Friday marks 25 years since the devastating earthquake that struck Hyogo Prefecture and nearby areas in western Japan.
A Japanese high court has ordered the suspension of a nuclear reactor in western Japan after local residents filed for an injunction over safety concerns.
Japan's Defense Minister has suggested that tensions in the Middle East are unlikely to escalate for now.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20200117200000_english_1.mp3
Key words : Friday marks
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200117_07/
Friday marks 25 years since the devastating earthquake that struck Hyogo Prefecture and nearby areas in western Japan, leaving 6,434 people dead.
The tremor known as the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake occurred on January 17, 1995, destroying many buildings and causing fires.
At a park in Kobe city, the worst-hit area, many bamboo lanterns have been placed to commemorate the victims. The light from the lanterns forms the numbers "1.17" and also the Japanese word "kizamu," meaning engraving.
The word was chosen to express people's wish to convey to young people the memory of the disaster, the lessons from it and the city's recovery.
NHK has asked some of those who were elementary or junior high school students at the time about their experience of the earthquake.
About 60 percent of them said that they have overcome the tragic experience and are now looking forward.
More than half of the surveyed said the experience nurtured in them a wish to help somebody in need.
The reconstruction of Kobe has taken time. One of the redevelopment projects was only completed last year. But the former bustle of the area's shopping streets has yet to return.
The Hyogo prefectural government still has to pay off the balance of the debt of over 1 trillion yen, or about 9 billion dollars, generated by reconstruction work, for another 10 years.
Key words : high court ordered suspension
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200117_28/
A Japanese high court has ordered the suspension of a nuclear reactor in western Japan after local residents filed for an injunction over safety concerns.
The Hiroshima High Court issued the injunction on Friday afternoon for the No.3 reactor at the Ikata nuclear power plant in Ehime Prefecture. The plant is operated by Shikoku Electric Power Company.
Three residents of islands in Yamaguchi Prefecture, which is close to the plant, had appealed against a lower court decision last March that rejected their request for an injunction.
The court considered the risks posed by an active fault in the area that could cause powerful quakes and a volcano about 130 kilometers from the plant.
In handing down the decision, presiding judge Kazutake Mori noted that the presence of an active fault near the plant cannot be ruled out.
He said the fault and the plant are less than two kilometers apart, but Shikoku Electric Power failed to conduct a full survey. He said there has been a mistake in the process that led the Nuclear Regulation Authority to give a green light for the plant's restart.
The presiding judge added that the impact of possible volcanic eruptions has been underestimated.
In December 2017, the high court ordered the operator to halt the No.3 reactor at the request of a different group of residents. But the next year, another presiding judge at the same court revoked the injunction, and the reactor was put back online in October 2018.
The reactor has been offline since last month for regular inspections. With Friday's decision, it is likely to remain offline even after April, when the inspections are scheduled to be completed.
The plant operator will lodge an objection to the injunction. A different presiding judge at the same court will hear the case.
Key words : evacuation
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200117_18/
An evacuation order that has been enforced in three towns in Fukushima Prefecture, northern Japan, since the 2011 nuclear accident will be partially lifted in March.
The Japanese government reached the decision at a meeting of the nuclear disaster taskforce attended by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday.
The evacuation order will be lifted in northeastern parts of Futaba Town on March 4. It will be partially lifted in Okuma Town on March 5 and in Tomioka Town on March 10.
This will be the first lifting of an evacuation order in a no-entry zone set up after the nuclear accident because of high radiation levels.
The areas include three train stations on the JR Joban Line. The operator plans to resume services on the entire line on March 14.
Abe said the Olympic torch relay will start in Fukushima on March 26. He said he hopes the improved public transport will encourage many tourists to visit the region.
Key words : defense minister suggested
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200117_26/
Japan's Defense Minister Taro Kono has suggested that tensions in the Middle East are unlikely to escalate for now.
Kono gave the assessment at a meeting of the Lower House Committee on Security on Friday.
Members discussed the government's decision to send a Self-Defense Forces destroyer and patrol aircraft to the Middle East to gather intelligence. The aim is to ensure the safety of commercial ships with links to Japan.
