at 20:00 (JST), June 27 AS

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency says its probe Hayabusa2 reached asteroid Ryugu on Wednesday after a 3-and-a-half year journey.

The United States is urging Japan and others to completely stop importing crude oil from Iran within months.

South Korea's Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon says the South has concluded that North Korea closed its nuclear test site in the northeast as it claims.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20180627200000_english_1.mp3


Key words : aerospace
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180627_03/

A Japanese asteroid probe is to reach its destination on Wednesday, Japan time. Hayabusa2 is expected to collect samples that may provide clues about the origins of life.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, says the probe is expected to begin orbiting Ryugu after a 3-and-a-half year journey.

The asteroid is 300 million kilometers from the Earth, located between the planet and Mars.

Ryugu is about 900 meters in diameter. Scientists think it may contain water and organic matter from the time the Solar System was born 4.6 billion years ago.

The agency says the probe will observe the asteroid from a distance of 20,000 meters until around August. Hayabusa2 will then make 3 landings to collect rock samples.

In the final landing, the probe will fire a metal bullet to make an artificial crater and take samples from below the surface. This maneuver has never been attempted before.

Hayabusa2 will leave the asteroid's orbit around December 2019 and make a one-year journey back to Earth.

Key words : United States completely stop
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180627_05/

The United States is urging Japan and others to completely stop importing crude oil from Iran within months.

A senior State Department official told reporters on Tuesday that the US wants the imports to end by November 4th.

Asked how Japan and others responded to the request, the official said it is a challenge for them.

The official also said the US is asking them to make a "policy change," and they are willing to do that because of their relationship with Washington.

Those asked to stop oil imports from Iran include the European Union, China, India and Turkey.

The US announced in May that it was withdrawing from the nuclear deal between Iran and 6 world powers and would resume economic sanctions against Tehran in August.

Washington is also asking other countries to step up pressure on Iran.

Iran accounts for about 5 percent of Japan's crude oil imports. Japanese officials are expected to ask for an exemption from the US sanctions, but the request is likely to be rejected.

Key words : Suga continuing
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180627_22/

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga says Japan is continuing discussions with the United States over its demand that Japan stop importing crude oil from Iran.

Suga made the remark at a news conference on Wednesday. He said the government is carefully studying how the US demand would affect Japan. He said it will continue to discuss the matter with the United States and other nations concerned to avoid an adverse impact on Japanese businesses.

The administration of US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that it wants Japan and other countries to completely halt crude oil imports from Iran by November 4th.

The US had earlier announced that it was withdrawing from the nuclear deal between Iran and 6 major world powers and would resume economic sanctions against Tehran.

Suga said he would like to refrain from elaborating on the discussions between Japan and the US about resuming US sanctions on Iran. He also said he cannot say when Japan will decide on how to deal with the US demand.

Suga added that Japan is also in contact with the Iranian government.

The United States imposed sanctions on Iran's oil exports in 2012 over its suspected nuclear development. At that time, Japan was exempted from the sanctions and was allowed to reduce Iranian imports in phases.

Key words : south concluded
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180627_28/

South Korea's Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon says the South has concluded that North Korea closed its nuclear test site in the northeast as it claims.

The minister made the remarks at a symposium on the Korean Peninsula situation hosted by the ministry in Seoul on Wednesday.

He referred to the North's invitation of foreign journalists to witness its work at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site last month. The North claimed that it destroyed a tunnel and other facilities for the closure.

Cho said that based on analyses of the circumstances and images, the South has concluded that the North's claim is basically true.

On Tuesday, Seoul agreed with Pyongyang at vice-ministerial talks to conduct joint inspections of railway networks between the Koreas from next month.

The South and North are also scheduled to discuss road links on Thursday.

In reference to these developments, the minister said that this is the preliminary process for a possible lifting of sanctions.

However, he indicated that the South will keep the sanctions in place in coordination with the international community, while carrying out these research projects.

Key words : north told Japan
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180627_06/

A North Korean diplomat has told Japan not to meddle in the process of his country's denuclearization.

The diplomat was speaking at the Conference on Disarmament at the United Nations European headquarters in Geneva on Tuesday.

Delegates commented on the recent summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and their joint statement.

A Japanese delegate said Tokyo is working with the United States and South Korea to urge Pyongyang to commit to complete denuclearization, as pledged in the statement.

In response, the North's diplomat said Japan is not a signatory to either the joint statement or the Panmunjom Declaration signed at the inter-Korean summit in April.

He told Japan to refrain from "poking into others' business."

Other countries also urged North Korea to make efforts for denuclearization.

But the North's diplomat rejected their call, saying that remarks that put unnecessary pressure on his country cannot be tolerated.

Key words : Kono urged
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180627_27/

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono has urged Asian countries to support the resumption of Middle East peace talks.

Kono spoke at the third ministerial meeting of the Cooperation among East Asian Countries for Palestinian Development in Thailand on Wednesday. Ten parties including Indonesia and Malaysia took part in the forum, which was launched at Japan's initiative.

Kono called attention to the risks to Middle East peace, such as the relocation of the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

He said Southeast Asia is home to the biggest Islamic community in the world, and added that it's high time Asians stand up for peace in the Middle East.

Kono asked governments to contribute more to UN agencies assisting Palestinian refugees, and sought support for Japanese aid projects in the region.

The meeting ended with a joint statement pledging assistance to Palestinians in various fields such as farming, financial services, education and health care.

Key words : Insight AIIB current situation and direction
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Key words : metropolitan ban indoor smoking
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180627_26/

The Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly has passed an ordinance that, in principle, bans indoor smoking in restaurants that hire employees, regardless of the size of the establishment.

The regulation strengthens measures against passive smoking and is stricter than a state bill now being deliberated in the Diet.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government had submitted the draft ordinance to tackle the health hazards of secondhand smoking ahead of the city hosting the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Metropolitan Assembly approved the proposal by majority vote at a plenary session on Wednesday.

Tomin First, Komeito, the Japanese Communist Party and others voted in favor of the ordinance, while those from the Liberal Democratic Party voted against. LDP members called the regulation plan ineffective, saying that it would be difficult to judge whether a restaurant actually hires an employee or not. They also said it has not gained public understanding.

The Tokyo government plans to bring the regulation into force in stages by April 2020, ahead of the Games.

The ordinance is tougher than a state bill being deliberated in the Diet.

Under the national bill, existing restaurants with a customer floor area of 100 square meters or smaller would be able to allow indoor smoking as an interim measure as long as they put up a sign outside.

The state bill would also ban smoking in the premises of kindergartens, elementary, junior high and high schools, but would allow the designation of outdoor smoking areas. The Tokyo ordinance will not allow for such areas.