April 1, Friday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Mariko Kojima
1. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he has agreed with leaders of the United States and South Korea to hold working-level talks to promote cooperation on security and defense.
2. Abe and U.S. President Barack Obama have agreed to cooperate closely in working out a message on the global economy at the upcoming Group of Seven summit in Japan.
3. The Bank of Japan’s quarterly Tankan survey shows that business sentiment among major manufacturers worsened for the first time in two quarters.
April 2, Saturday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. The Nuclear Security Summit has ended with a communiqué emphasizing the need for the global community to work together to prevent nuclear materials from reaching terrorists.
2. During a session of the Nuclear Security Summit, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says Japan will contribute to improving the safety of nuclear power plants around the world by sharing the lessons learned from the 2011 nuclear accident in Fukushima.
3. North Korea is refusing to hold reunions of families separated by the Korean War.
April 3, Sunday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. The Japanese government is coordinating with the Group of 7 nations to draw up a declaration on nuclear disarmament.
2. The newspaper of North Korea’s ruling party has carried a veiled criticism of China now showing willingness to implement sanctions against the North in cooperation with the United States.
3. Japan’s defense minister is preparing to visit the Philippines later this month to discuss a plan to lend training aircraft to the Southeast Asian country’s military.
April 4, Monday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Mariko Kojima and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Japan’s space agency plans to try again to make orbital adjustments to its Venus probe Akatsuki in an attempt to at least double its operable period.
2. Tension is mounting as an expansion of refuges and migrants from Greece to Turkey is due to begin on Monday under a deal between the European Union and Turkey.
3. A huge bus terminal has opened in central Tokyo that will make traveling around Japan a lot easier.
April 5, Tuesday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. Toyota Motor and Microsoft are teaming up to collect and analyze big data from vehicles for use in new services and products.
2. U.S. researchers say they detected suspicious activities at a North Korean nuclear facility.
3. Political maneuvering in the Japanese Diet seems to be heating up between the ruling and opposition camps over bills on the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade deal.
April 6, Wednesday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Helen Lewis and Mr. Mick Corliss
1. A Japanese high court has dismissed a request by residents to suspend operations of 2 nuclear reactors at the Sendai nuclear plant in southwestern Japan.
2. The Japanese currency further strengthened in New York on Tuesday, briefly hitting the 109-yen range against the dollar for the first time in 17 months.
3. The U.S. government has expressed a view that the upcoming visit to Hiroshima by Secretary of State John Kerry will underscore a call for a world without nuclear weapons.
April 7, Thursday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Ms. Yuko Matsumoto
1. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has told Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko that he will lead discussions on peacefully resolving the situation in Ukraine at the Group of 7 nations’ summit in May.
2. Uruguay’s former president Jose Mujica is visiting Japan. The 80-year-old Mujica gained the reputation of being “the world’s poorest president.”
3. Officials at the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says a ruptured Takata airbag killed a 17-year-old girl in a crash in Texas last month.
April 8, Friday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Sarah McDonald and Ms. Mariko Kojima
1. A Japanese Diet committee has started deliberations on legislation seeking approval for the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal, or TPP. Debate is already intensifying over disclosure of information.
2. Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida has expressed hope that his counterparts from the other G7 countries will have a better understanding of the effects of an atomic bombing when the visit Hiroshima City.
3. The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant says the level of radioactivity near one underground wastewater pool at the plant is more than 100 times earlier readings.
April 9, Saturday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. North Korean state media says the country has successfully tested an engine designed for a new intercontinental ballistic missile.
2. Japan’s government plans to take the opportunity of hosting the foreign ministerial meeting of Group of Seven countries to express its concern over China’s construction of military bases in the South China Sea.
3. A group of 13 North Koreans have defected en masse to South Korea.
April 10, Sunday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. Foreign ministers of the Group of 7 countries have kicked off a meeting in Hiroshima on Sunday with a welcoming reception.
