https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20220924180000_english_1.mp3
Key words : police in tokyo foreign dignitaries
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220924_10/Police in Tokyo are increasing security across the capital before the arrival of foreign dignitaries for the state funeral of former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo.
The funeral is set to take place on Tuesday at Nippon Budokan in central Tokyo. Abe was shot and killed on July 8 while giving an election campaign speech.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has deployed officers to patrol expressways in central Tokyo for suspicious items. On Saturday, police closed some lanes on an expressway near Haneda Airport so officers could conduct checks on foot.
Extra police are also on duty at the airport, with some using sniffer dogs to check for explosives.
Police say they are also ramping up security around embassies and hotels where foreign dignitaries will be staying.
Key words : government says funeral
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220922_37/The Japanese government says it expects about 4,300 people from inside and outside Japan to attend the state funeral for former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo next Tuesday.
At a news conference on Thursday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu said about 3,600 people from within the country and about 700 others from overseas are expected to be present at the funeral.
Those from within the country include the heads of Lower and Upper Houses, as well as more than 700 current and former Diet lawmakers and 44 prefectural governors.
The government also expects more than 1,000 people from business and other circles to be present at the funeral.
Regarding attendance from overseas, the government expects to receive 35 top-level leaders and 218 foreign delegations.
Matsuno told reporters that China informed the Japanese government earlier in the day that one of the vice chairpersons of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the country's top legislative advisory body, plans to attend the funeral.
Matsuno said the government is deeply grateful to the many people who are to take part in the funeral.
He said the government will do its utmost to make the funeral worthy of receiving their heartfelt condolences and good wishes.
Key words : weather officials Saturday night
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220924_03/Shizuoka Prefecture in central Japan is being hit by torrential rain due to an approaching tropical storm. Weather officials are urging residents to be on maximum alert for possible disasters.
The Meteorological Agency says Tropical Storm Talas was 180 kilometers south-southwest of Hamamatsu City in Shizuoka as of 12 a.m. on Saturday. It was moving northeast at a speed of 20 kilometers per hour.
The storm was packing winds of up to about 65 kilometers per hour near its center, with peak gusts of 90 kilometers per hour.
Talas is expected to move eastward, coming close to the Tokai and Kanto-Koshin regions through Saturday night.
The Meteorological Agency has issued information on heavy rainfall for parts of Shizuoka Prefecture, where downpours of more than 100 millimeters per hour have been observed.
The agency has also issued landslide alert information for Shizuoka, Yamanashi and Fukushima Prefectures.
Officials are urging people to stay safe. They say the risk of life-threatening landslides and floods is rising rapidly.
They are calling on people to stay alert for strong winds, high waves and lightning.
Key words : kakegawa mudslide killed
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Key words : without power
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Key words : russia new phase
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220924_N02/The war in Ukraine has entered a new phase as Russian leaders gear up for a heavy-handed approach. Russian citizens who had seen the fighting as somewhere far away might be more shocked than the day that the invasion began seven months ago.
Residents in the four Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia are voting from Friday through Tuesday in a so-called referendum about whether to join Russia. Some say they have been forced to cast ballots.
Ukrainians and their allies say the referendums are a "sham" and a pretext for Russia to annex the regions.
Russians who heard their president declare wartime mobilization are expressing a mix of hope and concern. Thousands attended a rally to support Vladimir Putin's decision to call up reservists.
Men across the country received their conscription papers... something that has not happened since World War Two.
One man said, "I'm not happy about it, but there's nothing I can do. It's better than going to jail for 10 years."
More than 1,000 people took to the streets in protest while others crossed the border to escape.
Analysts at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War say the mobilization is unlikely to produce effective soldiers, but it has already provoked public anger and distrust.
Key words : china met ukrainian counterpart
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220924_08/Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has met his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Thursday's meeting was their first in-person encounter since Russia invaded Ukraine.
China's foreign ministry said that Wang told Kuleba of China's principle on the Ukrainian situation. Wang noted that "sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries must be respected" and "all efforts that are conducive to a peaceful settlement must be supported."
Wang also said that each country's security concerns should be respected, a likely reference to Russia's opposition to the expansion of NATO.
Kuleba wrote on his Twitter account that Wang "reaffirmed China's respect for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
He noted that China's "rejection of the use of force as a means of resolving differences" was also reaffirmed.
Key words : and india in new york
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220924_07/Foreign ministers from Japan, the United States, Australia and India have reaffirmed their opposition to any unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force.
The Quad group officials also agreed to work on reforming the United Nations. The four-nation framework was formed as China has increased maritime activities.
Japan's Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong and India's External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met Friday in New York on the sidelines of the UN assembly.
They exchanged views on the Indo-Pacific region and agreed to keep working together toward a "free and open Indo-Pacific."
Hayashi talked about challenges the world is facing such as the pandemic and food security following the Russian invasion to Ukraine. He said the attacks on Ukraine have shaken the world order.
He stressed the need to strengthen UN functions, including reforming the Security Council.
The four ministers agreed reforms should include expanding the council's permanent and non-permanent members.
They also agreed to address the global threat of malicious cyberattacks such as ransomware and to cooperate further on humanitarian aid and disaster relief.
Key words : ohtani 14th win
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220924_13/In Major League Baseball, Japanese two-way star Ohtani Shohei of the Los Angeles Angels earned his 14th win and 200th strikeout. The Angels defeated the Minnesota Twins 4-2 on Friday in the Twin Cities.
Ohtani was the starting pitcher and designated hitter, batting third.
He struggled with his control at the beginning of the game, allowing a run in the first inning. In the second inning, he was nearly hit by a broken bat, but managed to step aside. He found his pace soon afterward.
Ohtani got his fourth strikeout in the fourth inning to reach 200 for the season.
He came up to bat in the seventh inning with runners on first and second. An RBI single expanded the Angels' lead to 4-2.
Ohtani pitched five innings, with three hits, two runs earned, and seven strikeouts. It was his 14th win of the season.
Meanwhile in Los Angles, Ohtani's former teammate Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals marked his 700th career homer against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Pujols hit his 699th in the third inning to set the stage for number 700 in the fourth. He is the fourth player to reach that mark, joining Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds.
The 42-year-old started his major league career in 2001 and has played for three teams, including the Angels.
He has announced he will retire after the 2022 season.
Key words : restriction thailand
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220924_05/Authorities in Thailand will lift most coronavirus restrictions on October 1, including a state of emergency imposed since March 2020.
Officials made the announcement on Friday, citing the rising vaccination rate and declining number of serious cases.
They say overseas arrivals will no longer need proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test.
They also say a visa-free period of stay from countries and territories including Japan will be extended from 30 days to 45 days.
Thailand had about 40 million foreign tourists a year before the pandemic. The figure last year was down to about 400,000.
Health authorities are urging people to continue taking anti-infection measures, such as wearing face masks in crowded places.
Key words : hong kong ending
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220924_02/The Hong Kong government is ending mandatory COVID-19 quarantine for overseas arrivals starting Monday.
Chief Executive John Lee made the announcement on Friday.
Instead of isolating at designated hotels for three days, overseas arrivals will undergo medical surveillance for the same duration. Visits to restaurants and bars will not be allowed during that time.
Authorities in Hong Kong have been aligned with Beijing's "zero-COVID" policy, but business leaders and Legislative Council members are calling for a more relaxed approach.
Lee says the government wants to make Hong Kong more competitive by balancing the fight against the pandemic with socioeconomic needs.
The end of mandatory quarantine will mean there are virtually no restrictions on overseas arrivals for the first time in two and a half years.
