Police in Afghanistan suspect an armed group targeting foreigners carried out an attack that killed a Japanese doctor and aid worker in the eastern part of the country.
Japan's government has approved an economic stimulus package worth about 240 billion dollars.
Senior officials from Japan and South Korea are preparing to hold trade talks in Tokyo for the first time in three years.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20191205200000_english_1.mp3
Key words : Afghanistan carried out target
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191205_15/
Police in Afghanistan suspect an armed group targeting foreigners carried out a planned attack that killed a Japanese doctor and aid worker in the eastern part of the country.
Tetsu Nakamura was fatally wounded when unidentified gunmen opened fire on his car in Jalalabad, in Nangarhar province, on Wednesday.
Five other people who were traveling with Nakamura, including the driver and bodyguards, were also killed.
Nakamura headed the nongovernmental organization Peshawar-kai, based in Fukuoka City, western Japan.
He had spent years in Afghanistan offering humanitarian aid and helping with reconstruction projects.
A witness at the scene told NHK that the attackers blocked and stopped Nakamura's vehicle with their passenger car. They then got out of the car and began shooting.
Reuters news agency quoted a witness as saying that one of the gunmen saw Nakamura raise his head and shouted, "The Japanese is still alive." This triggered another round of shooting.
Nakamura's body was reportedly transferred Wednesday evening from an airport in Jalalabad to the capital Kabul, from where it is expected to be flown back to Japan.
Nangarhar is a stronghold of Afghanistan's anti-government Taliban, but the group issued a statement denying involvement in the attack.
A branch of the Islamic State militant group has also been active in the region recently.
Last month, Afghan government and US forces launched a massive sweep of Islamic State militants there.
Local police say security forces have been aware that the Islamic State group could stage a terrorist attack in Jalalabad in retaliation for the operation.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani issued a statement condemning what he described as a "callous act of terror."
Key words : people are expressing
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191205_25/
People are expressing sorrow and anger over the death of Japanese doctor Tetsu Nakamura, who was shot and killed on Wednesday in Afghanistan. The parents of a former colleague of Nakamura have shared their feelings as their son was also killed in the war-torn country in 2008.
Masayuki Ito and his wife Junko sat down for an interview with NHK at their house in the city of Kakegawa, Shizuoka Prefecture, on Thursday.
Their son Kazuya used to work at the nongovernmental organization Peshawar-kai that Nakamura headed.
Eleven years ago Kazuya was working to help rebuild Afghanistan when he was kidnapped and killed by an armed group. He was 31 years old.
Masayuki said his son owed a lot to Nakamura and that he is too shocked for words over the death. He said he was unable to sleep last night as he experienced feelings of sorrow, anger and disappointment.
Junko shed tears and said she felt as if her son had been killed again. She also said she is filled with anger and wants to know why Nakamura and her son had to die in that way.
The Itos say they treasure photos showing both men together.
They met Nakamura several times when he returned to Japan. Their last meeting was two years ago over dinner after he held a lecture in Shizuoka.
Masayuki remembers Nakamura saying he will go to places no one goes and will do something that nobody does. Masayuki said that remark left a strong impression on him.
He said he hopes the situation in Afghanistan will improve so that children there can get enough food and receive education, and the work his son and Nakamura did will not be in vain.
Key words : US embassy
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191205_10/
The US Embassy in Afghanistan has paid tribute to Tetsu Nakamura, a Japanese doctor renowned for his aid work in the country. He was fatally shot on Wednesday.
The embassy on Wednesday issued a statement on Twitter expressing deep sadness over the news that "Nakamura died of injuries he sustained in the senseless attack."
The statement also says, "The legacy of Nakamura lives on in the countless Afghans who benefited from his compassion, care and selfless dedication." It ends with a message of condolence in Japanese.
Meanwhile, the US State Department has announced that Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad departed on Tuesday for Kabul and Doha.
Last week, US President Donald Trump announced the resumption of peace talks with the Taliban during his first visit to Afghanistan since taking office.
The State Department says Khalilzad will meet with Afghan government representatives in Kabul to discuss ways to accelerate the talks. It also says Khalilzad will rejoin talks in Doha with the Taliban to discuss steps towards a reduction in violence that could lead to a ceasefire.
The Trump administration plans to speed up negotiations so that the security situation will improve to allow for the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.
Key words : government approved 40 billion
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191205_28/
Japan's government has approved a stimulus package worth around 26 trillion yen or some 240 billion dollars. Officials say it is expected to boost economic growth by around 1.4 percentage points in real terms.
It contains funding for rebuilding efforts after a series of natural disasters, including strengthening infrastructure such as reinforcing river banks.
The package also allocates money to programs designed to shore up the economy after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics are over.
And it earmarks cash for educational programs. One goal is to provide all elementary and junior high school students with access to personal computers or tablets.
Other money will be spent on programs to support workers who graduated from school and tertiary institutions during a job market slump that began in the late 1990s. Many are still struggling to find regular employment.
Half of the new spending will come directly from government sources.
Key words : senior officials from
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191205_24/
Senior officials from Japan and South Korea are preparing to hold trade talks in Tokyo. The meeting on December 16 will be the first of its kind in more than three years, as the two sides try to patch up a deteriorating relationship.
Japan's trade minister says the agenda will include export controls that the two countries slapped on each other this summer. Tokyo maintains it took the step for security reasons. That prompted Seoul to retaliate weeks later.
Japan wants to discuss what the South is doing to safeguard materials that are subject to the new export controls.
Trade Minister Hiroshi Kajiyama told reporters, "Through dialogue, I hope Japan and South Korea can cooperate regarding the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction."
