South Korea has convened a meeting of its National Security Council to discuss pending issues with Japan.
The Lower House of the US congress has passed a bill to support human rights and democracy in Hong Kong.
US President Donald Trump has demanded that China make further concessions if the world's two largest economies are to conclude a "phase one" trade deal.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20191121200000_english_1.mp3
Key words : South Korea meeting discuss pending
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191121_42/
South Korea has convened a meeting of its National Security Council to discuss pending issues with Japan.
The meeting on Thursday came two days before the expiration of an intelligence-sharing pact with Japan. The General Security of Military Information Agreement, or GSOMIA, will expire on Saturday unless South Korea and Japan both agree to renew it.
South Korea's presidential office said the meeting was convened by the head of the National Security Office, Chung Eui-yong.
But the presidential office did not say what arguments took place at the meeting regarding whether South Korea should stay in the GSOMIA pact.
The presidential office said that the meeting examined diplomatic efforts by the South Korean government to resolve pending issues with Japan.
The participants confirmed that South Korea will keep talking with the countries concerned. They also discussed contingency plans.
Key words : lower house passed a bill
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191121_29/
The US Lower House has passed a bill to support human rights and democracy in Hong Kong.
The US House of Representatives approved the "Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act" by a majority vote on Wednesday. The legislation cleared the Senate unanimously the previous day.
The bill is intended to make sure Hong Kong retains a high degree of autonomy under the "one country two systems" principle.
The bill would also make it possible to impose sanctions on Chinese officials who violate human rights in Hong Kong.
The House also passed another bill on the same day in a unanimous vote. The bill would ban the export of tear gas and rubber bullets to prevent Hong Kong police from using those weapons against demonstrators.
US President Donald Trump has not mentioned his position on the bills. But US media outlets report that he is expected to sign the bills into law.
The Chinese government has indicated that it will take retaliatory measures if the bills become law, and this is expected to affect trade talks between Washington and Beijing.
Key words : communist party newspaper
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191121_13/
The Chinese Communist Party's newspaper has strongly criticized US legislation aimed at protecting human rights in Hong Kong.
The online edition of the People's Daily published a commentary on Wednesday about the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act that the US Senate unanimously passed on Tuesday.
The article said China will never be shaken in its opposition to any interference in Hong Kong affairs. It added that the US will never succeed in its attempt to take advantage of the situation -- an apparent reference to the ongoing trade dispute between the two countries.
The commentary described the bill as scrap paper, and urged the US to immediately stop meddling in China's internal affairs to avoid "self-destructive" results.
The legislation calls for an annual review on whether Beijing is eroding the "one country two systems" principle. That's the arrangement which is supposed to give Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy from mainland China. It would also allow Washington to impose sanctions on Chinese officials involved in suppressing Hong Kong.
The bill will be enacted if President Donald Trump signs it into law.
Key words : US president demanded that China
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191121_26/
US President Donald Trump has demanded that China make further concessions if the world's two largest economies are to conclude a "phase one" trade deal. US media say an agreement is unlikely to be reached by the end of the year.
"China would much rather make a trade deal than I would," Trump said on Wednesday. "I don't think they're stepping up to the level that I want."
US media are reporting that Washington wants Beijing to take comprehensive structural measures, such as protecting intellectual-property rights, before agreeing to China's request for scrapping some tariffs.
Tokyo share prices reacted sharply to the report. The Nikkei plunged 1.8 percent at one point on Thursday morning on growing trade concerns.
Key words : US commerce blacklist
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191121_25/
The US Department of Commerce has announced it will allow the sale of some supplies to the blacklisted Chinese telecom giant Huawei.
The US has banned American firms from doing business with Huawei and its affiliates without authorization since May, citing national security concerns.
Some companies have asked that the restriction be lifted for electronics parts that do not pose risks to US interests.
The ban is seen as an ongoing source of friction between the two countries.
Earlier this week, the US also extended a temporary license allowing limited business dealings with Huawei.
Key words : top government distances from
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191121_36/
Japan's top government spokesman says distances from residential areas should be a major factor in choosing candidate sites for the deployment of a land-based missile defense system.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga was speaking on Thursday on the review that's underway of potential host sites for the US-made Aegis Ashore system.
Suga said he had instructed the Defense Ministry to include distances from housing in assessing each candidate site.
The ministry is carrying out surveys of potential sites again after many data flaws were found in its initial surveys. Outside experts have now been entrusted with the work.
The ministry was under fire earlier this year for inaccuracies in surveys of the environmental effects of radio waves from radars, as well as incorrect topographical data and other mistakes regarding two favored candidate sites.
Suga said the selection of sites will now be made from scratch. He said the potential sites include Self-Defense Force training areas in Akita and Aomori prefectures and 18 state-owned land plots.
Suga added that he hopes the ministry will make thorough preparations to provide accurate explanations on the selection so it can restore people's trust.
Key words : learned spending package
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191121_24/
NHK has learned that the government's new spending package will include money to put power cables underground, promote tourism and help farmers benefit from free trade.
