at 20:00 (JST), November 15 AS

エラー 2042

エラー 2042

The Japanese government has compiled materials in English to present its position on the recent ruling by South Korea's Supreme Court on wartime labor.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20181115200000_english_1.mp3


Key words : Abe has expressed concern
#N/A


Key words : some experts
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20181115_32/

Some experts say an agreement between the Japanese and Russian leaders to speed up peace treaty negotiations could mark an important moment in history.
It comes after Shinzo Abe said he and Vladimir Putin agreed to forge ahead with talks based on a decades-old declaration.

Kyoto Sangyo University professor Kazuhiko Togo said, "I think this is the historical turning point of the negotiation. For the first time two governments have agreed on the fundamental structure of possible agreement. If we do not start now, we will run the risk of being overtaken by the time and no conclusion will be reached of any kind. And that would be detrimental."

After meeting with Putin in Singapore on Wednesday, Abe said the 2 leaders agreed to use a 1956 joint declaration as the basis for talks.

That's where the two islands' return is spelled out. A former Russian diplomat says his country is also keen to put an end to the dispute.

Former Russian Ambassador to Japan Alexander Panov said, "Russia solved many territorial problems. The last one is with Japan. Only Putin recognizes this declaration is a treaty because this declaration was ratified by the parliaments of both countries so this is absolutely legal document which no one can ignore."

The two countries never signed a peace treaty at the end of World War Two.

The stumbling block has been a territorial issue over 4 Russian-controlled islands. Japan claims them. The government maintains they are an inherent part of Japan's territory. It says they were illegally occupied after the war.

Putin had previously floated the idea of signing a peace treaty without any preconditions by the end of the year.
Abe later said Japan couldn't do that until the territorial dispute is resolved.

Key words : Seko agreed infrastructure project
#N/A


Key words : government compiled
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20181115_34/

The Japanese government has compiled materials in English for the international community to present the facts surrounding the recent ruling by South Korea's Supreme Court on wartime labor.

Last month, South Korea's top court ordered a Japanese steelmaker to compensate 4 South Korean men who say they were forced to work during World War Two.

The Japanese government says the ruling is a violation of international law, and is calling on the South Korean government to take appropriate measures.

The Japanese government says it needs to tell the international community all the facts accurately.

The materials say that the 1965 "Agreement on the Settlement of Problems Concerning Property and Claims and Economic Co-operation between Japan and South Korea" stipulates that the problem concerning claims is settled completely and finally.

It says that the Supreme Court ruling is therefore a clear violation of the agreement.

The materials also say that the ruling overthrows the legal foundation of the 2 countries, and that it's a serious challenge to the post-war international order.

The government plans to post the information on the website of the Foreign Ministry and disseminate it at international conferences or other places where foreign governments and media gather.

Key words : government pledge efforts to prevent
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20181115_33/

Japan's government has pledged efforts to prevent Japanese companies doing business in South Korea from being affected by a recent ruling on wartime labor.

The Japanese Embassy in Seoul hosted a meeting for the companies on Thursday to ease their concerns about the ruling made last month by South Korea's Supreme Court.

The court ordered a Japanese steelmaker to compensate 4 Korean workers who said they were forced to work during World War Two.

The plaintiffs later indicated that they are ready to take steps to seize assets of Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal.

A minister at the embassy, Kohei Maruyama, addressed about 80 participants at the meeting.

He reiterated Japan's position that the issue of wartime compensation was settled when the 2 countries normalized ties in 1965.

He said Tokyo puts top priority on protecting Japanese companies' legitimate business activities, and promised a resolute response to the issue.

In South Korea, at least 14 court cases related to wartime labor are said to be ongoing and making Japanese companies uneasy.

South Korea's government has yet to make clear how it will respond to the top court's ruling.

Key words : private satellite
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20181115_05/

A law that paves the way for licensed private sector companies to launch satellites comes into effect on Thursday.

The Space Activity Law replaces the previous framework in which only the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, and the agency-commissioned Mitsubishi Heavy Industries are licensed to launch satellites.

It allows private firms to launch satellites if they meet government criteria and clear prior screening.

