2019年10月8日火曜日

at 20:00 (JST), October 08

The Japan Coast Guard has begun interviewing the crew of a Fisheries Agency patrol ship about a collision with a North Korean fishing boat.


Japan and the United States have signed a bilateral trade deal.


Hong Kong chief executive has once again criticized protesters in the territory for acts of violence and vandalism as protest continues.


https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20191008200000_english_1.mp3


Key words : Coast Guard interview
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191008_28/

The Japan Coast Guard has begun interviewing the captain and crew of a Fisheries Agency patrol ship about a collision with a North Korean fishing boat the day before.

The patrol vessel entered Niigata port on the Sea of Japan coast on Tuesday morning. The ship's bow had some visible scars. About 20 Coast Guard officials have boarded the ship for the investigation.

The collision on Monday morning took place in Japan's exclusive economic zone, about 350 kilometers off the Noto peninsula in the Sea of Japan.

The patrol ship's crew rescued all of the roughly 60 North Koreans who were thrown into the sea after their boat sank. All those rescued then boarded another North Korean ship that was sailing in the area.

The Fisheries Agency says the patrollers sprayed water at the North Korean boat and told it to leave as it was inside Japan's EEZ. It says the two vessels collided because the North Korean side made a sudden turn.


Key words : prime minister disclose
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191008_27/

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has disclosed that Japan has lodged a protest with North Korea over a boat collision in Japan's exclusive economic zone.

Abe referred to Monday's collision in an Upper House plenary session the following day. A patrol ship of Japan's Fisheries Agency and a North Korean fishing boat collided in the Sea of Japan, off the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture.

Abe said the North Korean fishing boat sank and all its crew were rescued by the Fisheries Agency vessel, but no illegal operations were confirmed so they did not take anyone into custody. He explained that the crew members were handed over to another fishing boat believed to belong to North Korea.

Abe said the Fisheries Agency issued a strict warning to the crew members and sent them out of Japan's exclusive economic zone.

Abe added that fishing in Yamatotai, an area inside Japan's exclusive economic zone, is an extremely serious issue, as it is not only illegal but also obstructs the safe operations of Japan's fishermen.

He said Japan will continue to firmly respond to prevent illegal operations by foreign ships. He said the protest was lodged via the two countries' embassies in Beijing.


Key words : economic and
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191008_34/

Japan's economic and fiscal policy minister has spoken about the effects of the recent consumption tax hike on consumer spending. Yasutoshi Nishimura said the surge in demand before the 2 percentage point jump last week was smaller than before the previous hike five years ago, and that the government will keep a close eye on the economy.

Nishimura spoke to reporters on Tuesday, a week after Japan's consumption tax was raised from 8 percent up to 10 percent. He said household spending on home appliances rose ahead of the tax hike.

He said that for the first six days after the hike five years ago, sales of daily necessities and food dropped 19 percent compared to the previous year, but the drop was 11 percent this time.

But he added that the tax increase might weigh on the minds of Japanese consumers down the road.

Japan's consumption tax was raised to 8 percent from 5 percent five years ago.


Key words : Japan and signed a bilateral
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191008_07/

Japan and the United States have signed a bilateral trade pact.

It was signed by Japanese Ambassador to the US Shinsuke Sugiyama and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer in Washington on Monday, with President Donald Trump overseeing it.

This came after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Trump reached an agreement on the pact last month.

Under the terms of the deal, Japan will open its market to US farm products to a degree that does not exceed the scope of the Trans-Pacific Partnership pact. Japan will cut its tariffs on US beef and pork.

The leaders of the two countries agreed that the US will refrain from putting additional tariffs on Japanese vehicles while the trade pact remains in effect.

The trade deal outlines that Tokyo and Washington will continue to negotiate tariffs on automobiles and auto parts. Japan wants the US to scrap them.

The US government suggested it hopes for the deal to come into force on January 1, 2020.


Key words : south justice minister
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Key words : Hong Kong criticized
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191008_31/

Protests are continuing in Hong Kong following a weekend of escalating violence after the government introduced a ban on masks at rallies. Following is a report from Hong Kong by NHK senior correspondent Naoki Makita.

Makita: "Carrie Lam once again criticized the violence that has put Hong Kong into this very critical situation. She also urged patience, saying it will take time to see whether the new mask ban is effective.

For the time being, Lam said she's not considering any more restrictions under the Emergency Regulations Ordinance, and will make a very careful assessment before invoking it again.

At her regular news conference on Tuesday morning, Lam also urged patience, saying it will take time to see whether the new mask ban is effective.

Lam used the latest numbers to back up her stance and stress the economic damage the unrest has caused... for example, in August, retail sales dropped 25 percent compared with the same month last year, and the number of tourists dropped 30 to 40 percent.

Tuesday is the first working day since the mask ban came into effect and it's a work and school day theoretically ... but in reality it's not that simple.

As 13 metro stations are still closed after the destruction over the weekend, many people are facing difficulties getting to work and school.

But there are still plans to go ahead with more protest activities. Some people are calling to wear masks, while others are organizing groups at shopping malls to sing symbolic songs of protest.

The government seems to be tightening its control over the protests.

Education authorities are demanding all high schools to count the numbers of students who boycott class or who wear masks.

And some pro-China legislators are urging the government to make new laws to stop the turmoil.

