2017年12月13日水曜日

at 20:00 (JST), December 13


A window from a US military helicopter has fallen onto the grounds of an elementary school in Okinawa, Japan's southern prefecture.

For the first time, a Japanese high court has ordered the operator of a nuclear plant not to restart a reactor.

Toshiba is one step closer to sell one of its most valuable assets as it strives to stay listed as a major Japanese electronics firm.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20171213200000_english_1.mp3
Key words : window student hurt
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20171213_32/
A window from a US military helicopter has fallen onto the grounds of an elementary school in Okinawa, Japan's southern prefecture.
The CH-53 chopper was flying over Futenma Daini Elementary School in the city of Ginowan at the time of the incident on Wednesday morning.
The school is located next to US Marine Corps Futenma Air Station, where the copter is stationed.
City education board officials said there were about 50 students in the sports field at the time. They said one of them was hit on the arm by a falling object. They later confirmed that the student was not hurt.
Police say the window measures about 90 centimeters across, 85 centimeters high, and weighs about 7.7 kilograms.
It reportedly landed just 10 meters away from the children.
The US Marine Corps in Japan issued a statement admitting to the accident, which it said took place at 10:09 AM.
The statement said the incident is being taken very seriously and is under investigation.
It also offered an apology to local residents and called on them to stay away from the site for their own safety.

Key words : Okinawa governor incident
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20171213_37/
Okinawa's governor and residents have expressed anger at the incident.
Governor Takeshi Onaga told reporters that ensuring the safety of children is of the utmost importance.
He said it was "unacceptable" that an object should fall into the middle of a school's field.
He said he understands that US military personnel are occupied with the North Korean issue. But he also said it appears they are prioritizing regional security at the expense of the people of Okinawa.
He added that the US military in the prefecture can hardly be called a "good neighbor."
A local newspaper handed out extras on the streets of Naha, the prefectural capital.
A resident in his 70s said he is outraged and wants the bases in the prefecture closed.
A woman in her 50s said she doesn't want any bases in the prefecture and called on the authorities to protect ordinary citizens.

Key words : first time nuclear
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20171213_31/
For the first time, a Japanese high court has ordered the operator of a nuclear plant not to restart a reactor.
The Hiroshima High Court issued the injunction on Wednesday. It ordered Shikoku Electric Power Company not to restart the No. 3 reactor at its Ikata plant in Ehime Prefecture. It's currently offline for regular inspections.
The decision reverses a lower court order in March. Residents had sued to have the reactor shut down, citing the threat of a serious accident.
The latest lawsuit considered whether Shikoku Electric had properly assessed the risk to the plant posed by the largest possible earthquake and eruptions of nearby volcanoes.
Presiding Judge Tomoyuki Nonoue said the likelihood wasn't small that the nuclear plant would be affected by pyroclastic flows from an eruption of Mount Aso on the neighboring island of Kyushu. He found fault with the plant's location. He added that the operator had underestimated the amount of volcanic cinder and ash that would fall on the plant.
He concluded that the Nuclear Regulation Authority's judgment that the plant had met the requirements needed for a restart was flawed. He noted that the NRA hadn't properly assessed the risk that residents faced from various dangers such as volcanoes.
Under the injunction, the reactor will remain shut down until September 30th of next year.
The No.3 reactor was restarted in August 2016. It has been offline since October for regular checks.
The decision is the first of its kind by a high court.
Shikoku Electric called the decision extremely regrettable. It said it had made an honest assessment of quake and volcano threats. It added it will appeal the ruling after careful study.

Key words : US secretary
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20171213_22/
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has indicated a potential shift of policy, saying that the US is ready to begin talks with North Korea without pre-conditions.
The US has been demanding Pyongyang change its stance and give up its nuclear program before coming to the table. But Tillerson now says that is just not "realistic."
Tillerson made wide-ranging remarks about the issue at a foreign policy forum in Washington.
He said "I don't think it's realistic to say we are only going to talk if you come to the table ready to give up your program."
Tillerson added that President Donald Trump is on the same page. Trump has come out in the past to contradict statements by his Secretary of State.
While Tillerson did present a softer stance, he also reiterated that the US will not accept a nuclear armed North Korea. He rated American military preparedness to respond to any threat as "strong."