For its part, South Korea has told NHK it will boost the number of officials at the relevant government agency from 56 to 70 next year.
But observers say Seoul wants the export controls abolished, because they're hurting some South Korean tech companies.
In the meantime, South Korea's president is pledging to limit the impact.
Moon Jae-in said, "We are overcoming Japan's export controls by building solidarity among our companies, technology experts and citizens."
Moon says his country has to use the situation to become more economically competitive.
Key words : US trade representative trump
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191205_20/
US trade representative Robert Lighthizer says he expects President Donald Trump to sign off on trade agreements with Japan next week. His announcement comes after the Japanese Diet approved the deals on Wednesday.
Lighthizer hailed "Japan's quick action to approve these important trade agreements".
The two countries are aiming for the deals to go into effect on New Year's Day. One is about general trade and the other focuses on digital trade.
Lighthizer said both governments will begin consultations in early 2020 about negotiations for a broader trade agreement.
The consultations on the next round of negotiations will start within 4 months after the trade agreement goes into effect.
Key words : US government decision
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191205_29/
Huawei is appealing a US government decision to label the firm a security risk and bar it from a subsidy program.
The Chinese tech giant has gone to court to challenge the move, which effectively stops US rural carriers from using its products.
The decision by the Federal Communications Commission last month precludes Huawei's rural customers from tapping an 8.5-billion-dollar government fund.
"Many people and small business in rural America do not have mobile network access," said Huawei Technologies Chief Legal Officer Song Liuping. "The decision will harm their interests. It's based on politics not security."
He added that if equipment made in China is a security risk, then Nokia and Ericsson products should also be classified as such because some of them are made there.
The US has already banned federal agencies from buying products from Huawei and four other Chinese firms. Huawei is appealing that decision, too.
Key words : environment ministry starting point
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191205_18/
Japan's Environment Ministry says a site near the starting point of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic torch relay in Fukushima Prefecture has been decontaminated, after a higher level of radiation was detected there.
The ministry said on Wednesday that it was detected at a public parking lot adjacent to the J-Village sports complex, where the torch relay will begin on March 26.
J-Village is about 20 kilometers from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. It used to be an operational base for decommissioning work at the plant.
After Greenpeace Japan pointed out the issue last month, the plant's operator Tokyo Electric Power Company surveyed the area. The utility measured a radiation level of 1.79 microsieverts per hour one meter above ground.
The figure was below the government guideline of 3.8 microsieverts per hour which would allow evacuees from the nuclear accident to return home.
But it was roughly 18 times higher than the figure of around 0.1 microsievert per hour, which is normally observed at a monitoring post in J-Village.
Tokyo Electric decontaminated the area on Monday and the radiation level reportedly dropped to 0.44 microsieverts.
The Environment Ministry says it is looking into the cause of the radiation level spike and are surveying the area closely.
Tokyo Electric Power Company says it will take appropriate measures once it determines what happened.
Key words : leading advertising
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191205_23/
Japan's leading advertising agency, Dentsu, says labor authorities have told it to end the excessive overtime worked by some of its employees.
Dentsu officials say the local labor standards inspection office in September told the firm's Tokyo head office to rectify the situation.
They say inspectors found that four Dentsu employees last year worked far longer than overtime limits agreed by the company and its labor union.
The officials say the inspectors determined the practice violated the Labor Standards Law.
At least one of the employees reportedly put in 156 hours of overtime a month, more than twice the agreed ceiling.
The officials say that in six cases employees failed to hand in applications to extend their overtime hours.
In 2017, Dentsu was found guilty and fined for overworking its employees after a 24-year-old new recruit committed suicide two years previously. Her case was ruled as death from overwork.
The latest move by the labor inspectors comes as the advertising agency says it is working to correct the situation under a program drawn up after the suicide case.
Key words : team of university
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191205_33/
A team of university scientists in Japan says it will start the country's first clinical trial of a vaccine for the Ebola virus.
A group of researchers led by Professor Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Tokyo's Institute of Medical Science told a news conference on Thursday that they will start the clinical trial this month.
They said the artificially produced vaccine has been detoxified and was found to be safe and effective in a trial on monkeys.
Thirty healthy adult men will receive the vaccine twice, to see if they can develop antibodies to the Ebola virus, without suffering major side effects.
Professor Kawaoka stressed the importance of developing an Ebola vaccine domestically and getting it ready for use. He said medical staff would need to be vaccinated as soon as the virus is found in Japan.
An outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has killed over 2,220 people since August last year. The World Health Organization has declared an international health emergency.
Efforts to develop Ebola vaccines are also underway outside Japan. In November, EU regulators approved a vaccine developed by a US pharmaceutical company. WHO officials are promoting the vaccine in countries at risk of the spread of the disease.
Key words : Yoshino
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191205_32/
Japanese scientist Akira Yoshino, one of the three winners of this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry, has left for Sweden to attend an award ceremony next week.
Yoshino, who was awarded the prestigious prize for the development of lithium-ion batteries, and his wife Kumiko spoke to reporters at Narita airport before their departure on Thursday.
Yoshino said that he has not decided yet on how to wrap up the speech he will deliver at the award ceremony in Stockholm. He added that he will consider his closing remarks until the last minute.
He also said that he wants his Nobel lecture to provide a path to a solution to environmental issues.
Yoshino noted that one of reasons he won the prize is that rechargeable lithium-ion batteries he has helped develop are environmentally friendly.
His wife Kumiko said the weeks have passed in a flash since she learned of her husband's prize in October.
Yoshino is scheduled to deliver his Nobel lecture on Sunday and attend the award ceremony on Tuesday.
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