December
December 31, 2009 (6:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. The number of yen banknotes in circulation at the end of 2009 has decreased by 0.6 percent from a year earlier—the first drop in nine years.
2. Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines across Japan are busy preparing for New Year visitors.
3. Eight Americans and five Canadians were killed in explosions in Afghanistan on Wednesday.
December 31, 2009 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura
1. Eight Americans and five Canadians were killed in explosions in Afghanistan on Wednesday.
2. Two explosions have killed 24 people and injured about 100 in western Iraq.
3. Japan Airlines stocks tumbled to a record low on Wednesday amid growing speculation that the company may end up in liquidation.
December 30, 2009 (6:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. The Japanese government has laid out a new economic growth strategy, outlining its basic policies through 2020.
2. U.S. government officials are reportedly concerned over Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama’s indecision on a U.S. military realignment plan.
December 30, 2009 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. The leaders of Japan and India agree on an action plan that includes vice ministerial-level talks in diplomatic and defense fields as part of efforts to promote strategic partnership.
2. Russia’s prime minister says his nation will develop a new offensive weapons system to maintain its military balance with the United States.
3. The suspect in the attempted bombing of a U.S. passenger jet reportedly has suggested the possibility of more attacks.
4. The World Health Organization predicts the H1N1 flu pandemic will continue in 2010, even though it has already peaked in many countries.
December 29, 2009 (6:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki
1. Japan’s Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have agreed on an action plan designed to boost bilateral security cooperation.
2. A Yemeni group linked to Al Qaeda has claimed responsibility for the attempted bombing of a U.S. passenger jet by a Nigerian suspect on Christmas Day.
3. The Iranian state-run television has reported the death toll from clashes between Iranian opposition supporters and police now stands at eight.
December 29, 2009 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. Japan’s prime minister says the ruling parties won’t make a decision on the transfer of a U.S. air station in Okinawa without taking U.S. intentions into consideration.
2. A Yemeni group linked to Al Qaeda claiming responsibility for the attempted bombing of a U.S. passenger jet.
3. A suicide bomber attacked a Shia Muslim procession in the southern Pakistan city of Karachi during a commemoration of Ashura, a Shia day of mourning.
4. East and Southeast Asian countries will launch a 120-billion-dollar emergency fund to protect the nations’ future currency crises.
December 28, 2009 (6:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki
1. Japan’s Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and head of the Indian industrial conglomerate Tata Group have agreed to deepen their economic ties.
2. The Japanese government is finalizing an annual economic growth rate of 2 percent in real terms and 3 percent in nominal terms by the year 2020.
December 28, 2009 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama offers prayers at a Mumby hotel that was attacked by Islamic militants in November 2008.
2. Nine people, including the nephew of an opposition leader, have died in weekend clashes between Iranian opposition supporters and police.
3. The investigation into an attempted bombing of a Northwest Air Lines plane focuses on possible links to Al Qaeda members in Yemen.
December 27, 2009 (6:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Joseph Quini
1. Japan’s Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has left for India to have talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on bilateral relations and climate change.
2. In Britain, police have carried out searches at addresses in central London in connection with a failed bomb attack on a U.S. airliner.
December 27, 2009 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Joseph Quini
1. Japan’s Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has left for India to have talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on bilateral relations and climate change.
2. In Britain, police have carried out searches at addresses in central London in connection with a failed bomb attack on a U.S. airliner.
December 26, 2009 (6:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Joseph Quini
1. Saturday marks the fifth anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami that left more than 220,000 people dead or missing. A memorial has been held in Ache, the hardest-hit province in Indonesia, to mourn the victims.
2. U.S. authorities say an attempt to set off an explosive on a U.S. airplane was a failed terrorist attack. They are investigating whether the suspect is linked with Al-Qaeda.
December 26, 2009 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Joseph Quini
1. The Japanese government has announced a draft budget for fiscal 2010 that features a record spending in a massive issuance of debt.
2. Saturday, December 26, marks five years since a powerful earthquake off the coast of Sumatra led to the Indian Ocean tsunami that killed over 220,000 people. There is an event to mourn the dead, which takes place in the tsunami-affected region.
