at 20:00 (JST), January 14

Tokyo prosecutors have obtained a fresh arrest warrant for a lawmaker over new bribery allegations involving casino resorts.

South Korean President has asked Japan to present its own proposal in response to his country's overture aimed at resolving issue of wartime labor.

Iran has announced several arrests in connection with last week's downing of a Ukrainian airliner.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20200114200000_english_1.mp3


Key words : Tokyo prosecutor obtained
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200114_31/

Tokyo prosecutors have obtained a fresh arrest warrant for a lawmaker over new bribery allegations involving casino resorts.

Lower House member Tsukasa Akimoto was arrested last month on suspicion of receiving about 27,000 dollars from a Chinese firm called 500.com in 2017.

At the time, Akimoto was a Cabinet Office state minister in charge of integrated resorts, which includes casinos. 500.com was seeking to enter the resort business.

Akimoto was arrested again on Tuesday along with Masahiko Konno and Katsunori Nakazato, former advisors to 500.com, and Zheng Xi, a former executive of the firm's Japanese arm.

Prosecutors say Akimoto is suspected of having 500.com cover 13,000 dollars' worth of travel expenses when he visited a casino in Macao on a private jet in December 2017.

He is also suspected of having received about 18,000 dollars for giving a lecture at a symposium hosted by the firm in Okinawa in September of that year.

A political funds report from Akimoto's support group says roughly 23,000 dollars in travel expenses were paid to a Hong Kong-based company linked to a former advisor to 500.com. But it appears the payment was not actually made.

Also on Tuesday, prosecutors indicted Akimoto on suspicion of receiving about 27,000 dollars in cash from 500.com in September 2017, and of having the firm cover about 7,000 dollars for a family trip to Hokkaido in February 2018.
Prosecutors also indicted without arrest Kimihito Kamori, the chairman of a Sapporo-based tourist agency that allegedly shouldered part of the cost for the family trip.

The tourist agency, Kamori Kanko, had been aiming to enter the resort business along with 500.com.

In addition, prosecutors indicted Konno and Zheng on suspicion of smuggling about 136,000 dollars in cash into Japan in September 2017.

Investigators suspect some of the cash was used as bribes and that the total could top 63,000 dollars.

Akimoto is said to be denying all allegations.

Key words : Naruhito pay a state
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200114_35/

Buckingham Palace says Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako will pay a state visit to the United Kingdom in the spring.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the palace says the Emperor and Empress accepted an invitation by Queen Elizabeth and that the couple will stay at Windsor Castle.

The palace says the Queen has hosted two previous state visits from Japan. Emperor Showa and Empress Kojun visited the country in 1971, and Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko in 1998.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said preparations are under way for the imperial couple to visit in the second quarter of this year.

He said Japan and Britain have enjoyed long and friendly relations, at both the state and public levels. He said the exchanges between the Japanese Imperial Family and the British Royal Family have played an important role in the friendly ties between the two countries.

The government says that if the visit materializes, it will be the imperial couple's first overseas visit since the Emperor's enthronement in May of 2019.

Key words : south asked Japan
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200114_25/

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has asked Japan to present its own proposal in response to his country's overture to resolve the issue of wartime labor.

Moon answered questions from domestic and foreign media in a New Year's news conference on Tuesday.

When asked what kind of solutions he had in mind for the issue of wartime labor, he said South Korea's government has made several proposals to Japan. He said the country has also made legislative efforts.

Moon said the South Korean government is ready to take part in a consultative panel proposed by plaintiffs in wartime labor compensation cases involving Japanese companies.

The plaintiffs suggested creating a consultative body of scholars and political experts from the two countries to search for a solution.

Moon said Japan should also present its own proposals. He called on Tokyo to make any revisions to South Korea's suggestions, and said the two nations are fully capable of resolving the issue if they work together.

The president emphasized that it's important for the sufferers to agree to any solution.

Moon also referred to the plaintiffs' ongoing procedures to sell Japanese companies' assets. He said with time running out, he hopes to make progress in dialogue as soon as possible.

The South Korean leader also said he plans to actively cooperate for the success of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, hinting that he hopes the event will provide an opportunity for the two nations to improve their relations.

Key words : iran several arrests
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200114_43/

Iran has announced several arrests in connection with last week's downing of a Ukrainian airliner.

The passenger jet crashed shortly after takeoff from Iran's capital Tehran last Wednesday, killing all 176 people on board. It occurred hours after Iran fired missiles at Iraqi bases hosting US-led coalition forces.

Iran initially denied involvement but admitted last Saturday to accidentally shooting down the plane and began accepting investigators from Ukraine and Canada.

Iran's state-run news agency on Tuesday quoted an Iranian judiciary spokesperson as saying that some individuals have been arrested and investigations are continuing.

The spokesperson did not say how many were arrested or who.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stressed that the responsibility falls on more than just one person, and urged the judiciary to set up a special court for the case.

Many Iranians, upset that the crash killed so many of their own, have taken to the streets to protest what they see as an attempted cover-up by the country's leaders.

The arrests appears to underscore Iran's determination to deal firmly with the matter.

Key words : Taipei sister-city
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200114_19/

The mayors of Prague and Taipei are hailing a new sister-city agreement, in a move that's likely to further fuel tensions between the Czech capital and the Chinese government.

Prague Mayor Zdenek Hrib and his counterpart from Taipei, Ko Wen-je, inked a deal on Monday to work together on culture, education and tourism.

Prague canceled a similar agreement with Beijing last year.

The city backed out because it disagrees with a clause in the deal to recognize the so-called one-China principle, Beijing's view that Taiwan is part of mainland China.

