at 20:00 (JST), April 25 AS

South Korean officials say the country's president will meet with his American counterpart in the middle of May.

A press center for reporters covering the upcoming inter-Korean summit opened on the outskirts of the South Korean capital, Seoul, on Wednesday.

An international group for journalists says the situation for people working in media is deteriorating.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20180425200000_english_1.mp3


Key words : south will meet counterpart
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180425_21/

South Korean officials say the country's president will meet with his American counterpart in the middle of May.
Moon Jae-in is expected to travel to the US to meet with Donald Trump.

Moon is expected to fill Trump in on a separate summit that is taking place later this week.

Moon is meeting with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un.

Officials say at the US meeting, Moon and Trump will also likely discuss a possible face-to-face meeting between Trump and Kim.

Key words : reporter covering
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180425_27/

A press center for reporters covering the upcoming inter-Korean summit opened on the outskirts of the South Korean capital, Seoul, on Wednesday.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are scheduled to meet at the truce village of Panmunjom on Friday.

The 10,000-square-meter center has seating for 1,000 reporters and a large video screen to display live broadcasts of the summit. South Korean government officials will hold news briefings at the site, and experts will also hold debates there.

The presidential office says about 3,000 members of the media have already registered. That's more than twice the number that signed up to cover the 2 previous inter-Korean summits, in 2000 and 2007.

Interest is high among foreign media outlets. Many reporters and camerapersons arrived at the press center on Wednesday to pick up their press cards. In all, about 860 people are on hand to cover the first inter-Korean summit in 10-and-a-half years.

Key words : foreign minister launched protest
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Key words : What can be expected from ips cell based therapy
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Key words : police Okinawa landfil
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180425_19/

Police took action to remove protesters at a coastal area in Japan's southern prefecture of Okinawa, on Wednesday. The day marks one year after the start of full-scale landfill work to relocate a US marine base there.

Crowds of activists held a sit-in protest outside the gate of US Camp Schwab in Nago City. The area is adjacent to the planned reclamation site. About 80 canoes and boats carrying protesters were also at sea nearby.

The US Marine Corps Futenma Air Station is located in a densely-populated area of Ginowan City in Okinawa. In 1996, the governments of Japan and the United States agreed to close it once alternative facilities became available. The project involves building 2 V-shaped runways off the district of Henoko in Nago.

Full-scale landfill work began on April 25th last year, when the Defense Ministry's regional bureau started work to build seawalls off the district.

The Okinawa Defense Bureau has been building 7 seawalls on the coast on the northern side of the reclamation site. It plans to start placing soil and sand at the site when the seawalls are complete, probably in July.

In a February mayoral election in Nago, incumbent Mayor Susumu Inamine, who is against the relocation project, lost to Taketoyo Toguchi, who pledged to voters to revitalize the local economy.

Inamine is one of 3 candidates who all lost mayoral elections in Okinawa this year. They were backed by Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga who has been trying to block the relocation project by various means including lawsuits.

Key words : head of campaign abolish
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180425_13/

The head of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons says public action is important to get governments to support a UN nuclear weapons ban treaty.

ICAN Executive Director Beatrice Fihn was speaking at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York on Tuesday. She was there to receive the Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Award. ICAN won last year's Nobel Peace Prize.

Fihn urged support for the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, calling nuclear weapons illegal, unethical, and the cause of catastrophic damage.

Fihn said "The biggest military, the richest countries are kind of scared of the bunch of activists. It shows how vulnerable they are to public pressure."

Only 7 countries and territories have ratified the treaty, while 50 are needed for it to come into force. The lack of support is blamed partly on pressure from the United States and other nuclear powers.

Japanese peace activist Koko Kondo received the Tribeca award along with Fihn. Kondo experienced the atomic-bombing of Hiroshima when she was 8 months old.

Key words : international journalist
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180425_26/

An international group for journalists says the situation for people working in media is deteriorating.

The Paris-based Reporters Without Borders on Wednesday released its 2018 World Press Freedom Index, its annual report. It ranks 180 countries and territories by evaluating the level of media freedom.

Norway topped the list for the second consecutive year. North Korea was at the bottom, the same as last year.

The report says the situation is deteriorating in Europe, despite the fact it has been a traditionally safe environment for journalists.

Malta plunged 18 places to 65th from last year and Slovakia dropped 10 notches to 27th due to the killing of journalists in those countries since last year.

The United States fell 2 places to 45th, as President Donald Trump often uses the expression "fake news" and is hostile toward the media.

Japan was ranked 67th, up 5 notches, but still the worst among the Group of 7 industrialized countries. The journalist group says this is due to insufficient discussion on the country's state secrecy law.

Key words : animated
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180425_22/

Japanese animated film company Studio Ghibli has unveiled the basic design of its theme park set to open in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, in 2022.

Aichi Governor Hideaki Ohmura revealed on Wednesday that the prefecture and the studio agreed to build Ghibli Park on the site of the 2005 Aichi Expo in Nagakute City.

The park is to feature Ghibli film-related buildings such as towers from "Howl's Moving Castle," which are to serve as the main gate. The antique shop from "Whisper of the Heart" and Kiki's home from "Kiki's Delivery Service" are also planned.

Areas based on "Princess Mononoke" and "My Neighbor Totoro" are to include outdoor replicas of the films' characters and a forest pathway.

Ohmura said concepts of the Aichi Expo, such as ecological coexistence and the wonders of nature, are alive in Ghibli films.

He expressed hope that the park will be full of dreams and fantasy for visitors from around the world.

Key words : automaker green
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180425_30/

Automakers from around the world are in Beijing to showcase their latest models.
Many are preparing for China's big push to green auto technology by rolling out electric vehicles.

Manufacturers from 14 countries and regions are taking part in the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition.

BAIC Motor has unveiled a new sedan that can run more than 500 kilometers on a single battery charge.

A Shanghai-based maker is displaying an electric SUV. The firm is one of the many start-ups in China, developing vehicles that use alternative energy sources.

China is the world's biggest auto market and competition among makers of electric vehicles is expected to intensify.

The government plans to set a sales quota for EVs and plug-in hybrids.