at 20:00 (JST), March 12 (Autoscroll)

Japan's Finance Ministry has concluded that changes were made to 14 internal documents regarding a controversial state land deal.

North Korea has criticized the United States, accusing it of maneuvering the public to falsely believe the North has expressed an intention to hold talks with the US as a result of sanctions.

Media in Nepal are reporting that a passenger plane caught fire while landing at an international airport in the country's capital, Kathmandu, on Monday afternoon.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20180312200000_english_1.mp3


Key words : finance concluded confirmed
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180312_16/

Japan's Finance Ministry has concluded that changes were made to 14 internal documents regarding a controversial state land deal. The alterations were made after the Diet took up the issue.

A plot of land in Osaka Prefecture was sold to private school operator Moritomo Gakuen in 2016 for only a fraction of its market value.

The transaction sparked allegations of favoritism in part because the wife of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was acquainted with the school operator.

After the scandal came to light last year, the Finance Ministry submitted internal documents on the deal to the Diet.

But a newspaper alleged the documents were altered before being submitted to the Diet.

On Monday, the ministry submitted a report on the matter to the ruling coalition parties. The approximately 80-page report details the findings of its in-house investigation of the documents and interviews with people concerned.

It says the ministry has confirmed its bureau in charge of state-owned property made changes to 5 documents between late February and April. It says 9 other documents were also altered to reflect those changes.

The report says a document on the land sale initially stated the school operator agreed to buy the property as a result of talks on the price and other matters. But it says this part was deleted.

The bureau also deleted another section that hinted at the involvement of the ministry's headquarters in the decision-making process for signing a sales contract following a 10-year lease deal.

That section initially included such phrases as "this will be a special case" and "it will be processed after being approved by the bureau chief."

In 2014, the school operator is said to have told the ministry's local office that it got the go-ahead from Abe's wife to open a school after taking her to see the land. But this episode was cut out.

The bureau also removed wording that suggested the office and school operator discussed the land deal before any decision had been made.

Key words : abe apologized aso
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180312_27/

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has apologized for the Finance Ministry's tampering with government documents.

Abe spoke to reporters on Monday upon leaving the Prime Minister's Office.

He described the situation as one that may erode public trust in the entire administration.

He said he feels keenly responsible, and wants to apologize to the Japanese people.

Abe said he is acutely aware that the public is casting a critical eye on the matter, and that he will bear this in mind during its investigation.

Abe said he expects Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Taro Aso to fulfill his responsibilities. He said he wants Aso to do his utmost to see that there are no similar recurrences, and to reform the ministry to regain public trust.

Key words : government pledge Suga
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180312_25/

The Japanese government's top spokesperson has pledged a thorough probe into the Finance Ministry's changing of documents in connection with a controversial sale of state land.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga was speaking to reporters on Monday.

This followed an acknowledgement by the ministry that changes had been made to internal documents on the sale of state-owned land to school operator Moritomo Gakuen.

Suga said the government is taking the issue seriously and that it will fully cooperate in the ongoing investigation by prosecutors.

Asked whether he recognizes that the papers were tampered with, Suga said he believes they were "rewritten," rather than "altered."

He said he looked at all the documents and saw very few changes.

Reporters also asked whether the rewriting of such papers violates the law.

Suga said this judgment should be made on a case-by-case basis and that it is not something for the government to do.

Others asked whether any members of the cabinet, including Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, were aware of the rewriting. Suga said of course they were not.

In reference to the opposition bloc's demand that Finance Minister Taro Aso step down, Suga said the ministry will give its full cooperation to the prosecutors' probe.

He said it will also launch an investigation to clarify how and why the changes were made.

Suga added that he wants Aso to lead the ministry's investigation.

Reporters then asked about the opposition's argument that the changes were made in line with the wishes of the Prime Minister's office.

Suga said Aso told him that no such influence was applied and that he believes this to be true.

Key words : finance suicide
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180312_09/

A relative of a Finance Ministry official who committed suicide last week has expressed regret and sorrow for his death.

The official was found hanging in his residence in Kobe City last Wednesday. He was later pronounced dead.
Police investigators said what appeared to be a suicide note was found at his home.

The official belonged to a regional bureau of the Finance Ministry in western Japan. He was apparently a subordinate to an official who negotiated with school operator Moritomo Gakuen over a controversial state land sale.