The stimulus is aimed at speeding up Japan's recovery from recent natural disasters and preparing for future economic risks.
The government's loan and investment scheme would fund the underground installation of electric cables. A recent typhoon knocked down utility poles in several areas, causing power outages.
Subsidies would also go to Tsushima City, a popular destination for South Korean tourists. But their number has dropped due to political and trade disputes between the two countries.
A new trade deal with the US will raise the quota on Japan's exports of low-tariff beef. The spending package calls for more support for small- and mid-scale cattle farmers to help them increase their production of "wagyu" beef.
Subsidies will go to people 65 or older who buy cars equipped with automatic-braking and other safety features. The measure is to reduce the number of traffic accidents caused by elderly drivers.
The set of stimulus measures is slated to be finalized next month.
Key words : Washington tougher
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191121_22/
Trade experts in the US say Washington should push for tougher measures with Japan as officials gear up for the next phase of talks on a comprehensive bilateral trade pact.
Japan and the United States signed an initial trade deal in October following extended negotiations.
The US House of Representatives held a hearing Wednesday on the agreement.
A senior official of the United Auto Workers union took issue with the pact, saying it does not address what he said was Japan's manipulation of exchange rates to promote exports.
A former negotiator for the US Trade Representative also said officials should try to further open up the Japanese farm market.
She called for lower tariffs on US butter and rice.
The two countries are expected to continue negotiations for a comprehensive pact.
Analysts say US President Donald Trump may try to seek tough measures to bolster his standing as the 2020 election approaches.
Key words : softbank group
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191121_23/
Sources say some of Japan's biggest banks are in talks with Softbank Group for a 2.8-billion-dollar loan that could be used to turn around WeWork. Softbank and its Vision Fund have already invested over 9 billion dollars in the loss-making provider of co-working spaces.
The group's main lender, Mizuho Bank, is reportedly in talks with other top Japanese banks MUFG and Sumitomo Mitsui.
Softbank posted an operating loss for April-to-September, for the first time in 15 years. It was mostly due to its disastrous WeWork investments.
Softbank's interest-bearing debt stood at about 166 billion dollars at the end of September.
Mizuho and other lenders plan to support the group's attempt to turn around WeWork with aggressive investments.
Key words : wine around the world
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191121_17/
This year's Beaujolais Nouveau wine was released around the world on Thursday. Japanese retailers are hoping to increase sales of the wine as tariffs have been removed due to the Economic Partnership Agreement between Japan and the EU.
The wine from France's Beaujolais region is sold in the same year the grapes are harvested. People in Japan are among the first to sample the wine because of the time difference.
At a supermarket in Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo, about 300 people gathered at the stroke of midnight for the countdown.
Japanese tariffs on wine were lifted when the EPA took effect in February.
A tariff of about 87 cents used to be imposed on a 750-milliliter bottle of wine, and about 1.3 dollars on a bottle of sparkling wine.
Japan's consumption tax was raised from 8 percent to 10 percent last month, but a retailer says the removal of the tariffs has made it possible to lower prices by about 50 to 80 cents a bottle.
The retailer says it will sell 18 varieties of Beaujolais Nouveau at about 5,000 stores nationwide.
A woman in her 30s says she wants to drink a lot of the wine because it's fresh, tasty, and cheaper than last year. The retailer says the Beaujolais region had bad weather this year, but the wine tastes good.
Key words : representative broadcaster
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Key words : UN secretary called on
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191121_33/
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on countries to promote measures to protect children's rights.
Guterres made the call in a video message at a ceremony to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child at UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday.
The event was attended by soccer legend David Beckham, who's a goodwill ambassador for the UN Children's Fund, or UNICEF, and children from around the world.
The UN General Assembly adopted the convention on November 20, 1989. It stipulates the rights of people under the age of 18 to be born, raised and protected.
In the video, Guterres said the past three decades have seen progress, such as a drop in the number of child deaths by over half. But he said millions of children still suffer from war, poverty, discrimination and disease.
Guterres urged all countries to recommit to putting children first.
UNICEF says progress has been slowest for children from the poorest households. It says 262 million children around the world cannot go to school.
Key words : household agency says nearly
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191121_39/
Japan's Imperial Household Agency says nearly 20,000 people visited the Daijokyu complex in Tokyo when it opened for public viewing on Thursday. It was built for Emperor Naruhito to perform a key thanksgiving ritual marking his enthronement.
About 1,400 people were already waiting when the Sakashita-mon Gate of the Imperial Palace was opened to visitors at 9 a.m.
The Daijokyu complex is comprised of more than 30 structures in a roughly 90-by-90-meter area in the East Gardens of the Palace.
The Emperor performed the Daijokyu-no-gi ritual on November 14 and 15 in the complex. He offered newly-harvested rice to the deities and prayed for peace and a bountiful harvest.
The complex cost about one billion yen, or 9 million dollars, to build. But it is set to be demolished over a three-month period from mid-December.
The building with guest seating for the ritual and other structures have been removed to create space for visitors to walk around.
The Daijokyu complex will be open to the public until December 8th.
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