The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has begun removing nuclear fuel from a storage pool inside one of the damaged reactor buildings at the complex.
Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi have reaffirmed the need to develop bilateral relations.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has told British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt that he hopes the UK will not leave the European Union without an agreement.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20190415200000_english_1.mp3
Key words : Fukushima power plant has begun
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190415_14/
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has begun removing nuclear fuel from a storage pool inside one of the damaged reactor buildings at the complex.
This is the first time for Tokyo Electric Power Company to remove fuel from any of the three buildings housing reactors that underwent meltdowns after the earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan about eight years ago.
On Monday, workers began lifting the first unit of unused nuclear fuel from the pool of the No.3 reactor building.
TEPCO plans to move several of the 52 unused fuel units stored in the pool to a transport container during the day. The pool also holds 514 units of spent fuel.
The container will then be transferred to another pool within the plant compound. Workers will conduct all the removal procedures by remote control.
To prepare for the removal work, the firm cleared and decontaminated the top floor of the No.3 reactor building.
A hydrogen explosion scattered debris on the floor during the 2011 accident, and radiation levels had been very high.
The preparations and a series of problems that arose during the process forced TEPCO to delay the start of the removal operations by more than four years. It wants to finish the work by the end of March 2021.
Key words : TEPCO provided details of the work
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Key words : TEPCO accidentally
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190415_15/
Tokyo Electric Power Company delayed the removal of nuclear fuel from a storage pool of the No.3 reactor building of the Fukushima Daiichi power plant because of technical problems.
The operator started removing the nuclear fuel on Monday. TEPCO had initially planned to begin the work at the end of 2014.
To prepare for the removal procedure, TEPCO decontaminated the top floor of the reactor building, which houses the pool. But radiation levels did not fall sufficiently, and additional protective measures had to be taken.
Workers accidentally dropped a machine into the pool when they tried to remove it with a crane.
The equipment had been damaged in a hydrogen explosion after the 2011 nuclear accident.
The wiring connecting newly developed remote-control equipment and a control panel was found to have been partially cut.
TEPCO says there was a problem with the quality control of equipment.
Key words : director pledged
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190415_21/
The director of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has pledged to put safety first in the decommissioning process.
Tomohiko Isogai said on Monday that his workers are doing their jobs very well, and he will take steps to ensure that the decommissioning is implemented safely and that sufficient information is provided to the public.
Isogai apologized for the delay of four years and four months in starting the removal of nuclear fuel. He said the remote control system had never been used before and there were also problems with cables. He added that workers will make use of these experiences when they carry out the decommissioning of the plant.
Key words : Kono and his significant
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190415_30/
Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi have reaffirmed the need to develop bilateral relations. They met in Beijing on Monday, ahead of the Group of 20 summit in Osaka in June.
At the start of their talks, Wang said the two countries need to further advance the prospects for developing ties. He expressed hope about taking relations to the next level.
Kono said this year will be significant in terms of developing bilateral ties. He said the two countries have a responsibility toward peace and stability in the region and the rest of the world, amid growing uncertainty about the international situation and global economy.
Details of their discussion have not been disclosed. It is believed the two ministers agreed to start full-fledged preparations for Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Japan at the time of the Group of 20 summit.
Kono is believed to have conveyed Japan's security concerns over the Senkaku Islands and natural gas development in the East China Sea.
Japan controls the islands. China and Taiwan claim them. The Japanese government maintains the islands are an inherent part of Japan's territory, in terms of history and international law. It says there is no issue of sovereignty to be resolved over them.
Key words : Japan and China have agreed
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190415_34/
Japan and China have agreed to continue high-level talks on the economy, the environment and other global issues.
Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Kono met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing on Monday.
Li said their talks the previous night had produced practical results and helped move the relationship to a more normal track.
Kono said, "Japan and China can properly manage the various difficult issues that lie between us. We should stand shoulder to shoulder and make efforts to deal with global challenges, in addition to bilateral issues."
Key words : Abe British
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190415_24/
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has told British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt that he hopes the UK will not leave the European Union without an agreement.
Abe made the remark in talks with Hunt in Tokyo on Monday. Abe noted that the deadline for Brexit has been extended until the end of October. He said he hopes that the impact of Brexit on Japanese firms and the global economy will be minimal.
Hunt said his government is focused on avoiding a no-deal exit from the European Union. He said Japanese firms have made huge investments in Britain and they have created thousands of jobs. Hunt added that he is looking forward to the UK's relations with Japan becoming even closer after it leaves the EU.
Key words : Japan and kick off
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190415_11/
Japan and the United States kick off a new round of trade negotiations on Monday, aiming to strike a two-way agreement. Japan wants to limit the scope of the talks, but the US seeks a wide-ranging deal.
Japan's minister in charge of the negotiations, Toshimitsu Motegi, meets US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer in Washington for the first round.
Japanese officials want to confirm that the talks will focus on trade in goods.
Japanese officials want to limit negotiations on services and other areas not related to goods, to reach a deal quickly.
US President Donald Trump said in his economic report last month he wants free-trade deals covering a wide range of areas.
Japan's Motegi has said the talks will likely touch on duties on products considered critical by both sides. Japanese officials are bracing for tough demands from the US on farm goods and autos.
