Daily English News
May
May 31, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuriko Yamada and Mr. Mick Corliss
1. At the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, heavy rain is increasing the volume of highly radioactive waste water in reactor buildings and related facilities, raising the possibility that the contaminated water may flow out into the sea.
2. The international energy agency has estimated the carbon dioxide emission topped 30 billion tons last year, hitting an all-time high.
3. Japan’s industrial production rose one percent in April, from the previous month, reflecting rebuilding efforts in the quake-hit northeast.
May 30, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Asumi Ukon and Mr. David Crystal
1. The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant says the radioactivity level and humidity are high in the Number 2 reactor building, which makes internal operations hard.
2. A prestigious Wolf Prize has been awarded to the Japanese scientist who was the first to create induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells from human skin cells.
3. U.S. President Barack Obama has visited a city in the U.S. Midwest hit by a tornado that left more than 130 people dead.
May 29, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. A severe tropical storm is sweeping over the ocean off Kochi Prefecture in western Japan and moving northeast.
2. The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has now successfully restored cooling systems to the spent fuel pools of reactors 1, 2, 3 and 4.
3. Japan and the European Union have agreed to launch preliminary talks with the aim of starting negotiations on an economic partnership agreement.
May 28, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. The summit of the Group of Eight industrialized countries has closed its two-day meeting. Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan says Japan will step up its use of renewable energy by drawing on the private sector.
2. The Group of Eight leaders have pledged 20 billion dollars in economic aid to Egypt and Tunisia, whose autocratic leaders have recently been ousted by popular revolts.
3. The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it will cost at least 650 million dollars to decontaminate highly radioactive water that has leaked from the reactors.
May 27, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. French President Nicolas Sarkozy says G8 countries are willing to support a
Japan as it strives to reconstruct itself in the wake of the March 11th disaster and nuclear crisis.
2. Prime Minister Naoto Kan has proposed that Japan host an international conference on nuclear safety in the latter half of next year.
3. The operator of the Fukushima nuclear power plant says highly radioactive water continues to leak from a waste disposal facility in the complex.
May 26, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Raja Pradan
1. Prime Minister Naoto Kan has said Japan will aim to dramatically reduce its reliance on fossil fuels and nuclear energy.
2. The leaders of Japan and France have agreed to hold foreign ministerial-level talks on energy policy and other issues, following the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
3. The Swiss government has decided to decommission all existing nuclear reactors, heading for a major shift in the nation’s energy policy.
May 25, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. An expert says a tsunami triggered by the March 11th earthquake traveled at a speed of 20 kilometers an hour in the Sendai Plain, northeastern Japan, making it difficult for people to escape after they saw the wave.
2. The IAEA says a Syrian facility destroyed in an airstrike by Israel in 2007 was very likely a nuclear reactor that should have been declared to the agency.
3. U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos has asked member states to offer aid to North Korea for humanitarian reasons.
May 24, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant says findings show that fuel meltdowns may have occurred at the No.2 and No.3 reactors within days of the March 11th earthquake.
2. The Japanese foreign minister says Japan will support Tunisia in its transition to democracy.
3. In Libya, NATO warplanes have carried out an intense bombardment of the capital Tripoli to support opponents of Muammar al-Qadhafi.
May 23, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. Prime Minister Naoto Kan will call on Group of Eight leaders to take a scientific approach to safety evaluations of Japanese products in the wake of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
2. Business communities in Japan, China and South Korea have agreed to work together to build a cooperative system on disaster management to learn lessons from the March 11th natural disaster.
3. Experts from the U.N. nuclear watchdog have left for Japan to investigate the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant that was caused by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.
May 22, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. The leaders of Japan, China, and South Korea have agreed to cooperate to eliminate concern over Japanese products in the wake of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
2. Prime Minister Naoto Kan will announce Japan’s new project to develop renewable energy at the forthcoming G8 summit in Deauville, France.
3. The operator of the damaged Fushima Daiichi nuclear plant says injection of nitrogen gas into the Number 1 reactor came to halt for more than three hours on Saturday due to mechanical trouble.
