Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe left Tokyo for Moscow on Monday afternoon for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
A close aide to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has returned to Pyongyang from the United States after meeting with US officials including President Donald Trump.
Japan's Defense Ministry has released an audio file it says was recorded when a South Korean naval vessel directed its fire-control radar at a Self-Defense Force patrol plane on December 20th.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20190121200000_english_1.mp3
Key words : Abe left
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190121_25/
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe left Tokyo for Moscow on Monday afternoon for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Before his departure, Abe told reporters that negotiations with Russia on signing a peace treaty have been an issue for over 70 years, and resolving it is not easy.
He expressed hope that he and Putin will open their minds and make as much progress as possible in discussions that would include a solution to the issue of the Russian-held islands that are known in Japan as the Northern Territoties.
Russia controls the four islands. Japan claims them. The Japanese government maintains the islands are an inherent part of Japan's territory. It says the islands were illegally occupied after World War Two.
The 25th summit between the two leaders is scheduled for Tuesday.
After Moscow, Abe will head for Switzerland to attend the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, for the first time in five years.
He says he will convey Japan's positions on such global topics as creating rules for the digital era, promoting free trade, climate change and measures to tackle plastic waste in the ocean.
He also expressed hope that Japan will exercise leadership as the host of this year's Group of 20 summit, which will be held in Osaka, western Japan.
Key words : Kim returned
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190121_28/
A close aide to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has returned to Pyongyang from the United States after meeting with US officials including President Donald Trump.
Vice Chairman of Workers' Party of Korea Central Committee Kim Yong Chol arrived in Pyongyang on Monday via Beijing. He is in charge of high-level talks with the US.
Trump appeared to have urged Kim to take specific action toward North Korea's denuclearization during their talks in Washington on Friday.
A second US-North Korea summit is scheduled for late February. In a Fox News program on Sunday, US Vice President Mike Pence said the talks are expected to focus on specific steps reportedly promised by Kim Jong Un.
North Korea has insisted that it has already taken such measures, including closing down its nuclear test site. In exchange, it wants concessions from the US, including easing sanctions against Pyongyang.
Officials from the two countries are believed to be holding working-level talks in Sweden to prepare for a second summit.
Key words : Kono and have agreed
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190121_21/
Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have agreed to meet in mid-February to discuss the second US-North Korea summit.
Kono talked with Pompeo over the phone for about 20 minutes on Monday morning. Kono was briefed on the negotiations between the United States and North Korea.
The White House said last Friday that US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will hold their second summit late next month.
Kim Yong Chol, a close aide to the North Korean leader, met Trump on Friday.
Kono and Pompeo confirmed that Japan and the US will maintain close cooperation with South Korea.
They also agreed to work together to resolve the abductions of Japanese nationals by North Korea.
Key words : defense released new evidence
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190121_36/
Japan's Defense Ministry has released an audio file it says was recorded when a South Korean naval vessel directed its fire-control radar at a Self-Defense Force patrol plane on December 20th.
The 18-second file was made public on Monday as new evidence to back Japan's claim over the incident.
Seoul denies that a fire-control radar was directed at the aircraft, and says another radar was being used to search for a drifting North Korean ship.
Japanese Defense Ministry officials say the plane's crew were listening to the sound, which is a conversion of a radar's radio waves, through headphones.
Fire-control radars emit powerful radio waves to track targets.
The officials say the sound is characteristic of those heard when a fire-control radar is detected, and that it indicates one was directed at the plane.
The ministry says the file has been partially modified for the sake of confidentiality, because countries other than South Korea have the same fire-radar system.
For comparison, the ministry also released an audio file of the sound usually heard when a search radar is detected.
Defense officials from the two countries met last week, but failed to narrow their differences over the issue.
Key words : Carlos expressed
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190121_22/
Former Nissan Motor chairman Carlos Ghosn has expressed his willingness to accept "any and all" conditions for his bail.
Ghosn issued a statement through a spokesperson for his family on Sunday, two days after his lawyers filed a second request for bail with the Tokyo District Court.
He has been detained for more than 60 days for suspected financial misconduct.
Ghosn says in the statement that he will reside in Japan and respect any and all bail conditions the court concludes are warranted. Ghosn also repeated that he is not guilty of the charges against him and says he looks forward to defending his reputation in the courtroom.
