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Japan's Prime Minister and US President have agreed to start discussions on expanding bilateral trade and investment.
Japan's Prime Minister said he will reshuffle his Cabinet next week.
A signing ceremony for the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was held in New York on Wednesday.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20180927200000_english_1.mp3
Key words : prime to start discussion joint statement
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180927_17/
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US President Donald Trump agreed to start discussions on expanding bilateral trade and investment.
In a joint statement after their meeting on Wednesday in New York, the 2 leaders also reaffirmed their determination to realize free, fair and open development of the global economy.
The statement said Japan and the US will enter into negotiations for a "Trade Agreement on Goods," following the completion of necessary domestic procedures.
It said Japan and the US will conduct discussions based on mutual trust and refrain from taking measures against the spirit of the statement during the process of the consultations.
Abe and Trump agreed that the US will refrain from imposing tariffs on Japanese cars while the talks are underway.
The statement said Japan and the US will respect the position of the other side. It said, "For Japan, with regard to agricultural, forestry, and fishery products, outcomes related to market access as reflected in Japan's previous economic partnership agreements constitute the maximum level." This means tariffs on such products would not be lowered beyond levels agreed upon under the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement and other trade pacts Japan earlier concluded.
The statement said Japan and the US also intend to have negotiations on other trade and investment items following the completion of the talks on TAG.
The statement said the 2 countries will work together to address unfair trading practices including intellectual property theft and trade-distorting industrial subsidies, apparently with China in mind.
The Abe-Trump meeting followed the third inter-Korea summit held in Pyongyang last week and also came after this week's two summits between the US and South Korea and between Japan and South Korea in New York.
Abe and Trump reaffirmed that their countries will continue to work together along with South Korea so that the UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea will be fully implemented and the issue of abductions of Japanese nationals by the North will be resolved.
Key words : abe reshuffle
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180927_11/
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has announced that Japan and the United States will begin negotiations on a bilateral trade agreement on goods, and that there will be no new tariffs while the talks are underway.
Abe spoke at a news conference following his summit meeting with US President Donald Trump in New York on Wednesday.
In addition to the start of bilateral negotiations, Abe explained that the 2 countries affirmed they will not agree to tariff cuts on farm products above levels set by the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement and other past economic partnership deals.
They also agreed to refrain from taking measures against the spirit of their joint statement, meaning they will not impose new tariffs on each other during the course of negotiations.
Abe noted that the Japan-US Trade Agreement on Goods is completely different from comprehensive free trade agreements Japan has signed in the past.
On North Korea, Abe stressed that denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is a priority, and that he and the leaders of the US and South Korea agreed to continue working closely toward that goal.
Abe expressed willingness to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in person, and stressed his determination to normalize diplomatic ties with the North by resolving the abduction of Japanese nationals, addressing their past and working on missile and nuclear issues.
On the domestic front, Abe said he will reshuffle his Cabinet next week.
He revealed that Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga will retain their posts.
Key words : signing ceremony
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180927_27/
A signing ceremony for the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was held in New York on Wednesday. 4 more countries submitted ratification documents.
The treaty adopted in July last year prohibits countries from developing, possessing and using nuclear weapons.
The signing ceremony was held on September 26th, which the United Nations has designated as "International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons."
At the ceremony, 7 countries signed the treaty, bringing the total number of signatory countries and territories to 67.
In addition, 4 more countries submitted ratification documents, which means 19 countries and territories have so far ratified the treaty. 50 countries need to ratify the treaty before it takes effect.
Among those who attended the function are General Assembly President Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces and UN Under Secretary General in charge of disarmament affairs Izumi Nakamitsu.
Espinosa expressed hope that the momentum for nuclear disarmament will grow stronger and the treaty will take effect at an early date.
Beatrice Fihn, the head of International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons known as ICAN, who was also present, expects the treaty to take effect by the end of next year, citing steady progress on ratification procedures.
She also hopes that both non-nuclear and nuclear armed countries will help raise public awareness about the elimination of nuclear weapons to prompt every government to take action.
Japan has not joined the treaty, saying it is not realistic and will not lead to nuclear disarmament.
Key words : The head UN agency
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180927_18/
The head of a UN agency aiding Palestinian refugees has criticized the US administration of President Donald Trump for its decision to cut funding.
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees runs schools, clinics and other programs for up to 5.3 million Palestinians.
But in August, the pro-Israeli Trump administration announced it was cutting off funding to the agency, which could force it to suspend all aid activities. The US has been the agency's biggest donor.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krahenbuhl spoke in an interview with NHK in New York on Wednesday.
Krahenbuhl said that to cut humanitarian funding to put pressure on the Palestinian leadership is an act of politicization of humanitarian aid. He added that he has never seen such an act of politicization of this scale.
