Japan's Defense Ministry plans to request a record-high budget for next fiscal year to shore up the country's defense capabilities against missile attacks and other threats.
Top defense officials of Japan and Sri Lanka have confirmed that a Sri Lankan port leased to China should be open to all countries to ensure freedom of navigation.
The UN nuclear watchdog says there have been indications that North Korea continues to operate its nuclear facilities despite its promise to abandon its nuclear program.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20180822200000_english_1.mp3
Key words : defense ministry plans to record
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180822_16/
Japan's Defense Ministry plans to request a record-high budget for next fiscal year to shore up the country's defense capabilities against missile attacks and other threats.
Ministry officials told NHK that the ministry will seek about 5.29 trillion yen, or around 48 billion dollars, for the year starting April 2019.
Part of the budget will be earmarked for purchasing 2 units of the US-made land-based missile defense system called Aegis Ashore.
The ministry says the new system will help improve Japan's response to possible ballistic missile attacks from North Korea, but intends to make efforts to bring down its cost.
The ministry came under fire after it revealed last month that the cost of one unit will likely be around 1.2 billion dollars, up nearly 70 percent from the initial estimate of 720 million dollars.
The ministry will also request funds to enhance capabilities to defend remote islands and waters around Japan amid China's growing maritime activities.
This will include the cost of purchasing more F-35A stealth fighter jets and introducing a new type of missile interceptor called SM-3 Block IIA on Aegis ships.
Key words : Sri lanka
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180822_02/
Top defense officials of Japan and Sri Lanka have confirmed that a Sri Lankan port leased to China should be open to all countries to ensure freedom of navigation.
Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera met Sri Lankan State Minister of Defense Ruwan Wijewardene in Colombo on Tuesday. Onodera is the first Japanese defense minister to visit Sri Lanka.
Onodera said the Hambantota port in southern Sri Lanka is located on a crucial shipping route.
Wijewardene said his country will not permit China to only use the port for military purposes.
Sri Lanka agreed last year to allow a Chinese company to operate the port under a 99-year lease.
Key words : US air force
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180822_24/
The US Air Force will deploy 5 Osprey transport aircraft at Yokota Air Base in the suburbs of Tokyo this October. The move will mark the first deployment of the aircraft on the mainland of Japan.
The Japanese government said on Wednesday that it was briefed by the US military about the planned deployment of 5 Air Force CV-22 Ospreys at Yokota on October 1st.
In April this year, the US military announced moving forward the deployment plan by more than one year to this summer. The Ospreys have been seen stopping at the base since then.
The US military plans to add 5 more Ospreys in stages to complete the deployment of 10 Ospreys by around 2024.
The aircraft will be used to transport special force personnel. They are equipped with night vision devices to enable troops to see terrain clearly in the dark.
Japan's Defense Ministry declined to give details about the deployment because it involves military classified information. But it welcomed the deployment, noting that the aircraft will allow quick deployment of US special force personnel in the case of emergencies and help boost deterrence.
The ministry added that it will fully provide local residents with necessary information to alleviate concern over the aircraft's safety.
Key words : Four Japanese
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180822_20/
Four Japanese companies are negotiating a possible tie-up in the nuclear power business. They are utilities Tokyo Electric Power Company and Chubu Electric Power Company, and electronic makers Hitachi and Toshiba.
People familiar with the matter say the 4 firms are in talks on a future tie-up in the operation of nuclear power plants, their construction and maintenance.
The 4 companies are all involved in operating or manufacturing of boiling water reactors, which are the same type of reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The plant is in the process of decommissioning after a disaster occurred there in March 2011 following a powerful earthquake and tsunami.
Hitachi and Toshiba are having difficulties to gain new orders for building nuclear plants in Japan, where the Fukushima disaster has effectively halted their construction.
The 2 makers are also facing a tougher business environment overseas, where stricter safety requirements have pushed up construction costs for nuclear power plants.
The 4 companies are discussing multiple plans, including one that calls for merging their nuclear businesses in the future.
However, their talks may not go smoothly as TEPCO is engaged in decommissioning the Fukushima plant and the 4 firms have different stances on overseas business.
Key words : UN nuclear
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180822_09/
The UN nuclear watchdog says there have been indications that North Korea continues to operate its nuclear facilities despite its promise to abandon its nuclear program.
The International Atomic Energy Agency published a report on the North's nuclear activities on Monday, ahead of its annual board meeting next month.
The report says the IAEA used satellite imagery and open source information to examine nuclear facilities in Nyongbyon.
