Daily English News: June

 

June 30, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson

1.      The key index on the Tokyo Stock Exchange plunges to a new low for the year in Tuesday’s trading after prices plummet in European and the U.S. markets.

2.      U.S. President Barack Obama and Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah agree to work together to bring about peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.

3.      The new American Commander nominated to lead the U.S. troops in Afghanistan pledges to work with local Afghan forces to carry out anti-terrorism operations.

4.      Russia’s foreign minister says his government, along with the United States and France, is proposing that talks be held regarding Iran’s low-enriched uranium.

 

June 29, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson

1.      The U.S. government refrains from putting North Korea back on its list of state sponsors of terrorism over its alleged sinking of a South Korean patrol ship.

2.      Iran’s president freezes all discussions on his nation’s nuclear program until late August in retaliation for additional sanctions recently imposed on his nation by the U.N. Security Council.

3.      The Japan Sumo Association will go ahead with the July tournament , but will punish those implicated in illegal gambling on baseball games.

4.      Japan’s transport minister is in the U.S. Midwestern city of Chicago where he is stressing the benefits of his nation’s bullet train technology for a plan to develop an American high speed railway system.

 

June 28, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson

1.      Leaders of the Group of 20 countries agree that advanced economies will work to cut their deficits in half by 2013 and will cooperate for sustainable growth of the global economy.

2.      On the sidelines of the Toronto summit, Japan’s prime minister Naoto Kan and U.S. President Barack Obama agree to cooperate in relocating the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station within Okinawa.

3.      The leaders of Japan and China fail to see eye to eye on the alleged North Korean sinking of a South Korean warship in March.

4.      Unofficial poll results in Kyrgyzstan show that a majority of voters have approved a constitutional referendum for the Central Asian nation.

 

June 27, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson

1.      Leaders of the Group of 20 countries have gathered in the Canadian city of Toronto for discussions focusing on fiscal reconstruction and sustainable economic growth.

2.      The Group of Eight leaders released a joint statement on Saturday after two days of meeting in Canada.

 

June 26, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      The Group of Eight leaders have pledged 7.3 billion dollars to substantially reduce maternal and infant mortality rates in developing countries.

2.      In the G-8 summit, Japan’s Prime Minister Naoto Kan explained his fiscal rehabilitation and economic growth strategy.

3.      Delegates to the International Whaling Commission have closed this year’s five-day general meeting after failing to agree on the chairman’s proposal to allow Japan to hunt whales in its coastal waters.

 

June 25, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson

1.      Prime Minister Naoto Kan arrives in Canada on his first foreign trip since taking office to attend the G-8 and G-20 summits.

2.      The U.S. Congress approves new sanctions aimed at restricting foreign banks and energy companies that do business with Iran who continues its nuclear program.

3.      Special newspaper editions are distributed across Japan after Team Japan secured a spot in the 2nd round of the FIFA World Cup, beating Denmark 3-1.

4.      U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev agree to strengthen bilateral economic ties while reaffirming U.S. cooperation in modernizing Russia’s economy.

 

June 24, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson

1.      Election campaigns for Japan’s Upper House of Parliament have officially begun with 121 of the chamber’s 242 seats at stake in a vote that is set for July 11.

2.      An International Whaling Commission meeting in Morocco fails to break an impasse between whaling and anti-whaling countries.

3.      The International Monetary Fund will propose to G20 member countries ways to stabilize their financial systems and to expand domestic demand.

4.      Australia gets its first female Prime Minister Julia Gillard after Prime Minister Kevin Rudd stepped down as leader of the ruling Labor Party.

 

June 23, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson

1.      On Wednesday, Japan’s southernmost prefecture of Okinawa, observes the 65th anniversary of the end of fighting against U.S. forces in the closing days of World War II.

2.      The Group of Eight summit opens in Canada on Friday and is expected to take up the sinking of a South Korean warship.

