February 1, Sunday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. Militants believed to be with Islamic State have posted an online video that appears to show the killing of Japanese hostage Kenji Goto.
2. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he is outraged at the apparent killing of Japanese journalist Kenji Goto by militants claiming to be with Islamic State.
3. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the apparent killing of Japanese journalist Kenji Goto by a group believed to be Islamic State militants.
February 2, Monday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Yoshi Ogasawara and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Japan’s prime minister says his country will fulfill its responsibility in the international fight against terrorism.
2. The wife of journalist Kenji Goto released a statement in English after a video purportedly showing his killing was posted online.
3. More than 8,000 protesters have marched in Hong Kong calling for a democratic election process.
February 3, Tuesday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. Japanese leaders are planning to step up anti-terror efforts and safety measures for overseas Japanese nationals in the wake of the hostage crisis.
2. A bomb attack on a presidential election rally in Nigeria has left at least one person dead and 18 wounded.
3. The Health Ministry says it will order Japanese drug maker Novartis Phama to suspend its business for failing to report serious side-effects from its products.
February 4, Wednesday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. Images have been posted online that purportedly show the killing of a Jordanian military pilot detained by the Islamic State militants.
2. Jordanian state-run television says the government has executed death-row inmate Sajida al-Rishawi.
3. The U.S. military says the U.S.-led coalition and Kurdish security forces have succeeded in driving out Islamic State militants from the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk.
February 5, Thursday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Jonathan Sear and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. Jordan has vowed to boost its military offensive against the Islamic State militant group. The move follows the release of a video showing the apparent killing of captured Jordanian pilot Moaz Kasasbeh.
2. The military of Chad says it killed more than 200 fighters of the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram in a ground operation that crossed the border into Nigeria.
3. An Egyptian court has sentenced 230 people for life in prison for their involvement in attacks against security forces.
February 6, Friday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. Jordan’s foreign minister says his country’s new air strikes against Islamic State militants are just the beginning of retaliation for the killing of a Jordanian pilot.
2. Tunisia’s parliament approved a government of national unity on Thursday.
3. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has urged Russia to take concrete action to achieve peace in eastern Ukraine.
February 7, Saturday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. Extremists purported to be with the Islamic State group say a U.S. female hostage was killed in air strikes by Jordan.
2. World leaders are gathering to discuss security concerns including the Islamic State group and the situation in Ukraine.
3. Performing artists from Japan and Vietnam have staged an opera in Hanoi, recreating the fantasy world of a Japanese folktale.
February 8, Sunday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. Members of a U.S.-led coalition have carried out more than 2,300 attacks on Islamic State militants since launching a campaign of airstrikes 6 months ago.
2. The United Arab Emirates says it will send its F-16 fighter jets to Jordan to take part in U.S.-led airstrikes against Islamic State militants.
3. Officials in Tokyo have banned a freelance photographer from traveling to Syria after Islamic State militants apparently killed two Japanese hostages.
February 9, Monday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Yoshi Ogasawara and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Jordan’s military says its massive airstrikes have destroyed 56 Islamic State positions, including weapons depots and training centers.
2. Leaders from Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France are hoping to meet on Wednesday to discuss a political solution to the crisis in eastern Ukraine.
3. A librarian in Hiroshima has uncovered a document that shows details in steps taken by Japanese soldiers following the atomic bombing.
February 10, Tuesday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. The head organization of Japan’s farm cooperatives has accepted a government’s drastic agricultural reform plan.
2. The leaders of Japan and Thailand have agreed to strengthen bilateral economic relations.
3. A South Korean court has sentenced the country’s former intelligence chief to 3 years in jail for political meddling.
February 11, Wednesday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Helen Lewis
1. U.S. President Barack Obama has confirmed the death of a U.S. woman held by the Islamic State militant group.
2. A top U.S. counter-terrorism official warns that the number of foreign fighters who have traveled to Syria to join Islamic State or other militant groups has topped 20,000.
3. G20 finance ministers and central bank governors have adopted a communiqué that calls for stepping up action against terrorist financing.
February 12, Thursday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Jonathan Sear and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. U.S. President Barack Obama has sent draft legislation to the U.S. Congress for authorization to use military force against Islamic State militants.
2. Japan says it supports U.S. President Barack Obama’s request for congressional approval to use military force against Islamic State.
3. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has highlighted Iran’s role in fighting against Islamic State.
February 13, Friday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Mr. Maxwell Powers
1. The European Union says it will continue to pressure Russia help the intermittent ceasefire between the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian separatists.
2. The U.N. Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution calling for international cooperation to block sources of funding for the Islamic State militant group.
3. Deputy foreign ministers from Japan and Russia have met for the first time in about a year.
February 14, Saturday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. Fierce fighting continues in eastern Ukraine despite the ceasefire agreement.
2. A United Nations counter-terrorism official has expressed support for Japan’s humanitarian assistance to displaced people in the Middle East as part of global anti-terror efforts.
3. Militants have attacked a Shia Muslim mosque in northwestern Pakistan. Nineteen people were killed and more than 40 others wounded.
