at 20:00 (JST), January 30

In China, authorities say 170 people have died after contracting the new coronavirus. The number of confirmed infections has topped 7,700.

Japan's health ministry has confirmed the first two cases of coronavirus infection without any symptoms in the country.

Tokyo prosecutors have obtained a new arrest warrant for former Nissan Motor chairman Carlos Ghosn for suspected violation of the immigration control law.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20200130200000_english_1.mp3


Key words : In China 170 people
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200130_46/

In China, authorities say 170 people have died after contracting the new coronavirus. The number of confirmed infections has topped 7,700. With Tibet reporting its first case, the virus has now spread to every region in the country.

As the outbreak grows, scientists in China are racing to learn more about the virus. The Wuhan Institute of Virology says it may have originated in bats.

It says the gene sequence is 96 percent identical to that of a bat virus.

The head of a team of government experts echoed that finding. He told state media the new coronavirus has the same origin as a virus found in bats three years ago.
He said that like SARS, it may have been transmitted to humans via other wild animals. Tests are being carried out to determine if that's the case.

Outside Mainland China, the number of cases is rising. There are now more than 100 confirmed infections across 19 countries and territories. Finland announced its first case on Wednesday. Instances of human-to-human transmission are suspected in Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan and Germany.

The World Health Organization will hold its second emergency meeting later on Thursday to assess whether the outbreak constitutes a global health emergency.

A number of countries are working to evacuate their citizens from the epicenter city of Wuhan. Australia says its evacuees will be quarantined on Christmas island for up to 14 days. The UK says its returnees will live in "supported isolation" for a similar period of time.

Key words : world health to assess more than 20 experts
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200130_47/

The World Health Organization is to convene an emergency meeting on Thursday to assess whether the coronavirus outbreak that originated in China constitutes an international public health emergency.

The meeting starts on Thursday afternoon at WHO headquarters in Geneva, attended by more than 20 experts and public health officials from countries including China, Japan and the United States.

After a previous 2-day emergency meeting a week ago, the WHO decided it was still too early to call the outbreak an international health emergency.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had explained at a news conference that human-to-human infections were discovered only in China, and only in cases involving close contact, such as that between family members.

The second emergency meeting is aimed at reassessing the status of the outbreak based on data that became available in the past week.

If the WHO concludes that the outbreak now qualifies as an international health emergency, the organization is expected to recommend greater global efforts, such as more vigorous quarantine measures at ports and airports, to contain the outbreak.

Key words : chinese researcher
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200130_41/

Chinese researchers say human-to-human transmission of the new coronavirus began in Wuhan in mid-December.

A group of researchers, including scientists at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, revealed the results of their study on Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

They analyzed data on the first 425 cases of pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus in Wuhan that had been confirmed by January 22.

The results show 47 of the patients developed pneumonia last month, and there is evidence that human-to-human transmission has occurred among close contacts since mid-December.

That means such transmission took place before the World Health Organization was first informed of the outbreak of pneumonia in late December.

The researchers say that among the patients surveyed, none were below the age of 15, nearly half of them were aged 60 or older, and 56 percent were male.

They say the mean incubation period, or the time delay from infection to developing symptoms, was estimated at 5.2 days. They also say that on average, each patient spread the infection to 2.2 other people, and in its early stages, the epidemic doubled in size roughly every seven days.

The researchers stress the need to commit considerable resources to testing in clinics and emergency departments to identify cases as quickly as possible.

Key words : major airlines
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200130_25/

Major airlines are suspending flights to and from China amid the growing coronavirus outbreak.

British Airways said on Wednesday it has canceled flights to Beijing and Shanghai until Friday while it assesses the situation.

Germany's Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and Swiss International Air Lines also said on Wednesday they are suspending all flights to and from mainland China until February 9. These three carriers will continue flying to and from Hong Kong.

American Airlines has decided to suspend flights between Los Angeles and the Chinese cities of Beijing and Shanghai from February 9 to March 27 due to a significant decline in demand.