Key words : senior united
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20171213_25/
The senior United Nations official who visited North Korea last week says officials there agree it is important to prevent war.
UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman was in Pyongyang for four days. He met with North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, Vice Foreign Minister Pak Myong Guk and other officials.
Feltman briefed the UN Security Council on Tuesday. Later in a news conference he said he conveyed directly the concerns in the international community about North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.
He said North Korean officials "did not offer any type of commitment" to talks aimed at stopping nuclear and missile development.
Feltman said he hopes the United Nations can bring about dialogue to avoid any military clashes.
A diplomatic source at the Security Council said the United Nations does not expect Feltman's visit alone to accelerate a dialogue. The source said the Security Council should continue to pressure the North by implementing sanctions resolutions.

Key words : Japan stepping up overfishing
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20171212_43/
Japan is stepping up its efforts to protect bluefin tuna in the Pacific Ocean with penalties for overfishing. The move comes amid growing concern about the fish's dwindling numbers.
The Fisheries Agency added Pacific bluefin to a list of species with catch quotas on Tuesday.
It's limiting the amount to just under 9,000 tons per year. That's based on an international agreement and consultations with specialists and people from the industry.
Officials say the new rule will take effect in January for offshore fisheries and in July for coastal ones.
Government and prefectural officials are to give advice and warnings when the catch nears the limit.
They plan to order fishers to stop catching Pacific bluefin if there's a strong possibility of exceeding the quota.
Intentional violators face up to 3 years in prison or a fine of up to about 18,000 dollars.

Key words : Insight system managing fishing
#N/A


Key words : Toshiba valuable
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20171213_16/
Toshiba is one step closer to sell one of its most valuable assets as it strives to stay listed as a major Japanese electronics firm.
Toshiba and its US partner Western Digital have agreed to settle a dispute over the sale of the Japanese company's chip unit.
This clears a major hurdle on Toshiba's road to recovery. The two firms have agreed to invest in a new cutting edge chip facility in a central Japan factory. They say Western Digital will drop its arbitration case in return.
The companies now plan to strengthen their collaboration in developing flash memory.
The two had invested in a semiconductor factory in central Japan. But Toshiba decided to sell the business in order to stay afloat. It selected a Japan-US-South Korean consortium led by a US investment fund as the buyer.
Western Digital had made unsuccessful bids to purchase the unit. It filed claims with the International Court of Arbitration to stop the sale.
Toshiba Senior Executive Vice President Yasuo Naruke says both sides hope to renew their collaboration, free of any concerns about litigation and arbitration.
He says Toshiba remains on track to complete the transaction with a consortium led by Bain Capital by March 2018.
Western Digital CEO Steve Milligan says the agreement is in line with his company's priorities of supporting its joint ventures and creating long-term value for its stakeholders. The deal will allow Western Digital to stay competitive by collaborating with Toshiba's leading memory chip technology.
Toshiba is still awaiting anti-trust assessments over the sale of Toshiba Memory. The company has increased its capital by more than 5 billion dollars this month, which will help bring its net worth back into the black by March.
The firm can avoid being delisted from the Tokyo Stock Exchange, even if it fails to gain approval for the sale.

Key words : transport ministry abnormal pressure
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20171213_06/
Japanese transport ministry officials believe that abnormal pressure may have damaged a part in a Shinkansen bullet train that was pulled out of service.
A crack and an oil leak were found in the undercarriage of the Tokyo-bound train when it stopped at Nagoya in central Japan on Monday. The train was removed from service.
The officials say they found signs that burning had occurred in a joint that transmits the rotational movements of the motor to the wheels.
Joints usually don't become heated. The officials believe the crack developed because the part was under abnormally high pressure as it rotated at high speed.
The government's Transport Safety Board says the problem could have led to a major accident.
The board says this is the first serious incident involving Shinkansen trains.

0 件のコメント:

コメントを投稿