Some calm has returned to Hong Kong a day after a peaceful mass rally against a controversial extradition bill. But the turmoil in the former British colony shows no signs of ending.
Japan has posted a trade deficit for the first time in two months, as exports to China fell amid its trade dispute with the US.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is expected to visit Japan this month, amid a growing rift with the United States.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20190819200000_english_1.mp3
Key words : some return
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190819_15/
Some calm has returned to Hong Kong a day after a peaceful mass rally against a controversial extradition bill. But the turmoil in the former British colony shows no signs of ending.
Organizers say the event on Sunday drew about 1.7 million people. They say it was the second largest since another in June, in which they say around 2 million people demonstrated.
Protesters spilled out from the designated rally site and began marching on main roads but there were no reports of clashes with police.
Local newspapers gave the rally front-page coverage.
One praised the protestors by saying that they rationally made requests to the government. But a pro-Beijing paper called the rally an illegal demonstration.
The Hong Kong government said the rally was peaceful overall. But officials pointed out that the protesters had inconvenienced others by blocking main roads.
The government expressed its readiness to hold dialogue with the public if the situation stabilizes.
But the rally organizers say they're planning a march to the Chinese government's liaison office at the end of this month.
Key words : people support
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190819_06/
People supporting protesters in Hong Kong have rallied in the US capital, Washington, demanding freedom for the Chinese territory.
About 200 people gathered in front of the White House on Sunday for a rally organized by students and others from Hong Kong.
Participants wearing black T-shirts that have become a symbol of the Hong Kong protests chanted "freedom for Hong Kong" and "protect democracy in Hong Kong."
The organizers said there were similar rallies in 36 cities in 12 countries and regions over the weekend to support the movement.
A 43-year-old office worker from Hong Kong said that he hopes the United States can increase the pressure on the Chinese government to resolve the issue peacefully.
A 37-year-old woman from Hong Kong said that she wants all the countries that are enjoying freedom and democracy to stand up for Hong Kong.
Some US lawmakers are concerned that Beijing may resort to armed force to contain the mass protests in the territory as it did during the Tiananmen Square crackdown 30 years ago.
US President Donald Trump is expected to hold a telephone conversation with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping soon and urge him to seek a peaceful solution to the issue.
Key words : Trump indicated affected
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190819_08/
US President Donald Trump has indicated that US-China trade negotiations would be affected if Beijing were to use violence to quell demonstrators in Hong Kong.
Trump was speaking to reporters in New Jersey on Sunday.
He expressed concern over "another Tiananmen Square" incident, referring to the military crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Beijing in 1989.
Trump said if Beijing took that option, it would be difficult to sign a trade deal with China. He indicated that US Congress would further harden its attitude toward the country, disrupting the environment for negotiations.
Trump said he believes Chinese President Xi Jinping will be able to settle the issue by talking to the demonstrators.
He said he wants the situation in Hong Kong to be settled in a humanitarian fashion, which would be a positive development for a trade deal.
Trump is expected shortly to speak on the telephone with Xi and urge for a peaceful solution.
Key words : south summoned senior Japanese
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190819_20/
South Korea's Foreign Ministry has summoned a senior Japanese Embassy official to request explanations of a proposal to release water that contains radioactive substances generated at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Environmental affairs bureau chief Kwon Se-jung handed a document to Tomofumi Nishinaga, who is in charge of economic affairs, on Monday.
The document expresses Seoul's concerns about the radioactive water and requests that Tokyo give concrete explanations of how the water will be disposed of.
Nishinaga said he will convey South Korea's position to the Japanese government and explained Japan's position that it will faithfully provide information to South Korea and the international community.
About 170 tons of contaminated water are generated each day. The water is treated to get rid of radioactive substances, but tritium is hard to remove.
The government and the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, are studying the possibility of lowering the concentration of substances below accepted levels and releasing it into the environment, or installing more tanks for long-term storage.
South Korea's request comes as bilateral relations are deteriorating over trade and historical issues.
Seoul is believed to be trying to convey public concerns about the environment to Japan, while showing the South Korean people that it's taking a hardline stance regarding Japan.
Key words : Japan posted
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190819_12/
Japan has posted a trade deficit for the first time in two months, as exports to China fell amid its trade dispute with the US.
Officials at Japan's Finance Ministry say exports in July dropped 1.6 percent year on year to 6.64 trillion yen, or about 62.4 billion dollars. The figure was down for the eighth month in a row.
Imports fell 1.2 percent in yen terms to about 64.8 billion dollars.
That left the trade balance in the red at slightly over 2.3 billion dollars.
Exports to China were down 9.3 percent from the same month last year.
Shipments bound for South Korea fell 6.9 percent.
Japan tightened export controls for some high-tech materials to South Korea in early July. But the ministry officials say the items account for only a small portion of overall exports.
They say the major factor for the drop was sluggish sales of auto parts and machinery, including equipment used in the manufacture of semiconductors.
Key words : exports to south
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190819_16/
Japan's exports to South Korea fell in July for the ninth straight month.
Japanese Finance Ministry officials say exports dropped 6.9 percent from the same month last year to 436.3 billion yen, or about 4.1 billion dollars. There was a 1.6 percent decline in total exports for July.
Shipments to South Korea of equipment used to manufacture semiconductors plunged 41.6 percent year on year. Power generating machines fell 47.4 percent, and auto parts dropped 14.8 percent.
In early July, Japan tightened export controls for three high-tech materials to South Korea. But the officials reported an overall increase of exports of chemicals, including the specified items.
In recent months, issues including trade and wartime labor have strained Japan-South Korea ties.
