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/20230530183000_english_1.mp3
Key words : self-defense on alert
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230530_03/Japan's Self-Defense Forces are on alert as North Korea appears poised to fire a ballistic missile in what it calls a "satellite" launch.
The Japanese government says North Korea has notified it that the launch is planned for a period between this Wednesday and June 11.
Destroyers equipped with the Aegis missile-tracking system, which has advanced radar and interceptor missiles, are on standby around the clock in the East China Sea.
Land-based PAC-3 interceptor systems have been deployed in Naha City, on the islands of Miyako, Ishigaki and Yonaguni in Okinawa Prefecture, and on the premises of the Defense Ministry in Tokyo.
The Ground Self-Defense Force has sent units to Okinawa that are tasked with removing hazardous materials and rescuing injured people in the event of a ballistic missile falling in the area.
When Pyongyang launched what were believed to be ballistic missiles in 2012 and 2016 following notifications of satellite launches, the SDF deployed PAC-3 systems at similar locations but did not fire any interceptor missiles.
Key words : high-ranking
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230530_06/A high-ranking official of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party says the country's first military reconnaissance satellite will be launched in June.
Ri Pyong Chol, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party, issued a statement through the state-run Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday.
Ri criticized the United States and South Korea for holding major live-fire drills since last Thursday, and said the countries raised military tensions in the Korean Peninsula and its surrounding areas.
He said North Korea's planned satellite launch is indispensable for real-time tracking and monitoring of "the dangerous military acts of the US and its vassal forces" and to strengthen the military preparedness of his country's armed forces.
He added that "various reconnaissance means" are due to be newly tested, without giving further details.
The statement was released one day after Pyongyang notified Japan of its plan to launch what it calls an "artificial satellite" sometime between May 31 and June 11.
North Korea last launched what is believed to be a long-range ballistic missile under the pretext of putting a satellite into orbit in February 2016.
If Pyongyang does so again, it would violate UN Security Council resolutions that ban the country from conducting any launches using ballistic missile technology.
Key words : Kishida his son
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230529_39/Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has announced his eldest son, Shotaro, who serves as his secretary, will be replaced to take responsibility for holding a party at the prime minister's official residence last year.
Kishida told reporters on Monday that Kishida Shotaro will resign on June 1. He will be replaced by Yamamoto Takayoshi, who previously held the post until last October.
Shotaro had received a stern warning from his father after facing criticism for holding a party in the prime minister's official residence.
A weekly magazine reported last week that he had held a year-end party with relatives last December. The participants took photos in a room typically used to receive foreign dignitaries. They also held a mock news conference there.
Kishida explained that his son's behavior at the official residence was inappropriate, adding that Shotaro was also a public figure as his secretary.
The prime minister also said he made the announcement after most of the coordination work concerning the Group of Seven summit held earlier this month was complete.
Kishida said he takes the case seriously as he was responsible for appointing his son to the post.
Opposition parties have been demanding Kishida sack his son.
Ohsaka Seiji, the executive deputy president of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party, told NHK it was wrong for the prime minister to appoint his son, as he was not qualified for the post in the first place.
Ohsaka said Kishida should have dismissed his son in January, when Shotaro was found to have gone shopping and visited tourist spots using an official vehicle when he accompanied his father's tour of Europe and the US.
Key words : sushiro
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230529_31/Japan's biggest conveyer belt sushi chain is aiming to capitalize on increasingly cost-conscious diners. Sushiro plans to expand its menu of low-priced dishes as inflation sends more customers bargain hunting.
The restaurant chain will add 6 new dishes priced at 120 yen, or about 85 cents.
Some dishes will also have flexible prices that change based on wholesale costs. The chain may even add dishes below 85 cents.
Nii Kohei, president of Akindo Sushiro, said, "We believe that selling items without fixed prices can result in better sushi for customers. For example, products that have been difficult to offer because they don't fit our price menu, or those that taste better with a larger cut."
Sushiro raised the price of its cheapest dishes from 78 cents to 85 cents last October amid surging costs. The change proved unpopular, with sales and customer numbers falling afterward.
Key words : manila
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230529_40/The Philippine Coast Guard will hold a drill with its Japanese and US counterparts from Thursday in waters around Manila Bay.
Officials from the three countries met Monday at coast guard headquarters in Manila.
