Referring to some crying for him to turn green for christmas. Thats really front man for. Why arent people more consigned. To the first. This is d w news coming up on the program its a new dawn in japan as the country wakes up to a new emperor we ask whether the change at the imperial palace has consequences for the nation plus. It 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 its Calling Area Tradition deserve u. N. Status we take you to a traditional hawker stall you can decide yourself if the claims holds up. Im melissa chan and welcome to news asia its 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 Rigol 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 fathers legacy of peace. I swear that i will act according to the constitution and fill 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 do 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 the royal sandia has also emphasized keys for japan and the rest of the world its something that many people consider a criticism indirectly of the current shinzo a 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 theres a great deal of harmony between the government and and 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 postwar period and its exactly that pacifism and that is the genuine 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 Shrine and this is something that has antagonized the right wing of japan for quite some time but it also shows that. Akihito and and presumably his son Naruhito On A very different page politically from the put the government at this time michael ten 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. Raffi doesnt 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 more. 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 couldnt accept it and call it will connect 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 theyre not alone in their grief. Its exhibits are a reminder of afghanistans 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 to remember and such as this is long overdue in a country that has been ravaged by war for four decades. Unfortunately in afghanistan as you know there was not a policy of remember it was for you know dollars of war victims that we have in this country so this is a small center but it is of course the tribe it to the war victims and its before them you know to come here and to share their stories and of course at the same time get acknowledged which is a very very important in a context where governments and. The contents of memory books as put together by relatives told the story of individual victims like little. Killed by a car bomb all 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 youve 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 its 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 its something younger people in seem increasingly unwilling to do here is one young woman trying to keep the tradition going. When you leave really funk start today many like no ive regulars have only just left its two thirty am leave you know parents run a food stall at the Hawker 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 nearing retirement. Want to. Feel right so its pretty rare to see the new generation do you know the. Least specialty is prone noodle soup it takes almost four hours to prepare the recipe is a Family Secret my grandfather brought it with him when he emigrated from china. He actually came to see our point and i mean that these images that sell you probably know 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 sixtys lease parents still work here slicing chiles and prawns they didnt 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 shes satisfied but exhausted. My thing is to be. Any pile up in the study and also my research thats the. Toughest challenge yet this is why im trying to hire you if you want to. Like and get the rest of my. Time to unwind with their family in one of singapores many apartment blocks please husband is hanging up the laundry hes happy to do the Household Chores he works from home and can plan as day as he likes while his wife leaves home at two in the morning and often Doesnt Return until late in the afternoon. I went over to help of two of these. Its thing that i would choose to do myself. Its lisas many young hawkers throw in the towel as she too wishes she had more free time playing at home with their daughter kiara and their pets canaries is a rare treat. Its. 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. Well the future looks bright shes concerned about singapores hawker culture. Maybe there are personal just by all. But i just i would just be lying hiding the. Gold in the us and birth to expose mom to the Pop Culture Whether or not she follows in a mothers footsteps is up to her and its up to future generations to safeguard singapores color nurture additions. What do you think about singapores bid to get their haka 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 an all night they have a new empire and its the beginning of a new era thank you for watching and see you next time. Were not here to judge but to eliminate prejudice and. Were not here to change your opinion but to open some space for different points of view were not here to speak on behalf of anybody but to let everybody speak for themselves. Or to give the right answers but to ask the right questions. Were not here to indoctrinate but to listen. Plus ninety connect to an unbiased agenda subscribe now on you tube. Workers take to the streets of asias capitals this may day they want better conditions and more rights some demand an end to a culture of working just too many hours. Careful what you plant for Indian Farmers a back in Court Next Month of the pepsi suit done for growing its own trademark variety used for chips. And Facebook Says the future is private but how will it make money if we stop sharing details of our lives. I mean for zola lets do business its Labor Day Workers joining rallies around the world they want better deals in their sect is or a better government in many cases in the philippines thousands of workers and activists mots through the capital manila they called on the government of president ford rigo to take to increase the countrys minimum wage. Becomes a week ahead of elections for the filipino senate. Well the atmosphere couldnt have been any more different in other parts of the world like cambodia where gambon made his stage to rob a cheerful parade the first in years with officials lifting a ban on may day notches the demonstrators called for Gender Equality and protection of rights are also blessed by response as you can see that. In china