The Japanese Diet has kicked off its latest session, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowing to impress the world with the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.
A new strain of coronavirus linked to an outbreak of pneumonia appears to be spreading in China, with reported cases of infection now topping 200.
South Korean media are reporting that North Korea has picked a former military officer as its new foreign minister.
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Key words : Japanese diet kicked
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200120_30/
The Japanese Diet has kicked off its latest session, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowing to impress the world with the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.
Abe says the Games are a chance for communities hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami nearly nine years ago to show how far they've come.
He called the upcoming events the "Recovery Games."
The Olympic torch relay starts in March on the coast of Fukushima Prefecture, which was severely damaged by the earthquake and nuclear disaster.
Abe also used his opening policy speech to push his plans to amend the Constitution.
His party hopes to pass a new bill this session, which would revise the law on referendums.
To put constitutional changes to a nationwide vote, Abe needs two-thirds support from both houses. That would mean convincing some opposition lawmakers to vote in favor.
Key words : cabinet approved record budget
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200120_17/
Japan's Cabinet has approved a record budget for fiscal 2020 that includes ballooning funding for social security programs.
Government officials submitted the draft budget to the regular Diet session on Monday.
The total comes to 102.6 trillion yen, or about 930 billion dollars, marking a record for the eighth-consecutive year.
Money for social security also hit the highest on record, at nearly 35.8 trillion yen. The funds will go to the growing costs of healthcare and pensions on the back of Japan's aging population. Some of the money will also provide free higher education for low-income households.
Defense spending is a record 5.3 trillion yen. The price tag covers measures for space and cyber-security.
Officials expect government bonds to pay for about a third of the budget costs. But the draft bill will still add to Japan's growing national debt.
Key words : new strain of spreading in China topping
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200120_22/
A new strain of coronavirus linked to an outbreak of pneumonia appears to be spreading in China, with reported cases of infection now topping 200.
Health officials of Wuhan reported on Monday that 136 new patients were confirmed over the weekend, bringing the total to 198.
They also say one more patient had died, bringing the death toll to three. Nine people were in critical condition and 35 more in serious condition.
Health authorities also said on Monday that two people in Beijing and one in the city of Shenzhen in the southern province of Guangdong had been confirmed with the virus.
These were the first cases outside Wuhan announced by Chinese authorities.
Separately, several suspected infections have been reported in the eastern province of Zhejiang as well.
China's National Health Commission says transmission of the virus is still preventable and controllable.
But officials say they have yet to completely understand the route of infection. They say they will watch closely to see if the virus mutates.
The commission plans to step up monitoring as many Chinese plan to travel during the Lunar New Year holiday period that starts on Friday.
Key words : health officials in south first case chinese national
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200120_27/
Health officials in South Korea say they have confirmed the country's first case of the new coronavirus that is believed to be causing a pneumonia outbreak in China.
The officials said on Monday that the patient is a Chinese national in her 30s who lives in Wuhan, the central Chinese city where the outbreak is centered.
The officials also said the woman, who flew in to Incheon Airport near Seoul on Sunday, has had fever and a chill since Saturday, but a hospital in Wuhan told her that she just had a common cold.
After arriving at Incheon Airport, she underwent a medical check at a nearby hospital and tested positive for the virus.
South Korean health authorities say they will implement measures to prevent the infection from spreading during the Lunar New Year holidays that start this week.
They are urging people who will travel to Wuhan to avoid contact with wild animals.
Key words : Hong Kong fired tear
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200120_03/
Hong Kong police have fired tear gas to disperse anti-government protesters at a mass rally. Demonstrators urged the international community to impose sanctions against the Hong Kong administration.
The protesters gathered on Sunday at a park in central Hong Kong Island. Some spilled onto nearby streets.
Participants shouted, "Let's restore Hong Kong," and "Don't tolerate police violence."
The rally was approved by the police in advance, but many officers were deployed even before the gathering began. The officers asked participants to show their identification cards and checked their belongings.
The police later ordered a halt to the demonstration, and used tear gas to disperse protesters.
The police say some protesters attacked officers and set fires on the street.
The police say they detained the organizer of the rally for failing to help maintain order. They also arrested eight participants on suspicion of carrying weapons.
People in Hong Kong have been protesting in various forms since June. They are calling for universal suffrage and the establishment of an independent investigative committee to look into allegations of police brutality.
Key words : more than 1,000
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200120_19/
More than 1,000 people took to the streets in Moscow on Sunday to protest President Vladimir Putin's proposal to amend Russia's Constitution to change the country's political structure.
Critics regard the proposal as intended to help Putin retain power after his tenure as president ends in 2024.
Opposition forces called on people to join the protests planned in conjunction with a rally in memory of a pro-democracy journalist killed 11 years ago.
About 1,400 people showed up. Some marched holding booklets on Russia's Constitution.
They chanted slogans against Putin's constitutional amendment plan. They urged the president to give up all power after his tenure ends.
No clashes with security forces were reported. But eight protesters were reportedly detained.
A female participant said authorities should end political oppression of the people rather than change the present power structure.
It is unclear how far the opposition to constitutional amendments will gain traction. A prominent opposition member and popular blogger, Alexei Navalny, stayed away from Sunday's demonstrations.