3.      A Japanese delegation at an IWC meeting suggests that the country will accept a drastic cut in its Antarctic whaling quota in exchange for an increase in its coastal whaling catch.

4.      Tokyo police prepare to arrest a former sumo wrestler on suspicion of extorting thousands of dollars from Ozeki Kotomitsuki.

 

June 22, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson

1.      Japan’s government approves a mid-term strategy to restore the country’s fiscal health as the nation’s debts grow to almost twice its gross domestic product.

2.      The government revises upward its forecast for economic growth in light of brisk exports to Asia, as well as strong domestic sales of eco-friendly cars and home appliances.

3.      Japan’s foreign minister tells his American counterpart that Japan’s government will strive to implement a bilateral agreement on the relocation of a U.S. base within Okinawa prefecture.

4.      Iran’s government bars two U.N. nuclear inspectors from entering the country, accusing them of providing false information on its nuclear program.

 

June 21, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson

  1. 1.Israel’s government will ease its blockade of Gaza after intense international criticism of its deadly raid in May on a flotilla of ships carrying humanitarian aid supplies.
  2. 2.Car bombings in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on Sunday, kill and injure scores of people with women and children among the casualties.
  3. 3.The International Whaling Commission opens week-long discussions on a new proposal aimed at resolving a standoff  between whaling nations and those opposing the practice.
  4. 4.Floods and landslides caused by heavy rains have left 240 people dead or missing over a wide area of southern China, including Guandong and Fujian provinces.

June 20, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson

  1. 1.China’s central bank says it will allow more exchange rate flexibility for its yuan currency.
  2. 2.The Japanese government is to revise upward its forecast of economic growth in real terms to around 2.6 percent for this fiscal year.

June 19, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

  1. 1. Japan’s Prime Minister Naoto Kan hopes to stress economic growth, fiscal reconstruction and improvements in social services at the upcoming Group of Eight summit.
  2. 2. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has expressed hope that U.N. Security Council members will make a swift decision on how to deal with the sinking of a South Korean naval ship.
  3. 3. The United Nations is appealing for 71 million dollars in aid to help people affected by ethnic violence in Kyrgyzstan.

June 18, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson

  1. 1. Japan’s government approves a new set of growth strategies for the coming decade through fiscal 2020, with the aim of achieving 2 to 3 percent growth.
  2. 2. Prime Minister Naoto Kan tells visiting Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Tokyo on Thursday that his government will continue his predecessor’s commitment to rebuilding Afghanistan.
  3. 3. It has been exactly one month since a state of emergency was declared in Japan’s southwestern Miyazaki Prefecture, following an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease among livestock.
  4. 4. Toyota Motor will resume construction of a plant in the U.S. state of Mississippi, creating 2,000 jobs for Americans.           

 

June 17, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson

  1. 1. Here in Japan, the official campaigning for the House of Councilors election will begin on Thursday next week after which voters will go to the polls on July 11th.
  2. 2. Fundamental tax reforms will be included in an announcement that is expected soon from Japan’s government on a mid-term strategy for rebuilding the country’s finances.
  3. 3. The U.S. expands sanctions against Iran following the U.N. Security Council’s approval of additional punishment for refusing to halt its nuclear program.
  4. 4. The British oil firm BP agrees to set aside 20 billion dollars as compensation for damage caused by crude oil that is still gushing from one of its wells in the Gulf of Mexico.

 

June 16, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson

  1. 1. North Korean authorities promise a military response to any hostile U.N. Security Council action against their country over its alleged sinking of a South Korean naval ship.
  2. 2. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell expresses optimism about his nation’s alliance with Japan now that there is a new administration at the helm.
  3. 3. Japan’s main opposition Liberal Democratic Party submits a non-confidence motion against the Cabinet of Naoto Kan in the Lower House of Parliament.
  4. 4. The European Union’s executive body says the governments of Spain and Portugal must come up with additional measures to achieve their targets for budget deficit reductions.

