at 20:00 (JST), December 06

エラー 2042

Japan's Prime Minister may visit Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as early as next month.

Japan's Environment Minister says he will do his best to explain the country's use of coal-fired power at the UN climate conference in Madrid.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20191206200000_english_1.mp3


Key words : Nakamura brought back to Japan
#N/A


Key words : people across Afghanistan
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191206_29/

People across Afghanistan have mourned Japanese doctor Tetsu Nakamura, who was known for his aid work in the country but killed in a gun attack this week.

Crowds of mourners gathered at a square in the capital Kabul on Thursday. They placed lighted candles in front of Nakamura's portrait, which was decorated with flowers.

Similar events took place in the province of Nangarhar, where the doctor was fatally shot on Wednesday, and elsewhere in Afghanistan.

One man said Afghan people will never forget what Nakamura did for the country. He added that Nakamura was a brave Afghan and Japanese.

Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai wrote on Twitter that Nakamura served the Afghan people with great sincerity and dedication.

Karzai said he joins the people of Afghanistan and Japan in mourning a great loss, and offered profound condolences to his family and friends.

Key words : Irish rock
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191206_30/

Irish rock band U2 has paid tribute to Japanese doctor and humanitarian worker, Tetsu Nakamura, who was shot dead in Afghanistan.

The band honored Nakamura during their concert on Thursday at Saitama Arena, near Tokyo. U2 performed in Japan for the first time in 13 years.

Nakamura died in an ambush by an unidentified armed group in Jalalabad, eastern Afghanistan, on Wednesday.

Concert-goers say singer Bono asked the audience to turn on the flashlights of their smartphones, saying "let's turn this sports stadium into a cathedral, our phones into candles to memorialize the great Tetsu Nakamura."

The band then played several songs in tribute to the 73-year-old doctor.

Among them was "Pride" -- a song about assassinated US civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.

The lyrics include the phrase "They took your life. They could not take your pride."

Key words : prime may visit
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191206_06/

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may visit Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as early as next month to seek understanding of his government's plan to send a Self-Defense Force aircraft and vessel to the Middle East.

The Japanese government is considering the dispatch to gather more information to ensure that commercial ships with ties to Japan can safely navigate waters in the region.

During his expected trip, Abe would explain that the planned dispatch would be independent of a US-led coalition formed for similar purposes.

He would also explain that Japan would continue diplomatic efforts to ease tensions in the region, relying on its close ties with the United States and Iran.

Earlier this week, Abe outlined the proposed dispatch in his meeting with an Iranian deputy foreign minister.

The prime minister will also explain the plan to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in a meeting that could take place this month in Japan.

Key words : chief cabinet hold another
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191206_28/

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga says the government won't hold another investigation of the guest list for a state-sponsored cherry blossom-viewing party held in April.

Suga said on Friday that the list was discarded appropriately according to the relevant procedures and rules. He said the regulations for public documents require the information to be kept for less than a year.

Suga stressed that the government is not considering another investigation of the matter.

Opposition lawmakers have alleged that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe used the public event for personal interests.

Key words : environment minister do his best
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191206_26/

Japan's Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi says he will do his best to explain the country's use of coal-fired power generation at the UN climate conference in Madrid.

Koizumi is to attend a ministerial-level meeting at the COP25 summit next week.

Koizumi told a news conference in Tokyo on Friday that he thinks it is inevitable that he will have to explain Japan's use of fossil energy. Japan has been facing international criticism over the issue. The minister said his government will have to consider raising Japan's emission reduction target.

Koizumi said he is prepared to deliver a positive message, but there are some difficulties. He added that he would like to convey his own thoughts on the issue as well.

Japan was given a satirical "Fossil of the Day" award by an international environmental NGO on Tuesday. The award is given to parties deemed reluctant to address global warming.

Koizumi said that if Japan receives the award again during the summit, he will accept it himself. He said he wants to explain that Japan is desperately trying to tackle climate change despite the various limitations it faces.

Key words : south assembly speaker
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191206_27/

South Korea's National Assembly speaker says he plans to submit next week a bill to establish a fund to pay consolation money to the plaintiffs of lawsuits in the country over wartime labor related to Japan.

Moon Hee-sang revealed that he will sponsor the bill with lawmakers from both the governing and opposition parties.

The move appears to be part of efforts to improve soured bilateral relations following rulings by South Korea's top court forcing Japanese companies to pay compensation for former Korean workers.

Japan's government maintains that all wartime compensation issues were settled in a 1965 agreement between Tokyo and Seoul.

Details of the contents of the bill are reportedly yet to be finalized. But under it, voluntary donations will be invited from companies and individuals of both Japan and South Korea. The bill also calls on the South Korean government to make contributions to operate the fund.

The speaker hinted that the planned fund will not tap money contributed from Japan to a foundation set up in 2015 to resolve the issue of people referred to as wartime comfort women, amid opposition from civic groups to such an idea. Of about nine million dollars' worth of Japanese contributions, about 5.5 million remains.

Moon said the bill must be based on heartfelt conscience searching on the part of Japan. He expressed hope that a statement to reconfirm the 1998 joint declaration will be issued.

The declaration was issued by then Japanese prime minister Keizo Obuchi and South Korean president Kim Dae-jung.

It's unclear whether the bill will lead to settling the wartime labor dispute. Some of the plaintiffs and civic groups in South Korea are opposing the bill's submission. The South Korean government has not said how it sees the move.

Key words : learned flight
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191206_37/

NHK has learned that flights between the Russian Far East city of Vladivostok and the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, are sharply increasing toward the end of this month.

North Korean workers in Russia are apparently returning home in large numbers ahead of the December 22 deadline set by a UN sanctions resolution.

Officials at Vladivostok airport say North Korea's state-run Air Koryo has increased the number of flights to Pyongyang this month. They say the carrier plans to operate daily on weekdays from Monday through late December.

Air Koryo operates two regular flights a week to Pyongyang. From Monday, it plans to add extra flights, raising the number of flights to 10 a week.

On Friday, the carrier operated one regular flight and one extra flight. The airport's terminal was crowded with North Koreans carrying lots of luggage.

Local authorities in Russia say the increase in flights is to deal with North Korean workers returning home.

The UN Security Council adopted a resolution in 2017 to cut off funding for North Korea's nuclear and missile development. The resolution requests that countries repatriate workers from North Korea by December 22.

More than 30,000 North Koreans were registered in Russia as of December 2017, mainly in the less populated Far East region. The Russian government has indicated that it will send them back to comply with the resolution.

Key words : uniqlo
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191206_34/

Japanese retail giant Uniqlo has opened its first store in Vietnam. It's one of the firm's largest outlets in Southeast Asia.

Shoppers in Ho Chi Minh City lined up to be first through the door on Friday, and some of them enjoyed making their own t-shirt designs.

The store features extensive floor space devoted to children's clothes as the company eyes Vietnam's growing population.

"It's very convenient that the store is selling children's clothes. I used to ask my flight attendant friend to buy Uniqlo items for me in Japan. But I'm happy that I can get them here now," said one customer.

Vietnam posted strong economic growth of 7.3 percent in the July-to-September period, while other countries in the region struggle amid the US-China trade dispute.

Uniqlo's arrival is set to intensify competition in Vietnam's fast fashion market. Its global rivals Zara and H&M have already launched there.

Key words : segment wrapping up the top stories of the week
#N/A