On Sunday the relative told NHK the official sounded depressed in a phone conversation they had last August.

The relative also quoted the official as saying at the time that his mental and physical distress had grown worse because he could not transfer to another department as he had expected.

The relative said the official sent an email in December saying he wanted to return to work early this year. The relative is hoping to learn what the official said in the reported suicide note and why he decided to take his life.

The relative said the official was a sincere person with a strong sense of justice who never said a bad word about other people.

Key words : north criticized
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180312_22/

North Korea has criticized the United States, accusing it of maneuvering the public to falsely believe the North has expressed an intention to hold talks with the US as a result of sanctions.

The commentary was posted on Monday on a state website operated by the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea, the liaison body with South Korea.

It is believed to be an indirect reference to the proposed summit between North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump.

The North's state-run media, including the ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun, have not directly reported that Trump accepted Kim's invitation for summit talks. The US president revealed his intention to have the talks by May.

The state media also have not reported the agreement with the South Korean government to hold a summit between the 2 Koreas. Observers say this suggests Pyongyang is watching to first see the moves made by Seoul and Washington.

Key words : Insight how the Japanese government received the news of meeting
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Key words : media caught fire
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180312_32/

Media in Nepal are reporting that a passenger plane caught fire while landing at an international airport in the country's capital, Kathmandu, on Monday afternoon.

It's unknown if anyone was injured.

Media say the plane is operated by a Bangladeshi carrier.

Firefighters are working to rescue the passengers and crewmembers.

Key words : government survey optimistic
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180312_18/

A government survey shows that Japanese companies are feeling more optimistic about the national economy.

The Finance Ministry and the Cabinet Office on Monday published the results of their latest survey on 16,000 larger companies. The firms were asked how they rated Japan's economic performance for the period from January to early March.

The results indicate that business sentiment at larger firms remained positive for a 3rd straight quarter, with the latest index standing at plus 3.3. A positive figure means more managers think business conditions are better rather than worse, compared to the previous 3 months.

Orders were up for construction machinery and semiconductor manufacturing equipment.

Redevelopment projects in major cities were also on the rise.

Large firms in a variety of industries had positive outlooks for upcoming quarters. The index stood at plus 0.3 for April to June, and at plus 5.8 for July to September.

Finance Ministry officials say the Japanese economy remains on a moderate recovery path, with larger companies continuing to have optimistic sentiments.

Key words : nhk poll
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180312_28/

An NHK opinion poll shows that support for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet has fallen 2 points to 44 percent. The disapproval rate rose 4 points to 38 percent.

NHK conducted the telephone survey over the weekend. Over 1,200 people responded.

Among supporters of the Cabinet, 52 percent said it seems better than alternatives. 16 percent cited the Cabinet's ability to implement policies, while 13 percent said it's the Cabinet of the parties they support.

Among those who disapprove, 40 percent said they don't trust Abe. 33 percent cited low expectations for his policies. 8 percent said other Cabinets would be better.

Last week, the Finance Ministry said it was looking into the alleged tampering of documents related to the sale of state-owned land to school operator Moritomo Gakuen.

Only 16 percent said the ministry's response is understandable, while 74 percent said they are not convinced.

National Tax Agency chief Nobuhisa Sagawa resigned on Friday in connection with the case. He was in charge of state property at the time of the sale.

42 percent said he deserved to leave office. 17 percent said he didn't have to step down.

Abe plans to visit the United States as early as next month to discuss North Korean issues with President Donald Trump.

Nearly 70 percent said they appreciate the planned visit, while 26 percent they don't.

Key words : Narita
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180312_31/

Japan's Gurimu Narita won the bronze medal at the PyeongChang Winter Paralympics on Monday in the men's snowboard cross LL2 classification.

In the snowboard cross, athletes slide down a 925-meter course on a slope with moguls, curves and jump ramps. Narita's class was for snowboarders that have impairments in one or two legs.

In the race for third place, the world's top-ranked Narita defeated 2014 Paralympic champion Evan Strong of the United States. The 24-year-old Narita, whose left leg is paralyzed below the knee, took his first medal in his first Paralympic games.

Matti Suur-Hamari from Finland won the gold and Keith Gabel of the United States the silver.