Key words : south reporting
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200120_02/
South Korean media are reporting that North Korea has picked a former military officer as its new foreign minister.
Multiple media outlets quoted informed sources as saying Ri Son Gwon has been appointed as the successor to Ri Yong Ho.
Ri Son Gwon served as chairman of the North's committee for the peaceful reunification and has been in charge of negotiations with South Korea.
Some observers say Ri is a hardliner and may take a tougher stance, such as suspending denuclearization talks with the US.
Ri Yong Ho has long been involved in the North's diplomatic affairs. He was the chief representative to the six-party talks on Pyongyang's nuclear program.
But he did not appear in a group photo of senior officials released this year, raising speculation that he had been dismissed.
There are also reports that Ri Su Yong, vice chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea overseeing international relations, has also stepped down. He served as the North's ambassador to Switzerland and is said to have been a guardian to the country's leader Kim Jong Un when he studied there.
North Korea has yet to make any announcement about the appointments.
There is speculation that Pyongyang has reshuffled its diplomatic structure as denuclearization talks with the US remain stalled.
Key words : world leaders agreed
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200120_11/
World leaders have agreed not to provide Libya with further military assistance to end the ongoing civil war in the North African country.
The United Nations held an international conference on Libya in the German capital of Berlin on Sunday in hopes of finding a solution to the Libyan crisis.
The country has been divided since the collapse of the authoritarian government of Muammar al-Qadhafi in 2011.
Fighting has intensified since last April between the forces of the interim government, which controls the western part of the country, and troops led by General Khalifa Haftar in the east. Each side is backed by different nations.
Foreign interference in the form of military assistance is blamed for fuelling the fighting.
Leaders from 12 countries, including Turkey, Egypt and Russia, took part in the UN-led meeting. Turkey backs the interim government. Egypt, Russia and others support Haftar's forces in the east.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said at a news conference after the meeting that participants agreed to respect an arms embargo set by a UN Security Council resolution and not to give further support to the warring parties. She said they also agreed to step up monitoring efforts.
In meetings with Merkel and others before the UN-led conference, leaders from the two warring sides in Libya agreed to set up a joint panel to monitor a shaky ceasefire.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasized that all parties at the meeting agreed that there could not be a military solution to the conflict in Libya.
Key words : malaysian
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200120_24/
The Malaysian government says it has sent back thousands of tons of plastic waste that had been imported illegally.
The announcement came months after authorities there vowed to crack down on the practice.
Officials said shipments have now been returned to 13 countries, including Japan.
On Monday, the government allowed media to film some of the containers being loaded onto cargo ships for the return voyage.
Environment minister Yeo Bee Yin said the government will be even more strict when it comes to shipments of illegal waste moving forward.
She said another 110 containers will be sent back to the countries of origin by this summer.
Malaysia has become a major destination for plastic waste since China banned such imports two years ago.
The country now accepts only recyclable plastics, but officials say illegal dumping and smuggling continues.
The issue has spread to several other countries in the region.
Last year, Canada agreed to take back dozens of containers of garbage from the Philippines.
The shipment was labeled as recycled waste.
But Philippine officials say it was mixed with trash, including dirty diapers.
Key words : chinese government announced
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200120_13/
The Chinese government has announced a plan to sharply cut the production and consumption of non-biodegradable plastics.
Under the plan announced on Sunday, disposable plastic straws at eating and drinking establishments across the country will be banned by the end of the year.
The government will also ban single-use plastic bags at supermarkets in Beijing, Shanghai and other major cities.
By 2025, the use of plastic containers for food deliveries in cities will be cut by 30 percent.
The plan calls on hotels across the country to refrain from offering plastic items to guests.
The government is also planning a total ban on the import of plastic waste.
China used to be the world's top destination for plastic waste for recycling and disposal. But about two years ago, it banned most of the imports out of fear of environmental pollution.
Key words : patrol
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200120_31/
A patrol plane unit of Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force is preparing for its intelligence-gathering mission in the Middle East.
The defense ministry announced that as of Monday local time, two P-3C aircrafts which departed from Japan on January 11 had replaced a unit engaged in anti-piracy activities off Somalia.
It said two planes will undergo maintenance before beginning their mission on Tuesday.
The unit is stationed in the east African nation of Djibouti. It will expand on existing anti-piracy activities, with new information gathering duties to ensure the safety of any ships in the region with ties to Japan.
This is the Self-Defense Forces' first long term intelligence-gathering mission overseas.
A destroyer is due to leave Japan in early February to join the effort.
Key words : metropolitan
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200120_21/
The Tokyo metropolitan government has designated the competition venues of the coming Olympic and Paralympic Games as priority areas for the next generation 5G communication standard.
5G networks enable high-speed, large-capacity communication. Full-scale services will start in Japan this spring.
As the host of the Games, the Tokyo metropolitan government will urge major mobile phone carriers to install 5G antennas at the venues.
The officials say they plan to provide Wi-Fi services at competition venues and at the so-called "last mile" between stations and venues, in order to improve 5G communication services.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said in an interview held at the end of last year that during the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Shinkansen bullet trains and the Metropolitan Expressway were built, leading to high economic growth.
At the 2020 Games, she said, she wants to promote 5G services in many places in Tokyo to leave behind a "path of radio waves" as a legacy of a mature city.
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