at 20:00 (JST), July 02

A night of escalating violence in Hong Kong has left the territory shaken and its government scrambling to respond.

Japan's deteriorating relations with South Korea may soon hit businesses in both countries.

Japanese Weather officials are warning resident on main southwestern island of Kyushu to be on hign alert for more downpour and possible mudslides.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20190702200000_english_1.mp3


Key words : escalating violence
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190702_31/

A night of escalating violence in Hong Kong has left the territory shaken and its government scrambling to respond. Chief Executive Carrie Lam called a news conference early Tuesday, just hours after protesters ransacked and vandalized a key government building.

Lam said, "The extreme use of violence and vandalism by protesters who stormed into the legislative council building over a period of time. This is something that we should seriously condemn."

The demonstrators smashed their way through thick glass to get inside. Some destroyed surveillance cameras in the seating gallery and drew political messages on the walls.

Hours later, police were able to clear the building using tear gas. Government officials say 59 people were injured, including some police.

The protests occurred as the territory marked the 22nd anniversary of its return to China from the UK.

The demonstrators oppose a bill that would allow suspects in Hong Kong to be extradited to the mainland.
The backlash has led millions of people to take to the streets in recent weeks.

Lam has resisted calls to resign over the matter.
She noted that the extradition bill was suspended last month, and there is no plan to resume debating it.
She says the bill will likely expire next July, when the current legislative term expires.
Many people in Hong Kong want to see the bill scrapped completely.

Key words : government has issued
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190702_39/

China's government has issued a statement strongly condemning the siege of Hong Kong's legislature by young protesters, and urged local authorities to investigate.

At a massive rally in Hong Kong on Monday, protesters demanded retraction of a bill to enable extradition of criminal suspects to mainland China for trial.

People who gathered around Hong Kong's Legislative Council building smashed its windows and stormed inside in the evening.

Police later dispersed the crowds, but 59 people, including citizens and police, were injured.

In a statement, the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of China's State Council said radical elements used extreme violence to storm the building and carried out large-scale assaults.

It said these serious illegal actions damaged Hong Kong's social order, calling them a blatant challenge to the principle of "One Country, Two Systems."

The office urged Hong Kong authorities to hold offenders criminally accountable by law and restore social order as soon as possible.

Some Hong Kong citizens say the protesters went too far in storming the legislature.

But many others say Hong Kong's government has been ignoring citizens' voices.

Key words : suga closely watching
#N/A


Key words : relations with south
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190702_32/

Japan's deteriorating relations with South Korea may soon hit businesses in both countries. Japan's top government spokesperson has indirectly suggested that a wartime labor issue is behind plans to restrict some exports to South Korea.

Tokyo is set to apply tougher rules on shipments of substances used in high-tech products like smartphones and semiconductors.

Yoshihide Suga was asked about the matter at a news conference on Tuesday. He said, "South Korea has repeatedly rejected the long-standing friendly ties between our two countries. Separately, it failed to produce a satisfactory response to a wartime labor issue before the G20 summit -- which severely damaged trust in the relationship."

The South Korean government has condemned the measures, calling them "economic retaliation." Suga denied that's the case.

The move comes months after a South Korean court ordered Japanese companies to compensate workers who say they were forced to work for them during World War Two.

Tokyo has called on Seoul to set up an arbitration panel to settle the dispute. But Seoul has not responded to the request.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe did not hold bilateral talks with his South Korean counterpart during the G20 summit in Osaka last week. And the two men sat at different tables during a banquet on Friday.

Key words : south foreign ministry retract
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190702_46/

South Korea's Foreign Ministry has asked the Japanese government to retract its decision to restrict some exports to the country.

Japan announced on Monday it will apply tougher rules on shipments of material used in high-tech products like smartphones and semiconductors.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Kim In-chul told reporters on Tuesday the announcement is deeply regrettable as it could have a negative impact on bilateral relations.

Kim added the government will cooperate with domestic firms in preparing a response, while analyzing in detail Japan's measures and how they would affect South Korea's economy.

The South Korean government appears to be carefully considering how to minimize the impact of Japan's decision on its domestic semiconductor production. The country's export-dependent economy has been slowed by the US-China trade dispute.

Key words : iranian amount of
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190702_01/

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the amount of low-enriched uranium stockpiled in the country has exceeded the limit imposed by the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

Zarif told an Iranian news agency on Monday that the stockpile consists of more than 300 kilograms.

In May, Tehran declared that it would stop honoring some of the commitments outlined in the agreement in response to the unilateral withdrawal of the United States from the deal last year. Iran says it is not benefiting from the removal of economic sanctions that the agreement mandated.

If the report is verified, France, and other European nations which signed the deal, could rule that Iran is in violation of the pact.

