at 20:00 (JST), February 17 AS

The foreign ministers of Japan and Russia have failed to narrow their differences over four Russian-held islands claimed by Japan.

US Vice President Mike Pence has stressed the necessity of maintaining sanctions against North Korea ahead of the second US-North Korea summit.

The families of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea have compiled their first message for the country's leader Kim Jong Un.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20190217200000_english_1.mp3


Key words : foreign minister Japan and Russia
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190217_08/

The foreign ministers of Japan and Russia have failed to narrow their differences over four Russian-held islands claimed by Japan. But they agreed to continue negotiations.

Taro Kono and Sergey Lavrov met for about 90 minutes on Saturday in Munich, Germany, on the sidelines of a security conference. The ministers are in charge of negotiations on concluding a peace treaty that would include a solution to the islands issue.

Kono said at the start of the meeting that he wants to have thorough discussions based on the agreement reached between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin in November.

The two leaders agreed to accelerate bilateral negotiations based on the 1956 Japan-Soviet joint declaration.

Lavrov called on Japan to recognize Russia's sovereignty over the islands as a prerequisite for negotiations. He said the islands became part of Russian territory as an outcome of World War Two.

Kono responded by explaining Japan's position.

However, the ministers agreed to continue negotiations on the issue.

They decided that vice foreign ministers from both countries will meet soon, followed by a visit to Japan by Lavrov for talks with Kono.

After the meeting with Lavrov, Kono told reporters that he and his Russian counterpart have had heated but candid discussions.

Kono said the issue has been ongoing for 70 years and may not be resolved overnight. He stressed he wants to work hard to reach the goal along with Lavrov.

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.

Key words : Pence stressed
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190217_10/

US Vice President Mike Pence has stressed the necessity of maintaining sanctions against North Korea ahead of the second US-North Korea summit scheduled for later this month.

Pence delivered a speech at the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Saturday.

Regarding the summit scheduled for later this month in Hanoi, Vietnam, he said US President Donald Trump "believes peace is possible."

Pence said, "we will not repeat the mistakes of the past." He added that all nations "must continue to stand together, enforce all UN Security Council resolutions."

Pence also said, "we will continue to stand firm until we achieve the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea."

One focus at the upcoming summit is expected to be whether the US will make concessions in return for Pyongyang declaring its nuclear sites and allowing inspections at them.

The US special envoy for North Korea, Stephen Biegun, has said the US is "prepared to discuss many actions that could help build trust between the two countries."

Key words : abducted
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190217_17/

The families of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea have compiled their first message for the country's leader Kim Jong Un, in the hope of persuading him to allow the abductees to return home.

The message says if North Korea repatriates the abductees soon, the families will neither extract confidential information from them nor take actions that would hamper negotiations to normalize bilateral relations.

The message was adopted at a meeting of the members of the group of relatives and their supporters on Sunday.

The group's leader, Shigeo Iizuka, says they need to make sure that steps will be taken to bring back the victims, including how to persuade Kim to let them come home.

The participants agreed that this is a crucial time for resolving the decades-old issue, because the family members are aging and North Korea is engaging in dialogue with the outside world.

This is the first time the members have made a direct appeal to North Korea's top leader since the group was founded in 1997.

Key words : Trump called on
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190217_13/

US President Donald Trump has called on European countries to share the burden in the fight against the Islamic State militant group by taking back fighters who were captured in Syria.

Trump tweeted on Saturday that the US is asking Britain, France, Germany and other European allies to take back over 800 Islamic State fighters and put them on trial.

He wrote that the US does so much and spends so much, and it is time for others to step up and do the job they are capable of doing.

Trump added that the US is pulling back after its victory.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday that a hasty US pullout from Syria runs the risk of strengthening the roles of Russia and Iran in the Middle East.

European nations maintain that cautious measures are needed to prevent the militant group from expanding its power again.

Key words : US state possible candidate
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190217_12/

The US State Department says Spokesperson Heather Nauert has withdrawn her name as a possible candidate for ambassador to the United Nations.

US media is indicating that a factor behind the move is an immigrant nanny Nauert employed in the past.

The department made the announcement on Saturday.

Nauert, a former correspondent and anchor for the conservative Fox News Channel, has been serving as spokesperson since April 2017.

She was picked by President Donald Trump last year to replace Nikki Haley as UN ambassador.

In December, she expressed gratitude to Trump on Twitter for choosing her.

But she said in a statement released on Saturday that the past two months have been "grueling" for her family and therefore it is in the best interest of her family that she withdraw from consideration.

A Bloomberg article cites sources as saying in the past Nauert employed an immigrant nanny who did not have legal status to work in the US.

It pointed out that the issue could be raised at her confirmation hearing, as Trump has declared a national emergency to get funding for a wall on the border with Mexico.

Key words : movie festival
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