Yahoo Japan and major messaging app provider Line have agreed to merge.
Hong Kong's High Court has declared the ban on masks is unconstitutional.
The process to register candidates for Taiwan's presidential election on January 11 is now underway.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20191118200000_english_1.mp3
Key words : Yahoo Japan agreed
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191118_44/
Yahoo Japan and major messaging app provider Line have agreed to merge. Their combined sales are expected to surpass those of rival Rakuten. That would make the new company Japan's top Internet-related firm.
Their parent companies, Softbank and South Korea's Naver will set up a 50-50 joint venture. That firm will control Z Holdings, which will operate Yahoo Japan and Line as subsidiaries. The merger will be completed by October next year.
Z Holdings' current CEO, Kentaro Kawabe, will become co-CEO with Line's Takeshi Idezawa.
"I have a sense of crisis because of the need to compete with global IT giants," Idezawa said at a news conference on Monday.
"Even with the merger, there is still a huge gap between us and them, in terms of profits, market value, R&D... everything."
Commented Kawabe: "Line has successfully attracted many young smartphone users. But Yahoo Japan has many older users, because we started our business more than 20 years ago. The user bases of our two companies complement each other."
82 million people in Japan use Line, while 50 million use Yahoo Japan's search engine and news services.
The joint venture will offer a variety of Internet services, such as social networking, e-commerce and financial services.
Key words : violent clash young protesters reportedly detained
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Key words : Hong Kong high court basic law
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191118_31/
Hong Kong's High Court has declared the ban on masks is unconstitutional.
A group including pro-democracy lawmakers had appealed to the High Court.
The court says the ban is incompatible with the Basic Law, which is the highest law in the territory.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam introduced the ban last month, in an attempt to crack down on violent protests.
But the ban became controversial as it was imposed under the Emergency Regulations Ordinance, which allows the chief executive to make rules without the approval of the parliament.
Key words : Japan and South remain apart
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191118_10/
Japan and South Korea remain apart over an intelligence-sharing pact between the two countries after talks between their defense ministers.
The General Security of Military Information Agreement, or GSOMIA, is set to expire on Saturday. Seoul has decided not to extend the pact in the face of worsening bilateral ties over trade and wartime labor issues.
Japan's Defense Minister Taro Kono met with his South Korean counterpart Jeong Kyeong-doo in Bangkok on Sunday. They later held talks with US Defense Secretary Mark Esper.
The three confirmed security cooperation amid North Korea's repeated launches of ballistic missiles.
Kono urged South Korea to make what he called a wise response, noting their countries agree on the need for cooperation.
Esper also reiterated that Seoul should reconsider its decision not to extend GSOMIA.
Jeong blamed Japan's stricter export controls for his country's decision to leave the pact, strongly urging Tokyo to change its stance.
Jeong reportedly told Kono at a cocktail party that something must be done, and Kono once again requested a wise response from South Korea.
While the Japanese government increasingly views the expiration of the pact as inevitable, it is waiting to see how South Korea will respond, as the US is stepping up efforts to urge Seoul to maintain the pact.
Key words : intensive debate
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191118_33/
Opposition parties have agreed to continue asking the governing parties for intensive Diet debate to question Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over a state-funded cherry blossom viewing party and a related dinner meeting.
The agreement came on Monday during a meeting of the Diet affairs chiefs of the opposition parties.
Opposition parties are accusing Abe of using taxpayer funds to entertain supporters from his constituency at the party. They are also raising questions about the dinner meeting arranged by Abe's support group on the eve of the party.
The political funds control law requires groups to include fee-charging events in their reports. But the dinner was not mentioned in the report submitted by Abe's support group.
Earlier on Monday, Abe told reporters that his personal office was not required to mention anything in its political funds report and issued no receipts, as it accrued neither revenue nor expenses at the events, including the dinner meeting.
The opposition Diet affairs chiefs say they are not convinced by such an explanation. They said that if Abe's support group had hosted the dinner meeting, it was then necessary to include it in the funding report.
They decided to ask for intensive budget committee debate. They will also demand that an accountant from Abe's personal office and a hotel worker in charge of the dinner testify before the Lower House Cabinet Committee as unsworn witnesses.
Key words : process
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191118_35/
The process to register candidates for Taiwan's presidential election on January 11 is now underway.
The central election commission is accepting entries for five days from Monday.
Han Kuo-yu, the mayor of the southern city of Kaohsiung, filed his candidacy from the Nationalist Party. The main opposition group takes a conciliatory stance towards China.
Han said the lives of 23 million Taiwanese residents are at stake in the election, and that he seeks the vote of people who feel they are having a difficult time.
Incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen of the independence-minded ruling Democratic Progressive Party is due to file her candidacy soon.
Taiwanese people are growing increasingly wary of China due to the way Beijing has intensified its pressure on the Tsai administration, and also because of its response to ongoing protests in Hong Kong.
Relations across the Taiwan Strait will likely be a major campaign issue.
Key words : China says aircraft
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191118_34/
China says its first domestically built aircraft carrier passed the Taiwan Strait on Sunday for scientific research and routine training in the South China Sea.
State-run media reported the news on Monday, citing a Chinese navy spokesperson.
