Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary says the government will continue to seek a summit with North Korea despite the firing of a ballistic missile by Pyongyang last week.
A key gauge of business conditions shows Japan's economy is "worsening." This suggests it may be in a recession, a view not seen in more than 6 years.
A UN climate change panel has unveiled new guidelines for governments to use in estimating greenhouse gas emissions.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20190513200000_english_1.mp3
Key words : chief cabinet government will continue to
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190513_23/
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary says the government will continue to seek a summit with North Korea despite the firing of a ballistic missile by Pyongyang last week.
Yoshihide Suga was speaking at a Lower House committee meeting on Monday.
Suga was asked whether Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un without preconditions, even though the government lodged a protest after the North fired a short-range ballistic missile on Thursday. The Chief Cabinet Secretary replied that the government's stance on this matter has not changed.
Abe has repeatedly said he is ready to meet Kim without preconditions to settle the abduction issue.
Key words : business condition
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190513_28/
A key gauge of business conditions shows Japan's economy is "worsening." This suggests it may be in a recession, a view not seen in more than 6 years.
The Cabinet Office said on Monday that the coincident index in March was down nine-tenths of a point from the previous month.
Officials say a chief factor is falling production of autos and chip-making equipment as the Chinese economy slows, due to the trade row with the US.
This is a downward revision from the previous view, which described the economy as being at "a possible turning point."
It is also contrary to the government's monthly economic report in April, which said the economy is recovering at a moderate pace.
The Cabinet Office says the economic report is a more comprehensive study of various indicators.
Key words : UN climate
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190513_16/
A UN climate change panel has unveiled new guidelines for governments to use in estimating greenhouse gas emissions.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or the IPCC, made the updated methodology public on Monday, one day after its 49th session ended in Kyoto, western Japan.
The guidelines were drawn up by scientists and government officials from about 130 countries and territories.
The IPCC says the guidelines, which were updated for the first time in more than a decade, will improve emissions estimates made by governments because they reflect latest scientific knowledge.
Under the new rules, satellite data on carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases will be used to estimate the amount emitted by each country.
Carbon dioxide released during the process of producing hydrogen will be also included in the estimates. Hydrogen is drawing attention as a new energy source.
The guidelines will be introduced if parties to the 2015 Paris Agreement approve them.
Starting next year, all parties to the agreement will be required to regularly report the amounts of their greenhouse gas emissions to the United Nations.
IPCC Chair, Lee Hoe-sung, told reporters that the guidelines will improve the transparency of the reporting and help implement the agreement more effectively.
Key words : Saudi two of
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190513_26/
Saudi Arabia says two of its oil tankers have suffered significant damage in a sabotage attack en route for the Strait of Hormuz.
Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih made the announcement on Monday.
The attack reportedly occurred off Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday morning.
The minister said there were no casualties and no oil spill.
He said one of the tankers was due to be loaded with Saudi Arabian crude oil for delivery to Saudi Aramco's customers in the United States.
The two tankers appear to be among four commercial vessels the Foreign Ministry of the United Arab Emirates said were victims of a sabotage attack off its coast on Sunday.
The ministry made the announcement the same day. UAE officials said there were no casualties, but did not disclose further details.
The Saudi Arabian government condemned the attack as an attempt to undermine maritime freedom and a secure oil supply. It did not refer to any country as a possible suspect.
On Monday, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson called for clarification about the reported attack. He also issued a warning about a "conspiracy orchestrated by ill-wishers to undermine the region's stability and security."
Saudi Arabia has been at odds with Iran.
The reports come as tensions continue to rise in the Middle East. The United States recently sent an aircraft carrier strike group and bombers to the region in response to a possible missile threat from Iran. B-52 bombers have also been sent.
On Wednesday last week, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said his country would begin higher enrichment of uranium unless a new deal to curb its nuclear program is reached within 60 days.
Rouhani's announcement came one year since the US pulled out of the current deal. The same day, US President Donald Trump announced additional sanctions against Iran.
Key words : imperial household
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190513_08/
Japan's Imperial Household Agency has selected two prefectures to harvest sacred rice for a ritual in the autumn to mark the enthronement of Emperor Naruhito.
Senior agency officials attended the Saiden-tentei-no-gi ritual on Monday to choose the locations for growing the rice that will be used for the Daijosai, or Great Thanksgiving Ceremony.
The selection ritual began in the sanctuary at the Imperial Palace at around 10 a.m.
The chief ritualist, or Shotencho, carried a box, or "yanagibako," into the area in front of the sanctuary.
He used a tool to make a fire to heat a turtle shell in an ancient form of divination called "kiboku."
Based on cracks that appeared on the shell, one prefecture was chosen as the Yuki, or eastern region, and another as the Suki, or western region.
The ceremony ended after 40 minutes. Tochigi Prefecture in eastern Japan and Kyoto Prefecture in western Japan were chosen. The Grand Steward of the Imperial Household Agency, Shinichiro Yamamoto, informed the Emperor of the results.
Key words : administration of US
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190513_80/
The administration of US President Donald Trump will announce on Monday additional tariffs on roughly 300 billion dollars' worth of Chinese products.
The Office of the US Trade Representative is preparing to implement the additional tariffs.
This means all Chinese imports would be subject to additional tariffs imposed under Section 301 of the US Trade Act on the grounds that China violates intellectual property rights.
