Japan's GDP grew at an annualized 2.1 percent in the January-to-March period marking the second straight quarter of expansion.
Japan is seeking arbitration in a dispute with South Korea over the wartime labor issue.
Japanese weather officials are forecasting localized torrential rains across the country's west late Monday and in the east on Tuesday.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20190520200000_english_1.mp3
Key words : Japan GDP grew latest figure
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190520_14/
Japan's GDP grew at an annualized 2.1 percent in the January-to-March period, the second straight quarter of expansion.
Officials at Japan's Cabinet Office released the latest figures on Monday.
Exports were down 2.4 percent because of weaker demand for electronic parts on the back of an economic slowdown in China.
But imports were even worse. They were down 4.6 percent. So, the figures for external demand, or exports minus imports, rose and ultimately pushed up the GDP numbers.
Corporate investment dropped by 0.3 percent as slower exports and production prompted manufacturers to put off spending plans.
Consumer spending was also sluggish, down 0.1 percent. That's as prices of some food rose and consumers' purse strings tightened.
Japanese government officials and lawmakers have been waiting for the GDP to come out, as they are assessing whether the economy is strong enough to handle a planned consumption tax hike in October.
Key words : Tokyo stock GDP
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190520_33/
Tokyo stocks rose on first-quarter GDP data showing Japan's economy grew faster than expected. However, not all investors were convinced, as consumption during the period was weak.
The benchmark Nikkei Average closed Monday's session at 21,301, 51 points or 0.24 percent higher than Friday's close. The index briefly climbed more than 100 points before losing steam.
Firms relying on domestic consumption rose, including food and drug makers. Electronics makers fell.
In currencies, the dollar rose as traders sold safe-haven assets like the yen. They were encouraged by a White House statement on Friday that the US would delay a decision to raise tariffs on imported cars.
Key words : top government
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190520_26/
Japan's top government spokesperson says the government will do all it can to manage the country's economy while continuing to closely monitor developments at home and abroad.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga spoke to reporters on Monday, after figures released by the Cabinet Office showed Japan's economy grew at an annualized 2.1 percent in the January-to-March period.
He said weakness can be seen in parts of Japan's exports and production, but that fundamentals, which underpin domestic demand, are solid.
Suga referred to a dip in consumer spending. He said the negative trend won't affect the government's plan to raise the consumption tax in October.
Key words : Japan seeking arbitration
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190520_28/
Japan is seeking arbitration in a dispute with South Korea over the wartime labor issue.
South Korean courts have issued a series of rulings ordering Japanese firms to pay damages to those who say they or their relatives were forced to work for them during World War Two.
Japan has repeatedly requested talks on the issue with South Korea in line with a 1965 bilateral agreement. But South Korea has not responded.
Earlier this month, some plaintiffs in South Korea announced that they have started selling stocks they seized from the Japanese firms.
On Monday, Japan asked the South Korean government to establish an arbitration panel that includes a member from a third country.
Key words : weather official forecasting localized
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190520_39/
Japanese weather officials are forecasting localized torrential rains across the country's west late Monday and in the east on Tuesday. They say warm, damp air and a rain front are causing the unstable atmospheric conditions.
The system brought heavy rains that saturated the ground in parts of the southwestern prefecture of Miyazaki by Monday morning.
The rain front will move across Japan from west to east. Areas along the Pacific coast will see most of the heavy rains.
Hourly rainfall of at least 50 millimeters is expected in western Japan, the central coastal region of Tokai, as well as in Tokyo and its surrounding prefectures.
The Tokai region is expected to get as much as 250 millimeters in the 24 hours leading up to Tuesday evening.
The Pacific coast in eastern and northern Japan will experience gusty winds and rough seas, with waves as high as six meters.
Japan's Meteorological Agency is warning of landslides, swelling rivers, flooding in low-lying areas, high surf, lightning strikes and tornados.
Key words : google
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190520_34/
Reuters is reporting that Google has stopped providing its Android smartphone operating system to Huawei. Last week, the US government banned American firms from doing unauthorized business with the Chinese telecom equipment maker.
The news agency also said on Sunday that Google's main services, including Gmail and the Google Play app store, will be made unavailable to future models of Huawei smartphones.
The Chinese company has overtaken US firm Apple, which makes iPhones, as the world's number two smartphone producer in terms of shipments. South Korea's Samsung Electronics holds the top spot.
Analysts say Google's decision could severely impact Huawei's smartphone business.
Key words : Taiwanese offshore
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190520_31/
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen reiterated on Monday that she aims to win a second term in next year's presidential election. But her party is in disarray over selecting a candidate.
Monday marks the third anniversary of her inauguration.
In a news conference, Tsai stressed her achievements such as pension reform for military personnel and public employees as well as projects to build offshore wind farms and submarines.
She also said she wants to strengthen the competitiveness of Taiwanese manufacturers and export more "Made in Taiwan" products to the world, taking advantage of the trade friction between the United States and China.
Tsai has been struggling with approval ratings.
After the ruling Democratic Progressive Party suffered a crushing defeat in last November's local elections, her rating dropped to about 15 percent.
The figure improved to about 36 percent in the latest polls after she took a firm stance against Chinese President Xi Jinping's remarks that applying the "one country, two systems" policy would be the best approach for unification with Taiwan.
But former premier William Lai has announced that he will enter the race for the party's nomination in the presidential election scheduled for January of next year.
The party has not officially named a candidate.
Meanwhile, in the largest opposition Nationalist Party, the founder of Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry, Terry Gou, and the mayor of the southern city of Kaohsiung, Han Kuo-yu, have expressed their willingness to run for president.