 

June 15, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson

1.      Japan’s prime minister and Okinawa governor fail to narrow their differences over the relocation of a U.S. base in Japan’s southernmost prefecture.

2.      Japan’s central bank joins its European and U.S. counterparts to prop up the dollar to ease the financial turmoil stemming from Greece fiscal crisis.

3.      The U.N. Security Council urges both the North and South Korea not to escalate tensions over the sinking of a South Korean naval ship in March.

4.      Russian officials reject a request from Kyrgyzstan’s interim government to send the nation’s troops to help end the ethnic violence in the south of the Central Asian country.

                                                    

June 14, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson

1.      Japan’s asteroid probe Hayabusa returns to Earth after a 7- year, 300 million- kilometer space journey to the Itokawa Asteroid.

2.      The Japanese and Chinese premiers have agreed on the importance of implementing agreements made on food safety and oil field development in the East China Sea.

3.      New cases of suspected foot-and-mouth disease were found on a cattle farm in Saito City in Japan’s southern Miyazaki Prefecture on Sunday.

4.      South Korea’s president seeks his nation’s understanding for the need to respond firmly to North Korea over its alleged sinking of a South Korean warship.

                                                    

June 13, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson

1.      Japan’s Prime Minister Naoto Kan has repeated policy pledges to bolster the country’s economy, public finances and social security at the same time.

2.      Measures to contain the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak have been stepped up in southwestern Japan.

3.      Japan’s asteroid probe Hayabusa is returning to Earth on Sunday, ending a troubled 7-year-old space journey.

 

June 12, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      Prime Minister Naoto Kan has pledged government support for livestock farmers in Miyazaki Prefecture, where the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease continues to spread.  He has visited the prefecture for the first time since he took office on Tuesday.

2.      Russia has indicated it opposes Iran’s bid to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a regional cooperation group in which Russia and China play major roles, citing additional U.N. sanctions against Iran.

3.      The Soccer World Cup kicked off in South Africa on Friday.  Two first round Group A games ended in draws.

 

June 11, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson

1.      Prime Minister Naoto Kan delivers his administration’s policy speech at the Diet on the future course of the nation’s finances and social safety net.

2.      The finance ministers of Japan and the U.S. have agreed to carefully monitor the turmoil in Europe’s financial markets caused by the debt crisis in Greece.

3.      The epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease among livestock in a southern Japanese prefecture has spread, as new cases have been found in three cities.

4.      The United Nations Security Council plans to start discussions next week on the sinking of a South Korean naval patrol ship.

                                                    

June 10, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson

1.      The U.N. Security Council approves additional sanctions against Iran for its continued nuclear development, but delegations from Brazil and Turkey vote no.

2.      The Okinawa prefecture government is arranging a meeting between the U.S. ambassador to Japan and the governor of Okinawa to discuss the relocation of a U.S. military base.

3.      There is another mass culling after an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in south western Japan, where three cattle tested positive for the disease.

4.      Amid mounting international criticism over a deadly raid on a flotilla of Gaza-bound aid ship last week, Israeli authorities are allowing some previously banned food items into the Gaza Strip.

 

June 9, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson

1.      Japan’s new Prime Minister Naoto Kan emphasizes the need for non-partisan discussions to determine what the government should do to rebuild the nation’s finances.

2.      U.S. government officials are working to arrange a summit as early as this month between President Barack Obama and Japan’s new prime minister.

3.      Japan’s Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry says the country can significantly cut its greenhouse gas emissions by promoting electric cars and the building of nuclear power plants.

4.      The U.N. Security Council agrees to vote on a new set of sanctions against Iran for failing to comply with international demands to halt its nuclear enrichment program.

 

June 8, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson

1.      Prime Minister-elect Naoto Kan launches his Cabinet on Tuesday after officially appointing the governing Democratic Party’s executives.

