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Daitō:

   Welcome to YHK: The Fusan Broadcasting Corporation. For nearly a century, we have offered our audience nothing but the finest journalism and programming in the southern hemisphere, covering the domestic and foreign stories which are most important to you. From the jungles of Kalasin and the deserts of Tamora to the freezing arctic and the cities of Daitō, through the greatest triumphs of humanity and its darkest hours, whether rain or shine, we have and will remain committed to our mission of providing unbiased reporting and high quality programming for our viewers. To access our archive, which contains stories dating back to the early years of YHK as well as our affiliated newspaper, the Fusan Times, go to www.YHK.dt/Archive. Domestic news is available online at www.YHK.dt/News and www.YHKWorld.dt/News, as well as via radio on YHK Radio 1 and various subsidiaries, as well as via television on YHK General TV, YHK BS4K and YHK BS8K. Documentaries can be viewed both on YHK BS 1 and our upcoming streaming service, YHK+.

Daitō:
Zayasu Heavy Industries, AADC Partner to Create Military GEV
Harunori Kōno
05/19/2023
In early 2022, reports surfaced indicating that Daitō's Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) was running a program to develop a new class of ground-effect vehicle (GEV). Dubbed the "Advanced Cargo Transportation System", or "ACTS" for short, the program called for the creation of a massive cargo seaplane that would leverage the ground effect to fly long distances efficiently by skimming over the surface of the sea. Now, it is worth noting that ARPA is well known for having many ideas which have been called "crazy", only some of which ever come into fruition. Excitingly, however, we have heard that several major aerospace companies have signed on with their own designs for the ACTS program, meaning that a new, full-scale prototype make take to the skies in the near future. The concept behind ACTS is to create a hybrid delivery system that combines the speed of an aircraft with the efficiency of sealift. While ACTS will be capable of flying like a normal seaplane, cruising just tens of meters above the water could boost the aircraft's range by 50 percent. A spokesperson for the program likened it to the cargo vessels of the Great War, which were relatively cheap and easy to build while being invaluable for several nations at the time.

Currently, there are two major competitors for the design phase of the ACTS program. They are the Negishi Corporation, which manufactures the Q-7 Dragon GEV for the Imperial Daitōjin Navy, and a joint venture between Zayasu Heavy Industries and the Achkaerin Aeronautical Development Company. While there isn't much in the way of technical detail on the designs as of yet, we do know some basic things about the designs. For example, the Negishi design appears to look somewhat like a traditional seaplane, making use of eight turboprops and having wings which are bent downwards, likely to offer further stability while on the water. The AADC-Zayasu design, by comparison, seems more ambitious. With twin hulls, the aircraft features a low-wing design with twelve turboprops, seeming closer to ARPA's initial concepts for the program and is optimized on-water stability and seakeeping. Despite that, neither concept images communicate much about the efficiency of the aircraft's construction process, which will be a significant factor in the decision about which design will move forwards.

In order to facilitate the program, as well as to expand Daitō's ability to construct components for aircraft and other equipment, it has been further confirmed that the Daitōjin government will help fund the expansion of Zayasu's current fleet of forging and extrusion presses, the largest of which are "only" capable of producing 80,000 tons of force. It is their aim to eventually build presses capable of imparting up to 200,000 tons of force, which would help bring down manufacturing costs for nearly any aircraft being built going forwards. It would also make their components stronger and lighter, which could potentially open the doors to larger and larger ground effect vehicles as well as cheaper aircraft, however, whether such lofty goals come into fruition remains to be seen.

Daitō:
Navy Acquires Base in Preoria
Yukari Murai
05/24/2023
War Minister Esashi confirmed in a statement to the press earlier today that the Imperial Daitōjin Navy had acquired a base on the Island of Arannant in Preoria. Dubbed "Naval Station Llwynbelan", the acquisition marks a significant turning point in Daitō's military history, as it is the first foreign military base to be operated by the military since the late 2000s. As a result of the East Ardian Asset Price Bubble bursting in 2008, it was decided that the country would reduce its foreign commitments as a cost-saving measure, which included closing any bases operated abroad, instead using Tsukishima as a staging area for assisting the Republic of Kalasin prior to the 2017 conflict. This decision on their part perhaps suggests a return to the old ways, where Daitōjin vessels patrolled the world's oceans and seas, safeguarding trade alongside her allies for the rest of the world. Indeed, this decision comes at a curious time, as reports of piracy in the Krimeon have emerged, with some experts suggesting that Daitōjin vessels might, in time, aid the Preorian navy in patrolling the "rainbow route" designated under the Krimeon Anti-Piracy Program.

Marshal Esashi further confirmed that the Preorian Navy will acquire a base on the island of Tsukishima, repurposing the Hirado Naval Station for their own use. Similarly to Llwynbelan, this marks a turning point for the military, which long been hesitant to the presence of foreign military bases in the country. However, in light of this new internationalist stance on the part of the Imperial Government, it is possible that this unofficial policy has become obsolete. The bases, alongside their airfields and other facilities, are expected to go into service later this year.

