at 18:30 (JST), January 24

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/20230124183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : prime top priority
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230123_11/

Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio says addressing the country's falling birthrate will be a top priority for the government.

He made the comment on Monday during his policy speech on the first day of the Diet's ordinary session.

Kishida said births in Japan last year are estimated to be under 800,000. He said the government will try to implement unprecedented countermeasures to boost the number of births. He said he intends to devise steps and seek stable financial sources to achieve the goal.

The prime minister said Japan is at a critical juncture, 77 years after the end of World War Two. He said the country must break away from established past practices and create a society, economy and international orders that are suitable for a new era.

Kishida also stressed the need to bolster Japan's defense capabilities. He said the government will secure a defense budget of 43 trillion yen, or more than 330 billion dollars, over five years. He indicated that about a quarter of the increased funds will be raised through tax hikes.

He also said the government will deal with rising prices. He said the government will make efforts to increase wages, including trying to accelerate reform of the labor market by reviewing the seniority-based wage system. Kishida also mentioned support for people who want to change their employment status from non-permanent to permanent, and support for reskilling.

Commenting on how Japan will ensure it has stable energy supplies, Kishida said the government will promote the construction of next-generation reactors at nuclear power plants and extend the operations of nuclear reactors.

Kishida also said the government will mull reclassifying the coronavirus and moving it into the same category as the seasonal flu this spring.

Kishida also spoke about diplomacy and national security. He said Japan will work with the other G7 countries to respond to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and other global issues ahead of the group's May summit in Hiroshima, western Japan. He also expressed his determination to take measures to realize a world without nuclear arms.

Kishida also referred to the resignations of some Cabinet ministers last year over political funds scandals and ties to the religious group widely known as the Unification Church. He said he took the resignations seriously, and said he will try to prevent a recurrence of the conduct that led to the scandals.

Key words : chinese tourist
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230123_42/

Chinese tourists are flocking to Southeast Asia for the Lunar New Year holidays after Beijing lifted its tough COVID rules.

Indonesia is one of several countries in the region looking forward to an influx of Chinese visitors. With the start of the weeklong holidays, a chartered flight carrying Chinese tourists landed in Bali on Sunday.

More than 200 travelers from the southern city of Shenzhen were welcomed by Indonesian officials. It was the first direct flight from mainland China since airline services were suspended in February 2020 due to the pandemic.

A 17-year-old tourist said he was very happy "because we couldn't go abroad for three years, but now we can."

Nearly 1.2 million tourists from China visited Bali in 2019, which is the second-largest contingent after Australians. But a travel agency association says there were almost no Chinese visitors after the pandemic hit.

The association says that once direct flights from China to Bali restart, as many as one million tourists could visit this year.

The Indonesian government has not strengthened its border controls for Chinese tourists. It is determined to revitalize the tourism industry, even though infections are surging in China.

Thailand is another country where Chinese tourists are reappearing. They thronged the country's southern resort islands in Krabi Province at the weekend.

Thai tourist authorities forecast more than 29,000 Chinese will visit the country from January 19 to 27.

They are expecting an even bigger wave of visitors as the Chinese government has allowed group tours to 20 countries, including Thailand, from early February.

Key words : shinkai
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230124_01/

Japanese director Shinkai Makoto's animated film "Suzume" has been nominated for the top awards at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Shinkai's animation is among the nominees for the Golden and Silver Bear awards at the 73rd Berlinale, which were announced on Monday.

It tells a story of a high school girl who went through a devastating earthquake as a child overcoming challenges while traveling across Japan. The aim of her journey is to close the "doors" that can cause disasters.

Suzume is the first Japanese animated film to be shortlisted for the awards since 2002, when Miyazaki Hayao's "Spirited Away" won the Golden Bear.

Shinkai says the film is based on a catastrophic event that struck Japan 12 years ago.

He says the nomination gives him a chance to figure out firsthand how his work will be perceived and interpreted by overseas audiences.

The festival opens on February 16 and runs through February 26.

