October

 

October 1, Tuesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Risa Shimizu

1.Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he will raise the consumption tax as planned to 8 percent next April.

2.U.S. Senators rejected an amended version of a budget bill on Monday, putting the government on the path to a partial shutdown.

3.Chinese Premier Li Keqiang gave a speech on Monday renewing his pledge to speed u reforms.

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

1.Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Congress have come no closer to ending their budget standoff that triggered a government shutdown on Tuesday.

2.North and South Korea argued over the North’s nuclear development at the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday.

3.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has urged the international community not to ease sanctions against Iran until the country completely abandons its nuclear development.

October 3, Thursday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1. Workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant have found more highly radioactive water leaking from a storage tank.

2. A Chinese group promoting ties with Japan is planning to celebrate the 35th anniversary of a bilateral peace and friendship treaty.

3. One of the reactors in a nuclear power plant in Sweden was forced to shut down after a large amount of jellyfish clogged up the pipes carrying cooling water to the turbines.

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

1. Police in Washington are investigating developments leading to the fatal shooting of a woman near the U.S. Congress.

2. Ministers from the Pacific Rim countries and territories will discuss infrastructure plans to solidify economic ties in the region.

3. Officials at the Tokyo Electric Power Company say they halted operation of a new wastewater treatment system at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

October 5, Saturday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

1.The foreign ministers of Japan, the United States and Australia have jointly urged China not to use any coercive action in the East China Sea.

2.A congressional standoff over a budget bill continues in the United States amid a partial shutdown of the federal government.  President Barack Obama canceled plans to visit Southeast Asian countries to deal with the impasse at home.

October 6, Sunday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

1. The Indonesian cabinet members who chaired a ministerial conference of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Bali have praised its results.

2. A top Russian official has suggested more economic cooperation with Japan could pave the way for the resolution of a contentious territorial issue.

3.The U.S. government says U.S. forces have carried out raids targeting terrorist suspects in two African countries.

October 7, Monday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto

1. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is in Bali, Indonesia, to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit meetings, which open on Monday.

2. In Egypt, clashes between the Muslim Brotherhood and security forces killed 44 people on Sunday.

3. A letter of gratitude from Prime Minister Abe has been delivered to the family of a woman who died while rescuing an elderly man at a railway crossing.

October 8, Tuesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Risa Shimizu

1. 21 Asia-Pacific economies will wrap up their summit in Bali, Indonesia, with a pledge to develop regional economic partnerships.

2. China, the largest foreign owner of U.S. debt, has urged the U.S. government to act decisively to avoid crisis and ensure the safety of Chinese investments.

3. The president of Tokyo Electric Power Company says the utility will take steps to prevent problems caused by human error at its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

October 9, Wednesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Helen Lewis and Mr. Michael Rhys

1. The leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are meeting to discuss security concerns in the South China Sea.

2. The South Korean government has confirmed that North Korea has restarted a nuclear reactor which had been disabled under an international agreement.

3. Delegates from 140 countries and regions are getting together for a U.N. conference in Japan to adopt a treaty to regulate the use and trade of mercury.

October 10, Thursday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Patrick Devolpi and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto

1. Delegates from around the world have adopted a treaty to regulate the use and trade of mercury at a U.N. conference in Japan.

2. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has called for tighter regional cooperation at the ASEAN plus three meeting.

3. The head of the international chemical weapons watchdog says Syrian officials have been cooperative in the plan to destroy the country’s chemical weapons.

October 11, Friday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu

1. U.S. President Barack Obama and Congressional Republicans have found no common ground on a G.O.P. –proposed plan to allow a short-term hike in the federal debt ceiling.

2. Radioactive cesium has been detected in seawater outside the port of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

3. A series of ASEAN summits ended on Thursday with the conclusion of the East Asia Summit in Brunei.

October 12, Saturday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

1. Finance chiefs from the world’s developed and emerging economies have urged U.S. leaders to quickly address the congressional stalemate over the national budget and raising the government’s borrowing limit.

2. Japan and Canada have agreed to increase cooperation in the trading of shale gas.

3. Fishermen have resumed catching whitebait in waters off Fukushima Prefecture for the first time since the Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011.

October 13, Sunday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

1. A U.N. panel says Japanese authorities may have underestimated radiation doses workers received in the initial phase of the Fukushima nuclear crisis in 2011.

2. The International Monetary Fund has urged the United States to swiftly resolve its fiscal standoff to avoid a default on its obligations.

3. The United States and Afghanistan are divided over jurisdiction for crimes committed by U.S. troops who will remain in Afghanistan after 2014.

October 14, Monday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1. Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Senate have failed to break the deadlock to end the fiscal crisis.

2. Syria will become an official member of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons on Monday.

3. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung have agreed to keep talking to resolve their territorial dispute.

October 15, Tuesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Mr. Mick Corliss

1. In the United States, where government services remain partially closed, Republican and Democratic senators appear optimistic about reaching an agreement to avert a debt default.

2. A 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck southern Philippines, reportedly killing at least 4 people.

3. Three Red Cross aid workers remain missing in northwest Syria.  A car bomb struck the same region on Monday, in a sign of growing turmoil.

October 16, Wednesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1. Typhoon Wipha is bringing heavy rain and strong winds to northeastern Japan.  The large and powerful storm has killed at least 14 people.

