US Vice President says the return of remains of US servicemen who died in the Korean War signals tangible progress in the efforts to achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula.
The US government is again stepping up its pressure on China over trade.
Sources say Tokyo Medical University reduced entrance examination scores for female test-takers to curb the number of women accepted at the school.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20180802200000_english_1.mp3
Key words : US vice
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180802_19/
US Vice President Mike Pence says the return of remains of US servicemen who died in the Korean War signals tangible progress in the efforts to achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Pence spoke at a ceremony at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii on Wednesday to mark the arrival of the remains of the 55 servicemen. They were handed over by North Korea last month.
Service members carried the flag-draped cases containing the remains from transport planes one by one to a hangar.
The remains will undergo DNA and other forensic tests at a laboratory of the Defense Department in Hawaii, before being returned to the families.
The repatriation is part of the agreements reached at a summit meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June.
It is estimated that the remains of about 5,300 US service members are still in North Korea.
The US Defense Department is considering dispatching officials to the North to conduct a joint search.
Attention is focused on whether the repatriation will lead to building trust between the 2 countries and help the negotiations on the North's denuclearization to move forward.
Key words : head of the US
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180802_18/
The head of the US Strategic Command has said the fact North Korea has not fired a ballistic missile since November suggests things are moving in a positive direction. But he stated the US remains fully prepared against any threat.
General John Hyten spoke to reporters on Wednesday.
Referring to the halt in North Korea's ballistic missile launches, he said, "When you don't launch, you don't learn." He said it was a significant change in the country's missile program.
Hyten refused to comment on what the US knows about North Korea's activities on the ground to improve its missiles, saying it would reveal the intelligence sources.
The US Strategic Command is responsible for global missile defense.
Hyten was also asked about Russia's concern over Japan's plan to deploy the land-based missile defense system Aegis Ashore.
He said Japan's deployment is a wise strategy to enhance its defense system against the threat from North Korea. He said it has nothing to do with Russia.
Key words : US government pressure
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180802_15/
The US government is again stepping up its pressure on China over trade.
The Trump administration is considering raising its proposed tariff on an additional 200 billion dollars' worth of Chinese imports. The rate would climb from 10 percent to 25 percent.
This comes after China retaliated in kind to a US tariff of 25 percent on 34 billion dollars of Chinese goods. American officials cited violations of intellectual property rights as a reason for the levies.
US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said in a statement on Wednesday that President Trump directed him to consider increasing the planned tariff.
Lighthizer said, "The 25 percent duty would be applied to the proposed list of products previously announced on July 10th."
He added that, "The Trump Administration continues to urge China to stop its unfair practices, open its market, and engage in true market competition."
Lighthizer noted that US officials "remain ready to engage with China in negotiations."
But with Washington's latest move upping the ante in the conflict, there seems to be no sign of tensions easing soon.
Key words : Insight Pakistan new prime minister
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Key words : sources say female
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180802_23/
Sources say Tokyo Medical University, which is at the center of a recent bribery scandal, reduced entrance examination scores for female test-takers to curb the number of women accepted at the school.
Last month, Tokyo prosecutors indicted the former head of the university's board of directors and its former president on charges of illicitly enrolling a son of a senior Education Ministry official in return for favorable treatment in a ministry subsidy program.
The sources say the university reduced scores for female applicants at a certain rate in the first-stage of its entrance examination for the medical course earlier this year.
They say it was intended to curb the number of female applicants who would be given a place at the school.
They say such a practice started after the pass rate of women topped 30 percent in 2010, but it was never made public.
2,614 applicants sat the exams for this academic year, of whom 171 passed. The ratios of successful applicants were 8.8 percent for men and 2.9 percent for women.
The university says it is not aware of the practice and is conducting an internal probe into the allegations with a view to disclosing the outcome in about a week.
A university official told NHK that many female doctors find it hard to work long hours or respond to emergency calls after marrying or giving birth, which allegedly tends to hamper the smooth running of hospitals.
The Education Ministry says it is important for all universities to clearly state in their exam guidelines and elsewhere how the selection of successful applicants is made.
The ministry says it is unaware of the alleged practice. It adds that if Tokyo Medical University actually manipulated exam scores on the grounds of gender, such an act would be improper.
Key words : foreign media
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180802_27/
Foreign media are providing wide coverage of the test score reductions by Tokyo Medical University aimed at curbing the number of women accepted at the school.