Some in the South are calling for a boycott of Japanese products. The statistics show Japan's food sales to the country were down 1.9 percent, but shipments of automobiles jumped 26.4 percent.
The officials say they have yet to analyze why exports rose or fell for each item. They also say just what impact the strained ties have had on trade is still not clear.
Key words : Hokkaido
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190819_18/
Local government officials in the northern Japanese prefecture of Hokkaido have been making efforts to directly welcome South Korean tourists.
It comes with Japan-South Korea ties at a low point over trade and historical issues.
On Monday, the officials greeted tourists at New Chitose Airport and offered welcome gifts such as fans, leaflets and jelly made with locally produced melons.
A South Korean in his 20s said he didn't hesitate to visit Japan, and that he is grateful for the warm welcome.
Prefectural official Mizuhiro Takano said a smaller number of tourists from South Korea will deal a blow to the local economy.
He said he hopes the efforts of the officials will convey to South Koreans that they should not hesitate to visit Hokkaido.
South Koreans account for a large percentage of foreign visitors to the prefecture, along with people from China and Taiwan.
About 640,000 South Koreans visited in fiscal 2017. The figure is up more than 50 percent from the year before, and outpaces the increase in Chinese and Taiwanese visitors.
However, some flights connecting Hokkaido and South Korea have recently been cancelled following a deterioration in bilateral ties between Tokyo and Seoul.
The Hokkaido government says the number of flights will be 58 as of October 1, down by half from August 1.
Key words : Iranian expected to visit
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190819_13/
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is expected to visit Japan this month, amid a growing rift with the United States.
Multiple diplomatic sources say final adjustments are being made for a visit by Zarif in late August as part of his tour of Asia.
The Iranian government is reportedly requesting meetings with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Foreign Minister Taro Kono.
Zarif is expected to detail Iran's position over the tense situation in the Persian Gulf.
The US government wants to form an international coalition that includes Japan, to safeguard shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran regards the proposal as a hostile act that will raise regional tensions.
Iran has warned that it will step up its uranium enrichment activities early next month, unless it gains some form of economic benefit from a nuclear deal made with six world powers in 2015. The US pulled out of the deal and has imposed new sanctions on Iran.
Diplomatic observers say Zarif is likely to be ascertaining how Japan will respond if Iran increases its moves to enrich uranium.
Key words : Iranian tanker not to release it
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190819_14/
An Iranian tanker has left Gibraltar after the British territory rejected a US request not to release it.
The Marine Traffic website shows the vessel left Gibraltar on Sunday -- more than a month after it was seized for allegedly violating EU sanctions.
Washington had asked Gibraltar to detain the tanker further, saying it was carrying an illicit shipment of oil to benefit Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
But Gibraltar said in a statement on Sunday that it could not meet the US request because the alleged activity is not covered by EU laws.
More than two weeks after the vessel's seizure, Iran detained a British-flagged tanker in the Persian Gulf, raising tensions between the two countries.
Key words : Pence
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190819_17/
US President Donald Trump has indicated that he will choose Vice President Mike Pence as his running mate for his reelection bid.
Speaking to reporters in New Jersey on Sunday, Trump showed confidence that he will win a second term in the 2020 presidential election.
He said that a lot of names had been suggested but that he is very happy with Pence.
Trump said the evangelicals have a great respect for the vice president, hinting that Pence's popularity among conservative Christians is one of the reasons for keeping him as his deputy.
The evangelicals are the key support base for Trump.
More than 20 people have joined the race to win the Democratic Party's nomination.
The president held campaign rallies during his holidays until Sunday and made a series of tweets about his achievements.
Key words : British media
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190819_19/
The British media have reported on government documents warning of serious disruptions across the country in the case of a no-deal Brexit.
Quotes from the report were published by a number of British newspapers on Sunday.
Britain is scheduled to leave the European Union on October 31, with or without a trade deal with the European bloc.
The report predicts that without a deal, delays in custom clearance at ports across Britain will interrupt the flow of goods, such as fuel supplies to southeastern Britain, including London.
A shortage of fresh food is expected to result in some empty supermarket shelves.
Delays in the delivery of imported drugs are also expected, as the country relies on the EU for 75 percent of its supply.
The British minister in charge of no-deal preparations, Michael Gove, played down the assertions.
In a tweet, he stressed that significant steps have been taken to accelerate Brexit planning.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to depart from the EU without an agreement. He is expected to begin Brexit talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel this week.
Key words : porsche
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190819_21/
A car considered to be Porsche's first model remains unsold after it failed to reach the reserve price at an auction on Sunday.
The vehicle is the only existing Porsche Type 64.
It was built 80 years ago in Nazi Germany for a race linking Berlin and Rome, aimed at boosting national prestige. But the race never took place as World War Two broke out.
The car, which reportedly remains capable of running, was auctioned in California after it was owned by a number of drivers, including a car racer.
The bid immediately hit 17 million dollars, but local media say it was below the seller's minimum price.
Key words : more than 2,000 people
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190819_02/
More than 2,000 people tested their skills at scooping up goldfish at an annual event in Nara Prefecture, western Japan, on Sunday.
The event was held in the city of Yamatokoriyama, a major goldfish farming region in the country. Participants equipped with a paper scoop each competed to capture as many goldfish as possible in three minutes from a water tank containing about 1,000.
To mark the 25th anniversary of the event, the organizers had called on people around the world to participate this year in what they call a "world championship."
About 50 people from nine countries, including the United States and Britain took part.
The game requires speed and skill as the paper net is very fragile.
A 17-year-old local man won in the adult individual category. He scooped 70 fish to beat 49 other contestants in the final.
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