November

 

November 1, Friday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuka Matsumoto and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1. The United States faces growing criticism for the National Security Agency’s intelligence gathering activities that target allies around the world. However, a secret alliance was formed following World War II that excluded four close allies.

2. Fears are rising that prejudice against an ethnic minority in China may spread.

3. Japan’s industry ministry started procedures that turned the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant into a holding company.

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

1.A shooting rampage has occurred at Los Angeles International Airport, leaving one killed and several others injured.

2.The foreign and defense ministers of Japan and Russia have agreed to boost bilateral security cooperation by staging joint military drills to tackle terrorism and piracy.

3.The Chinese government is emphasizing its claim that a deadly car crash in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square this week was the work of an international terrorist group.

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

1. The leader of an extremist group in Pakistan has been killed by a U.S. drone strike.  The incident has angered the Pakistani government at the start of peace talks with the group.

2. Informed sources on the Uygur ethnic minority in China have raised doubts a separatist group was behind Monday’s deadly car crash near Tiananmen Square in Beijing.

3. The secretary general of Japan’s governing Liberal Democratic Party says the country’s idle nuclear reactors should be restarted once their safety is verified.

November 4, Monday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto

1. Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has expressed support for nuclear negotiations being led by President Hassan Rouhani.

2. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has urged Egypt to take steps to hand over power to a democratically-elected government.

3. A Uygur scholar in Beijing is being threatened by Chinese authorities after voicing doubts over the allegations by the Chinese government that a separatist group was behind last week’s deadly car fire near Tiananmen Square.

November 5, Tuesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto

1. Japan’s government has come up with a bill to establish economic deregulation zones across the country.

2. Countries involved in six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear development are engaged in active diplomacy, with an eye on restarting the long-stalled forum.

3. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden is to visit Japan, China and South Korea in the first week of December.

November 6, Wednesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Mr. Michael Rhys

1. The International Atomic Energy Agency is sending marine monitoring experts to Japan.  They will advise on handling radioactive wastewater leaking into the sea from the troubled Fukushima Daiichi power plant.

2. The UN-Arab League envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi, says no data has been set for a peace conference on Syria.

3. The governor of Nagasaki Prefecture and a senior Chinese official have agreed that Japan and China should promote private-sector cooperation and exchanges at the local level.

November 7, Thursday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Patrick Devolpi and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto

1. A Chinese newspaper reports that police have identified the vehicle involved in a series of explosions near a Chinese Communist Party building in Shanxi Province.

2. Top nuclear envoys from Japan, the United States and South Korea have discussed whether to resume the six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear program.

3. Iran and six countries seeking to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons are due to start negotiations based on new Iranian proposals.

November 8, Friday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu

1. Negotiators from Iran and six major world powers are discussing what initial steps both sides should take to resolve the issue of Iran’s nuclear program.

2. China’s state-run media has urged the United States to call the recent Tiananmen Square car crash a terrorist attack.

3. Syrian government forces have captured a key opposition stronghold south of Damascus.

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

1. Iran and six major powers are set to continue their talks on Iran’s nuclear program in Geneva for a third straight day.

2. A powerful typhoon, among the year’s strongest storms, has hit the central Philippines, killing at least three people and forcing 750,000 people across the country to evacuate.

3. Four of five major Japanese trading firms saw their net profits go up year-on-year in their mid-year earnings reports in September.

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

1. Delegates from Iran and six world powers have failed to reach an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program.  They will meet again for two days from November 20th.

2. Workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant have discovered a new leak of contaminated water, this time through a barrier that surrounds wastewater storage tanks.

3. Rescue operations continue in the Philippines after the season’s strongest typhoon ripped through the country’s central part.

November 11, Monday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1. Rescuers are having trouble reaching survivors of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.  Authorities estimate that the storm affected more than 9.6 million people.

2. Japan’s foreign minister has urged Iran’s leaders to show a flexible attitude in talks on the country’s nuclear program.

3.A U.N. climate change conference is set to open on Monday to discuss a new framework for cutting global warming gases after 2020.

November 12, Tuesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Risa Shimizu

1. A tropical depression is approaching the Philippines and threatens areas struggling to recover from the most powerful typhoon this season.

2. Delegates from industrialized nations and developing countries have locked horns at a U.N. climate conference in Poland.

3. Negotiators from Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency say they will hold follow-up talks next month in Vienna to implement a deal struck on Monday.

November 13, Wednesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto

1. Supplies are trickling in 5 days after Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines but few of the survivors stranded in devastated areas are receiving any help.

2. Delegates from more than 190 countries are discussing reduction targets for greenhouse gases on the second day of the United Nations Climate Change Conference.

3. The leaders of China’s Communist Party have promised the realization of a fair society while showing signs of tightening their grip on dissenters.

November 14, Thursday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1. Officials at the United Nations say that two and a half million people in typhoon-struck areas of the Philippines are in need of food assistance.

2. The operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has yet to determine from what parts of the No.1 reactor containment vessel water is leaking.

3. The U.N. weather agency says 2013 is the seventh warmest year on record.  The finding has prompted fresh calls to curb global warming.

November 15, Friday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1. The Philippine government and the international community are struggling to provide relief to survivors of Typhoon Haiyan a week after it devastated the country.

2. A nuclear expert says Reactor No. 1 at the Fukushima Daiichi plant may have suffered relatively large-scale damage, causing large leaks of radioactive water.

