July 1, Tuesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. Japan’s Cabinet is set to change the interpretation of the Constitution to enable the country to exercise its right to collective self-defense.
2. Senior officials from Japan and North Korea have begun talks in Beijing.
3. The Bank of Japan’s quarterly Tankan survey shows that major manufacturers were less confident about the economy in June, compared with the previous period.
July 2, Wednesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Helen Lewis and Ms. Michael Rhys
1. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has stressed that Japan will only use its right to collective self-defense in limited cases.
2. Japan’s chief negotiator in the talks with North Korea says the two sides discussed a special panel tasked with investigating the fate of abductees and other Japanese nationals in the North.
3. The first session of Iraq’s new parliament has been adjourned after Sunnis and Kurds walked out in protest.
July 3, Thursday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuka Matsumoto and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. The Japanese government has decided to partially lift sanctions on North Korea in exchange for Pyongyang’s investigation into missing Japanese.
2. Officials from Iran and six world powers have restarted negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program.
3. A subsidiary company of Japan’s electronics giant Toshiba is likely to win a deal for a nuclear power plant project in Bulgaria.
July 4, Friday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Mr. Maxwell Powers
1. The Japanese government has decided to lift three sanctions on North Korea as it believes Pyongyang has made sincere preparations to tackle the abduction issue.
2. Kurdish leaders in northern Iraq have launched the first step toward implementing a referendum on the autonomous region seeking independence from the war-torn country.
3. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says his country is ready for a new ceasefire with pro-Russian separatists if certain conditions are met.
July 5, Saturday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. Japan’s ruling coalition parties are looking into ways to support Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea and their families when they return home.
2. North Korean envoy says his country has given the highest-level of authority to a panel investigating the fate of missing Japanese nationals.
3. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki says he will run for a third term, in defiance of growing calls for him to step down.
July 6, Sunday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has set out on a tour of three countries in Oceania.
2. Video footage of the self-claimed leader of Islamist militants in Iraq has been posted on the Internet.
3. Chinese navy personnel are taking part in the U.S.-led joint RIMPAC naval exercises in and around Hawaii.
July 7, Monday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Japan’s government and the ruling coalition will adjust the timing of when they submit to the Diet bills to implement the country’s new security policy.
2. Israeli authorities announced on Sunday that they have detained several Jewish suspects in the killing of a Palestinian teenager.
3. The compound wall of a warehouse in India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu. Eleven construction workers were killed.
July 8, Tuesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. A powerful typhoon is moving northward west of Kume Island of Japan’s southernmost prefecture of Okinawa.
2. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has told Australia’s parliament that he wants the two countries and their common ally, the United States, to strengthen security cooperation.
3. Japan’s foreign minister has confirmed with his U.S. counterpart that the two countries will work together with South Korea to deal with North Korean issues.
July 9, Wednesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. Voters in Indonesia are going to the polls on Wednesday to elect the country’s new president.
2. North Korea appears to have launched multiple ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan.
3. Israel has launched a massive air raid on the Gaza Strip, killing at least 16 people, including civilians.
July 10, Thursday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Raja Pradan
1. Severe tropical storm Neoguri is moving east over waters along the southern coast of Japan, bringing heavy rain in wide areas across the country.
2. Israel is stepping up its air strikes on the Gaza Strip, where the militant group Hamas continues firing rockets.
3. Argentina has made it to the final of the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 24 years after defeating the Netherlands on penalties.
July 11, Friday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. The Israeli military may be preparing for a ground battle with the Islamist organization Hamas.
2. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has appointed veteran diplomat Staffan de Mistura as its new special envoy for the Syrian crisis.
3. Delegates from Israel and Palestine have traded accusations at an emerging meeting of the U.N. Security Council.
July 12, Saturday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. The defense chiefs of Japan and the United States have agreed that reinterpretation of Japan’s Constitution regarding the right to collective self-defense should be reflected in a review of the bilateral defense cooperation guidelines.
2. The U.S. Senate has condemned China for attempting to alter by force the status quo of the East and South China Seas and urged the country to refrain from taking provocative actions.
July 13, Sunday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. North Korea launched two ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan early Sunday. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says Japan has lodged a stern protest with Pyongyang.
2. Diplomatic efforts are gathering pace to mediate a ceasefire between Israel and Islamist militant group Hamas as civilian casualties rise in the Palestinian autonomous enclave of Gaza.
3. Foreign ministers of world powers are joining talks on Iran’s nuclear program in a bid to break a deadlock.
July 14, Monday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Many Palestinians in northern parts of Gaza are fleeing their homes for fear of more air raids by Israel.
2. The Japanese government plans to step up calls for North Korea to exercise self-restraint following the North’s recent missile launches.
3. Germany has beaten Argentina 1-0, in the World Cup soccer final in Brazil to
clinch the title for the fourth time.
July 15, Tuesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. Egypt is urging the Israeli government and Palestinian militants in Gaza to accept a ceasefire proposal after a week of heavy fighting.
2. The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously on Monday to authorize delivery of humanitarian aid to Syrians in hard-to-reach areas.
3. Ukraine says a military transport plane has been shot down near the border with Russia by a missile “probably” fired from Russia.
July 16, Wednesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Kimberly Gale
1. Japanese regulator has taken a step toward allowing two nuclear reactors to go back into operation.
2. Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida says he will try to ease U.S. concerns over Japan’s policy on North Korea.