Key words : major oil producer increase output
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190520_09/
The world's major oil producers have agreed to decide next month whether to increase output after monitoring a possible impact of US sanctions against Iran, and assessing other factors affecting the global market.
Ministers from OPEC and its allies, including Russia, met in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday.
The countries began cutting output in January to force prices higher. The move had the intended result, with a particularly big boost to prices in April, when the US announced it was tightening sanctions on Iran.
The reduced production will last until June. At Sunday's meeting, the ministers discussed whether to increase output thereafter.
They agreed that they should first closely monitor what impact the situation in Iran -- and the US-China trade friction -- will have on crude oil supply and demand.
They agreed to make a decision at an OPEC meeting in late June.
Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih chaired Sunday's meeting. He told reporters that the future of the world's oil supply is still quite unclear in the face of political uncertainty in Venezuela, and the impact of US sanctions on Iran. He said there are also uncertain factors affecting oil demand.
Experts say the outcome of Sunday's meeting is not expected to have much influence on current oil prices.
Key words : no claim
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190520_21/
No claim of responsibility has been reported for a rocket that was fired into a heavily-fortified area of Baghdad on Sunday, amid high tensions between the United States and Iran.
The Iraqi military says on Sunday night, a rocket landed in the capital's Green Zone, which houses the US Embassy and government buildings. Officials say there were no casualties or major damage.
It's still unknown who fired the rocket, but Iraqi security authorities say they found a launcher in a district on the east side of the Tigris River, opposite the Green Zone.
The US State Department has said it will hold Iran responsible if its proxy militia forces or elements of those forces conduct any such attacks.
Earlier this month, the US government gave an evacuation order to some of its employees stationed in Iraq, on the basis of possible attacks on US forces and other missions in the country by Iran.
Washington also sent a bomber task force and an aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East.
The Washington Post quoted Iraqi officials and European diplomats as saying that even a small provocation like the rocket could trigger a heavy-handed American response, drawing the region further into violence and instability.
Key words : volcanic earthquake outside Tokyo possible eruption
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190520_30/
Volcanic earthquakes have continued at Mount Hakone, located in a hot spring resort town outside Tokyo.
Japan's Meteorological Agency warns of a possible eruption, and large volcanic rocks falling around the crater in the Owakudani valley.
The agency raised the volcanic alert level to two on a scale of five on Sunday.
Officials say volcanic earthquakes have continued since Saturday, mainly west of Lake Ashinoko. The area is considered to be the epicenter of the recent activity.
The agency observed 74 volcanic earthquakes on Sunday, and four on Monday by 3 p.m..
The town of Hakone has restricted traffic from going near the crater since early Sunday, affecting businesses.
On Monday, town officials let vendors into the area for two hours to pick up goods.
A wholesaler of dairy products said he came to pick up materials for ice cream, and that he hopes the situation returns to normal soon.
Services of the Hakone Ropeway have been halted. A tourist from Belgium said he is disappointed because he was looking forward to experiencing the view. He said he will take a boat trip instead.
Key words : artificial
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190520_32/
A Japanese venture firm says its artificial intelligence program may have effectively passed the preliminary national bar exam that was held on Sunday.
The Tokyo-based firm Site Visit says the AI program, named Miraimon, took part in an answer sheet exam, a test that applicants who have not yet graduated from law school are required to take to qualify for the main test.
Miraimon was reportedly fed relevant laws and past exam questions to determine which questions to prepare for. It succeeded in predicting - and successfully answering - 57 of the 95 questions, amounting to a success rate of 60 percent.
The firm says as the success rate on the preliminary test may stand between 59 and 60 percent, it is likely that its program may have passed the exam.
It says it also plans to begin selling the questions Miraimon has predicted, a move that is likely to cause ripples in legal circles.
The bar exam is said to be one of the most difficult national exams in Japan.
Firm president Masato Kito expressed the hope that test-takers will make use of artificial intelligence to pass the exam quickly, as it is merely a starting point.
He says their time would be better used polishing their skills after they qualify.
He added that meanwhile, he wants exam givers to explore new test questions.
Key words : new Ozeki back
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190520_20/
New Ozeki champion Takakeisho has pulled out of the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament again, one day after he made a comeback.
Takakeisho injured a ligament in his right knee in a bout last Wednesday, the fourth day of the 15-day tourney.
He withdrew on Thursday after his doctor concluded he would need three weeks to recover.
Takakeisho made a comeback on Sunday, saying his condition had improved. But he lost his bout to a lower-ranked wrestler, Aoiyama.
Through Day 8, Takakeisho had a record of three wins, three losses and two rest days.
His doctor says Takakeisho will need another three weeks to recover from a new injury to his right knee.
This is the first time in more than six decades that an ozeki has withdrawn twice from the same tournament.
Takakeisho's stable master says the ozeki told him he isn't in pain, but he cannot wrestle the way he wants. The stable master also feels sorry for Takakeisho's fans.
Key words : Netherland Sweden
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190520_01/
Thatching craftspeople from the Netherlands, Sweden and other countries have joined locals to roof a traditional farmhouse in a World Heritage village in central Japan.
About 180 foreign and local craftspeople took part in the thatching of a distinctive steep-angled roof in Shirakawa Village, Gifu Prefecture, on Sunday.
The event was held in conjunction with a conference now underway in the village, organized by the International Thatching Society.
The participants fixed 2.5-meter-long bundles of grass-like sedge onto the roof and beat the surface with special tools to flatten it.
A participant from Sweden told NHK that he wants to bring the skills he learned in the event back to his country. He said the participants were able to have exchanges with people who share the same craft despite a language barrier.
The owner of the farmhouse said he is glad he could learn how roofs are thatched in other countries and see the pride foreign thatchers have in their work.
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