The French news agency AFP reports the university justified the practice of reducing scores for female applicants at a certain rate on the grounds that women doctors often quit after marrying or giving birth.
The news agency reports Japanese women are highly educated in general but the country's notoriously long work hours force many women out of the workplace when they start families.
It adds that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is promoting women's participation in the labor force but the pace of progress has been slow.
Key words : governing minorities
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180802_26/
Japan's governing Liberal Democratic Party has admonished one of its lawmakers for accusing sexual minorities of being unproductive.
Lower House member Mio Sugita made the controversial comment in an article she wrote for a magazine in July.
She asked if the public can support spending taxpayers' money on LGBT couples, and stated her view that they don't have children, in other words, they lack productivity. LGBT stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.
The Liberal Democratic Party released what it called its view on LGBT people on its website on Wednesday.
The party said that Sugita was expressing her personal opinion, but she lacks proper understanding of the issue and consideration for sexual minorities.
The party said it had warned her to be more careful.
The LDP said it is studying legal systems in other countries, as part of its ongoing discussion about sexual minorities.
It added that its lawmakers are working to draft legislation aimed at promoting correct understanding of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Key words : extreme heat across Japan pushed up
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180802_12/
Extreme heat is expected to continue across Japan on Thursday, with highs of 39 degrees Celsius forecast in some areas.
The Meteorological Agency says temperatures are being pushed up nationwide by a dominant high-pressure system.
They had already topped 30 degrees by 8:30 AM at several locations.
Expected daytime highs are 39 degrees for Maebashi and Kumagaya, north of Tokyo, 38 degrees for Nagoya and Kyoto, 37 degrees for Fukushima and Yamaguchi, 36 degrees for Okayama and Hiroshima, and 35 degrees for Tokyo and Osaka.
People in areas affected by extreme heat should use air conditioners and avoid daytime exercise. They also need to keep hydrated and take salt to avoid heatstroke.
Key words : Japanese testing
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180802_33/
Japanese officials are testing ways to protect people with disabilities from summer heat during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Experts from the Tokyo Metropolitan Agriculture and Forestry Research Center and Gunma University conducted an experiment in Tokyo on Thursday.
They invited people who struggle to control their body temperatures because they have lost the ability to sweat after injury or disease.
At the test site, potted trees about 3 meters tall were used to create shade, and machines sprayed mist on the necks and feet of people in wheelchairs.
The researchers say that in previous experiments, the combination of trees and mist showers lowered temperatures felt by about 10 degrees Celsius.
One of the participants said the mist showers need to be adjusted. Another said that there should be a caution about wet ground.
Professor Kenji Amagai of Gunma University stressed the need to verify effective ways for spectators of the Tokyo Games to stay free of heat stress.
He said that the tree and mist combination could also be used to combat the heat even after the Games.
Key words : Japanese carrier all nippon
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180802_32/
Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways will cancel more than 200 international flights of its Boeing 787 "Dreamliner" fleet, due to a problem with engine parts.
ANA has already cancelled 997 domestic flights of the aircraft in July and August to conduct checks on its Rolls-Royce engines, following the discovery of defects on other flights.
ANA said on Thursday that the same problem will force cancellations of 212 international flights in September and October.
The cancellations involve 3 routes, 2 connecting Narita to Los Angeles, or Hong Kong, and another linking Chubu Centrair International Airport outside Nagoya to Hong Kong.
ANA will provide seats on other flights for people who have already booked seats.
The airline says it will probably cancel about 10 additional domestic flights a day in September and October. It will announce the details on August 9th.
Key words : Hirosaki
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180802_11/
One of northern Japan's major summer festivals has begun in the city of Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture.
The Hirosaki Neputa Festival is designated as a "national important intangible folk cultural property". It is believed to have originated from an event started centuries ago to ward off sleepiness and laziness during the busy farming season.
The parade kicked off on Wednesday evening, with about 40 floats decorated with fan-shaped tops being pulled through the streets while people chanted.
The tops have heroic warriors drawn on one side and contrasting figures of beautiful women on the other.
The largest float is about 9 meters tall.
A large crowd of tourists along the streets watched or took photos as the floats passed by.
A tourist from Switzerland said he found the festival enjoyable as it allows spectators to feel united with the carriers of the floats.
The festival runs until Tuesday. 77 floats are scheduled to appear.
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