2024年1月26日金曜日

at 18:00 (JST), January 26

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20240126180000_english_1.mp3


Key words : ordinary session 150 days first day
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20240126_02/

Japan's Diet is set to open an ordinary session on Friday, that is overshadowed by a political funding scandal involving factions of Prime Minister Kishida Fumio's Liberal Democratic Party.

The prime minister was due to deliver his annual policy speech on the first day of the session. Instead, he will do so on Tuesday, a day after lawmakers hold committee deliberations over the issue of politics and money.

Three LDP factions, including one that Kishida formerly led, are suspected of failing to declare some revenue from fundraising events and giving kickbacks to members.

Ten people, including three current and former lawmakers, are facing charges over the allegations.

Most of them were in the LDP's largest faction, once led by late Prime Minister Abe Shinzo.

Ten Diet committee chairs and one council chair, who are members of the faction, will be replaced at the start of the session.

Opposition forces appear ready to call for Kishida and other LDP lawmakers involved in the scandal to testify.

The government and the LDP, on the other hand, are expected to stress that they will seek to restore the people's trust by implementing the proposals of an interim report compiled by an LDP taskforce on Thursday.

Governing and opposition parties are also studying how to revise the political funds control law to improve the transparency of money flows.

Proposals currently under consideration include lowering the minimum amount of money requiring the names and other information of fundraising ticket buyers to be registered in political funds reports.

Another proposal calls for lawmakers to be held accountable if their treasurers are charged with wrongdoing.

The opening ceremony of the Diet session will take place on Friday afternoon, with Emperor Naruhito attending. The session will run for 150 days through June 23.


Key words : senior political commentator
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/videos/20240126111521221/

Analysis on LDP political funds scandal as Japan Diet session begins

A new ordinary session of Japan's Diet starts on Friday. The political funds scandal involving factions of the main ruling Liberal Democratic Party is set to take the spotlight. Masuda Tsuyoshi, NHK World's senior political commentator, provides his analysis.


Key words : central japan cold spell
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20240126_07/

Some of the areas hit by the magnitude 7.6 earthquake that struck central Japan on New Year's Day remain in the grip of a cold spell. Snow is piled up on the ground in places.

Japan's Meteorological Agency said as of 6 a.m. on Friday 11 centimeters of snow had accumulated in the cities of Suzu and Kanazawa, and 9 centimeters had piled up in Nanao City.

Overnight lows recorded by 6 a.m. on Friday were minus 1.1 degrees Celsius in parts of Wajima City and 0.2 degrees in Nanao City.

Officials are warning drivers to be careful, as the snow and icy roads are causing traffic disruptions. They are also warning people engaged in recovery work to use caution and avoid falling over.

Some survivors have apparently died as a result of living in shelters or evacuation centers for many days after the quake.

Officials are advising evacuees to take steps to prevent hypothermia. Officials are encouraging them to check each other's health, use blankets to keep warm, and exercise regularly to prevent their body temperatures from falling.


Key words : security camera
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20240126_19/

Japan's National Police Agency says it will increase the number of security cameras in the quake-hit areas in central Japan to prevent burglaries and other crimes.

The agency said it had received 32 reports of crimes, such as break-ins at damaged houses and thefts at evacuation shelters, as of Wednesday. Criminals appear to be taking advantage of the disaster.

The agency has mainly been setting up security cameras in quake-hit urban areas. It says that it will increase the number of cameras to about 1,000. The measure is expected to ease the concerns of people who must evacuate their homes and take shelter in facilities located outside the affected regions.

About 60 security cameras had been installed in the affected areas by Thursday.

National Public Security Commission Chairperson Matsumura Yoshifumi said security cameras will be set up wherever they are needed. He added that police officers will make sure that the people in the quake-hit areas are safe.


Key words : judges top court
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20240126_N01/

The United Nations' top court is set to weigh in on the fighting in Gaza. It will rule on Friday whether to hand down emergency measures, which would serve as a kind of restraining order to prevent more violence.

South Africa filed the case last month at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, accusing Israel of genocide and asking the judges to order an immediate stop to the offensive.

Israel says it has a right to protect itself and argues that the guilt lies with Hamas militants. The judges are not expected to deal with the genocide question on Friday. That process could take years. Instead, they will look at interim measures that could include a ceasefire.

Anne Lagerwall, a professor at the University Libre de Bruxelles, spoke to NHK about the case. She said, "There is, I think, growing attention on this provision of measures and they are compulsory. That is very clear. States have to respect them." She added, however, that countries sometimes do not respect them.

Two years ago, the court ordered provisional measures against Russia after it launched its invasion of Ukraine. It asked Russian leaders to suspend the war but has no mechanism to enforce the order.


Key words : wall street journal chinese
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20240126_06/

The Wall Street Journal says senior officials from the United States and China will meet to discuss the attacks carried out by Yemen's Houthi rebels on ships in the Red Sea.

The newspaper printed the report on Thursday. It cited multiple US officials.

It reported that US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will meet in Thailand to talk about the attacks on commercial vessels and other vessels conducted by the rebels.

The White House says Iran has been supporting the Houthis by providing them with weapons and ammunition, and by other means. Washington has been calling on Beijing, which has friendly ties with Iran, to convince the Iranians to help ease the tensions.

An NHK correspondent says the US side is expected to strongly urge China to take action during a face-to-face meeting between high-ranking officials.

If the meeting is held, it will be the first between the two men since Taiwan's presidential election on January 13, and it is likely that they will also discuss ways to stabilize US-China relations.


Key words : number of foreign workers
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20240126_22/

The number of foreign workers in Japan exceeded the 2 million mark for the first time ever last year.

The labor ministry on Friday released the latest result of its annual survey on employment of foreign workers.

The ministry said that as of the end of last October, the number of foreign workers in the country was 2,048,675 -- up more than 220,000, or 12.4 percent, from the previous year. The figure marked a record high for the 11th straight year.

By nationality, Vietnamese workers topped the list at 518,364, accounting for over a quarter of the total, followed by Chinese nationals at 397,918 and Philippine nationals at 226,846.

The number of Indonesian workers had the highest growth year on year, at 56 percent, followed by those from Myanmar at 49.9 percent and Nepal at 23.2 percent.

By residency status, 615,934 workers were ethnic Japanese or spouses of Japanese nationals, accounting for the largest group. There were 595,904 skilled professionals such as engineers and researchers, and 412,501 technical trainees.

Most of the foreign workers, or 552,399, were employed in the manufacturing sector, 320,755 in the service sector and 263,555 in the wholesale and retail sectors.

Labor ministry officials say growth in the number of foreign workers is high in sectors apparently hit by labor shortages, including construction and healthcare. They also say the overall rate of growth is now recovering to pre-pandemic levels.


Key words : Jonathan world weather
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