Tehran also says that on Sunday it will start producing higher enriched uranium, which could lead to the development of nuclear weapons.

The nuclear deal required Iran to curb its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. The framework of the agreement is now in danger of falling apart.

The International Atomic Energy Agency says its inspectors on the ground are trying to verify whether Iran has accumulated more enriched uranium than allowed.

Key words : Saudi foreign affair
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190702_14/

Saudi Arabia's minister of state for foreign affairs is urging countries to pressure Tehran to abide by the 2015 nuclear deal it signed with multiple world powers.

Adel Al-Jubeir issued a call for action during an interview with NHK on Monday. He attended the G20 meeting in Osaka over the weekend.

Referring to Iran's decision to stop honoring some commitments outlined in the nuclear deal, Jubeir said the international community should apply maximum pressure on Iran to make the country comply with the agreement. He also called for enhanced inspections.

The minister said his country will work with Japan and other nations to come up with a plan to ensure that ships can travel safely in the Arabian Gulf region.

Escalating tensions between Iran and the US have sparked security concerns. In June, two tankers were attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping route.

The minister flatly rejected a UN report on the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. It calls for investigations to be launched into the roles played by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and senior officials.

Jubeir said the UN investigator had already formed biased opinions about the incident before she started writing the report.

Key words : Trump message
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190702_23/

US President Donald Trump has an ominous message for Iran in response to their recent announcement on uranium stockpile.

Trump said, "They know what they're doing. They know what they're playing with. And I think they're playing with fire. So, no message to Iran whatsoever."

The White House says Trump also spoke by phone with French President Emmanuel Macron about the issue.

Meanwhile, the British foreign secretary tweeted that he is "deeply worried by Iran's announcement that it has broken existing nuclear deal obligations."

In his Twitter post, Jeremy Hunt said the UK remains committed to making the deal work and to using all diplomatic tools to de-escalate regional tensions.

Hunt urged Tehran to come back into compliance with the deal.

Key words : Kono regretable
#N/A


Key words : trade war
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190702_37/

Just days after reaching a truce in its trade war with China, the United States is threatening to impose additional tariffs on imports from the European Union.

The US Trade Representative's office says it is considering fresh levies on 4 billion dollars' worth of products. It listed 89 items that could be targeted, including cheese, pasta and whisky.

The US and the EU have long accused each other of unfairly subsidizing their aircraft makers, Boeing in the US and Airbus in Europe.

The US announced back in April it was planning to hit the EU with levies on 21 billion dollars' worth of goods. The latest list would supplement that. The EU responded at the time with a list of possible retaliatory tariffs.

Washington says it will consider the World Trade Organization's views before actually imposing the additional tariffs.

Key words : weather officials warning record
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190702_49/

Weather officials say very heavy rain will hit Japan's main southwestern island of Kyushu on Wednesday and Thursday.

Torrential rain continues to soak southern Kyushu and elsewhere. The Meteorological Agency says rain clouds are developing as a seasonal rain front hovers over the region and hot, humid air flows in.

Parts of southern Kyushu have had record rainfall of more than 800 millimeters since last week. Weather officials have issued warnings of mudslides for all of Kagoshima Prefecture.

They say the rain front will become more active from before noon on Wednesday through Thursday, with localized downpours of more than 80 millimeters per hour for Kyushu.

The officials forecast that daily rainfall will be as much as the average for all of July.

They say northern Kyushu will get 180 millimeters of rain and southern Kyushu 150 millimeters in the 24 hours through Wednesday evening.

The officials say downpours will further increase in the 24 hours from Wednesday evening, and forecast heavier rainfall of 300 to 400 millimeters in northern and southern Kyushu.

They warn that the downpours from Wednesday afternoon could trigger disasters such as mudslides, flooding in low-lying areas, and swollen rivers.

The officials urge residents to think about protecting their lives by knowing before the rain becomes stronger what disasters are likely in their neighborhoods. They say residents must check routes to shelters, and try to evacuate early by staying updated on evacuation advisories by local authorities.

Key words : Japanese basket
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190702_45/

Japanese basketball player Rui Hachimura has signed a pro contract with the Washington Wizards.

Hachimura last month became the first Japanese player ever selected in the first round of the NBA draft. He was taken 9th overall by the Wizards.

Hachimura's agent said he officially agreed with the team on the contract at a hotel in Las Vegas, on Monday.

The Wizards posted on its official twitter site photos of Hachimura signing.

Hachimura had already joined the minicamp of his new team for three days late last month.

He is scheduled to play in the NBA's summer league, which is for young or new players, starting in Las Vegas, on Friday.

NBA first-round draft picks get a guaranteed two-year contract under the league's labor-management accord. For the third and fourth years, teams have the right to choose whether to extend their contracts.

Key words : academy film
#N/A