December 27, Friday, 2019 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kimberly Gale and Mr. Yoshi Ogasawara

1. Japan’s Cabinet has endorsed a plan to send a Self-Defense Force ships and planes to the Middle East.

2. North Korea’s state-run media sharply increased its coverage of leader Kim Jong Un’s military-related inspections this year.

3. A South Korean court has dismissed a request by prosecutors for a warrant to arrest former justice minister Cho Kuk.