3. The top U.S. negotiator to the six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear development is to visit China, South Korea and Japan to discuss restarting negotiations.

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

1.A world chemical weapons watchdog has decided on a plant to remove most of Syria’s chemical weapons to a third country by the end of the year for disposal.

2.The majority of survivors of a super typhoon that wreaked havoc in the central Philippines one week ago remain without a roof over their heads.

3.Delegates at the U.N. climate change conference in Warsaw have reacted sharply to Japan’s decision to dramatically scale down its target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

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

1. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has arrived in Laos for talks with his Laotian counterpart.

2. A Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force vessel has left for the Philippines to join relief operations following Typhoon Haiyan.

3. Industrialized and developing nations at a U.N. climate conference are divided over how to help poorer countries affected by disasters linked to climate change.

November 18, Monday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto

1. The process of removing nuclear refuel from a reactor building at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is scheduled to begin on Monday.

2. Citizen volunteers are reaching out to people in the Philippines amid growing criticism of the government for its delay in responding with aid.

3. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked French President Francois Hollande to keep sanctions in place against Iran.

November 19, Tuesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Mr. Mick Corliss

1. Japan has decided to send three experts from the Self-Defense Forces to Syria to inspect the process of destroying the country’s chemical weapons arsenal.

2. Workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant have begun a painstaking operation to remove fuel from a damaged reactor building.

3. U.S. negotiators have presented a new set of proposals for the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement ahead of talks in Salt Lake City.

November 20, Wednesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Helen Lewis

1. Chief delegates from the countries involved in the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact have started talks to help conclude the main negotiations by the year-end.

2. Ministers at the U.N. conference on climate change are trying to work out a new framework for cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

3. Workers are trying to take out nuclear fuel from a storage pool at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.

November 21, Thursday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Patrick Devolpi and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto

1. Envoys from Iran and six world powers are discussing the country’s nuclear program with an eye to working out a joint document including a first-stage agreement.

2. Officials at a U.N. climate conference are struggling to bridge differences over financial aid to developing countries.

3. Japan’s Defense Ministry has come up with a proposal to acquire more destroyers amid China’s increased maritime activities.

November 22, Friday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Mr. Maxwell Powers

1. Emerging nations and some developing nations remain strongly opposed to a suggested emissions reduction framework at the U.N. climate conference as it wraps up on Friday.

2. The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is preparing to complete the first transfer of nuclear fuel from a reactor building to a safer storage pool.

3. The international chemical weapons watchdog has called for the cooperation of private firms in destroying Syria’s stockpile of chemical weapons.

November 23, Saturday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

1. Delegates to the U.N. climate change conference are continuing their talks beyond scheduled hours.  They are still divided over a planned new global framework to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

2. Iran and six world powers will extend their talks for one more day in an effort to reach agreement on Tehran’s nuclear program.

3. The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant says the first batch of nuclear fuel has been transferred from a reactor building to a safer storage pool.

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

1. Iran and six world powers have reached agreement on the first step to be taken over the next six months in their talks on Tehran’s nuclear program in Geneva, Switzerland.

2. Delegates at U.N. climate talks in Poland have agreed member countries and territories will each submit voluntary targets to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.

3. China’s state-run media has reported the air forces first patrolled after delineating the air defense identification zone in the East China Sea that includes Japan-controlled Senkaku Islands.

November 25, Monday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuka Matsumoto and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1. Japan’s Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida says China’s air defense identification zone is unacceptable.

2. A U.S. Republican lawmaker has voiced opposition to the agreement between Iran and six world powers to limit Iran’s nuclear program.

3. Only one-third of people evacuated from areas near the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant are willing to return to their homes.

November 26, Tuesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Risa Shimizu

1. International peace talks aimed at ending the Syrian civil war are set for January 22.

2. A senior White House official has criticized China for setting up a new air defense identification zone that includes disputed islands in the East China Sea.

3. In Japan’s Diet, a contentious bill to protect the government’s secrets has cleared a Lower House committee and faces a vote by a full chamber on Tuesday.

November 27, Wednesday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.The U.S. Defense Department says two B52 bombers have flown to the Chinese air defense identification zone without giving prior notice.

2. Japan’s Lower House has passed the controversial state secrets bill.

3.The U.N. General Assembly human rights committee has unanimously adopted a resolution calling for governments to take measures against unlawful online surveillance.

November 28, Thursday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will directly convey to Chinese leaders U.S. concerns over China’s newly-established air defense identification zone in the East China Sea.

2. The Japanese government plans to launch its version of the U.S. National Security Council as early as next week.

3. A Japanese government panel has proposed that the government should choose potential disposal sites for nuclear waste based on scientific information.

November 29, Friday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency says Iran has invited its experts to inspect a facility that could be used to build nuclear weapons.

2. A panel of experts says the Japanese government should play a more active role in selecting sites for disposing of nuclear waste.

3. Officials at China’s Defense Ministry say one of its islands facing the South China Sea will be able to dock the country’s first aircraft carrier.

November 30, Saturday, 2013 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

1.China’s state-run news agency has reported that the nation scrambled Japan and U.S. military aircraft which entered its newly established air defense identification zone in the East China Sea.

2.The U.S. government has decided to advise all American commercial airlines to notify China before flying through that country’s new air defense identification zone.

3.Protestors in Thailand are strengthening pressure on Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to step down.