May 1, Friday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. Members of the opposition parties in Japan are criticizing a pledge Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made on security legislation to a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress.
2. The death toll from Saturday’s powerful earthquake centered in Nepal has passed 6,200.
3. The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant will begin dismantling the cover of the No.1 reactor building, starting from mid-May.
May 2, Saturday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Jeff Adolf and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. A week ahs passed since a massive earthquake struck Nepal. But aid has not reached victims in many areas, especially in mountainous regions.
2. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he hopes to unveil later this year a vision of Japan’s future on the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.
3. Global distribution of nuclear power plants fell in Western nations last year, but rose in emerging economies.
May 3, Sunday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. U.N. officials are urgently seeking international support to provide shelter for quake survivors in Nepal before the start of the monsoon season in June.
2. Japan’s Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida has expressed readiness to strengthen ties with Cuba in a meeting with Cuban President Raul Castro.
3. U.S.-led coalition airstrikes against the Islamic State militant group have been blamed for the deaths of more than 50 civilians in northern Syria.
May 4, Monday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Yoshi Ogasawara and Ms. Emma Howard
1. A massive amount of debris is hampering efforts by survivors to rebuild their lives more than a week after a powerful earthquake struck Nepal.
2. The White House has tweeted a message of thanks to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for his visit to the United States, calling it “historic.”
3. Japan’s Finance Minister Taro Aso says the country will expand infrastructure investment in Asia.
May 5, Tuesday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. An advisory body to UNESCO has recommended Japan’s modern industrial heritage sites to be considered the World Cultural Heritage status.
2. Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso has pledged to boost the country’s investment in quality infrastructure in Asia.
3. Tents and other emergency relief supplies have been airlifted from Japan to Kathmandu, the capital of quake-hit Nepal.
May 6, Wednesday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. The Japanese government has posted on its website information on the ongoing Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade negotiations.
2. The brother of a Japanese woman who was abducted to North Korea has called for international support to resolve the abduction issue.
3. A U.N. envoy has begun consultations with delegates from the Syrian government, opposition groups and other parties as part of efforts to resume peace talks.
May 7, Thursday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuka Matsumoto and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. Volcanic temblors continue to be observed in Hakone, a hot spring resort town near Tokyo on Thursday, a day after a warning was issued of a possible minor volcanic eruption.
2. Thousands of schools in Nepal see no prospect for restarting classes after sustaining damage in a powerful earthquake late in April.
3. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says troops will be sent to the northern part of the country to fight back against extremist groups that are escalating their offensive in the region.
May 8, Friday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Maxwell Powers and Ms. Mariko Kojima
1. Saudi Arabia has proposed to Yemeni rebels a 5-day ceasefire so humanitarian aid can reach many civilians suffering in Yemen.
2. Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida has pledged the country’s full support to help Nepal rebuild from last month’s major earthquake.
3. The BBC has predicted the Conservative Party will win Britain’s general election.
May 9, Saturday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Mr. Jeff Adolf
1. Volcanic activity continues at Mt. Hakone, a scenic hot spring resort in Kanagawa Prefecture, southwest of Tokyo.
2. United Nations officials have urged the international community to help Nepal with more aid for the thousands of people affected by the massive earthquake two weeks ago.
3. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry says engine failure was the cause of the helicopter crash on Friday that killed foreign diplomats.
May 10, Sunday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. Japanese government officials will attempt to win support for a plan to relocate a U.S. airfield in Okinawa Prefecture by meeting regularly with residents to discuss economic support for their communities.
2. A fire at a nuclear plant north of New York City has triggered an automatic shutdown of one of its reactors. Nuclear regulators say there is no threat to people living in the area.
3. Crowds of people have marched through Moscow to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
May 11, Monday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Ms. Emma Howard
1. The Japanese government is tapping the power of “big data” to help revitalize regional economies.
2. Russian President Vladimir Putin has pledged to use his influence on pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
3. A gun battle between ethnic Albanian insurgents and police in Macedonia has left at least 22 people dead.
May 12, Tuesday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. Japanese police have arrested a son of the head of a pro-North Korean organization and two others on suspicion of illegally importing mushrooms from the North.
2. Volcanic activity continues in the Hakone hot spring resort area near Tokyo.
3. The planned restart of a reactor at the Sendai nuclear plant will be pushed back until late July or later due to a delay in onsite inspections.
May 13, Wednesday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. People in Nepal have spent an anxious night after another strong earthquake hit the country on Tuesday.
2. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has visited Russia, for meetings with President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
3. A 5-day humanitarian ceasefire went into effect in Yemen on Tuesday.
May 14, Thursday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuka Matsumoto and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Cabinet are ready to approve a set of draft bills to revise the country’s national security legislation.
2. U.S. lawmakers have agreed to go ahead with procedures to deliberate a bill to accelerate the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade talks in the Senate.
3. Islamic State militants have seized a strategic town in central Syria near the ancient ruins of Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
May 15, Friday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Mariko Kojima and Mr. Raja Pradan
1. The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant began work on Friday to dismantle the cover of the No.1 reactor building.
2. Japan’s government has submitted a set of bills to the Diet on Friday to revise the country’s national security legislation.
3. Taiwan is tightening restrictions on food imports from Japan. It has created the rules in response to the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident.
May 16, Saturday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Jeff Adolf and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. The Islamic State militant group has captured the main government compound in the western province of Iraq, dealing a hard blow to government forces.
2. The U.S. House of Representatives has welcomed the recent decision by the government of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the nation’s defense policy.
3. A U.S. federal jury on Friday has sentenced to death an ethnic Chechen man for his role in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.
