Japan's top government spokesperson has indicated that the country and South Korea should maintain their intelligence-sharing pact, despite strained ties.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga says the government plans to discuss how to extend support to the animation studio in Kyoto that suffered a deadly arson attack.
Several large manufacturers in Japan say operating profit plunged last quarter on weaker demand amid a slowdown in China's economy.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20190729200000_english_1.mp3
Key words : top government
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190729_24/
Japan's top government spokesperson has indicated that the country and South Korea should maintain their intelligence-sharing pact, despite strained ties.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga spoke to reporters on Monday, ahead of the August 24 deadline for applying to terminate the General Security of Military Information Agreement, or GSOMIA.
The pact comes up for renewal every year. It can be scrapped by either country by giving notice by August 24.
Suga said the agreement has been automatically renewed every year since it was signed in 2016, based on the belief that it will strengthen bilateral security cooperation and contribute to regional peace and stability.
He said ties are now extremely strained, but the Japanese government believes it is important for the two countries to work together wherever they should.
Suga also referred to an announcement by South Korea's second largest city, Busan, that it would suspend exchange programs with Japan until relations improve.
Busan's mayor said he would review the programs in the wake of Japan's decision to tighten controls on the export of some high-tech materials to South Korea.
Suga called the announcement extremely regrettable. He said cooperation should continue at the grass-root and municipal levels, even when ties face difficulties on the level of the national government. He added that such cooperation lays the groundwork for mutual understanding.
Key words : south reporting senior
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190729_21/
South Korean media are reporting that a senior diplomat stationed in Japan has been accused of sexual harassment by a female subordinate and is being questioned by the South Korean police.
Multiple media outlets reported on Monday that the woman had officially complained about the alleged harassment by the consul general in his fifties.
The consul general is said to have returned to Seoul to be interviewed by the police.
South Korea has nine consulates in major Japanese cities, including Fukuoka and Sapporo.
South Korean foreign ministry officials have not disclosed where the consul general worked in Japan.
The Seoul Shinmun newspaper described the allegation as serious and shocking. It reported that the consul general is a specialist in trade issues, and the alleged misconduct occurred at a time of deteriorating relations between South Korea and Japan.
Key words : ferry
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190729_27/
A new high-speed ferry connecting the southern Japanese port of Hakata and the South Korean city of Busan will start operating just before the start of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
On Monday, JR Kyushu Group announced that the Queen Beetle will start services on July 15 next year.
The vessel has a capacity of 502 passengers, which is 2.6 times as many as the current Beetle used for the service.
The Queen Beetle's hull will be painted red. The ferry has a business-class section, duty-free shop and canteen.
Other features include slopes and lifts for wheelchair users, a children's room, and a space for breastfeeding.
Japan-South Korea ties are currently strained due to historical and trade issues. JR Kyushu President Toshihiko Aoyagi told reporters he hopes the new ferry helps to boost grassroots exchanges between the countries.
Aoyagi hopes South Korean tourists use the vessel to come to the Olympic Games.
Key words : Suga says
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190729_26/
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga says the government plans to discuss how to extend support to the animation studio in Kyoto that suffered a deadly arson attack.
Suga's remarks come as a nonpartisan group of Japanese lawmakers that promotes animation production calls on the government to urgently take any possible measures to rescue the Kyoto Animation studio and its surviving staff from their plight.
The group wants the government to support the training of animators and production staff, as well as provide counseling for the survivors. It is also calling for tax breaks for the funds that have been donated to the studio.
Suga told reporters on Monday that officials from relevant ministries and agencies will study the consequences surrounding the studio before they draw up a compensation plan for the victims, and measures to help rebuild the studio.
Suga added that he heard of a specific issue the studio is facing, which is how to deal with the donations it is receiving from across Japan and overseas.
Key words : several manufacturers
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190729_15/
Several large manufacturers in Japan say operating profit plunged last quarter on weaker demand amid a slowdown in China's economy.
Camera maker Canon reported a drop of 56 percent for the April-to-June quarter compared to the same period last year.
The firm says digital camera sales were slow amid sluggish demand from China.
Executives also revised downward the company's yearly outlook from a decline of just over 20 percent. They now expect year-on-year operating profit to plunge more than 37 percent.
Electronic parts manufacturer Nidec announced a fall of 38.8 percent. It said China's slowing economy hit sales of products, including industrial motors.
Electronics maker Omron also revealed a tumble of over 41 percent. Company officials say there were fewer shipments of products destined for factories as Chinese businesses cut capital investment.
Key words : Trump announced director
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190729_10/
US President Donald Trump has announced the Director of National Intelligence, Dan Coats, will step down, and said he will nominate a Republican Party Congressman to replace him.
Trump tweeted on Sunday that Congressman John Ratcliffe of Texas will succeed Coats who will leave the position on August 15.
Trump said Ratcliffe is "highly respected" and thanked Coats for his "great service" to his country.
Coats is a former Senator. He was nominated to the post of intelligence chief at the start of the Trump administration.
But he has been at odds with Trump regarding Russia's alleged meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
Coats released a statement in July last year asserting that Russia had clearly been involved, whereas Trump rejected the allegations.
Trump is also said to have been displeased with Coats' testimony to Congress in January that North Korea was "unlikely to completely give up its nuclear weapons and production capabilities."
Ratcliffe has supported Trump's position over Russia's alleged election interference.
Key words : spokesperson Russia
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190729_07/
A spokesperson for Russia's opposition leader Alexei Navalny says he was hospitalized for what appeared to be an allergic reaction while in jail.