An opposition lawmaker referred to escalating tensions in the region due to a US drone attack that killed a top Iranian commander in Iraq, and asked Kono to assess the situation.
Kono said he cannot say with full certainty that tensions won't rise. But he said that based on the current situation, they are unlikely to escalate, as the US and Iran say they plan not to raise tensions.
The government says it will consider ordering the SDF personnel to engage in maritime policing activities if unexpected developments occur during the mission.
Kono played down concerns that such activities would not be enough to protect Japanese and foreign vessels. He said SDF members can use arms for legitimate self-defense when they face imminent unlawful danger.
Kono said that means they can open fire if weapons are targeted at them or they're attacked. He added that SDF personnel can respond by firing warning shots, and adequately protect their vessels and those of other nations.
Kono also said maritime policing activities could take place outside waters designated for the intelligence-gathering mission.
The comments indicate that the mission could take place in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.
A transport ministry official told the committee that in 2018, about 650 Japanese-flagged ships and about 2,900 foreign-flagged ships operated by Japanese entities passed through the Strait of Hormuz.
Key words : Kono has said
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200117_33/
Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono has said a liaison officer has started working at a US command center for a Self-Defense Force intelligence-gathering mission in the Middle East.
Kono attended an Upper House committee session on Friday about the mission aimed at ensuring the safety of Japan-related shipping operating in the region.
Answering a question from a ruling party lawmaker, he said one Maritime Self-Defense Force officer began working at the US Naval Forces Central Command headquarters in Bahrain on Thursday.
He said the government wants to share intelligence with Gulf countries and the US Navy.
But he said it is a Japanese mission, so there is no immediate plan of sharing intelligence with a US-led coalition patrolling the Strait of Hormuz.
An opposition lawmaker asked whether the mission will gather intelligence on the Iranian military.
Kono said the mission's objective is to gather intelligence on threats to safe navigation, such as suspicious vessels and signs of activity.
He added that the mission covers all vessels operating in the region and the government does not consider excluding the vessels of certain countries.
Key words : China GDP
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200117_21/
China's GDP growth has fallen to its slowest pace in 29 years, after a two-year-long trade dispute with the US.
China's National Bureau of Statistics says the economy expanded 6.1 percent in 2019. That's the lowest rate for the world's second-largest economy since 1990, following the Tiananmen Square incident.
The trade row knocked capital investment in the manufacturing industry. In the meantime, consumers tightened their purse strings, with sales of new cars on a decline.
The spread of African-swine fever pushed up prices of pork, triggering concerns that a less-affordable staple could harm the economy overall.
China officially signed a "Phase One" trade deal with the US on Wednesday. But most of the US tariffs on Chinese imports remain in place. The prospect of "phase two" remains murky.
Key words : huge olympic
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200117_17/
A huge Olympic symbol monument has been unveiled in Tokyo Bay, six months before the city hosts the 2020 Games.
The five-ring monument arrived at the sea at Odaiba Marine Park, one of the Olympic venues, on Friday morning. It measures 33 meters long and 15 meters high and will remain on a barge until the end of the Games.
The monument was built at a shipyard in Yokohama near Tokyo. It took five months to complete.
Divers will fix the barge to concrete blocks on the seabed with wires.
When looking at the monument from the Odaiba shopping and entertainment district, some of Tokyo's symbolic structures can be seen in the background, such as the Rainbow Bridge and the Tokyo Tower.
Visitors were seen taking pictures of the monument with their smartphones.
A woman in her 20s said the Olympic symbol reminds her that the Games will start in Tokyo soon. She says she looks forward to watching swimming events.
The monument will be lit up nightly from January 24.
An official of the Tokyo Games' preparation bureau says officials are planning to decorate the city with Olympic symbols and mascots to boost excitement over the event.
Over the next several months, five-ring monuments and mascots will be put on display at different spots, including the summit of Mount Takao in western Tokyo and the arrival lobbies of Haneda and Narita airports.
Key words : segmet wrapping up the top stories of the week
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