Japan has lodged a strong protest with South Korea over remarks made by its National Assembly Speaker on the issue of those referred to as comfort women.
Japan's Prime Minister has stressed that the country has not retreated regarding negotiations with Moscow on four Russian-held islands claimed by Japan.
Vietnam's foreign minister is heading for North Korea ahead of the second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20190212200000_english_1.mp3
Key words : Japan strong protest
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190212_20/
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says Japan has lodged a strong protest with South Korea over remarks made by its National Assembly Speaker on the issue of those referred to as comfort women.
Moon Hee-sang said in an interview with US media last week that if Japan's prime minister or the Emperor holds the hands of the elderly women and says he's really sorry, then that one word will resolve matters once and for all.
He is quoted as saying that he wishes Emperor Akihito "would do it since he will step down soon."
Prime Minister Abe told a Diet committee on Tuesday that he was shocked by the remarks.
He said Japan immediately conveyed to South Korea through diplomatic channels its profound displeasure over the "extremely inappropriate" content of the speaker's remarks.
Abe said the Japanese government also requested an apology and retraction of the remarks.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters on Tuesday that the speaker later issued a statement to say that he places importance on bilateral ties and hopes to see progress toward future-oriented ties.
Suga said the South Korean government has also explained that the speaker's remarks were reported in a way that did not reflect his true intentions.
However, Suga said that the remarks were extremely inappropriate.
Meanwhile, Speaker Moon reportedly said in Washington that his comments were made in a context meant to emphasize that a person in a significant position should offer a sincere apology.
He said he does not wish for unnecessary disputes between the two countries.
The speaker also said concerning the comfort women issue, priority should be put on a sincere apology that is acceptable to the victims.
He added Japan repeatedly said that it has apologized dozens of times, but it doesn't appear that way to him.
Key words : Abe stressed
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190212_25/
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has stressed that the country has not retreated regarding negotiations with Moscow on four Russian-held islands claimed by Japan. Abe also said signing a peace treaty with Russia entails demarcating the two countries' border.
Abe was answering questions in the Diet on Tuesday about the negotiations. Japan's government maintains that the islands are an inherent part of the country's territory that were illegally occupied after World War Two.
Katsuya Okada, who's aligned with the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party, noted that a 1956 Japan-Soviet joint declaration refers to the handover of the Habomai islets and Shikotan Island, but does not mention the islands Kunashiri and Etorofu.
He suggested that making the declaration a basis for talks would put negotiations on the latter two islands at a huge disadvantage.
Abe denied this view, and stressed that negotiations to resolve the issue have always been about the four islands. He said there is no retrogression.
Asked whether he intends to demarcate the border with only Habomai and Shikotan on the Japanese side, Abe said the government aims to sign a peace treaty after the territorial issue is resolved.
He declined to comment further, saying he did not want to discuss content of the ongoing negotiations.
Key words : Vietnam heading
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190212_27/
Vietnam's foreign minister is heading for North Korea ahead of the second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un scheduled for later this month in Hanoi.
Vietnam's foreign ministry announced on Monday that Pham Binh Minh, who also serves as deputy prime minister, will be in the North from Tuesday to Thursday.
He arrived in Beijing airport around 11 AM local time. Reporters saw him walk through terminals to board on a connecting flight to Pyongyang.
In the North, he is expected to discuss security arrangements for Kim during the summit planned for February 27th and 28th.
Vietnam has been one of the North's closest friends for decades.
In 1958, North Korea's late founder Kim Il Sung visited what was then North Vietnam. His country participated in the Vietnam War as part of the socialist forces.
Vietnam is now opening up its economy while maintaining a socialist regime. It is enjoying economic growth, as its trade with former foe the United States is increasing.
Experts say the selection of Vietnam as the host country for the summit may be a message from the US president that North Korea could become another Vietnam if it gives up its nuclear program.
Key words : China smartphone
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190212_36/
Shipments of smartphones in China in 2018 were down more than 10 percent year-on-year.
US research company IDC said about 397.7 million units were shipped in China last year, down 10.5 percent from 2017.
Customers apparently refrained from buying new smartphones amid an economic slowdown due to trade friction with the United States.
Shipments of Apple smartphones decreased 11.7 percent, while those of Huawei grew 15.5 percent.
Apple's October-December shipments suffered a nearly 20-percent decline from the same period in the previous year.
IDC said the market outlook for this year is not optimistic, and that competition for customers will be severe.
Key words : US media report avoid
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190212_22/
US media reports say Republican and Democratic lawmakers have reached a tentative agreement to avoid another government shutdown.
The Associated Press reports that the deal reached on Monday includes about 1.4 billion dollars for border security. That's far less than the 5.7 billion dollars demanded by President Donald Trump.
The money will reportedly be used to build a metal fence, not the concrete wall Trump had wanted.
The US government was partially shut down for more than a month in a standoff over border wall funding. It reopened last month when the president and the Democrats agreed on a short-term spending bill that didn't include funding for a wall.
Attention has been focused on whether Congress could reach a deal before the spending bill expires on Friday.
The new bill would prevent another government shutdown once it's approved by Congress and signed by the president.
Trump said at a rally in Texas on Monday he has heard that progress was being made in Congress. He said he hasn't been briefed on details of the deal, but that he's building the wall anyway.
Key words : venezuela annual inflation rate nearly
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190212_16/
Venezuela's National Assembly says the annual inflation rate hit nearly 2.7 million percent last month. The hyperinflation comes amid severe food and medicine shortages in the country and a political power struggle.
The dramatic rise in inflation was driven by the strengthening of the US economic sanctions on the country last month, as well as the refusal by President Nicolas Maduro's administration to accept humanitarian aid from Western nations.
