2020年1月16日木曜日

at 20:00 (JST), January 16

The Japan's health ministry has confirmed the first case of infection, a new strain of coronavirus in the country.


The United States and China signed a "Phase One" trade deal in Washington on Wednesday.


A number of Japanese lawyers for former Nissan Motor chairman Carlos Ghosn's defense team have resigned, following his escape to Lebanon.


https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20200116200000_english_1.mp3


Key words : health ministry first fever
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200116_23/

The Japanese health ministry says a new strain of coronavirus has been detected in a man who visited Wuhan, China. The inland Chinese city has been hit by a pneumonia outbreak that is likely caused by the virus.

This is the first confirmed case of a new coronavirus infection in Japan.

Ministry officials say the man in his 30s, who lives in Kanagawa Prefecture, near Tokyo, developed a fever in Wuhan on January 3. They say the man saw a doctor after returning to Japan on the 6th, and was hospitalized.

The National Institute of Infectious Diseases conducted tests and detected the new coronavirus.

The ministry says the man recovered and was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday.

The man reportedly told officials that he didn't visit a seafood market in Wuhan that has been linked to most of the cases. They say the man had been in close contact with people who were infected.

A mysterious form of pneumonia started spreading in Wuhan last month. The new type of coronavirus has been detected in 41 patients, including a 61-year-old man who has died.


Key words : experts say no need
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200116_28/

Experts say there's no need to be overly alarmed by the first confirmed case of a new coronavirus infection in Japan. But they also call for vigilance.

Nobuhiko Okabe, head of the Kawasaki City Institute for Public Health, says it's clear where the patient was infected as he had visited Wuhan. He also says human-to-human transmission has been very limited so far.

But he also cautions that little is known about the virus and close monitoring is necessary. He says that theoretically, the virus could mutate and become more virulent and spread more easily among humans.

He says that in Japan, influenza infection poses a higher risk and people shouldn't be too nervous about catching the new coronavirus.
He says the usual measures against flu will probably be effective, such as washing hands and avoiding crowds.

Tohoku University Professor Hitoshi Oshitani says a large-scale outbreak is unlikely at this point.

He points out that healthcare workers who have treated patients have not been infected and that infection has not spread widely from patients.

He says there's no sign of the virus spreading quickly and continuously like the SARS virus that caused an outbreak in China and other parts of Asia in 2003.

He says that at the moment the new virus seems to be causing less serious symptoms compared to SARS and other known viruses. He says it's important for authorities to quickly identify the source of infection and grasp the whole situation.


Key words : Narita tightening
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200116_33/

Narita Airport outside Tokyo is tightening quarantine controls after Japanese health authorities confirmed the first case of infection of a new coronavirus linked to a pneumonia outbreak in China.

The new coronavirus was detected in a resident of Japan who had visited the Chinese city of Wuhan.

Officials are strengthening their inspections at the international arrival lobbies. They are asking passengers who have been in Wuhan to declare if they have a fever, cough or other symptoms. They are also monitoring arriving passengers with thermographic cameras.

Many Chinese tourists are expected to visit Japan during the Lunar New Year holidays at the end of this month.


Key words : United States and China phase one refrain
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200116_09/

The United States and China signed a "Phase One" trade deal in Washington on Wednesday.

US President Donald Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He took part in the signing ceremony at the White House.

A document released by the United States says China is required to increase its purchases of US farm products and other goods and services by a combined 200 billion dollars this year and next.

It is also expected to address intellectual property issues and refrain from manipulating currency exchange rates.

At the ceremony, Trump said the US was taking a "momentous step, one that has never been taken before with China."
He said the signing was a way of delivering economic justice for American workers and farmers.

Liu said the two countries should resolve their differences from a broad perspective, and that the first-phase accord was "good for China, the United States and the world."

Washington will cut by half the15 percent additional tariffs imposed in September last year on imports from China worth 120 billion dollars.

The prolonged trade dispute between the world's two largest economies escalated into a tit-for-tat exchange of tariffs, throwing cold water on not only the Chinese economy, but also on US farmers, a support base for Trump.

The two sides made concessions by agreeing to a partial deal.

Trump said the US and China will begin negotiating a "Phase Two" deal "very shortly." He said Washington will maintain a 25 percent tariff on 250 billion dollars' worth of Chinese imports until the two sides reach an agreement.

Washington and Beijing remain apart on a number of issues, including China's preferential treatment for state-owned firms and a US ban on Chinese telecom giant Huawei in its markets.


Key words : producer prices
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200116_26/

Producer prices in Japan were up for the second straight month in December. Central bank officials attribute this to progress in US-China trade negotiations and Japan's consumption tax hike.

The Bank of Japan says the Producer Price Index rose 0.9 percent last month from a year earlier. The index measures the cost of goods traded among companies.

The "phase one" trade deal reached by Washington and Beijing helped push up global prices of crude oil, copper and scrap iron.

The increase in Japan's sales tax in October also supported the upward trend.


Key words : a number of Japanese
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200116_32/

A number of Japanese lawyers for former Nissan Motor chairman Carlos Ghosn have resigned, following his escape to Lebanon.

Lawyer Junichiro Hironaka told reporters that he resigned as of Thursday.

