A ceremony was held in Nagasaki on Thursday to mark the atomic bombing of the city 73 years ago.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary says the government has not changed its policy of advancing a plan to relocate a US military base within Okinawa Prefecture.
A leading member of Japan's main ruling Party has indicated that he will run for party presidency in September.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20180809200000_english_1.mp3
Key words : ceremony was held Nagasaki
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180809_24/
People in Japan are observing 73 years since American forces carried out their second atomic bomb attack on the country during World War Two. A memorial service was held in the city of Nagasaki where the bomb was dropped, just 3 days after the first one leveled Hiroshima. For the first time a United Nations Secretary-General took part in the Nagasaki ceremony.
The city's Peace Park fell silent at 11:02 AM -- the exact moment the bomb exploded in 1945.
More than 70,000 people died in that year alone, and many others from long-term effects. 3,511 survivors passed away in the last 12 months, including a leading advocate for nuclear disarmament.
Among the thousands in attendance were dignitaries of more than 70 countries. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also joined.
The average age of the remaining survivors, known as hibakusha, is now over 82.
An atomic bomb survivor, Terumi Tanaka said, "To this day, I cannot erase from my memory the horrifying scene I witnessed in the Urakami area that day. In a matter of seconds, the atomic bomb indiscriminately stole many lives and injured a great number of people. It will continue to haunt the hibakusha until the day they die. Of all the things humans can do to one another, this is one that can never be forgiven or tolerated."
Tanaka was 13 at the time of the blast and lost 5 relatives on that day. He led a national group of bombing survivors for nearly 2 decades and has dedicated his life to telling his story to people around the world.
The anniversary comes as the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was adopted at the UN last year.
Nuclear powers such as the US and Russia didn't support the adoption and have not signed it. Japan which is protected by America's nuclear umbrella also has not signed it. For the treaty to come into force, 50 countries need to ratify it, but so far only 14 have.
The mayor of Nagasaki made an appeal to nuclear powers and countries that depend on their protection -- he then specifically called on the Japanese government.
Tomihisa Taue said, "I strongly request that you change your security policies so your countries do not depend on nuclear weapons. I urge you to do so before humanity once again commits a mistake that would result in even more atomic bomb victims. I hereby ask that the Government of Japan, the only country to have suffered from the wartime use of nuclear weapons, support the nuclear weapons ban treaty. I also ask the government to fulfill its moral obligation to lead the world towards denuclearization."
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe maintains Japan will not sign the treaty. Abe has said his country shares the treaty's goal of abolishing nuclear weapons, but not its approach.
Abe said, "To truly achieve a world without nuclear weapons, we need to start by clearly understanding that nuclear bomb attacks have tragic results. We also need to get cooperation from countries with and without nuclear weapons. Japan is determined to act as a bridge between the 2 sides and lead the efforts of the international community. We are committed to the three principles of not producing, possessing or allowing nuclear arms on our territory."
In his speech, the UN Secretary-General highlighted how nuclear states are ramping up their arsenals. Guterres also pointed to the slow progress towards nuclear abolition and made his own appeal.
Guterres said, "Here in Nagasaki, I call on countries to commit to nuclear disarmament and to start making visible progress as a matter of urgency."
Many in Nagasaki are spending the day reflecting on the past and praying for peace.
Key words : anniversary comes refrain
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Key words : Kono welcomed
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180809_21/
Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono has welcomed the global disarmament strategy that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres unveiled in May.
Kono held talks with Guterres in Nagasaki on Thursday before the annual peace memorial ceremony to mark the 1945 atomic bombing of the city.
Kono said the initiative will accelerate the momentum for disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation. He said he highly appreciates the specific proposals it contains.
The plan outlines the actions the world body needs to take to achieve the goal of global disarmament, such as encouraging the nuclear and non-nuclear states to narrow their differences.
Kono and Guterres agreed on the importance of maintaining the UN Security Council sanctions on North Korea with a view to achieving the complete denuclearization of the country.
They also discussed the UN chief's drive to reform the world body. Kono said Japan largely supports this effort, and he is hopeful that progress will be made in overhauling the Security Council.
Key words : chief cabinet
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180809_28/
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga says the government has not changed its policy of advancing a plan to relocate a US military base within Okinawa Prefecture.
Suga was speaking to reporters on Thursday, one day after Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga died of pancreatic cancer. The top government spokesman said he was shocked by Onaga's death and offered his condolences.
Onaga was a vocal opponent of the plan to relocate the US Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Ginowan City to a less populated coastal area of Nago City.
Suga said the government maintains its view that the plan is the only viable option, in view of the increasingly severe security environment surrounding Japan.
