February

 

February 1, Friday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Maxwell Powers and Ms. Risa Shimiz

 1.  Japan and Russia have agreed to hold high-level talks next week to discuss Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s planned visit to Russia

2.  The U.S. military appears to be boosting its monitoring capabilities in preparation for North Korea’s expected third nuclear test

 3.  The International Judo Federation has condemned vilent training methods allegedly used by two coaches of the Japanese national women’s team.

February 2, Saturday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

1.      Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is visiting Okinawa on Saturday to discuss critical issues concerning U.S. forces in the prefecture before making his trip to the United States.

2.      In Turkey, an explosion outside the U.S embassy in the capital Ankara has killed at least two people.

3.      In Pakistan, a blast near a mosque killed at least 25 people and injured more than 50 others on Friday near the border with Afghanistan.

February 3, Sunday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

1.      Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he intends to boost the security arrangement in Japan’s southwestern territorial waters.

2.      President Francois Hollande has indicated France’s intention to have its forces hand over their military missions in Mali to the Malian government and neighboring countries in the near future.

3.      North Korea has suggested that leader Km Jong Un may have made a final decision to carry out a third nuclear test.

February 4, Monday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      The Japanese government is cooperating with other nations as it prepares for a possible third nuclear test by North Korea.

2.      U.S.-led naval exercises are scheduled for May in the Persian Gulf to secure a key oil shipping route.

3.      Asian nations are expected to express their continued economic support for Palestine at an international conference to be held in Tokyo next week.

February 5, Tuesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Mick Corliss

1.      The Japanese government will enhance coordination within its ranks to seek their understanding of Japan’s provision on its territorial claims.

2.      China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection says nearly half of the country’s population has been affected by serious air pollution.

3.      Some of Japan’s leading female judo athletes say a culture of violence and harassment prompted them to blow the whistle on the national team coach.

February 6, Wednesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says it is regrettable that a Chinese frigate directed its fire-control radar at a Japanese destroyer.

2.      The United States and China have agreed that North Korea will face further consequences if it conducts a third nuclear test in defiance of international opposition.

3.      The head of Japan’s top business organization is seeking closer ties with Myanmar’s government during talks with President Thein Sein.

February 7, Thursday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      The Japanese government is trying to determine what was behind the Chinese navy’s use of a radar lock on a Japanese navy vessel.

2.      Authorities on the Solomon Islands are preparing to send an advance relief team to areas hit by tsunami waves.

3.      The head of the All Japan Judo Federation has left for France to brief judo’s world body on the recent physical abuse scandal in the women’s national team.

February 8, Friday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      Japan’s government will carefully analyze Russia’s intent following Thursday’s airspace violation by Russian warplanes.

2.      Japan’s foreign minister says the country has dismissed China’s denial that one of its ships directed fire-control radar against a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer.

3.      U.S. transportation authority officials say last month’s fire on a Boeing 787 plane in Boston could be blamed on the battery design.

February 9, Saturday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

1.      Japan plans to seek the understanding of the United States and other key nations about its claim that China used fire-control radar against a Japanese vessel, which the Chinese government has denied using.

2.      Algerian media are reporting that three workers at a natural gas complex have been arrested on suspicion of providing Islamic militants with internal information before the deadly hostage siege last month.

3.      People in northeastern Japan plan to file a class-action lawsuit against the central government and Tokyo Electric Power Company, the operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

February 10, Sunday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitadai

1.      Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to tell U.S. President Barack Obama that he is in favor of joining an international treaty for settling child custody disputes.

2.      Work to rebuild areas devastated by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami faces delays one year after the launch of the Reconstruction Agency.

3.      The start of the Lunar New Year in China is celebrated with a large amount of fireworks.  However, the traditional practice is contributing to the growing problem of air pollution.

February 11, Monday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuko Matsumoto and Mr. Raja Pradan

1.      The Japanese government will launch an expert panel to discuss the creation of a new state body to deal with foreign diplomacy and national security policy.

2.      Japanese banks are actively trying to extend oil rights for Japanese firms in the United Arab Emirates.

3.      Japan’s Mao Asada clinched the title at the Four Continents Figure Skating Championship in Osaka.

February 12, Tuesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Helen Lewis

1.      The U.S. Geological Survey says a magnitude 4.9 tremor was registered in the northeastern region of North Korea at 11:57 A.M. Tuesday morning, Japan time.

2.      The Japanese economy and the depreciation of the yen are likely to be key topics at an upcoming meeting of G20 finance authorities.

3.      World leaders and Catholic communities have reacted with surprise to the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI.

February 13, Wednesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Keiko Kitagawa and Mr. David Crystal

1.      The United Nations Security Council has strongly condemned North Korea’s third nuclear test.

2.      North Korea warns that it will carry out more nuclear tests if the United States keeps up its hostile attitude against the country.

3.      An NHK poll shows that 35 percent of the Japanese people favor joining talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement.

February 14, Thursday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Helen Lewis and Mr. Patrick Devolpi

1.      Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Barack Obama have agreed to cooperate to seek a new U.N. Security Council resolution.

