A UN climate change conference, known as COP25, has opened in the Spanish capital Madrid.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary says missile launches by North Korea present a serious challenge to the international community.
China has announced retaliatory measures against US legislation to support human rights and democracy in Hong Kong.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20191202200000_english_1.mp3
Key words : cop25 opened
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191202_34/
A UN climate change conference, known as COP25, has opened in the Spanish capital Madrid.
The meeting was initially scheduled to take place in the South American city of Santiago, but the Chilean government withdrew plans to host in October due to social unrest. Spain then stepped in to host the event.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, new EU leader Ursula von der Leyen and other leaders will gather for talks on the opening day on Monday.
This year's conference aims to reach an agreement on some of the rules to implement the Paris Agreement. The agreement is aimed at tackling global warming and is due to become operational next year.
COP25 will be held through December 13. Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi will represent Japan. Swedish teenage activist Greta Thunberg is scheduled to participate.
Key words : Abe list of
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191202_25/
Japan's top government spokesperson says it is not possible to restore the deleted digital records of a state-funded party hosted by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The opposition camp has criticized Abe for inviting many supporters from his constituency to the annual cherry blossom-viewing party.
The Cabinet Office says it shredded the list of the guests because it thought the document only had to be kept for less than a year. The office says it also deleted digital data about the event from a computer server.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters on Monday that the Cabinet Office uses a central system to manage data on the server. He said the records for the party were not stored in individual computers.
Suga said he heard from the system's operator that it is also impossible to restore backup data after the information is deleted.
He also referred to an allegation made by the opposition camp that a bankrupt firm suspected of having engaged in fraudulent business practices may have used an invitation to the event to find new customers. Suga said he is not aware of the specific details of the allegation.
Key words : chief cabinet missile
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191202_26/
The Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary says missile launches by North Korea present a serious challenge to the international community.
Yoshihide Suga made the remarks at a news conference on Monday after a North Korean foreign ministry official issued a statement through state-run media on Saturday.
The statement criticized Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe by name and warned that Abe may see "what a real ballistic missile" looks like up close and soon.
Suga said he's aware of the remark but will not comment on every such statement.
He pointed out that North Korea has launched more than 20 missiles this year.
He said the missile launches are extremely regrettable as they present a serious challenge to Japan as well as the international community and violate UN Security Council resolutions.
Suga indicated Japan will continue to do its utmost to stay vigilant and carry out surveillance in cooperation with the United States.
Key words : Motegi plans to
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191202_29/
Japan's Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi has announced a plan to provide up to 3 billion dollars to Southeast Asian nations over the next three years for infrastructure development.
Motegi said on Monday that the Japanese government will extend the investment that includes private-sector funds from 2020 to 2022.
He added that the plan demonstrates Japan's commitment to bringing free and fair development throughout the ASEAN bloc by providing the member states with new economic options.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations at a summit last month that Japan plans to increase investment in the bloc through the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
Abe said the investment is aimed at realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific, and it will be used to build infrastructure and realize women's empowerment among other initiatives.
Key words : china announced
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191202_36/
China has announced retaliatory measures against US legislation to support human rights and democracy in Hong Kong.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson told reporters on Monday that the country will suspend visits to Hong Kong by US warships, and also impose sanctions on some US non-government organizations, including a human rights body.
The specific details of the countermeasures have not been disclosed.
The spokesperson said the government will firmly respond to US interference in China's internal affairs, and take further necessary steps.
Key words : protest movement
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191202_18/
The protest movement in Hong Kong appears to be regaining momentum after the US passed legislation that supports human rights and democracy in the territory. Attention is focused on how the Hong Kong government will deal with the situation.
Protesters took to the streets again on Saturday and Sunday, one week after the pro-democracy camp won a landslide victory in district council elections. Some demonstrators clashed with the police.
A large crowd gathered for a rally on Hong Kong Island to thank the United States for the new legislation.
Demonstrators marched in a busy area of the Kowloon Peninsula. They called for a direct vote to choose the territory's chief executive. Police fired tear gas after some of the protesters threw bricks.
The Hong Kong government says eight people were injured at the weekend.
On Monday, a newspaper regarded as neutral reported that the unrest has not subsided. A pro-Beijing paper said the demonstrators caused turmoil again after taking a rest.
Hong Kong was relatively calm in the days before and after the district council elections on November 24.
But the movement is showing signs of regaining momentum. The protesters have been encouraged by the pro-democracy camp's landslide victory in the elections and the US legislation supporting democracy in the territory.
The Hong Kong government has indicated it will not concede to their demands.
Key words : Trump and his lawyer
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191202_28/
The White House says US President Donald Trump and his lawyers will not participate in a congressional impeachment hearing scheduled for this week.
The House Judiciary Committee plans to hold a public hearing on Wednesday as part of an impeachment inquiry into Trump's dealings with Ukraine. The Trump side was invited to attend the hearing.
The White House sent a letter to Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler on Sunday, the deadline for answering the request.
The letter said the committee had scheduled the initial hearing, "no doubt purposely" during the time "the President will be out of the country attending the NATO Leaders Meeting in London."