It says that between late April and early May, there were indications of the operation of a steam plant in a facility to extract plutonium from spent nuclear fuel.
The report notes there have also been indications that an experimental nuclear power plant and a uranium enrichment plant have continued to operate since August last year.
The IAEA says North Korea's activities clearly violate the UN Security Council resolutions.
The agency says it remains unable to carry out verification activities in North Korea, and its knowledge of the country's nuclear program is limited and declining.
Key words : commander
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180822_27/
The commander of US forces in South Korea has called for keeping international sanctions and pressure on North Korea, citing the country's continued nuclear and missile threats.
General Vincent Brooks said at a news conference in Seoul on Wednesday that the danger is greater than ever. He said the nuclear threat is intercontinental and can affect countries throughout the world and all US alliances.
Brooks said North Korea has already taken very important steps toward peace, but that they must be followed by more serious ones on denuclearization and trust-building. He added that international pressure which helps create this must continue.
South Korea's Defense Minister Song Young-moo on Tuesday announced a plan to remove about 10 border guard posts on an experimental basis to reduce tension with the North.
Brooks expressed support for the initiative, saying it can reduce military tension along the border.
But he also said he has concerns about what the move means in terms of ability to defend the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas.
Key words : Trump proposed carbon
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180822_30/
The US administration of President Donald Trump has proposed new rules on carbon dioxide emissions to replace the efforts to combat global warming by the administration of former President Barack Obama.
The new rules would allow each state in the country to set up their own emission regulations. This would in effect change Obama's policy.
The Environment Protection Agency on Tuesday revealed the proposal for CO2 emissions discharged from thermal power plants and other sources.
It would replace the Clean Power Plan instituted by the Obama administration as its core policy to combat global warming.
President Trump sought coal miners' support for the new rules at a rally in the coal-producing state of West Virginia on Tuesday. He said that he was getting rid of ridiculous rules and regulations.
The Trump administration has decided to pull out of the Paris climate change accord.
Observers say the new rules are intended to eliminate Obama's policies and relax regulations in order to get support from related industries and workers during the midterm elections in November.
The US is the world's 2nd largest greenhouse gas emitter following China. Observers are concerned that US efforts to fight global-warming are moving backward.
Key words : China reveal African nation
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180822_31/
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says China will reveal a fresh plan next month to strengthen ties with African nations based on the country's Belt and Road economic initiative.
Wang was speaking to reporters on Wednesday, ahead of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, slated for September 3rd and 4th in Beijing.
Wang said that at the forum China will propose an action plan for the next 3 years, starting in 2019.
He noted China wants to expand its cooperative ties with African nations by combining the country's funding and technology with the growth potential of the African market.
The foreign minister added he wants to make the country's Belt and Road initiative a new driving force for African development.
China has been hit with the criticism that its economic engagement in the continent has led to serious debt problems for some nations in the region.
But Wang said China is confident it is proposing a plan that will satisfy both African and Chinese people.
At the previous forum 3 years ago, China offered 60 billion dollars in aid for Africa to develop industries and build infrastructure.
Key words : Japanese engineer
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180822_28/
Japanese engineers have created the "brain" of a next-generation supercomputer that can process data at 20 times the speed of the K computer, one of the world's fastest.
The 6-centimeter-by-6 centimeter central processing unit, or CPU, was developed by Japan's Fujitsu.
By connecting such CPUs, engineers plan to boost the data processing capability of the new supercomputer to 100 times that of the K computer, developed by Japan's RIKEN institute and Fujitsu.
The K marked the world's fastest computational speed in 2011. But it has since been surpassed by Chinese and US supercomputers, and is to be shut down in fiscal 2019.
Engineers aim to put the next-generation supercomputer into operation around 2021.
It's expected to help improve the accuracy of predicting localized downpours and typhoons, and develop new medication based on artificial intelligence.
Fujitsu's Naoki Shinjo says K's successor will be capable of more detailed simulations, so that it can contribute more to society.
Key words : Kono visited
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180822_29/
Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Kono has visited Hawaii to mark the 150th year since Japanese people first immigrated there.
Kono visited the National Cemetery of the Pacific on Tuesday and paid tribute to fallen soldiers, including Japanese-Americans who served in the US military during World War Two.
He then traveled to a cemetery for Japanese people who immigrated to Hawaii, and laid a wreath at a monument for the group who first moved to Hawaii in 1868.
The foreign minister later held separate talks with Governor David Ige, who is the only person of Japanese descent to head a US state, and the Japanese-American Representative from Hawaii. Kono called for closer Japan-US ties during the meetings.
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