On Sunday, Taiwanese defense officials said the new carrier passed the strait for the first time, trailed by US and Japanese ships.
On Monday, a media outlet linked to the Chinese Communist Party cited an expert as suggesting the carrier could next sail to its expected homeport in the island province of Hainan, in the South China Sea.
The report quotes another expert as saying the commissioning of the vessel will safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity in the area.
Beijing has territorial disputes in the South China Sea with a number of countries. The United States has been stepping up freedom of navigation operations to counter China's increasing presence there.
Key words : Esper urge not to allow
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191118_21/
US Defense Secretary Mark Esper has urged the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations not to allow China to manipulate a proposed code of conduct for preventing conflict in the South China Sea.
Esper met his counterparts from the 10 ASEAN member countries in Bangkok on Sunday.
He said China's maritime activities have been confirmed in Vietnam's exclusive economic zone, and criticized Beijing for stepping up the use of what it calls "maritime militia vessels" in the South China Sea.
Esper said the code of conduct could be manipulated by China to legitimize its egregious behavior and unlawful maritime claims, or to evade its commitments.
ASEAN and Beijing have been negotiating the guidelines.
The United States suspects that China will try to use the code to reduce US influence in the South China Sea. Washington has been stepping up its freedom of navigation operations in the disputed waters.
Key words : China has called
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191118_36/
China has called on the US military to stop "flexing its muscles" in the South China Sea.
China's Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian briefed reporters after a meeting between Minister Wei Fenghe and US Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Monday.
The two met on the sidelines of a meeting of defense ministers of the 10 ASEAN member countries in the Thai capital of Bangkok.
Wu said the Chinese side urged the US military not to escalate tensions in the South China Sea, saying the situation there is improving thanks to efforts of nations in the region.
The US military has repeatedly carried out what it calls "freedom of navigation" operations, in which navy vessels sail in the South China Sea. The dispatches are seen as an attempt to counter China's ongoing military buildup there.
Wu also said the Chinese side called on the United States to avoid adding to uncertainties over Taiwan, apparently referring to a US navy warship's passing through the Taiwan Strait last week.
Key words : Okinawa
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191118_25/
The Okinawa prefectural government has established a taskforce for the rebuilding of Shuri Castle, which was destroyed by fire last month.
Governor Denny Tamaki appointed six personnel from the prefectural office to the team on Monday. The taskforce will report directly to the governor.
A fire on October 31 completely destroyed the main buildings of the castle in Naha City.
Tamaki instructed the team to work to restore the castle as early as possible while seeking the understanding of people in the prefecture and elsewhere.
The taskforce will coordinate with the central government in the effort to restore the castle and draw up a timetable for reconstruction. It will also consider how to use money sent by donors.
One of the reconstruction team members, Takenori Chinen, says he feels pressure but wants to work hard to meet the expectations of the residents of Okinawa.
Key words : government team up
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191118_15/
The Japanese government says it plans to team up with major IT firms to try and counter the spread of fake news on their platforms.
The communications ministry says it will seek the help of companies like Facebook and Google, as well as Yahoo Japan and messaging app provider Line.
Ministry officials aim to involve private sector fact-checking organizations in the effort.
Japan has seen instances of fake news circulating during natural disasters.
Ministry officials are currently considering voluntary checks by tech companies rather than regulation by law. They plan to compile proposals on the issue by the end of the year.
Key words : government agency
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191118_20/
A Japanese government agency has announced the first winners of a new award that was set up to boost the number of woman researchers in the country.
The Japan Science and Technology Agency, or JST, held an awards ceremony in Tokyo on Sunday. JST President Michinari Hamaguchi handed out certificates to the winners of the Brilliant Female Researchers Award.
The new award was set up as women currently account for just 16.2 percent of Japanese researchers -- the lowest-level among industrialized nations.
One winner is Miki Ebisuya, the group leader of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory Barcelona.
JST says she is one of the top researchers in synthetic developmental biology. She has reconstituted cell autonomous differentiation and cellular pattern formation artificially.
The other winner is Kyoto University Professor Aiko Fukazawa. JST says she has done outstanding work on the development of organic functional materials. It cited her contribution in the commercialization of a dye that survives repeated STED laser irradiation.
Kyushu University was honored for its support of female researchers. JST says the university introduced its original employment system for faculty members in 2009 and set up female posts.
It says the university has verified the success of its female focused recruitment system by analyzing the performance of the papers of female researchers.
Ebisuya said she hopes that a variety of research styles will be respected and it will become common for female researchers to play an active role in their fields.
Key words : rugby
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191118_32/
Japan's rugby governing body has reappointed Jamie Joseph as head coach of the national team. Joseph led the Brave Blossoms to the quarterfinals in the recent world cup hosted by the country.
The Japan Rugby Football Union announced on Monday that it had renewed its contract with Joseph until 2023, when the next world cup will be held in France. His current contract was due to expire next month.
The governing body praised the New Zealander's coaching, which enabled Japan to reach the quarterfinals by beating such powerhouses as Ireland and Scotland.
Joseph said the team achieved its goal of advancing to the knockout stage, but that there are challenges to be overcome if the team wants to go further.
He said he's chosen a path to take with the team, adding that preparations for the next world cup have already begun.
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