(LinkAsia: July 13, 2012)
Yul Kwon:                                                                      
In addition to its dispute with South Korea, Japan is locked in a territorial struggle over another set of islands that it calls the Senkaku. Japan currently controls the uninhabited islands, but China and Taiwan are disputing its claim. Now the Japanese government is upping the ante. Here's Japanese broadcaster NHK with the story.

--

NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: July 9, 2012

Reporter:
The five, uninhabited islets lie off Okinawa. The state owns one of them. It's been renting the others from a Japanese family since 2002. Now the Noda administration is considering buying them.

Osamu Fujimura, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary:
The purpose is to ensure peaceful and stable management of the islands and surrounding waters. Buying them instead of continuing the present one-year lease would help do that.

Reporter:
Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura denies the existence of a dispute over the Senkakus. He says history and international law back up Japan's claim. Fujimura adds the government will maintain tight security on the islands. He says officials are involved in a number of different negotiations.

(LinkAsia: June 29, 2012)
Yul Kwon:
It doesn't appear that tattoos on public employees are scaring away any tourists. Japan's tourism industry is experiencing a comeback this year after last year's earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters. While American and European tourists are just starting to trickle in, visitors from other Asian countries are surging, despite the strong yen and the high prices. Japanese broadcaster NHK has the story.

--

NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: June 22, 2012

Mitsuko Nishikawa, NHK World Reporter:
One of Tokyo's most popular destinations, Asakusa, is once again enjoying a continuous flow of tourists from across the world.

Shop owner:
We see more and more foreign visitors everyday.

Mitsuko Nishikawa, NHK World Reporter:
The government's tourism organization says 669,000 travelers visited Japan in May. That's 87 percent up from last year, right after the March 11th catastrophe, and about 7 percent down from 2010.

Visitors from Asian countries, such as China, contributed dramatically to this return to pre-March 11th figures. But tourists from the United States and Europe have yet to make a comeback.

Tourists from other countries are filling their places. Tourism officials say more people from emerging economies in Southeast Asia are coming to Japan. The number of visitors from Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam hit a record high for the month of May.

Indonesian Tourists:
Yeah, today I bring my kids. I bring them to Disneyland yesterday. And maybe tomorrow we will be going to Mt. Fuji. We are ready for a vacation.

Indonesian Tour Guide:
Last year, they don't want to come to Japan because Fukushima problem. But this year, I think that Japan will be popular. And they want to visit Japan because of food and culture and people.

Mitsuko Nishikawa, NHK World Reporter:
Nowadays, yen is quite high.

Indian Tourists:
Yes, that we know. You go to have your chance when the time is right. We can't wait tomorrow.

Mitsuko Nishikawa, NHK World Reporter:
The Japanese government is aiming to attract more and more tourists from Asian emerging economies. This month, the foreign ministry launched a program to issue multiple-entry visas for Thai tourists.

Norifumi Ide, Commissioner, Japan Tourism Agency:
The recovery of tourism isn't happening that fast. The government, the private sector and municipalities have to roll up our sleeves and work closely together to attract more visitors.

Mitsuko Nishikawa, NHK World Reporter:
The strength of the yen means a trip to Japan can be expensive. But many visitors I've spoken to say cost isn't a concern. The Japanese economy still has a long way to go before it fully recovers from last year's disaster. But with the help of visitors from emerging economies, it might get back on track faster.

--

Yul Kwon:
If you're thinking about visiting Japan, but still worried about radiation, Japan's tourism bureau offers a radiation map so you can check out radiation levels for yourself. It also gives you a chart showing that you'd be exposed to less radiation in Japan than in some parts of Brazil.

(LinkAsia: June 29, 2012)
Yul Kwon:
Over in Indonesia, the country is celebrating a very special birth. The baby's name is Andatu. He was born after an 18-month pregnancy and weighed about 60 pounds. Andatu is one of about 200 critically endangered Sumatran rhinoceros. He’s only the fifth Sumatran rhino to be born in captivity. And NHK explains that his birth gives symbolic and literal hope to a species struggling to survive.

--

NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: June 26, 2012

Reporter:
Indonesia's forestry minister announced the arrival of the baby rhino on Monday. The male calf was born two days earlier in a national park on the island of Sumatra. He’s named Andatu, from the Indonesian words meaning "gift from God." The last time a Sumatran rhino was born in captivity in Asia was 1889.

Zulkifli Hasan, Indonesian Forestry Minister:
The rhino birth will be a milestone for the conservation of the Sumatran rhinoceros and is expected to increase confidence in the international community and government efforts to conserve endangered species in Indonesia, especially rhinos.

Reporter:
The International Union for Conservation of Nature estimates that there are just 200 wild Sumatran rhinos left in Indonesia and Malaysia. The organization lists them as critically endangered.