May 21, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. South Korean President Lee Myung Bak and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao have arrived in Japan to attend a three-way summit to be held on Sunday. They are now visiting areas hit by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.
2. North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has arrived in Changchun, northeastern China, for a tour of the region for two countries in promoting economic cooperation.
3. NATO-led multinational forces have launched air strikes on ports across Libya, sinking eight warships in the fleet of Libyan leader Muammar al-Qadhafi.
May 20, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. North Korean leader Kim Jong Il’s son, heir-apparent, Kim Jong Un, is visiting China.
*A top South Korean official has suggested that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is visiting China, not his heir-apparent as initially reported.(7:46 p.m.)
2. Tokyo Electric Power Company will post a historic loss of around 15 billion dollars in the fiscal year ending in March. This is due to the huge cost of recovery efforts arising from the recent disaster.
3. The Japanese government has decided to join an international pact for settling cross-border disputes over child custody.
May 19, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Mr. Raja Pradan
1. The Japanese economy shrank 0.9 percent in the January to March quarter, reflecting the broad economic impact of the March 11th quake and tsunami disaster.
2. Workers have entered the Number three reactor building at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant for the first time since an hydrogen explosion three days after the March 11th quake and tsunami.
3. The United States and China have agreed to hold a joint military exercise next year, signaling a full-scale resumption of bilateral military exchange between the two countries.
May 18, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Helen Lewis and Mr. Michael Rhys
1. Workers have entered the No.2 reactor building at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant for the first time since an explosion there on March 15th as part of efforts to bring the reactor under control.
2. The International Atomic Energy Agency will send experts to Japan to investigate the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
3. Myanmar’s government has begun releasing more than 14,000 prisoners under a clemency program.
May 17, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Yumiko Yamada
1. Japan’s Cabinet has approved revisions to various key policies, including energy, which has placed significance on nuclear power.
2. The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant will start transferring highly radioactive water from the No.3 reactor to a temporary storage facility on Tuesday.
3. World Health Organization director-general has called for international support for Japan.
May 16, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Asumi Ukon
1. Tokyo Electric Power Company says most of the fuel rods in the No.1 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant had dropped to the bottom of the pressure vessel within 16 hours of the earthquake on March 11th.
2. More prefectures across Japan are calling on the government to expand a computer system that predicts how radioactive materials will spread in the event of a nuclear accident.
3. Prime Minister Naoto Kan plans to express his determination to the global community to heighten nuclear safety in Japan and promote use of natural energy and energy saving measures.
May 15, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. Evacuation of some people who live outside the 20-kilometer radius from the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has begun.
2. Tokyo Electric Power Company will have to review its plan for stabilizing the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear facility after a large amount of radioactive water was found in the basement of one of its reactor buildings.
3. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergey Ivanov and other cabinet ministers have visited one of the disputed northern Pacific islands held by Russia but claimed by Japan.
May 14, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. The last operating reactor at the Hamaoka nuclear plant in central Japan has stopped generating electricity as part of the process to suspend the plant’s operations due to fears that it may be hit by a massive earthquake.
2. The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is trying to identify where highly radioactive water from the No.1 reactor’s containment vessel is flowing to, as the reactor is believed to have suffered a meltdown.
3. The U.N. human rights office says up to 850 people may have been killed during anti-government protests in Syria in the past two months.
May 13, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Raja Pradan
1. Tokyo Electric Power Company says the No.1 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is believed to be in a state of “meltdown.”
2. The Japanese government has officially decided on a framework for helping Tokyo Electric Power Company pay compensation for the nuclear emergency at its Fukushima Daiichi plant.
3. A U.S. non-governmental organization says North Korea has abducted more than 180,000 foreigners, including Japan and South Korea.
May 12, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. Highly radioactive water was found leaking into the sea from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant on Wednesday.
2. Thursday marks the third anniversary of a powerful earthquake that stuck China’s Sichuan Province.
3. The Japan’s Coast Guard says in its annual report that it is important to protect the country’s territorial waters and exclusive economic zone.
May 11, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Michael Rhys
1. Wednesday marks two weeks since the massive earthquake and tsunami devastated northeastern Japan.
2. A U.N. sponsored conference on disaster preparedness has opened in Geneva, taking up the nuclear accident in Japan as its main topic.