3. U.S. authorities have taken an aircraft passenger into custody for trying to blow it up. They are investigating the incident as a suspected act of terrorism.
December 25, 2009 (6:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuka Mastumoto
1. The Japanese government is set to predict 1.4 percent economic growth in real terms for fiscal 2010.
2. Japan will remain the U.N. second largest financial contributor, but its share will fall by 4 percentage points to about 12 percent.
3. A Chinese court has sentenced a leading political dissident to 11 years in prison on charges of subversion. The move was quickly condemned by Western diplomats.
December 25, 2009 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. Japan will remain the U.N. second largest financial contributor, but a fall in its share may prompt a decline in its influence at the world body.
2. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama publicly apologizes after two of his former aides are indicted for making false financial reports, but refuses to step down.
3. The U.N. General Assembly adopts a resolution condemning human rights violation in Myanmar and urges the immediate release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
4. Yemen’s government says its military has killed 30 insurgents in an air strike.
December 24, 2009 (6:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Miwa Gardner
1. The Japanese government has confirmed that it will maintain its goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent from 1990 levels by 2020.
2. The government has also completed drafting the 2010 fiscal year budget, the largest ever at more than a trillion dollars.
3. Japan’s two leading beer makers, Kirin and Suntory, have been negotiating a merger to begin in April 2011.
December 24, 2009 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. Japan’s government completes drafting the 2010 fiscal year budget, which will be the largest ever at more than a trillion dollars.
2. Prosecutors in Tokyo are to indict two former secretaries of Prime Minister Hatoyama over their involvement in falsification of his political funds reports.
3. Violence has been reported in Iran after security forces clashed with mourners at a memorial service for late reformist cleric.
4. The U.N. Security Council adopts a resolution imposing arms and travel sanctions against the government of Eritrea for its support of Islamic insurgents in neighboring Somalia.
December 23, 2009 (6:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. An investigated panel is set to determine the authority of a document detailing an alleged secret nuclear deal between Japan and the United States.
2. Japan’s Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has called on Iran to resolve the issue of its nuclear program.
3. Japanese astronaut Souichi Noguchi has started a five-month stay in space, the longest ever for a Japanese astronaut.
December 23, 2009 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. Japan’s prime minister is calling on Iran’s leaders to resolve the issue over their nation’s nuclear program.
2. An investigated panel is set to determine the authority of a document detailing an alleged secret nuclear deal between Japan and the United States.
3. An Obama administration official again says the current plan for relocating a U.S. Marine air station within Okinawa provides the best way forward.
4. Japanese astronaut Souichi Noguchi begins a five-month stay in space, the longest ever for a Japanese astronaut.
December 22, 2009 (6:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura
1. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has reiterated the U.S. position that the Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Okinawa should be relocated within the prefecture under the existing plan.
2. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon says the U.N. plans to launch a panel of experts on climate change early next year, following an accord reached in Copenhagen.
3. Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, says Iran cannot accept a U.N.-brokered nuclear fuel and criticized the United States and European nations for trying to impose additional sanctions on Iran.
December 21, 2009 (6:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki
1. Japan’s Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada has called on Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili to hold dialogue with the United States over Iran’s nuclear program.
2. A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying Japanese atronaut Souichi Noguchi has entered orbit and is heading toward the International Space Station.
December 21, 2009 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying Japanese astronaut Souichi Noguchi to the International Space Station has begun its orbit of the Earth.
2. Iraq’s government holds a forum for Japanese business leaders in a bid to get them to invest in the Middle Eastern nation.
3. China’s vice president and Myanmar’s leader agree to upgrade bilateral relations and have signed sixteen agreements, including technology transfers from China.
4. A major eruption may occur within a day in the Philippines as scientists raise the alert level fro the Mayon Volcano on the southern part of the Luzon Island.
December 20, 2009 (6:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Madoka Kanai
1. The U.N. conference on climate change in Copenhagen has ended after 13 days of intense debate.
2. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has retained many of his first term cabinet ministers on a list of nominees for his new cabinet.
December 20, 2009 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Madoka Kanai
1. The U.N. conference on climate change in Copenhagen has ended after 13 days of intense debate.
2. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has retained many of his first term cabinet ministers on a list of nominees for his new cabinet.
