August 1, Thursday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Patrick Devolpi and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Japan’s two remaining nuclear reactors still in operation will be shut down for regular inspections next month.
2. U.S. intelligence services have disclosed a court order authorizing the government to keep collecting phone records.
3. Tensions are increasing in Egypt after the country’s interim government ordered security troops to use force to remove protesters staging sit-ins in Cairo.
August 2, Friday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Maxwell Powers and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. Russia has allowed U.S. intelligence leaker Edward Snowden to enter the country.
2. The first extraordinary Diet session, following the July 21st Upper House election, has convened in Japan on Friday.
3. The U.S. Marines will fly four Osprey transport aircraft to the Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture on Saturday.
August 3, Saturday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. U.S. intelligence leaker Edward Snowden is planning to stay in Russia, fearing U.S. prosecution.
2. The potential for a terrorist attack by Al Qaeda against U.S. facilities in the Middle East and North Africa has prompted the U.S. government to take defensive measures.
3. Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority has urged the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to stop radioactive waste water from leaking into the sea as early as possible.
August 4, Sunday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. Japan’s space agency has successfully launched its 4th H2B rocket.
2. Hassan Rouhani has become Iran’s new president.
3. Zimbabwe’s election commission has announced that 89-year-old president Robert Mugabe won Wednesday’s presidential contest.
August 5, Monday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. David Crystal
1. Iran’s new President Hassan Rouhani has pledged to improve ties with the international community.
2. The head of Egypt’s military is asking for help from the United States and Muslim leaders in defusing the escalating protests by supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi.
3. China and Vietnam have agreed to continue discussions to resolve a sovereignty dispute over a group of islands in the South China Sea.
August 6, Tuesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Mr. David Crystal
1. Prayers for peace are reverberating across Hiroshima, as the Japanese city marked 68 years since the atomic bombing at the end of world War II.
2. The Japanese government is asking the United States to take stricter safety measures in the wake of Monday’s crash of a U.S. military helicopter in Okinawa.
3.A senior leader of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood says his Islamist group is in contact with the military-backed interim government.
August 7, Wednesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. Western countries have welcomed the Iranian president’s remark that he will resolve his country’s nuclear issue through talks.
2. Syrian anti-government forces have reportedly seized a military airport in the north of the country.
3. People in Austria have called for the abolition of nuclear weapons on the 68th anniversary of the U.S. dropping an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
August 8, Thursday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it will start pumping out contaminated ground water in an attempt to stop it from leaking into the ocean.
2. Officials in Washington say President Barack Obama has postponed a summit with Russia because it granted temporary asylum to former U.S. security contractor Edward Snowden.
3. Egypt’s interim government says diplomatic mediation to end the country’s political crisis has failed, triggering fears of more violence.
August 9, Friday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. People are praying for peace in Nagasaki as the city marks the 68th anniversary of the 1945 U.S. atomic bombing.
2. Japan’s industry minister has instructed a panel to reduce contaminated water at the damaged nuclear plant in Fukushima.
3. Israel has approved the construction of settler homes in the occupied West Bank.
August 10, Saturday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. Foreign and defense ministers of the United States and Russia have held a meeting but remain apart on the issue of former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, who was granted a one-year asylum by Russia.
2. A Japanese unmanned cargo ship has successfully docked with the International Space Station.
3. A father and son were found in a jungle in central Vietnam, where they have been living for 40 years after being traumatized by the bombing during the Vietnam War.
August 11, Sunday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Keiko Kitagawa and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1.The operator of the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant has confirmed that an underground wall is unable to keep contaminated groundwater from seeping into the sea.
2.Senior U.S. lawmakers are to visit Japan to discuss bilateral and regional matters with Japanese officials.
3.U.S. Marine pilots have used advanced Osprey aircraft for the first time to transport aides and reporters accompanying U.S. President Barack Obama to his vacation site.
August 12, Monday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Japan’s industry ministry will ask a group of experts to reexamine the safety of its plan to bury highly radioactive waste from nuclear power plants.
2. The U.S. Marine Corps says eight more Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft have arrived at its air field in Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan.
3. A consortium led by South Korea has won an international tender to build a new international airport in Myanmar.
August 13, Tuesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Mr. David Crystal
1. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has reiterated his determination to revise Japan’s Constitution.
2. Japan has pledged to promote strategic and mutually beneficial ties with China, regardless of individual problems.
3. U.N. investigators into North Korea’s human rights abuses are to visit Japan this month to look into past abductions of Japanese nationals.
August 14, Wednesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Helen Lewis
1. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has decided not to go to Yasukuni Shrine on Thursday, the anniversary of the end of World War II.
2. The U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights issues will travel to China, South Korea and Japan, starting next Monday.
3. Work to reduce radioactive residue caused by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident in 2011 has now shifted from educational facilities to individual houses.
August 15, Thursday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Patrick Devolpi and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Supporters of Egypt’s ousted president Mohamed Morsi are continuing protests, despite an overnight curfew imposed by the country’s interim government.
2. People in Japan have marked the 68th anniversary of the end of World War II on Thursday.
3. Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have resumed full-fledged peace talks in Jerusalem.
August 16, Friday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Mr. Maxwell Powers
1. Members of the U.N. Security Council have expressed strong concern over the violence in Egypt.
2. A car bomb has exploded in a suburb of Beirut. At least 14 people were killed.
3. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has expressed deep concern over Jewish settlement activities in the occupied territories.
