the order history of the world is real we're going to get so out of the media's role. shifting power the topic and focus of the global media forum twenty nineteen political laboratory for the digital age. we finally do we trust to debate and shape the future of the georgia believe global media for twenty teams the place before. this is news asia coming up on the program it's a new dawn in japan as the country wakes up to a new empire we ask whether the change at the imperial palace has consequences for the nation last. minute memoriam relatives of afghans killed in conflict now have a place to honor their friends and families and preserve some of their belongings

and more than just food singapore says it's cohen mary tradition deserves u.n. status we take you to a traditional hawker stall you can decide yourself if the claim holds up. i'm melissa chan and welcome to news asia it's good to have you with us japan has a new emperor the oxford educated not a hito now sits on the chrysanthemum throne the fifty nine year old was presented with imperial recall year at a mourning ceremony a sword and jewel in boxes as proof of his ascendance to the throne the new emperor then delivered his first official speech in which he vowed to remain close to the people and carry on his father's legacy of peace.

i swear that i will act according to the constitution and fulfill my responsibility as the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people of japan while always turning my thoughts to the people and standing with them i sincerely pray for the happiness of the people and the further development of the nation as well as the peace of the world. so emperor now to hito has promised to promote unity and further the development of japan but does he actually have the power to do this to discuss this i am joined by michael penn who heads the shin gets to news agency in tokyo michael the royal family has no real political power this is the start of a new era so what do they have in their tool box to help define the era. well it depends space agree on how you conceive of politics if you mean to that can

they propose policies and enact them and enforce them in the or in the country of course they cannot but they are the symbol of the nation the opinion of the emperor and the imperial family is deeply respected you know essentially what they have is a very profound moral authority in the country and you know they set the tone for the country as much as they can and so i think that in their toolbox is their hold over the hearts of many japanese and of course that is a very profound sort of political power. now there has also emphasized keys for japan and the rest of the world it's something that many people consider a criticism indirectly of the current shinzo ave government and their interest in we militarizing the country to what extent is that the case and how much is that

going to play out in future years. well you put your finger on a very interesting question there because you know this is often under played quite deliberately you know people like to always suggest that there's a great deal of harmony between the government and and the the emperor but the reality is is that she is off and his political base which is essentially the far right of japan they want to reject the sensually the pacifism of the early post-war period and it's exactly that pacifism and that is the genuine the regret for the war and these sorts of ideals that were very much taken up by akihito the previous emperor to give an example emperor akihito. and actually his father notionally the emperor before him after around one nine hundred seventy eight they would never go to the war shrine of yasukuni jinja. and

this is something that is antagonized to the right wing of japan for quite some time but it also shows that that akihito and and presumably his son naruhito on a very different page politically from the political government that at this time. michael penn thank you we had to ask ghana stand now a country that has endured four decades of continuous conflict more than two million civilians are estimated to have been killed between the time of the soviet invasion in one thousand nine hundred seventy nine until the end of taliban rule in two thousand and one and since the u.s. led intervention thousands more have been killed or wounded in memory of people who died a museum has now opened in kabul it serves as a place for the sam liza victims to share their stories and their grief.

the rafi doesn't hide his pain he is still haunted by the day he found out that his eighteen year old sister had been killed by a suicide bomb monika mortar yes i did when we found out he was body in a kaboodle autopsy hospital i told my father that it was hard but he said no he just couldn't accept me in cotton wool clinic but then he had to face reality at that point we were in so much pain and grief none of us could cry. many of the people listening have similar stories to share the center for memory and dialogue is a place for families to meet to know they're not alone in their grief. it's exhibits are a reminder of afghanistan's conflicts from the soviet invasion to the civil war the brutal reign of the taliban and the u.s.

