at 20:00 (JST), June 26

The upcoming Group of 20 summit in Osaka City, western Japan, is affecting the lives of people living near the venue.

Japan will hold an Upper House election on July 21.

North Korea has lashed out at the US for insisting it would maintain sanctions on the country until it is fully denuclearized.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20190626200000_english_1.mp3


Key words : upcoming Osaka affecting
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190626_25/

The upcoming Group of 20 summit in Osaka City, western Japan, is affecting the lives of people living near the venue.

The summit will be held on Friday and Saturday on a manmade island called Sakishima.

Major traffic controls will be put in place in Osaka City and its surrounding areas starting on Thursday. But police vehicles have already been deployed on the roads of Sakishima, and are causing traffic jams.

Many of the area's residents are stockpiling food and other daily necessities as the congestion is expected to become even worse during the summit period.

Those living near the summit venue are required to carry some form of identification when they go out, such as a driver's license or a health insurance card, so police can check on them.

One resident said the police check his identification every time he goes out.

A woman says her husband will be off from work, and that her daughter's kindergarten will be closed during the summit. She says they decided to take a family trip, as they won't be able to walk freely around their home.

Key words : president of Brazil
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190626_19/

The president of Brazil is set to propose a joint development deal of the Amazon region with Japan when he meets with the Japanese prime minister.

Jair Bolsonaro posted his thoughts on social media on Tuesday before he left for the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan. It begins on Friday.

In the post, Bolsonaro said he will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. He said he wants to discuss the exploration of biodiversity in the Amazon.

Bolsonaro has been pressing ahead with the development of the region.

The rainforest in South America is the world's largest, covering 5.5 million square kilometers. It plays a significant role in mitigating global warming, which is expected to be a topic at the G20 meeting.

Critics both in and outside Brazil say Bolsonaro's policies will lead to environmental destruction.

The criticism hasn't deterred the leader. He's also proposing a similar development deal with US President Donald Trump.

Key words : Hong Kong citizen opposed
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190626_30/

Hong Kong citizens opposed to a controversial extradition bill have visited foreign missions in the territory and asked them to raise the issue at the upcoming Group of 20 summit in Osaka, Japan.

The proposed bill would allow criminal suspects in Hong Kong to be taken to mainland China for trial.

It sparked massive protests in the territory this month, including a rally on June 16 in which organizers say a record 2 million people took part.

On Wednesday, about 1,500 protesters gathered in response to online calls. They visited US, Japanese and other consulates general in Hong Kong to hand in petitions asking that their case be taken to the G20 summit.

Calls for a complete withdrawal of the bill continue to intensify among Hong Kong people even after Chief Executive Carrie Lam last week suggested that the bill would effectively be scrapped.

Another rally is planned for Wednesday night.

China's government stresses that the issue is an internal matter and that there is no need to raise it at an international conference like a summit.

Key words : Japan will hold
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190626_17/

Japan will hold an Upper House election next month.

The Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe decided on Wednesday to hold the ballot and vote-counting on July 21. Official campaigning will kick off on Thursday of next week.

The schedule was decided on the last day of the 150-day ordinary Diet session, in line with a law stipulating that votes must take place within 24 to 30 days of the end of the session.

124 seats will be up for grabs with 74 allocated to constituencies and 50 to proportional representation.
Half of the seats in the upper chamber are contested every three years.

Last year, the Diet enacted legislation to reform the electoral system, which included the addition of six seats to the 242-seat house to reduce the disparity in the value of votes. Three seats will be added in next month's election and three more in 2022.

The new legislation also introduced a special quota for the proportional representation system that will allow some candidates to be elected according to their rank listed by each political party.

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and junior coalition partner Komeito are aiming to win a majority of at least 63 of the contested seats. Opposition parties hope to end the LDP's dominance.

Key words : north lashed out
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190626_28/

North Korea has lashed out at the United States for insisting it would maintain sanctions on the country until it is fully denuclearized.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday that more than 80 percent of the North Korean economy is sanctioned and that is important for everyone to remember. He stressed that sanctions are needed to achieve the objectives the US has laid out.

North Korea's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday that "the wild dream of the US to bring the North Koreans to their knees by means of sanctions and pressure has not changed at all, but grows even more undisguised."

The spokesperson said it is difficult to look forward to an improvement in bilateral relations and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, as long as US policies are made by those who have an antagonism toward North Korea.