United Airlines had earlier said it was suspending flights between US cities and Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai from February 1 to February 8.

Key words : health ministry has confirmed without any
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200130_35/

Japan's health ministry has confirmed the first two cases of coronavirus infection without any symptoms in the country.

The ministry confirmed that three evacuees from the Chinese city of Wuhan have the new type of coronavirus.

The three individuals were among the 206 passengers who returned to Japan on Wednesday on a government-chartered flight.

A man in his 40s and a woman in her 50s do not have any signs of infection, but they have tested positive.

Another man in his 50s reported pain in his throat and later developed a fever before testing positive.

The number of people in Japan who've been infected now stands at 11.

Key words : expert say
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200130_39/

An expert says Japanese health authorities trying to contain the coronavirus outbreak should bear in mind that people without symptoms could infect others.

Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University Professor Mitsuo Kaku made the comment after the virus was found in three people who returned to Japan from Wuhan on a chartered flight on Wednesday. Two of the three evacuees do not have any symptoms.

Kaku says cases of patients without symptoms have already been reported in China, so he had expected the same thing could happen in Japan.

He says it's still not clear whether they can infect others, and he thinks that ordinary people should not be too concerned.

But he adds that those involved in drawing up preventive measures should be aware of the possibility that people without symptoms could spread the virus.

He says health authorities should closely monitor the condition of infected people who do not display symptoms and thoroughly check how the virus was detected.

He also says they should consider testing more people for the virus.

Kaku recommends that people take precautions by thoroughly washing their hands and using alcohol sanitizers.

Key words : prime no geographical
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Key words : Nikkei average fell sharply
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Key words : Tokyo prosecutor suspected violation
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200130_44/

Tokyo prosecutors have obtained a new arrest warrant for former Nissan Motor chairman Carlos Ghosn for suspected violation of the immigration control law.

Prosecutors say Ghosn illegally left Japan on a private jet on the night of December 29 without going through departure screenings. He flew from Kansai International Airport in western Japan to Lebanon via Turkey.

The 65-year-old former auto industry titan was out on bail after being indicted on charges of financial misconduct. He was banned from traveling overseas under a bail condition.

The prosecutors also obtained arrest warrants for three others, including a man believed to be a former member of the US special forces, on suspicion that they helped Ghosn flee.

Sources say Ghosn joined the three at a hotel in Tokyo on December 29 before traveling to Osaka by bullet train. Two of the men reportedly accompanied him.

They are believed to have helped Ghosn board the jet by hiding him in a large case for musical equipment.

One of the two men is identified as 59-year-old Michael Taylor, who's said to be a former member of the US Army special forces known as the Green Berets.

In 2009, he was reportedly involved in a rescue operation for a US newspaper reporter who had been abducted in Afghanistan. Taylor was then a contractor for a private military company.

The third suspect allegedly helped Ghosn escape by making hotel reservations and transporting Ghosn's baggage.

Key words : Germany auto sales
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200130_57/

Germany's Volkswagen has made it four years in a row at the top for global auto sales. The group sold about 10.97 million vehicles in 2019, up 1.3 percent from a year earlier.

That's a record for Volkswagen and its stable mates. The company says it sold more cars in China, the world's biggest auto market.

Japan's Toyota took second place, doing so for the first time in three years. The Toyota group includes Daihatsu and Hino. Collectively the brands sold about 10.74 million units, up 1.4 percent year-on-year. That's also a record.

The alliance of Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi dropped down to third place. Together the automakers sold about 10.15 million units. That's a drop of more than 5 percent. Nissan accounts for more than half of the group's sales. The firm had a poor year in the US.

Some of the world's biggest markets saw a decline in business in 2019. New vehicle sales in China dropped about 8 percent year-on-year. They were down in India and Japan, too.

The outlook for 2020 is being clouded by the outbreak of the coronavirus, which is worsening in China and other parts of the world.