2. Greece has signed an agreement to sell a majority stake in the country’s biggest port to China’s state-run shipping group.
3. Families of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea held a massive rally in Tokyo on Saturday, demanding that Pyongyang return them.
April 11, Monday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Yoshi Ogasawara and Mr. Mick Corliss
1. Foreign ministers from the Group of 7 nations laid flowers at a cenotaph in Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park dedicated to atomic bomb victims.
2. Belgian investigators say the terrorists who carried out attacks in Brussels were initially planning to stage an attack in France.
3. The British prime minister has released a summary of his tax records in response to criticism that he benefited from a fund set up by his late father in an offshore tax haven.
April 12, Tuesday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. The Japanese government intends to work toward disarmament by mediating between nuclear and non-nuclear countries.
2. An NHK survey shows that 48 percent of Japanese respondents disapprove of the country’s new security laws.
3. Struggling Japanese electronics maker Sharp will nearly double the hiring of new graduates in the next fiscal year as it looks to secure young talents to rebuild its business.
April 13, Wednesday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Emma Howard and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. A White House spokesperson says President Barack Obama will consider visiting Hiroshima during his trip to Japan for the next month’s Group of 7 summit.
2. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says his country’s stance on continuing a dialogue with Japan on outstanding bilateral matters remains unchanged.
3. South Koreans are voting in a general election on Wednesday.
April 14, Thursday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. South Korea’s governing Saenuri Party appears set to lose its parliamentary majority following Wednesday’s general election.
2. Japan’s main governing and opposition parties have agreed to resume Diet deliberations for a bill to approve the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement.
3. Japanese government officials will once again sit down with officials in Okinawa Prefecture to discuss plans to relocate a U.S. base.
April 15, Friday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Mariko Kojima
1. Continuing aftershocks in southwestern Japan are reminding people of the earthquake that rocked the region Thursday night. Nine people are dead and more than 1000 others were injured.
2. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has pledged all-out relief efforts in the aftermath of the massive earthquake.
3. South Korea’s military and a U.S. government official say North Korea has likely failed in its attempt to launch a missile.
April 16, Saturday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Ms. Risa Shimizu
A major earthquake hit Kyushu and southwestern Japan. It is the same area that was jolted by a powerful quake two days ago.
April 17, Sunday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. Rescue crews continue to search for the missing after two powerful earthquakes hit the southwestern island of Kyushu.
2. Japan’s Meteorological Agency is urging continued vigilance against quakes in Kumamoto and neighboring areas in southwestern Japan. It says seismic activity is continuing.
3. Ecuador’s vice president says a powerful earthquake that struck near the country’s coast on Saturday has claimed 28 lives so far.
April 18, Monday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Seismic activity in the southwestern Japanese island of Kyushu remains high after two powerful earthquakes last week.
2. In Ecuador, 246 people have been confirmed dead in a powerful jolt that struck off the coast of the country on Saturday.
3. Brazil’s Lower House of Congress has voted in favor of setting up an impeachment court against President Dilma Rousseff.
April 19, Tuesday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and ms. Risa Shimizu
1. Strong aftershocks continue to shake Kumamoto and Oita Prefectures in the Kyushu Region, southwestern Japan.
2. The death toll from Saturday’s quake off Ecuador’s northern coast has risen to 413.
3.Syria’s partial ceasefire appears to be on the verge of a breakdown after some opposition groups announced a new battle against the government forces.
April 20, Wednesday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Helen Lewis
1. People in the southwestern Japanese prefecture of Kumamoto are continuing to experience strong jolts after 2 deadly earthquakes shook the region last week.
2. Rescue workers in Ecuador are racing against time to find people who went missing in a massive earthquake on Saturday.
3. A Japanese nuclear power plant operator is in the final stage of negotiations to obtain technological assistance from a U.S. firm that specializes in decommissioning reactors.