Analysts say the hyperinflation will drive more people out of the country, with the number expected to top five million by the end of the year.
The International Monetary Fund says the inflation rate could reach 10 million percent later this year.
Maduro's administration argues that the US is trying to throw his country into chaos with aid.
Maduro is backed by China and Russia.
Opposition leader Juan Guaido has declared himself interim president, and has been supported by the US and other countries.
Meanwhile, the bloc led by Guaido tells NHK that it is in negotiations with the US and dozens of other countries to provide 2 billion dollars for a new economic rehabilitation plan.
The opposition also says it is hoping to get money from the IMF.
The bloc is set to meet with pro-Guaido countries in Washington on Thursday.
Key words : acting defense chief
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190212_08/
The acting US defense chief has stressed the importance of direct talks between Afghanistan's government and Taliban insurgents.
Patrick Shanahan, Acting Secretary of Defense, made his comments during a visit to Afghanistan on Monday.
In a meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in the capital Kabul, the two sides exchanged views over ongoing peace talks between the United States and the Taliban.
Before the meeting, Shanahan told reporters that it was important for the Afghan government to be included in the talks.
He said that the Afghans have to decide what Afghanistan looks like in the future. He added that it is not about the US, it is about Afghanistan.
The Taliban has so far rejected direct talks with the Afghan government, which the insurgent group calls illegitimate and a puppet of the US.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the US special envoy leading talks with the Taliban, said last week that there had been progress in negotiations revolving around the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.
He made a call for direct talks to begin between the Taliban and the Afghan government.
Khalilzad is expected to hold talks with the Taliban later this month.
Key words : Thailand election disqualified
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190212_19/
Thailand's Election Commission has disqualified the sister of the country's king as a candidate for prime minister in next month's general election.
The election panel on Monday approved 69 candidates from 45 political parties. Princess Ubolratana was not among them.
The panel issued a statement saying members of the royal family must remain politically neutral.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn criticized the princess's candidacy on Friday, calling it "highly inappropriate."
The princess had been put forward by a political party loyal to ousted ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra. But the party withdrew its nomination after the king objected.
The election scheduled for March 24th is expected to pit the pro-junta party led by interim Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha against the pro-Thaksin parties.
Prayut, who led a 2014 military coup, is among the candidates. He aims to maintain the current military-led political system.
The pro-Thaksin camp is expected to face an uphill election battle after the failed attempt to nominate the princess.
Key words : Tokyo nikkei
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190212_28/
Tokyo's Nikkei Average on Tuesday posted its strongest advance since late December. A weaker yen and some positive news from the United States improved investor sentiment.
The Nikkei closed at 20,864, gaining 531 points or 2.6 percent from Friday's close. Monday was a national holiday.
Analysts say many investors became optimistic about a US-China trade deal, thanks to reports that White House advisors are contemplating a presidential summit as early as mid-March.
Another contributor to the stock rally was a report suggesting that a fresh government shutdown in the US may be avoided.
Party leaders say they've reached an agreement in principle on border security funding.
The news reports restored risk appetite and traders sold the safer yen against the dollar, sending the greenback to the highest this year. That was an added boost for exporter stocks.
Key words : experts warning
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190212_23/
Experts are warning of a major outbreak of rubella, or German measles, in Japan this year, with more than 300 cases of infection already reported this year.
According to health authorities across the country, the number of rubella cases totaled more than 2,900 last year. That was the second-highest number in about a decade.
As of February 3 this year, 367 cases of rubella were reported. More than 60 percent of them were in Tokyo and surrounding prefectures.
If women catch rubella during pregnancy, their babies could be born with visual, hearing or cardiac disorders.
Last month, a baby boy in Saitama Prefecture outside Tokyo was diagnosed with congenital rubella syndrome.
According to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, a rubella epidemic tends to last for several years, and a major outbreak is anticipated and more cases may follow. The institute advises women to get two vaccinations before their pregnancy.
The government is supplying the vaccinations free of charge.
In December, the government decided to launch a three-year program of giving free vaccinations in principle to men aged from 39 to 56. The group did not receive rubella vaccinations in their childhood and represented the largest portion of cases reported last year.
Key words : fresh vegetable
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190212_12/
Japan's fresh-vegetable imports surged last year, hitting the highest quantity in more than a decade. This came as food-makers hiked imports after a string of natural disasters hurt production.
Japan bought nearly 1 million tons of vegetables from abroad in 2018. That was up 14 percent on the year and the largest amount in 13 years.
Onions accounted for the largest quantity at almost 300,000 tons, unchanged from 2017.
The sharpest increase was with Chinese cabbages. They surged 500 percent to about 16,000 tons.
Cabbages more than doubled to about 92,000 tons.
Most of those three vegetables came from China.
The series of disasters led to temporary drops in Japan's farm output. That prompted food makers to turn to China for stable supplies.
The decline was compounded by Japan's demographics. Officials at the Agriculture Ministry say vegetable production has long been shrinking due to a dwindling number of farmers, many of whom are elderly.
Key words : Rikako hospitalized treat
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190212_26/
Japanese swimming sensation Rikako Ikee has announced that she has leukemia.
The 18-year-old tweeted on Tuesday that tests confirmed she has the disease.
Ikee began training in Australia last month, but returned to Japan after complaining of illness. She has reportedly been hospitalized.
In the tweet, she said her illness can be cured with proper treatment but that she has to pull out of the national championship in April.
She also said she will concentrate on making a full recovery so that she can come back even stronger.
Ikee holds the national record in multiple events, including the women's 100-meter butterfly. She is widely tipped to scoop up medals at next year's Tokyo Olympic Games.
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