The spokesperson said Navalny was rushed to hospital on Sunday with severe facial swelling and skin redness.
The spokesperson for the opposition leader said he never experienced an allergic reaction before, suggesting that police might have done something to him at the detention facility. Russia media report that Navalny's condition is not serious.
Navalny was detained by police last week after calling for a rally in Moscow to protest the refusal of the election commission to allow opposition candidates to register for the city council ballot. The commission cited insufficient paperwork.
More than 1,000 demonstrators were detained after police declared the protest rally illegal.
Observers say tensions may rise again as the opposition is calling for another rally in Moscow on Saturday.
Key words : Iran nuclear deal
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190729_03/
Iran and parties to its 2015 nuclear deal have held vice-ministerial talks in an effort to salvage the pact.
Senior officials from Iran, Britain, France, Germany, and other countries met in Vienna on Sunday for emergency talks.
Concern has been growing over the survival of the nuclear deal since Iran earlier this month raised its uranium enrichment level above the limit set by the agreement.
Iran argues it is not getting the economic benefits, such as oil exports, promised under the 2015 deal. It says this is because the United States pulled out last year and re-imposed sanctions on the country.
Following Sunday's talks, Iran's deputy foreign minister Abbas Araqchi said while the meeting's atmosphere was constructive, not everything had been resolved.
He added he intends to make adjustments for a ministerial-level meeting soon.
Araqchi said representatives from Iran and Britain exchanged accusations over the seizures of oil tankers from their respective countries.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps seized a British-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz on July 19, about two weeks after British forces captured an Iranian tanker in the Strait of Gibraltar.
Araqchi said Iran views Britain's seizure of the Iranian tanker as a violation of the nuclear deal.
The European signatories hope to persuade Iran to maintain the deal. But Iran plans to suspend its commitments and further raise its uranium enrichment level in early September.
Key words : Nigeria
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190729_19/
An armed group in Nigeria has attacked people who had been attending a funeral, leaving at least 65 dead.
Reuters and other media say militants on motorbikes and in vans opened fire at people returning from a funeral in the northeastern state of Borno on Saturday.
The assailants reportedly also set homes on fire and took food away.
So far, no one has claimed responsibility. But local officials suspect Boko Haram Islamic extremists were involved in the attack.
The group, which is based in the state, has been carrying out attacks targeting civilians in the area.
In 2014, the extremists abducted more than 200 girls from a school. They put explosives around the bodies of women and children to conduct suicide attacks.
The Nigerian government has declared a state of emergency in Borno and two other northeastern states, and deployed its military in the region to destroy Boko Haram.
Key words : weather official rainy season heatstroke
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190729_32/
Japanese weather officials say they believe the rainy season has ended in Tokyo and other parts of the Kanto-Koshin region. They say the mercury soared above 35 degrees Celsius in many cities to mark the hottest day of the year yet.
A high pressure system hovered over wide areas between northern and western Japan on Monday.
As of 4:00 p.m., Ibigawa Town in Gifu Prefecture, central Japan, marked the highest temperature of 37.2 degrees Celsius, followed by Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture, northern Japan, at 37 degrees. Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture and Kyoto City, both in western Japan, marked 36.6 and 36.5 degrees respectively, while central Tokyo marked a high of 33.7 degrees. These figures are the highest for this year.
Weather officials warn a heat wave is expected to prevail for the next seven days. They are also calling on residents to take caution against heatstroke, such as drinking liquids frequently and using air conditioners.
Meanwhile, rising temperatures and damp air are destabilizing atmospheric conditions over wide areas and causing sporadic downpours.
Officials are warning against mudslides, flooding in low-lying areas as well as sudden changes in weather, resulting in lightning strikes and gusty winds.
Key words : emperor and
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190729_30/
The Emperor and Empress have attended the opening ceremony of the International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium in Yokohama, near Tokyo.
The event is held in a different part of the world every year. Researchers who observe the Earth's surface using satellites present their latest findings. They aim to help prevent disasters and preserve the global environment.
The Imperial couple arrived at the symposium before noon on Monday. Emperor Naruhito has attended international conferences in various fields since he was the Crown Prince.
Nearly 2,000 researchers from 56 countries and territories were present at the opening ceremony.
In his speech, the Emperor said he hopes the symposium provides scientists and engineers with a forum for inter-disciplinary discussion.
He also said he hopes it brings successful results that contribute to a sustainable future for the planet.
The Imperial couple talked to researchers for about 30 minutes during the reception. Both the Emperor and Empress have a strong interest in disaster prevention and the preservation of the global environment.
The symposium runs through August 2 at Pacifico Yokohama.
Key words : swimmer
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190729_12/
Japanese swimmer Daiya Seto won the men's 400-meter individual medley on the final day of the World Championships in South Korea.
On Sunday, Seto, who wrapped up the qualifying round in the top spot, was aggressive from the start.
The 25-year-old swam very fast during the first lap, which was butterfly, and extended his lead in the backstroke and breaststroke laps.
He was more than 3 seconds ahead of his US rival, Jay Litherland, when he went into his last lap, which was free style.
But Seto lost steam and Litherland almost caught up with him.
Seto finished the race in 4 minutes 8.95 seconds, picking up his fourth career world championship gold. That's a record among Japanese swimmers.
Seto secured a spot in the men's 400-meter individual medley at next year's Tokyo Olympics. He earlier won a spot for the 200-meter individual medley on Thursday.
Seto says he'll continue training extremely hard for one more year.
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