at 20:00 (JST), January 29

Chinese officials say 132 people have died in the coronavirus outbreak.

Around 200 Japanese evacuees from a Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of coronavirus outbreak landed on Wednesday at Tokyo's Haneda Airport.

A team of Australian scientists has announced that they have managed to grow the new coronavirus, in a breakthrough that could help lead to the development of a vaccine.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20200129200000_english_1.mp3


Key words : 132 people died latest figure
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200129_32/

Chinese officials say 132 people have died in the coronavirus outbreak. The latest figure was announced as authorities inside and outside the country take additional steps to contain the dangerous new virus.

The number of confirmed infections in China has risen to 5,974, with 1,239 people in serious condition.

China's President has met with the head of the World Health Organization as the situation grows more serious.
Xi Jinping reportedly stressed that his country will be transparent in releasing information on the outbreak.

The two sides agreed that the WHO will send experts to China as soon as possible.

Countries around the world are also stepping up measures to counter the outbreak.

Almost 90 cases have now been reported in 17 countries and territories outside China. Possible instances of human-to-human transmission have been reported in Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan and Germany.

Hong Kong is planning to suspend rail links with the mainland, while Mongolia has reportedly closed its border with China.

The United States and Japan have started evacuating their nationals from Wuhan, the city at the epicenter of the outbreak. Many other nations are planning to help repatriate their citizens.

Key words : 200 evacuee
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200129_36/

In Japan, around 200 evacuees landed on Wednesday morning at Tokyo's Haneda Airport. Officials say several of them have symptoms such as coughing and fever. They say passengers received medical exams on board. All have been sent to medical institutions to undergo tests.

The four who are showing symptoms have been brought to a special medical institution for infectious diseases.

Two of the evacuees spoke to reporters at the airport.
Takeo Aoyama said, "I'm relieved that I was able to return to Japan on a chartered plane so quickly."

Japanese officials plan to charter additional flights from the virus-hit city. They say about 650 people in Wuhan have indicated they want to be repatriated to Japan.

Three more cases were confirmed in Japan on Tuesday, bringing the total to seven. One involves a Japanese bus driver in Nara Prefecture who had been working with Chinese tour groups.

Officials in Tokyo are taking special protective measures. People can now be hospitalized without their consent. Anyone suspected of carrying the virus at ports of entry will be told to undergo medical tests.

Key words : surgical mask
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200129_44/

Surgical masks are in short supply in parts of Tokyo, as people rush to get them to protect themselves from the new coronavirus.

A drugstore in the Shibuya district reports that sales of surgical masks are roughly five-fold the normal amount.

Masks and alcohol disinfectant the store had at opening time on Wednesday were sold out before noon. Fifty new boxes of masks arrived shortly past noon, but they were picked up by customers as soon as they were put on the shelves. Some products sold out in five minutes.

Store staff say sales have been this brisk since the start of the Lunar New Year holidays.

A 24-year-old Chinese student who purchased about ten boxes of masks said she plans to send them to her friends and family in Fujian Province.

Japanese manufacturers have been increasing production of masks to meet the surging demand.

Daily goods manufacturer Unicharm says orders have doubled or tripled since the middle of this month.

The company has its mask plant operating around the clock, but it's falling behind on some orders.

Medical supplies maker Tamagawa Eizai says orders have surged more than five-fold.

The company plans to step up production at its plant in Shanghai as soon as it can.

Key words : team of Australian
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200129_39/

A team of Australian scientists has announced that they have managed to grow the new coronavirus, in a breakthrough that could help lead to the development of a vaccine.

The researchers at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity say they are the first scientific lab outside of China to do so. They grew it from an infected patient in Melbourne.

The institute says the sample will help researchers test trial vaccines. It says the lab-grown virus will also assist in the development of screening methods to detect infections even before any symptoms appear.

The virus will be shared with the World Health Organization and scientists around the world. The Deputy Director of the Doherty Institute Mike Catton says the discovery is a crucial step forward. He says researchers thought they were going to have to wait for some time to import the virus from elsewhere, but now the lab is in the process of getting the virus to them.

Key words : US house
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200129_34/

The US House has approved a bill to support the Tibetan people and ensure a smooth succession for a future Dalai Lama. The move is seen as the latest in a series of US bills aimed at challenging China on human rights.

The Tibetan Policy and Support Act won strong approval on Tuesday.
It establishes a US policy that the selection of Tibet's future religious leaders should be decided by themselves, free from the Chinese government.
The bill also says Beijing will face sanctions if it interferes in the process of recognizing a successor of the Dalai Lama.
Ahead of the voting, the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi stressed the significance of the bill, saying it is "a clear signal" to Beijing.

