Tag: Asian News

Here’s this weeks news from Asia

Here are the stories not reported by the mainstream press in America about Asia.

Monday October 8
Japan, Korea

Suicide issue heats up in Okinawa
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

Incensed by the government’s decision to expunge descriptions in school textbooks of the army’s involvement in wartime mass civilian suicides in Okinawa, survivors are coming forward with tales of Japanese soldiers encouraging islanders to take their lives.

In the meantime, the Okinawa prefectural assembly plans to compile an updated version of the prefecture’s history comprising witnesses’ accounts that local governments have gathered in recent years.

Supporters Foil Raid on UNDP Frontrunner’s Office
Police attempted a raid on the campaign office of United New Democratic Party presidential contender Chung Dong-young on Sunday, part of their investigation of whether a district councilor loyal to Chung hired college students to register electoral college members for the party primary stealing identities including that of President Roh Moo-hyun. But violent resistance from 20 members of Chung’s camp, who denounced the raid as a politically motivated scheme by pro- Roh forces to “suffocate the presidential contender,” foiled the raid.

Casting a larger net this week in looking at what’s been happing around the rest of Asia.

Monday October 1

Japan switches on earthquake warning system
The system, which has been tested for more than a year, went into operation at 9a.m. local time and is operated by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). It links together about 1,000 seismographs throughout Japan with a fast network and computing to calculate the location and strength of an earthquake within a few seconds of it occurring. The seismographs measure the weak but fast moving primary waves from an earthquake. These are followed by secondary waves, which move at about half the speed but which are much more destructive. The system attempts to beat the arrival of the secondary waves and provide a warning that strong shaking is about to occur.

How much warning people have will depend on how far they are from the earthquake.