese firms have reported that their employees are returning to offices as coronavirus infections have likely peaked in Beijing.

The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced that new COVID-19 cases nationwide reached 2,637 on Sunday.

The center says confirmed cases in Zhejiang Province were just 19, an extremely small number compared to a figure of one million new cases a day reported by health authorities in the province the day before.

The tally in Shandong Province was 21. The center's figure also shows large discrepancies with daily numbers released by health authorities in Qingdao in the province last Friday.

The number of deaths announced by the center has totaled less than ten this month, with no deaths being reported between December 20 and 25.

Key words : south korea aircraft
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221226_25/

South Korea's defense ministry says North Korean drones crossed the military demarcation line and reached its airspace near the capital Seoul on Monday morning.

The ministry says the unmanned aerial vehicles were detected at around 10:25 a.m. and that the South Korean military fired warning shots. The drones reached Gyeonggi Province near Seoul.

South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported that the military scrambled jets and other aircraft and opened fire in an attempt to shoot down the drones.

The South Korean airports in Incheon and Gimpo suspended flights for about an hour Monday afternoon in response to a request by the military.

The development comes as Pyongyang continues to develop unmanned aerial vehicles for reconnaissance and air-strike purposes.

Such drones have been displayed at military parades in the past.

In 2014 and 2017, small unmanned North Korean aircraft equipped with cameras were found crashed in the mountains in northern South Korea near the border with the North.

Key words : indonesia tsunami
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221227_07/

Indonesians have commemorated the 18th anniversary of the deadly Indian Ocean tsunami that struck on December 26, 2004. The disaster left more than 220,000 people dead or missing in a vast area spanning from Southeast Asia to East Africa.

The tsunami was triggered by a massive earthquake that struck off the coast of Indonesia's Sumatra Island. More than 160,000 people were killed in Aceh province, located on the northwest tip of the island.

A memorial ceremony was held on Monday at a cemetery in Aceh. Prayers were offered at 8 a.m., around the time the earthquake struck. Police and military officials scattered flower petals on the ground to mourn the victims.

Local residents staged a play, reenacting the devastation wrought by the surging tides.

A 64-year-old man, whose parents remain missing, recalled that the tsunami turned the town into a hellish landscape. He said some people think that a major tsunami will only occur once in 300 years, but he believes one could strike again at any time.

A 17-year-old girl said she was never taught at school about the disaster or how to prepare for one. She said young people should reach out to one another and learn more about natural disasters.

Key words : maritime inoue retired
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221226_19/

Japan's defense ministry on Monday dismissed a captain of the Maritime Self-Defense Force for allegedly leaking confidential information in violation of the state secrecy law. The captain, Inoue Takashi, has also been referred to prosecutors for providing classified information to a retired MSDF admiral.

This is the first time anyone has been reprimanded for leaking what the law stipulates as specially designated secrets.

The ministry says when Inoue headed a MSDF intelligence team in March 2020, he provided the former admiral with secret information on situations surrounding Japan as well as Self-Defense Forces operations.

The former admiral, who was once Inoue's superior, sought Inoue's briefing in January of the same year. The ministry says officials confirmed Inoue did not leak the information to anyone but his former superior.

Two other senior officials had reportedly been contacted by the former admiral for the same reason. The ministry reprimanded the two for poor supervision, as they failed to confirm what information Inoue disclosed to his former superior.

One of the officials has been suspended for 5 days. The other, who is no longer in office, will be asked to voluntarily return part of his salary.

The then-MSDF Chief of Staff, who has already left office, was also disciplined for inadequate supervision.

Inoue has been referred to the Yokohama district prosecutors office for violating the Act on the Protection of Specially Designated Secrets and the Self-Defense Forces Law.

MSDF Chief of Staff Admiral Sakai Ryo apologized for the incident at a news conference.

He said leaks by senior officials erode trust with Japan's allies and the public, and can never be tolerated.

Key words : insurance
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221226_11/

Major Japanese non-life insurers are set to stop covering war-linked damage to ships in all waters around Russia and Ukraine starting on January 1.

The step comes amid Russia's attacks on Ukraine. The measure could possibly affect Japan's imports of liquefied natural gas from the Sakhalin-2 oil and gas project in Russia's Far East.

Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance, Sompo Japan Insurance and Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance have begun informing shipping and other firms of the move.

The insurers say they will stop offering war-risk insurance in the waters because reinsurance companies are refusing to take on Russia-related risks for damage to ships.

Ship owners need to sign up for war-risk insurance in addition to ordinary ship insurance to receive compensation for damage caused by military activities.

The suspension of war-risk insurance is expected to make it difficult to operate ships in the related waters.

The Japanese insurers say they will negotiate with reinsurance firms for the resumption of the coverage to prevent impact on energy imports to Japan.

Japan's industry ministry says it is confirming the facts along with relevant ministries, and is determining the possible impact.

The industry ministry says it will continue to try to secure stable energy supply to Japan.

Major Japanese shipping firm Mitsui O.S.K. Lines has told NHK that it is collecting information on the situation and studying how to deal with the matter.

Key words : bonsai
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221226_14/

Officials of Japan's Imperial Household Agency have put the final touches on bonsai plant arrangements for the New Year at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

The traditional displays are made up of plants believed to invite good luck. They include pines, bamboos, plum trees, coral bushes and Japanese sarcandra glabras.

Agency officials say some of the plum trees -- the main parts of the arrangements -- are over 150 years old. The trees are said to measure up to 2 meters tall.

On Monday, six officials from the agency placed moss collected from the palace grounds on the roots of bonsai plants and added white sand to the pots to create images of streams.

Agency officials say by Friday, a total of about 20 pots of assorted bonsai will be installed in places, such as the palace building, the residence of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako and that of Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko.

Key words : shanghai
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221223_01/

A surge of coronavirus cases is sweeping across China. It comes after the government eased its strict anti-infection measures on December 7.

Case numbers have been growing since last week in Shanghai, where staff shortages are causing delays in delivery services.

Shanghai has the largest Japanese population among cities in China. The city's Japanese consulate-general says the virus is spreading among employees at Japanese and other businesses.

But officials at the mission say there have been no reports suggesting production lines or distribution have been severely affected by the surge. They say this is partly because there are no longer restrictions on people's movements.

Chinese media outlets report infections are spreading among civil servants in several provinces, including Henan and Shandong. They say local authorities have closed their offices to the public and are calling on citizens to use online services instead.

Officials of Chengdu in the inland province of Sichuan said at a news conference on Thursday they have set up 300 fever clinics across the city. They said up to 42,000 people a day are visiting the facilities.