3. A Japanese government report says North Korea’s constitutional revision in April may be linked to arrangements for a leadership change.
December 19, 2009 (6:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Madoka Kanai
1. Extending their schedule, world leaders are discussing the “Copenhagen Accord” to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases at the United Nations climate conference in Copenhagen.
2. The Iraqi government says Iranian troops have crossed the border and occupied an oil field in the country’s south. No clashes with the Iraqi troops have been reported so far.
3. The U.N. General Assembly has adopted for five consecutive years a resolution calling for North Korea to swiftly resolve its human rights issues.
December 19, 2009 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Madoka Kanai
1. Extending their schedule, world leaders are discussing the “Copenhagen Accord” to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases at the United Nations climate conference in Copenhagen.
2. The Iraqi government says Iranian troops have crossed the border and occupied an oil field in the country’s south. No clashes with the Iraqi troops have been reported so far.
3. The U.N. General Assembly has adopted for five consecutive years a resolution calling for North Korea to swiftly resolve its human rights issues.
December 18, 2009 (6:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Japan’s Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama says he’s resolved to seek a political agreement at the U.N. climate change conference in Copenhagen. Hatoyama says negotiations are reaching a crucial phase.
2. Japan’s central bank has decided to continue its easy monetary policy with a key interest rate of 0.1 percent in an effort to pull the country out of deflation.
3. A world Health Organization official says more than 10,000 people have died worldwide due to the new strain of influenza.
December 18, 2009 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. World leaders in Copenhagen are trying to work out a draft agreement on climate change on the eve of a crucial summit meeting on Friday.
2. The World Health Organization says more than 10,000 people have died around the world due to the new strain of influenza, and warns the death toll is likely to rise.
3. A boat from the anti-whaling group, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, faces off with a Japanese research whaling ship in the Antarctic Ocean.
4. An exhibition is underway in Indonesia to portray the disaster and aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami which left over 220,000 people dead or missing.
December 17, 2009 (6:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Miwa Gardner
1. Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama is heading for the Danish capital Copenhagen to attend a U.N. climate change conference.
2. U.S. President Barack Obama has sent a personal letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Il as past of the efforts to persuade the North to return to the six-party talks.
3. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has instructed his ministers to quickly decide where to relocate a U.S. Marine air station.
December 17, 2009 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. Japan’s government says it will offer 19 billion dollars to help developing countries mitigate the effects of global climate change.
2. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama says it’s still possible to relocate the U.S. Futenma air station by 2014 as stipulated in an existing bilateral agreement.
3. The latest ballistic missile test by Iran has drawn sharp reaction from Western nations including calls for further economic sanctions against the country.
4. The new NATO secretary-general pays his first visit to Moscow to urge Russian officials to do more to help stabilize Afghanistan.
December 16, 2009 (6:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. Delegates of the U.N. climate change conference have debated through the night over a draft for a new framework to fight global warming.
2. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama is defending his postponement of a decision on the relocation of a U.S. military facility in Okinawa, saying it’s the best option for now.
3. A new U.S. poll shows President Barack Obama’s approval rating has dropped to 50 percent.
December 16, 2009 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. The U.N. secretary-general calls on all delegates attending the U.N. climate talks in Copenhagen to cooperate to reach on agreement.
2. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama is defending his postponement of a decision on the relocation of a U.S. military facility in Okinawa, saying it’s the best option for now.
3. Australia’s prime minister tells his Japanese counterpart that he may take legal action to stop Japan’s research whaling.
4. U.S. President Barack Obama decides to move half of the prisoners at the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to a prison in the state of Ilinois.
December 15, 2009 (6:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. The Japanese government says it will not decide for the time being where a U.S. military facility in Okinawa, southern Japan, should be relocated.
2. Japan’s Emperor has met Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, who is on a three-day trip to Japan.
3. The Japanese government has finalized its basic guideline for the fiscal 2010 budget, aiming to put money in people’s pockets, rather than public construction projects.
December 15, 2009 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. Japan’s government says that for the time being, it won’t decide where a U.S. military air base in Okinawa should be relocated.
