at 20:00 (JST), September 26

Japan and the US have struck a final agreement in bilateral trade negotiations.

Japan's Prime Minister and the US President have denounced the recent attacks on Saudi Arabian oil facilities, and have agreed to cooperate to help ease tensions in the Middle East.

A Japanese research group has successfully produced multiple organs simultaneously, using human iPS cells.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20190926200000_english_1.mp3


Key words : Japan and the US struck
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190926_09/

Japan and the US have struck a final agreement in their bilateral trade negotiations. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US President Donald Trump signed a joint statement after confirming the accord.

Abe said " When the deal takes effect, it will undoubtedly help boost Japan's investment in the US and develop bilateral economic ties. I'm confident that the deal will be a win-win for Japan and the US."

Trump said "Japanese tariffs now be significantly lower, or eliminated entirely, for US beef, pork, wheat, cheese, corn, wine and so much more. This is a huge victory for America's farmers, ranchers and growers, and that's very important to me."

Under the terms of the agreement, Japan will open its market to US farm products to a degree that does not exceed the scope of the Trans-Pacific Partnership pact.

Japan will cut its tariff on American beef from the current 38.5 percent. The levy will eventually drop to nine percent under the accord. Duties on US pork will also be cut.

The two sides agreed not to set a tariff-free annual quota of up to 70,000 tons for US rice exports to Japan. Tokyo had agreed on the quota in past talks for the TPP.

Both sides will continue to negotiate tariffs on automobiles and auto parts. Japan wants the US to scrap them.

The joint statement signed by the two leaders says the US will refrain from slapping additional levies on imported Japanese automobiles.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said he confirmed with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer that Washington will not limit the number of vehicles to be imported from Japan.

Key words : including video
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190926_23/

Japan and the United States agreed to refrain from tariffs on cross-border exchanges of electronic data, including videos, music and games.

They will also not ban or limit such flows. The spirit of that pledge is to promote free trade between Japan and the US in online commerce and other digital businesses.

The pact aims to make it easier for IT firms to do their business. Neither country will be able to force companies to share source codes or algorithms as a condition for selling their products within its borders.

The governments will also drop any requirements that companies set up servers or data centers within their borders as a condition for doing business there.

Analysts say the rules give advantages to the US ... as it is home to the world's biggest IT companies ... like Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple.

Tokyo and Washington are apparently aiming to lead the world in setting international rules in the IT field ... as some emerging economies are stepping up protectionist regulations.

Key words : central union
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Key words : and US president have denounced
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190926_11/

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US President Donald Trump have denounced the recent attacks on Saudi Arabian oil facilities, and have agreed to cooperate to help ease tensions in the Middle East.

The agreement came during their meeting that lasted more than one hour in New York on Wednesday. Japan's Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo joined the meeting.

Houthi insurgents in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attacks on Saudi Arabian oil facilities.

Abe said it's hard to believe they could have carried out the attacks, in view of their capabilities.

Abe said Japan is collecting and analyzing information on the matter, indicating that Japan will work with the US and other countries to identify who launched the attack.

Trump and other US officials have said Iran is behind the attacks but Iran denies the allegations.

Abe briefed Trump on his meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in New York. Abe told Trump that he had called on Iran to exercise restraint to help de-escalate the situation and exercise its influence in a constructive manner.

Trump expressed high expectations for Japan as a country with close ties with Iran.

Trump raised the state of relations between Japan and South Korea, which have been strained due to a series of issues since last year, and Abe briefed Trump on Japan's position.

During his meeting with Trump, Abe also said short-range ballistic missile launches by North Korea in recent months were a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions, and suggested that Japan and the United States need to fully implement the resolutions.

Abe and Trump confirmed that their countries will work closely together to resolve the issues of North Korea's abduction of Japanese nationals, nuclear and missile development programs, and that they will also cooperate with South Korea in dealing with such matters.

Key words : US special representative interview
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190926_29/

The US Special Representative for Iran, Brian Hook, has said Tehran can either start negotiating with the United States or continue to watch its economy collapse.

Hook made the remark during an interview with NHK in New York on Wednesday.

He said there is no doubt that Iran was involved in the attack on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities earlier this month.

He noted that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani claims that Houthi insurgents in Yemen conducted the attacks.

But Hook said satellite imagery of the facilities shows that all of the strikes came from the north and did not come from the south from Yemen. He argues that the imagery alone proves that Rouhani has lied.

