Tensions are high in the Middle East following Monday's opening of the United States Embassy in Jerusalem.
Japan's Foreign Minister has called for a calm response to the relocation of the US embassy in Israel.
US researchers say North Korea has already begun dismantling its Punggye-ri nuclear test site.
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Key words : tension high
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180515_34/
Tensions are high in the Middle East following Monday's opening of the United States Embassy in Jerusalem. The event sparked rallies across the region and a deadly crackdown by Israeli forces on Palestinian protestors. Palestinian officials say dozens have been killed and thousands injured.
The embassy opening came just months after US President Donald Trump recognized the city as Israel's capital. The move infuriated Palestinians who see East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.
Critics say the move has also endangered the United States' leading role in peace negotiations. But Trump stressed that he's committed to the process, saying his greatest hope is for peace.
Trump said the US remains fully committed to facilitating a lasting peace agreement, and that his administration continues to support the status quo at holy sites in Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount, or Haram al-Sharif.
The US previously maintained an embassy in Tel Aviv, but upgraded the Consulate General in Jerusalem to embassy status. The move was sped up to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the founding of Israel on Monday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the opening, calling it great not only for his country and the US but also for peace.
Meanwhile, protesters clashed with Israeli security forces in Gaza and the West Bank. The Palestinian Health Ministry says more than 50 people were killed and more than 2,700 wounded, at least 1,350 by gunfire. The 2 sides are blaming each other for the violence.
Palestinians have been demonstrating in the Gaza Strip since late March and are expected to continue on Tuesday.
The Muslim, Christian and Jewish faiths all have holy sites in the city. The Israelis control Jerusalem and consider it their capital.
But Japan and many other countries say the final status of Jerusalem should be resolved through negotiations between the concerned parties.
Key words : foreign called for
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180515_20/
Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Kono has called for a calm response to the relocation of the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
Kono told reporters on Tuesday that Japan did not take part in a ceremony on Monday to mark the opening of the new US embassy, and there's no plan for Japan to transfer its embassy from Tel Aviv to the city.
Kono said he has heard that the US government plans to announce a policy package related to the Middle East peace process, and that he is waiting for that to happen.
Kono also said Japan hopes to support Palestine, such as through an industrial complex in the West Bank. The complex specializes in processing agricultural produce and was developed mainly with Japanese assistance.
Key words : United Nation security
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180515_31/
The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss the violence along the Gaza-Israeli border.
More than 50 Palestinians died after Israeli forces fired on people who were protesting the US embassy move to Jerusalem on Monday.
Kuwait called the session, but it may be hard for the Security Council to take any specific action to quell the situation.
Members of the Security Council are likely to condemn Israel or express concern over Israel's handling of the protestors, but the United States is expected to back Israel and hold the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas responsible for the violence.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a statement through his spokesperson on Monday, expressing deep concern about the developments in Gaza and urging both sides to show restraint to avoid further loss of life.
Key words : relocation Israel criticism
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180515_12/
The relocation of the US embassy in Israel has sparked criticism from European countries, while drawing mixed reaction in the Middle East.
France's Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said he disapproves of the US decision to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as it violates international law and UN Security Council resolutions.
Russia's acting Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said an international agreement should not be overturned unilaterally.
Thousands of people took to the streets in Istanbul, Turkey, calling for solidarity with Palestinians by waving Turkish and Palestinian flags. Some said they will never forgive the US and Israel.
The Arab League issued a statement denouncing the relocation. The group of Arab nations and Palestine revealed that it would hold an emergency meeting in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss a response.
But many Arab governments apparently want to avoid worsening ties with the US in light of their financial and military reliance on the country.
Saudi Arabia and Bahrain slammed Israel's military for opening fire on protestors, but they stopped short of mentioning the US embassy move.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted that Israel "massacres countless Palestinians in cold blood."
He went on to say that US President Donald Trump celebrates the "illegal" transfer of the US embassy and that his Arab collaborators try to divert attention.
He added that it's a day of great shame.
Key words : senior official visiting
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180515_23/
Senior North Korean officials are visiting China amid warming relations between the 2 countries.
The delegation, which arrived in Beijing on Monday, includes the vice chairman of the Workers' Party central committee, Pak Thae Song, as well as regional leaders.
