Candidates for Japan's Upper House election are officially kicking off their campaigns with voting set for July 21.
Two people are dead and at least five people have been injured after mudslides and flooding Southwestern Japan.
Japan has tightened restrictions on exports of some high-tech materials to South Korea, with officials saying it's necessary for security reasons.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20190704200000_english_1.mp3
Key words : candidates officially
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190704_05/
Candidates for Japan's Upper House election are officially kicking off their campaigns on Thursday, with voting set for July 21.
This election could become a referendum on the government's key policies such as raising the consumption tax in October as scheduled. Another crucial issue is the state pension plan.
The election comes after the government rejected a report that says elderly couples may need massive savings to supplement their pensions.
The country is dealing with an aging population and shrinking workforce.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the ruling coalition is aiming to maintain a majority which is not seen as a very high hurdle.
Here's how the election will work.
Currently the Upper House has 242 seats. But since representatives are elected on staggered six-year terms, only half are up for grabs.
To correct a disparity in the value of each vote, the house is adding three seats during this and the next election. That means 124 seats will be filled.
Voters will directly choose 74 representatives. The remaining 50 will be selected through proportional representation.
Right now, the ruling coalition has 70 seats which are not part of this election. In order to keep its majority, it needs to win another 53.
Political observers are eyeing another benchmark.
In order to call a national referendum on constitutional amendment, Abe needs two-thirds support in both chambers.
The ruling coalition has the required numbers in the Lower House. And if things stay the same after this election, the prime minister can rely on pro-amendment forces to maintain the required numbers in the Upper House.
At the same time, opposition leaders want to use this opportunity to expand their power.
Official campaigning will continue through July 20---the day before the vote.
Key words : dead landslide at least
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190704_34/
Heavy rain in southwestern Japan has triggered mudslides and flooding, leaving one person dead and at least five injured. Police say one person is also missing.
Authorities have issued evacuation orders for about 800,000 people in Kagoshima Prefecture.
Some areas have seen 1,000 millimeters of rainfall since Friday, which is more than double what's usually expected for the entire month of July.
Weather officials are encouraging people in affected areas to evacuate without waiting for advisories.
The local fire department says an elderly woman in Kagoshima is missing after a mudslide destroyed the home where she was living alone.
Another woman was killed on Monday in a similar incident.
Authorities say there have been more than 30 landslides in the prefecture, and in neighboring Miyazaki, flooding and mudslides have cut off roads to a number of communities.
Key words : evacuation order kagoshima lifted
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190704_25/
The city of Kirishima in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, has lifted an evacuation order.
The order for about 126,000 people in some 61,400 households was lifted at 9 a.m. on Thursday.
The city had ordered its residents to evacuate on Wednesday morning.
Key words : lived alone
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190704_47/
A second person is dead in Kagoshima Prefecture after a mudslide destroyed a home. Police say the victim is an elderly woman who lived alone. Another woman was killed in a landslide on Monday. Authorities say more than 30 landslides have happened in the prefecture due to heavy rain. At least five people have been injured.
Parts of the island of Kyushu have had a meter of rain since Friday.
That's twice the usual amount for the whole of July.
Authorities in Kagoshima Prefecture have issued evacuation orders for about 800,000 people.
Weather officials are encouraging people in affected areas to evacuate without waiting for advisories.
Rain has caused disasters in Kagoshima Prefecture before.
In 1997, a landside killed 21 people several hours after the rain stopped.
Authorities are warning people not to approach slopes and to heed information from local governments.
Key words : tightened restriction warned
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190704_32/
Japan has tightened restrictions on exports of some high-tech materials to South Korea, with officials saying it's necessary for security reasons. Seoul, however, believes there is more behind the move, and has warned of direct countermeasures.
South Korea's Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Hong Nam-ki criticized the restrictions. He said "Japan's move is obvious economic retaliation amid the growing issue over wartime labor."He added that if Japan doesn't withdraw the measures, South Korea will take appropriate action.
A dispute between the two countries began last year when South Korean courts ruled that Japanese firms must compensate those who say they were forced to work for the companies during World War Two.
The Japanese government maintains that its move is only part of its constant review of trade practices. Officials say shipments of technology that could be used for weapons production must be carefully controlled.
Japan on Thursday started tightening rules for the export of some materials used for semiconductors, organic LED displays, and other high-tech products.
Exporters need to submit documents describing the purposes and ways for using the materials. They must also provide written promises not to allow the products to be used for military purposes. It is expected to take about 90 days before exporters gain permission for shipment.
Key words : US military China has
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190704_31/
A US military official has told NHK that China has test-fired missiles from the mainland into disputed waters in the South China Sea for the first time.
The official said that the Chinese military launched a total of six missiles from the mainland on Sunday, US Pacific Time, and they landed in two separate areas in the South China Sea.
The official said the US military is now analyzing the types of missiles that were fired.
NBC News reported that China tested anti-ship ballistic missiles that are believed to possess a precision strike capability against carriers at sea.
China's maritime authorities had warned ships not to enter a designated area north of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea from June 29 to July 3 due to a military exercise.
The US has made clear that it opposes moves by China to militarize the South China Sea.
The US has frequently sent vessels to areas of the South China Sea claimed by China in what are known as "Freedom of Navigation" operations.
