at 20:00 (JST), May 09

South Korea's military says North Korea fired an unidentified projectile from the country's northwest on Thursday afternoon.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has reiterated his resolve to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "without preconditions."

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https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20190509200000_english_1.mp3


Key words : military says fired unidentified
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190509_43/

South Korea's military says North Korea fired at least one unidentified projectile from the country's northwest on Thursday afternoon.

The US and South Korean forces are analyzing the number, type, and flight distance while stepping up surveillance activities.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the North launched at least one projectile from Sino-ri in North Phyongan Province around 4:30 p.m. It flew in an easterly direction.

Sino-ri is located near the west coast of North Korea.

A US think tank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, says Sino-ri is a missile base that houses a regiment-sized unit equipped with Nodong medium-range ballistic missiles. The think tank also says Sino-ri is used for missile development.

On Saturday, Pyongyang fired more than 20 rockets and what it calls tactical guided weapons from the east coast city of Wonsan.

Some observers say the weapons launched on Saturday are likely to have included ballistic missiles. A ballistic missile launch by the North could violate UN Security Council resolutions.

Key words : Abe no
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190509_48/

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says no immediate impact on Japan's security has been confirmed so far from a projectile fired by North Korea.

Abe was speaking to reporters as he left the prime minister's office on Thursday evening.

Key words : Japan territory zone
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190509_44/

Japan's government says a projectile apparently fired by North Korea has likely not reached Japan's territory or exclusive economic zone.

The government also says no immediate effects on Japan's national security have been confirmed so far.

Key words : Abe reiterated
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190509_34/

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has reiterated his resolve to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "without preconditions."

Abe was speaking to an Upper House committee on Thursday on the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea.

He said that he has long expressed his determination to meet Kim in person and face him directly, to break the cycle of mutual distrust and resolve the North's nuclear, missile and abduction issues.

The prime minister said that he wanted to express his determination in a more clear-cut manner when he said he aims to meet Kim without preconditions.

Abe also said it's important for Japan to take every opportunity to try to resolve the abduction issue for the aging families of the abductees.

He was asked if the government is going to change its policy on North Korea. He replied that the policy will remain unchanged as there has been little progress with North Korea's denuclearization.

Abe said Japan is strictly implementing the UN sanction resolutions against the North and is urging other countries to do the same.

He added that he needs to talk to the North Korean leader in an effort to resolve the abduction issue.

Key words : chief cabinet left
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190509_18/

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga is heading to the United States, where he will meet with senior government officials, including Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Suga left Japan on a four-day trip to the US on Thursday.

Suga is expected to discuss with US officials how to deal with North Korea following the country's launch of projectiles on Saturday. He plans to reaffirm closer cooperation toward the North's complete abandonment of nuclear arms and missiles.

Suga also plans to convey Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's intention to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un without preconditions to resolve abductions of Japanese nationals by the North. Suga will seek US support for an early resolution of the matter.

Suga wants to confirm that Japan and the US will take steps to reduce the burden of hosting US military facilities on the southern Japanese prefecture of Okinawa, and to realign US forces in Japan.

Suga will also deliver a speech in New York on the abduction issue.

It is rare for a chief cabinet secretary -- who is in charge of government crisis management -- to leave Japan on official business. His last official trip abroad was to Guam in October 2015.

Key words : Japan and South arranging
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190509_27/

Japan and South Korea are arranging a meeting of their defense chiefs early next month in Singapore.

Japan's Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya hopes to sit down for talks with South Korea's Minister of National Defense Jeong Kyeong-doo on the sidelines of an Asian security meeting known as the Shangri-La Dialogue.

This would be the first meeting of the countries' defense ministers since a radar incident last December.

Japan says a South Korean naval vessel directed its fire-control radar at a Japanese patrol plane. Seoul denies this.

Defense relations became strained after the incident. Japan canceled a port call by a Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer that had been planned for April.

Japan plans to use the meeting of the defense chiefs to confirm bilateral cooperation in dealing with North Korea's nuclear and missile problems.

Topics for the talks are likely to include analyzing the projectiles that North Korea launched last Saturday and ways to monitor Pyongyang's activities.

Iwaya has repeatedly said that he wants to meet his South Korean counterpart to improve relations.

He believes cooperation between Japan, South Korea and the United States is important for dealing with North Korea.

