November 1, Saturday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. The Japanese delegates sent to North Korea this week have urged the North’s officials to exercise self-restraint on missile and nuclear development.
2. New York stock prices rose to a record high on Friday on the additional stimulus provided by the Bank of Japan.
3. The official in charge of the United Nations ‘ Ebola response says the transmission of the disease is slowing in some parts of West Africa.
November 2, Sunday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. Japan’s government is conducting a disaster drill on the scenario that an accident has happened at a nuclear plant in Ishikawa Prefecture.
2. Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yoichi Miyazawa ahs visited the damaged nuclear plant in Fukushima for the first time since taking office less than 2 weeks ago.
3. Burkina Faso’s opposition parties have rejected the military’s seizure of power following the resignation of the country’s president.
November 3, Monday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. Security authorities in Iraq say the Islamic State militant group has killed more than 200 members of an Iraqi tribe.
2. A suicide bombing by an Islamic extremist has killed 54 people near the border between Pakistan and India.
3. Residents of some areas of eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian separatists voted on Sunday to elect their own legislators and executives.
November 4, Tuesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Mr. Mick Corliss
1. Tokyo’s bench mark stock index topped 17,000 on Tuesday morning for the first time in just over 7 years.
2. Candidates in the United States mid-term elections are making their final appeals to voters before polling stations open on Tuesday.
3. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe says numerous anti-aircraft rounds have been fired on one of its surveillance drones in eastern Ukraine.
November 5, Wednesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. The U.S. television network ABC says the Republican Party is projected to secure a majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives for the first time in eight years.
2. Workers at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi plant have finished removing high radioactive spent nuclear fuel from one of the reactor buildings.
3. Japan’s Coast Guard has reported a sharp rise in the number of foreign ships in Japanese waters near the Ogasawara Islands.
November 6, Thursday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Jonathan Sear and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. The Republicans have gained control of the Senate in the U.S. midterm elections.
2. Patrollers with Japan’s Coast Guard are warning suspected Chinese poachers to keep away from islands in the Pacific.
3. A close aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin has criticized Japan for joining Western countries in imposing sanctions on Russia.
November 7, Friday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Maxwell Powers and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. Japan and China are making last-minute arrangements to realize a bilateral summit at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation talks set to open on Monday in Beijing.
2. A ministerial conference of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum will begin on Friday in Beijing.
3. Japanese authorities are closely monitoring Chinese boats suspected of poaching coral near Japanese islands in the Pacific Ocean.
November 8, Saturday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1.U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has welcomed an agreement reached by Japan and China on Friday to improve bilateral relations.
2.The Islamic State extremist group appears to be unfazed by three months of air strikes by a U.S.-led coalition. Meanwhile, the United States has announced a plan to send up to 1,500 more troops to help the Iraqi government fight the militants.
November 9, Sunday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has left for a 9-day tour to attend a series of international conferences, including a summit of the Asai-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
2. A U.S. government official says negotiators trying to strike a free trade deal in the Asia-Pacific should move the deadline to next year.
3. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he will make a careful judgment on whether to raise the consumption tax as planned to 10 percent from the current 8 percent.
November 10, Monday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yoshi Ogasawara and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping held their first summit talks in Beijing.
2. Prime Minister Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed to resume talks for concluding a bilateral peace treaty.
3. Iraqi state television is reporting that the leader of the Islamic State has been wounded in U.S.-led airstrikes.
November 11, Tuesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms Risa Shimizu
1. Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for establishing a free trade zone in the Asia-Pacific region soon.
2. An Israeli woman and an Israeli soldier have been killed in separate night attacks in Tel Aviv and the West Bank, raising concerns in Israel about a new Palestinian uprising.
3. A suicide bombing at a school in Nigeria has killed 47 people.
November 12, Wednesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. The leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations opened a series of summit meetings in Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw on Wednesday.
2. The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum in Beijing have highlighted a tug of war over who will take the initiative in promoting free trade in the region.
3. The Japanese government is looking for ways to improve relations with South Korea, following talks in Beijing between the top leaders of the two nations.
November 13, Thursday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. Leaders of the 10 ASEAN member states along with those from Japan, the United States, China and other countries met on Thursday on the East Asia summit.
2. The World Health Organization says more than 5,000 people have died in the current outbreak of Ebola.
3. The Israeli government has refused entry to a United Nations team investigating the Gaza conflict earlier this year.
November 14, Friday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. Japan’s Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida has expressed hope for the realization of meetings of the leaders and foreign ministers of Japan, South Korea and China.
2. Japan has pledged about 6 million dollars to help restore eastern Ukraine.
3. The Liberian president has announced the end of a state of emergency imposed to control the Ebola outbreak.
November 15, Saturday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. Leaders of the Group of 20 industrialized and emerging economies opened a summit meeting in Brisbane, Australia, on Saturday.
2. A strong earthquake has hit off the coast of the eastern Indonesian island of Sulawesi. People living near the epicenter are instructed to take precautions against possible tsunami.
3. A U.N. inquiry commission says the Islamic State insurgent group has openly executed people as it imposes a reign of terror in areas controlled by Syria.
November 16, Sunday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. The leaders of the Group of 20 economies have discussed global energy issues and climate change in their summit talks.