Private firms entering the satellite launch business will be required to have damage insurance to cover possible launch failures.

If the damage exceeds the amount covered by insurance, the government will shoulder part of the compensation.

The Japanese government last year set a goal of doubling the size of the domestic space industry to over 22 billion dollars by the early 2030s.

Key words : news key word for today Japan's space industry
#N/A


Key words : draft agreement uncertain
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20181115_21/

The fate of a draft agreement on Britain's exit from the European Union remains uncertain despite its endorsement by the British cabinet.

Prime Minister Theresa May won cabinet approval for the draft on Wednesday after a 5-hour emergency meeting. The draft had already been approved by British and EU officials.

The document states that the United Kingdom will remain in the EU's customs union until the 2 sides agree on how to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK, and Ireland, an EU member.

This represents a major concession on the part of May, who had been seeking to leave the customs union.

She called for support for the draft agreement, saying it is a decision in the best interests of the entire country.

However, anti-EU hardliners have reacted sharply to the draft deal and are calling for lawmakers to vote against it in Parliament. Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party, a non-cabinet ally of May's ruling Conservative Party, is also against the proposed deal.

The BBC says some Conservative lawmakers may call for a vote of no confidence in May. It remains uncertain whether Britain will be able to reach a final agreement with the EU by the end of this month, as May is hoping for.

Britain is set to leave the bloc on March 29th, 2019.

Key words : us border
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20181115_11/

Tension is mounting as hundreds of Central American migrants reach the US border with Mexico, while US security officials keep watch to stop them crossing.

A caravan of mostly Hondurans has been travelling north to seek asylum in the United States.

A group that broke away from the main caravan arrived in the border city of Tijuana on multiple buses on Wednesday morning.

Volunteers gave them food and medical staff conducted health checkups in makeshift tents.

A 17-year-old Honduran woman with an 18-month-old boy said she couldn't live in her country because of the rampant violence against women. She added that she was willing to risk anything to reach the US for the well-being of her child.

On Tuesday night in San Diego, the United States installed lighting equipment and razor wire across the border. A number of security vehicles are on standby in the area. Officers are keeping watch to prevent the migrants from climbing over the border wall.

Key words : emperor first visit
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20181115_35/

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko have visited a town in northern Japan that was devastated by a powerful earthquake in September.

Hokkaido Governor Harumi Takahashi greeted the Imperial couple when they arrived at New Chitose Airport near Sapporo around noon on Thursday.

This was the couple's first visit since the quake struck southern Hokkaido on September 6th, killing 41 people. Most of the deaths were in the town of Atsuma.

The Emperor and Empress were welcomed by about 200 residents. The couple visited the site where mudslides killed 36 people.

Atsuma Mayor Shoichiro Miyasaka explained that the recovery efforts are still continuing 3 months after the disaster.

The Emperor and Empress then went to a welfare center, where they met 42 quake survivors. Some of them lost loved ones.

The Emperor and Empress talked to them one by one, offering condolences and words of encouragement.

The Emperor expressed his appreciation to a disaster response official for working so hard for the community after his house was damaged. The Empress expressed sympathy for a man who is still living in a shelter.

The Imperial couple left for Tokyo in the early evening.

Key words : novel
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20181115_24/

A novel by a Japanese writer has been picked for the translation category of this year's National Book Awards, the most prestigious US literary prize.

"The Emissary," written in Japanese by Yoko Tawada, was presented the award at a ceremony in New York on Wednesday.

Tawada was born in Tokyo in 1960. She moved to Germany in 1982, after graduating from Waseda University.

Tawada received Japan's Akutagawa Prize in 1993 for the novel "The Bridegroom Was a Dog." In 2016, she received the Kleist Prize, Germany's top literary award.

"The Emissary" is set in Japan of the near future, in which the country has entered a state of isolation after a massive earthquake and a nuclear accident.

It depicts the overall feeling of entrapment felt by a centenarian writer who is still fit and the writer's great-grandchild who can barely walk.

The last time a translation of Japanese literature won the National Book Award was in 1982, when a collection of works by Higuchi Ichiyo was picked for the prize.

A translation of Yasunari Kawabata's "The Sound of the Mountain" won the award in 1971.