Key words : representative nuclear preparation
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Key words : Trump Iran sanction
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190509_08/

US President Donald Trump says his government is imposing sanctions on Iran's iron, steel, aluminum and copper sectors. Wednesday's announcement comes after Tehran said it will partially withdraw from a deal to curb its nuclear program.

In a statement, Trump says the new sanctions target Iran's revenue from its foreign sales of industrial metals, which account for 10 percent of the country's export economy.

The statement warns that Tehran can expect further actions unless it fundamentally alters its conduct.
Trump says that under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, the country was free to engage in and sponsor terrorist networks, develop missiles, foment regional conflicts, unjustly detain US citizens and brutalize its own people.

The Treasury Department is urging corporations and individuals to completely stop dealing with Iran in the metal sector within 90 days. Trump says that is Tehran's largest non-petroleum-related source of export revenue.

The new sanctions are expected to raise tensions between the two countries. But Trump says he looks forward to meeting with Iran's leaders someday to work out an agreement.

Key words : head of Japan central bank
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190509_30/

The head of Japan's central bank says a failure to settle the US-China trade dispute could have major repercussions for the global economy.

Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda told an Upper House committee on Thursday that he will closely watch the next round of bilateral trade talks that will begin in Washington on Thursday.

Kuroda said Asian nations regard the trade friction between the US and China as the top risk for their economies.

He said the Japanese central bank is also concerned about how the two countries are going to resolve this issue and the potential impacts if they fail to do so.

The BOJ governor said a heightening of the trade tensions between the US and China would not just lead to downward pressure on other countries' economic activities.

He said it could also have widespread repercussions for the global economy as a whole by damaging business confidence and destabilizing financial markets.

Key words : east japan
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190509_33/

East Japan Railway Company will test-run its next-generation Shinkansen train in northern Japan on Friday.

The ALFA-X bullet train will have a maximum speed of 360 kilometers per hour.

The train automatically stops in an emergency and is designed to reduce the impact of tremors if an earthquake occurs. The pantograph also cuts noise levels for the passengers.

JR East plans to use the new model on the Hokkaido Shinkansen line that connects Tokyo with the northernmost prefecture. The line is to be extended from the southern part of Hokkaido to the prefectural capital of Sapporo by the end of March 2031.

Key words : and Toyota
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190509_36/

Executives at Panasonic and Toyota Motor are planning to join hands to develop "smart cities." The communities use the "Internet of Things" and data to manage their infrastructure and resources.

The two major manufacturers said on Thursday they will be integrating their housing businesses to set up a joint venture, Prime Life Technologies, in January.

They say the company will combine Toyota's connected automotive technologies and Panasonic's expertise in the Internet of Things to build smart cities.

A Panasonic executive says home builders in Japan need to consider the future of their industry, now that the number of housing starts is expected to fall.

He expressed hope that Prime Life's business will expand overseas.

Key words : ticket olympic have begun
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190509_21/

Online applications for tickets for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo have begun.

The official website for the ticket sales started accepting applications at 10 a.m. Thursday Japan time. The tickets are being sold through a lottery system.

The website offers tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies and 32 sports. Applicants can choose tickets by date, venue or sport. They then choose the type of ticket they want and specify how many.

Each applicant can request up to 30 tickets for their first choice and 30 more for their second choice. The maximum each applicant can get is 30 tickets.

Applicants for the initial ticket sale are limited to residents of Japan. They must be registered with "TOKYO 2020 ID," the official website for ticket sales for the Tokyo Olympic Games. Nearly 3 million people had registered as of Wednesday.

Applications will be accepted through 11:59 p.m. on May 28. Lottery results will be announced on June 20.

Many applicants are expected to rush to access the website just after the application period starts, and just before it ends. The Games' organizing committee is advising applicants against joining the rush, saying that the timing of applications will not affect the outcome of the lottery.

Key words : subway
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190509_16/

With the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games approaching, Tokyo's subway systems are installing more multi-language ticket vending machines.

A new ticket machine being introduced by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's subway provides service in seven languages -- Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, French, Spanish, and Thai. Traditional and simplified Chinese characters can be used.

It has a 32-inch display, which is more than double the size of regular machines.

Users can select one of four ways to buy tickets.
One of them allows riders to choose the name of a major tourist spot such as the Tokyo Tower or Tsukiji market. The screen will then display routes and fares.

The subway has set up the machines at 31 stations. It plans to add more to stations near Olympics and Paralympics venues.

Metropolitan government official Atsushi Otsuka says he expects the machines will help more foreigners buy tickets smoothly, as the subway system is complicated.