3. The Syrian military is deploying more tanks to more cities to quash mounting protests against the authoritarian rule of President Bashar al-Assad.
*A Japanese court has acquitted two officers of the Maritime Self-Defense Force in the fatal collision of an Aegis destroyer with a fishing boat three years ago.
May 10, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Mick Corliss
1. Tokyo Electric Power Company is to begin construction work on pipes for the No.3 reactor to make sure that all cooling water being pumped in is actually reaching the reactor.
2. People forced to evacuate from the 20-kilometer no-entry zone around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant are making brief home visits for the first time.
3. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has expressed strong displeasure at U.S. President Barack Obama’s accusations concerning Pakistani networks of support for Osama bin Laden.
May 9, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. Workers entered the No.1 reactor building at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant early on Monday morning.
2. In Nagoya, central Japan, about 1,000 people have taken to the streets to demand that Chubu Electric Power Company halt the operation of its Hamaoka nuclear plant. Prime Minister Naoto Kan has requested the suspension.
3. The leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have agreed to seek an accord with China for a peaceful resolution of territorial disputes in the South China Sea by the end of 2012.
May 8, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. Tokyo Electric Power Company is set to open the doors of the Number 1 reactor building at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. It says radiation levels inside the building are now low enough for workers to enter.
2. The operator of the Hamaoka nuclear power plant has postponed its decision to accept the request by the government to shut down all of the reactors there.
3. Taliban suicide bombers detonated explosives at government facilities in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar on Saturday.
May 7, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. Japan’s Prime Minister Naoto Kan has asked a utility firm in central Japan to halt operations of all active reactors at the Hamaoka nuclear power plant, due to the risk of massive earthquakes.
2. The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant expects workers to enter the No. 1 reactor building on Sunday to step up efforts to restore the cooling system there.
3. UNESCO’s advisory bodies have recommended two sites in Japan for inclusion on its World Heritage list: one is the Hiraizumi district in Iwate Prefecture and the other, the Pacific islands of Ogasawara.
May 6, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. Tokyo Electric Power Company has begun pumping more water into the N0.1 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
2. The Japanese government says it wants to use lessons from the March 11th earthquake and tsunami in the country’s northeast to help improve disaster prevention facilities in the Asia-Pacific region.
3. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says Al Qaeda was plotting an attack on the U.S. rail system.
May 5, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Keith McThalen and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. A team of workers has entered the Reactor Number One building at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant for the first time since the hydrogen explosion the day after the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.
2. The finance ministers from the ASEAN plus Three have agreed that the Japanese economy will soon return to a recovery track following the March 11th disaster.
3. U.S. President Barack Obama says the U.S. government will not release photos of the body of the slain Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
May 4, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Helen Lewis
1. A White House spokesperson says Osama bin Laden was not armed when U.S. special forces killed him in his hideout in Pakistan.
2. Forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar al-Qadhafi have planted underwater mines in the western port of Misrata. The move has prevented the wounded from being transported out of the opposition-controlled city.
3. Radiation levels 100 to 1,000 times above normal have been detected in the seabed near the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
May 3, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuriko Yamada and Mr. Mick Corliss
1. U.S. officials say Osama bin Laden was buried at sea after his death was confirmed by DNA testing.
2. Police worldwide are on high alert for possible terrorist attacks following the U.S. announcement of the killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan on Monday.
3. Japan’s Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto has urged the European Union to review its controls on Japanese imports.
May 2, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Asumi Ukon and Mr. David Crystal
1. U.S. President Barack Obama says Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has been killed in Pakistan in an operation led by U.S. forces.
2. Workers have begun a plan to enter a building at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant to install equipment that will help cool down the reactor.
3. Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto says Japan’s commitment to aiding Africa’s development will remain unchanged after the March 11th disaster.
May 1, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is studying the possibility of sending more employees and former employees to the plant.
2. A vice president of Tokyo Electric Power Company says he believes the nuclear crisis at Fukushima nuclear power plant is a man-made disaster.
3. More than 25, 000 people are dead or missing in the March 11th quake and tsunami in northeastern Japan.