2.      The latest NHK opinion poll shows that 60 percent of the respondents have hope for the incoming prime minister.

3.      The head of the U.N.’s atomic energy agency is demanding that Iranian authorities cooperate more in determining the purpose of the nation’s nuclear development.

4.      The euro-zone countries reconfirm their commitment to fiscal reform, as the euro continues to fall against other major currencies.

                                                    

June 7, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hikoro Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson

1.      Japan’s new Prime Minister Naoto Kan retains his governing party executives at a general meeting of Democratic Party lawmakers on Monday evening.

2.      The North Korean parliament will convene for the second time this year.  The move has led to speculation that the assembly may deal with matters related to the successor to leader Kim Jong Il.

3.      Private research firms expect Japan’s economy to grow 2.4 percent in the current fiscal year for the first positive growth in three years.

4.      Japanese scientists have discovered a molecule that could help reduce allergic reactions in humans.

 

June 6, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson

1.      Prime Minister-elect Naoto Kan has decided upon a make-up of most of his new cabinet and executives.

2.      Trade ministers of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation member countries have wrapped up a two-day meeting with the adoption of a chairman’s statement.

 

June 5, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      Finance chiefs of the Group of 20 leading economies will wind up a two-day meeting after issuing a joint statement that asks deficit-ridden countries to urgently reconstruct their state finances.

2.      South Korean President Lee Myung Bak says his country has referred the sinking of its warship to the U.N. Security council and ask for international support for the move.

3.      China has confirmed that a woman has died after being infected with the bird flu virus.  It’s the first such death in the country for 17 months.

                                                    

June 4, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson

1.      Deputy Prime Minister Naoto Kan has won the leadership election of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, and he’s almost certain to be nominated as Japan’s 94th prime minister.

2.      An American senator cancels a visit to Myanmar citing concerns over the alleged nuclear cooperation with North Korea.

3.      The U.S. and South Korea will conduct a joint anti-submarine drill in the Yellow Sea next week in waters where a South Korean ship was sunk in March.

4.      Amid international criticism, Israeli authorities deport all 680 activists detained during a Monday raid on aid ships heading to the Gaza Strip with humanitarian supplies.

 

June 3, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson

1.      Japan’s Deputy Prime Minister Naoto Kan seeks the Democratic Party’s presidency as members prepare to elect a new leader on Friday.

2.      South Korea’s ruling Grand National Party’s losses in local elections may influence President Lee Myung Bak’s hard-line policies toward North Korea.

3.      The U.N. Human Rights Council votes to send an independent fact-finding mission to investigate this week’s Israeli military raid on a humanitarian aid flotilla bound for Gaza.

4.      More suspected cases of foot-and-mouth disease have been found in Japan’s southern Miyazaki Prefecture, bringing the total number of livestock to be destroyed to nearly 180,000.

                                                    

June 2, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson

1.      Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama is resigning to take responsibility for the departure of the Social Democratic Party from the coalition government and for funding scandals.

2.      SDP leader Mizuho Fukushima says it’s regrettable that the prime minister announced his resignation after deciding to keep a U.S. air station in Okinawa.

3.      The Turkish government demands the immediate release of more than 600 activists when it seized flotilla ships carrying humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip.

4.      U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calls for a careful response to Israel’s seizure of that convoy of ships to avoid directly criticizing Israel.

 

June 1, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson

1.      Japan’s prime minister faces mounting pressure to resign after the withdrawal of the Social Democratic Party from the governing coalition over the relocation of a U.S. base in Okinawa.

2.      Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao ends his official visit to Tokyo, promising that China won’t take sides in the dispute over the alleged sinking of a South Korean naval ship by North Korea.

3.      Israel’s prime minister says his country will continue its blockade of the Gaza Strip but regrets the loss of life in an Israeli military raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.

4.      Japan’s Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada has urged the visiting Iranian foreign minister to halt the country’s uranium enrichment.