at 20:00 (JST), February 27 (Autoscroll)

US President Donald Trump says the United States will talk with North Korea only "under the right conditions."

エラー 2042

Public prosecutors in South Korea are seeking a 30-year prison term for former President Park Geun-hye, who is standing trial on corruption charges.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20180227200000_english_1.mp3


Key words : Trump talk with under the right
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180227_08/

US President Donald Trump says the United States will talk with North Korea only "under the right conditions."

Trump's remark at the White House on Monday was in response to a message received from the North, indicating that the country is willing to engage in talks.

Trump said that North Korea wants to speak with the US, and that the US wants to talk also, but only under the right conditions. He said otherwise there will be no discussions.

The US President criticized the ways in which his predecessors handled the North Korean threat.

Trump said that his administration will see what happens before it determines whether Pyongyang really intends to abandon its nuclear and missile development programs.

His comments came after a high-level North Korean delegation to South Korea said in a meeting with President Moon Jae-in that the North is ready to talk with the United States.

Last week, the US government announced that it is imposing the largest ever set of sanctions against Pyongyang.

In the same speech, Trump praised China for its efforts to increase pressure on the North. He also criticized Russia for sending North Korea "a lot of stuff."

Key words : representative stepping down
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180227_20/

The US State Department's special representative for North Korea policy is stepping down.

Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement on Monday that Joseph Yun has decided to retire for personal reasons. She added that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has reluctantly accepted Yun's decision.

The move comes at a time when Pyongyang has shown willingness to talk with Washington.

Yun assumed his post in 2016 when President Barack Obama was in office. He has coordinated North Korea policy with Japan and South Korea.

Yun has also contacted North Korea through its UN mission. He traveled to Pyongyang last June to seek the release of American student Otto Warmbier, who died shortly after being flown home in a coma from North Korea, where he was jailed for more than a year.

The Washington Post reports that Yun's departure reflects widespread frustration within the State Department over diplomats' relative lack of power in the Trump administration.

Last month, the White House cancelled plans to appoint Victor Cha, a North Korea expert, as the next ambassador to South Korea reportedly due to policy differences.

Key words : Japan top guarded
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180227_15/

Japan's top government spokesperson has given a guarded response to North Korea's show of willingness to talk to the United States.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters on Tuesday that the North continues to steadily proceed with its nuclear and missile development. He said others should not be swayed by Pyongyang's charm offensive.

Suga said Japan will continue to closely cooperate with the US, South Korea and other relevant countries. He said it will gather and analyze intelligence, and ensure monitoring and surveillance to protect people's safety.

Key words : okinawa health reason
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Key words : public prosecutor
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180227_22/

Public prosecutors in South Korea are seeking a 30-year prison term for former President Park Geun-hye, who is standing trial on corruption charges.

Park is accused of receiving about 40-million dollars in bribes from the Samsung Group, the country's largest conglomerate, among other charges. She denies any wrongdoing.

Earlier this month, a court judged her longtime confidante, Choi Soon-sil, guilty of conspiring with the former president. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Key words : ceasefire began
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180227_23/

A 5-hour daily truce has begun in Syria's eastern Ghouta area, where an offensive by government forces has resulted in many civilian casualties.

The ceasefire called by Russia began on Tuesday. The move is aimed at stopping fighting every day between 9 AM and 2 PM.

Anti-government forces say they will not halt their offensive, but no major fighting has been reported so far.

More than 500 civilians have reportedly been killed in attacks over the past week.

Key words : Insight defense cooperation France
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Key words : crowd fan honor
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180227_14/

A crowd of more than 1,000 fans gathered in Tokyo on Tuesday to honor Japanese medalists as well as other athletes who competed in the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games.

Team Japan returned home on Monday with a record haul of 13 medals.

The Japanese Olympic Committee held the fan event after a ceremony to disband its delegation to South Korea.

500-meter speed skating gold medalist Nao Kodaira was the captain of the athletes' delegation. She said the high medal count is the result of everyone's hard work and strong competitiveness. She added that the team is grateful for the warm encouragement they received from many people.

The athletes and coaches then took the podium separately in each sport.

Yuzuru Hanyu, who won gold in figure skating for the 2nd straight Olympic Games, said he is very happy. He said his medal is the result of staking not just his skating life, but his future on a win. He thanked the people who have been cheering him on.

The women's curling team won bronze, bringing Japan its first medal in the sport. Skip Satsuki Fujisawa and other team members reproduced for fans their unique calls during matches.

Key words : Japan satellite
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180227_16/

Japan has successfully sent a new government information-gathering satellite into orbit.

It was launched aboard an H2A rocket, which lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in the southern prefecture of Kagoshima at 1:34 PM on Tuesday.

The rocket sent the satellite into orbit about 20 minutes later. The optical satellite will use high-performance cameras to take pictures during daylight.

For security reasons, the Cabinet Satellite Intelligence Center and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which was in charge of the launch, did not disclose the exact time or altitude of the satellite release.

Information-gathering satellites are designed to capture images of the Earth's surface from several hundred kilometers above, and help protect Japan's security.

Japan operates both optical and radar satellites. Radar satellites are used at night and in bad weather.

Japan now has 7 information-gathering satellites in operation, covering every part of Earth at least once a day.

The government uses the satellites to monitor such things as North Korea's missile launching facilities and disaster areas. It plans to increase their number to 10.

Key words : labor union
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180227_19/

Labor unions at Japan's two major banks have decided to back off on demanding hikes in base pay at this year's wage negotiations.

Officials at the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ and Mizuho Financial Group say the business climate will likely remain difficult, as long as interest rates remain excessively low.

This is the 3rd straight year the unions at Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ and Mizuho will forgo seeking a base pay raise.

Union officials at Sumitomo-Mitsui Banking Corporation are also considering refraining from making such a request.

The Bank of Japan's aggressive money-easing program has pushed down interest rates to historically low levels.

That's squeezing earnings at major financial groups, prompting them to slash payrolls and streamline operations.

Management is considering raises in other areas, including seniority-linked compensation.

This comes as the Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, is calling on companies to offer 3 percent pay hikes, in response to the government's urging.

Key words : Hitachi
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