The New York Times says US President Donald Trump has ordered the Defense Department to prepare options for reducing US troops stationed in South Korea.
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https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20180504200000_english_1.mp3
Key words : Abe closely talk
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Key words : New York Trump ordered
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180504_17/
The New York Times says US President Donald Trump has ordered the Defense Department to prepare options for reducing US troops stationed in South Korea.
The newspaper published the report on Thursday, citing several officials briefed on the deliberations.
The officials are quoted as saying that a peace treaty between the 2 Koreas could diminish the need for the current level of US troops stationed in South Korea.
At the same time, the officials reportedly denied that a troop-reduction is intended as a bargaining chip in Trump's summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, which could be held by early June.
The Times says Trump has been determined to reduce the number of troops in South Korea, on the grounds that the United States is not adequately compensated for the cost of keeping them.
Trump also believes that decades of US military presence did not prevent North Korea from becoming a nuclear threat.
The newspaper says Trump's directive has rattled officials at the Pentagon and other agencies, who are worried about the impact the drawdown may have on the US alliance with South Korea and Japan.
In South Korea, the presidential office says a White House official has dismissed the report as untrue, giving an assurance to the chief of South Korea's National Security Office, Chung Eui-yong, who is now visiting Washington.
Key words : abducted loved one
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180504_14/
The families of Japanese abducted by North Korea have pleaded for help in bringing home their loved ones weeks before the first US-North Korea summit is expected to take place.
They spoke at a symposium on North Korea's human rights issues organized by the Japanese government and others at the UN headquarters in New York.
Takuya Yokota, whose sister, Megumi, was abducted, showed his sister's favorite doll to the attendees. He said 40 years have passed since the girl who loved this doll was abducted. He said his aging parents cannot wait for her return for much longer. He called on participants of the symposium to confront North Korea with their courage and strong will.
Koichiro Iizuka was one year old when his mother Yaeko Taguchi was abducted by North Korea.
He said he does not remember talking with or touching his mother. He said his ties with his one and only mother remain torn after these many years. He said abduction is a human life issue and it should not be taken lightly, or overshadowed by nuclear and missile issues.
North Korean defector Ji Seong-ho was also invited to the symposium. He asked the attendees not to forget about oppressed North Korean citizens, saying human rights issues are as important as nuclear issues. He called for international coordination in human rights issues as well.
Also present were the parents of a US student who was detained in North Korea for more than a year and died after he was brought back home with heavy brain damage.
They say they do not want to think their son died in vain.
They urged people affected by North Korea's human rights abuse to stand up for freedom.
Key words : Japan estimate child
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Key words : Insight growing trend automation
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Key words : swedish nobel
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180504_19/
The Swedish Academy says it will not announce the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature this year, following a controversy over alleged sexual misconduct in the academy.
The academy said on Friday that the 2018 prize will be announced along with the winner of the 2019 prize.
The decision came after the husband of an academy member faced sexual harassment allegations. The man was also suspected of leaking Nobel winners' names.
Key words : Japan Africa
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180504_12/
The Japan-Africa Public-Private Economic Forum has kicked off in Johannesburg, South Africa. The president of the host nation has called on Japanese companies to increase their presence in Africa.
The 2-day forum opened on Thursday and is being attended by about 1,400 business people and others from Japan and African nations.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed his high expectations for Japanese investment in Africa, saying the time is ripe for an increased Japanese presence on the continent. Ramaphosa took office in February.
Japanese trade minister Hiroshige Seko said that the number of Japanese companies doing business in Africa has more than doubled over the past 5 years. But he added that the Japanese footprint in Africa is limited compared with those in Asia and other regions.
Seko stressed that the government will promote more Japanese business activities in African economies, where further growth is expected.
At the forum venue, Japanese products and advanced technologies are being promoted in an exhibition organized by Japan External Trade Organization. The trade show drew a big crowd of locals.
Japanese and African business leaders at the forum will discuss what it takes to expand opportunities for them to work together.
Key words : advisory panel
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180504_05/
An advisory panel to the United Nations' cultural agency has recommended that places linked to the history of Japan's persecuted Christians be granted World Heritage status.
The International Council on Monuments and Sites gave the highest rating out of its 4-level recommendation scale to the nominated property "Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region."
UNESCO's World Heritage Committee is expected to honor the property in a meeting to be held in Bahrain later this year.
The 12 components of the property are located in Japan's southwestern prefectures of Nagasaki and Kumamoto.
They include "Remains of Hara Castle," "Oura Cathedral," and villages where people secretly practiced Christianity despite a ban on the faith from the 17th to 19th centuries.
Japan now has 17 World Cultural Heritage properties and 4 World Natural Heritage properties.
Key words : US major
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180504_06/
The Seattle Mariners team in US Major League Baseball says outfielder Ichiro Suzuki is transitioning to the role of Special Assistant to the Chairman and will not be on the active roster this year. But sources say the contract allows the Japanese veteran to play next season.
The Mariners announced on Thursday that Ichiro will travel and practice with the team while taking on a supporting role.
The terms of the contract are rare in the MLB, allowing the club to put Ichiro back on the roster if other players are sidelined due to injuries.
The deal also allows Ichiro to continue his active career. His stated goal is to play at least until he turns 50. He is the oldest active MLB fielder this season at age 44.
Ichiro signed a one-year contract with the Mariners, his old club, this spring as some of its outfielders suffered injuries during March training.
But Ichiro's playing time declined as the outfielders came off the disabled list.
After stellar results in Japanese professional baseball, Ichiro started playing with the Mariners in 2001 at the age of 27.
In 2004, he set the MLB single-season record for hits with 262. He also achieved 10 straight 200-hit seasons, the longest in history.