They confirmed they will strengthen cooperation, apparently with China's increasing activities in the South China Sea in mind.
Some 400 personnel will take part in the weeklong drill. They will practice intercepting illegal fishing boats and staging rescue operations.
Rear Adm. Armand Balilo, the Philippine Coast Guard's public affairs commander, said: "It will enhance interoperability. It will give us a glimpse of the best practices that we can emulate from our counterparts."
The Japan Coast Guard will send the patrol vessel Akitsushima.
Key words : senior north
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230529_21/A senior North Korean foreign ministry official has suggested that talks between leader Kim Jong Un and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio could be possible if Tokyo drops its preconditions.
Kishida indicated on Saturday that he is ready to start high-level talks without preconditions to secure the return of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea decades ago.
Vice-minister of foreign affairs Pak Sang Gil released a statement on Monday through the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
Pak said Japan is in fact, "clamoring for settlement over the abduction issue, which had already been resolved," and putting forward the resolution of the issue of North Korea's right to self-defense as a precondition for improving bilateral relations.
He said there is no reason for a summit not to take place, if Japan tries to make a new decision "in conformity with the changed international trend and the times, not being shackled by the past, and seeks a way out for improving the relations."
Key words : at least 17
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230527_12/Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has indicated he is ready to start high-level talks to secure the return of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea decades ago.
Kishida spoke on Saturday at an event organized by relatives of the abductees.
Kishida said it was extremely regrettable that none of the abductees have returned to Japan since 2002.
He said their families are elderly and the abductions are a humanitarian issue with a time constraint, adding that there is no time to waste.
He pledged his all-out efforts to realize the return of all the abductees as soon as possible.
Kishida explained that he asked the leaders from the Group of Seven countries at the latest summit in Hiroshima for their understanding and cooperation so the issue can be resolved immediately.
He said the G7 leaders expressed their full support. He pointed to the necessity for Japan to act proactively, while appealing to the international community.
Kishida reiterated his willingness to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un without preconditions.
He said the longer the current situation continues, the more difficult it could become to establish fruitful relations between Japan and North Korea.
The prime minister said he will not miss any chance to convey his determination to the North, from the viewpoint of resolving the pending issue and opening a new era together.
Kishida said he wants to start high-level talks under his direct control to hold a summit with North Korea at an early date.
The Japanese government says at least 17 of its citizens were abducted by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s. Five returned in 2002, but the other 12 remain unaccounted for.
Key words : ukrainian broadcasting
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230529_42/Ukrainian broadcasting officials are visiting NHK to see how Japan's public broadcaster runs backup operations in times of emergency.
The head of Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine spoke in Tokyo.
Mykola Chernotytskyi, head of the Managing Board of Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine, said, "Since the Russian invasion started, we have been trying as much as possible to convey correctly to the world what is happening in Ukraine."
The company was established six years ago through the integration of the state-run TV station and regional broadcasters.
Last year, Russian forces struck the main television tower in Kyiv. This came after the broadcaster had already decided to move out of the capital to ensure it could continue operations.
The Ukrainians will also visit NHK's facilities in Osaka. They will see how operations there prepare to fill a backup role in the event of a major disaster in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
Ukraine's broadcaster is as well aiming to beef up its regional bureaus as well. It wants to give people the latest information despite the difficult conditions of the invasion.
Chernotytskyi says he wants to set up a system that allows reporters to visit not only major cities but also other areas of states within an hour of something happening.
To this end, they will also learn about the cooperation between NHK's headquarters and regional bureaus. Their visit concludes on Friday.
Key words : indonesia
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230529_41/A professional baseball league and team have been launched in Indonesia for the first time.
Officials from Neo Asia League and its team, Asia Golden Larks, held a news conference Monday in Jakarta. The league is funded by a Japanese company.
Nonaka Kazuto chairs the league. He coached the national teams of Indonesia and Sri Lanka for a total of 11 years. Nonaka led Indonesia's national team to the Asian Baseball Cup title in 2009.
The team has signed up 22 players from countries including Indonesia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka.
The Golden Larks plans to join an independent league next year in Japan's southwest island of Kyushu.
The team's captain, Rizki Ramadhan, said: "I hope young players will be able to take the field in Japan. I expect them to be role models. That would help develop baseball in Indonesia."
League officials aim to attract sponsors so they can add teams from across Asia in the future.
