October 1, Saturday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. The deadline for new member countries to join the China=led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank arrived on Friday. The expanded AIIB membership is likely to exceed that of the Asian Development Bank.
2. The International Monetary Fund has added China’s yuan to its currency basket and set it as the 3rd main currency after the dollar and the euro.
3. A U.S. research group says satellite imagery suggests North Korea may be building a new submarine that’s larger than the one it has reportedly been using for ballistic missile tests.
October 2, Sunday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. The China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, or AIIB, is planning to ask former leaders from around the world to join an international advisory committee.
2. A proposal calling for banning domestic ivory trade is likely to be discussed as early as Sunday at a global conference on wildlife protection.
3. An international charity says children in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo are threatened by powerful bombs that could target underground schools.
October 3, Monday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuka Matsumoto and Mr. Raja Pradan
1. The Bank of Japan has released their so-called “Tankan” survey in September.
2. A pro-nuclear candidate supporting the restart of a power plant in western Japan has won a mayoral election in a town hosting the plant.
3. Columbians have rejected a peace deal between the government and the accomplished largest insurgent group in Sunday’s referendum.
October 4, Tuesday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. A Japanese biologist has won a Nobel Prize for physiology and medicine. Yoshinori Osumi discovered how cells in the body break down and recycle themselves.
2. The United States has suspended talks with Russia on how to sustain a ceasefire agreement in Syria.
3. Turkey’s government will likely extend a state of emergency across the country by 3 months. It was imposed following a failed coup in July.
October 5, Wednesday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Helen Lewis and Mr. Mick Corliss
1. Democratic Party members of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly say they’ve found a document that is not mentioned in a report on the decontamination work at the site of the capital’s new wholesale market.
2. The Japanese government will consider accepting foreign workers in the agriculture sector to address the nation’s shortage of farmers.
3. Fighting between government and opposition forces is escalating in Aleppo, the largest city in northern Syria.
October 6, Thursday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. The United Nations has announced that the Paris Agreement on climate change will go into force on November 4th.
2. The United Nations has released satellite images of the latest situation in the embattled northern Syrian city of Aleppo.
3. The first nuclear reactor restarted under new post-Fukushima government regulations has been taken off line for regular inspections.
October 7, Friday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Mariko Kojima and Ms. Sarah McDonald
1. An advisor to Japan’s prime minister says the government does not intend to renegotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement.
2. North Korea’s foreign ministry hinted at a possible provocative action, saying the United States will face a gruesome reality in the near future.
3. The Syrian government sent ground troops into the opposition-held central area of the northern city of Aleppo, recapturing main buildings.
October 8, Saturday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. Mount Aso in Japan’s southwestern main island of Kyushu erupted early on Saturday morning. The volcano spewed ash over wide areas of western Japan.
2. The U.S. government is warning of another provocation by North Korea.
3. An association representing atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki has submitted to a United Nations committee a petition calling for a treaty banning nuclear weapons.
October 9, Sunday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. Japan’s defense minister says security conditions appear calm in the capital of South Sudan.
2. Sunday marks 10 years since North Korea staged its first nuclear test, and one month since its fifth.
3. Rival resolutions on Syria backed by the West and Russia were defeated in the U.N. Security Council on Saturday.
October 10, Monday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Mr. Yoshi Ogasawara
1. As North Korea marks the 71st anniversary of the foundation of the ruling Workers’ Party on Monday, neighboring nations, Japan and the United States remain vigilant.
2. The United States and South Korean militaries have begun joint drills off the coast of the Korean Peninsula.
3. Ministers from Japan and Saudi Arabia have discussed expanding bilateral cooperation to include entertainment, food and health care.
October 11, Tuesday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has called on Chinese leaders to resume dialogue for the sake of a stable cross-strait relationship.
2. The United States and South Korea have agreed to work together for a quick adoption of a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for tougher sanctions against North Korea.
3. Four residential buildings have collapsed in China’s eastern province Zhejiang, leaving at least 20 people dead.
October 12, Wednesday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Emma Howard and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Japan’s government plans to decide in November whether to assign new duties to a Self-Defense Forces unit to be dispatched to South Sudan for U.N. peacekeeping operations.
2. Former members of China’s military have staged a massive protest in front of the Defense Ministry in Beijing to express dissatisfaction with their treatment.
3. The Emperor and Empress have held a state banquet for the Belgium royal couple at the Imperial Palace in central Tokyo.
October 13, Thursday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Ms. Mariko Kojima
1. Japan and Russia are to resume what they call strategic talks between their vice foreign ministers for the first time in 44 months on Thursday.
2. The Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly will set up a special committee to continue discussing problems relating to a new food market in the capital after the assembly adjourns.
3. A widespread power outage in Tokyo on Wednesday has been linked to a fire involving underground cables installed 35 years ago.
October 14, Friday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Mariko Kojima and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. Thailand’s parliament has postponed its procedures to approve the ascension by the crown prince to the throne after the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
2. Japanese telecom operator Softbank Group says it will set up a fund to invest in the global technology sector.
3. Six months have passed since a powerful earthquake hit Kumamoto Prefecture and its surrounding areas in southwestern Japan.
October 15, Saturday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. The Japanese government is moving toward signing new duties to a Self-Defense Force unit, which is to be dispatched to South Sudan for U.N. peacekeeping operations.
2. The head of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces and the top military officers of the United States and South Korea have discussed how to deal with North Korea’s nuclear tests and missile launches.