Daitō:
Zayasu to Produce J-8 Replacement
Hajime Matsui
05/27/2023
The Imperial Daitōjin Air Force has announced that it has awarded its contract for the JAST-AF program to Zayasu Heavy Industries. The company, which has been in competition with Aizawa-Shinoda for the contract, has long been suspected to be the frontrunner for the program, owing to its experience in delivering the venerable—albeit expensive—J-19 Viper and the J-24 Tiger II, with its prototype, the YJ-30, making its public debut in 2018. The JAST-AF program is the last part of the larger Joint Advanced Strike Technology program, intended to field a fleet of new aircraft which will replace a number of current aircraft. Renamed as the J-30 "Shrike", the JAST-AF program is intended to fully replace the aging fleet of J-8 Hawk multirole fighters over the next few years, with it also being suggested for foreign use to replace similar aircraft.

"Lessons learned", said Kunihiro Marutaka, the CEO of Zayasu Heavy Industries, in a statement issued when the contract was announced, citing the aircraft's heritage. It incorporates design features and knowledge from previous programs, most notably the J-19 and the Negishi-built J/G-28 Eclipse. Some have been quick to call it a miniature J-19, noting the presence of an all-moving V-tail, as well as the similarity of its cockpit. Others have noted design features which resemble the J/G-28 and even the Tytorian AS-60, owing to the relative similarity of its wing shape, which seems to be a mid-way point between them and the characteristic diamond-shaped wings of the J-19, and its intakes. The aircraft will leverage recent advantages in stealth technology, most notably ceramic radar absorbing material (C-RAM) which was recently confirmed to also be present on the company's P-10 Phantom to both increase performance and reduce costs, allowing it to be purchased for roughly comparable to the J-24. The J-30 is expected to enter service later this year.

Daitō:

Ministry of War Confirms Successful Final Hypersonic Missile Test

Harunori Kōno
06/03/2023
Marking a major milestone in its hypersonic weapons research, the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) conducted a stunning final test of its Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapons Experiment (HAWX) program, which it calls the most successful of its kind in the nation's history. Per ARPA, the vehicle was launched from a P-42 Fencer bomber, at which point its rocket booster was ignited, propelling the missile to a speed at which its scramjet ignited. During its flight, which lasted for just over five minutes, the missile was reported to have travelled close to 556 kilometers and reached altitudes in excess of 18,200 meters. While an exact location of the test was not stated, it was confirmed that the P-42 carrier plane took off from Noto Air Force Base on the east coast of Tsukishima. ARPA also did not confirm the date of the test beyond saying it was "recent", most likely within the last two weeks. ARPA added that this test marked the completion of the HAWX program, one that "accomplished all of its initial objectives." ARPA will use the data from this program as part of its efforts to field a full-scale version of its Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM), as well as in the development of future hypersonic platforms, both for military and research purposes.

Zayasu, which developed the version of the HAWX weapon flown during this test flight, issued its own statement praising the program's success. "Both of our HAWX flight tests launched launched from an in-service aircraft and matched performance models and predictions to aid affordable, rapid development of future hypersonic weapons," Zayasu Heavy Industries CEO, Kunihiro Marutaka, said in the statement. Daitōjin military officials have been quick to proclaim the success of the HAWX program, with some going as far as to say it was the "most successful hypersonic airbreathing flight test program in the country's history."

The key technology being tested during the program is its air-breathing scramjet engine. A scramjet is a form of jet engine in which combustion takes place while the air passing through it is moving at supersonic speeds. Whereas a normal jet engine uses moving turbines to compress the air inside them, these scramjets use their own geometry and speed to achieve this compression. Scramjets are designed to more efficient than other types of jet engines and can reduce overall weight by removing moving parts such as turbine blades. The data from the HAWX tests will be used to further hypersonic vehicle designs, including the coming HACM missile which is set to enter service in the near future. The completion of the HAWX program adds to other recent successes in the Daitōjin military's efforts to field operational hypersonic weapons. This includes last month's AGM-191 ARROW test, as well as an upcoming final test of the Long-Range Hypersonic Vehicle (LRHV) which will be operated by both the Army and Navy. Additionally, ARPA confirmed that it had selected Aizawa-Shinoda to build a prototype Hypersonic aircraft.Supreme Court Ruleing Finds Prohibition on Same Sex Marriage Unconstitutional

Yasuhiro Ishihara
06/04/2023
Activists, members of the LGBTQ community, and the lawyers of several plaintiffs took the streets of Shinkyō today to celebrate a ruling by the Supreme Court which found that the current prohibition on same-sex marriages was unconstitutional. This comes following last September's ruling by the High Court in Awara that the ban on such unions was constitutional, with a number of the plaintiffs challenging the ruling and taking it to the Saikō-Saibansho. In his opinion, which was published late last evening, Chief Justice Hirokatsu Aikyō said the current system that excludes same-sex couples with no legal protection for their relationship is unconstitutional and that there is no room for government discretion. He further said that not allowing same-sex marriage violated the guarantee of equal rights under article one of the 1st Amendment to the constitution, while also noting that article four provides freedom to marry by not specifying a prohibition on same-sex marriage. Chief Justice Aikyō was joined by a majority of Justices on the Supreme Court, however, Justices Nishitani and Tachikawa offered dissenting opinions, viewing the ban as not necessarily unconstitutional, although they shared the ruling of the Shinkyō District Court that the government lacks a rationale to justify the absence of legal protections for same-sex couples. Just one member of the court, Justice Sakamoto, came out saying that the prohibition is constitutional.

Asato Kuwabara, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said "The judicial branch, on behalf of the rights of minorities, has raised its voice and sent a strong message to the government." before adding "That message is clear: It cannot continue to ignore these issues, that it must act immediately to resolve this problem."

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