The US bill follows recent action by lawmakers supporting Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement, and the Uighurs and other Muslim ethnic minority groups in Xinjiang.
The Tibet Autonomous Region has been ruled by the Chinese government since the 1950s. For decades, rights groups have rallied against the harsh treatment of ethnic Tibetans who continue to call for independence.

Key words : US military in
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200129_38/

The US military in South Korea says it has begun giving notice to South Korean workers that they could be placed on furlough beginning April first.

The US military gave the 60-day advanced notice on Wednesday, amid stalled bilateral talks on increasing South Korea's share of costs for stationing US forces in the country.

The US military says that without South Korea's continued commitment to share costs, it will "soon exhaust programmed funds available to pay their salaries and wages."

Nearly 9,000 South Koreans work at US bases and other facilities in South Korea.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency referred to the US announcement as "an apparent move to further pressure Seoul to pay more for stationing American troops."

It says there is criticism that the US military is taking advantage of South Korean workers to press Seoul to pay more.

Key words : British government decided
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200129_15/

The British government has decided to allow Chinese tech giant Huawei to play a limited role in its next-generation 5G mobile network. The decision is a snub to the United States, which had been urging its allies to ban the use of Huawei equipment for security reasons.

Ministers and government officials made the decision at a meeting of the National Security Council on Tuesday.

They say the use of Huawei equipment is limited and it will be banned from sensitive areas such as nuclear facilities or military bases.

The government says that by strictly limiting the use, threats such as cyber-attacks can be prevented.

Huawei's products are reportedly highly competitive in terms of technology and cost, and are already used in the UK's telecommunications network. These factors are believed to be behind the recent decision.
A senior US government official told NHK that Washington is disappointed by the decision and will continue to discuss the issue with Britain.

The UK will leave the European Union on January 31 and the country hopes to agree a free trade deal with the US. Some experts believe that the Huawei decision could be a factor in their trade negotiations.

Key words : Japanese prosecutor
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200129_35/

Japanese prosecutors have begun searching the office of a lawyer who served for former Nissan Motor chairman Carlos Ghosn. Ghosn, who has been indicted in Japan over financial misconduct, escaped to Lebanon last month, skipping bail.

The prosecutors are investigating Ghosn's flight as suspected violation of the immigration control law. They say those who helped him flee could be charged on suspicion of aiding a criminal in avoiding capture.

They searched the office of lawyer Junichiro Hironaka in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Wednesday morning. Hironaka was among Ghosn's defense team.

While on bail, Ghosn used Hironaka's office for meetings and a computer.

The prosecutors tried to seize the PC earlier this month, but Ghosn's defense team refused to hand it over, citing a legal right to protect the client's confidentiality.

The defense team said in a statement after Ghosn's escape that there is no prospect that their client will return to Japan voluntarily. The team quit the job on January 16.

The former Nissan chairman is suspected of departing Japan without going through immigration control. He reportedly got on board a private jet by hiding in a large case. US media reported that a prominent former member of US special forces was involved in the escape.

Key words : Harajuku
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200129_40/

The interior of the new station building at Harajuku in Tokyo, which replaces the current popular landmark, has been shown to the media.

East Japan Railway's new building, set to open on March 21, sits next to the one currently in use, which dates back nearly a century, making it the oldest wooden station building in Tokyo.

The two-story steel structure has four times the floor space of the old building. The first floor, where the ticket gates are located, has three separate entrances.

The new building also has more elevators and toilets for wheelchair users. There will be a coffee shop on the second floor.

Unlike the current station building, passengers will use separate platforms for trains going in opposite directions, which would hopefully ease congestion.

Stationmaster Toshiaki Kobayashi said he hopes people will find the spacious new building more convenient, and vowed to make sure that the many visitors to the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics will be able to use the station safely.

The old station building will be dismantled after the Tokyo Games, but will be rebuilt nearby with fireproof material.

Key words : Nintendo
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200129_46/

Game maker Nintendo has won a court battle to stop a firm from using logos and costumes in its kart rental service for public-road driving. The costumes are based on Nintendo's "Mario Kart" games.

Tokyo-based Mari Mobility Development rents karts and costumes of "Mario Kart" characters, and uses a logo "Mari Car." Nintendo filed a complaint.

The Intellectual Property High Court made a decision in Nintendo's favor on Wednesday.

Presiding judge Yoshiyuki Mori said characters in Nintendo's "Mario Kart" are well known and have a great appeal to attract customers. The judge also acknowledged that Mari Mobility has the intention of unfairly using those characters.

The court prohibited Mari Mobility from renting those costumes and using the logo on the vehicles or in advertisements. It also ordered the firm to pay about 460,000 dollars in compensation.