2.      Officials from Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency have failed to agree on inspections of a military facility for the country’s nuclear development.

3.      The Japanese government is drawing up guidelines aimed at protecting people from air pollution that originates in China.

February 15, Friday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Mr. Maxwell Powers

1.      Japan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, Taro Aso, is on his way to attend a G20 meeting in Moscow this weekend.

2.      U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry have agreed to work together on new sanctions on North Korea.

3.      Three Chinese government vessels have entered Japan’s territorial waters near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.

February 16, Saturday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

1.      More than a thousand people were injured when what is believed to be a meteor exploded over central Russia, shattering windows and damaging buildings.

2.      The U.S. space agency NASA says the meteor in Russia had a mass of 7,000 tons.

3.      Group of 20 finance ministers and central bankers have agreed that they should avoid currency wars, or competitive devaluations of currencies.

February 17, Sunday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

1.      Finance ministers and central bank chiefs of the Group of 20 countries have closed a two-day meeting in Moscow with a pledge to refrain from competitive devaluation.

2.      France is calling for Middle Eastern nations to take coordinated steps in order to fight terrorism.

3.      The Japanese government will study better ways to use aircraft for rescuing its citizens involved in terrorist attacks and other emergencies in foreign countries.

February 18, Monday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. David Crystal

1.      A Nuclear Regulation Authority panel says two faults under the Higashidori nuclear power plant in northern Japan are possibly active.

2.      U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov have agreed to cooperate on U.N. Security Council measures against North Korea.

3.      Japan’s government plans to establish overseas centers to provide legal support for Japanese citizens after it ratifies an international treaty for settling child custody disputes.

February 19, Tuesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to ask U.S. President Barack Obama to permit shale gas exports to Japan.

2.      UNESCO representatives have decided to reconstruct Mali’s World Heritage site at Timbuktu.

3.      Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa is expected to make a comeback at a musical festival in central Japan in August.

February 20, Wednesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      The leaders of Japan and the United States are to confirm a plan to install an additional radar system in Japan.

2.      Former prime minister of Japan Yoshiro Mori is on his way to Moscow to meet with Russian Vladimir Putin.

3.      Japan registered its largest monthly trade deficit in Japan.

February 21, Thursday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe leaves for Washington on Thursday for a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama.

2.      Ten top wrestling nations, including Japan, the United States and Iran, say they are united in their bid to keep the sport in the Olympic Games.

3.      Japan will seek to win a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for a two-year term, beginning in 2016.

February 22, Friday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has arrived in Washington or his talks with U.S. President Barack Obama.

2.      Japan’s Shimane Prefecture is holding an event on Friday to promote its claim over the disputed islands in the Sea of Japan.

3.      A massive bomb has hit the center of the Syrian capital Damascus, killing at least 53 people and injuring more than 230.

February 23, Saturday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

1.      Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Barack Obama have held their first summit in Washington.  They have agreed to further strengthen their countries’ security alliance.

2.      Prime Minister Abe says it has become clear that universal tariff cuts are not a precondition for joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement.

3.      NATO officials say the organization and its allies are discussing a proposal to keep up to 12,000 troops in Afghanistan after its combat mission ends in 2014.

February 24, Sunday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

1.      Japan’s ruling coalition parties are expected to start final negotiations on Monday on whether Japan should join talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement.

2.      China’s state-run Xinhuan News Agency has reported that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has failed to gain U.S. backing on the current dispute with China over islands in the East China Sea.

3.      North Korea’s military has warned that U.S. forces will meet what it called a miserable destruction if they go ahead with planned military drills with the South Korean military.

February 25, Monday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto

1.      Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe could announce a decision soon to join negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement, or TPP.

2.      New South Korean President Park Geun-hye has called on North Korea to halt its provocations and try to improve bilateral negotiations.

3.      The Algerian government has held a ceremony to remember the victims of last month’s hostage siege at a southeastern natural gas plant.

February 26, Tuesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Helen Lewis and Mr. Mick Corliss

1.      Market factors are pushing many members of the major opposition Democratic Party of Japan to go along with Prime Minister Abe’s choices for the new Bank of Japan leadership.

2.      Near-complete election results show Italy could be headed for political gridlock.

3.      A video apparently showing a French family kidnapped in northern Cameroon has been posted on the Internet.

February 27, Wednesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

1.      Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe could announce a final decision to join negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement by mid-March.

2.      The government has set up an advisory panel to work out concrete plans for a project called “Cool Japan,” aimed at commercializing Japanese pop culture overseas.

3.      The leader of Italy’s center-left coalition says he will ask the country’s president to help coordinate talks to form a new coalition government.

February 28, Thursday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Patrick Devolpi and Ms. Helen Lewis

1.      Iran says a new proposal by world powers for resolving the country’s nuclear program is more realistic than in the past.

2.      Japan has asked U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to attend an international conference on Africa’s development in Tokyo.

3.      The families of four Japanese tourists killed in a hot-air balloon crash in Egypt have arrived in Cairo.