Incidents like the one between Taiwan and the Philippines this past week are fueling an arms race in Southeast Asia and beyond. The annual defense fair in Singapore had plenty of visitors this week checking out the latest in military hardware. Japan's public broadcaster, NHK, reported on this weapons bonanza on May 15, and we have the transcript from the piece.

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Reporter:
The three day long arms show opens on Tuesday. It is held once every two years. And attracts mainly naval officers from Asia, and elsewhere. On display are mockups of the latest missiles and vessels along with radar equipment. Not just China and India, Asian countries like Singapore, Indonesia, and Vietnam are also keen to modernize their military assets. Participants from Southeast Asian nations appear to be more inquisitive than ever. They attentively listen to their exhibitors and try to collect up to date information on the arms on offer.

The background to all this activity is China's escalation of its maritime power. In March, a Chinese ship reportedly fired a Vietnamese fishing boat in the disputed South China Sea. In the same month, China conducted a large scale military exercise off Malaysia. Every year Beijing increases its defense spending by about 10 percent, putting great pressure on Southeast Asian nations.

Agus Setiadji:
We have planned to upgrade our system and then we tried to make our armed forces bigger.

Reporter:
Also on display at Singapore's Naval base are real vessels and warships from different navies. Showing the greatest presence was the United States. It showcased for the first time a vessel that can operate in shallow waters. It's called a Letoro Combat Ship, or LCS. And it can travel at more than 70 kilometers per hour. It's capable of a variety of missions including, mine clearing, anti-surface operations, and anti-submarine warfare. It's low height enables it to cruise shallow waters where conventional warships cannot maneuver. The US chose Singapore as the vessel's first deployment site. Last week the US Secretary of the Navy came to Singapore to inspect the vessel for the main event.

Ray Mabus:
Freedom and LCS's are tangible, essential elements of America's commitment to this strategy to this region, to the Asia Pacific. That commitment will not waver and is not in doubt.

Reporter:
The US continues its arms buildup in the Asia Pacific region despite domestic pressure to cut its defense spending. One expert says this US military shift will have an impact on China's Naval strategy. 

Euan Graham:
It sends a signal that the US is here and that it's putting some substance behind its declaratory commitments.

Reporter:
In the face of an emboldened China, the US is trying to maintain its influence. The struggle between the two major powers over the waters of Asia appears to be growing.

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Japanese politicians are in hot water for their take on history. And Osaka's mayor, Toru Hashimoto, put his foot in his mouth this week when he said that comfort women were necessary for soldier morale during World War Two. The term comfort women refers to sex slaves who were forced to cater to Japanese soldiers. On May 14, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported on reactions to Mayor Hashimoto's remarks.

Reporter:
Osaka mayor Toru Hashimoto has a reputation for making attention grabbing remarks. Now that he's also the coleader of the National Japan Restoration party what he says has even more impact. His latest statement is no exception.

Toru Hashimoto:
The Comfort Women system was necesssary for brave soldiers who were in the line of fire. Anyone can understand that.

Reporter:
Hashimoto says the comfort woman system helped maintain discipline and that various countries had similar setups during the war. He argues the claim that Japanese systematically abducted women and forced them into prostitution hasn't been proven. At the same time, he says it was a tragic consequence of war if anyone served as a comfort woman against her will. The Japanese government issued a statement in 1993 admitting that comfort women were forced to work in military brothels. It apologized to the women. They came from Japan, the Korean Peninsula and other parts of Asia. Hashimoto made it clear he supports the apology. His remarks also touched on US military forces in Okinawa. Some troops have been involved in sex related crimes over the years. Hashimoto says when he visited the southern islands he made a suggestion to senior US military officers.

Toru Hashimoto:
I had asked them to let Marines in Okinawa use local sex related services.

Reporter:
Members of the government have lined up to criticize Hashimoto's views.

Tomomi Inada:
A comfort women system is definitely a breach of women's rights.

Haukubun Shimomura:
I think his remarks come at a bad time. I'm not sure why he said that. Considering the way the situation is right now.

Reporter:
South Korean leaders have recently criticized Japanese politicians for their approach to Japan's past wartime aggression. Media in South Korea have reacted harshly to Hashimoto's statement saying he used abusive words. The comfort women issue has long been a source of tension between the two nations. Hashimoto's remarks will likely make navigating this delicate issue even harder.

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In Japan, the achingly slow recovery of the country's nuclear power facilities continues to burden not only politics and the economy, but perhaps more importantly the environment. The risk of nuclear contamination has grown worse since the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that disabled the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear reactor. Plant operators are running out of space to store the tons of water needed to cool the spent radioactive fuel, and now that water is leaking into the groundwater and ocean. This week, a non-governmental group of scientists are studying the impact of the radioactive water that has run into the Pacific Ocean. On May 14, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported on the scientific mission.

Reporter:
Scientists from Japanese and the US institution  are on a mission to check the health of the Pacific off Fukushima. Thirty-six researchers will spend 10 days aboard the ship testing the waters below. They will collect samples of water, sediment and marine life at 15 locations.

