at 18:30 (JST), January 11

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/20230111183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : visa stopped
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230111_21/

The coronavirus is rapidly spreading in China. And, travelers from there are facing restrictions imposed by multiple countries. Those include Japan and South Korea. Beijing is now hitting back with its own. It has suspended issuing certain visas to people from both countries.

Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa said, " We are implementing measures at our entry points but taking every possible precaution to ensure that the international flow of people is not stopped. It is extremely regrettable that China is restricting the issuance of visas for reasons other than coronavirus countermeasures."

China announced the new entry restrictions on Tuesday.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said, "Regrettably, a handful of countries, in disregard of science, facts and their actual epidemic situation, have insisted on taking discriminatory entry restriction measures targeting China. China firmly rejects this and will take reciprocal measures."

Japan now requires travelers from mainland China to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result from within 72 hours before departure. It is also planning similar measures for people arriving from Macao starting Thursday.

Key words : kishida arrived unity
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230111_08/

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has arrived in Britain, the latest stop on his tour of five Group of Seven nations.

Kishida flew into London on Tuesday, on the third leg of a weeklong tour. He previously visited France and Italy, and will travel next to Canada and the United States.

Kishida's trip comes before Japan hosts the G7 summit in Hiroshima in May.

Kishida will meet with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday. He is expected to call for unity among the G7 members in the face of global challenges, such as the conflict in Ukraine, and surging food and energy prices.

Kishida reportedly plans to tell Sunak that Japan is working to bolster its defense capabilities to uphold a free and open international order.

The two leaders are likely to reaffirm a further advancement of bilateral security cooperation.

Key words : kishida italian
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230111_12/

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni have agreed to upgrade the two countries' relationship to a strategic partnership.

The two leaders held talks for about an hour on Tuesday in Rome. Italy is the second stop of Kishida's trip to five of the Group of Seven nations. His trip comes ahead of May's G7 summit, which Japan will host in Hiroshima.

The prime ministers confirmed that they will work together to hold a successful summit amid global challenges such as the conflict in Ukraine and food and energy problems.

Kishida explained that Japan is working to bolster its defense capabilities to uphold a free and open international order.

The upgrade to a strategic partnership follows an earlier agreement by Japan, Italy and Britain to jointly develop a new fighter jet for Japan's Air Self-Defense Force.

Kishida and Meloni confirmed a mechanism would be set up for bilateral foreign and defense consultations to step up security cooperation.

The leaders met reporters after the meeting. Meloni said the elevation of the bilateral relations will lead to stronger ties in every field, and will provide businesses and people of both countries with new opportunities.

She said the creation of the bilateral foreign-defense consultation mechanism will be the first concrete result of their partnership agreement.

Key words : prosecutor determine yamagami
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230110_27/

The suspect in the shooting death of former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has been moved to a police station in Nara City, western Japan, after a psychiatric evaluation.

A van carrying Yamagami Tetsuya arrived at Nara Nishi Police Station after leaving a detention house in Osaka City on Tuesday afternoon.

He was wearing glasses and a mask, and looked downward before walking into the station.

Abe was shot dead last July while making a campaign speech in Nara.

Police are holding Yamagami on suspicion of murder and other charges.
Prosecutors in Nara sent him to a detention house to determine whether he can be held criminally responsible. The psychiatric evaluation lasted about six months, starting last July.

The evaluation involved interviewing the suspect about his family environment and relationship with his mother, who belonged to the religious group widely known as the Unification Church.

The suspect had told police he was motivated by a grudge against the group. He said he shot Abe because he believed the former prime minister had close ties with the group.

Relatives of Yamagami said he complained about having to repeatedly answer the same questions, such as "What do you think about your mother's donations to the group?"

Prosecutors concluded that Yamagami is mentally fit to stand trial. They based their assessment on the results of the evaluation and factors such as his building of homemade guns and alleged careful preparation for the attack by checking Abe's campaign schedule.

The prosecutors plan to indict Yamagami by Friday, when his period of detention ends.

Key words : pakistan hiv
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/videos/20230104201712059/

A UN estimate suggests that about 210,000 people in Pakistan live with HIV. But many people in the country lack basic knowledge of the virus. NHK World's Nazr Ul Islam reports from the country, where a journalist is trying to inform people of the reality of HIV.