The spokesperson added that Pyongyang will "not hesitate to pull a muscle-flexing trigger in self-defense, if anyone dares to trample over its sovereignty."

On the other hand, North Korea has been showcasing the good personal relations between its leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump.

The country's state-run media reported earlier this week that Kim was satisfied with a letter he received from Trump.

Key words : CNN says
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190626_29/

US media CNN says the US military has conducted a major cyberattack on a Shia militant group sponsored by Iran.

It said on Tuesday that the attack came after Iran shot down a US drone last week.

Kata'ib Hezbollah is a militia group active in Syria, Iraq and Iran. The United States designated the group as a foreign terrorist organization in 2009.

CNN quoted an informed source as saying that the purpose of the attack was to damage the group's telecom networks. It is not yet known whether the attack was successful.

Key words : facebook has agreed
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190626_24/

Facebook has agreed with the French government to hand over information to the country's judges on suspects who posted hate speech online.

France's Minister of State for the Digital Sector, Cedric O tweeted on Tuesday that the US firm would provide the French judicial authorities with the suspects' IP addresses.

Local media say it's the first time Facebook has cooperated with the government to deal with hate speech. In the past, the company has provided authorities with identification data related to terrorism and child pornography.

The agreement comes amid growing concerns over the spread of false information and provocative messages to divide the public.

The French government has called on other countries and social network companies to take greater measures to regulate disinformation online.

Some tech experts are waiting to see whether Facebook's decision will promote international cooperation to prevent the spread of hate speech.

Key words : Takashimaya
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190626_21/

Major Japanese department store chain Takashimaya is withdrawing from the Chinese market. The company says it will close its outlet in Shanghai this August after years of struggling sales.

Takashimaya officials made the announcement on Tuesday, drawing a close to plans to break into the lucrative but competitive Chinese market.

Tsuneaki Okabe, managing director of Takashimaya said, "The department store business in China is difficult, and the country's trade friction with the US is getting worse. We assessed that we would not be able to expect growth going forward."

The company opened the store in December 2012 in central Shanghai, hoping to take advantage of the city's upscale market.

The store carried Japanese-made clothing, as well as high-end brands from the US and Europe.

But sales were sluggish from the start amid poor relations between Japan and China at the time.
More recently, Chinese consumers have cut back on spending as the trade conflict with the US drags on.

The Takashimaya subsidiary running the Shanghai store posted a more than eight million dollar operating loss for the year through February. That's the seventh-straight year of red ink since the outlet opened.

Takashimaya plans to turn its focus to regions with stronger growth potential, such as Southeast Asia.

Key words : survey shows visa
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190626_15/

Japanese officials say a survey shows that a visa system the country uses to benefit highly-skilled foreign workers is not being widely used. They say many of those eligible don't take advantage of it.

The government introduced the system seven years ago to attract skilled workers from abroad. Since then, more than 15,000 professionals have been certified for the preferential visa treatment.

The program makes it easier for foreigners with certain qualifications to obtain permanent residence status.

But in a survey of over 300 foreign nationals working in Japan, the Internal Affairs Ministry found the system to be underutilized. While 18 percent of respondents are taking advantage of it, 37 percent are not, despite being eligible.

Asked the reason, nearly half said they didn't know the process well. More than 21 percent said it had no merit.
And almost 19 percent responded that they weren't aware they met its requirements.

The internal affairs ministry has told the Justice Ministry to step up efforts to publicize the system.

Key words : private sector
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190626_31/

Japan's government and members of the private sector have begun discussing challenges in allowing people to go on suborbital spaceflights.

Suborbital flights involve riding a spacecraft to an altitude of more than 100 kilometers. After experiencing weightlessness for a few minutes, the passengers return to the ground.

Traveling on a spacecraft that's a combination of a passenger jet and a rocket could become possible for about 180,000 dollars.

On Wednesday, representatives of two Japanese companies developing suborbital flight spacecraft met officials from the Cabinet Office and the transport ministry for the first time in Tokyo.

The companies said space travel is already offered in the US. They plan to start testing unmanned flights next year, and manned flights in 2023.

They also pointed out legal challenges. Suborbital spaceflights fall between the Aviation Law and laws regulating rockets.

The government and the companies plan to launch a working group to discuss deregulation needed for test flights and to study how suborbital spaceflights are managed abroad.