2. Japan’s nuclear regulators say they have instructed TEPCO to look into the possibility of contaminated water leaking from an unexpected source.

3. The foreign ministers of Japan and Australia have agreed to accelerate negotiations to conclude a bilateral Economic Partnership Agreement at an early date.

October 17, Thursday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.The U.S. Congress has approved a bill to reopen the government and avoid the U.S. default just before the deadline to raise the debt limit.

2.The operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has detected high levels of radiation in a ditch after Typhoon Wipha brought heavy rain.

3.Negotiators from Iran and 6 major powers say Tehran’s new nuclear proposals generated substantive and forward-looking talks.

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

1. Fishermen have tested the waters off the southern coast of Fukushima Prefecture for the first time since the nuclear crisis began two years and 7 months ago.

2. Rescue workers are continuing their search for 26 people still missing on Izu Oshima Island, south of Tokyo, in the wake of a powerful typhoon.

3. U.S. President Barack Obama has called on both Democrats and Republicans to cooperate in drafting a budget.

October 19, Saturday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

1.The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it plans to take additional measures to contain the spread of high-level contaminated water that leaked from a storage tank.

2.Rescue workers are still searching for more than 20 missing people on the Izu Oshima Island south of Tokyo in the wake of a powerful storm.

October 20, Sunday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

1. Heavy rain continues on the Izu Oshima Island south of Tokyo, flooding the areas hit hard by a typhoon on Wednesday.

2. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has promised to work to dispel rumors about seafood caught off Fukushima Prefecture being contaminated with radiation.

3.NHK has learned that the firm named as the highest bidder in a public auction for the Tokyo property of a pro-North Korean group may be a dummy.

October 21, Monday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto

1. The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says radioactive strontium in 6 barriers, around tanks storing contaminated water, exceeded the government safety limit.

2. The head of the Arab League says an international conference aimed at ending Syria’s civil war will be held in late November.

3. The Bank of Japan chief remains upbeat about the country’s economy.

October 22, Tuesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Risa Shimizu

1.Japan has signed a U.N. statement that says nuclear weapons should not be used under any circumstances.

2.The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has announced plans to monitor off-shore radiation around the clock.

3.Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has indicated that he will seek re-election in 2014.

October 23, Wednesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto

1. Western nations and their Middle Eastern allies have called on the Syrian opposition to attend an international peace conference in Geneva next month.

2. The family of a Chinese human rights activist has applied for visas to be reunited with him in the United States.

3. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has urged the United States to end its drone strikes in his country.

October 24, Thursday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Patrick Devolpi and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto

1. The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is racing to secure storage space for tainted rainwater as another typhoon approaches Japan’s shores.

2. The German government says the U.S. intelligence agency may have monitored mobile phones of Chancellor Angela Merkel.

3. China has protested against Japan’s release of an online video claiming territorial rights over the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.

October 25, Friday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto

1.E.U. leaders have agreed Germany and France will seek bilateral negotiations with the United States over the alleged U.S. spying on the nations.

2.Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Cabinet has approved a bill to protect information designated as sate secrets.

3.A government panel says the Japan Atomic Energy Commission should no longer set the country’s nuclear policy.

October 26, Saturday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

1. German Chancellor Angela Merkel says one of her mobile phones may have been tapped by U.S. intelligence.

2. The U.N. humanitarian chief says about 2.5 million people in Syria are unable to receive relief supplies.

3.The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is struggling to prevent radioactive water in outdoor barriers from overflowing as a severe tropical storm is causing rain.

October 27, Sunday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

1. A German weekly magazine has reported the United States likely monitored Chancellor Angela Merkel’s mobile phone for more than 10 years.

2. A group of Japanese and Chinese politicians and experts has gathered in Beijing to review the relations between the two countries.

3. Ministers of Japan the 16-member Pacific Islands Forum have decided to hold the next summit in Fukushima Prefecture.

October 28, Monday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1. A German newspaper says U.S. President Barack Obama has known for the last three years his National Security Agency was eavesdropping on Chancellor Angela Merkel.

2. The world’s chemical weapons watchdog might not be able to meet the deadline for completing its work in Syria.

3. International Atomic Energy Agency specialists and Iranian negotiators will meet on Monday.

October 29, Tuesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto

1. Chinese authorities have imposed tight security around the scene of a deadly car crash near Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.

2. A new subway tunnel under the Turkish Bosphorus will open on Tuesday, connecting the country’s European and Asian sides.

3. A White House spokesperson says the United States is reviewing its intelligence-gathering methods amid concerns over alleged spying on foreign leaders.

October 30, Wednesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.The U.N. and Arab League envoy has asked the Syrian foreign minister to cooperate in holding an international peace conference to resolve the civil war.

2.Iranian envoys have offered a new approach aimed at ending the deadlock over the country’s nuclear program.

3.The prime ministers of Japan and Turkey have agreed to boost bilateral cooperation in nuclear energy and science and technology.

 October 31, Thursday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto

1.Chinese authorities are expected to intensify their crackdown on ethnic Uygurs following a deadly vehicle crash near Tiananmen Square.

2.Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has demanded that the West and Gulf Arab nations stop their aid to rebels in Syria, if they hope to convene peace talks in Geneva.

3.Japan’s prime minister will present a letter of appreciation to a Chinese man who rescued a boy from a flooding river last month.