The Trump administration plans to use the tariff threat to press China to accept US demands, such as forming legally-binding deals.
Beijing is ready to retaliate after Washington raised tariffs on 200 billion dollars' worth of Chinese goods from 10 percent to 25 percent last Friday. The latest round of bilateral trade negotiations ended without agreement later in the day.
An advisor to the US president has said Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are likely to meet on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Japan next month.
In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow said trade talks between US and Chinese negotiators will continue.
He said the chances that President Trump and President Xi will get together at the G20 meeting are "pretty good."
Key words : Tokyo stocks
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190513_22/
Tokyo stocks fell on Monday morning as investors continued to worry that the US-China trade dispute could intensify.
The benchmark Nikkei Average ended the morning session at 21,237. That's 107 points, or 0.5 percent, lower than Friday's close.
The Trump administration is expected to slap tariffs on an additional 300 billion dollars' worth of Chinese products. That would mean all Chinese imports would be subject to additional tariffs.
The move comes on the heels of last week's decision to raise tariffs from 10 percent to 25 percent on 200 billion dollars of Chinese goods.
And currency traders seem to be trading cautiously. The dollar moved in a tight range against the yen. Analysts say investors are taking a wait-and-see stance on the US-China trade dispute.
Key words : suspected attack
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190513_25/
A suspected attack by Islamic militants has killed six people at a Catholic church in the West African country of Burkina Faso.
The gunmen carried out the attack during Sunday Mass in the crowded church in the northern province of Sanmatenga. The country's government says the victims include a priest.
The incident occurred two weeks after a militant attack left six people dead at another church in the region. The government is calling on residents to stay calm, saying that terrorist groups are targeting religion to divide them.
Burkina Faso is part of the sub-Saharan Sahel region, where militants linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group are active.
In a statement released last week, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said more than 300 people were killed in over 150 violent incidents in the Sahel region in April.
The office warned that insecurity and armed attacks in the region have reached unprecedented levels.
Key words : next generation
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190513_21/
Efforts are ramping up in Japan to nurture the next generation of experts in industrial artificial intelligence. That's being driven by competition among automakers to develop self-driving cars, which rely on the cutting-edge technology.
The Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan recently held a competition in which students demonstrated their own self-driving technologies.
Officials say they hope the event can bring a broader focus to the field, as well as hone technical expertise.
Meanwhile, Tokyo-based venture firm Aidemy launched a correspondence course in AI programming last month. It's aimed at people already working with carmakers.
Participants learn basic programming and can gain practical skills on a model car about one-tenth the size of a real vehicle.
Commented Aidemy CEO Akihiko Ishikawa: "The auto industry and related firms are facing a severe shortage of software engineers. That's why we created this course focused on self-driving. We want to contribute to an industry that's a pillar of the Japanese economy."
The firm says around 10 major auto-related companies have already introduced the course for their workers.
Key words : targeting elderly
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190513_10/
As cases of telephone fraud targeting elderly people continue to rise, police in central Japan have come up with a campaign to discourage the fraudsters.
In recent years, criminals have been calling potential victims and asking how much cash they have at home before actually robbing them.
In Tokyo alone, over 34,000 suspicious calls were reported last year. And use of this scam is on the rise in Niigata Prefecture too.
Police in the prefecture have tied up with a local government and a private company to encourage new entrants to the workforce to use their first paycheck to buy special anti-fraud phones for their families.
When one of the recommended phones receives a call from an unregistered number, it plays a message telling the caller that their voice is being recorded.
One new worker who attended a company training seminar said her grandmother lives alone, so she is worried that the elderly woman might be hit by fraudsters. She wants to buy her grandmother one of the new phones.
An official from Niigata Police said securing your phone is just as important as locking your door at home.
Key words : record number
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190513_18/
Record numbers of travelers came through Narita Airport during the 10-day holiday period that began late April.
Officials at the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau say more than 1.09 million people used the airport for international flights between April 26 and May 6, a 13.9% increase from the same period last year.
The officials say the number of foreigners decreased by 6.5%, while Japanese soared by 36.7%.
Departures peaked on April 28, and arrivals peaked on May 5. Bureau officials say total arrivals and departures surpassed 60,000 on both days, making them the busiest since the airport opened in 1978.
The most popular destinations were in the US, including Hawaii and Guam. China was second, followed by South Korea. Flights to Europe were also popular.
Bureau officials say the overall number of people who used the airport increased during the 10-day holiday period, which is longer than in typical years.
They suggested the extension motivated people to travel.
Key words : rice has been
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190513_14/
Rice has been planted in a town hosting the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant for the first time since evacuation orders were partially lifted early last month.
Orders for all districts of the town of Okuma in Fukushima Prefecture were issued following the 2011 accident. They were lifted for two districts on April 10.
More than 20 people, including town officials, planted rice seedlings on Monday in a paddy in the Ogawara district that measures about 160 square meters.
Okuma Town resumed rice growing on a trial basis in the district in 2014, three years after the accident.
The radiation levels in all the rice harvested there were within state safety standards.
The town plans to prepare manuals to facilitate the resumption of rice farming in earnest.
The head of the town's agricultural committee, Tomoko Nemoto, says there are still many problems to address, but that the town wants to pass its farmlands down to future generations.
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