January 1, Tuesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Helen Lewis
1. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe gave a New Year address on Tuesday, pledging to revive the Japanese economy.
2. The United States Senate has reached a compromise agreement to continue tax cuts for the middle class and establish tax hikes for the wealthy.
3. Chinese president says his country will cooperate with other nations for the sake of its economic growth and internal stability.
January 2, Wednesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives have approved a bill to resolve the so-called fiscal cliff.
2. Private research institutes forecast that increase in exports will put Japan’s economy back on a growth track in fiscal 2013 starting in April.
3. Iran’s navy has tested anti-ship missiles near the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf.
January 3, Thursday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Patrick Devolpi
1. Share prices on the New York Stock Exchange have rallied in the first session of the year after lawmakers passed legislation to avoid tax hikes and spending cuts.
2. Syrian warplanes have bombed a petrol station in an eastern suburb of Damascus, leaving dozens of civilian casualties.
3. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he will boost the powers of the Reconstruction Agency to slash bureaucracy and speed up reconstruction of Japan’s disaster-hit northeast.
January 4, Friday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Maxwell Powers and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. The Tokyo Stock Exchange began the year’s trading on Friday morning.
2. The Asian Development Bank predicts that the Asian economy will grow about 7 percent this year.
3. A summary of a recent U.S. central bank policy board meeting shows that opinions are divided over how long the bank should maintain its monetary easing measures.
January 5, Saturday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. The Japanese government will start full-scale preparations next week to devise emergency measures to boost the economy.
2. Nearly two years have passed since a massive earthquake and tsunami hit the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. But no comprehensive solution has been found to manage the plant’s growing amounts of contaminated water.
3. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is considering visiting South Korea next month to improve strained bilateral ties.
January 6, Sunday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has instructed the Defense Ministry to review the deployment of fighter jets to counter Chinese aircraft approaching Japan’s air space.
2. Japan’s new ambassador to China met Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi in Beijing on Saturday evening.
3. The Japanese government has decided to set up a fund along with private financial institutions to subsidize property renovation projects as an emergency stimulus measure.
January 7, Monday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. David Crystal
1. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to the United States is being planned but scheduling it within this month looks difficult.
2. Syria’s opposition groups have rejected the idea of dialogue with President Bashar al-Assad.
3. A group of Japanese researchers are studying fish organs to estimate how long radioactive materials will remain in fish.
January 8, Tuesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will soon announce an outline of emergency measures to revitalize the nation’s sluggish economy.
2. A senior U.S. Defense Department official has expressed concerns about possible cuts in military spending.
3. North Korea is expected to mark its young leader’s birthday on Tuesday, with a call on its people to rally behind him.
January 9, Wednesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe today will convene the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy and will ask it to come up with mid-and long-term measures.
2. The Japanese government is expected to approve on Friday an economic stimulus package of about 118 billion dollars.
3. Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida is to visit the United States and hold talks with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
January 10, Thursday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will visit Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia next week in his first overseas trip since taking office.
2. The Japanese foreign minister is on his way to visit three Southeast Asian countries and Australia.
3. Japanese researchers have found that cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, only provoke a low immune response in mice.
January 11, Friday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Raja Pradan
1. The Japanese government on Friday approved a fresh economic stimulus package aimed at pulling the country out of a prolonged period of deflation.
2. The Philippines has asked Japan to offer patrol ships through yen loans in order to boost its coastguard capability in the South China Sea.
3. South Korean President-elect Park Geun-ye says she hopes China will help improve inter-Korean ties.
January 12, Saturday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. France has begun a military operation to help the government in the West African country of Mali fight off an assault by Islamic rebels.
2. The United States and Afghanistan have agreed that Afghan forces will take over the lead security role for the nation this spring.
3. At least 42 villagers have reportedly been killed in a landslide in southwestern China’s Yunnan Province.
January 13, Sunday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. Japan’s nuclear regulatory body has decided to prepare emergency shelters for people who live near nuclear plants to prevent them from being contaminated in case of an accident.
2. A government panel has revised the probability upward for some of the mega quakes that have repeatedly struck the Japanese archipelago in the past.
3. NHK’s international TV broadcasting in China was temporarily blocked during a news report on the alleged censorship at a Guangdong-based weekly newspaper.
January 14, Monday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuka Matsumoto and Mr. Raja Pradan
1. The Japan Coast Guard is planning to deploy two patrol vessels in the southernmost Okinawa Prefecture.
2. A U.N. conference has begun in Switzerland to establish a legally binding treaty to regulate the use and trade of mercury.
3. Weather officials in Beijing, China, have raised the city’s air pollution alert to the highest level.
January 15, Tuesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Helen Lewis
1. Three senior U.S. officials are set to visit Japan and South Korea to discuss security issues in East Asia.
2. Fighting is intensifying in the West African country of Mali as France expands air strikes on rebel targets.
3. A group of more than 50 countries is to call on the U.N. Security Council to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court.
January 16, Wednesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. A Boeing 787 Dreamliner made an emergency landing at an airport in western Japan on Wednesday morning.
2. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will ask Southeastern Asian leaders to consider coordinated responses to China’s increasing maritime activities.
3. Two explosions ripped through a university in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on Tuesday.
January 17, Thursday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Helen Lewis and Mr. Patrick Devolpi
1. Islamic militants are still holding foreign workers hostage after attacking a natural gas facility in Algeria.
2. Japan’s transport authorities are probing the emergency landing of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner jet, with a focus on a battery system in the plane.
