Japan's Finance Ministry has released the findings of an in-house investigation into document tampering over controversial sale of state-owned land .
A top North Korean official has returned from the United States after laying the groundwork for a summit between US President and North Korean leader.
A volcanic eruption in Guatemala has reportedly killed at least 25 people and injured nearly 300.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20180604200000_english_1.mp3
Key words : finance ministry released in-house investigation
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180604_24/
Japan's Finance Minister Taro Aso says he will forfeit one year's salary and take responsibility for his ministry's role in document tampering.
The documents in question relate to the controversial sale of state-owned land to school operator Moritomo Gakuen.
Aso said, "Government officials should never falsify administrative documents, or submit those falsified documents to the Diet. It is extremely regrettable such things happened. And the way officials handled records of negotiations was extremely inappropriate. I deeply apologize."
On Monday, the Finance Ministry released the findings of an in-house investigation. It listed 20 senior bureaucrats who will face disciplinary action.
The report concluded the falsifications were effectively ordered by then-chief of the Financial Bureau, Nobuhisa Sagawa. Sagawa repeatedly defended the Moritomo deal last year. He resigned amid the controversy the ministry plans to deduct money from his pension.
A former subordinate of Sagawa will also be given a suspension, in this case it's for one month. The other officials will face a range of disciplinary action including official warnings and salary deductions.
In 2016, the Finance Ministry sold the land to Moritomo Gakuen, for a fraction of the market value.
The Prime Minister's wife, Akie Abe, was set to be the honorary principal of a new school on the land, sparking allegations of favoritism.
Then this year, the Finance Ministry admitted to the document tampering, including the removal of references to Akie Abe and politicians.
Key words : Aso regrettable scandal
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Key words : citizen
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180604_21/
A citizens' group has asked an inquest panel to review a decision by prosecutors not to indict 38 former and current government officials in a land-sale scandal.
The group sent a letter requesting the review on Monday.
Group members say the decision not to file charges against former Financial Bureau chief Nobuhisa Sagawa and other officials was unjust.
The group had filed a criminal complaint against them for a series of problems with the heavily discounted sale of the land to school operator Moritomo Gakuen.
Sagawa is a former chief of the bureau, which is in charge of state property sales. Ministry officials admitted to having altered documents concerning the land deal while Sagawa headed the bureau.
But Osaka prosecutors decided not to prosecute any of the 38 officials accused. They say there were insufficient grounds to hold them criminally responsible.
The prosecutors also failed to pursue breach of trust charges over the discount, which officials say was given to offset the cost of removing waste buried in the land.
The prosecutors said this was not unreasonable because it was meant to avoid potential legal problems over a possible delay in the opening of a new Moritomo school due to the waste problem.
But the group hit back at the decision, saying the prosecutors employed fallacious arguments in absolving the officials.
Group leader Satoshi Daigo, a professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo, says the people find the prosecutors' decision far from convincing.
Daigo expressed the hope that the inquest panel's review will send the case to court for a final judgment.
Key words : top north returned
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180604_25/
A top North Korean official has returned from the United States after laying the groundwork for a summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
A vice chairman of the ruling Workers' Party, Kim Yong Chol, left Beijing where he stopped over on his way from the US on Monday. Kim didn't speak to reporters at the airport.
During his 4-day trip until Saturday, Kim met US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in New York. He later met with Trump at the White House and handed him a letter from the North Korean leader.
The trip paved the way for the summit to be held on June 12th in Singapore as initially planned.
The vice chairman also drew a remark from Trump that he doesn't want to use the term "maximum pressure" any more in relation to North Korea.
It remains unknown what the 2 sides discussed over Pyongyang's denuclearization. Kim is expected to report to the North Korean leader about his meetings with the US side immediately after his return.
The North Korean leadership is likely to continue maneuvering until the last moment to persuade the US to provide a security guarantee.
South Korean media reported on Monday that the US and North Korean officials met on the North Korean pavilion in Panmunjom, the village on the military demarcation line.
The US delegation is led by Sung Kim, a former special envoy on North Korean affairs who is now the ambassador to the Philippines. The US team met North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui and other officials for about 90 minutes on Monday morning.
The delegates held talks for 3 straight days to discuss the timing and method of denuclearization and what North Korean would get in return.
Key words : south media replaced
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180604_19/
South Korean media are reporting that 3 top North Korean military officials have been replaced.
Yonhap News Agency and other news organizations are citing an intelligence source who said that Ri Yong Gil has risen to chief of the Korean People's Army's general staff, having been its deputy chief.
The source also reportedly said that No Kwang Chol now heads the Ministry of People's Armed Forces, having been its first vice minister.
North Korea's state-run media confirmed last month that Kim Su Gil, the top Pyongyang official of the governing Workers' Party, had become the director of the army's general political bureau.
A spokesperson for South Korea's Unification Ministry told reporters on Monday that the news reports are not yet verified. He said it would be unusual if all of those 3 posts were reshuffled at the same time.
Some observers say North Korea's leadership is trying to contain hardliners within the military ahead of a first-ever US-North Korea summit next week. Denuclearization is expected to be high on the agenda in the talks.
Key words : chinese taking steps
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180604_15/
Chinese authorities are taking steps to suppress criticism on the 29th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown on Monday.
Security has been tightened at the square and the surrounding area in central Beijing. Police officers have been deployed to block attempts to mourn the victims and call for democracy.
On June 4th, 1989, the Chinese military opened fire on students and other protesters who had gathered in the square.
The government says the incident left 319 people dead. Critics say the number was far larger.
The bereaved families have been calling for a reinvestigation into what actually happened.
But the government maintains that it took appropriate action and no review is necessary.
The Chinese authorities, under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, are strengthening the Communists' one-party rule.
The National People's Congress amended the Constitution and reformed government structures in March, allowing Xi to cement his grip on power.
The authorities are also taking steps to suppress pro-democracy movements and criticism of the party and the government.
They have put human rights lawyers under surveillance and are censoring opinions posted online.
Key words : volcanic eruption
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180604_22/
A volcanic eruption in Guatemala has reportedly killed at least 25 people and injured nearly 300.
The Fuego volcano erupted on Sunday, spewing columns of gray smoke from near its peak.
Media outlets quote officials as saying that the victims include those who died in fires after lava flows reached residential areas.
The reports also say that about 3,100 people have been evacuated.
The volcano is 40 kilometers southwest of the Central American country's capital, Guatemala City.
The city's international airport has been closed for safety reasons.
Key words : Insight lay judge system
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Key words : nikkei
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180604_23/
Share prices in Tokyo rose sharply on Monday.
The benchmark Nikkei Average ended the day at 22,475, up 304 points from Friday's close.
The broader TOPIX index gained 25 points to finish at 1,774.
Market sources say prospects that the US economy will continue to expand prompted investors to buy shares, even with risk involved.
They say the yen's weakness against the dollar also contributed to a rise in shares of export-related stocks on Monday afternoon.
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