April

 

April 1, Monday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      Business sentiment among major Japanese manufacturers has improved for the first time in three quarters.

2.      North Korea allowed South Korean workers into the jointly-run Kaesong industrial complex as usual on Monday.  It had threatened to shut down the complex two days earlier.

3.      The Japanese government has rezoned a town near the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant based on the amount of its exposure to radiation.

April 2, Tuesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto

1.      North Korea’s parliament has passed legislation boosting development of nuclear weapons and long-range missiles.

2.      The U.N. General Assembly is expected to adopt a draft treaty on Tuesday to regulate cross-border trade of conventional weapons.

3.      Japan’s leading companies are optimistic about their earnings outlook, but they remain cautious about investing in new facilities.

April 3, Wednesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Hideko Kitadai

1.      North Korea says it will refurbish and restart its disabled nuclear reactors at Nyongbyon.

2.      The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a treaty to regulate cross-border arms trade.

3.      Chinese health authorities have announced that four more people have been infected with a new strain of the avian flu virus.

April 4, Thursday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has stressed the need to seek greater strategic cooperation from U.S. allies to cope with massive federal spending cuts.

2.      North Korea warned early Thursday that it had approved plans for military operations, involving nuclear strikes.

3.      Expert analyses of the genes of the H7N9 avian influenza virus have found that the strain originated from three viruses previously known to have infected only birds.

April 5, Friday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan

1.      Chinese authorities confirmed on Thursday that the latest strain of bird flu had infected five new patients.

2.      Stock prices surged in Tokyo on Friday morning, supported by the bold monetary easing measures that the Bank of Japan announced on Thursday.

3.      The United States has called on North Korea to meet its international obligations and calm tension on the Korean Peninsula caused by the North’s missile transfer and other activities.

April 6, Saturday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

1.      Rising tension on the Korean Peninsula may lead to the evacuation of embassies and international groups in the North’s capital Pyongyang.

2.      South Korea’s unification minister has indicated Seoul will continue promoting humanitarian aid to North Korea despite its provocative moves.

3.      The Chinese Agriculture Ministry says the H7N9 avian influenza virus has been newly detected in 19 samples at three wholesale markets in Shanghai.

April 7, Sunday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

1.      Chinese authorities have banned trading of live poultry in cities in eastern China following the confirmation of more cases of human infection with a new strain of bird flu.

2.      The city of Fukushima now has Japan’s first facility capable of reducing the volume of the radioactive sludge from the 2011 nuclear disaster.

3.      The Japanese government will set up a ministerial panel to discuss ways to assist the agricultural sector, which would be affected by the country’s participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade talks.

April 8, Monday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuka Matsumoto and Mr. Raja Pradan

1.      Japan’s government is preparing for a possible missile launch by North Korea, as it gathers more information.

2.      Japan’s foreign minister left for Europe to discuss responses to North Korea’s latest provocations.

3.      Head of the International Monetary Fund says new easing measures by Japan’s central bank will help its economy.

April 9, Tuesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki

1.      Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has stressed that Japan will keep in close contact with its allies and prepare itself for a possible ballistic missile launch by North Korea.

2.      Japanese officials say they hope to receive official backing from the United States later this week for Japan’s bid to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade talks.

3.      Germany and Russia have clearly expressed their different views over the bank bailout in Cyprus.

April 10, Wednesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Helen Lewis and Mr. Michael Rhys

1.      The foreign ministers of 10 non-nuclear-weapon countries are calling for North Korea to refrain from conducting a nuclear or missile test.

2.      China says two more people have died in the latest outbreak of bird flu.  This brings the total to nine.

3.      Japan’s industry minister has announced measures to address the leak of contaminated water at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

April 11, Thursday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Patrick Devolpi and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto

1.      Japan’s defense minister says the Self-Defense Forces are taking measures to deal with possible multiple and simultaneous launches of ballistic missiles by North Korea.

2.      North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is marking his first anniversary as the First Secretary of the ruling Workers’ Party on Thursday.

3.      School children living near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has come up clear of radioactive cesium in internal-exposure screenings.

April 12, Friday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Mr. Maxwell Powers

1.      U.S. President Barack Obama has condemned North Korea for its belligerent approach, warning that the United States will take all necessary steps to protect its people and allies.

2.      U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to South Korea, China and Japan starting on Friday.

3.      Japan’s Cabinet has approved a bill to address disparities in voter representation in Lower House electoral districts.

April 13, Saturday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

1.      A strong earthquake struck Awaji Island in Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan, on Saturday morning.  At least 21 people were injured.

2.      U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is meeting with President Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders on Saturday.  Kerry hopes China will urge North Korea to exercise restraint.

3.      Myanmar’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is visiting Japan at the invitation of the Japanese government.  She is in Japan for the first time in 27 years.

April 14, Sunday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

1.      U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says China has agreed to step up cooperation in putting pressure on North Korea.

2.      Human infection with the H7N9 strain of avian flu virus has been confirmed in China’s inland province of Henan for the first time.  The Chinese government is on stepped-up alert to prevent further spread of the virus.

3.      A team of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency is to review the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

April 15, Monday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      Japan’s prime minister met the visiting U.S. secretary of state in Tokyo, as North Korea continues its belligerent remarks.

2.      Health officials in Beijing have reported the capital’s second case of H7N9 bird flu.

3.      Japan and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization will adopt their first joint political declaration.

April 16, Tuesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Risa Shimizu

1.      Boston police say at least three people have been killed by an explosion near the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

2.      North Korea has made new threats of military action as it expressed anger over the burning of photos of Kim Jong Un at a rally in South Korea.

3.      Leaders of Japan and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have agreed on their first joint declaration.

April 17, Wednesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      North Korea has rejected a U.S. call for dialogue based on the country taking steps toward denuclearization.

2.      U.S. President Barack Obama has promised to bring to justice whoever is responsible for the deadly explosion in Boston.

3.      Chinese authorities say they have found the H7N9 strain of bird flu in a wild pigeon.

April 18, Thursday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      Investigators in the U.S. have released no new information on Monday’s twin-bombings at the Boston Marathon despite some media reporting progress in the investigation.

2.      NHK has learned the Japanese government’s order to shoot down a North Korean missile will remain in force until July.

3.      A ship loaded with nuclear fuel has left a French port for Japan, carrying the first delivery since the March 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

April 19, Friday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      The finance ministers and central bank governors of the Group of 20 economies ended their first day of discussions in Washington.

2.      The FBI has released images of two suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings, and called on the public to help identify the men.

3.      Iran staged massive military parades across the nation on Thursday, displaying domestically-produced missiles.

April 20, Saturday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

1.      Finance ministers and central bank chiefs from the Group of 20 countries have concluded their 2-day meeting in Washington with a renewed pledge to refrain from competitive devaluation.

2.      Police in the U.S. city of Boston say they have arrested a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings.

3.      A strong earthquake hit China’s province of Sichuan on Saturday morning.  State-run CCTV reports at least 47 people are dead and more than 600 injured.

April 21, Sunday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

1.      The death toll from the strong earthquake that hit China’s inland province of Sichuan has risen to 179.  Search and rescue efforts are in full swing while aftershocks continue to rock the area.

2.      U.S. investigative authorities are waiting to question a suspect in the Boston bombings.  19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is seriously injured and cannot be interrogated now.

3.      Senior officials of Japan and the United States are set to meet this week to confirm their cooperation against threats from North Korea.

April 22, Monday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto

1.      Officials in South Korea have cancelled Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se ‘s trip to Japan to protest visits by Japanese leaders to war-related Yasukuni Shrine.

2.      China is expanding its search and rescue operations for survivors of a magnitude-7 earthquake that struck Sichuan Province on Saturday.

3.      Six more people have been infected with the H7N9 strain of bird flu virus in China.

April 23, Tuesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Risa Shimizu

1.      Japanese lawmakers from across the political spectrum visited Yasukuni Shrine on Tuesday.  The shrine honors war dead, including war criminals from World War II.

2.      Chinese authorities are desperately searching for survivors of the earthquake in Sichuan Province.

3.      Delegates from about 190 nations opened a meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday to discuss ways to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons.

April 24, Wednesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Helen Lewis

1.      The Japanese government says it will come up with guidelines clarifying Japan’s position on territorial and sovereignty issues.

2.      Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will visit Russia later this month.

3.      A group of researchers say it has recreated part of the process of muscular dystrophy, a degenerative disease with effective treatment.

April 25, Thursday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuka Matsumoto and Mr. Patrick Devolpi

1.      Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he will maintain dialogues with China and South Korea despite their protests against honoring war dead at a shrine in Tokyo.

2.      The mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have called for the abolition of nuclear weapons at a preparatory meeting of members of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

3.      Japan is set to conclude agreements with Turkey and the United Arab Emirates to transfer its nuclear power technology.

April 26, Friday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Maxwell Powers and Ms. Risa Shimizu

1.      Japan and China will hold defense bureau chief level talks in Beijing on Friday evening.

2.      The U.N. Security Council has unanimously approved the deployment of a peace-keeping force for Mali.

3.      A senior White House official has said U.S. intelligence agents believe chemical weapons have been used by government forces in Syria.

April 27, Saturday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

1.      Japan’s main governing Liberal Democratic Party has drawn up a draft energy policy which plans to restart nuclear power plants if their safety is confirmed.

2.      U.S. President Barack Obama says the potential use of chemical weapons by Syria’s government would be a “game changer” for U.S. policy, if confirmed.

3.      South Korea has decided to bring back all South Koreans staying at an industrial complex which has jointly been run with North Korea in the town of Kaesong near the border.

April 28, Sunday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

1.      Prime Minister Shinzo Abe left on Sunday for a week-long tour of Russia and three countries in the Middle East.

2.      North Korean officials say the inter-Korean industrial park in Kaesong may soon be shut down for good, and the South should be held responsible if this happens.

3.      The H7N9 bird flu continues to spread in China.  Officials have reported the first cases of infection in the inland province of Hunan.

April 29, Monday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to revive territorial talks over four islands off northern Japan.

2.      Japan’s Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera has left for Washington for his first talks with U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.

3.      Japan’s Crown Prince and Princess have arrived in the Netherlands to attend the coronation ceremony for the new Dutch king.

April 30, Tuesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Risa Shimizu

1.      The leaders of Japan and Russia have agreed to try to settle a territorial dispute over four Russian-held islands claimed by Japan and conclude a peace treaty.

2.      U.S. and South Korean troops will wrap up their two-month-long joint exercises on Tuesday.

3.      Tokyo Governor Naoki Inose has admitted that he made an improper remark about other bidders for the 2020 summer Olympic Games.