at 20:00 (JST), October 16 AS

General spending allocation in Japan's national budget for fiscal 2019 may top 100 trillion yen mark.

Japan's Prime Minister has departed for a tour of European countries.

Turkish investigators have concluded a search of the Saudi consulate in Istanbul aimed at Khashoggi whrerabouts missing journalist.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20181016200000_english_1.mp3


Key words : spending trillion
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20181016_06/

General spending in Japan's national budget for fiscal 2019 may top 100 trillion yen, or about 895 billion US dollars, for the first time in the initial plan. The government is working to include in its plan steps to mitigate the effects of a scheduled consumption tax hike.

At a Cabinet meeting on Monday, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reiterated that the consumption tax will go up from the current 8 percent to 10 percent as planned in October 2019. He told his ministers to take steps to ease its impact.

The Finance Ministry is considering measures to encourage people to buy houses and cars and prevent a plunge in sales at small and mid-sized retailers.

In the budget plan for fiscal 2019, the ministry plans to request funding for these steps and other measures.

This comes on top of the more than 900 billion US dollars that ministries and agencies have requested for fiscal 2019.

Japan's national budget has been increasing to make up for the country's declining birthrate, the aging population and measures to resolve issues still lingering from the collapse of the economic bubble in the 1990s.

Key words : government how to minimize
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20181015_32/

The Japanese government is looking at how to minimize the impact of the tax hike.

That's because consumers shut their wallets when the tax on all consumer goods was raised from 5 percent to 8 percent in April 2014. Annualized GDP shrank 7.1 percent after that.

This time the government is thinking of ways to prevent the economy from cooling down.

One is a system of subsidies to help consumers and smaller retailers. People making cashless payments will get points worth 2 percent of what they pay. They can use the points for future purchases.

There are also plans to prevent a slump in sales of big-ticket items like houses and cars.

Officials are looking at bigger tax breaks for people with mortgages, and expanding benefits for homebuyers whose annual income is below a certain level. They also plan to reduce taxes on car purchases.

The government will introduce a multiple tax rate system that will exempt certain items from the hike. Food, non-alcoholic beverages and some newspapers will still be taxed at 8 percent. The idea is to ease the burden on lower-income people.

Alcohol will be taxed at the new rate. So will restaurant orders -- but not takeouts. That's raising concern among dining establishments ... because some customers who order food to be taken away may actually eat it on the premises.

Government officials expect the tax increase to result in an additional 50 billion dollars in annual revenue. That will be used to help pay off Japan's huge fiscal deficit and for social welfare.

Key words : according
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20181016_36/

A Tokyo court has begun questioning 3 former executives of Tokyo Electric Power Company about their involvement in the 2011 nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.

Former chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata and former vice presidents Ichiro Takekuro and Sakae Muto were indicted by court-appointed lawyers on charges of professional negligence resulting in death. All 3 have denied the charges.

Public prosecutors decided in 2013 not to press charges against the 3. But a prosecution inquest panel of randomly selected citizens later voted to indict them. This led to mandatory indictment by the lawyers appointed by the court to act as prosecutors.

Muto took the stand first on Tuesday at the Tokyo District Court. The former vice president in charge of nuclear plant safety measures apologized at the start of his hearing.

In 2008, 3 years before the accident, Muto received an in-house report that said tsunami waves up to 15.7 meters high could hit Fukushima Daiichi, according to calculations based on the government's long-term assessment of tsunami.

More than a month later, Muto allegedly ordered the matter referred to the Japan Society of Civil Engineers for further consideration. Lawyers acting as prosecutors claim Muto put off anti-tsunami safety measures.

Muto said he was told the long-term assessment lacked credibility because experts have different opinions about it.

He said the only option was to refer the matter to civil engineering experts.

Muto added that seeking opinions of outside experts is standard procedure in making management decisions.

He strongly denied putting off countermeasures, and described the allegations as totally unthinkable.

Key words : abe left
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20181016_19/

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has left for his European tour, including attending a summit of the Asia-Europe meeting known as ASEM.

He left Tokyo on Tuesday morning bound for Spain, the first leg of the 5-day tour.

He will also visit France and attend the ASEM summit scheduled for Thursday and Friday in Brussels, Belgium, before returning to Japan on Saturday.

Ahead of his departure, Abe told reporters that he hopes to establish close policy coordination with other leaders over North Korean issues. He said he will appeal for resolution not only of nuclear and missile programs, but also the abduction of Japanese nationals -- Japan's first and foremost concern.

Abe also referred to concern over a possible global economic slowdown triggered by trade friction between the United States and China.

He said he will call for the early implementation of the economic partnership agreement between Japan and the European Union that was signed earlier this year. Abe said he will tell the meeting that Japan supports free trade, and will seek cooperation from others.

On the sidelines of the ASEM summit in Brussels, the prime minister is expected to hold bilateral talks with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.

Key words : Aso currency issue
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20181016_30/

Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso says currency issues will not be part of any new trade pact between Japan and the United States.

Aso's comment goes counter to Washington's stance recently expressed by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. He said future trade pacts with Japan and other countries will need to have rules against intentional currency devaluations aimed at boosting exports.

Aso said he understands that Mnuchin wants to include a currency provision, given that he has to notify Congress of currency practices of other countries.

But he added, "realistically speaking, trade negotiations basically won't include currency issues."