He cited the need to maintain the deterrence provided by the Japan-US security alliance and to remove the risk of having a base in a densely populated area.
Suga added that the government is determined to reduce the base-hosting burdens on Okinawa.
The government is set to begin placing soil and sand inside seawalls at the relocation site as early as Friday next week.
Key words : Ishiba
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180809_34/
Former Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Shigeru Ishiba has indicated that he will officially announce on Friday he will run for party presidency in September.
Ishiba was speaking at a meeting of his intra-party faction members on Thursday.
He would be the first to officially announce candidacy in the main governing party's presidential race.
Ishiba said choosing the party president is to choose Japan's prime minister, and it is necessary for candidates to let their views be known widely to the nation.
Ishiba said he will put in his utmost efforts in the coming month or so.
Ishiba added whatever the election outcome, it should be utilized fully for the management of the party and the state. He suggested that party members should not consider what cabinet or party posts they might get after the election, or what happens if they cast opposing votes.
Ishiba has also served as defense minister, agriculture minister, and regional revitalization minister as well as the LDP Policy Research Council chairman.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has indicated his strong intent to run for a third 3-year term as party president.
Ishiba's candidacy means balloting will take place in the presidential race for the first time in 6 years.
In the last election in 2015, Abe was re-elected uncontested because no one else ran.
Key words : family member
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180809_35/
The family members of Japanese people snatched by North Korea have made fresh calls for their return just days before the 40th anniversary of their abduction.
Shuichi Ichikawa and Rumiko Masumoto were taken from Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on August 12th, 1978.
The pair went to a beach to see the sunset, never to return. Ichikawa's elder brother Kenichi and Masumoto's younger brother Teruaki distributed flyers near the site on Thursday to call for information and help for their return.
Kenichi Ichikawa said visiting the site was painful as it reminds him of how he and others desperately searched for his missing brother 40 years ago.
He said he will keep fighting until all abductees are back because they are waiting to be rescued.
Teruaki Masumoto said the abduction issue was raised in the recent US-North Korea summit, and the Japanese government should not miss this last chance for a resolution.
On the same day 40 years ago, Miyoshi Soga was taken from Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture, together with her daughter Hitomi. Hitomi returned to Japan in 2002, but the mother's whereabouts remain unknown.
Hitomi Soga issued a statement on Thursday, and urged the government to hold a summit with North Korea to allow all the abductees to return home.
Soga expressed her regret for failing to see her mother's smiles again despite all her efforts, which included signature-collection campaigns.
She said time is running out because family members are aging.
Soga said Japan's government must negotiate with North Korea in all possible ways to hold a summit as soon as possible.
The government says at least 17 Japanese nationals were abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 80s. Only five, including Hitomi Soga, were returned.
Key words : world famous
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180806_38/
World famous French master chef Joel Robuchon has died at age 73.
Robuchon's office says he died on Monday in Geneva, Switzerland.
Robuchon opened a number of restaurants around the world. At one time, he was holder of the world's most Michelin stars, including the highest ranking of 3 stars.
Robuchon's ties with Japan were especially strong. He opened a number of his namesake restaurants in Tokyo. He was known in Japan as the "god of French cuisine".
French media report Robuchon underwent an operation for his pancreatic cancer about a year ago but continued cooking.
In May, he visited a sake brewery in the western Japanese city of Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture ahead of opening a restaurant in Paris, where diners can enjoy Japanese rice wine with French cuisine.
Key words : Insight Robuchon's experience in Japan
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Key words : government food self-sufficiency
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180809_19/
The Japanese government says the nation's food self-sufficiency is unchanged at the 2nd lowest level on record for 2 years in a row.
The agriculture ministry says the food-sufficiency rate was 38 percent in fiscal 2017, the same as the figure for 2016. The rate is based on calorie intake.
The ministry says that the figure is the second lowest on record following the 37 percent recorded in fiscal 1993, when a cool summer severely affected the rice harvest.
The lower food self-sufficiency rate is mainly due to an increase in the consumption of beef and other livestock products, which are mostly imported. In addition, rice consumption is steadily declining, despite its self-sufficiency rate being relatively high.
The rate peaked at 79 percent in fiscal 1960 when record-taking began, and it has been on the decline ever since. Japan's food self-sufficiency is now the lowest level among major industrialized countries.
Meanwhile, the self-sufficiency rate based on the production value went down 2 percentage points from the previous year to 65 percent, thanks to a weaker yen that led to the increased value of imported meat and maritime products. But the figure was also the 2nd lowest on record.
Hiroshi Iwama, a senior official at the agriculture ministry, says that his ministry will try to recover the food self-sufficiency rate by expanding the production of wheat and soy beans as well as training young people who will lead in developing the agricultural sector.
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