It noted that the Trump side will not participate in the hearing, saying "it remains unclear whether the Judiciary Committee will afford the President a fair process through additional hearings."
US media say the House Intelligence Committee is expected to soon approve an impeachment report based on public hearings attended by 12 witnesses last month.
Democrats hope to hold debates at the Judiciary Committee with an aim to hold an impeachment vote by the end of this year.
Key words : Asakawa
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191202_21/
Japan's former Vice Finance Minister Masatsugu Asakawa has been chosen to head the Asian Development Bank.
The ADB announced on Monday that it elected Asakawa unanimously as its next president in a vote of confidence by the bank's 68 member countries and regions. No other candidates were contesting the post. He was nominated by Japan's government.
Asakawa will succeed current president Takehiko Nakao, who is also from Japan, on January 17 next year.
Japan, along with the United States, is one of the ADB's largest financial contributors. Past presidents have been chosen from Japan. Asakawa is the 10th.
Asakawa joined Japan's Finance Ministry in 1981. He served as the director-general of the International Bureau and as the top international finance officer for four years until July this year.
The ADB is working to meet growing demand for funds in the Asia-Pacific region, mainly for infrastructure development to prepare for rapid urbanization driven by economic growth and frequent natural disasters.
The bank says that 1.7 trillion dollars is needed per year to develop infrastructure in Asia. Asakawa will need to spur further economic growth by making the procurement of loans more efficient and utilizing private funds.
Key words : Tokyo stock
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191202_32/
At the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the benchmark Nikkei Average closed at its highest level of the year on Monday.
The Nikkei Index gained 235 points from Friday's close, ending at 23,529. That number broke November's record and was the highest close this year.
The TOPIX index rose 15 points and closed at 1,714, also the highest of the year.
Market sources say more buy orders were placed on export-related issues out of positive expectations for China's economy, as indicators for the country's manufacturing industry have improved.
They also say investors are paying attention to economic indicators from the US manufacturing sector that will be released on Monday.
Key words : task force decommissioning
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191202_13/
A Japanese government task force in charge of drawing up decommissioning policies for the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says the removal of fuel debris will start with the No. 2 reactor in 2021.
The task force met at the prime minister's office on Monday to compile its fifth version of the decommissioning schedule.
Its members updated the plan to remove debris from the No.1 to No.3 reactors, which suffered meltdowns. This is regarded as the biggest hurdle in the decommissioning process.
The team factored into its plan advice offered in September by the government's Nuclear Damage Compensation and Decommissioning Facilitation Corporation.
The corporation, which studies technical policies, said removal should start with the No.2 reactor because most is known about its interior conditions compared with the other reactors.
The economy ministry had initially presented a plan to collect samples twice using robots before starting the removal.
But the ministry now says it will postpone that plan and instead prepare for the procedure by training robots more carefully using a model of the meltdown site.
The task force also presented for the first time a plan to complete the removal of nuclear fuel from the spent fuel pools of the No.1 to No.6 reactors by the end of 2031.
There was no change to the deadline to complete the whole decommissioning process, which has been set at between 2041 and 2051.
The latest government plan will be officially approved after local governments and other parties are asked for their opinions on it.
The task force reviews the decommissioning plan once every two years. It is headed by the economy and industry minister.
Key words : sales in Japan
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191202_33/
New vehicle sales in Japan have fallen for a second straight month mainly due to the aftereffects of a typhoon.
Industry groups say dealers sold nearly 386,000 vehicles in November. That's down 12.7 percent from a year earlier.
Sales of passenger cars, trucks and buses dropped 14.6 percent.
Minivehicles saw a decline of 9.4 percent.
People in the industry say that's mainly because fewer customers visited dealerships in areas affected by floods caused by Typhoon Hagibis in October.
Key words : workers at a Buddhist
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191202_19/
Workers at a Buddhist temple near Tokyo are preparing a giant sacred straw rope for the New Year.
Bundles of straw were tied to a wooden frame at Naritasan Shinshoji in Chiba Prefecture on Monday morning.
Local residents and temple officials began making the shimenawa in early November.
A powerful typhoon in September damaged the roof of the temple's main hall. But the straw escaped damage because it was gathered just before the typhoon struck.
A man who works at the temple says he is hoping for a peaceful New Year because typhoons have caused extensive damage recently.
The completed shimenawa will be more than 6 meters long and weigh about 200 kilograms. It is designed to resemble ears of rice.
The tradition is said to have started to pray for bumper harvests.
The straw rope will decorate the main hall of the temple from December 25.
The temple attracts about 3 million visitors on the first three days of each year.
Key words : rough sea
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191202_41/
Blizzards and rough seas are expected in northern Japan from Tuesday to Wednesday.
The Meteorological Agency says a developing low pressure system is moving northeast near the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, and a winter-type pressure pattern is likely to strengthen.
Weather officials forecast that blizzards will blow mainly on the Sea of Japan coast in the region and strong winds will whip up waves.
Blizzards will likely pack winds of up to nearly 83 kilometers per hour in the Hokkaido and Tohoku regions. Waves could reach a height of 6 meters.
The agency is calling on people to be on the alert for disruptions to transportation due to the snow as well as stormy winds and high waves.
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