Key words : In Finland
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190415_20/
In Finland, a right-wing opposition party that stands against immigration became the country's second largest party in a general election on Sunday.
The Finns Party won 39 of the 200 seats in the parliament, more than double its pre-election strength.
The result shows growing support for populism in Northern Europe, as it has in other parts of Europe.
Major issues in the election were financial reform of medical care based on government austerity measures and immigration policies.
According to the election commission, the largest opposition Social Democratic Party gained 40 seats, becoming the largest party in parliament.
During campaigning, the center-left party backed maintaining the country's high level of social welfare even if it meant raising taxes.
The right-wing Finns Party became a strong faction in the European Union legislature, saying the deterioration of public order could be halted by regulating immigrants.
The election result raises concerns for the European Parliament election scheduled for next month.
Public broadcaster YLE predicted a change of governing party but said negotiations on forming a coalition will be difficult.
Key words : Kim supreme representative
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190415_29/
North Korea's state-run media have begun referring to the country's leader Kim Jong Un as "supreme representative of all the Korean people."
NHK's correspondent in Beijing suggests that the North's Constitution may have been amended during the Supreme People's Assembly that was convened last week to provide Kim with additional authority.
The two-day gathering, which decides the national budget, law revisions and personnel appointments, wrapped up last Friday.
Choe Ryong Hae, who was named President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, delivered a speech.
He proposed that Kim, as the head of the State Affairs Commission, be given the position of supreme representative of all the Korean people and the supreme leader of the Republic.
Kim has since been referred to as the supreme representative of all the Korean people in the state-run media.
The media have not offered a reason for the new title, but a Constitutional revision may have taken place to allow Kim to externally represent the country.
Previously, the President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly represented Pyongyang at diplomatic events. The post was held by Kim Yong Nam for about 20 years.
The 91-year-old has been replaced by Choe.
Key words : police in osaka
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190415_25/
Police in Osaka Prefecture, western Japan, have arrested a man on suspicion of illegally posting popular anime cartoons on the Internet for downloading.
The 29-year-old South Korean man is a company employee living in Mie Prefecture, central Japan.
He is suspected of having uploaded popular anime videos last September using the "BitTorrent" file-sharing software and making them available for anyone to download.
The software allows the online transfer of massive files. The stolen videos are believed to have been copied from Blu-ray discs and illegally distributed at the same definition level.
The suspect has reportedly told police that he wanted to share the videos with others.
About 30 anime stories and TV dramas are believed to have been uploaded. The damage done through these alleged copyright violations is estimated at about 16 million dollars.
Key words : exhibition
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190415_05/
An exhibition highlighting the life and achievements of the late scholar of Japanese literature, Donald Keene, is underway at a museum in Kashiwazaki City, central Japan. Keene died in February.
Keene revived a traditional puppet theatrical performance set in the city to give encouragement to survivors of the major earthquake that hit the city and surrounding areas in 2007. It was the first time in about 300 years that the performance had been staged.
The Donald Keene Center Kashiwazaki began an exhibition featuring the scholar's life earlier this month, showcasing 46 items such as photographs and videos.
One photo shows Keene working for the US military during World War Two as an officer who spoke Japanese.
Another exhibit explains that Keene started to understand the mindset of Japanese people after reading a diary written by a soldier of the now-defunct Imperial Japanese military.
The museum's deputy director, Yoshito Nakatsu, said he hopes the exhibition will help visitors understand the good quality of Japanese literature, which Keene tried to spread.
The event will run through July 15.
Key words : national garden
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190415_02/
A national garden in central Tokyo is attracting foreign tourists by allowing them to see illuminated cherry trees and traditional performing arts during nighttime hours.
Shinjuku Gyoen usually closes for the day at 6 p.m. But in response to requests from foreign visitors, it now opens between 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. for the five days from Sunday.
Foreign tourists and others streamed into the garden when its gate opened at 7 p.m. on the first day. They took photos in front of about 20 illuminated cherry trees in full bloom.
Visitors also relished the solemn atmosphere of Noh classical performances and minyo folk songs.
A 35-year-old visitor from Malaysia said the cherry blossoms were very beautiful and that his children also enjoyed them.
A 47-year-old tourist from Luxembourg said she is very glad to know about Japanese culture in the beautifully quiet environment.
Japan has been drawing a growing number of foreign visitors. But it faces the challenge of offering more nighttime sightseeing spots.
The Environment Ministry manages Shinjuku Gyoen. It says it plans to regularly reopen the garden at night after the current special period ends.
Key words : Tokyo stock higher
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190415_28/
Tokyo stocks have started the week higher. The benchmark Nikkei Average recovered to the key 22,000 line for the first time since December.
The Nikkei 225 ended trading on Monday at 22,169. That's up 298 points or nearly 1.4 percent from Friday's close. All sectors ended higher.
Analysts say sentiment got a boost from rallies in the US and Europe on Friday. Strong earnings results from JPMorgan Chase in the US helped push up financial stocks in Japan. And a weaker yen sparked buying of major exporters.
The dollar reached the 112-yen level for the first time since early March, as investors regained their appetite for risk and sold the haven yen.
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