A ceremony to celebrate 30 years of Emperor Akihito's reign has been held in Tokyo, with the attendance of the Imperial couple.
North Korea's state-run television has confirmed the country's leader Kim Jong Un left Pyongyang by train on Saturday, for a summit with the US president in Hanoi.
Donald Keene, a distinguished scholar of Japanese literature, has died at the age of 96.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20190224200000_english_1.mp3
Key words : ceremony 30 years in Tokyo
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190224_20/
A ceremony to celebrate 30 years of Emperor Akihito's reign has been held in Tokyo, with the attendance of the Imperial couple.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the Speaker and President of both chambers of the Diet, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, members of the Diet, representatives of businesses and foreign ambassadors to Japan also attended Sunday's event at the National Theatre.
In his congratulatory speech, Abe said the Emperor has served as the symbol of the state and the unity of the people during the past 30 years, carrying out his duties with devotion, and always standing close by to the people.
Abe also said that, amid the rapidly changing international situation, the people of Japan are determined to work for the creation of a bright future for Japan as a country full of hope and pride, while keeping the way the Emperor has lived deep in mind.
Fukushima Governor Masao Uchibori and former Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi also gave speeches.
Kawaguchi has accompanied the Imperial couple on a number of overseas visits.
Uchibori thanked the Emperor for sending a video message to the public after the 2011 quake and tsunami disaster, saying it encouraged and united people.
A singer from Okinawa, Daichi Miura, performed a song written by the Emperor and composed by the Empress after they met people living in a leprosy sanatorium in the southern prefecture.
The Emperor said, for the 30 years in the Heisei Era, Japan has been supported by the strong will of the people seeking peace. He added that it has been the first era in the modern and present ages of the country that has never experienced wars.
The Emperor also said that he has been able to fulfill his duties to this day, thanks to the people who take pride and pleasure in having him as the symbol of unity.
He added that his thanks also go to the high levels of living and cultural standards that the people have achieved over a long course of history.
Emperor Akihito is schedule to abdicate on April 30. Crown Prince Naruhito's accession is set for the next day, May 1.
Key words : Okinawa cast election
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190224_19/
Voters in Okinawa are casting ballots in a referendum on the ongoing land reclamation work to relocate a US military base within the southwestern Japanese prefecture.
Election officials say the estimated voter turnout was 26.29 percent as of 6 PM on Sunday. The officials also say 237,447 people, or about 20 percent of eligible voters, cast early ballots before Sunday.
Voters are being asked to choose whether they support, oppose, or neither support nor oppose the landfill work to relocate the US Marine Corps Futenma air station to a coastal area of Henoko district in Nago City.
The result of the referendum is not legally binding. But a prefectural ordinance stipulates that, if the most popular option is chosen by at least one quarter of all eligible voters, the governor must respect the outcome and convey it to the Japanese prime minister and the US president.
Vote counting will begin immediately after polling stations close at 8 PM.
The central government says the relocation is the only way to reduce the dangers posed by the airbase, which is currently located in a crowded residential area of Ginowan City.
The Okinawa government, however, opposes the plan. It wants the base moved out of the prefecture altogether. Okinawa hosts about 70 percent of US military facilities in Japan. Some people there argue it's an unfair burden.
Key words : north television
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190224_21/
North Korea's state-run television has confirmed the country's leader Kim Jong Un left Pyongyang by train on Saturday, for a summit with the US president in Hanoi.
Korean Central Television aired footage on Sunday of Kim's sendoff at Pyongyang station as he left for the US-North Korea summit on Wednesday and Thursday in the Vietnamese capital.
The video shows the North Korean leader slowly walking along a red carpet with an honor guard lined up. People are waving pink flowers. After getting on the train, Kim waves back.
His sister, Kim Yo Jong, and a close aide, Kim Yong Chol, are accompanying him.
The train is believed to be on its way to Vietnam, but the details of its actual route are unclear, including whether it passed through the Chinese capital of Beijing.
The national highway from China's southern border region to Hanoi will reportedly be closed between 6 AM and 2 PM on Tuesday, suggesting Kim's motorcade may be passing through at that time.
There is speculation that Kim may also use a plane to avoid the heavy security arrangements that would be necessary if he travels all the way to Vietnam by train.
Key words : survey Russia business
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190224_12/
A survey by a Japanese organization suggests over three quarters of the country's companies doing business in Russia have concerns about the effects of sanctions by the United States. That's despite about 70 percent of them expecting to post profits from their Russian operations for 2018.
The Japan External Trade Organization, or JETRO, contacted 132 firms working in Russia last October and November. 114 companies responded.
The survey results show that 76 percent of firms are cautious about expanding their business operations in Russia, taking into account the effect of US sanctions that were stepped up last year.
Some said they have experienced difficulties acquiring parts in Russia as their business partners are targeted by sanctions. Others said their headquarters in Japan have lowered their priority on doing business in Russia.
Meanwhile, the survey shows 73 percent of the firms expect to post profits from their Russian operations for 2018. The figure is the highest since JETRO started the survey in 2013.
Most of the firms cited an increase in sales as a factor behind the rise.
JETRO's Moscow office says the results reflect Russia's mild economic recovery, but points to the need to monitor the effects of sanctions. It also points to currency swings and complex customs clearance procedures as risk factors.
Key words : Donald distinguished
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190224_14/
Donald Keene, a distinguished scholar of Japanese literature, has died at the age of 96. He died of heart failure on Sunday morning in a hospital in Tokyo.
Keene was born in New York in 1922 and first studied the Japanese language in the US Navy. After World War Two, he enrolled at Kyoto University to study Japanese literature.
For over 50 years, Keene was professor of Japanese literature at Columbia University in New York, inspiring students with his passion for his field. He is known for introducing Japanese culture internationally through his translations of classical and modern Japanese literature.
He personally knew a number of great Japanese writers, including Junichiro Tanizaki, Yasunari Kawabata and Yukio Mishima. Keene is known for offering his advice to the Swedish Academy which selects the Nobel Prize for Literature.
In 2008 Keene was awarded the Order of Culture, the country's highest cultural award.
After the 2011 quake and tsunami disaster in Japan, Keene left New York and permanently moved to Japan in a show of solidarity with those affected. In March the following year, he became a Japanese citizen.
In recent years Keene had been continuing his work. According to his agent, he had been in and out of hospital since last fall.
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