February 1, Saturday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. Peace-sought talks between the Syrian government and the opposition have recessed with no significant progress.
2. Tensions are rising in Thailand as anti-government demonstrators continue their protests against general elections scheduled for Sunday.
3. A Japanese Defense Ministry think-tank says the establishment of China’s new national security panel will help President Xi Jinping further consolidate his power base.
February 2, Sunday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. Foreign Minister Fumiko Kishida has stressed that Japan is following a peaceful path, in response to criticism by a Chinese official at an international conference.
2. The foreign ministers of Japan and Russia say their leaders are planning to meet on Saturday, when they are in Sochi for the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics.
3. Voters in Thailand are going to the polls in a general election amid tight security against anti-government protests.
February 3, Monday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Voters have gone to the polls for a general election. But, political turmoil shows no signs of ending, as protests continue.
2. Thousands of demonstrators marched through central Moscow on Sunday, calling for the release of political prisoners and the guarantee of human rights for gays.
3. Japan is looking to review its guidelines for official development aid for the first time in 11 years.
February 4, Tuesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. Wall streets extended its losses on Monday and the dollar fell to its lowest against the yen since late November.
2. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says he will allow a U.S.-led NATO force to provide security for an envisioned Palestinian state.
3. Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida says he will visit Washington later this week to meet U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
February 5, Wednesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. South Korea is opposing Japan’s attempt to have group of early industrial facilities registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
2. A Japanese government panel has agreed legislative measures are necessary to allow Self-Defense Forces to respond to security threats.
3. A senior U.S. official says his government has urged China not to set up new air defense identification zones in the South China Sea or other sensitive areas.
February 6, Thursday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. Russian President Vladimir Putin has given assurances that tough security measures will be given to ensure the safety of athletes and visitors during the Olympic Games in Sochi.
2. Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is preparing to visit Japan next month.
3. A U.N. panel has sharply criticized the Vatican for covering up child sex abuses by Catholic priests.
February 7, Friday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has left Tokyo for Sochi to attend the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games.
2. The government of Syria and opposition forces have agreed to allow relief goods into the city of Homs and let residents leave.
3. China’s international trade value for last year is thought to have topped that of the United States.
February 8, Saturday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. The 2014 Winter Olympic Games have begun in Sochi, Russia. At the opening ceremony, athletes from 87 countries and territories marched in the order of the Russian alphabet.
2. Women and children in Syria have begun evacuating from the besieged central city of Homs.
3. The operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has decided to review radiation data after finding the initial readings may be much lower than actual figures.
February 9, Sunday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1 Russian President Vladimir Putin has told Prime Minister Shinzo Abe he will make a trip to Japan in autumn.
2.Voters in Tokyo are casting ballots on Sunday to decide the capital’s new governor.
3. Heavy snowfall has blanketed white areas of Japan, including Tokyo and surrounding regions.
February 10, Monday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Former health minister Yoichi Masuzoe has been elected as Tokyo’s next governor.
2. The Iranian government has agreed to provide new information on the country’s nuclear development to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
3. People in Switzerland have approved a proposal to limit the migration of foreigners to the country including workers from the European Union.
February 11, Tuesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuka Matsumoto and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. A senior Taiwanese official will visit China on Tuesday to hold the first Cabinet-level talks between the two sides since the territories split in 1949.
2. Representatives of the Syrian government and the opposition forces on Monday opened the second round of their peace talks in Geneva, Switzerland.
3. European Union foreign ministers have agreed to offer financial support to Ukraine in an attempt to defuse its political crisis.
February 12, Wednesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Helen Lewis and Mr. Michael Rhys
1. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has stressed the importance of diplomacy in resolving the international standoff over the country’s nuclear program.
2. Thailand’s election commission says it will hold re-runs in April in some of the electoral districts where voting was cancelled in the general election earlier this month.
3. Officials from China and Taiwan have held their first ministerial-level talks since their split in 1949.
February 13, Thursday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Patrick Devolpi and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. U.S. President Barack Obama will begin a tour of 4 Asian countries in late April.
2. Lawmakers in the U.S. state of New Jersey are set to deliberate a bill that would require the state government to rename the Sea of Japan.
3. The head of Japan’s nuclear regulator says more time will be needed to complete safety screening to restart some of the country’s reactors.
February 14, Friday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. The International Atomic Energy Agency has advised the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant to examine all options to treat contaminated water.
2. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has urged Japan and South Korea to overcome their historical differences and quickly improve bilateral ties to address threats from North Korea.
3. The United Nations has warned that ethno-religious cleansing is underway in the Central African Republic.
February 15, Saturday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has asked China to persuade North Korea to exercise restraint as tensions rise on the Korean Peninsula.