3. The Thai government is asking people to refrain festivities and entertainment events following the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
October 16, Sunday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. The U.S. military has announced that North Korea attempted to launch a ballistic missile on Saturday.
2. The South Korean military says North Korea’s latest attempt to launch a ballistic missile is a clear violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and an illegal act of provocation.
3. Foreign ministers from the United States, Russia and regional powers have failed to agree on a solution to the worsening situation in Syria.
October 17, Monday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has announced the start of an offensive to recapture the northern city of Mosul from the Islamic State militant group.
2. China says the 2-man spaceship has successfully entered a planned orbit.
3. The Japanese government will hold the first session of a panel to discuss Emperor Akihito’s apparent wish to abdicate.
October 18, Tuesday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. A team of Japanese scientists says it has created the world’s first massive number of mouse eggs from induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, in a completely artificial environment.
2. The Iraqi military says its forces have liberated 11 villages around the northern city of Mosul.
3. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is arriving in Beijing on Tuesday. This will be his first visit to China since taking office.
October 19, Wednesday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Helen Lewis
1. The Japanese government is considering a 5-month extension of its Self-Defense Force mission in South Sudan.
2. The interim prime minister of Thailand has indicated that the legal procedure for the royal succession could begin as early as this month, without waiting for the funeral of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
3. A Japanese private think tank has ranked Tokyo third in its evaluation of major world cities.
October 20, Thursday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and her Republican rival Donald Trump held their final televised debate.
2. The U.S. military says North Korea has attempted to launch a ballistic missile.
3. Japan’s Empress Michiko has reflected on events of the past year. She turned 82 on Thursday.
October 21, Friday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Maxwell Powers and Ms. Mariko Kojima
1. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has declared a shift in the focus of his country’s foreign policy from relations with the United States to those with China.
2. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter has condemned North Korea’s ballistic missile launches that failed on Thursday.
3. European Union leaders have condemned Moscow for its airstrikes in Syria, but suggested they need to assess the situation in the country before deciding on whether to impose new sanctions against Russia.
October 22, Saturday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. Seismic activity continues in Tottori Prefecture in western Japan following Friday’s magnitude 6.6 earthquake. More than 20 people were injured in the tremors.
2. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says he is not severing ties with the United States, but is separating Manila’s foreign policy from Washington’s.
3. Indonesian authorities say the slain suspect in Thursday’s knife attack on police near Jakarta was a member of a local extremist group that supports Islamic State militants.
October 23, Sunday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. Three Chinese naval ships are making their first port call at Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam’s most strategically important port.
2. Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force will hold joint drills at home for the first time with Britain’s Royal Air Force.
3. Weather officials are warning people in quake-struck Tottori Prefecture to be on the alert for landslides.
October 24, Monday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Yoshi Ogasawara and Mr. Mick Corliss
1. About 600 people remain at temporary shelters in western Japan after magnitude 6.6 earthquake shook the area on Friday.
2. Japan’s Environment Ministry says it is found radioactivity levels of waste materials from the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident have significantly decreased.
3. Iraqi and Kurdish forces are closing in on Iraq’s second-largest city of Mosul a week after they started a massive offensive to recapture the city from the Islamic State group.
October 25, Tuesday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to discuss security issues with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte when they meet on Wednesday.
2. Japan will extend its Self-Defense Force mission in South Sudan for another 5 months until the end of March 2017.
3. The World Meteorological Organization says the global averages of 3 major greenhouse gases hit record highs in 2015.
October 26, Wednesday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will meet with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to discuss bilateral cooperation and their alliances with the United States.
2. A top U.S. intelligence official has suggested that North Korea is unlikely to abandon its nuclear program given Pyongyang’s perspective on the current state of affairs.
3. France has awarded Japanese comedian and film director Takeshi Kitano the Legion of Honor, the country’s highest award.
October 27, Thursday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. Japan’s Prince Mikasa has died. The uncle of Emperor Akihito was 100 years old.
2. A U.N. General Assembly committee will vote on Thursday on a draft resolution calling for a legally binding treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons.
3. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has indicated he will pursue having U.S. troops leave his country within 2 years and review the military alliance with the United States.
October 28, Friday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Mariko Kojima
1. A U.N. General Assembly committee has approved a resolution calling for a treaty to ban nuclear weapons.
2. Russian President Vladimir Putin has taken a cautious stance on signing a peace treaty with Japan.
3. The International Whaling Committee has adopted a resolution that would effectively block Japan’s research whaling.
October 29, Saturday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. Japan plans to continue its scientific whaling program despite a non-binding resolution adopted by the International Whaling Commission to increase scrutiny into it.
2. The Philippine government says Chinese coast guard vessels have not been sighted around a disputed shoal in the South China Sea in the past three days.
3. The United Nations says the Islamic State militant group is using tens of thousands of people adopted in Iraq as human shields.
October 30, Sunday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. An old friend of South Korean President Park Geun-hye, who has allegedly received the government internal documents, has returned to South Korea to face prosecutors.
2. An international humanitarian organization is calling on the world to help North Korean flood victims before winter sets in.
3. Japanese astronaut Takuya Ohnishi and 2 crew members have returned to Earth after completing their mission at the International Space Station.
October 31, Monday, 2016 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. The woman at the center of a political scandal involving South Korean President Park Geun-hye says she voluntarily turned herself in to prosecutors for questioning.
2. The head of Taiwan’s opposition Nationalist Party is paying a visit to Beijing.
3. Japan’s tourism ministry says the number of foreign visitors to the country this year exceeded 20 million for the first time.