Preparations are taking place to have Japan's Foreign Minister meet his South Korean counterpart in Germany on Friday amid deteriorating bilateral ties.
Official campaigning began on Thursday in Okinawa for a prefectural referendum on landfill work to relocate a US base within the southern Japanese prefecture.
High-level talks between the United States and China have started in Beijing.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20190214200000_english_1.mp3
Key words : preparation
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190214_07/
Preparations are taking place to have Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Kono meet his South Korean counterpart in Germany on Friday amid deteriorating bilateral ties.
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday demanded an apology and retraction of a remark by the speaker of South Korea's National Assembly on the issue of those referred to as comfort women.
Moon Hee-sang suggested last week that the issue would be resolved if the Emperor apologized before abdicating. The speaker has brushed aside Abe's demand.
Against this backdrop, arrangements are being made to allow Kono to meet South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on the sidelines of an international conference that will take place in Munich.
Kono is expected to lodge a protest with Kang that the speaker's remarks cannot be tolerated, and demand a retraction and apology.
He also plans to call on the South Korean government to reply to Tokyo's appeal for talks on recent court rulings in Seoul on wartime compensation.
South Korea's Supreme Court recently ordered Japanese companies to compensate Koreans who say they were forced to work for the firms during World War Two.
Japan's government says any right to claims was settled finally and completely in an agreement the two countries signed in 1965 when they normalized ties.
Kono on Wednesday told the Diet South Korea has yet to respond to the speaker's remarks, but he expects sincere action.
But Japanese government officials say it is highly unlikely South Korea will heed Japan's demands.
Key words : official campaign
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190214_20/
Official campaigning began on Thursday in Okinawa for a prefectural referendum on landfill work to relocate a US base within the southern Japanese prefecture.
The referendum on the landfill work in a coastal area of Henoko will be held on February 24.
The reclamation is part of the work to build a replacement facility for the US Marine Corps Futenma air station, which is located in a crowded residential area of Ginowan City.
Voters will choose from three options listed on the ballot paper asking what they think of the landfill for the base relocation -- "yes," "no," or "neither." The result will not be legally binding.
But an ordinance on the referendum stipulates that the Okinawa governor must respect the outcome, if a quarter of eligible voters support the option that wins the most votes. It also says the governor must notify the Japanese prime minister and the US president of the result.
Japan's central government began pouring soil into the sea for the new base in December last year, despite strong opposition from the Okinawa prefectural government.
The base relocation plan is based on a 1996 agreement between Japan and the United States.
Key words : chief government
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190214_23/
Japan's chief government spokesman has indicated that the plan to relocate a US base in Okinawa will not be affected by the outcome of the referendum.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga was speaking to reporters on Thursday about the Okinawa referendum on landfill work to relocate the US Marine Corps Futenma Air Station within the prefecture.
The landfill work is underway in a coastal area of the Henoko district of Nago City to build a replacement facility for the Futenma base. The airfield is located in a crowded residential area of Ginowan City.
Suga said the referendum is based on a local government ordinance, so the central government will refrain from making any comments.
But he said that the relocation issue originated from the need to eliminate the dangers posed by the Futenma airfield and to have the land returned.
Suga said he believes removing these dangers is an extremely important matter that also concerns Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki. He added that everything must be done to prevent the airfield from becoming a permanent site.
Key words : Fukushima probe
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190213_38/
The operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant says a probe made direct contact with substances believed to be fuel debris at one of the plant's reactors.
Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, conducted its first contact survey of suspected fuel debris at the Number 2 reactor on Wednesday.
This is a key survey for devising a way to remove radioactive deposits. The plant suffered an accident due to the earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan in 2011.
TEPCO has already confirmed the existence of deposits believed to be a mixture of molten nuclear fuel and structural parts at the bottom of the reactor's containment vessel.
In Wednesday's survey, a pole that can extend to 15 meters was sent under the reactor, and the probe was lowered from the end of the pole.
Officials say the probe was able to touch the deposits without any major trouble. They say they looked into the deposits' hardness and whether they can be moved.
TEPCO plans to take out a small amount of the deposits with a different device in the latter half of the next fiscal year to use them as samples for study.
Key words : today's news keywords segment decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiich nuclear plant
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Key words : high-level United States and China leaving
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190214_17/
High-level trade talks between the United States and China have started in Beijing. They follow a previous round in January.
Participants of the 2-day negotiations include US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He.
