that is for. me. is for. beethoven is for. beethoven 2020. 5th anniversary here on. this is the time good news a shot coming up in a plane in japan the election of 2 disabled lawmakers was our last block in the country but how far will this goal towards. people better into society plus. we travel to the world's largest river island that's slowly vanishing because of climate change and mismanagement. and to giving shape just tolerance

a skull. in muslim majority pakistan. welcome to news asia it's good to have you with us in japan disability is still a dirty word the country is home to nearly 10000000 people with physical mental or intellectual disabilities but the majority are shunned from society and he didn't from view a decades long law which allow doctors to forcibly sterilized people with disabilities was only abolished in 1906 and although the government has agreed to compensate the victims attitudes behind them no lingo still some progress is being made last year to severely disabled politicians what the 1st to be elected into the country's

ollivant. their election has been here and that's progress but it also highlighted a legal loophole that makes it almost impossible for disabled people to work in japan. it was a groundbreaking moment in a country where disability is still very much a taboo in july last year i kokomo are and yes a he cofa not go became the 1st disabled people to win seats in japan's upper house their election was seen by many as a progressive step but activists say it also highlighted degree to discrimination. levelly disabled people like me are not allowed to work or study at school if that requires a caretaker paid for by the state that is a problem for. the one. she knew and o. is a disability advocate and runs

a firm the dispatches carers to disabled people but he says many simply cannot pay . more make his finance and commuter also rely on caretakers japan's upper house is picking up the cost but it's not legally obliged to in japan disabled people usually lose their benefits if they have a paying job the m.p.'s say that discourages participation. going to school or working is very important if you want to join society. they apply for nothing and birthday with the met is the only way for us to be recognized as individuals. for the purpose of. the new m.p. say they'll do all they can to fight for change. for more i'm joined by mark book but he's a researcher of disability history and policy and if you're on this now from tokyo

mark good to have a program with us what would you say is different and about the challenges disabled people face in japan then they're bored in other industrialized society as well one of the main differences is that incessant militancy insurmountably knew in japan you know public transportation didn't have to be insensible until 2000. when you talk about schools closed and have to operate reasonable accommodation until 2016 so there's a lot of catching up to do and is really and infrastructurally in terms of education employment i mean to give you an idea currently less than one percent of the nation's otel rooms are real serviceable so there's a lot of catching up to do in terms of infrastructure but also the nation has lost half its engine and elation you know almost 30 percent is over the time so a lot of the accommodations are built for an elderly individuals and not

necessarily younger people with disabilities it's an interesting statistic your give their mark less than one percent of what their rooms in the country are disabled friendly i'm going to talk you're due to host the bottom picks later this year. do you see that as a problem do you see that took your autobiography time to be ready by then to host the paralympics. so i don't think it's a matter of will to be freddie there's there's known to be some shortage is the question is what does japan or income not when we have foreigners come over and they're not able to find telegrams is dependent as an impetus to start building more accessibility and what will a foreigner simonetta them. you know are they going to wait less than someplace in japan and use that to change their own countries once they go back all right and as a as a desirable person yourself living in japan what experience do you have on

a daily basis with accessibility about country so i've been back and forth now for the last 11 years and i can say some things have gotten a lot better there's been no definitely more elevators over the last couple of years and more accessible train stations but one of the things that i've noticed in my daily life is that as more technology gets adopted at a rapid pace a lot of people aren't trained in how to use it so you might want to get on to a taxi but the driver by that i don't allow the ramp in a stalled seat and you have this issue robin change parent education to meet that change useful and there's a lot of confusion going on right now that you are trying to resolve ma book from thank you so much for your time. and it's for having me. come sit and have to go see behind me is my julie whatever i've been in india

that's been called the largest of its kind in the world that's over in northeast india assam states the island lies in the from up with sort of a base and its location in the my future of our has always made it prone to flooding and the erosion but in recent throws the effect of climate change has made these natural phenomena far worse. majeure li is the largest river island in the world. but it's days are numbered life here is under threat from swelling rivers and mismanagement devoting the land pushing thousands to flee farmar 9 durham has already lost one home to forces beyond his control. yeah go. after the erosion we've lost everything. now we don't even have our own land america latina a crop fields like his have been swallowed up by the vast river it's easy to see

why they call this the brahmaputra leaning son of the creator for centuries it sustained all manner of life here local still offer thanks but now it's taking over wiping out villages some are losing faith. the situation we're in now he's living like a refugee now. he's crossing seen the river so closely i can't trust the river. how can i love the river he had a closer see. the brawling flood plains couldn't be farther from the industrialized world that shapes its future expect to see the problem is that manmade climate change is bringing on extreme weather patterns. so what's happening with global warming is that when it rains it pours so the average number

of rainy days in a season is declining. but the quantity of water that falls down and that one shower is increasing islanders hope that some form of water management could yet save maturely but with scientists estimating that lantier could be washed away in just 20 years which really state may offer a bleak sign of things to come. and those comprised less than 4 percent of the population of the islamic republic of pakistan for hindus worshipping idols and images of their gods is an intrinsic part of their faith however it's a practice generally frowned upon in muslim majority. but one maker of idols of in the gods in the south east of the country is promoting religious harmony and greater understanding through his work. love of art not

fear of man drives. in a country where i don't worship is frowned upon he taps his powers of creation to make god. just like we have burns in our body we need to put water and roads in these statues to keep them for. a small hut in this remote village serves as his studio where he creates hindu deities. a rarity in muslim majority pakistan. instead of clay he fashions the statues from a mixture of sand and cement it's a passion the retired school teacher came to later in life marrying his offer form and geometry. hard work. in the arts you must have good knowledge in many subjects for instance the arts

also have a lot to do with mathematics. and the form he comes back to again and again hindu idols. his faith hindu islam is the main religion in this region close to the border with india. work is related to temples well idol worship is allowed. so far i haven't done any work for the muslim community. at. least it takes some 10 days to finish a simple statue but more complex designs can take many weeks. but. there are these other statues of radha and krishna. they will take at least

a month to finish. after that i'll hand them over to the clients who showcase them in hindu temples. inducing muslims have long lived peaceably side by side in this region of pakistan . a religious harmony so my mom hopes his statues will continue to inspire. idols of cement but cementing religious tolerance that's it for today head over to our side of the dot com forward slash to view the show online and for other stories from the region. with images of those from the past at the present in a short opening this weekend from the recorder on how to use your resume tomorrow.

and on demand. language courses. video and audio. where. not all think out of the well i guess sometimes i am but most end up with that

gentle thinks deep. into the german culture of looking at the stereotype cracks in your thinking for you from the country that i now don't. mean to be taken as drama they are to me it's all that they know i'm a joke join me to meet the german. post. in. a mixed day for global stocks and mixed views on how to tackle the coronavirus china tries to ease called supply chains other countries clamp down on halting air routes and tightening border controls but health experts say the disease knows no borders. and we look at what this means for business long term companies turn to other parts of the world as production hubs with some analysts saying china has become

a risky investment. i think let's do business as companies around the world count the cost of the corona virus china is reporting a rise in new cases is warning of the risk of a rebound it comes just after beijing announced a gradual return to normal production following widespread factory shutdowns and quarantine measures container ports are starting to loosen a huge backlog of cargo and the chinese central bank says it will ensure ample liquidity to get through this the shopping district of new han one month into the coronavirus crisis some of these shops will probably be out of business for good experts believe that many of china's small and medium sized businesses won't survive the corona epidemic. it's a heavy blow for around 80 percent of chinese workers who depend on such companies for employment let me know how far.