led intervention that followed. its organizers have worked on the project for eight years they say a place for remember and such as this is long overdue in a country that has been ravaged by war for four decades. unfortunately in afghanistan as i you know there was not a policy of remember this for you know dollars of war victims that we have in this country so this is a small center it is of course a tribe it to the war victims and as for them you know to come here and to share their stories and of course at the same time get acknowledged which is very very important and in a context like afghanistan. the contents of memory boxes put together by relatives tell the story of individual victims like little same killed by a car bomb four years ago. outside on the streets the conflict rages on and civilian deaths have spiked making

a place like this memory center all the more vital. we move on to a radically different kind of preservation of culture and custom if you've ever visited southeast asia you would have tried the food which you can buy at small stalls and one of the most famous places offering street food or hawker fare as it's known is singapore so much so that the country wants it recognized by the united nations as its special cultural contribution now running a hocker stall is tough work and it's something younger people seem increasingly unwilling to do here's one young woman trying to keep the tradition going. when leverage funk start today many late night revellers have only just left it's two thirty am you know parents run a food stall at the hawk a center

a market hole for street food. singapore posts around six thousand talkers there are a treasured national icon but among them thirty four year old levy is an anomaly most cooks here and nearing retirement. want to share your response so it's really rare to see young generations feel the. least specialty is prone noodle soup it takes almost four hours to prepare the recipe as a family secret grandfather brought it with him when he emigrated from china. he actually came to see our wine and i mean that these images that sell you probably don't along the street in singapore. juta hygiene concerns street food vendors were later moved into partially enclosed food courts office stalls are often family run businesses both in the late sixty's lease parents still work here slicing chiles

and prawns they didn't want their daughter to join them a business graduate she could have easily had a comfortable office job. simple but. the heat and standing all day. it takes a toll on your back and legs. competition is fierce one dish costs the equivalent of two euros fifty leases budgeting is key as a result many stalls specialize in a single dish. by two pm lee is sold out next she has to settle her bills in a neighboring market on the job for twelve hours now she's satisfied but exhausted . by the speed. and the final offer. the increase tony and also my research that's the. toughest challenge yet is why i'm trying to hire the mom to look. like and get the rest of my. time to unwind

with their family in one of singapore's many apartment blocks lee's husband is hanging up the laundry he's happy to do the household chores he works from home and can plan his day as he likes while his wife leaves home at two in the morning and often doesn't return until late in the afternoon. i went over to help of two of these. it's not something that i would choose to do myself. it's lisa's many young hawkers throw in the towel she too wishes she had more free time playing at home with their daughter and their pets canaries is a rare treat. the family likes to eat out on weekends preferably at the hawker center around the corner you know husband are currently mulling over a new plan they want to expand

a south korean entrepreneur has asked lee to open up a branch in seoul by the future looks bright she's concerned about singapore's hawker culture. maybe the office you just buy. but i don't see how would you like hiding. under the harness and that's all this falls montana culture whether or not she follows in a mother's footsteps is up to her and it's up to future generations to safeguard singapore's cullen era traditions. what do you think about singapore's bid to get their hawker food recognized by the un tell us contact us on facebook or twitter be sure to also check out our other stories on dot com ford slash asia we leave you with pictures from japan where crowds have been celebrating all night they have a new amp her and it's the beginning of

a new era thank you for watching and see you next time. you were in school you could even take your chairs. don't expect our pm to. join us.

tomorrow today d.w. . workers take to the streets of asia's capitals this may day they want. to a culture of working just too many hours. for indian far as a back in court. growing its own trademark variety used.

facebook says the future is private but how will it make money if we stop sharing details about why. let's do business it's labor day workers joining rallies around the world they want better deals in there or a better government in many cases in the philippines thousands of workers and activists march through the capital manila they called on the government of president ford. to increase the country's minimum wage. becomes a week ahead of elections for the filipino senate. well the atmosphere couldn't have been any more different in other parts of the world like cambodia gambon makers staged a rather cheerful parade the first in years with officials lifting a ban on may day. the demonstrators called for gender equality and protection of rights are also blessed by sponsors you can see that. in china young entrepreneurs

a challenging the widespread culture of excessive overtime.