May 17, Sunday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. Domestic and international criticism is growing of Egypt’s court ruling against former president Mohammed Morsi.
2. U.S. Special Forces have killed a senior leader of the Islamic State militant group in a ground operation in Syria.
3. Government officials in Turkey say fighter jets have shot down a Syrian helicopter that violated its airspace.
May 18, Monday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Emma Howard and Mr. Raja Pradan
1. The Islamic State militant group has apparently seized control of the key city of Ramadi in western Iraq.
2. Voters in Osaka, western Japan, have rejected a plan initiated by the mayor to abolish the current city system and create a new metropolitan government.
3. A U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey aircraft crash-landed in Hawaii on Sunday, killing one person and injuring 21.
May 19, Tuesday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Mr. Mick Corliss
1. Officials at the U.S. Defense Department say the deadly crash-landing of an Osprey aircraft in Hawaii will not hinder the operation of the aircraft in Japan.
2. Several thousand Shia Muslim militiamen have gathered near Ramadi in western Iraq as they prepare their bid to recapture the key city from the Islamic State militant group.
3. Ichiro Suzuki has tied with U.S. baseball legend Babe Ruth for the 42nd place on Major League Baseball’s all-time hits list.
May 20, Wednesday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuka Matsumoto and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. Saudi-led coalition has resumed airstrikes in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, and other parts of the country after Sunday’s expiration of a 5-day truce.
2. U.N. and international organizations are calling on countries in Southeast Asia to rescue thousands of migrants and refugees stranded at sea.
3. Japan’s gross domestic product for the January to March period rose to a second straight quarter.
May 21, Thursday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuka Matsumoto and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. The Islamic State militant group has taken control of most of the Syrian city of Palmyra.
2. Documents seized from the hideout of terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden underscore his fixation on attacking the U.S.
3. Italian police say they have arrested a Moroccan man suspected of involvement in the deadly attack at a museum in Tunisia.
May 22, Friday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Maxwell Powers and Ms Mariko Kojima
1. The Islamic State militant group is reportedly building a strong holdout at ancient ruins in the suburbs of the central Syrian city of Palmyra.
2. The government of Malaysia has ordered its military to search for and rescue the thousands of Rohingya Muslims adrift in the ocean.
3. Delegates to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference are divided over the content of a draft document summarizing the outcome ahead of the closing-day session.
May 23, Saturday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Mr. Jeff Adolf
1. Delegates to the3 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference have ended their 4-week session without adopting a final outcome document.
2. A suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State militant group has killed at least 21 people at a mosque in Saudi Arabia.
3. Hiroshima City in western Japan has decided to reinforce the 100-year-old Atomic Bomb Dome without changing its appearance.
May 24, Sunday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. The head of the U.N. has expressed strong disappointment at the failure by countries taking part in a review conference on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to adopt a final outcome document.
2. Islamic State militants have entered invaluable ruins in the central Syrian city of Palmyra. Concerns are mounting that they may destroy priceless relics.
3. Iraqi army and Shia Muslim militiamen have advanced their troops near Ramadi to launch a counter-offensive against Islamic State militants.
May 25, Monday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Ms. Emma Howard
1. Islamic State militants have reportedly killed hundreds of local residents in the city of Palmyra in central Syria.
2. Malaysian police have discovered bodies near camps believed to be operated by human traffickers.
3. U.N. officials have called for more relief support for Nepal before the rainy season begins.
May 26, Tuesday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. Fierce fighting continues in Iraq as government forces make headway in their efforts to retake control of the western city of Ramadi from Islamic State militants.
2. The Japanese government will send officials to an international meeting to discuss the4 issue of migrants adrift at sea off the coast of countries in Southeast Asia.
3. Japan’s Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko have attended a ceremony in Tokyo to pray for the victims of a devastating U.S. air raid during World War II.
May 27, Wednesday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuka Matsumoto and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. Iraqi government forces have reportedly cut supply routes for the Islamic State militant group in an effort to recapture the western city of Ramadi.
2. The United Nations children’s agency has reported a sharp rise in suicide bombings by girls and women in Nigeria.
3. The yen’s value against the dollar fell to its lowest level in nearly 8 years on the New York foreign exchange market on Tuesday.
May 28, Thursday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. The new head of the U.S. Pacific Command has expressed his resolve to respond to China’s increasing maritime activities.
2. U.S. judicial authorities say they are accelerating their extradition of arrested FIFA officials as part of their investigation into bribery and corruption in the business of worldwide soccer.
3. On the Tokyo foreign exchange, the dollar hit a 12-year high, driven by optimism on the U.S. economy.
May 29, Friday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Mariko Kojima
1. A volcano has erupted in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Friday morning.
2. The president of soccer’s world governing body, FIFA, had denied responsibility for the corruption scandal and vowed to serve another term in office.
3. Officials in Vietnam have reacted sharply to China’s recently issued biennial white paper on national defense.
May 30, Saturday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Jeff Adolf and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. The U.S. government says it has removed Cuba from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.
2. Amid a corruption scandal that is engulfing FIFA, officials of soccer’s world governing body have re-elected Sepp Blatter for his fifth term as president.
3. Delegates to an international meeting have pledged to step up efforts to help migrants stranded at sea off the coast of Southeastern Asian countries.
May 31, Sunday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. The Asia Security Summit in Singapore has seen a sharp disagreement between the United States and China over China’s reclamation works in the South China Sea.
2. Japan’s defense minister has sought understanding from his South Korean counterpart on proposed security legislation that would expand the role of the Self-Defense Forces.
3. A powerful earthquake shook Tokyo and surrounding areas on Saturday night.