January 1, Wednesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Helen Lewis
1. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has released his New Year message. He says his government will do everything it can to overcome deflation and revitalize the economy.
2. Chinese President Xi Jinping has delivered a New Year’s address focusing on his country’s reforms.
3. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un defended the execution of his uncle and called on people to be loyal to him.
January 2, Thursday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Patrick Devolpi and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. The government of U.S. President Barack Obama appears ready to follow through with its commitment to place greater focus on the Asia-Pacific region.
2. The Japanese government plans to revise a basic policy for disposing nuclear waste so that it can play a more active role in selecting disposal sites.
3. A group of atomic bomb survivors and citizens have staged an annual New Year’s Day sit-in in Nagasaki, calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons.
January 3, Friday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is trying to get Israelis and Palestinians to agree on a framework in their peace talks in his tenth round of Middle East shuttle diplomacy.
2. An explosion ripped through the Lebanese capital of Beirut on Thursday, killing 5 people and injuring 75.
3. The U.S. State Department has called on Japan and neighboring countries not to take steps that would increase tension.
January 4, Saturday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. Talks aimed at ending violence in South Sudan have begun in the capital of neighboring Ethiopia.
2. South Korea says the North’s leader Kim Jong Un must show actions to prove he is sincere about wanting to improve relations.
3. Police in Cambodia have opened fire to break up a labor protest in the capital, leaving 3 people dead and many others wounded.
January 5, Sunday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Keiko Kitagawa and Mr. David Crystal
1. In Syria, more than 60 people have died during three days of intense fighting among rival anti-government forces.
2. In Egypt, the latest clashes between security forces and supporters of the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood have left 17 people dead.
3. Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa has condemned the attack on a Japanese couple, calling it a heinous crime.
January 6, Monday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Ms. Dawn Matus
1. Fighting between government and Al-Qaeda-linked militants is intensifying in two western cities in Iraq.
2. U.S. Secretary of State john Kerry has suggested that Washington may approve Iran’s participation in a peace conference on Syria later this month.
3. The year’s first trading session got underway on Monday at the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
January 7, Tuesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has expressed understanding of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s policy of “proactive pacifism”.
2. Japan welcomed Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan with a ceremony at Tokyo’s Akasaka Palace on Tuesday.
3. The operator of a spend nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Rokkasho Village in northeastern Japan has applied for a government safety assessment.
January 8, Wednesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Michael Rhys
1. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says the administrative office of the new National Security Council will help efforts to protect Japan’s national interests.
2. Prime Minister Abe has asked the next chairman of Tokyo Electric Power Company to make the most of its ability and resources to handle the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.
3. China says it per-capita military spending is only 20 percent of Japan’s.
January 9, Thursday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has left on a tour of the Middle East and Africa.
2. China’s top envoy to the United Nations has criticized last month’s visit by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to a war shrine in Tokyo.
3. The global chemical weapons watchdog has asked the Syrian government to improve security conditions to speed up the removal of chemical weapon materials from the country.
January 10, Friday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Oman’s Sultan Qaboos bin Said have agreed to step up cooperation to ensure maritime security.
2. Japan and France have agreed to form a working-level panel to share information on exports of equipment with military potential.
3. A Chinese local government has imposed new rules requiring foreign fishing boats to get permission from Chinese authorities before entering waters around disputed islands in the South China Sea.
January 11, Saturday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has promised support for infrastructure improvement and personnel training in Africa to attract more investment from Japan.
2. China has expressed discontent over U.S. criticism regarding new Chinese regulations for foreign fishing operations in the South China Sea.
3. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on countries taking part in a peace conference on Syria later this month to do their utmost for a political solution in the crisis.
January 12, Sunday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited a vocational training facility for girls and women and watched a judo event in Cote d’Ivoire on Saturday.
2. Former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon has died in the hospital outside Tel Aviv where he was being treated. He was 85 years old.
3. Government officials in Tokyo plan to describe Takeshima and the Senkaku Islands as inherent parts of Japan’s territory in new guidelines for middle and high schools.
January 13, Monday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Fierce fighting in Syria reportedly has left almost 700 people dead since the beginning of January.
2. Anti-government protesters in Thailand are occupying several major intersections in Bangkok as they aim to step up pressure on the government.
3. The largest Coming-of-Age ceremony in Japan was held in Yokohama near Tokyo on Monday to commemorate their adulthood.
January 14, Tuesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Mr. Mick Corliss
1. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says Japan will provide more than 11 million dollars to support displaced people from South Sudan and Somalia.
2. Ceasefire negotiations aimed at stopping the conflict in South Sudan have resumed in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.
3. The European Union’s foreign policy chief is due to visit Iran in the coming weeks for more talks on a nuclear deal.
January 15, Wednesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Helen Lewis and Mr. Michael Rhys
1. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has wrapped up his tour of the Middle East and Africa.
2. Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is considering postponing an election to settle the standoff with anti-government protesters.
3. At least 5 people have been killed in violent clashes in Egypt, where citizens began voting on Tuesday in a referendum on a new constitution.
January 16, Thursday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Patrick Devolpi and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Nations attending a U.N. donor conference for Syria have offered 2.4 billion dollars for victims of the country’s civil war.
2. Thursday marks the first anniversary of the hostage crisis at a natural gas plant in Algeria that left dozens of foreign workers dead.
3. Japanese soccer player Keisuke Honda marked his home debut for Italian team AC Milan with a goal against Spezia.
January 17, Friday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will likely attend the opening ceremony of the Sochi Olympics on February 7th.
2. Friday marks the 19th anniversary of a major earthquake that hit Kobe City in Hyogo Prefecture and surrounding areas in western Japan.
3. The Japanese government has upgraded its assessment of the nation’s economy for the first time in four years.
January 18, Saturday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. The Syrian government has proposed a partial ceasefire with opposition forces ahead of a planned international peace conference.
2. Protesters in Bangkok are planning to continue their rally on Saturday following a blast that wounded 38 people during an anti-government march.
3. U.S. President Barack Obama says his government will stop monitoring the communications of U.S. allies’ leaders unless there is a compelling national security purpose.
January 19, Sunday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. Egypt’s election commission says more than 90 percent of voters who took part in a referendum this month approved a draft constitution for the country.
2. Syria’s main opposition group has decided to take part in international peace talks starting on Wednesday in Switzerland.
3. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and a U.S. presidential spokesman have condemned last week’s Taliban attack on a restaurant in Kabul, Afghanistan.
January 20, Monday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitada
1. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he has invited representatives from Iran and nine other countries to take part in this week’s Syria peace conference.
2. Iran’s government will on Monday begin implementing an initial agreement on limiting the country’s nuclear program.
3. The incumbent mayor of Japanese City Nago in Okinawa Prefecture has been reelected. He opposes plans to relocate a U.S. air base to his city.
January 21, Tuesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has withdrawn an offer for Iran to attend Syria’s peace talks, citing Iran’s refusal to support the establishment of a transitional government in Syria, which is a basis for the talks.
2. A U.S. State Department spokesperson says the U.S. government will ease some economic sanctions against Iran.
3. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will deliver a keynote address at this year’s meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday.
January 22, Wednesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. Tension is mounting in Thailand after the government imposed a state of emergency in the capital Bangkok and surrounding areas.
2. International delegates are gathering in the Swiss city of Montreux for a long-awaited peace conference on Syria.
3. The International Monetary Fund has slightly upgraded its forecast of world economic growth this year because of the recovery in advanced countries.
January 23, Thursday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Raja Pradan
1. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has vowed to implement tax reforms including reducing the corporate tax rate.
2. The Guardian newspaper says more than a dozen family members of China’s top leaders are managing their assets in offshore companies.
3. The United States has called on China to immediately release a prominent human rights activist.
January 24, Friday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. The ordinary session of Japan’s Diet opened on Friday.
2. The Syrian government and the opposition are to open their talks on Friday in search of a solution to the civil war.
3. Representatives of forces led by South Sudan President Salva Kiir and those loyal to former vice president Riek Mechar have signed a ceasefire agreement.
January 25, Saturday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe left on a 3-day trip to India on Saturday, aiming to strengthen economic and security ties.
2. Delegations representing the Syrian government and the opposition will begin their first direct peace talks on Saturday.
3. The International Atomic Energy Agency has asked for financial contributions from member countries for an increase in inspections in Iran.
January 26, Sunday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. The leaders of Japan and India have vowed to deepen their economic and security cooperation at a summit in the Indian capital.
2. Syrian government and opposition delegates have begun their first face-to-face talks since civil war was triggered three years ago by protests for greater democracy.
3. The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, wrapped up its 4-day session on Saturday.
January 27, Monday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Japan marked a record trade deficit of 11.47 trillion yen, or about 112 billion dollars, last year.
2. Former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden says the NSA has been involved in industrial espionage.
3. Top officials from the Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, and labor representatives kick off their annual wage negotiations on Monday.
January 28, Tuesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Mr. Mick Corliss
January 29, Wednesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Helen Lewis
January 30, Thursday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Patrick Devolpi and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
January 31, Friday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Maxwell Powers and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. A researcher involved in the latest discovery on making stem cells from mice says they are now trying to develop a similar process from the cells of primates, including humans.
2. The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant says it is learning more about what caused water to leak from a containment vessel at the No. 1 reactor.
3. Japan’s consumer price for 2013 rose for the first time in 5 years, due mainly to the weaker yen.