3. The Islamist militant group Hamas has rejected a ceasefire with Israel.
July 17, Thursday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas have agreed to a 5-hour ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
2. Japan’s nuclear regulator has begun accepting public opinions on a draft safety assessment it has approved for restarting a nuclear power plant in southern Japan.
3. A Japanese defense report has expressed grave concern over China’s declaration of
An air defense identification zone over the East China Sea.
July 18, Friday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Mr. David Crystal
1. Ukraine is accusing pro-Russian separatists of shooting down the Malaysia Airlines passenger jet on Thursday.
2. Airlines are avoiding the airspace over Ukraine following reports the crashed Malaysia Airlines flight was shot down.
3. The Israeli military says it has begun a ground offensive into the Gaza Strip.
July 19, Saturday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. Accusations were exchanged at the U.N. Security Council which convened an emergency meeting to discuss a Malaysian airliner which was downed in eastern Ukraine.
2. Monitors from Europe have been refused a full access to the crash site by personnel who are believed to be pro-Russian militants.
3. Israeli and Palestinian delegates have traded accusations at the U.N. Security Council to discuss Israel’s ground offensive in the Gaza Strip.
July 20, Sunday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. Pro-Russian militants in eastern Ukraine are restricting government rescuers from recovering the bodies of victims of the downed Malaysian airliner.
2. The ground defensive by Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip have pushed up the number of Gazan victims. It now totals about 300. Israel began air strikes in the territory earlier in July.
3. A series of bombings has hit predominantly Shia neighborhoods in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, killing at least 18 people and wounding 58.
July 21, Monday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Yoshi Ogasawara and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. A pro-Russian separatist leader says they have collected what they think are the flight recorders from the downed Malaysian jet.
2. The Israeli military has focused its shelling on a neighborhood of Gaza City.
3. Japan’s government-affiliated bank and Thailand’s largest conglomerate will jointly create a fund to help Japanese firms expand into Asian markets.
July 22, Tuesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. Pro-Russian separatists have handed over the flight recorders of the Malaysian passenger plane that was shot down in eastern Ukraine to Malaysian government officials.
2. Members of the United Nations Security Council have unanimously adopted a resolution calling on all parties to cooperate with an international investigation into the downing of a Malaysian passenger jet.
3. Israel’s ground offensive in the Gaza Strip is taking a severe toll on the lives of ordinary Palestinian civilians.
July 23, Wednesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. The remains of victims from the Malaysia Airlines plane shot down in eastern Ukraine are being sent to the Netherlands.
2. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to work for a ceasefire with the Hamas in the Gaza.
3. Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo has won Indonesia’s presidential election.
July 24, Thursday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. Taiwanese aviation authorities say 48 people have been confirmed dead following a plane crash on a western island on Wednesday evening.
2. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has met Israeli and Palestinian leaders as diplomacy intensifies for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
3. The Chinese government has expanded investigations across the country into an expired meat scandal.
July 25, Friday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. A shelling attack has hit a shelter at a U.N.-run school in the Gaza Strip, killing 16 people, including an infant.
2. Ukrainian Prime Minister Arsenly Yatsenyuk abruptly announced his resignation on Thursday.
3. Ukrainian authorities say they have examined the bodies and body parts of 182 people who were on board the downed Malaysian passenger plane.
July 26, Saturday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. Israel and the Palestinian organization Hamas have issued separate announcements saying they will observe a 12-hour ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, starting at 8 AM local time.
2. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto have agreed on bilateral cooperation for oil and shale gas development in Mexico.
July 27, Sunday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. The South Korean military says North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile from the west coast into the Sea of Japan on Saturday.
2. The Japanese government has lodged a protest with North Korea over Saturday’s missile launch.
3. Israel’s military has decided to extend a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip by more than 24 hours. The Palestinian group Hamas has resumed firing rockets toward Israel.
July 28, Monday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. The Israeli military has resumed its operations in Gaza after accusing the Palestinian group Hamas of failing to agree to extend a ceasefire.
2. The Ukrainian military is stepping up an offensive to regain control of the area where a Malaysia Airlines jet went down on July 17th.
3. Officials in Cameroon have stepped up their alert against Islamist extremist group Boko Haram after it kidnapped the wife of the country’s vice prime minister.
July 29, Tuesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of a prolonged war as the nation resumed intensive shelling and bombing of Gaza.
2. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has issued a statement after attending a summit of the 14-nation Caribbean Community.
3. International investigators looking into the Malaysia Airlines crash have been prevented from reaching the debris field for a second consecutive day.
July 30, Wednesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Helen Lewis and Mr. Michael Rhys
1. Japanese and Colombian leaders say they will accelerate negotiations to quickly establish an economic partnership agreement.
2. Fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian militants has intensified in eastern Ukraine.
3. Israeli troops have resumed their attacks in the Gaza Strip.
July 31, Thursday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuka Matsumoto and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. Representatives of Ukraine, Russia and Europe’s security-oriented organization will hold talks so that an international team of experts can investigate the Malaysia Airlines plane crash site in eastern Ukraine.
2. Truce proved a hard goal to reach in the Gaza Strip after Hamas militants brushed aside Israel’s offer of a brief ceasefire.
3. U.S. rating company Standard & Poor’s has declared Argentina in default on its foreign currency obligations after the country failed to reach an agreement with creditors.