August 17, Saturday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. More than 640 Egyptians died in the past three days in clashes across the country between supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi and security forces.
2. A ferry carrying 870 people has sunk near Cebu Island in the Philippines after colliding with a cargo ship. Authorities have confirmed 26 deaths and more than 200 others remain unaccounted for.
3. Japanese researchers say they have regenerated knee joints in pigs using iPS cells. The finding raises hope for development of new treatments for the degenerative arthritis in the knee which involves the wearing away of cartilage.
August 18, Sunday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. The United Nations has appealed to Egyptians to end the current violence. The Muslim Brotherhood is calling for demonstrations on Sunday, raising fear of fresh clashes.
2. People in the mostly Islamic countries of Turkey and Libya are reacting to the Egyptian government’s forceful crackdown on supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi.
3. U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman is to arrive in Japan to meet with ministers.
August 19, Monday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. Egypt’s Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi says the interim government will severely crack down on terrorist activities.
2. A team of U.N. inspectors arrived in Syria on Sunday to investigate the possible use of chemical weapons in the country’s civil war.
3. Japan’s communications ministry wants to export its postal mail system to Myanmar and other emerging economies in Asia.
August 20, Tuesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. The Japanese foreign minister and the South Korean ambassador to Japan have agreed on the need to improve ties through higher level talks, including a summit.
2. Egypt’s security forces say they have arrested the supreme leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, the support base of ousted Mohamed Morsi.
3. The operator of the disabled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant says about 300 tons of highly radioactive water appears to have leaked from a storage tank.
August 21, Wednesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority may raise the severity rating of the latest contaminated-water leakage at the troubled Fukushima nuclear power plant.
2. Medical examinations in Fukushima Prefecture following the nuclear crisis of 2011 have detected 18 children with thyroid cancer.
3. The 19th round of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade talks will kick off in Brunei on Thursday.
August 22, Thursday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Ms. Raja Pradan
1. The operator of the disabled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has finished moving highly radioactive water from a leaking tank to another storage tank.
2. The Japanese government has outlined a bill to impose tough jail terms on public officials who leak national secrets.
3. The United Nations Security Council has expressed concern over the latest allegation of chemical-weapon use in Syria.
August 23, Friday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant will start removing soil soaked with radioactive water from the plant.
2. Japan will set mid- to long-term strategic directions for foreign and security policies by the end of this year.
3. The United States has called on the government of Bashar al-Assad in Syria to allow U.N. inspectors to visit the site of an alleged chemical weapons attack.
August 24, Saturday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has left for a tour of 4 countries in the Middle East and northeast Africa.
2. The U.S. trade representative says that additional negotiations may take place next month on the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement.
3. Red Cross officials from North and South Korea have agreed to resume a reunion of families separated by the Korean War in late September after a suspension of nearly 3 years.
August 25, Sunday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. A senior United Nations official is in Syria to urge its government to allow U.N. inspectors to investigate an alleged chemical weapons attack.
2. Leaders of Japan and Bahrain have agreed to open security dialogue between their foreign and defense authorities.
3. Japan’s industry ministry is studying ways to help prevent further leakage of radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
August 26, Monday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has arrived in Kuwait for talks with its leaders.
2. Japan’s foreign minister has visited the site of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident in Ukraine.
3. U.N. inspectors will begin examining on Monday the site of a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria that killed hundreds of people last week.
August 27, Tuesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Mr. Mick Corliss
1. The United States is discussing with its allies how to respond to the use of chemical weapons in Syria.
2. Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad has denied his troops used chemical weapons on civilians.
3. The operator of the disabled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant says radioactive water may have flowed out of a leaking storage tank in two opposite directions.
August 28, Wednesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Helen Lewis and Mr. Michael Rhys
1. U.S. President Barack Obama is discussing possible military attacks on Syria with Congress and U.S. allies in response to the Syrian government’s alleged use of chemical weapons.
2. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is visiting Djibouti on the third leg of his tour in the Middle Eastern and Afrian countries.
3. Japanese space officials say a computer system may be to blame for a technical glitch that forced them to cancel the launch of the new Epsilon rocket.
August 29, Thursday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Patrick Devolpi and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. The 5 permanent members of the U.N. Security Council have failed to reach an agreement on a resolution that would allow the use of military force against Syria.
2. Syria’s Prime Minister Wael al-Halki has warned the western powers against launching an attack on his country, saying it will become their graveyard.
3. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he intends to spearhead efforts to contain leakage of highly radioactive water at the crippled nuclear power plant in Fukushima.
August 30, Friday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Maxwell Powers and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. Britain’s parliament has rejected military action against Syria to deter the use of chemical weapons.
2. Tension is mounting in Syria over a possible military strike by Western powers.
3. Japan’s industry ministry plans to craft a set of far-reaching measures next month to address the growing problem of radioactive water at the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
August 31, Saturday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. U.N. inspectors completed gathering evidence related to the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria.
2. Japanese government officials are analyzing the situation in Syria after the U.S. secretary of state made a case for military intervention.
3. Japan is likely to face difficult negotiations in the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade talks with other participating nations seeking more liberalization in the pact.