Key words : fishing boat matsuno
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230123_18/

Japan's top government spokesperson says the country will urge Russia to allow Japanese fishing boats to operate as soon as possible around four Russia-controlled northern islands claimed by Japan.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu spoke to reporters on Monday, days after Russia informed Japan that it cannot hold annual talks this year to decide the details of the boats' operations in waters around the islands. The details include the fishing period and catch amounts.

The annual talks are based on a bilateral agreement signed in 1998.

Matsuno said the pact ensures the safe operations of Japanese fishing vessels in waters around the Northern Territories. The four islands have been a long-standing issue between the two countries.

He said Japan and Russia have maintained and advanced the operations in a mutually beneficial manner for more than 20 years.

Matsuno called Moscow's notification unacceptable. He said Japan will urge Russia to hold the annual talks as soon as it can.

Russia controls the four islands. Japan claims them. The Japanese government maintains the four islands are an inherent part of Japan's territory. It says Russia illegally occupied the islands after World War Two.

Key words : pakistan
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230123_43/

Islamabad is discussing with Moscow starting imports of Russian oil and gas.

The South Asian country is suffering severe energy shortages due to a surge in oil prices following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and insufficient foreign currency.

Pakistan's economic minister Ayaz Sadiq met with Russian energy minister Nikolay Shulginov in Islamabad on Friday.

A joint statement says both sides agreed to boost energy cooperation, including trade and infrastructure investment.

It says oil and gas trade transactions will be made in a way that has mutual economic benefit for both sides. It indicates the process will be completed by the end of March.

Western countries have imposed sanctions on Russia's oil and gas to choke off the country's revenues. But analysts point out China and India have taken advantage of the situation by buying Russian energy at a discount.

Key words : and india training
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230123_33/

Defense officials of Japan and India have allowed the media to cover their joint fighter drills outside Tokyo. They say they are making arrangements to hold similar exercises in India.

Japan's Air Self-Defense Force and the Indian Air Force on Monday invited reporters to observe the first such training sessions with India in Japan.

The exercises began at the Hyakuri Base in Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, on January 16 and are scheduled to continue until January 26.

Bad weather kept the Indian aircraft grounded. But an Indian commander was able to ride along in a Japanese F-2 fighter.

Central Air Defense Force commander Sakamoto Koichi and Air Marshal Pankaj Sinha, chief of the Indian Air Force's Western Air Command, held a joint news conference.

Sakamoto said the training can help deepen ties between the two forces and contribute to regional peace and stability.

Air Marshal Sinha said their cultures and languages are different, but that they found they have many things in common.

He disclosed that the air force has asked the Japanese side to conduct joint fighter drills in India.

The Air Self-Defense Force said details are still being arranged, and added that it hopes to boost cooperation with the Indian Air Force.

Key words : freezing fukuoka
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230124_14/

Businesses across Japan are preparing to respond to a bout of severe winter weather in the coming days.

Demand for some goods has been unexpectedly high at some shops. A home improvement store in Fukuoka City in southwestern Japan says it has sold all of its merchandise for coping with heavy snow and icy weather. Among the items sold out were snow shovels and covers for water pipes to keep them from freezing up.

The store says it sold more than 30 large oil heaters over the weekend, and it is unclear when new stock will arrive. A local resident in his 70s said he came to buy a heater, but was disappointed there were none left. He said he had checked several other stores, but they were all sold out.

Oda Tomoya, an employee of an outlet of the GooDay home-center chain, said, "People seem to be on higher alert than in previous past cold spells. The shelves on the sales floor are almost empty. We didn't expect customer demand to be so high."

Meanwhile, strawberry growing company Meiwafarm Hybrid in Tottori City, western Japan, is heating its hothouses with hot-spring water, instead of air heaters.

The company says it will adjust the temperature of the water running around the plants so the air temperature won't fall below 7 degrees Celsius.

It says temperatures below that would affect the fruit.
Grower Sakamoto Shigeru says, "The taste of strawberries changes depending on temperature and sunlight. I want to make sure the taste won't change, regardless of weather conditions."

Sakamoto says the water is usually heated to about 30 degrees. But he plans to raise the temperature on Tuesday by about 2 degrees.