The spokesperson says Ghosn's family has already rented a residence in Japan to prepare for his release.
US media reports say Ghosn is willing to wear a tracking device and use his Nissan shares as bail money.
Key words : new data shows
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190121_19/
New data shows China's economy is growing at its slowest rate in almost three decades as analysts suggest the ongoing trade war with the US is to blame.
China's National Bureau of Statistics released its GDP figures on Monday.
Recorded growth was 6.6 percent in 2018, which represents a 0.2 percentage point dip from the previous year. It marks the first time in two years that the world's second-largest economy has posted slowing annual growth.
The last time China reported a slower growth rate was in 1990. That's when its GDP increased by just 3.9 percent, due to the effects of the Tiananmen Square crackdown on the pro-democracy movement.
For last year's October-to-December quarter, officials say GDP grew 6.4 percent compared to the same period in 2017.
The Chinese government held back on infrastructure investment during 2018 to focus on reducing financial risks by curbing debt held by regional governments.
Trade woes with Washington put a dent on consumer spending. New car sales dipped below the previous year's level for the first time in 28 years.
Chinese officials have hammered out stimulus measures, including tax cuts. They also plan to increase investment in regional infrastructure.
Key words : Israel carried out
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190121_16/
Israel's military has carried out two days of massive air strikes in Syria, targeting elite Iranian units.
It launched the air raids in areas surrounding the capital, Damascus, and other parts of Syria, early on Monday. It said in a statement that the targets are the Iranian Quds Force operating in the country.
Syrian state media cited a military source as saying that Israel carried out intensive airstrikes with successive waves of guided missiles, but most were destroyed by air defense systems.
There have been reports in Damascus of loud explosions, which are believed be from the Israeli attack.
Tensions have been rising between Israel and Syria following Israel's air strikes on Sunday. A missile fired by Syria in a counterattack crossed the Israeli border.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that it is a permanent policy to attack the Iranian entrenchment in Syria.
Key words : international NGO
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190121_26/
An international NGO says the number of billionaires in the world has almost doubled since the global financial crisis 10 years ago. It also warns of a widening gap between rich and poor.
Oxfam International released the report on Monday, one day before the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum takes place in Davos, Switzerland.
It says the number of billionaires rose to 2,208 last year, compared with 1,125 in 2008, when the financial crisis began.
It also reports that the combined fortunes of the world's 26 richest individuals is equal to the wealth of the 3.8 billion poorest people.
Oxfam emphasizes that the growing income gap is undermining the fight against poverty, damaging economies and fuelling public anger across the globe.
The organization says the gap is caused partly by countries' taxation systems.
It says tax rates for wealthy individuals and corporations have been cut dramatically in many countries to boost their economies.
It also points out that in countries like Brazil and the UK, the poorest 10 percent of the people pay a higher proportion of their income in taxes than the richest 10 percent.
Oxfam is asking political and business leaders attending the World Economic Forum in Davos to seek a solution to this extreme discrepancy.
Key words : government policy
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190121_24/
The Japanese government has held a briefing on its new policy of accepting more foreign workers.
More than 340,000 foreign nationals will be permitted to work in sectors including construction, nursing care and agriculture over a five-year period starting in April.
About 300 people from companies and industrial organizations attended Monday's briefing for manufacturers.
Officials from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry explained the tests for the new residential status. They also gave details of the number of foreigners who will be allowed to work in each sector.
Some participants asked if it will be possible for technical trainees who are already employed in Japan to switch to the new residential status. The managers of small and mid-sized companies asked to be given priority for workers, citing the problem of serious labor shortages.
An official of a chemical company in Sendai City, northern Japan, said factories outside major cities are having a hard time finding machine operators.
The official added that these businesses will not be able to survive without more foreign workers.
Key words : government social media
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Key words : Japan using
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190121_15/
Japan is trying to cope with labor shortages by using artificial intelligence in many sectors. A university hospital in Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo, has been using four autonomous cleaning robots since last April.
The AI robots are 80 centimeters high and equipped with cameras. They can recognize approaching children and elderly people, and immediately stop working when any potentially dangerous situation is predicted.
A hospital official says 27 people used to work as cleaners, and 5 of them have been replaced by robots.
20 factories and universities in the prefecture are using cleaning robots.
The developer says the firm wants to make AI robots that can operate safely so they will be more commonly used by businesses.
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