Aso also said there has been no specific dialogue or discussion on the topic between the 2 countries.

Key words : turkish investigator missing journalist
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20181016_11/

US media say Saudi Arabia is preparing to concede that a missing journalist was mistakenly killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

The reports come as Turkish investigators entered the consulate on Monday night to search for evidence on the fate of Jamal Khashoggi.

The journalist has been missing since he entered the consulate on October 2nd. He's a leading critic of the Saudi Arabian government.

Saudi authorities have denied allegations that Khashoggi was killed, but formed a joint investigative team with Turkey last week in a show of cooperation. A search of a consulate is rare, as it enjoys immunity.

CNN and The Wall Street Journal have reported that Saudi officials are preparing to say that Khashoggi died at the consulate during an interrogation that went wrong.

Both media quoted sources familiar with the matter. The Saudi Arabian government has not commented on the reports.

Key words : trial Boston
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20181016_16/

A trial in federal court in Boston, Massachusetts, began on Monday in a lawsuit alleging that Harvard University discriminates against Asian-American applicants.

The conservative anti-affirmative action organization, Students for Fair Admissions, filed the suit against the prestigious Ivy League university.

Local media quote the organization as insisting that Asian-Americans outperform applicants of other races academically as well as in other criteria but are treated unfairly in admissions.

The plaintiff's lawyers say Harvard intentionally uses a vague personal rating to decrease the number of Asian-American applicants admitted in favor of students from other racial backgrounds.

The university says about 23 percent of its new students this year are Asian-Americans. But the organization insists the ratio should be higher.

Harvard University President Lawrence Bacow has said "in seeking to achieve a diverse student body, race may enter the process as one factor among many in consideration."

In the United States, affirmative action has been in place for many years, aiming for equality among races and giving African-Americans and other minorities preferential treatment. Students of Asian origins are opposing such policies, saying that they in turn are being discriminated against.

A ruling is expected in about 3 weeks. The case is drawing attention as it could change policies that favor minorities.

Key words : UN sanction committee
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20181016_26/

The UN Security Council Sanctions Committee on North Korea says it's keeping a close eye on plans from both Koreas to fix transport links that cross the military demarcation line. It comes amid growing concern that the inter-Korean rail and road projects might infringe on an international sanctions regime against the North.

The head of the committee, Karel van Oosterom, who is also Dutch Ambassador to UN, had to say after a meeting, "If you have any issue where you need guidance from the committee whether it falls under sanctions or not. They can contact, there is an information process for that. So if there were to happen then the committee would make the judgment."

On Monday, Ministers from the 2 Koreas discussed ways to work together to fix the transport links.

Both sides are set to hold ground-breaking ceremonies in late November or early December.

But the projects have stoked concern that the work could violate sanctions.

The Security Council has imposed broad sanctions on Pyongyang in an effort to pressure it to abandon its nuclear and missile programs.

Key words : foreign student
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20181016_32/

A recruitment event for foreign students was held in Tokyo on Tuesday amid a rise in Japanese firms seeking to hire such students.

The Tokyo Labor Bureau sponsored the event in which 21 companies from manufacturing, services and other industries in Tokyo and surrounding areas set up booths for interviews.

About 500 foreign students gathered for the event. They will be graduating from universities or vocational schools next spring.

In their interviews, students explained in Japanese why they wanted to work at those firms, or asked recruiters for job details.

An increasing number of companies are employing foreign students as the labor shortage becomes serious. In 2017, a record 22,000 foreign students either found a job in Japan or chose to start a business after finishing university or vocational school.

A Nepalese student at the event said Japanese firms are attractive as they operate globally. He said he'll do his best to find a job using what he studied in Japan.

The event was held by the Tokyo Employment Service Center for Foreigners. An official of the center, Takehiko Tsuda, said more foreigners, mainly students from Vietnam and Nepal, are seeking jobs in Japan, where the technology is advanced. He also said many firms are eager to employ foreign students, and he will coordinate between them.

The event will go on until Thursday.

Key words : previous othello piloted
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20181016_29/

The previous youngest world champion of the board game Othello has piloted a passenger plane carrying Keisuke Fukuchi, who set the new record on Friday at the age of 11.

The Japanese 5th grader won the World Othello Championship in Prague, in the Czech Republic, on Friday, breaking the previous record set 36 years ago.

Fukuchi and Japan's delegation were returning home from Germany on an All Nippon Airways flight on Sunday when the plane's captain made a surprise announcement.

In a video taken by a Japan Othello Association executive, the captain can be heard congratulating the 11-year-old on his victory.

The pilot introduced himself as Kunihiko Tanida, who became the youngest world champion when he was 15. He said the record has now been greatly extended.

Japan's Othello delegation and other passengers applauded and cheered.

The surprise turned out to have been planned by the airline. After learning about a month ago that the delegation would be taking the flight, it scheduled Tanida as the pilot.

Tanida had flown the group once before, but says he never imagined his record would be broken this time.

The airline says it does not ban pilots from making certain announcements, and that the congratulatory message was full of his passion for the game.

Online commenters have called the message amazing, heartfelt and like a succession ceremony between champions.

Othello is played by 2 people on a board with 8 rows and 8 columns and a set of disks with light and dark sides. It is also known as reversi. The players compete to get a majority of their colored pieces.