2. The leaders of Japan, the United States and Australia have agreed to deepen their three-way partnership to ensure the future of the Asia-Pacific region and build peace, stability and prosperity.
3. The finance ministers of Japan and China have confirmed that they will keep working to encourage ties that have stagnated due to differences between their countries.
November 17, Monday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. New figures released by the Cabinet Office show Japan’s economy shrank in the July-to-September period.
2. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is likely to announce the dissolution of the Lower House as early as Tuesday.
3. Voters in Okinawa have chosen a new governor who opposes the central government’s plan to build a new U.S. military facility in the prefecture.
November 18, Tuesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will likely announce on Tuesday that he plans to dissolve the Diet’s Lower House.
2. An envoy for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Russia.
3. In Hong Kong, workers have begun clearing away barricades in areas occupied by pro-democracy demonstrators.
November 19, Wednesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Helen Lewis and Mr. Michael Rhys
1. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has formally announced that he will dissolve the Lower House on Friday for a general election.
2. Japan’s Coast Guard officials say 70 Chinese fishing boats are suspected of poaching coral still near Japan’s Ogasawara Islands in the Pacific Ocean.
3. The foreign ministers of Russia and Germany have agreed on the importance of a ceasefire between Ukraine’s military and pro-Russian separatists.
November 20, Thursday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Jonathan Sear and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. The World Health Organization says the number of confirmed or suspected cases of Ebola has passed 15,000.
2. Japan’s Cabinet Secretariat says Chinese ships are apparently poaching coral in the country’s territorial waters at night while staying away during the day.
3. The United States has condemned North Korea’s threat of more nuclear tests in response to a U.N. resolution on its human rights situation.
November 21, Friday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Maxwell Powers and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has dissolved the Lower House of the Diet, paving the way for a general election.
2. Envoys from Japan and Taiwan have signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at boosting their ties.
3. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has told the visiting king of Jordanian king Abdullah that he praises Jordan for its peace-keeping efforts, and that Japan will continue to help the country financially.
November 22, Saturday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. The heads of the United Nations and other international organizations have called on the global community to remain committed to efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
2. A British research organization says China is creating a landmass that could be the site for its first airstrip in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.
3. China’s central bank is cutting its key interest rates for the first time since July 2012.
November 23, Sunday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. Tunisians go to the polls on Sunday to pick a new president in an election widely viewed as the final step in the transition to democracy.
2. An Islamic militant group based in Somalia has claimed responsibility for murdering 28 people in a bus attack in Kenya on Saturday.
3. Ukrainians have gathered in Kiev to remember the demonstration a year ago which led to the fall of the pro-Russian government.
November 24, Monday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Yoshi Ogasawara and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Private research companies in Japan are projecting the country’s economy will shrink in the current fiscal year for the first time in five years.
2. Preparations are underway to rebuild roads and a railway damaged by Saturday’s earthquake in central Japan.
3. Foreign ministers from Iran and six world powers will likely try to forge a framework deal to continue their talks on Tehran’s nuclear program beyond Monday’s deadline.
November 25, Tuesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. The foreign ministers of six world powers and Iran have agreed to extend their deadline for an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program by seven months.
2. U.S. President Barack Obama says Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is stepping down.
3. Japan’s political parties are expected to announce their campaign platforms this week for the Lower House election on December 14th.
November 26, Wednesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. Police in Hong Kong have arrested 116 protesters who scuffled with officers during operations to clear barricades from one of the demonstration sites.
2. Japan’s Supreme Court has ruled on Wednesday that last year’s Upper House election was constitutional.
3. UNESCO is expected to add the traditional techniques of crafting Japanese-style “washi” paper to its intangible cultural heritage.
November 27, Thursday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. Officials at UNESCO have decided to add the traditional techniques of crafting Japanese-style “washi” paper to their list of intangible cultural heritage.
2. U.S. safety regulators have ordered Japanese auto-parts maker Takata snd five car makers to issue a nation-wide recall on vehicles equipped with faulty Takata airbags.
3. Scuffles continue between Hong Kong police and pro-democracy protesters even after barricades were removed at one of the main protest sites.
November 28, Friday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. Representatives of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries have decided to maintain their crude oil output ceiling.
2. The Japanese government and the operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant say cleaning up a heavily contaminated reactor building is much harder than they had believed.
3. Japan’s defense minister has ordered the Air Self-Defense Force to transport protective clothing to help contain the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
November 29, Saturday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. In New York, crude oil futures fell to around 65 dollars a barrel over concerns about excessive oil supply.
2. Three successive explosions have torn through a crowded mosque in Nigeria. Dozens of people reportedly have been killed or wounded.
3. Voters in Taiwan are going to the polls to choose their local mayors and councilors. Saturday’s elections are seen as an indicator of public sentiment ahead of a presidential election scheduled for 2016.
November 30, Sunday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. Taiwan’s ruling Kuomintang, or Nationalist Party, has suffered a crushing defeat in local elections in an apparent blow to the administration of President Ma Ying-Jeou.
2. Hundreds of Egyptians have protested in Cairo against a court ruling that dropped murder charges against former president Hosni Mubarak.
3. Myanmar’s pro-democracy leader Min Ko Naing has called for a change to the constitution, which gives the military a large chunk of power.