The Czech Republic acknowledges the principle but its capital does not.

Hrib studied in Taiwan and has looked to establish closer relations with the territory since he assumed his mayoral post in 2018.
He says the two cities share democratic values and respect for human rights.

The signing comes just days after a landslide victory by Taiwan's president.
Tsai Ing-wen was re-elected in what's seen as a big blow to China.
Tsai has been critical of Beijing and said the results show people in Taiwan want to keep their sovereignty.

Key words : public support
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200114_01/

Public support for Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison has plunged amid criticism of his handling of the country's bushfire crisis.

The Australian, a major newspaper in the country, on Monday published the results of a poll of 1,500 people conducted between Wednesday and Saturday of last week.

Satisfaction with Morrison's performance as prime minister fell eight points from the previous month to 37 percent, while dissatisfaction increased by 11 points to 59 percent.

Asked who respondents thought was "preferred prime minister", 39 percent of them said it is Morrison, nine points down.

The poll also showed support for Morrison's ruling conservative coalition fell behind the major opposition Labor Party. It put the coalition at 49 percent and the Labor at 51 percent on a two-party preferred basis.

It's the first time since general elections in May last year that support for the ruling bloc has dipped below the 50 percent mark.

Bushfires continue to ravage large parts of the country's southeast. Twenty-eight people have died since last September. More than 2,100 houses have been destroyed.

Morrison faced intense criticism after he chose to take a Christmas holiday in Hawaii while fires were still burning.

Key words : two major
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200114_17/

Two major political parties in Northern Ireland have restored a power-sharing government, putting an end to a three-year impasse.

Since the 1960s, Northern Ireland was plagued by violence between Protestants and Catholics. More than 3,000 people lost their lives in the conflicts.

The coalition government of the pro-UK Democratic Unionist Party, or DUP, and Sinn Fein supported by Catholics, was established following a 1998 peace deal.

But the coalition collapsed in 2017 and left the region in a political vacuum.

Last year, both the DUP and Sinn Fein began talks mediated by the governments of Britain and the Republic of Ireland.

The two sides restored the coalition government last week.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited Belfast on Monday and called it a great day because the Northern Ireland politicians had put aside their differences, stepped up to the plate and shown leadership.

With Britain preparing to leave the European Union, border control between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland is one of the key issues that has complicated Brexit negotiations with the EU.
Attention is focused on whether the reestablished government will play a leading role in stabilizing the region.

Key words : officials in china
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200114_36/

Officials in China say trade with the US shrank in 2019. They say exports were down by 12.5 percent, and imports by 20.9 percent, as the world's two largest economies hit each other with tariff hikes.

China's global exports rose 0.5 percent year on year. Imports fell by 2.8 percent. Overall, the trade value slipped by one percent. It is the first decline in three years.

Chinese and US authorities are scheduled to sign a "phase-one" trade deal on Wednesday that could ease the conflict. The US has promised to lower some tariffs a month later.

Key words : Momota olympic return home
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200114_38/

Japanese badminton star and Olympic medal hopeful Kento Momota is to return home on Wednesday after being injured in a car crash in Malaysia.

Nippon Badminton Association Secretary General Kinji Zeniya told reporters that Momota had no fractures in his nose or jaw but has cuts on his face and bruises all over his body.

Zeniya said Momota will have a complete checkup in Japan, and that his practice plan will be rescheduled, considering his mental condition.

He also said the association hopes the world's top-ranked player in men's singles will recover in time for the All England tournament.

A former badminton champion and Malaysia's deputy prime minster visited Momota in the hospital. They said he seemed to be in good spirits, and wished him a speedy recovery.

The vehicle carrying Momota and four others crashed into a truck on a highway en route to the airport early Monday. The driver was killed, and two Japanese and one British national were injured.

Key words : a group of
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200114_33/

A group of thirteen people, including constitutional experts, has filed a criminal complaint against Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, alleging breach of trust in connection with his cherry blossom viewing party.

The group submitted the complaint to the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office on Tuesday.

The complaint says Abe ignored guidelines for the annual state-funded party and increased the number of guests in order to benefit himself, his wife, and supporters in his constituency.

It also says Abe forced the government to exceed the budget for the party by over 150 million yen, or about 1.4 million dollars, over the five years since 2015.

The guidelines state that about 10,000 are to be invited to the annual event. But the number of guests has increased each year, reaching about 18,200 last year. In that year, the party cost over 55 million yen, or about 500,000 dollars. That's more than three times the budget allotment.

A member of the group, Professor Hiroshi Kamiwaki of Kobe Gakuin University, told reporters that the prime minister's use of the national budget for personal gain cannot be condoned.

Key words : statue of
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200114_26/

A statue of a Japanese god of fortune has been recovered from the sea off the northeastern city of Kesennuma. It was swept away by the 2011 tsunami.

People in the coastal city in Miyagi Prefecture have been worshipping the statue of Ebisu since the original version was erected on a cape in 1932. The god represents prosperity and fortune. People pray to it to attract a good catch of fish.

Last November, construction workers found the statue by chance on the seabed about 25 meters from the shore.

On Tuesday, divers placed a net around it before a crane lifted it out of the water from a depth of five meters.

The copper figure stands about 1.5 meters high and has survived largely free of corrosion. A fishing rod on its right hand was broken.

The chief priest of Isuzu Shrine, which manages the statue, expressed his pleasure at the recovery and said he hopes that people will continue to worship it. The statue of Ebisu will be placed at the shrine to give visitors a chance to see it.