June 1, Sunday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. The defense chiefs of Japan and the United States say they cannot accept any unilateral change of the status quo in the East and South China Seas.
2. Anti-government forces in Syria claim to have killed at least 40 soldiers in a massive blast targeting a military base in the northern city of Aleppo.
3. A U.S. soldier has been released after being held by the Taliban in Afghanistan for about 5 years.
June 2, Monday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Chinese officials have reacted strongly to the Japanese prime minister’s remarks at the Asia Security Summit, an apparent sign of concern over stronger Japan-U.S. ties.
2. Families of Japanese abducted by North Korea have attended a rally following the North’s announcement that it is reopening an investigation into the fate of the abductees.
3. A final test game has been held at a stadium in Sao Paulo. The venue will host the opening match of the soccer World Cup.
June 3, Tuesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. Workers have started building part of an underground frozen soil wall that will eventually surround the reactor and turbine buildings at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
2. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has sworn in a government he says will bring solidarity to the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
3. Ukraine’s former foreign minister, Petro Poroshenko, will be sworn in as the country’s new president in Kiev on Saturday.
June 4, Wednesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Helen Lewis and Mr. Michael Rhys
1. Security is tight around Tiananmen Square in Beijing, 25 years after a military crackdown there on pro-democracy protests.
2. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has flown to Belgium to attend a Group of Seven summit.
3. The speaker of Russia’s Lower House says Japan should adopt a more independent policy regarding the sanctions against Russia over Ukraine.
June 5, Thursday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Patrick Devolpi and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. The leaders of the Group of Seven nations have suggested they may be considering tougher sanctions on Russia.
2. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been re-elected by a landslide.
3. Hundreds of people have gathered in Taiwan to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown.
June 6, Friday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Maxwell Powers and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. The leaders of the Group of Seven industrialized nations have ended two days of talks by adopting a summit statement that says they are ready to strengthen sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine situation if necessary.
2. Russian President Vladimir Putin has held talks with British and French leaders.
3. The Philippine government says it has confirmed that China is engaged in reclamation of two more reefs in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.
June 7, Saturday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. U.S. President Barack Obama has called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to do what he can to ease the tension in Ukraine.
2. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Italian counterpart Matteo Renzi have agreed on the importance of resolving international disputes peacefully, in line with the principle of international law.
June 8, Sunday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. The U.N. refugee agency says more than 10,000 Ukrainians have fled their homes in the past three months to seek sanctuary elsewhere in the country.
2. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns will lead a U.S. delegation to meet with Iranian representatives in a bid to resolve differences in multiparty talks over Tehran’s nuclear program.
3. A series of car bombs has ripped through the Iraqi capital Baghdad, killing at least 20 people and wounding 80.
June 9, Monday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Yoshi Ogasawara and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga says Japan’s government has given North Korea a list of missing Japanese nationals thought to have been abducted by agents from the North.
2. Ukraine’s new President Petro Poroshenko says fighting in the country’s eastern regions must stop this week.
3. Egypt’s former defense minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was sworn in as the country’s new president on Sunday.
June 10, Tuesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Mr. Mick Corliss
1. Officials with the operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant say the water level inside the No.2 reactor’s containment vessel is about half the previous estimate.
2. Japan’s prime minister has suggested Japan’s use of collective self-defense will be limited even if the country is allowed to exercise the right.
3. Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has visited neighboring Turkey in a bid to mend ties strained by the conflict in Syria.
June 11, Wednesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. Islamic militants linked to Al-Qaeda have effectively taken control of Iraq’s second- largest city of Mosul.
2. Ukraine’s new president has indicated that his administration will create a corridor to help residents of eastern regions flee the fighting between pro-Russian militants and government forces.
3. Vietnamese newspapers say a Chinese rammed into a Vietnamese fishing boat last Friday in Vietnam’s territorial waters in the Gulf of Tonkin.
June 12, Thursday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. Al-Qaeda-linked Islamist militants are gaining further ground in northern Iraq and plan to attack the capital Baghdad.
2. A senior Japanese diplomat has lodged a protest with the Chinese Foreign Ministry over an incident involving aircraft from both countries.
3. Workers at two airports in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro will stage a strike on Thursday. That is the day the soccer World Cup finals get underway in the country.
June 13, Friday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. The Iraqi military is mounting airstrikes on the Al-Qaeda-inspired militant group that is taking control of northern cities.
2. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has accused Russia of allowing tanks to cross the border into eastern Ukraine.
3. Foreign ministers from African and Western nations have agreed to share information and step up border controls in Africa to combat the Islamist militant group Boko Haram.
June 14, Saturday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. The Iraqi government is stepping up its military offensive against Al-Qaeda-linked insurgents who are advancing toward the capital Baghdad.
2. Russia and Ukraine have exchanged criticism over military vehicles crossing their common border.
3. Thailand’s military government has lifted a nationwide curfew on Friday.
June 15, Sunday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. On the third day of the World Cup finals in Brazil, Japan lost to Cote d’Ivoire 2 to 1, in its first match in Group C.
2. Iraq’s military says it has regained some areas controlled by Al-Qaeda-linked insurgents after stepping up its fight against them.
3. Government officials in Afghanistan are hailing Saturday’s presidential run-off as a success, despite the deaths of dozens of people in attacks across the country.