The top US officials were seen leaving their hotel on Thursday morning. Mnuchin briefly responded to reporters, saying he's looking forward to the discussions.
The US intends to raise tariffs on imports from China if the two countries fail to reach a deal on key issues by March 1. These include intellectual-property rights and the US trade deficit with China.
Deputy-level negotiations were held from Monday.
The US officials have been pressing hard for China to fundamentally alter its trade practices.
But the two sides remain far apart over China's alleged violations of intellectual-property rights and forced transfers of technology to Chinese firms. China has given assurances it will deal with these issues by introducing new legislation.
Analysts are watching to see if China will offer specific measures this time around. If differences narrow, the presidents of the two countries might meet for a summit.
Key words : television
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190214_36/
Bloomberg television has reported that US President Donald Trump is considering a 60-day extension of the March 1st deadline for the imposition of new tariffs on Chinese imports.
The countries are currently trying to negotiate a resolution to their damaging trade dispute. The US intends to impose higher tariffs on imports from China unless their talks result in a deal by March 1st.
President Donald Trump has been taking a softer tone on the negotiations. He's indicated he may relax the deadline to get a deal done.
Earlier this week Trump hinted he would offer an extension if it looks like a concrete deal is taking shape.
Key words : UN report
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190214_18/
A UN report says global employment has recovered to a level not seen since before the 2008 financial crisis.
The latest report of the International Labour Organization says about 172 million people were unemployed last year, down 1.6 million from 2017.
ILO officials say this indicates a jobless rate of 5 percent or an improvement of 0.1 percentage point.
The report says that "assuming stable economic conditions, the unemployment rate in many countries is projected to decline further." It predicts the global jobless rate will fall to 4.9 percent this year.
The officials also touched on the gender gap in the labor market. They said unemployment among women tends to be higher in many countries and urged governments to take steps to narrow the difference.
Key words : same-sex across
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190214_32/
Same-sex couples in Japan have jointly filed the first lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the country's rejection of their right to get married.
Japanese laws do not recognize same-sex marriages.
Thirteen couples in Tokyo and three other cities claim this violates the Constitution, which guarantees equality under law. They also note the growing awareness that discrimination based on sexual orientation is wrong.
Support for sexual minorities is gaining momentum in Japan.
There are municipalities that recognize same-sex couples as married couples, and businesses that treat same-sex partners as spouses.
But Japanese laws are applied on the basis that a marriage is a union between a man and a woman.
One plaintiff, Kenji Aiba, told reporters outside the Tokyo District Court that his lawsuit was not only for him and his partners. He said, " We submitted a petition that represents sexual minorities and plaintiffs across the nation. I'm filled with emotions."
Another plaintiff, Ai Nakajima, said, "I hope today will be the first step toward legalizing same-sex marriage in Japan."
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The Justice Ministry has declined to comment, saying it has not yet received the petition.
Key words : new outbreak of Toyota
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190214_25/
A new outbreak of swine fever was confirmed on Thursday at a pig farm in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan.
The farm in Tahara City is next to a pig-rearing facility where an outbreak of swine fever was confirmed on Wednesday.
The two farms are run by different owners. They are located in an area with about 10 hog farms.
Earlier this month in Aichi Prefecture, pigs at two farms -- one in Tahara and another in Toyota City -- tested positive for the highly contagious disease.
Following Wednesday's outbreak, the prefectural government banned about 60 farms within a 10-kilometer radius from moving and shipping pigs.
The ban has affected more than 100,000 animals.
The prefecture is culling pigs at the two farms hit by the latest outbreaks. Officials are also keeping a close eye on neighboring facilities to detect any possible signs of infection.
After an emergency meeting, Aichi Governor Hideaki Omura said he will request the deployment of the Self-Defense Forces to deal with the situation.
Key words : justice ministry financial support
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Key words : olympic committee
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190214_28/
The president of the International Olympic Committee has sent a message to Japanese swimming star Rikako Ikee saying "wishing you all the best for your recovery." Ikee was recently diagnosed with leukemia.
Thomas Bach on Wednesday tweeted from the official Olympic account, saying "Joining with all your millions of fans to send you all my best wishes. Now just concentrate on getting better."
Ikee, who holds national records in the women's 100-meter butterfly and others, had been training in Australia since last month, but returned to Japan in early February after feeling ill.
She revealed the diagnosis on Tuesday and started full treatment.
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