at 20:00 (JST), May 08

Two toddlers have died after a vehicle plowed into pedestrians at an intersection in western Japan.

A global market sell-off deepened and dragged down shares in Japan on Wednesday.

Iran has announced it is partially withdrawing from a deal to curb its nuclear program.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20190508200000_english_1.mp3


Key words : two toddlers 52 and 62
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190508_48/

Two toddlers have died after a vehicle plowed into pedestrians at an intersection in western Japan. One other child is in serious condition, and eight were seriously injured.

The accident occurred at an intersection in the city of Otsu on Wednesday morning. The car collided with a group of 13 children and their three carers who were waiting for the pedestrian crossing signal to change. The group was out on a walk from a daycare center.

All the children, who are two or three years old, were taken to a hospital, along with two of the carers.

A boy and a girl, both two years old, were pronounced dead at the hospital.

In addition, a two-year-old child is unconscious and in serious condition, and eight of the children are badly injured. Two suffered minor injuries.

Police say the car collided with another car at the intersection, then hit the victims.

They have arrested two women, aged 52 and 62, who were driving the vehicles.

Key words : global market lowest
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190508_34/

A global market sell-off deepened and dragged down shares in Japan on Wednesday. Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei Average briefly plunged over 400 points on growing trade worries. Investors fear an escalation of tensions between the US and China over tariffs.

The Nikkei lost 321 points, or nearly 1.5 percent, ending Wednesday's session at 21,602. That's the lowest close since early April.

All sectors were weak. Machinery makers and electronics manufacturers with exposure to China saw steep declines.

Sentiment worsened after the fall in other markets in the Asia-Pacific region.

A stronger yen also weighed on major Japanese exporters like carmakers.

The dollar lost ground to the Japanese currency as traders shed risk to get into safer assets. The dollar dipped below 110 yen for the first time in six weeks.

Key words : official of
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190508_35/

An official of Japan's government says the country's real economy remains firm despite selloffs of stocks around the world over US-China trade concerns.

Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasutoshi Nishimura was speaking to reporters on Wednesday about stock market plunges in Japan and other countries.

Stock prices fell after US President Donald Trump threatened higher tariffs on Chinese imports. Trump tweeted on Sunday that he would raise tariffs on 200 billion dollars' worth of Chinese goods on Friday from the current 10 percent to 25 percent.

Investors worried that this could escalate bilateral trade tensions.
But Nishimura said the fundamentals of Japan's economy, such as employment and corporate profits, remain strong.

He added that a slowdown of China's economy has affected production and shipments in some Japanese industries.

Nishimura said Trump and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe discussed by phone topics including the US's raising tariffs on goods from China.

Nishimura said Japan's government will keep closely watching the development of ongoing ministerial trade talks between the United States and China.

Key words : new trade figures
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190508_46/

New trade figures out of China show that in April, exports unexpectedly shrank, while imports defied predictions by increasing for the first time in five months.

Customs officials in China said on Wednesday that exports were down 2.7 percent from a year earlier. Most analysts were expecting an increase. A major factor in the decline was a sharp fall in exports to the US, a result of Washington's tariffs.

Imports jumped by four percent. That was despite predictions that they would fall. Experts say the result suggests an improvement in domestic demand.

The data comes as officials from China and the US attempt to resolve their drawn-out trade row.

One of the main grievances on the US side is the size of the trade gap. China's surplus with the US in April was 21 billion dollars, down five percent from a year earlier.

Key words : Iran has announced against
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190508_51/

Iran has announced it is partially withdrawing from a deal to curb its nuclear program. President Hassan Rouhani says the country will begin higher enrichment of uranium if a new deal that protects its interests is not reached within 60 days.

Rouhani said, "Today, we will take a firm step. We will respond to a threat with a threat and measures against measures."

The Associated Press reports Iran sent letters to the Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the European Union to notify them of the decision.

Wednesday's announcement comes one year after the United States announced it would pull out of the 2015 agreement. Since then, the US has re-imposed crippling sanctions on Iran.

Meanwhile, Washington is deploying an additional carrier strike group to the Middle East in response to a possible missile threat from Iran. B-52 bombers are also being sent as part of a bomber task force.

Multiple US media outlets report the moves were prompted by suspicions that Iran moved short-range ballistic missiles by ship in the Persian Gulf.

Key words : chief cabinet keep a close
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190508_50/

Japan's chief cabinet secretary says the country will keep a close eye on developments in Iran, taking note of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's remarks that his government's decision is not a departure from the nuclear agreement.