February 15, Sunday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. Danish authorities are on high alert after 2 separate shootings in Copenhagen left 2 people dead and 5 wounded.
2. A ceasefire between government forces and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine has gone into effect. But it is not clear whether it is being observed.
3. Japan’s Foreign Ministry officials say authorities in Iraq’s Kurdish autonomous region detained a Japanese man for several days earlier this month.
February 16, Monday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Yoshi Ogasawara and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Japan’s Gross Domestic Product in the 3 months to December grew 0.6 percent, quarter-on-quarter.
2. Danish media report that a gunman suspected of the deadly attack in Copenhagen was released from prison two years ago.
3. Conflicts are escalating in Yemen after a Shia Muslim militant group based in the north ousted the government earlier this month.
February 17, Tuesday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. The Egyptian government has called on the U.S.-led coalition to expand to Libya its offensives against Islamic State militants in support of Egyptian military operations.
2. Thousands of people have marched through Copenhagen to mourn the victims of deadly attacks over the weekend at a free-speech event and a synagogue.
3. Fighting is continuing in eastern Ukraine, threatening the ceasefire that took effect on Sunday.
February 18, Wednesday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. The ceasefire in eastern Ukraine is at risk of collapsing. Government forces and pro-Russian separatists are continuing fierce fighting in Debaltseve.
2. Officials from Japan, China and South Korea are making final arrangements to hold a meeting between their countries’ foreign ministers next month.
3. An international agency says an increasing number of people are risking their lives to cross the Mediterranean Sea to flee Islamic State militants in Libya.
February 19, Thursday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. Pro-Russian separatists say they have taken full control of a railway hub in eastern Ukraine.
2. U.S. State Department officials say Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed the situation in Ukraine over the phone.
3. U.S. President Barack Obama has convened an international anti-terrorism conference to discuss measures to prevent radicalization.
February 20, Friday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. Delegates to an anti-extremism summit hosted by the United States have agreed to step up measures to counter violent extremism.
2. The Japanese government plans to hold the next Tokyo International Conference on African Development, or TICAD, in the eastern African nation of Kenya.
3.Minorities in Myanmar have called for a peaceful solution to clashes between government forces and a militant ethnic group in the country’s east.
February 21, Saturday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. Eurozone finance ministers have agreed to the Greek government’s request for an extension of financial assistance that was to have expired this month.
2. Japan and Qatar have agreed to work together to deal with the threat of terrorism.
3. The U.S. government says it will fine Japanese auto parts maker Takata for not fully cooperating in the probe of the company’s defective airbags.
February 22, Sunday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. Ukrainian forces continue to clash sporadically with pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country despite international calls to observe a ceasefire accord.
2. Leaders in Japan will intensify pressure on North Korea to accelerate an investigation into the fate of Japanese people abducted by agents for Pyongyang.
3. The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, says an armed group in South Sudan abducted at least 89 boys.
February 23, Monday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. The president of Ukraine has reiterated his intention to seek membership for his country in the European Union.
2. Residents in Japan’s westernmost island of Yonaguni have gone to the polls over a new security plan. They have approved hosting a surveillance unit of a Ground Self-Defense Force.
3. The Turkish military has sent troops to neighboring Syria to evacuate soldiers besieged by Islamic State militants.
February 24, Tuesday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. Japan’s Agriculture Minister Koya Nishikawa has resigned.
2. Japanese government officials say they are likely to resume bilateral security talks with Chinese counterparts in Tokyo late this month.
3. A senior U.S. government official says the U.S. is committed to working with Japan on space security.
February 25, Wednesday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Helen Lewis and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Foreign ministers from Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany have agreed to call for a strict implementation of the ceasefire agreement in eastern Ukraine.
2. Greece has obtained an official nod from eurozone finance ministers for a 4-month extension of its financial bailout.
3. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to visit Japan in mid-March for talks with Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida.
February 26, Thursday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Jonathan Sear and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. U.S. investigators have arrested 3 men for allegedly conspiring to support Islamic State militants.
2. A government advisory panel has begun discussing what Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should say on the 70th commemoration of the end of World War II.
3. The governor of Fukushima Prefecture and the mayors of 2 towns say they will approve shipments of radioactive soil to intermediate storage facilities to be built in the prefecture.
February 27, Friday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Maxwell Powers and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. U.S. and British media report they have identified the black-clad, masked militant who appeared in the Islamic State group’s videos.
2. Japan has committed 32 million dollars to help a U.N. agency reconstruct the Gaza Strip.
3. A spokesperson for Russia’s state-run energy giant Gazprom has warned the company may stop supplying natural gas to Ukraine unless advance payments are made.
February 28, Saturday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1.Officials from the United States and Cuba have started a second round of talks on restoring diplomatic relations after a half century of hostility.
2. Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists are blaming each other over continued fighting in the country’s east.
3. An international organization that is trying to stop the flow of money to terrorist groups has called for concerted global action to cut off contributions to the Islamic State militant group.