at 20:00 (JST), July 05

Japanese government officials are visiting the southern prefecture of Kagoshima to assess the damage caused by record rainfall.

Japanese makers of high-tech materials are busy preparing documents needed to get government approval for exporting their products to South Korea.

One of the two Chinese suspects arrested in Tokyo in connection with a cashless payment scam has told police he received instructions through a messaging app.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20190705200000_english_1.mp3


Key words : government officials visited Kagoshima
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190705_23/

Japanese government officials are visiting the southern prefecture of Kagoshima to assess the damage from this week's record heavy rainfall.

Accompanied by local officials, inspectors from the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry surveyed the affected areas.

They inspected the damage caused by a mudslide that occurred on a mountain road in Aira City. The cliff side of the road collapsed.

They also visited Kirishima City, where a 35-meter section of a riverbank has been washed away.

Prefectural officials explained that steel plates had been attached to the slope as a stop-gap measure.

The ministry needs to assess the damage to determine the subsidies for the reconstruction work. It will also advise local governments on short-term and long-term measures.

An inspector says the ministry will use the survey results to consider ways to prevent disasters caused by torrential rain.

The survey will continue in Kagoshima City and other affected areas of the prefecture through Saturday.

Key words : high-tech material busy preparing
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190705_15/

Japanese makers of high-tech materials are busy preparing documents needed to get government approval for exporting their products. The rush comes after the Japanese government on Thursday started to impose restrictions on exports of the items to South Korea.

Three materials are affected. They are used in the manufacturing of semiconductors and other hi-tech components.

Japanese firms account for an estimated 70 to 90 percent of the global production of the materials. South Korea -- one of the world's biggest manufacturers of semiconductors -- is highly dependent on the products from Japan.

Officials at several Japanese firms are contacting their South Korean clients as they prepare documents that will be submitted to the government.

The materials include "high-purity hydrogen fluoride" and another called "resists."

Japan's industry ministry says its staff will take about 90 days to screen the documents. But officials at the companies say they don't know precisely how long it will take.

The head of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry believes the issue won't have a big economic impact overall, although it could cause changes within the semiconductor industry.

Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Akio Mimura said, "South Korea may start manufacturing the materials itself, domestically, prompted by this latest case."

But Mimura added that mutual dependence between the two countries will continue on, regardless.

It's believed that a dispute over court ruling in South Korea on wartime labor is behind Japan's recent move.

Mimura expressed his hope that both governments will proceed with discussions on the issue.

Key words : profit likely
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190705_20/

Samsung Electronics says its operating profit likely fell by more than a half in the last quarter from a year earlier.

The South Korean tech giant released its earnings estimates on Friday for the April-to-June period.

It says operating profit was likely down 56.3 percent to about 6.5 trillion won, or about 5.6 billion dollars.

Samsung also said its revenue likely fell 4.2 percent from a year earlier to about 48 billion dollars.

Analysts say falling semiconductor business and US-China trade frictions are to blame.

They say the company's earnings may also be affected by Japan's strict new regulation on export materials.

Key words : spokesperson dissolving
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190705_25/

A spokesperson for Japan's government says the country will never accept South Korea's dissolving a fund for those referred to as wartime comfort women.

The fund was set up with the Japanese government's help to support the women under a 2015 bilateral agreement.

Seoul has been taking procedures to dissolve the fund, into which Japan has contributed about 9 million dollars.

Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasutoshi Nishimura told reporters on Friday that the policy to dissolve the fund is deeply problematic in light of the 2015 agreement.

He said South Korea's President Moon Jae-in clearly stated that he is not dissolving the fund in talks with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Nishimura added that South Korea has told Japan that the procedures have not been completed.

He said Japan once again asked Seoul through diplomatic channels to steadily implement the agreement.

Key words : one of suspect arrested in
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190705_22/

One of the two Chinese suspects arrested in Tokyo in connection with a cashless payment scam has told police he received instructions through a messaging app.

Tokyo police say the suspects used stolen IDs and passwords for the 7pay service to fraudulently buy e-cigarettes worth about 1,800 dollars at a Seven-Eleven Japan convenience store on Wednesday.

One of the suspects told investigators he came to Japan last week as a tourist. He said he was given instructions by someone who contacted him on Tuesday through the Chinese social messaging platform WeChat.

The suspect told police he responded to a message that promised him a reward of about three dollars for each carton of e-cigarettes. He reportedly said he had never met the person who contacted him.

Investigators believe the other suspect was a driver who was ordered to collect the goods from the store. He told them he was contacted through WeChat on the day of the crime, and was not involved in the fraud.

Seven-Eleven Japan said on Thursday that the 7pay accounts of as many as 900 customers had been compromised.

Police suspect that a criminal organization was behind the scam.

Key words : economy and
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190705_26/

Japan's economy and industry ministry plans to urge operators of mobile payment services to strictly follow industry guidelines for preventing fraud.

The ministry and cashless payment providers drew up the security standard guidelines in April.

The guidelines say rigorous identity checks are especially important for preventing unauthorized use through hacking.

The guidelines urge operators to ask customers to provide specific information for ID checks when they set up accounts.

They also call for using more information for ID checks, such as credit card numbers and passwords.

The ministry's move follows a scam involving unauthorized use of a cashless payment service through the smartphone app 7pay.

The ministry is asking the operator of the service to thoroughly identify the cause of the incident and draw up measures to prevent recurrence.

Key words : UNESCO
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190705_28/

A UNESCO committee has started reviewing nominations for its World Heritage list.

The committee opened its meeting on Friday in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku to screen 35 natural and cultural heritage sites, nominated by members of the UN body.

One of them is a group of ancient burial mounds in Osaka Prefecture, western Japan.

The Mozu-Furuichi Tumulus Clusters consist of 49 mounds built between the late fourth and fifth centuries.

Among them is a keyhole-shaped tomb, which the Imperial Household Agency considers to be the mausoleum of Emperor Nintoku.
It is one of the largest of its kind in the world, measuring 486 meters in length.

The Japanese nomination is scheduled to be considered Friday afternoon or Saturday.

The Mozu-Furuichi Tumulus Clusters are widely expected to be added to the World Heritage list, as a UNESCO advisory body recommended their inclusion back in May.