Japan and other donor countries will hold an emergency ministerial meeting on Thursday to discuss UNRWA's financial crisis.
Krahenbuhl said several countries are expected to pledge additional funding, so his agency will be able to keep its schools and clinics open through October.
He called for further international aid for Palestinian refugees.
Key words : Insight outlook of Palestinian refugee asistance
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Key words : Mitsubishi Electric abolished
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180927_28/
Japan's Mitsubishi Electric says 3 of its staff who were employed under the discretionary working system were declared eligible for worker's compensation in recent years. The firm abolished the system in March.
Under the discretionary working system, employers pay a fixed wage, regardless of the hours put in by workers in certain professional categories. But critics of this system say employees could be made to work excessive overtime.
Mitsubishi Electric says an employee in his 40s developed a psychological problem and killed himself in 2016. He had worked in a research and development division in Hyogo Prefecture. Last year, labor authorities concluded that excessive overtime was a factor in his death.
Mitsubishi Electric says 2 employees in other sections developed illnesses, including strokes in 2013 and 2016. They were later recognized as eligible for workers' compensation.
The firm adopted the discretionary working system for about 10,000 engineers, or about one-third of its employees, but abolished it in March.
Mitsubishi Electric says the move was not related to the decisions on workers' compensation, but it takes them seriously and will keep track of employees' working hours and take steps to protect their health.
Some observers say the company's abolition of the system could affect the debate on its possible expansion in the future.
Key words : Denso
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180927_19/
Leading Japanese auto parts maker Denso is moving to boost its research and development into self-driving technology. The company is about to begin an in-house recruitment drive for more engineers.
Sources tell NHK that Denso is looking to secure more than 100 engineers over a one month period.
They'll work on developing autonomous driving software at the company's new R&D facility in Tokyo.
Denso is keen to move into the fast developing field of self-driving technology that has already attracted major IT firms.
The move is expected to intensify competition among makers developing such technologies.
Key words : large strong slowly moving
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180927_39/
A large and very strong typhoon is forecast to come very close to western parts of Japan's main island of Honshu on Sunday. Weather officials are warning of strong wind gusts, high waves and heavy rains.
The Meteorological Agency says Typhoon Trami was about 500 kilometers southeast of Miyako Island as of 3 PM on Thursday. It was slowly moving northwest.
It had a central atmospheric pressure of 955 hectopascals and was packing winds of 162 kilometers per hour near its center.
The agency says the typhoon will retain its power, head north, and approach Okinawa Prefecture and the Amami region of Kagoshima Prefecture around Saturday.
Trami is then expected to change its course to the northeast and come very close to western areas of Honshu Island.
After that, the storm may move toward eastern and northern Japan.
Agency officials are calling on people to stay updated with the latest information.
Key words : Otaki
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180927_30/
Bereaved families have mourned loved ones who died when Mount Ontake in central Japan erupted 4 years ago.
Japan's deadliest postwar volcanic disaster occurred on September 27th, 2014, leaving 58 people dead and 5 unaccounted for.
A memorial service was held in the village of Otaki in Nagano Prefecture on Thursday to mark the 4th anniversary of the eruption. The village is at the foot of Mount Ontake.
The mourners, including local officials, observed a moment of silence when sirens blared at 11:52 AM -- the exact time of the eruption.
The mayor of nearby Kiso Town, Kunio Hara, said local governments have a duty to convey the lessons learned from the disaster to future generations to ensure there will be no more victims.
Koji Nagayama lost his 11-year-old daughter Akari in the disaster. He gave a speech on behalf of the bereaved families.
He said he didn't speak to his daughter when she left to climb the mountain on that day because he never imagined that she wouldn't come back alive.
Nagayama asked the local authorities to review whether they should have imposed entry restrictions on the mountain before it erupted.
On Wednesday, Kiso partially lifted the entry restrictions within a one-kilometer radius of the crater, allowing bereaved families and climbers to go to the summit for the first time since the eruption.
The local authorities have built a shelter near the summit, but they still face the challenge of how to evacuate climbers quickly if the volcano erupts again.
Key words : China largest launched in
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180927_40/
China's largest ride-hailing platform Didi Chuxing has launched in Japan. The firm says its AI dispatch system will cut waiting times for passengers and reduce downtime for drivers.
Didi has partnered with Japanese telecommunications firm Softbank to make its debut into the local market.
The company has chosen Osaka, in the western part of the country, to gain its first foothold.
Across Osaka Prefecture, roughly 1,000 taxis with 12 cab operators are now using Didi's system.
The firm plans to expand across the country and hopes to capitalize on the growing number of Chinese visitors.
Didi's arrival in Japan is set to make the already crowded taxi market even more competitive.
