at 14:00 (JST), March 06

 

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20210306200000_english_1.mp3


Key words : visited suga pledge
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210306_12/

Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has visited Fukushima Prefecture and pledged that every resident forced to evacuate by the 2011 nuclear accident will eventually be able to return.

Suga visited the town of Okuma on Saturday, in the lead up to the 10th anniversary of the March 11 disaster. Okuma is one of two towns where the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is located.

Suga inspected a new commercial building that will open this spring in the Ogawara district, where the government evacuation order was lifted two years ago.

Okuma Mayor Yoshida Jun briefed Suga about the building and the progress in local rebuilding efforts.

The areas around the plant remain off-limits in principle, and are designated a "difficult-to-return" zone.

But Suga told the mayor that the government has no intention of changing its position that all evacuation orders should eventually be lifted.

He noted that evacuees are under enormous strain, and he said the government will ensure they can one day return home.

Suga then moved to Futaba, the other town where the plant is based. All of the residents remain evacuated, and people are prohibited from entering much of the town.

Suga visited an area around JR Futaba Station. The evacuation order was lifted for the area one year ago, when the JR railway line along the Pacific coast of Fukushima Prefecture resumed full service.
The visit by Suga is his second to Fukushima Prefecture since becoming prime minister. Later in the day, he will visit the town of Namie and the city of Minamisoma, both badly affected by the disaster.

Suga will meet local residents and inspect a research and development base designed to help the recovery of industries around the Fukushima Daiichi plant.

Key words : myanmar 100 police
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210306_07/

Police officers in Myanmar are increasingly rejecting the use of violence against protesters of last month's military coup.

The United Nations says more than 50 people have been killed in the unrest. Authorities have repeatedly opened fire at the crowds.

A man in his 20s reportedly became the latest victim on Friday. Local media say he was shot dead in the second-largest city of Mandalay.

But more than 100 police officers have reportedly joined the so-called civil disobedience movement in an attempt to stop the military-led government from functioning.

An officer belonging to a police station in the capital Naypyitaw says he did not want to be involved in violence against peaceful protesters.

One of his colleagues said military personnel are engaging in cruel acts while dressed as police officers.

In India, local government authorities say at least 15 police officers and their family members crossed the border with Myanmar from Wednesday to Thursday.

Local media say they fled because they fear retaliation for defying military orders.

Myanmar's military has been working to identify and detain leaders of the civil disobedience movement.

Key words : UN discuss bloodshed
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210306_11/

Members of the UN Security Council have failed to come up with concerted action in response to deadly violence by Myanmar security forces.

The United Nations says more than 50 people have been killed as people protest last month's military coup.
Security forces have repeatedly opened fire on the crowds.

The Security Council discussed its response at a second closed-door session via video link on Friday.

A UN spokesperson later told reporters that the Secretary-General's Special Envoy on Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, urged Council members to push for a stop to the violence. She was quoted as saying that their unity is needed more than ever on Myanmar.

The UK's ambassador to the UN, Barbara Woodward, told an online news conference that it is important for the council "to speak with one voice."

China's UN Ambassador Zhang Jun issued a statement after the meeting saying that all parties should "refrain from using violence and prevent any incident of bloodshed." But he also said the international community should act "on the premise of respecting Myanmar's sovereignty." China has close ties with Myanmar.

There remains a rift between China and countries such as the US and Britain, which have imposed unilateral sanctions. It remains unclear whether the international community will be able to take concerted action.

Key words : china hong kong electoral system
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210306_03/

China plans to reform Hong Kong's electoral system, citing "clear loopholes and deficiencies." The announcement came at the National People's Congress, which opened on Friday.

Hong Kong's Chief Executive is elected by a committee of representatives from different fields, as opposed to directly by citizens.

In Beijing, the vice chair of the standing committee of the congress, unveiled a plan to give more power to the committee.

Wang Chen said the new system would allow it to directly participate in the nomination of all candidates for Hong Kong's Legislative Council, and select many members.
In 2019, voters secured an overwhelming victory for pro-democracy candidates in the territory's district council elections.

