Japanese economy expanded for an 8th straight quarter, which is the longest growth period in nearly 3 decades.
At the PyeongChang winter Olympics, Japanese snowboarder 19-year-old Ayumu Hirano has won silver medal in the halfpipe competition.
Akito Watabe has won silver in the individual normal hill event.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20180214200000_english_1.mp3
Key words : economy expanded decade
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180214_17/
Japan's Cabinet Office says the country's Gross Domestic Product from October to December 2017 grew 0.1 percent compared to the previous quarter based on preliminary data.
That works out to an annualized growth of 0.5 percent.
This means the economy expanded for an 8th straight quarter, which is the longest growth period in nearly 3 decades.
Domestic demand boosted GDP. Consumer spending climbed 0.5 percent, marking the first increase in 2 quarters. The auto and restaurant industries saw strong sales.
Capital investment was up 0.7 percent. This was due partly to an increase in machinery purchases to cope with a labor shortage.
Exports rose 2.4 percent, thanks to strong shipments of smartphone parts and automobiles. But higher oil prices lifted the value of imports.
Economic Revitalization Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said a pickup in consumer spending shows that improvements are trickling down to households. He said a virtuous economic cycle is being created.
Motegi added he hopes employment and income continue to improve and consumer sentiment picks up.
That works out to an annualized growth of 0.5 percent.
This means the economy expanded for an 8th straight quarter, which is the longest growth period in nearly 3 decades.
Domestic demand boosted GDP. Consumer spending climbed 0.5 percent, marking the first increase in 2 quarters. The auto and restaurant industries saw strong sales.
Capital investment was up 0.7 percent. This was due partly to an increase in machinery purchases to cope with a labor shortage.
Exports rose 2.4 percent, thanks to strong shipments of smartphone parts and automobiles. But higher oil prices lifted the value of imports.
Economic Revitalization Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said a pickup in consumer spending shows that improvements are trickling down to households. He said a virtuous economic cycle is being created.
Motegi added he hopes employment and income continue to improve and consumer sentiment picks up.
Key words : Insight latest economic figure
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Key words : halfpipe third
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180214_26/
At the PyeongChang Olympics, American snowboarding legend Shaun White won gold in the halfpipe -- repeating a feat he first managed 12 years ago.
But it meant heartbreak for Japan's teenage sensation Ayumu Hirano.
19-year-old Hirano was leading until the very last minute.
He landed back-to-back 1440s on his second run, and his score of 95.25 looked like it might be enough for the win.
But the 31-year-old White snatched victory with a daring final run and a score of 97.75.
It's White's third Olympic gold.
White said, "It's been a long journey to get here, and now winning this medal means it was all worth it, so I'm very happy."
Hirano goes home with silver... just as he did four years ago in Sochi. Scotty James from Australia took bronze.
Hirano said, "I feel a little disappointment. But, I think right now that was the very best I could do."
Japan's Raibu Katayama came in 7th.
But there was a scare for 16-year-old Yuto Totsuka.
He crashed into the lip of the halfpipe and had to be taken to hospital.
In figure skating, a North Korean pair made their Olympic debut. Ryom Tae Ok and Kim Ju Sik are the only North Korean athletes to actually qualify for the Games.
They're in 11th place at the halfway mark.
China's pair is leading, just ahead of the Olympic Athletes from Russia.
But it meant heartbreak for Japan's teenage sensation Ayumu Hirano.
19-year-old Hirano was leading until the very last minute.
He landed back-to-back 1440s on his second run, and his score of 95.25 looked like it might be enough for the win.
But the 31-year-old White snatched victory with a daring final run and a score of 97.75.
It's White's third Olympic gold.
White said, "It's been a long journey to get here, and now winning this medal means it was all worth it, so I'm very happy."
Hirano goes home with silver... just as he did four years ago in Sochi. Scotty James from Australia took bronze.
Hirano said, "I feel a little disappointment. But, I think right now that was the very best I could do."
Japan's Raibu Katayama came in 7th.
But there was a scare for 16-year-old Yuto Totsuka.
He crashed into the lip of the halfpipe and had to be taken to hospital.