2. China’s vice president on a three-day trip to Japan has a 20-minute audience with the Emperor at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.
3. In Copenhagen, delegates from Mexico and Norway unveil a plan for fund to help developing nations finance climate change mitigation efforts.
4. The U.N. secretary-general urges all nations to fully comply with the Security Council resolution banning weapons’ export from North Korea.
December 14, 2009 (6:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki
1. Japan’s ruling party will discuss the government policy on the relocation of the U.S. Marine Futenma Air Station in Okinawa on Tuesday.
2.The Bank of Japan’s latest Tankan quarterly survey of business sentiment improves by a small margin for the third straight quarter, but remains negative overall.
3. Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping has arrived in Japan at the start of a three-day visit to Japan.
December 14, 2009 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. The Bank of Japan’s latest Tankan quarterly survey of business sentiment improves by a small margin for the third straight quarter but remains negative overall.
2. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama says he will soon make a decision on the relocation of a U.S. Marine air station in Okinawa.
3. Japan’s environment minister expects Denmark’s government to come up with a new proposal for reaching a climate change deal that combines the views of developed and developing countries.
4.Amid slow sales at home, Japanese car navigation system producers are trying to boost sales in China by developing systems that meet Chinese needs.
December 13, 2009 (6:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Madoka Kanai
1. Environment ministers have begun informal talks at the U.N. climate change conference in Copenhagen, in a bid to narrow differences between developed and developing nations.
2. The U.S. special envoy to North Korea says the United States will exercise “strategic patience” on North Korea while working closely with countries involved in the six-party talks on its nuclear program.
3. Japan Petroleum Exploration Company has become the first Japanese firm to win the right to develop an oil field in Iraq.
December 13, 2009 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Madoka Kanai
1. Environment ministers have begun informal talks at the U.N. climate change conference in Copenhagen, in a bid to narrow differences between developed and developing nations.
2. The U.S. special envoy to North Korea says the United States will exercise “strategic patience” on North Korea while working closely with countries involved in the six-party talks on its nuclear program.
December 12, 2009 (6:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Madoka Kanai
1. Japan and the United States have agreed to conclude an open-skies deal to liberalize civil aviation markets in the two countries.
2. Japan’s Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has indicated that he is seeking new options to resolve the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Okinawa..
December 12, 2009 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Madoka Kanai
1. Japan and other industrialized countries are opposing the latest draft agreement presented at the U.N. climate conference in Copenhagen.
2. Japan’s Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has indicated that he is seeking new options to resolve the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Okinawa, including a review of the existing bilateral agreement.
December 11, 2009 (6:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. The U.N. Climate change conference in Copenhagen is revealing differences even between developing nations, increasing fears that debate on a new international treaty may face further delays.
2. U.S. special envoy Stephen Bosworth has left South Korea for China to seek cooperation from China to get North Korea to return to the six-party talks on its nuclear development.
3. Japanese health officials say the number of H1N1 flu patients treated last week across the country fell sharply from the previous week.
December 11, 2009 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. Negotiations at the U.N. climate change conference in Copenhagen become tense over whether a new accord should be sought binding both developed and developing nations.
2. The U.N. secretary general urges Japan’s delegation to play a special role in Copenhagen to build trust between developed and developing nations.
3. The U.S. government’s special envoy on North Korea ends a three-day visit to Pyongyang on Thursday and prepares to brief allies in Beijing and Tokyo.
4. U.S. President Barack Obama accepts his Noble Peace Prize but defending his position as the U.S. military Commander-in-Chief in the midst of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
December 10, 2009 (6:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Miwa Gardner
1. A 600-member delegation headed by the secretary general of Japan’s governing Democratic Party has started a four-day trip to China.
2. Japan and the United States are unlikely to hold summit talks next week to discuss the relocation of a U.S. air station in Okinawa, southern Japan.
3. U.S. special envoy Stephen Bosworth has ended his three-day visit to North Korea.
December 10, 2009 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. Negotiations on new rules for reducing global greenhouse gas emissions continued on Day 3 of the U.N. climate change conference in Copenhagen.