Observers say Beijing might be trying to weed out pro-democracy politicians in Hong Kong.

Key words : world health
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210306_13/

The head of the World Health Organization has called for a temporary waiver of intellectual property rights to COVID-19 vaccines to encourage faster development worldwide.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the appeal during a news conference on Friday.

He said the COVAX Facility, an international framework to ensure fair access to vaccines, has delivered more than 20 million doses to 20 countries so far.

He said, "This is encouraging progress, but the volume of doses being distributed through COVAX is still relatively small."

Tedros called for urgent action to ramp up vaccine production.

In discussions at the World Trade Organization, South Africa and India have proposed a temporary waiver of rights to COVID-19 vaccines, with support from developing countries.

But developed nations oppose the proposal, saying it will hinder technological innovation.

Key words : pope
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210306_06/

Pope Francis has become the first pontiff to visit Iraq. At the start of a four-day tour, he called for religious and ethnic reconciliation.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi welcomed him at an airport in the capital Baghdad on Friday.

The pope delivered a speech in front of government officials at a welcome ceremony in the Presidential Palace.

He said, "Iraq has suffered the disastrous effect of wars, the scourge of terrorism and sectarian conflicts," adding that it will take time for the country to heal.

But he also described the country's religious, cultural and ethnic diversity as something to draw upon, not eliminate.

The pontiff will speak with Muslim religious leaders during his stay. He will also visit the northern city of Mosul, which fell under the control of the Islamic State militant group.

About 10,000 security forces personnel have been deployed for the pope's visit.

Security has been deteriorating in the country. On Wednesday, rockets hit a western base housing US troops.

The pope's last overseas visit was to Japan in November 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic.

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Key words : US employment
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210306_04/

US employment in February grew at a faster pace than market expectations.

On Friday, the Labor Department said nonfarm payrolls increased by 379,000 from the previous month. The figure marks a significant pickup from the 166,000 recorded in January.

Most gains occurred in the leisure and hospitality sectors.

More economic activities have been resuming in the United States as new coronavirus cases decline. There are expectations the situation may improve further as the vaccine rollout progresses.

But the jobless rate in February only improved slightly to 6.2 percent, down just 0.1 point from January.

The number of unemployed people still stood at 9.97 million, with the services industry hit hardest.
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Key words : survey female
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210306_09/

An international survey shows female representation in national parliaments around the world has reached a record 25.5 percent, increasing by 0.6 percentage points from 2019. But Japan is lagging far behind, with women making up less than 10 percent of its Lower House members.

The figures are contained in the results of an Inter-Parliamentary Union survey of the number of women in lower or single houses of parliament as of January 1 this year. The publication comes ahead of International Women's Day, on March 8.

Out of 193 countries, Rwanda had the highest female representation, with 61.3 percent, followed by Cuba on 53.4 percent, and UAE with 50 percent.

The share of female lawmakers in Japan's Lower House was 9.9 percent, unchanged from the previous year. Japan ranked 166th on the list, one place lower than a year earlier.

Of the G7 industrialized countries, France was 27th with 39.5 percent, Italy 35th with 35.7 percent, and the United States 67th with 27.3 percent. Japan was the only G7 country to rank lower than 100.

The IPU notes that Japanese politics is male-dominated, and that Japan is one of the lower-ranked developed countries.

Key words : astronaut
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210306_08/

Japanese astronaut Noguchi Soichi has completed a fourth spacewalk outside the International Space Station.

Noguchi and NASA astronaut Kate Rubins ventured outside the ISS to install modification kits for mounting solar arrays. The work lasted about seven hours.

In November, Noguchi began a six-month science mission on board the ISS, which is orbiting earth at an altitude of about 400 kilometers.

Noguchi has taken more spacewalks than any other Japanese astronaut. He has now spent around 27 hours outside the ISS.

The 55-year-old Noguchi is also the oldest Japanese astronaut to walk in space.