Later in the day, they stopped by a Chinese Academy of Sciences facility in the Zhongguancun High-tech Zone, which North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited in March.
On Tuesday morning, they toured an agricultural research facility where officials there explained about the exhibits.
The Workers' Party newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, reported on Tuesday that a friendship group headed by Pak is visiting China. It carried a photo of the Chinese ambassador to North Korea seeing the group off at an airport in Pyongyang.
The delegation's itinerary has not been disclosed, but sources say they are scheduled to begin an economic study tour of rural localities on Wednesday.
Diplomatic sources say that as the first-ever summit between the United States and North Korea approaches, Pyongyang may have its sights set on getting China to ease sanctions and improve economic ties.
Key words : US researcher
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180515_18/
US researchers say North Korea has already begun dismantling its Punggye-ri nuclear test site in the country's northeast.
North Korea has announced that it will allow US and other foreign media to observe the process, which is scheduled to take place sometime between May 23rd and the 25th.
The researchers published an analysis of satellite images from May 7th of the nuclear facility on Monday.
They say a photo of the north portal shows that buildings have been removed, including one that may have been an office. The site is where 5 of the past 6 nuclear tests were conducted. The buildings were still in place in satellite imagery captured on April 20th.
A photo of the west portal shows that nearby buildings have also been demolished.
The researchers say the satellite imagery "provided the first definitive evidence that dismantlement of the test site was already well underway".
The observations also show "a small square-shaped foundation" near the north portal. The researchers say that "while it's too early to determine its intended purpose, it is conceivably for a future camera position to record the closure of the west portal".
Key words : defense local
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180515_22/
Japan's Defense Ministry is planning to start talks with local authorities at 2 candidate sites for a new ground-based ballistic missile defense system.
The government aims to install 2 Aegis Ashore units to counter possible missile attacks by North Korea.
It's considering deploying them at Self-Defense Forces training grounds in Akita Prefecture in the north and Yamaguchi Prefecture in the west.
Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera told reporters on Tuesday that this fiscal year's budget includes outlays for basic design and geological surveys.
He indicated that senior ministry officials will soon be sent to Akita and Yamaguchi to begin talks on specific details of the planned deployment.
Asked if the ministry was planning to brief the residents as well, Onodera said officials will consider the idea while consulting with local authorities.
The ministry plans to brief the local governments about the significance of Aegis Ashore for national security, and the possible environmental impact of electromagnetic waves from the system's radar.
Key words : foreign minister Iran commitment
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180515_09/
The foreign ministers of Iran and Russia have agreed that their countries will try to maintain the nuclear deal without the US, which earlier pulled out of the pact.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met his counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on Monday, following his trip to China.
Zarif said the deal had been built on the commitments made by the parties involved, but that the US withdrawal disrupted that balance.
He added that Iran aims to protect the interests of its people.
Lavrov said the US is trying to overturn what he called an internationally important agreement.
The 2 shared the view that saving the nuclear deal will benefit not only Iran but also other parties included in the agreement, such as Russia, China and European nations.
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Yukiya Amano.
Putin stressed that Russia will try to maintain the nuclear agreement.
Key words : Insight prospect crude oil price
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Key words : farewell
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180515_32/
About 1,200 people, including friends and anime fans, gathered to bid farewell to Isao Takahata at an event in Tokyo on Tuesday. The Oscar-nominated director died last month at age 82.
Takahata won acclaim for such works as the popular cartoon TV series "Heidi, Girl of the Alps" and the animated film "Grave of the Fireflies." The film depicts the struggles of 2 orphaned siblings during World War Two.
Oscar-winning animated film director Hayao Miyazaki spoke at the event, held at the Ghibli Museum in the city of Mitaka. Miyazaki founded the animated film company Studio Ghibli with Takahata in 1985.
Miyazaki thanked Takahata for everything they accomplished together, and said he always thought his creative partner would live to be 95. He said Takahata's death made him realize he doesn't have much time left.
One attendee, a woman in her 20s, said she was a big fan of Takahata's films, and that her favorite was "Grave of the Fireflies." She said it familiarized her generation with the war they never experienced.
A man in his 20s said his favorite was "The Tale of the Princess Kaguya." He praised it as the most artistic animated film he knows.
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