Yoshihide Suga told reporters on Wednesday that Japan has consistently backed the nuclear agreement that would strengthen the international arrangement for nuclear nonproliferation and contribute to regional peace and stability.

He said it is important for Iran to play a constructive role.

Suga added that Japan will make the best of its longstanding friendship with Iran and continue urging a settlement through dialogue.

Key words : officials of Ja
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190508_44/

Officials of Japan and the United States have met in Tokyo to discuss North Korea, following multiple launches of projectiles by Pyongyang toward the Sea of Japan.

The Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau chief, Kenji Kanasugi, and US Special Representative for North Korea, Stephen Biegun, held talks on Wednesday.

They have shared information about Saturday's launches, including analysis of whether the projectiles were ballistic missiles or not.

They also confirmed that their countries and South Korea will continue to work together toward the complete denuclearization of North Korea.

The two officials also discussed the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea. They confirmed the two countries will closely cooperate to resolve the issue at an early date.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe earlier said he aims to meet North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un without any preconditions.

Biegun will visit South Korea to meet the country's officials to discuss North Korea.

Key words : UN expert panel
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190508_22/

A meeting of the UN expert panel on global warming opened on Wednesday in the Japanese city of Kyoto, with the focus on updating the methods used for estimating greenhouse emissions.

The opening ceremony for the 49th session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, was attended by about 360 scientists and government officials from around 150 countries and territories.

The experts are expected to discuss planned refinements to calculation methods used in estimating greenhouse gas emissions, which involves the use of carbon dioxide data obtained by satellites. It is the first review of the methodology in 13 years.

If the updates are incorporated, they are expected to contribute to producing more accurate estimates of greenhouse gas emissions.

Starting next year, all countries taking part in the Paris Agreement on climate change will be required to report the amount of their emissions regularly to the United Nations. The revised calculation methods are also expected to be used for cross-checking the submitted data.

IPCC Chair Lee Hoe-sung said that the proposed changes "will improve this transparency and reporting process" by ensuring that methodologies are based on latest science.

The panel is due to wrap up its session on Sunday, and release a report of the discussions on Monday.

The IPCC has served as a driving force for laying down measures to tackle global warming. It says that at the current pace, the average global temperature will rise about 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial levels as early as 2030.

Key words : Toyota
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190508_45/

Toyota Motor has posted sales of more than 30 trillion yen, or about 275 billion dollars, for the fiscal year that ended in March.

The figure is up 2.9 percent from the previous year, and is the highest ever posted by a listed company in Japan.

Key words : maker Sharp
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190508_47/

Japanese electronics maker Sharp has unveiled its prototype smartphone for next-generation 5G wireless networks. Sharp aims to put 5G phones on sale next spring.

Company officials demonstrated the new device in Tokyo on Wednesday. They downloaded a large volume of data instantly through a 5G network.

5G services are expected to start on a test basis in parts of Japan as early as this summer -- ahead of full implementation in spring next year.

Sharp says it will continue to improve the prototype, as competition intensifies among electronics makers to get 5G phones to market.

Key words : google
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190508_27/

Google is using artificial intelligence to break down language barriers. The technology giant's AI technology integrates cameras with translation and gives spoken information in multiple languages.

Google showed off the technology at its developers' conference on Tuesday in Mountain View, California.

CEO Sundar Pichai kicked off the meeting with a keynote speech stressing AI should be available to everyone. He said IT developers have a responsibility to improve people's lives.

Google demonstrated the upgraded translation function by using a smartphone camera to read a sign and then give a visual and audio translation in 10 or more languages.

Another function automatically displays subtitles of an English conversation in real-time on a smartphone screen.

Google said the AI subtitle enhancement will aid people with hearing impairments and those who have difficulty understanding spoken English.

Key words : major Japanese plastic
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190508_42/

Major Japanese retail group Seven & i Holdings plans to phase out plastic shopping bags by 2030.

The holding company, which operates the Seven-Eleven convenience store chain and Ito Yokado retail stores, on Wednesday unveiled its plan to reduce plastic waste.

The plan says plastic shopping bags will be replaced by paper or other plant-based bags by 2030.

The company aims to cut plastic use from the current level by more than half by 2030, and to zero by 2050, by using paper and recycled material for food packaging.

Convenience store chains in Japan have been spearheading efforts to reduce plastic waste.

Starting this month, Lawson is offering iced coffee in paper cups. FamilyMart has decided to use less plastic in packaging for its boxed meals.