at 20:00 (JST), March 30 AS

Japan's government is believed to be closely monitoring the progress for an expected US-North Korean summit.

Japan and China are finalizing plans for China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi to visit Tokyo from April 15th.

Japan's government has compiled a basic plan for the ceremonies related to Emperor Akihito's abdication and Crown Prince Naruhito's accession next year.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20180330200000_english_1.mp3


Key words : government closely
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180330_05/

Japan's government is believed to be closely monitoring the progress for an expected US-North Korean summit. The apparent intention is to be ready to make behind-the-scenes arrangements with Pyongyang to explore the possibility of dialogue, including a bilateral summit.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held his first meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing this week. Kim will also meet South Korean President Moon Jae-in on April 27th for the 3rd inter-Korean summit. He is also likely to meet US President Donald Trump.

Members of the Japanese governing and opposition parties are concerned that events may leave the country behind.

Japanese government officials say North Korea may also hold a summit with Russia.

Other officials say direct talks with North Korea will eventually be necessary to resolve the issue of the abduction of Japanese nationals by that country.

A senior Japanese government official says a number of diplomatic channels are being explored to contact North Korea.

The official adds that matters will depend on the US and North Korea as what matters most for Pyongyang is having the safety of its regime guaranteed.

The Japanese government is expected to coordinate with the US, South Korea, and China to determine to what extent North Korea is ready to denuclearize itself.

Key words : as north abductee
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180330_21/

As North Korea moves forward with planned summits with South Korea and the United States, a group of Japanese abductees' families are demanding its government use these developments as an opportunity to bring back their loved ones.

The families are calling on Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to remind President Trump when they are scheduled to meet next month.

Shigeo Iizuka, representative of the abductees' families, said, "A great chance has come. We want Kim Jong Un to return our family members."

Japan's government says at least 17 of its citizens were abducted to North Korea during the 1970s and 80s.

Five were returned after the Japan-North Korea leaders' summit in Pyongyang in 2002. But the other 12 remain unaccounted for.

NHK sources say a summit between Kim and Abe is a strong possibility.

A high-ranking Japanese official said the government is using various diplomatic channels to communicate with the North.

But the official said it will all come down to how the US - North talks turn out.

Key words : Japan China finalizing
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180330_29/

Japan and China are finalizing plans for China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi to visit Tokyo from April 15th.

Chinese government sources tell NHK that Wang is expected to meet Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Kono as well as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during a 2-day visit.

Wang is likely to brief the Japanese leaders on the recent summit in Beijing between Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

He may also discuss the details of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's proposed visit to Japan in early May.

The Japanese government is planning to invite Li for a 3-way summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

It also hopes to arrange a meeting between Abe and Li.

Foreign Minister Wang also serves as China's State Councilor, which is equivalent to the rank of vice premier. He last met Kono in January in Beijing.

Wang's previous visit to Japan was in August, 2016 for a foreign ministerial meeting between Japan, China and South Korea.

Key words : government compile
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180330_12/

Japan's government has compiled a basic plan for the ceremonies related to Emperor Akihito's abdication and Crown Prince Naruhito's accession next year.

The plan says the ceremonies will honor the traditions of the Imperial Family, and that the concept and procedures will adhere to the ceremonies for the accession of the current Emperor in 1989.

The abdication ceremony will be held on April 30th. It will be the first abdication in the country's Constitutional history.

The accession ceremony will take place on May 1st, followed by 4 other ceremonies. The new Emperor will declare his accession in a ceremony on October 22nd, and a parade will be held on that day.

The government will set up a ceremonies committee later this year, headed by the prime minister.

The Cabinet is expected to approve the basic plan on Tuesday of next week.

Key words : foreign India
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180330_19/

The foreign ministers of Japan and India have agreed to cooperate in the development of the Indo-Pacific region.
Japan's Taro Kono told Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in Tokyo his government plans to provide yen loans worth about 1.4 billion dollars.

The money would be spent on several projects including construction of a subway system in Mumbai. The officials agreed to cooperate on upgrading other infrastructure, including ports and a high-speed railway network.

The latest decision brings to 3.6-billion dollars the total amount of loans Japan has pledged for India in the fiscal year that ends Friday. The amount is the highest on record for the two countries.

Japan and India have also agreed to establish a new framework.

Their governments and private sectors will be able to discuss economic cooperation and other issues under the arrangement.

Key words : Insight Water forum Brazil
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Key words : metropolitan
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180330_25/

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has released its first estimate of maximum storm surges triggered by a super typhoon hitting Tokyo Bay.

The central government made legal revisions 3 years ago to simulate maximum levels of storm surges at major bays across Japan after a series of typhoon and storm disasters.

Tokyo's estimate is based on a scenario that a typhoon with a central atmospheric pressure of 910 hectopascals has made landfall in the Kanto region, without its strength being diminished.

It says storm surges as high as 6 meters will hit Tokyo Bay, leaving low-lying areas flooded to a depth of more than 5 meters. It adds that the water could be 10 meters deep in some places.

The estimate also says that 17 of Tokyo's 23 wards -- an area as wide as 212 square kilometers -- could be inundated. These areas include key business and commercial districts.

It warns that the flooding may continue for more than one week, forcing about one million residents to leave their home wards for other municipalities.

An evacuation plan for such a scenario is still being discussed.

Each ward is required to produce a hazard map with information on evacuation routes and shelters, and to coordinate with Tokyo and the central government over related measures.

Key words : US space send
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180330_24/

The US space agency is preparing to send its first robotic lander to Mars to probe deep below its surface.
Findings from the mission could shed light on the origins of rocky planets like Earth.

NASA officials told reporters on Thursday that the InSight lander is to launch no sooner than May 5th and land on Mars in November.

The lander is equipped with a seismometer to observe quakes caused by volcanic activity or severe temperature changes. It also has a thermal probe that can bury itself 5 meters underground to measure heat flow.

Researchers hope to study the densities and structures of rocks and other underground materials by analyzing the tremors and heat that travel through them.

Mars has been free of tectonic plate movements since its birth 4.5 billion years ago or earlier. The history of its early days is said to be preserved deep below its surface.

NASA's principal investigator for InSight said the lander is like a time machine that will help scientists learn how Earth and other rocky bodies were formed.

Data gained from InSight could help future manned missions to Mars. US venture SpaceX plans to send a manned ship to the planet in 2024.