at 20:00 (JST), March 20 (Autoscroll)

Japan's ruling and opposition parties have agreed to summon a former senior Finance Ministry official to testify as a sworn witness in the Diet.

The head of Japan's central bank says countries need to reaffirm the importance of free trade.

South Korea's Defense Ministry says the country's armed forces will begin joint military exercises with US forces on April the 1st.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20180320200000_english_1.mp3


Key words : ruling and opposition summon
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180320_32/

Japan's ruling and opposition parties have agreed to summon a former senior Finance Ministry official to testify as a sworn witness in the Diet next Tuesday.

The opposition camp has been demanding that Nobuhisa Sagawa testify about alterations of Finance Ministry documents on the heavily discounted sale of state-owned land to a school operator.

The documents were altered last year while Sagawa headed the ministry's Financial Bureau.

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner Komeito on Tuesday accepted the opposition's demand, saying Sagawa is a key player in the matter.

Later, Upper House Diet affairs chiefs from the LDP and the opposition Democratic Party agreed to have Sagawa give sworn testimony next Tuesday.

The testimony is to take place at an Upper House Budget Committee meeting in the morning and a Lower House Budget Committee meeting in the afternoon.

Key words : Abe expressed hope
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180320_28/

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has expressed hope of regaining public trust by clarifying alterations of Finance Ministry documents on the sale of state-owned land to a school operator.

Abe made the remark on Tuesday at a meeting with Natsuo Yamaguchi, the head of ruling coalition partner Komeito.

Abe said the government will thoroughly investigate and sincerely explain why the documents on the discounted sale were altered.

Abe also said he takes seriously the recent plunge in Cabinet approval ratings, and that it is exactly why he must work to regain credibility.

Abe and Yamaguchi confirmed that the government and the ruling bloc are making joint efforts to have fiscal 2018 budget and tax reform bills approved by the Diet as soon as possible.

Key words : democratic disclosed
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180320_20/

A committee of Japan's main ruling Liberal Democratic Party has disclosed that 2 party lawmakers questioned the Education Ministry about a lecture given by a former vice education minister at a junior high school.

The ministry made inquiries to a local education board, sparking concern about central government interference.

Upper House member Masaaki Akaike told the LDP's education and science panel on Tuesday that he and Lower House member Yoshitaka Ikeda made the inquiries. He said they were later briefed on the results of the ministry's inquiries to the education board.

Akaike serves as the head of the committee. Ikeda is its deputy head.

Last month, the school in central Japan invited former Vice Education Minister Kihei Maekawa to give a lecture.

Maekawa had accused the Prime Minister's Office of favoritism in connection with the approval of a veterinary school operated by Kake Educational Institution, which is run by a close friend of the prime minister.

Akaike denied to the committee that either he or Ikeda had pressed the ministry to investigate the lecture.

Akaike said he emailed a senior education ministry official, asking about the lecture. He said he did so before the ministry made inquiries to the local education board. He said he was later told that the ministry was confirming the facts.

Meanwhile, Ikeda was reportedly asked by the ministry on his views about a set of questions it planned to ask the local education board in the form of an email.

Akaike later told reporters that he based his action on whether it is legally appropriate to invite a person who had violated the law to an official class at a public school teaching compulsory education. Maekawa quit his job to take responsibility for a scandal involving jobs for retiring bureaucrats.

Akaike said if confirming facts is regarded as putting pressure on people, then lawmakers cannot do their jobs.

Key words : Trump tariff refrain
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180320_21/

With US President Donald Trump's new tariffs on steel and aluminum expected to come into effect this week, the head of Japan's central bank says countries need to reaffirm the importance of free trade.

Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda is visiting Buenos Aires to attend the G20 finance leaders' meeting.

Kuroda told reporters that, as head of a central bank, he would refrain from commenting on a specific country's trade policy. But he said protectionist steps would backfire for countries that implement them, and possibly impact the global economy.

On cryptocurrencies, which are under discussion for the first time at a G20 meeting, Kuroda spoke of the need to strike a balance between regulation and allowing people to take advantage of the digital assets.

He said rules should be beefed up in areas such as consumer protection and money laundering. But he also stressed that new technologies could have a positive impact on finance.

Key words : Insight crypto currency position
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Key words : south annual drill eagle
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180320_25/

South Korea's Defense Ministry says the country and the United States will begin joint military exercises on April 1st.

A ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday that the scale of the annual drills will be the same as usual.

The official also said the United Nations Command in the South notified North Korea's military on Tuesday morning, citing defense purposes.