He said the attack was an act of war and that Iran is becoming increasingly isolated among the international community.

He admitted that he did not either try to contact Iranian officials nor have any kind of conversation with them in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

On Wednesday, Rouhani said in his UN speech that Iran will not negotiate until the US sanctions are lifted.

But Hook noted that the sanctions will remain in place until Iran comes to the negotiating table and a new agreement is reached.

He also criticized Rouhani for his proposal at the UN to form a "Coalition for Hope" -- Iran's own initiative to ensure the safety of the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf in cooperation with other countries.

He said that the idea "would be like inviting the arsonist to the fire."

Hook expressed hope that Japan will join an international coalition the US is proposing to ensure security in the Strait of Hormuz.

He also calls on more countries to stand up to Iran.

Key words : business leaders from despite
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190926_30/

Business leaders from Japan and South Korea have pledged to keep working together despite strained ties between the two countries. They met in South Korea and urged both governments to patch things up.

About 300 members from both sides wrapped up a two-day meeting in Seoul.

They issued a joint statement saying businesses are deeply worried that strong bilateral relations are now being put at risk.

The group said the private sector could play a role in strengthening ties between the two countries.

Representatives pledged to work together on issues like infrastructure and employment.

The group's leaders stressed the importance of the mutual trust built over 50 years.

Chairman of the Japan-Korea Economic Association, Mikio Sasaki said, "The strong bilateral business ties between Japan and South Korea must not be damaged by the current situation."

Chairman of the Korea-Japan Economic Association, Kim Yoon, said, "Despite political and diplomatic tensions, Japan and South Korea have to continue business exchanges in order to face global competition."

They urged both governments to resume dialogue and take measures to restore the relationship.

Key words : Japanese research group
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190926_26/

A Japanese research group has successfully produced multiple organs simultaneously, using human iPS cells, or induced pluripotent stem cells.

The group, led by Takanori Takebe, professor at Tokyo Medical and Dental University, published its findings in the British science magazine Nature on Wednesday.

Researchers first cultured iPS cells, which have the potential to develop into any kind of tissue, to the stage before they become digestive organs.

They then grouped together cells that develop into the upper part of the digestive tract with those that develop into the lower part, and cultured the combination.

The result was a simultaneous creation of a liver and pancreas, and a bile duct that connects them.

The organs together measure only about one centimeter, which is about the size of those of a one-month-old fetus.

Researchers say they were able to confirm some functions, such as a flow of liquid from the liver to other organs.

The organs that interact in a complicated way in the human body have never before been produced from human iPS cells simultaneously.

Researchers say that if they can culture blood vessels at the same time, the organs could be transplanted into the human body.

Takebe says there are still many challenges, but they hope to be ready for transplants within ten years.

Key words : government has decided
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190926_33/

The Japanese government has decided not to provide the planned subsidies for an international art festival underway in Aichi Prefecture.

One of the exhibitions was canceled only three days after it opened on August 1 because of threats. The works on display under the theme of freedom of expression included a statue of a girl symbolizing those referred to as wartime comfort women.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs announced on Thursday that it will not pay 78 million yen, or about 724,000 dollars, in subsidies set aside for the festival, Aichi Triennale 2019.

Agency officials say the prefectural government was aware of the possible safety risks, but failed to report them when applying for the subsidies.

They say the agency determined in its review that there was a procedural flaw with the prefecture's application.

The agency decided in April that the event could be subsidized because it is designed to promote culture as a tourism resource.

On August 2, just as protests, threats and complaints were pouring in about the exhibition, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the government would carry out a thorough review before making an official decision on the subsidy payments.

Suga said the documents submitted for screening did not give details of the featured works.

Aichi Governor Hideaki Ohmura declined to comment, saying he had not received official word from the agency. He said he will examine the decision to see if there are reasonable grounds for canceling the subsidies that the agency had initially agreed to provide.

He suggested bringing the case to a panel for resolving disputes between the central and local governments.

An expert on constitutional law is critical of the agency's decision, and urges officials to think over the matter again carefully and calmly.

Tokyo Metropolitan University Professor Sota Kimura says withholding subsidies because violent threats have been made is tantamount to inflicting an additional attack on a victim. He says making threats is a crime, which the police or judicial authorities should deal with properly.

Kimura argues that subsidies should be granted on the basis of artistic merit. He says withholding subsidies for the reasons cited in this case could give rise to the risk of exclusion, or not extending financial support for the expression of certain thoughts and ideas.