March 11, Saturday, 2017 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

1. Saturday marks 6 years since the massive earthquake and tsunami hit northeastern Japan, triggering the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident. Reconstruction efforts in disaster-hit areas have been delayed, and many people are still living in temporary and other housing as evacuees.
2. Japanese government officials say a Japanese peacekeeping operation in South Sudan will be replaced by humanitarian aid and other assistance.