Key words : us navy local dockworker
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20240311_35/
US Navy Aegis destroyer makes first port call at Okinawa's Ishigaki Island
A US Navy guided-missile destroyer has made its first port call at Ishigaki Island in the southern Japanese prefecture of Okinawa. Local dockworkers are staging a strike against the warship's visit.
USS Rafael Peralta, equipped with anti-aircraft missiles and cruise missiles, entered the port on Monday morning.
The US Navy had requested the city of Ishigaki to allow the vessel to anchor for rest and replenishment, based on the Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement.
The city initially rejected the request, citing the lack of a quay that is safe for the vessel to use and other reasons. But the city later gave permission.
Okinawa's government says it is the first time for any US Aegis vessel to visit a port in the prefecture used by civilian ships.
Informed sources say the Rafael Peralta will stay at the port through Wednesday. The crew reportedly plans to visit local facilities.
The prefecture has been seeking restraint by the US forces on the use of civilian ports except for emergencies.
The local dockworkers' union began its strike at the port at 1 p.m. on Monday, raising concerns of an impact on local logistics.
Key words : peace research
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20240312_09/
SIPRI: Arms imports by European nations grew 94% in 2019-2023
A research institute in Sweden says weapons imports by countries in Europe in the period between 2019 and 2023 nearly doubled compared to the previous five years. The period includes Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, which began in 2022.
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, or SIPRI, released on Monday a report on global transfers of weapons between 2019 and 2023.
SIPRI calculates the volume of international transfers of major conventional weapons using a unique indicator based on the known unit production costs of a core set of weapons, rather than the financial value of the transfers.
The report said arms imports by European countries were 94 percent higher in 2019-2023 than in 2014-2018.
It said Ukraine was the largest arms importer in Europe, as its imports grew more than 60-fold, accounting for 23 percent of the region's arms imports in 2019-2023. At least 30 countries supplied major weapons to Ukraine after Russia began its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The institute said much greater demand for air defense systems has been seen in Europe, triggered by Russia's missile campaign against Ukraine.
The report also said Japan increased arms imports by 155 percent in the 2019-2023 period compared to the 2014-2018 period, attributing the growth mainly to tensions with China and North Korea. It said that Japan is "investing heavily in long-range strike capabilities."
Key words : north vice foreign
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20240312_16/
N.Korean vice foreign minister pledges stronger ties with Mongolia
North Korea's state-run media says Vice Foreign Minister Pak Myong Ho has met with Mongolia's president. The senior diplomat is said to have emphasized plans to develop friendly bilateral ties and strengthen cooperation and exchange.
The Korean Central News Agency says Pak and a foreign ministry delegation visited Mongolia. Pak reportedly met with President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh on Monday and conveyed greetings from leader Kim Jong Un.
In a speech outlining foreign policy for this year, Kim has said that North Korea will be expanding and strengthening its activities in foreign relations.
Kim has issued instructions to fortify relations with friendly countries at a time when Japan, the United States and South Korea are deepening their cooperation on security. Mongolia has friendly ties with North Korea and an embassy in the country.
Pyongyang has been stepping up diplomatic activity since easing its tight border controls following the pandemic.
North Korea's announcement on Tuesday coincides with the arrival of a Russian culture ministry delegation in Pyongyang.
Key words : china wrapped up nakamura
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/videos/20240312160316648/
China wraps biggest annual legislative event
China's National People's Congress wrapped up its annual session, with a focus on cementing President Xi Jinping's grip on the government. The tightly choreographed event has taken place in the midst of severe economic downturn, and growing mistrust in Beijing politics.
Key words : noto graduation
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20240312_12/
Graduation ceremony for just two held in Noto quake-hit Suzu City
Two students have graduated from a school in a town on the Noto Peninsula that was heavily affected by the powerful New Year's Day earthquake.
Many people attended Tuesday's graduation ceremony at the integrated elementary and junior high school in Ohtani Town, in the city of Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture.
Attendees included students who have evacuated and are studying at other schools and local residents who have been staying in the school's gymnasium since the disaster.
The school's principal, Ueda Tatsumi, told the two graduates that even though their hometown has become a painful sight they must remember it is a beautiful place where they grew up.
The graduates, Nakajima Raiki and Maeyama Hina, said they had been worried about what was going to happen after their homes were destroyed and their everyday lives were taken away.
They said they were saved by the memories of playing with friends. They asked not to be forgotten, even if they become far apart, and pledged to meet again.
School officials say many families have temporarily abandoned plans to return home and are living in Kanazawa City and elsewhere. They say they expect the number of students to continue to shrink.
Key words : court overturn
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20240312_11/
Japanese high court overturns death sentence against yakuza gang leader
An appeals court in western Japan has overturned the death sentence handed down to the leader of a yakuza gangster group over a string of violent attacks the group perpetrated against citizens.
The Fukuoka High Court instead sentenced Nomura Satoru of the Kudo-kai group to an indefinite prison term on Tuesday. He was cleared of involvement in a deadly shooting. That was one of the four assaults he was accused of orchestrating.
Kudo-kai is based in Kitakyushu City in Fukuoka Prefecture. Authorities have designated the group as a criminal syndicate of a particularly dangerous nature.
Nomura and Kudo-kai deputy leader Tanoue Fumio were indicted in connection with four gun and knife attacks that the group's members carried out between 1998 and 2014.
A former head of a fisheries cooperative was shot dead in one of the attacks. A former police officer, a nurse and a dentist were assaulted and injured in the others.
In 2021, the Fukuoka District Court ruled that Nomura masterminded all four crimes and sentenced him to death. Tanoue was given an indefinite prison term.
Both defendants appealed the rulings. Nomura continued to deny his involvement in all the attacks. Tanoue, meanwhile, reversed his earlier not-guilty plea and admitted that he ordered two of the assaults.
On Tuesday, the Fukuoka High Court found Nomura not guilty in connection with the killing of the former fisheries cooperative chief, but it ruled that he was involved in the three other cases. The presiding judge reduced Nomura's sentence to an indefinite prison term.
As for Tanoue, the court dismissed his appeal and upheld the indefinite prison sentence.
Key words : chiba
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20240312_08/
Experts: Fewer quakes off Japan's Chiba Pref. but strong jolt still possible
Japan's government earthquake panel says the latest swarm of tremors may be subsiding in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo. But it is urging people to remain cautious, saying strong jolts could still occur.
The Earthquake Research Committee met on Monday to draw up its latest assessment of seismic activity off the eastern coast of Chiba Prefecture and nearby areas.
The committee says quake activity picked up on February 26. As of Monday afternoon, it says there have been 42 quakes with an intensity of 1 or higher on the country's scale of zero to 7. They include a magnitude 5.3 tremor on March 1.
The committee says the number of perceptible quakes is now declining, with none felt in recent days.
It also says the so-called slow slip phenomenon at the boundary of the ocean and continental plates in the region also appears to be scaling down.
However, the committee says seismic activity has lasted for months in past cases. It says people should remain vigilant for the possibility of strong quakes with an intensity of around lower 5.
The committee is chaired by Hirata Naoshi, professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo. He says major quake activity appears to be drawing down, but relatively strong jolts have occurred in the past after seismic activity subsided.
Hirata is calling on people to exercise caution for another month or so.
Key words : weather Jonathan Oh
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