Asia News Wrap: Tornado ravishes east China’s Jiangsu, and more

Here are a few stories from around Asia you may have missed this week.

On September 19, a strong tornado struck Suqian City in China’s Jiangsu Province, causing five deaths and serious injuries to at least four others. It also caused property damage in some areas and downed power lines. The tornado was classified as EF2 on the Enhanced Fujita scale (EF-Scale). An EF2 tornado is said to have wind speeds of between 178 and 217 kilometers per hour. The tornado swept through during commuting hours, and the casualties are said to have been caused by the time and the suddenness of its onslaught. China’s weather office also issued warnings about heavy rain and strong winds in several regions.

Indian parliamentarians moved into a new parliament building and said farewell to the 96-year-old colonial-era building. The new, triangular complex is reported to have cost $120 million and is part of a $2.4 billion refurbishment of colonial-era buildings to be given a new “Indian identity.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi called it a “historic day.” He also announced that the old building will be converted into a museum called “Samvidhan Sadan (Constitution House).”

More than 70,000 electronic devices have been handed out to seventh-grade students across schools in Seoul, South Korea, to help them shift to digital textbooks that will be used from 2025, said the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education on Wednesday. The education office added that the devices will provide diverse learning resources and interactive education content for students. The Education Office will also install charging stations at each school and set up a service center with trained technical support staff to help with repairs. The Korea Herald reported, “In a bid to address concerns about the immediate and long-term effects of exposing students to gadgets, the school-issued devices have a system that shields students from harmful websites, internet content and gaming applications. The devices will also have a screen time limit to protect students from being affected by spending too much time looking at screens and to minimize distraction from the learning environment.”

Japan’s graying population is growing older faster than previously expected. People aged 80 and over topped 10 percent of Japan’s population for the first time, government data showed on Sunday. Japan has the world’s highest proportion of older people and continues to grapple with a rapidly aging society. New numbers were released to mark the national Respect for the Aged holiday. Japan Times reported, “Ballooning social security spending has added to Japan’s massive debt and the shortage of young people has left many industries short of labor – not least carers for the elderly. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said the country risks losing its ability to function if it does not take radical measures.”

Thailand has received 19 million foreign tourists so far this year, said the country’s Tourism Ministry on Tuesday. “The tourism situation in Thailand is showing signs of improvement,” the statement said, adding that the government’s visa waiver for Chinese arrivals will give the sector a boost. Foreign arrivals generated 795 billion baht ($22 billion) in revenue, it said. The Straits Times reported that “in 2019, there was a record of 39.9 million foreign tourists, including 11 million from China. The government earlier said it is aiming for five million Chinese tourists this year.”

(Cover: The scene of the tornado in Nancai Township, Suqian City, Jiangsu Province. September 20, 2023. /CFP)