November

 

November 1, Sunday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

1. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has arrived in Seoul to attend a trilateral summit with the leaders of China and South Korea.

2. Three airlines say they will avoid the Sinai Peninsula in eastern Egypt after a Russian passenger jet crashed there on Saturday.

3. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said the future of one man should not hold up Syrian peace talks.

November 2, Monday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Emma Howard and Ms. Risa Shimizu

1. The leaders of Japan and South Korea sat down for one-on-one talks.  Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Park Geun-hye met at the South Korean Presidential Palace in Seoul.

2. The leaders of Japan and China have agreed to restart foreign ministerial visits and to resume talks aimed at jointly developing natural gas fields in the East China Sea.

3. The U.N. special envoy to Syria has held talks with Syria’s foreign minister.

November 3, Tuesday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

1. Defense ministers from Southeastern Asian countries have begun two days of talks in Malaysia.

2. NHK has learned that the U.S. government plans to continue sending naval vessels to disputed waters in the South China Sea “a few times” every 3 months.

3. The government of Okinawa has asked an independent panel to adjudicate a conflict with the central government—a step closer to legal action.

November 4, Wednesday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuka Matsumoto and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

1. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou are to hold talks in Singapore on Saturday.

2. U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter says the U.S. military will continue its naval operations in a disputed area of the South China Sea.

3. The Egyptian government says experts are analyzing the flight recorders of the Russian passenger plane that crashed in eastern Egypt.

November 5, Thursday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuka Matsumoto and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1. Britain’s foreign secretary says the Russian airliner that crashed in Egypt on Saturday may have been brought down by an explosive device on board the aircraft.

2. The foreign affairs chiefs of Japan and the European Union have agreed that conflicting territorial claims in the South China Sea should be resolved based on international law.

3. A Tokyo ward has issued a certificate to a same-sex couple recognizing their partnership as equivalent to marriage.  It is the first municipality in Japan to do so.

November 6, Friday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Mariko Kojima and Mr. Maxwell Powers

1. U.S. President Barack Obama says there is a possibility that a bomb was on board a Russian airliner which crashed in Egypt last week.

2. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter has visited a U.S. navy aircraft carrier operating in the South China Sea to show his country’s commitment to security in the region.

3. The United Nations Refugee Agency is calling for more international aid as it predicts a continued influx of refugees and migrants into Europe during the winter.

November 7, Saturday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Jeff Adolf and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

1. The presidents of Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China will hold a historical meeting on Saturday.

2. Russia has suspended flights to and from Egypt in light of last week’s deadly airliner crash in eastern Egypt.

3. Foreign ministers attending the Asia-Europe Meeting have agreed on the importance of ensuring maritime security and freedom of navigation at sea.

November 8, Sunday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

1. People in Myanmar have begun voting in a general election, the first since the end of military rule 4 years ago.

2. The committee in Egypt investigating the Russian jetliner that went down in the Sinai Peninsula says it has yet to identify the cause of the fatal crash.

3. The World Health Organization has declared Sierra Leone free from Ebola virus transmissions.

November 9, Monday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Yoshi Ogasawara and Ms. Emma Howard

1. Election authorities in Myanmar say vote-counting for Sunday’s general election is complete, but that they are still compiling a nation-wide tally

2. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is hoping to meet with the leaders of the United States, Russia and China separately on the sidelines of a series of international meetings this month.

3. Ministers and officials from about 70 countries started early negotiations on Sunday ahead of a U.N. convention on climate change to be held at the end of this month.

November 10, Tuesday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Risa Shimizu

1. Despite a delay in the results of Myanmar’s general election, the state-run newspaper is reporting that Aung San Suu Kyi’s opposition party, the National League for Democracy, is leading.

2. An independent anti-doping panel has recommended that All Russian Athletic Federation be suspended from competition due to systematic doping practices.

3. Russia has signed a contract to provide Iran with Russia-made, advanced surface-to- air missiles.

November 11, Wednesday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Ms Yuka Matsumoto

1. Myanmar’s main opposition party led by Aung San Suu Kyi says it scored a landslide victory in the general election held on Sunday.

2. Russia’s anti-doping agency says it is trying to address the issues concerning the use of performance-enhancing drugs by Russian athletes.

3. Japan’s first domestically-produced passenger aircraft in half a century has successfully completed its maiden flight.

November 12, Thursday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1. Myanmar’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is laying the groundwork for a historic transfer of power in the country.

2. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will stress his commitment to contributing to regional economic integration when he attends a series of upcoming international conferences.

3. Russia has presented a peace proposal for Syria that could preserve the influence of President Bashar al-Assad’s government.

November 13, Friday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Mariko Kojima and Mr. Raja Pradan

1. The U.S. Defense Department said on Thursday two U.S. bombers flew near Chinese-made artificial islands in the South China Sea from Sunday through Monday.

2. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has left for Turkey to attend a summit of the Group of 20 major economies.

3. Two suicide bombings in Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, have killed at least 43 people.  The Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility.

November 14, Saturday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Mr. Jeff Adolf

1. