A Japanese court has found all 3 former executives of Tokyo Electric Power Company not guilty in the only criminal prosecution stemming from the 2011 nuclear disaster in Fukushima.
Typhoon Faxai has so far caused more than 290 million dollars in damage to agriculture, forestry and fisheries industries in eastern Japan.
エラー 2042
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20190919200000_english_1.mp3
Key words : 3 former executive not guilty died
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190919_42/
A Japanese district court has found all 3 former executives of Tokyo Electric Power Company not guilty in the only criminal prosecution stemming from the 2011 nuclear disaster in Fukushima.
The Tokyo District Court handed down the ruling on Thursday. A group of citizens that led the case to prosecution vowed to continue to seek justice.
After the accident, public prosecutors declined to indict the executives. But citizens raised their voices and a special judicial panel decided the case must go ahead. Court-appointed lawyers indicted them in 2016.
The executives are: Tsunehisa Katsumata who was the chairman of TEPCO at the time of the accident, and two former vice presidents, Ichiro Takekuro and Sakae Muto. The judge acquitted them on charges of professional negligence resulting in deaths and injury.
On March 11, 2011 a powerful earthquake triggered a tsunami. The enormous waves swamped Fukushima Daichi nuclear plant, knocking out power and resulting in 3 reactors melting down.
The disaster led to massive evacuations in the area. Some patients being treated at a local hospital ended up in freezing conditions.
They were moved by bus. Nurses say some died on the way. Plaintiffs say the executives are responsible for 44 deaths.
The focus of the trial had been on whether the defendants could have predicted the tsunami, and if so, whether the accident could have been prevented.
The court-appointed lawyers sought 5 year prison sentences, arguing the tsunami was predictable.
The defendants pleaded not guilty. The judge sided with the executives and said it was impossible for them to predict the massive tsunami.
TEPCO declined to comment on Thursday's ruling, but apologized to the people affected. The company says it is determined to continue to do its utmost in compensation, decommissioning and decontamination efforts.
Key words : member of criminal
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190919_36/
A member of a civic group who filed a criminal complaint against three former executives of the Tokyo Electric Power Company for professional negligence says that she never thought the court would find them not guilty.
Saeko Uno is a former Fukushima resident. She has been living in Kyoto since the 2011 nuclear accident.
She tearfully said she can never accept the ruling and will keep fighting TEPCO to help make Japan into a country her children can be proud of.
Another member of the group, Keiko Sasaki, says she believes the verdict was biased in favor of TEPCO.
She said the ruling disregards the fact that the nuclear accident resulted in the deaths of 44 bedridden patients in a nearby hospital and many other fatalities, and also left many evacuees struggling for years.
Sasaki said she doesn't feel justice has been served and she wishes the court could have been impartial.
Key words : tepco said
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190919_30/
Tokyo Electric Power Company said after the ruling on the Fukushima accident that it will work with an unwavering resolve to strengthen the safety of its nuclear plants.
The utility said in a statement on Thursday that it is aware a verdict was given in the trial concerning the criminal responsibility of its three former executives, but will refrain from commenting on the case.
TEPCO said that, for the sake of Fukushima's reconstruction, the firm will do its best in all sincerity on the matters of damage compensation, decommissioning reactors and decontamination work, while strengthening nuclear plant safety.
Key words : bank of Japan closely watch Kuroda
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190919_41/
The Bank of Japan has decided to keep its current easy monetary policy unchanged. But it says it needs to closely watch the possibility that momentum toward its price stability target could fade due to a slowing global economy.
The central bank will continue to buy government bonds at the same pace. It aims to maintain the benchmark 10-year yield at around zero percent.
The short-term target interest rate stays at minus 0.1 percent. That means commercial banks will keep paying interest to the BOJ.
The central banks of the US and Europe have already stepped up their easing programs due to concerns about the global economy.
BOJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said Japan's consumption and corporate investment are solid, but downward risks are growing.
He said: "It is believed that the negative effects of the global economy's slowdown are increasing. We are carefully paying attention to a situation where inflation might start to lose momentum."
Kuroda also said he now feels more inclined to take easing measures in the future, than he was at the BOJ's previous policy meeting in July.
Key words : Faxai 290 million
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190919_22/
Typhoon Faxai has so far caused more than 290 million dollars in damage to agriculture, forestry and fisheries industries, mainly in eastern Japan. The amount is expected to rise.
Farm ministry officials say the total covers damage reported as of Thursday morning in Chiba, Ibaraki and six other prefectures, mainly in eastern Japan.
Damage to farm produce, such as rice, pears and carrots, amounted to 87 million dollars. The figure for greenhouses was about 177 million dollars.
Officials say the typhoon wrecked a total of 324 fishing vessels in Chiba, Ibaraki and three other prefectures, resulting in damage of about 1.5 million dollars.