In figure skating, a North Korean pair made their Olympic debut. Ryom Tae Ok and Kim Ju Sik are the only North Korean athletes to actually qualify for the Games.
They're in 11th place at the halfway mark.
China's pair is leading, just ahead of the Olympic Athletes from Russia.
Key words : Watabe
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180214_28/
It was deja vu for Japan's Akito Watabe in the Nordic Combined skiing event at the PyeongChang Games.
He took the silver medal -- just as he did 4 years ago in Sochi.
And once again it was Germany's Eric Frenzel that beat him.
Watabe was considered a gold medal hopeful after 4 straight World Cup wins this year.
The 29-year-old finished 3rd in the normal hill ski jumping section. He fared even better in the cross-country, but just couldn't close the gap on Frenzel.
His silver is Japan's 5th medal of the games.
Bronze went to Austria's Lukas Klapfer.
He took the silver medal -- just as he did 4 years ago in Sochi.
And once again it was Germany's Eric Frenzel that beat him.
Watabe was considered a gold medal hopeful after 4 straight World Cup wins this year.
The 29-year-old finished 3rd in the normal hill ski jumping section. He fared even better in the cross-country, but just couldn't close the gap on Frenzel.
His silver is Japan's 5th medal of the games.
Bronze went to Austria's Lukas Klapfer.
Key words : high-ranking triggered
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180214_09/
It has been learned that a high-ranking Chinese official's tip-off to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un about a senior North Korean official's succession scheme and the subsequent purge of the official triggered a decline in bilateral relations.
A Chinese government official told NHK that in August of 2012, 8 months after the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, the North's then number-2 man, Jang Song Thaek, secretly told then Chinese president Hu Jintao that he wanted Kim Jong Nam, the older brother of Kim Jong Un, to succeed his father.
Jang Song Thaek, the brothers' uncle, was visiting Beijing at the time. It is not known how Hu responded to the plan.
Kim Jong Nam was fatally poisoned with the VX nerve agent at Kuala Lumpur Airport on February 13, 2017.
The source said that in early 2013, then Chinese Communist Party high-ranking official Zhou Yongkang secretly informed Kim Jong Un about the meeting.
This incurred the Kim Jong Un's anger, and Jang was executed for treason in December of that year.
The North Korean side reportedly began to distrust the Chinese leadership for not preventing a move to overthrow its government.
Beijing, meanwhile, became distrustful of Pyongyang for purging Jang, who had acted as an intermediary between the 2 nations, and continuing with its nuclear and missile programs despite Beijing's warnings.
China and North Korea were once close allies. But there have been no meetings between the 2 countries' leaders since Kim Jong Un assumed power.
A Chinese government official told NHK that in August of 2012, 8 months after the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, the North's then number-2 man, Jang Song Thaek, secretly told then Chinese president Hu Jintao that he wanted Kim Jong Nam, the older brother of Kim Jong Un, to succeed his father.
Jang Song Thaek, the brothers' uncle, was visiting Beijing at the time. It is not known how Hu responded to the plan.
Kim Jong Nam was fatally poisoned with the VX nerve agent at Kuala Lumpur Airport on February 13, 2017.
The source said that in early 2013, then Chinese Communist Party high-ranking official Zhou Yongkang secretly informed Kim Jong Un about the meeting.
This incurred the Kim Jong Un's anger, and Jang was executed for treason in December of that year.
The North Korean side reportedly began to distrust the Chinese leadership for not preventing a move to overthrow its government.
Beijing, meanwhile, became distrustful of Pyongyang for purging Jang, who had acted as an intermediary between the 2 nations, and continuing with its nuclear and missile programs despite Beijing's warnings.
China and North Korea were once close allies. But there have been no meetings between the 2 countries' leaders since Kim Jong Un assumed power.
Key words : Trump steel
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180214_18/
US President Donald Trump has again expressed his intention to consider higher tariffs on steel and aluminum imported from China and other countries.
Trump held a meeting with a bipartisan group of US senators and representatives on Tuesday to discuss China's excess steel production.
The president told the group that workers in the US steel industry and their families are suffering from cheap imported products. He said he can't let that happen.