The exercises usually begin in February or March, but were postponed this year for the PyeongChang Olympic and Paralympic Games.

South Korean military officials say about 290,000 South Korean troops and around 11,500 US service members will take part in the Foal Eagle drill, which includes massive field operations. They say about 10,000 South Korean troops and around 12,200 US service members will join a computer-simulated exercise called Key Resolve.

They also say the period of the drills will be halved to about one month, and that there are currently no plans to deploy US aircraft carriers or bombers to the exercises.

North Korea strongly opposes the drills, but its leader Kim Jong Un reportedly softened his tone when he met a South Korean envoy this month.

The schedule of the drills may have been adjusted because of inter-Korean talks planned for late April, and a possible summit between the North and the US by the end of May.

Key words : south send
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180320_31/

South Korea's Unification Ministry says the country has agreed to send an art troupe of about 160 members to North Korea for performances in the capital Pyongyang.

The ministry made the announcement on Tuesday, after the 2 Koreas held working-level talks at the border village of Panmunjom earlier in the day.

South Korean artists are to hold 2 performances during their 4-day visit to Pyongyang from March 31st.

The ministry said the performers include pop singer Cho Yong-pil and Seohyun, a member of idol group Girls' Generation.

South Korean officials plan to visit Pyongyang for 3 days from Thursday to check equipment at the 2 venues.

No South Korean artists have performed in the North since November 2007.

An NHK correspondent in Seoul says the 2 Koreas apparently aim to promote a conciliatory mood ahead of an inter-Korean summit planned for late April.

Key words : chinese unity
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180320_23/

China's President Xi Jinping has called for unity to build what he called a "great modern socialist country" on the closing day of the National People's Congress.

The 2-week annual session approved Xi's second term and a constitutional amendment, removing the 10-year term limit for presidents.

A government work report, prioritizing economic quality over high growth, was also approved, with an annual GDP growth target of around 6.5 percent, unchanged from last year.

In his closing address on Tuesday, Xi referred to the great cultural assets produced over China's history, spanning thousands of years.

He said if more than 1.3 billion Chinese people continue to put their spirit into pursuing their dreams, they will be able to realize the nation's great rejuvenation.

Xi repeatedly used the word "great" to encourage the public.

He noted opportunities as well as unprecedented challenges.

He said the goal is to build "a prosperous and strong, democratic and cultural, harmonious and beautiful, modern socialist country" by the middle of the century.

Referring to Taiwan, Xi said any attempts or tricks to divide the motherland are doomed to failure. He said all attempts will receive the condemnation of the people, and punishment.

He said not an inch of the great motherland can be separated from China.

The amendment of the Constitution has paved the way for Xi to stay in his post indefinitely after his second term ends in 2023.

His grip on power has been cemented following key appointments, including that of his ally, Wang Qishan, as vice president.

Key words : chinese visit remark
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180320_30/

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang says he would consider making a formal visit to Japan in the first half of this year, on the occasion of a possible trilateral summit with Japan and South Korea. It was his first comment on the specific timing of the visit.

Li made the remarks at a news conference in Beijing on Tuesday after the closing of the National People's Congress, in which he was reelected for a second term.

Li said he is willing to consider the visit to Japan amid signs of improving ties between the 2 countries.

Pointing out the importance of continued efforts to improve bilateral relations, he expressed his hope for greater efforts by the Japanese side.

Li also referred to the issue of trade between China and the United States.

He said there would be no winner in a trade war, and that both sides should remain rational and avoid giving in to emotions.

Key words : deadly ceremony
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180320_17/

Tuesday marks the 23rd anniversary of the deadly sarin attacks on the Tokyo subway by the Aum Shinrikyo cult.

On March 20, 1995, the doomsday cult released the toxic nerve gas inside packed rush hour subway cars in central Tokyo. Thirteen people died and more than 6,000 others were injured.

A memorial ceremony was held on Tuesday morning at Kasumigaseki Station, one of the targets of the attacks. Station officials observed a moment of silence at 8 AM -- almost the exact time of the attacks 23 years ago. The victims' families and other mourners offered flowers and paid their respects.

All the criminal trials of cult members charged with the attacks and other crimes were concluded in January. Thirteen Aum Shinrikyo members, including leader Shoko Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, have been sentenced to death.

Attention is now focused on when the sentence will be carried out. Seven of the death-row inmates were transferred out of the Tokyo detention center earlier this month, prompting speculation that the move may be in preparation for their executions.

Shizue Takahashi, whose husband worked at the subway station and was killed in the attack, said she hopes things will now proceed calmly according to law. But she stressed that the pain suffered by the victims and their families has not healed.