2. Japan’s Environmental Ministry will begin accepting suggestions from the public before drawing up legislation aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
3. Japan’s prime minister says his government hasn’t decided whether to ask the United States for summit talks on the relocation of a U.S. air station in Okinawa.
4. A 600-member delegation headed by the secretary general of Japan’s governing Democratic Party has left for a four-day trip to China.
December 9, 2009 (6:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama says he hopes to produce an alternative proposal to the existing plan of relocating a U.S. airfield within Okinawa by the end of next week.
2. The Japanese government has sharply downgraded the nation’s economic growth for the July-September period.
3. Prime Minister Hatoyama has left for Indonesia to attend the Bali Democracy Forum aimed at promoting democracy in Asia.
December 9, 2009 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. There is controversy at the U.N. conference on climate change in Copenhagen as developing nations criticize the draft text of a political agreement that only a few developed nations have seen.
2. The U.N. weather agency says the current decade ranks as the hottest on record globally and warns that global warming will have serious consequences.
3. Prime Minister Hatoyama hopes to come up with an alternative proposal by the end of next week for relocating the U.S. airfield within Okinawa.
4. The worsening security situation in Iraq is raising concerns over whether a parliamentary election scheduled for next March can go ahead as planned.
December 8, 2009 (6:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura
1. The Japanese government has decided to spend 7.2 trillion yen, or about 80 billion dollars to support the nation’s economy.
2. Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa says he believes the government will allocate funds for the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan in its fiscal 2010 budget, even if the relocation of a U.S. facility in Okinawa is not settled soon.
3. South Korean President Lee Myung Bak has instructed his Cabinet to consider emergency aid for North Korea.
December 8, 2009 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. At a U.N. climate change conference, ten industrialized countries, including Japan, promised billions of dollars to help developing countries deal with the effects of global climate change.
2. The cabinet of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama endorses a 80-billion-dollar economic stimulus package, featuring job creation measures and employment subsidies.
3. Delegates from oil-rich Middle East and North African countries in Tokyo earn Japan’s advanced technologies for renewable energy and energy saving in their countries.
4. The government of Japan is urging leaders of North Korea to take prompt action to resolve the abduction issue.
December 7, 2009 (6:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki
1. A U.N. conference on climate change opens in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, on Monday, for discussion on a post 2012 framework to succeed the Kyoto Protocol.
2. Japan’s Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama says he will do all he can to find a mutually acceptable solution to the territorial dispute between Japan and Russia.
December 7, 2009 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. A U.N. conference on climate change opens in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, on Monday, for discussion on a post 2012 framework to succeed the Kyoto Protocol.
2. Japan’s prime minister says the time has come for the government to decide its policy on the planned relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Okinawa.
3. U.S. special envoy holds talks with South Korea’s top nuclear envoy in Seoul on Monday, a day before he makes his first visit to North Korea.
4. A vessel belonging to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society left an Australian port on Monday to disrupt Japanese research whaling in the Antarctic Ocean.
December 6, 2009 (6:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Madoka Kanai
1.In Japan, the number of deaths from the new type of influenza, including suspected cases, hit 100 on Sunday.
2. U.S. declassified documents reveal that in the 1970s, Japan informed the United States of its intention to officially allow U.S. warships carrying nuclear weapons to make port calls in Japan.
3. Taiwan’s ruling Nationalist Party has lost one major gubernatorial post in the first major election since President Ma Ying-jeau took office in May 2008.
December 6, 2009 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Madoka Kanai
1. Japan’s foreign minister says he wants to break the deadlock over the relocation of the U.S. Marine Coprs Futenma Air Station in Okinawa.
2. Taiwan’s ruling Nationalist Party has lost one major gubernatorial post in the first major election since President Ma Ying-jeau took office in May 2008.
3. U.S. declassified documents reveal that in the 1970s, Japan informed the United States of its intention to officially allow U.S. warships carrying nuclear weapons to make port calls in Japan.
December 5, 2009 (6:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Madoka Kanai
1. Japanese foreign minister says he is seriously concerned that the removal of a U.S. military airfield in a densely populated area in Okinawa could be much delayed.
2. Philippine president has imposed martial law in the southern providence of Maguindanao, where 57 people were killed last month in an election-related violence.