The US trade deficit with China hit a record high in 2017. Trump is taking a tougher stance against China ahead of November's midterm congressional elections.
Trump also pointed out that a huge volume of automobiles are being exported to the US from Japan and Germany, and televisions from South Korea.
He then expressed his intention to impose punitive tariffs on unfair trade practices.
Trump held a meeting with a bipartisan group of US senators and representatives on Tuesday to discuss China's excess steel production.
The president told the group that workers in the US steel industry and their families are suffering from cheap imported products. He said he can't let that happen.
The US trade deficit with China hit a record high in 2017. Trump is taking a tougher stance against China ahead of November's midterm congressional elections.
Trump also pointed out that a huge volume of automobiles are being exported to the US from Japan and Germany, and televisions from South Korea.
He then expressed his intention to impose punitive tariffs on unfair trade practices.
Key words : top expressed
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180214_11/
A top US intelligence official has expressed caution, saying that Russia views US mid-term elections slated for November as a potential target for its influence operations, including cyber attacks.
Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told a Senate intelligence committee hearing on Tuesday about global threats facing the United States.
Coats said Russia, China, Iran and North Korea are constantly posing cyber threats to the US.
He said that he expects Russia to continue using propaganda, social media and other means to meddle in US politics.
He said there should be no doubt that Russia perceives its past efforts as successful and views the 2018 US midterm elections as a potential target for Russian influence operations.
In testifying, Coats apparently had in mind the 2016 US presidential election in which Russia is alleged to have carried out large-scale interference including cyber attacks.
Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo also attended the hearing. He said the CIA has seen Russian activity and intentions to have an impact on the next election cycle, although he did not elaborate on the activity.
Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told a Senate intelligence committee hearing on Tuesday about global threats facing the United States.
Coats said Russia, China, Iran and North Korea are constantly posing cyber threats to the US.
He said that he expects Russia to continue using propaganda, social media and other means to meddle in US politics.
He said there should be no doubt that Russia perceives its past efforts as successful and views the 2018 US midterm elections as a potential target for Russian influence operations.
In testifying, Coats apparently had in mind the 2016 US presidential election in which Russia is alleged to have carried out large-scale interference including cyber attacks.
Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo also attended the hearing. He said the CIA has seen Russian activity and intentions to have an impact on the next election cycle, although he did not elaborate on the activity.
Key words : labor union
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180214_25/
Labor unions at Japanese auto firms and parts makers have submitted their demands for pay hikes to managers as annual wage negotiations begin.
Labor leaders at the Tokyo-based Akebono Brake Industry are asking for a monthly base-pay increase of about 29 dollars on average. They also want a one-time bonus worth 5-months of wages.
President and CEO Hisataka Nobumoto received the requests. He said the auto industry may appear to be doing well, but it could face sudden changes to the competitive business environment. He said management will negotiate the issue with labor.
Labor unions at major automakers, including Toyota, have submitted demands for a base-pay hike of 28 dollars a month.
In response to government urging, the Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, has set a target of a 3 percent raise for this year's wage negotiations.
But the result may come short of that goal, even if management agrees to the labor unions' terms in full. For Toyota, such a move would amount to an average monthly raise of less than 2.9 percent in yen terms.
Japan's top 3 automakers are expected to keep posting record high net profits. But competition is heating up in new fields, including the development of self-driving vehicles.
Labor leaders at the Tokyo-based Akebono Brake Industry are asking for a monthly base-pay increase of about 29 dollars on average. They also want a one-time bonus worth 5-months of wages.
President and CEO Hisataka Nobumoto received the requests. He said the auto industry may appear to be doing well, but it could face sudden changes to the competitive business environment. He said management will negotiate the issue with labor.
Labor unions at major automakers, including Toyota, have submitted demands for a base-pay hike of 28 dollars a month.
In response to government urging, the Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, has set a target of a 3 percent raise for this year's wage negotiations.
But the result may come short of that goal, even if management agrees to the labor unions' terms in full. For Toyota, such a move would amount to an average monthly raise of less than 2.9 percent in yen terms.
Japan's top 3 automakers are expected to keep posting record high net profits. But competition is heating up in new fields, including the development of self-driving vehicles.
Key words : on sale ongoing
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