Sources say other lawyers, including Takashi Takano, also resigned.

They say lawyer Hiroshi Kawatsu and some others will continue to defend Ghosn.

Ghosn has been indicted on charges of understating his executive compensation in Nissan's securities reports, and aggravated breach of trust for suspected misappropriation of company funds.
But the former chairman skipped bail and fled to Lebanon late last month without telling his defense team. He says he did so because he could not expect a fair trial in Japan.

Also on Thursday, pretrial talks to sort out points of contention were held at the Tokyo District Court for the first time since Ghosn left Japan.

Sources say that at the closed-door meeting, the court decided to hold Ghosn's trial separately from that of his former close aide Greg Kelly and Nissan as an entity.

The trial for Kelly and Nissan is expected to start as early as in April.


Key words : operator Fukushima
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200116_35/

The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant says the firm plans to assign more of its employees to decommissioning work there. The move follows a series of mistakes and other troubles at the site.

Tokyo Electric Power Company President Tomoaki Kobayakawa disclosed the plan when he was summoned to the Nuclear Regulation Authority on Thursday to discuss the cause of the problems and preventive measures.

Last June, a minor fire occurred when workers misconnected power lines at the plant's No.5 and 6 reactors. In addition, mechanical troubles have repeatedly suspended work to remove nuclear fuel units from the No.3 reactor's storage pool.

Kobayakawa attributed the problems to a lack of manpower for oversight. He said so much of the workload has been concentrated on some TEPCO employees that they fail to keep sufficient watch on onsite work and workers.

The president said the utility will increase the number of employees engaged in the work by up to 90. Some 1,000 are working at the plant.

He said the firm will also review the work schedule and procedure to prevent mistakes.

The regulator's chief, Toyoshi Fuketa, told Kobayakawa to ensure that the purpose of the measures is well understood by those doing decommissioning work.

Kobayakawa later told reporters that the firm hopes to take appropriate steps while examining risks involved in the work.


Key words : Pakistani blaming
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200116_30/

Pakistani officials are blaming severe winter weather for killing more than 100 people across the country.

A series of avalanches this past weekend, triggered by heavy snowfall, enveloped homes and warehouses in the Pakistani-controlled part of Kashmir.

The army and local residents have been digging through the snow, searching for survivors. Officials say at least 76 people have died and more than 50 others are being treated in hospital.

In other parts of the country, authorities say the snow, coupled with the extreme cold, have killed at least another 24 people and wounded about 40 more.

In Pakistan's mountainous southwest, roads remain blocked and villages cut off after snowstorms blanketed the region.


Key words : Canada transport
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200116_27/

Canada's transport minister says his country is urging Iran to allow Canadian investigators to participate in the analysis of flight and cockpit recorders of the Ukrainian airliner shot down by Iran last week.

Transport Minister Marc Garneau spoke at a news conference on Wednesday.

He said the government will work to fully support families that lost loved ones in the crash. All 176 people on board were killed, including 57 Canadian nationals.

Garneau said investigators from Canada have visited the site of the crash. He said the plane's "black boxes" are in Iranian hands and the data would give an accurate account of what actually happened.

Iran's state-run news agency said that Iranian investigators have already begun analysis of the black boxes. The agency also said that Iran will cooperate with relevant countries for the analysis.

Canada will participate in a meeting in London on Thursday of foreign ministers from Britain, Ukraine and other countries that lost citizens in the crash. They plan to discuss how to coordinate dealings with Iran.


Key words : Toyota
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200116_34/

Toyota Motor has announced it will collaborate with a US startup that is developing flying taxis.

The Japanese automaker says it will help California's Joby Aviation create a fleet of aircraft that can shuttle people around cities.

Toyota has injected 394 million dollars into the project, making it the top investor.

Joby's all-electric air taxi is designed to take off and land on the spot.

Toyota will share its expertise in electric vehicle technology, as well as manufacturing, quality and cost controls.

A German company that is also developing air taxis successfully tested its two-passenger vehicle in Singapore last year. Several other companies are also looking to enter the fledgling industry.


Key words : special exhibition
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200116_31/

A special exhibition has opened at the State Guest House in Tokyo featuring photos and other items from the Summer Olympics that were held in the city in 1964.

The Guest House is where the organizing committee for the Games was based.

The items on display include the emblem for the 1964 Games, medals and a torch that carried the Olympic flame. The photos show officials busily preparing for the event.

At a promotional event on Thursday, weightlifter Hiromi Miyake said visiting the Guest House for the first time makes her feel the weight of history. She said she will do her best to win a spot in the Tokyo Olympic Games this summer.

If Miyake qualifies, this would be her fifth consecutive Olympics.

The exhibition will continue through March 10.


Key words : elementary school western Japan
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200116_12/

Students at an elementary school in western Japan will have no homework once a month so that they can spend more time with their families.

Teachers at Uchinakahara Elementary School, and parents of the students, agreed that there will be no homework on the third Sunday of each month. Teachers will not give students any homework on Friday.

Students at the school are kept busy with studies and local sports activities.

Teachers and parents hope the no-homework day will allow the students to have more spare time for hobbies or family trips.

The idea is similar to arrangements at workplaces where workers try not to work overtime on certain days.


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