Ken Buesseler:
We're looking two years plus after the accident and now it's more the longer term fate of, say, cesium on the sea floor into the biota and the water concentrations are much lower. But still to try to determine how much is still continuing to come from the reactor area.

Reporter:
Officials with Tokyo Electric Power Company have conducted their own surveys of Fukushima-Daiichi. These researchers are the first from outside TEPCO to test the ocean within five kilometers of the plant.

(LinkAsia: August 10, 2012)
Yul Kwon:
Heavy rains continued in Shanghai through much of the week as Haikui moved inland. Now, typhoon season is also hitting the Philippines hard. The main island of Luzon has felt at least two major storms in the past two weeks, and half the country's capital of Manila is underwater. We have this report from our Japanese broadcast partner NHK.

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NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: August 8, 2012

Kathleen Ocampo, NHK World:
The Philippines is facing the worst seasonal deluge to hit the capital since 2009. A large area of Manila and its suburbs are paralyzed, with buildings and roads underwater.

There may have been fewer rains, but the houses behind me are still submerged in floods.

Typhoon Saola swept into the Philippines late last month, bringing heavy rainfall. Monsoon rains continue to pound Manila in other parts of the country. Philippine weather officials say the capital had more than 30 millimeters of rain per hour since Monday.

The Marikina River in the northeastern part of the city overflowed, flooding homes and businesses. Disaster management officials say at least 64 people died in landslides or by falling into the swollen rivers. They say nearly 800,000 people have evacuated to schools and other facilities, but many are still stranded. The government mobilized the military, coast guard, and police for around-the-clock search-and-rescue missions.

Evacuee:
I hope the water goes away soon, so we can get our lives back to normal.

Evacuee:
The flood swept away my money and all my things. I have a small child. We won't be able to eat, even if we return home.

Reporter:
The rain has eased for now, but government officials are calling on citizens to stay on the alert for heavy rains. They say heavy rains are expected to continue throughout the day.

(LinkAsia: June 22, 2012)
Yul Kwon:
Now we’ve been following this story for a while. The Philippines and China have been locked in a standoff in the South China Sea for two months, but now the two countries are pulling back. The reason? Crummy weather. Here’s Japanese broadcaster NHK with more.

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NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: June 18, 2012

Reporter:
The standoff in waters around Scarborough Shoal erupted in April. Both the Philippines and China claim sovereignty over the uninhabited shoal. On Saturday, the Philippine government ordered a coast guard ship and another vessel in the area to return to port to avoid an approaching typhoon. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei welcomes the move. He said at a news conference on Monday that China will send a vessel to tug Chinese fishing boats in the area to safety.

Hong Lei, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson:
Two Philippine ships left the waters early Saturday morning. China hopes the tension will further ease, and both nations will restore cooperative relations.

Reporter:
However, the spokesperson expressed China’s intention to continue claim over the shoal, adding that the country will continue to monitor surrounding waters.

(LinkAsia: April 20, 2012)
Yul Kwon:
The South China Sea is back in the news. Last week, Chinese and Filipino patrol boats faced off over a reef known as the Scarborough Shoal. Both countries are trying to claim the reef for its valuable commercial fishing grounds and possible oil and gas deposits. Neither country says that it's willing to go to war over this, but that hasn't stopped the Philippines from flexing its muscles. It's currently conducting an annual military exercise with the United States. Our Japanese broadcast partner NHK has the story.

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NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: April 19, 2012

Reporter:
Some 4,500 US troops and 2,300 Philippine personnel are taking part in 12 days of war games. The exercises kicked off on Monday and are designed to strengthen ties and improve joint military capabilities to protect Philippine borders.

The drills include landing practice on the western island of Palawan in the South China Sea.

In addition to the bilateral naval exercises, the capital Manila will host an earthquake simulation with six other nations, including Japan, for the first time.

Bri. Gen. Federick Padilla, US Military:
"This will undoubtedly contribute to the nations in the region having increased level of trust and cooperation to ensure regional stability."

Rear Adm. Victor Martir, Armed Forces of the Philippines:
"We continue to work together for a secure and stable Asia-Pacific region."

Reporter:
This year's exercises have been marked by political tension following a military standoff between the Philippines and China. On Tuesday last week, a Philippine navy ship and Chinese surveillance vessels faced each other at the disputed Scarborough Shoal off the Philippine island of Luzon.

Diplomatic efforts have failed to resolve the eight-day standoff. On Tuesday, the Philippines said it would call on China to jointly take the issue to the international tribunal on the law of the sea in an effort to quickly and peacefully resolve the issue.

The Philippines has far fewer naval vessels and aircraft than China. Officials insist that the joint US-Philippine military exercises are not a show of force directed at China. But regional experts say the message of the war games is clear.

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Yul Kwon:
The code name for these exercises is Balikatan, Tagalog for shoulder-to-shoulder, to emphasize the closeness between the two nations.

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