For now, many Hong Kongers continue to watch, wait ... and worry over what will come next."


Key words : number of visitors mainland
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191008_35/

The number of visitors from mainland China to Hong Kong was down more than half year on year during a national holiday period this month, amid escalating protests in the territory.

Hong Kong's government says the number of such visitors between October 1 and 6 -- holidays for the anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China -- exceeded 600,000. That's down 56 percent from the same period last year.

The total number of visitors to Hong Kong was down 37 percent, to about 1.88 million.

Hong Kong attracts more than 60 million visitors a year. Eighty percent are from mainland China.

But the number has been dwindling since around August, when China's state-run media began reporting protests in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said the four-month-long turmoil is dealing a serious blow to the territory's economy, notably the tourist industry. She warned that many restaurants are on the verge of laying off workers or going bankrupt.

Analysts say the impact of the protests may reach further, as demonstrators are also targeting Chinese businesses and people supporting Beijing.


Key words : The United States banning
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191008_15/

The United States is banning trade with 28 Chinese government and commercial organizations for their involvement in human rights violations against Uygur minorities.

The blacklist covers public security bureaus in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, its central city of Urumqi, and its various other locations. The businesses include Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology, which manufactures surveillance cameras used in the autonomous region.

The Department of Commerce announced on Monday that "these entities have all been implicated in the implementation of China's campaign of repression, mass arbitrary detention, and high-technology surveillance."

Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said, "The US Government and Department of Commerce cannot and will not tolerate the brutal suppression of ethnic minorities within China."

The United States is stepping up its criticism. Last month, President Donald Trump called on the global community at the UN general assembly to work together and urge China to improve its policies for the Uygur people.

The US Senate has passed legislation requiring the government to consider sanctions against Chinese authorities.

Observers say the latest move is seen as an attempt to increase pressure ahead of the scheduled ministerial trade talks with China, which were just announced to begin on Thursday in Washington.


Key words : Japan cyber
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191008_30/

Japan's Board of Audit has found that the government spent 16.8 million dollars on a cyber-security system, which has never been used.

The government decided in 2015 to create a high security data storage, or a "secure zone", within its inter-ministerial information sharing platform following a massive data leak from a public pension body.

The internal affairs ministry has administered the data storage that would keep classified information safe from cyber-attacks.

But a recent audit uncovered that no one ever used the new storage system from the time it went into operation in 2017 until it was scrapped in March, due to high running costs.

Without any internet connection the storage system was reportedly very inconvenient for users, especially when inputting data.

The Board of Audit plans to urge the internal affairs ministry to avoid wasteful projects in the future.


Key words : Japan posted biggest
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191008_29/

Japan posted a current account surplus of 2.157 trillion yen, or about 20 billion dollars, in August.

The current account is a measure of a country's trade and investment with the rest of the world.

The Finance Ministry released its preliminary current account figures on Tuesday. It said the balance rose for the 62nd straight month, and was up about 3.1 billion dollars, or 18 percent, from a year earlier.

Trade was the biggest contributor, logging a surplus of about 474 million dollars. That's up about 2.9 billion dollars from a year earlier, when the figure was in the red.

Exports fell overall, weighed down in part by poor sales of semiconductor manufacturing equipment to China, where growth is slowing. But the drop was more than offset by a dip in outlays on crude oil and petroleum products thanks to lower crude prices.

The travel account surplus stood at about 1.4 billion dollars, a record high for the month of August. The number of visitors to Japan fell 2.2 percent year on year, but their average spending increased.

Primary income, which reflects the income of Japanese firms from overseas subsidiaries in the form of dividends, interest and other sources, posted a 21-billion-dollar surplus, down 150 million dollars from August last year.


Key words : latest government
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191008_23/

The latest government figures show that the average wage for workers in Japan continues to decline.

The labor ministry released the preliminary results on Tuesday, from its survey of about 31,000 businesses.

In August, workers earned about 276,000 yen on average, or approximately 2,570 dollars. This includes their base wage, plus any overtime and other payments.

In nominal terms, the figure was down 0.2 percent year-on-year, for the second consecutive month of decline.

In price-adjusted real terms, it was down 0.6 percent, marking a drop for the eighth consecutive month.

The average nominal wage of full-time workers rose 0.2 percent, while those of part-timers fell 0.1 percent.

The labor ministry says that since the start of this year, wages continue to decline despite a rise in consumer prices.


Key words : food expert
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191008_25/

A food expert from Japan has explained the charms of Japanese cuisine in Lyon, eastern France, which is well known for gastronomy.

A museum on food culture will open this month in the city for the first time, under the sponsorship of the French government. Lyon is renowned for its cuisine with delicious ingredients such as chicken, cheese and river fishes.

Japan was chosen as the first country to showcase its food culture at the museum.

Japanese food expert Yoshiharu Doi explained some of the characteristics of Japanese cooking methods at an event at Lyon's city hall on Monday.

Doi said Japanese chefs care a great deal about preserving the taste of each ingredient, so they are not mixed all together but rather individually assembled.

A French chef in Lyon told NHK that he would like to use the same concept in his menu as well.

A special exhibition of Japanese cuisine is scheduled for October next year at the museum. People concerned say they hope the event will help promote the unique culture of Japanese cuisine in the city of gastronomy.


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