3. Thursday marks the 18th anniversary of the earthquake that Kobe and its surrounding areas.
January 18, Friday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Mr. Maxwell Powers
1. A senior official in the Algerian government says some people died in the military operations to free hostages held at a natural gas facility in his country.
2. The European Union has agreed to speed up preparations for a mission deployment in Mali to train its government forces to fight Islamic militants.
3. Airlines around the world have suspended operations of their Boeing 787 Dreamliners after a U.S. aviation regulator issued orders to ground all 787s registered in the United States.
January 19, Saturday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. A standoff between Algerian forces and hostages takers at a natural gas plant in the North African country seems to be continuing. Reports say Islamic militants still hold a number of foreign hostages in part of the facility.
2. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has warned China over the Senkaku Islands, saying the United States opposes any challenge to Japan’s control of the islands in the East China Sea.
3. U.S. aircraft manufacturer Boeing has announced a halt to deliveries of 787 Dreamliners until the safety of their batteries is confirmed.
January 20, Sunday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. The Algerian government has justified its military operation at a natural gas plant, saying it had to stop a militant group from escaping with hostages.
2. Japanese engineering firm JGC Corporation said on Sunday that the safety of another 41 of its Algerian staff has been confirmed following the hostage crisis.
3. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he hopes the leader of his Liberal Democratic Party’s coalition partner will help improve ties between Japan and China.
January 21, Monday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. David Crystal
1. Algeria’s communication minister says the death toll in the hostage crisis may rise further.
2. Parliamentary Vice Foreign Minister Minoru Kiuchi has arrived at In Amenas in Algeria, where the hostage crisis unfolded.
3. NHK has learned that nuclear power plant operators in Japan have charged users about 90 million dollars a year to cover payouts to local authorities hosting their facilities.
January 22, Tuesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Mick Corliss
1. Japan’s chief cabinet secretary says 7 Japanese nationals are dead and 3 still unaccounted for in Algeria.
2. Algeria’s prime minister has confirmed that 37 people from overseas were killed in the gas-plant siege at In Amenas.
3. Japan’s central bank policy makers have officially adopted a joint statement with its government that sets an inflation target of 2 percent.
January 23, Wednesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. The U.N. Security Council has condemned North Korea’s rocket launch in December and expanded the existing U.N. sanctions on the country.
2. Israel’s right-wing coalition led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the winner in Tuesday’s election.
3. Algeria’s military is widening its search for those still unaccounted for after a hostage crisis in a desert gas field. Many are foreign nationals, including Japanese.
January 24, Thursday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. The Japanese government has confirmed the deaths of two more Japanese nationals in the standoff between Islamic militants and the Algerian military last week.
2. One of the Islamic militants has reportedly described a plan to take foreign hostages out of the country.
3. A senior Japanese lawmaker and a former Chinese minister have agreed that their countries should resolve the territorial dispute through dialogue.
January 25, Friday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. Seven Japanese survivors of the Algerian hostage crisis have made it back to Tokyo, along with the remains of nine victims.
2. The Japanese government projects that the country’s economy will grow 2.5 percent in the coming fiscal year, starting in April.
3. The United States has imposed additional economic sanctions against North Korea in response to its rocket launch in December.
January 26, Saturday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has urged North Korea not to conduct another nuclear test.
2. U.S. researchers say new satellite imagery indicates North Korea appears to be at a continued state of readiness for another nuclear test.
3. Supporters of Egypt’s opposition camp have held large rallies across the country to protest the current administration by President Mohamed Morsi. Four people were killed in clashes with security forces.
January 27, Sunday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. North Korean news media reported that the country’s leader Kim Jong Un has instructed top defense officials and diplomats to take action of national importance. This suggests that the country may hold a third nuclear test.
2. Japan has launched an intelligence-gathering satellite on an H-2A rocket.
3. A major U.S. newspaper has expressed concern about a possible military confrontation between Japan and China over a chain of islands in the East China Sea and proposed the issue be shelved for the time being.
January 28, Monday, 2013 (2:00 p.m..) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms.Yuka Matsumoto
1. Japan’s Diet opens its ordinary session on Monday.
2. India’s military has successfully developed a ballistic missile that can be deployed on a submarine.
3. An expert panel of Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority plans to issue a warning that a fault running under a nuclear power plant on the Sea of Japan coast could be active.
January 29, Tuesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Helen Lewis and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is planning to go to Okinawa this week before his trip to the United States.
2. Senior defense officials from Japan, the United States and South Korea will meet in Tokyo this week.
3. Former Chinese foreign minister Tang Jiaxuan said he hopes to improve ties with Japan through dialogue.
January 30, Wednesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. Japan has pledged 120 million dollars to support the fight against terrorism in Africa.
2. Japan’s National Police Agency plans to more heavily equip officers guarding nuclear power plants to raise preparedness for possible terrorist attacks.
3. Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi has expressed hope that promoting private-sector exchanges will help to mend the strained relations between China and Japan.
January 31, Thursday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Helen Lewis and Mr. Patrick Devolpi
1. In the western African nation of Mali, French troops have taken control of the airport in the northern city of Kidal near a border with Algeria.
2. The operator of the Hamaoka nuclear power plant in central Japan says it has detected fresh corrosion from seawater in one of the reactors.
3. The Japanese government plans to ensure the safety of regenerative medicine by regulating procedures according to the degree of risk.