Many dairy farmers in Chiba have been unable to milk their cows or were forced to discard fresh milk they were unable to refrigerate due to the power outage.
Officials say they still need to assess the impact of the typhoon in some areas, mainly in southern Chiba, and they expect the damage total to rise.
Tokyo Electric Power Company says nearly 30,000 households in Chiba Prefecture were without power on Thursday morning.
TEPCO officials say they are still removing trees knocked down in the typhoon but they hope to restore power to all areas by September 27.
Key words : teenage Swedish
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190919_18/
Teenage Swedish activist Greta Thunberg has urged the US Congress to take action to tackle climate change.
The 16-year-old has been skipping school on Fridays to highlight the need for action on climate change. Her campaign is known as "Fridays for Future," and has spread via social media.
Thunberg attended a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. She referred to a report compiled by a UN panel that says the average temperature worldwide is likely to rise 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by as early as 2030.
She said, ''I don't want you to listen to me. I want you to listen to the scientists.'' Thunberg called on the lawmakers to unite behind the science.
Earlier, on Monday, she met former US President Barack Obama.
When Obama told her that she is changing the world, Thunberg replied that young people seem so eager and that no one is too small to have an impact.
Thunberg is scheduled to deliver a speech at the United Nations Climate Action Summit to be held next Monday.
Key words : growing number
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190919_40/
A growing number of foreign tourists coming to Japan has helped push up commercial land prices throughout the country.
A government survey shows that the figure for the entire nation showed a 0.4 percent increase as of July 1st, compared to the same time last year. It was the second straight rise.
Prices of commercial land in all regions were up 1.7 percent.
The fastest growth was in the biggest urban centers of Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya, where prices shot up 5.2 percent.
The average price outside the big cities rose for the first time in 28 years, ticking up 0.3 percent.
Officials at the Land Ministry say demand from developers to build hotels and retail facilities catering to foreign tourists helped lift the numbers.
But it was a different story for residential land. The nation-wide average price was down 0.1 percent, marking the 28th consecutive year of decline.
Key words : health ministry genetic
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Key words : Japanese and US
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190919_16/
Japanese and US business leaders meeting in Washington have welcomed a new bilateral trade deal, although they warned about the prospect of higher tariffs on Japanese cars. The agreement is set to be signed next week.
The executives wrapped up the annual Japan-US Business Conference on Wednesday.
Nobuyuki Hirano, Chairman of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, noted the deal took only one year to draw up, and that itself indicates very collaborative and productive discussions between the two governments, even amid an uncertain global economy.
Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins called the deal a great first step that hopefully leads to comprehensive trade reform in a timeframe that makes sense for both countries.
But the executives' joint statement expresses opposition to possible tariff hikes on Japanese auto products. They say any measures that deal a serious financial blow to consumers and industries must be avoided.
Officials of the two governments are expected to disclose their plans next week on those and other tariffs.
Key words : commander
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190919_20/
The commander of the US Pacific Air Forces says discussions are underway on replacing fighter jets at a US air base in Japan's southwestern prefecture of Okinawa with F-35 stealth fighters or other new aircraft.
Speaking to NHK and other media outlets in Washington on Wednesday, General Charles Brown said F-15 jets currently deployed at the US Kadena Air Base are showing their age.
He said there is an ongoing discussion in the US Air Force on whether to replace the jets with F-35s or new F-16s, as part of future planning. He says he is waiting for a decision.
The US military in Japan has deployed F-35 fighter jets at the Iwakuni Air Station in Yamaguchi Prefecture.
Brown also spoke about South Korea's decision to end an intelligence-sharing pact with Japan, the General Security of Military Information Agreement, also known as GSOMIA.
Brown said the move has so far not affected cooperation among Washington, Tokyo and Seoul, but said he hopes the pact will be reinstated.
Key words : paralympic heavy road
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190919_17/
A test of traffic restrictions for next year's Olympics and Paralympics caused heavy road congestion in and around Tokyo.
The trial was conducted for two days in July. A traffic data company analyzed the records of about 30,000 trucks that used the metropolitan expressway system and national roads.
The length of bumper-to-bumper vehicles on national roads reached 80 kilometers on July 24, and 90 kilometers on July 26. That was 20 to 50 percent longer than usual.
The congestion was especially serious outside Ring Road Number Seven, where traffic lights were adjusted to restrict the flow of traffic into central Tokyo.
On National Highway Number Four, half of a roughly eight-kilometer stretch between two key intersections was jammed.
The line of jam-packed cars was about twice as long as usual. It took about 45 minutes to pass through that section -- about three times longer than normal.
In areas inside Ring Road Number Seven, the line of back-to-back vehicles was up to 30 percent longer than usual.
Professor Tetsuro Hyodo of the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology is a logistics expert.
He warns that heavy congestion during the Games could disrupt the delivery of supplies and seriously impact people's lives. He stresses the need for measures to reduce the volume of traffic.
Key words : rugby
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