Yul Kwon:
By the way, did you know that you can adopt a Javan rhino? The World Wide Fund for Nature offers a Basic Adoption Package for just $30. You can’t actually take the rhino home with you, but your money will help support it. And if you really want to make a difference, you can buy the Platinum Adoption Package for $12,000. It includes a lot of perks, including an eight-day trip to see your foster rhino.

(LinkAsia: June 15, 2012)
Kara Tsuboi:
To encourage new business ventures in the country, Myanmar is building up its infrastructure and paving the way for foreign investments, literally. It's planning a deep-sea port that would be Southeast Asia's largest industrial complex, and an eight-lane super-highway that would stretch from the west coast all the way to Vietnam. But there are some roadbumps. NHK tells us ethnic violence and budget constraints are threatening to derail those plans.

--

NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: June 11, 2012

Reporter:
Dawei is a port town on the Indian Ocean in southeastern Myanmar. Development is underway to transform the city into the country's first special economic zone. Dawei is set to become the western starting point for a major road running across the Indochina Peninsula. Expectations are high for the distribution route that will directly connect the South China Sea to the Indian Ocean. The Myanmar government plans to improve roads and port facilities and build a power station and iron mills in the area. Its ultimate goal is to make Dawei the largest industrial area in Southeast Asia.

U Tin Maung Swe, Chairman, Dawei Special Economic Zone:
This land is valuable because it is in between the Pacific and Indian Ocean.

Reporter:
But development is not proceeding as smoothly as the government wishes. Two years ago, the previous military regime granted development rights to a general contractor in neighboring Thailand. But the current government is having trouble securing the budget, which is set to exceed 50 billion dollars. Another issue is ethnic tensions involving minority groups. Last year, an armed group of the Karen people exchanged fire with government troops in an area of Dawei and the development. Karen groups have been fighting with government forces for decades. The current national union reached a cease-fire agreement with the government this January. But their distrust of the government is so deeply rooted that they say they would not approve the development of Dawei unless it helps improve their livelihoods.

Saw Thu Yeh, KNU District Leader:
We will support the development only if benefits will be distributed to all ethnic minority groups. But if the development is likely to ruin our lives and deprive us of freedom, we cannot support it.

Reporter:
Myanmar is drawing a lot of attention as Asia's last frontier. The key to its economic development lies in whether it can overcome challenges, such as ethnic tensions, and transform itself into a true democracy.

--

Kara Tsuboi:
There's more bad news for the Dawei project. A Burmese exile newspaper reports that a Burmese investor with close ties to the government is apparently taking his money out of the project.

(LinkAsia: June 1, 2012)
Yul Kwon:
Over in Japan, the country is still grappling with the effects of last year's enormous earthquake and tsunami. The ensuing disaster at Fukushima-Daiichi shook many peoples' faith in nuclear power.

Now, a government advisory panel has articulated four options regarding the future of the nuclear power industry. These options range from completely abandoning nuclear power to allowing the market to decide how much to produce. Here's NHK with the details of the plan.

--

NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: May 29, 2012

Chie Yamagishi:
The de-reliance option is aimed at preventing another nuclear accident in Japan, where earthquakes occur frequently. It would also stop nuclear waste from building up. But Japan's utilities would have to increase electricity output by using thermal power generation for the time being, meaning carbon dioxide emission would rise. Japan would need to quickly switch to renewable energy sources for this option to succeed.

The second option is in line with the Noda administration's policy of decommissioning nuclear plants within 40 years of operation and holding off on building new ones. This plan delays the decision of whether to abolish atomic energy and through sufficient efforts have been made to promote renewable alternatives and improve nuclear safety. Some committee members criticize this proposal saying it lacks direction and postpones a critical decision.

The third option reflects the fact that Japan has limited natural resources and keeps nuclear power in the energy portfolio along with other sources. However, there are challenges. Safe power generation and the disposal of nuclear waste are just a couple of them. Japanese leaders also need to convince the general public that atomic energy is safe in the wake of the Fukushima-Daiichi accident.

The fourth option demands utility companies include the social costs of power generation in their pricing. Subsidies for nuclear plants would be abolished. Consumers would be able to decide what kind of energy they want based on their electricity bills. But opponents of this option say if government officials don't draw up Japan's energy policy and leave it up to the market, the country won't be able to secure a stable power supply.

Cabinet members will look at the proposals. The Noda administration is also promising to get input from the public. Some members of the committee are demanding the government listen sincerely to citizens.

Junko Edahiro, Environmental Journalist:
The government should think about how to reflect public discussion in its policy. It is also important to explain the options in a fair way and to set the stage for discussion.

--

Yul Kwon:
Right now, all of Japan's 50 functional nuclear reactors are offline, which is making some officials nervous about power shortages this summer.