June 16, Monday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. The Iraqi government is launching full-scale military operations against Al-Qaeda-linked militants, while insurgents have attacked a military facility.
2. Delegates to the U.N. Conference on Climate Change has wrapped up their preparatory talks for the COP 20 meeting scheduled for December in Peru.
3. Japan’s national team at the FIFA World Cup soccer finals has resumed training after losing its opening match to Cote d’Ivoire 2 to 1 on Saturday.
June 17, Tuesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. Top White House security advisors have briefed President Barack Obama about possible U.S. options to counter a spreading Islamist insurgency in Iraq.
2. Russia’s decision to cut off natural gas supplies to Ukraine is deepening the rift between the two neighbors.
3. Somalia-based Islamist militants have claimed responsibility for the latest attack in Kenya that killed nearly 50 people.
June 18, Wednesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Helen Lewis
1. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and other government officials have urged Iraqis to overcome sectarian and ethnic differences and work for national unity.
2. Islamic militants have killed at least 15 people in a coastal village in Kenya.
3. Tough negotiations continue in Vienna on a final accord for Iran’s nuclear development before the deadline in about a month.
June 19, Thursday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Patrick Devolpi and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Iraqi government forces are intensifying air attacks on Sunni Islamist insurgents in northern and western Iraq in a bid to rollback rebel offensives.
2. Government officials from Japan and North Korea plan to meet again to discuss a special committee that will investigate the fate of missing Japanese abductees.
3. The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant will alter its plan to transfer the fuel rods from the number 4 damaged reactor building.
June 20, Friday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Maxwell Powers and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. U.S. President Barack Obama says he will set up joint operations centers and send up to 300 military advisors to help Iraq’s government forces combat Islamic militants.
2. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has called for Russia’s support for a truce in eastern Ukraine.
3. In World Cup soccer in Brazil, Japan played its second game in Group C against Greece. The match ended in a 0-0 draw.
June 21, Saturday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. A 19th century Japanese silk mill is expected to soon be newly listed as a World Heritage site.
2. The Japanese government has released the results of a study of how a 1993 statement on the so-called comfort women was composed. The report says Japan and South Korea carefully consulted on the wording.
3. Iran and six world powers will resume negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program early next month, aiming at reaching a final accord by their self-imposed deadline of July 20th.
June 22, Sunday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. Iraqi forces are preparing for a major operation to recapture key northern locations from Islamic extremists.
2. Sunday marks one months since the Thai military took power in a coup.
3. Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko has pledged to achieve a ceasefire in the conflict with pro-Russian separatists in the country’s east.
June 23, Monday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Yoshi Ogasawara and Ms. Yuka Matsumto
1. Sunni militants in western Iraq have reportedly executed dozens of local leaders in towns where they have expanded their control.
2. Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed support for Ukraine’s ceasefire and peace plan.
3. People in Japan’s southernmost prefecture of Okinawa are observing the 69th anniversary of the end of fierce fighting in the final days of World War II.
June 24, Tuesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Risa Shimizu
1. The Japanese Cabinet is set to approve basic economic and fiscal reform policies, deregulation and a growth strategy for Japan in an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday.
2. Militant Sunni Islamists have begun destroying historic statues in northern Iraq where they have taken control.
3. Israel’s air force has struck Syrian army targets in response to a fatal cross-border missile attack one day earlier.
June 25, Wednesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. Japan’s Finance Ministry will start putting together budget request guidelines for fiscal 2015 following Cabinet’s approval of basic economic and fiscal reform policies.
2. Japan’s ruling coalition parties are moving toward agreement on changes in the interpretation of the Constitution to allow the nation to exercise its right to collective self-defense.
3. The United States is increasing its diplomatic and military commitment to Iraq, as fierce fighting continues between Iraqi government forces and Islamic militants.
June 26, Thursday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has rejected calls for a national salvation government as fighting continues between government forces and Islamist militants.
2. Officials of Japan’s Fisheries Agency have advised South Korea’s government that the country needs to keep the catch of Pacific bluefin tuna under international limits.
3. Japan’s national soccer team coach Alberto Zaccheroni has announced his resignation.
June 27, Friday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Yoshi Ogasawara and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. The U.S.-led joint naval exercise RIMPAC is underway off Hawaii, with China participating for the first time.
2. The Iraqi prime minister is facing growing calls from his fellow Shia Muslims to step down.
3. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says he will sign a key economic agreement with the European Union to promote his pro-Western stance.
June 28, Saturday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. Japan has pledged to provide the World Bank around 5 billion dollars, more than any other country, in grants and loans, to assist developing countries.
2. People in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev have celebrated the country’s signing of an economic agreement with the European Union.
June 29, Sunday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff says North Korea fired what appeared to be two short-range missiles on Sunday into the Sea of Japan.
2. North Korean officials have allowed a group of Japanese to visit a graveyard containing the remains of compatriots who died around the end of World War II.
3. Iraqi military forces are mounting a major assault to retake the northern city of Tikrit from insurgents, but they continue to face strong resistance.
June 30, Monday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Yoshi Ogasawara and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Iraqi government forces continue an offensive operation to retake areas seized by Sunni insurgents.
2. Japanese officials are on their way to Beijing to meet with their North Korean counterparts.
3. At the FIFA World Cup round of 16 soccer matches on Sunday, the Netherlands and Costa Rica advanced to the quarter-finals.