3. A top advisor to U.S. president has stressed that announcing the U.S. exit strategy for Afghanistan has resulted in winning more backing from NATO allies.
December 5, 2009 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Madoka Kanai
1. The presidents of the United States and Russia have pledged to continue negotiating a new nuclear arms control treaty to reach a conclusion as soon as possible.
2. Russia’s security authorities say the death toll from an explosion inside a nightclub in central Russia has topped 100.
3. A top advisor to U.S. president has stressed that announcing the U.S. exit strategy for Afghanistan has resulted in winning more backing from NATO allies.
December 4, 2009 (6:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has confirmed that his government is studying new sites for the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Okinawa.
2. Japan’s delegation to an upcoming U.N. conference on climate change is likely to include members of the non-governmental organization and business leaders.
3. Health officials say nearly 1.9 million new patients were treated for H1N1 influenza in Japan last week.
December 4, 2009 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuriko Yamada and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. Japan’s prime minister confirms his government is studying new sites for the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Okinawa.
2. India’s government is aiming for a 20-25 percent reduction in its greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 from 2005 levels.
3. Italy’s government says it will boost the number of its troops in Afghanistan by the end of next year, a plan that is expected to give rise to public criticism.
4. The U.N. Security Council strongly condemns the suicide bombing in Somalia’s capital that killed at least 18 people, including three government ministers.
December 3 2009 (6:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Miwa Gardner
1. The Japanese government says it is unlikely to reach a decision on the resolution of a U.S. air station in Okinawa by the end of the year.
2. The U.N. General Assembly adopts a resolution calling on all members to take effective measures toward the total elimination of nuclear weapons.
3. An explosion occurred at a defense research institute outside the South Korean capital, Seoul, on Thursday, killing at least one person and injuring five others.
December 3, 2009 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuriko Yamada
1. The U.N. General Assembly adopts a resolution calling on all members to take effective measures toward the total elimination of nuclear weapons.
2. The controversy surrounding the relocation of a U.S. air station in Okinawa may be delayed until next year because of discord among Japan’s governing coalition parties.
3. As Afghan President, Hamid Karzai welcomes U.S. President Barack Obama’s new war strategy for his country. Taliban resistance forces are warning the plan will fail.
4. Ministers attending a World Trade Organization conference have agreed to pick up the pace of negotiations in the Doha Round of trade liberalization talks.
December 2, 2009 (6:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. U.S. President Barack Obama says he is sending an additional 30,000 U.S. troops into Afghanistan by next summer.
2. Yukiya Amano has begun a four-year term as the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
3. Japanese scientists say they have identified a safer way to create a kind of human stem cell known as IPS cells.
December 2, 2009 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuriko Yamada and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. Investors welcome the Bank of Japan’s latest move to further ease monetary policy with an additional 115 billion dollar injection into the market.
2. A task force of ruling coalition policy makers and senior vice ministers will meet on Wednesday to compile a supplementary draft budget.
3. U.S. President Barack Obama widens the eight-year American-led war in Afghanistan by announcing he is sending an additional 30,000 troops to a war-torn nation.
4. A former senior Foreign Ministry official admits Japan and the U.S. had secret agreements that required Japan short of cost burden at the 1972 revision of Okinawa to Japanese sovereignty.
December 1, 2009 (6:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Japan’s central bank has decided to inject an additional 115 billion dollars’ worth of funds into the market.
2. The Japanese government will compile a new economic stimulus package this week to be included in a second supplementary budget for the current fiscal year.
3. President Barack Obama has briefed U.S. allies on his new strategy for Afghanistan, ahead of his prime-time address to unveil the plan on Tuesday.
December 1, 2009 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuriko Yamada and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. The three-day World Trade Organization conference opens in Geneva, with delegates from 153 of world trading partners giving speeches.
2. Dubai’s financial chief denies speculation that the government will guarantee the liabilities of two cash-strapped government-backed companies.
3. The World Health Organization has released new HIV recommendations for a HIV treatment, prevention and infant feeding in times for World AIDS day.
4. The British prime minister unveils a plan to send 500 additional combat forces to Afghanistan, a day before the U.S. president’s announcement of his new Afghan war policy.