Observers say China's missile tests are aimed at keeping the US in check.
Key words : learned Kim
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190704_43/
NHK has learned that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said he takes note of Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's willingness to meet him without preconditions.
Sources familiar with Japan-China relations say Kim made the remark during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Pyongyang on June 20.
The sources say Xi explained Kim's words to Abe when they met on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, Japan, in late June.
The Chinese leader reportedly quoted Kim as saying that he wants to make sure what Abe really meant.
Xi told Abe that he assured Kim China will support improvements in Japan-North Korea relations.
The sources say Xi also told Abe that China, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has consistently been carrying out the council's sanctions resolutions against Pyongyang.
They say Xi also said that not just applying pressure, but building a relationship based on trust by offering hope, will be necessary to resolve pending problems.
Kim also met US President Donald Trump on Sunday in the truce village of Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone between North Korea and South Korea.
How Kim's stance toward Japan could change is being closely watched after these and other developments.
Key words : Operator of Fukushima
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190704_29/
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has resumed work to remove nuclear fuel from one of the damaged reactor buildings.
Each of the plant's reactor buildings has a fuel storage pool inside, separate from the reactors.
In April, Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, began removing nuclear fuel assemblies from the storage pool at the No.3 reactor building.
Workers transferred seven fuel units to another pool about 100 meters away before temporarily suspending their work for an inspection of procedures and facilities.
The transfers were resumed on Thursday, after the safety of the procedure was confirmed.
The fuel assemblies are being hoisted out of the pool by remote control, because radiation levels in the area remain high.
The No.3 reactor is the first of the three that suffered meltdowns to have fuel removed from its storage pool. The other two will undergo the process as part of the decommissioning work.
The work began more than four years behind schedule.
TEPCO plans to remove all fuel assemblies in the No.3 reactor building by the end of March 2021.
Key words : commercial Kushiro
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190704_33/
The first whale meat to be caught since the resumption of commercial whaling has gone on sale in the northern Japanese port city of Kushiro.
Japan resumed commercial whaling on Monday after 31 years. A fleet of small boats set sail from Kushiro and returned with two minke whales.
Stores in Kushiro began selling the whale meat on Thursday. It is also available at a market that is popular with tourists .
A man in his 30s from Tokyo said the raw whale meat he tried was fresh and did not smell fishy.
He added that the thick slices were delicious.
Fish trader Yabe Mamoru said the whale meat costs more than it used to, but people in Kushiro have a long history of eating whales, and he thinks the prices will soon become more reasonable.
The whale meat from the first catch was also auctioned at a wholesale market in Sendai, northeastern Japan.
Buyers made bids for a total of about 260 kilograms.
The parts of the whale used to make bacon fetched the highest price of 15,000 yen, or almost 140 dollars, a kilogram. The whale meat will mainly be served at restaurants in Miyagi Prefecture.
Key words : sources say olympic
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190704_42/
Sources say the organizers of next year's Tokyo Olympics may hold 2 more ticket lotteries after many people came up empty in the first one.
In the first lottery, millions of people are believed to have accessed the 2020 Olympic Games ticketing website before online applications were closed on May 31.
After the results were released on June 20, many applicants who got no tickets expressed disappointment on social media. This apparently prompted the games' organizers to consider more lotteries. They are said to plan to hold the second ticket lottery.
This fall, the organizing committee had planned to sell tickets on its official website on a first-come-first-served basis.
But sources say the committee may instead hold the third lottery due to concern that heavy website traffic would again make access to the site very difficult.
Key words : Tokyo fire department
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190704_38/
The Tokyo Fire Department has held a large-scale anti-terrorism drill at a venue for the 2020 Olympics.
About 3,300 people, including rescue personnel and anti-terror unit members, took part in the drill at Tokyo Stadium, also known as Ajinomoto Stadium, in Chofu City, Tokyo, on Thursday.
The exercise was based on a scenario involving detonation of explosives in the stands.
Emergency rescue workers rushed to the scene, set up aid stations and practiced operations for deciding the order of treatment for those injured based on degree of urgency.
A new special unit to take command in terrorism response also took part.
Members instructed rescue workers while monitoring real-time footage sent from the stadium to their vehicle.
Members of another unit specializing in rescue operations for terrorist attacks wore explosive-protection gear to practice taking injured people to ambulances.
Department officials say they will carry out more drills so they can swiftly respond to possible terrorism during the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The stadium is to be used for Olympic soccer matches and other events.
Key words : uniqlo
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190704_45/
The operator of the UNIQLO casual clothing chain is joining the global effort to slash plastic waste.
Fast Retailing says it will switch to eco-friendly paper bags in all 3,500 of its stores worldwide.
The firm says the change will take effect from September.
It says it may also change the packaging for some products from plastic to paper or other materials.
From next January, UNIQLO and GU stores in Japan will charge 10 yen, or about nine cents, for paper shopping bags. The idea is to encourage shoppers to bring their own.
Fast Retailing officials say that by the end of 2020, they want to cut the volume of plastic waste from stores by 85 percent. That would amount to a reduction of 7,800 tons.
The firm isn't the first major clothing chain operator in Japan to switch from plastic to paper bags. The Japanese arm of Swedish chain H&M made the change last December.
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