April 21, Thursday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. People in southwestern Japan have been experiencing frequent tremors for almost a week. The first strong earthquake hit Kumamoto Prefecture on April 14th.
2. Government leaders and officials of Japan’s governing parties have decided to put off the vote on a bill to approve the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement to the next session of the Diet.
3. Mitsubishi Motors is in hot water after revealing that some of its employees manipulated fuel economy data on more than 620,000 mini-cars.
April 22, Friday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Sarah McDonald and Ms. Mariko Kojima
1. More than 90,000 people are still taking shelter in Kumamoto and near-by regions in southwestern Japan.
2. The operator of the Kyushu Shinkansen train line says it will hold a test-run this week as soon as repairs for a quake-affected section are completed.
3. A U.S. Congressman has urged President Barack Obama to visit the atomic-bombed city of Hiroshima when he travels to Japan for the Group of Seven summit next month.
April 23, Saturday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. People in Kumamoto and Oita Prefectures in southwestern Japan have been dealing with persistent tremors after deadly earthquakes hit the region last week.
2. The number of deaths from a powerful earthquake in Ecuador has risen to more than 600, while 130 people remain unaccounted for.
3. Representatives from 175 countries and territories have signed the Paris Agreement on climate change at United Nations headquarters in New York. That’s the largest number of endorsements of a global agreement ever.
April 24, Sunday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. More than 850 aftershocks have occurred in Kumamoto and Oita Prefectures in southwestern Japan over the past ten days.
2. The operator of the Kyushu Shinkansen railway line says the bullet train service will resume as early as Thursday along all parts of the line.
3. North Korea says it has once again succeeded in test-launching a ballistic missile from a submarine.
April 25, Monday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Mr. Yoshi Ogasawara
1. More than 880 earthquakes registering in intensity of 1 to 7 have hit Kumamoto and Oita Prefectures in southwestern Japan since April 14th.
2. A candidate endorsed by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party has won a Lower House by-election in Hokkaido, northern Japan.
3. A memorial service was held in Nepal’s capital Katmandu on Sunday night for the victims of the massive earthquake that hit the country on April 25th last year.
April 26, Tuesday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. Rescue crews in southwestern Japan have discovered another victim in the series of earthquakes that has been rocking the region for over a week.
2. Environmental ministers from Japan, China and South Korea are set to join an annual meeting on air pollution and other environmental issues.
3. A ground-breaking ceremony was held for research hub for the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on Monday.
April 27, Wednesday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Emma Howard and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Service on the Kyushu Shinkansen line hit by the Kumamoto Earthquake is to be fully resumed on Wednesday for the first time in 13 days.
2. North Korea’s state-run media says the country’s ruling Workers’ Party will open its congress in Pyongyang on May 6th.
3. Japan’s Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida is hoping to advance ties with China when he visits Beijing this weekend.
April 28, Thursday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. People across Japan are marking 2 weeks since the first two powerful earthquakes jolted the country’s southwest. Officials are warning of continuing aftershocks as well as possible landslides.
2. Mitsubishi Motors has been found to have ignored its in-house manual on following the government-set rules for measuring the fuel efficiency of its vehicles.
3. NHK has learned that the Japanese government began making arrangements to extend its interception water in anticipation of North Korea’s firing of missiles.
April 29, Friday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. Ministers in charge of information and communications for the Group of 7 countries will begin talks on Friday in western Japan.
2. Officials at the U.S. Department of Defense says North Korea failed twice on the same day to launch a new type of intermediate-range ballistic missile called the Musudan.
3. One of the major expressways in Japan’s quake-hit southwestern region of Kyushu has fully reopened.
April 30, Saturday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. Seismic activity continues in Japan’s southwestern region of Kyushu.
2. Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi have met directly in Beijing for the first time in 4 and a half years.
3. Japanese politicians have expressed concern about remarks by U.S. Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump concerning Japan-U.S. security ties.