2. A low-pressure system dumped record heavy snow on inland areas around Tokyo.
3. In men’s figure skating, Yuzuru Hanyu won Japan’s first gold medal at the Sochi Winter Olympics.
February 16, Sunday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. The Syrian government and opposition have suspended their peace talks without setting a date for another round of negotiations.
2. U.S. President Barack Obama and Jordan’s King Abdullah have agreed to push the U.N. Security Council to pass a resolution to improve humanitarian aid access in Syria.
3. Lebanon’s prime minister has formed a Cabinet, breaking an over 10-month-long political deadlock.
February 17, Monday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Dawn Matus and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. Japan’s economy grew slightly in the final quarter of last year.
2. Japanese nuclear regulators have started surveying a fault at a plant in the country’s northeast.
3. An explosion on a tour bus in Egypt leaves four people dead.
February 18, Tuesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Mr. Mick Corliss
1. The United Nations special commission on human rights issues in North Korea has condemned the abductions of Japanese and other nationals by the country.
2. Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida says he will continue proposing a foreign ministerial meeting with South Korea in an effort to mend bilateral relations.
3. Japan’s minister in charge of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade talks suggests removing or lowering tariffs on some key farm products is inevitable.
February 19, Wednesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. David Crystal
1. Clashes in Ukraine between police and anti-government protesters have left at least 18 people dead and more than 500 others injured.
2. A major armed clash has erupted in South Sudan despite a ceasefire deal that was reached last month.
3. Iran and six major world powers began a new round of talks on Tuesday to try to reach a comprehensive deal on Tehran’s nuclear program.
February 20, Thursday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. Tension remains high in Ukraine despite the announcement of a truce agreement between the government and opposition leaders.
2. The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant says water containing extremely high levels of radioactive substances has leaked from a storage tank.
3. Japan and Saudi Arabia have agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation in the security and energy sectors.
February 21, Friday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. The international community is stepping up efforts to bring an end to the violence in Ukraine.
2. Further international talks on Iran’s nuclear development will likely be contentious as Western nations insist the negotiations should also deal with Iran’s ballistic missile program.
3. Negotiations are continuing in the U.N. Security Council on a draft resolution to improve humanitarian aid access in Syria.
February 22, Saturday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has signed an agreement with three opposition leaders, aiming at halting deadly clashes between government forces and protesters.
2. In Somalia, militants have attacked the presidential palace. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was unharmed, but two government employees were killed.
3. Syria is seeking more time to remove chemical agents from the country. The request could lead to a delay in disposing of all of the country’s chemical agents by the target date of the end of June.
February 23, Sunday, 2014 (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 nations say emerging economies need to carry out structural reforms to stabilize their markets.
2. The United Nations Security Council has approved a resolution urging the Syrian government and opposition forces to allow humanitarian aid access in the country.
3. Ukraine’s President Viktor Yanukovych has fled the capital of Kiev, and his government is on the verge of collapse.
February 24, Monday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Ministers from the 12 countries participating in the Trans-Pacific Partnership free- trade talks are tackling the most contentious areas of the pact on the third day of their meeting in Singapore.
2. The United States and South Korea have begun a joint military drill which includes practicing responses to a possible attack by North Korea.
3. Ukraine’s opposition lawmakers are now the dominant force in the parliament.
February 25, Tuesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. Lawmakers in Ukraine are moving swiftly to transfer power to a new government.
2. The latest round of talks for the Trans-Pacific Partnership is set to end in Singapore on Tuesday.
3. Egypt’s prime minister announced on Monday that he and his cabinet were resigning.
February 26, Wednesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Helen Lewis
1. Opposition groups in Ukraine are working to form an interim government while excluding any influence of ousted president Viktor Yanukovych.
2. Engineers are to start testing a plan to build frozen walls at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
3. The Japanese government is to donate about 14 million dollars to support the operation to dispose of Syria’s chemical agents.
February 27, Thursday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Patrick Devolpi and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Opposition leaders in Ukraine have unveiled a list of cabinet ministers they are proposing for a transitional government.
2. Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered military exercises in western Russia, amid tensions in Ukraine.
3. The U.S. government is again calling for China and Japan to address their different perceptions of history and improve relations through dialogue.
February 28, Friday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Maxwell Powers and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. Turmoil in Ukraine may worsen as protests grow in the south against the newly-formed, pro-Western interim government.
2. South Korea’s Defense Ministry says North Korea fired four projectiles toward the Sea of Japan on Thursday.
3. Japan plans to commit roughly 200 million dollars in aid to Palestine at an upcoming international conference on the Middle Eastern territory.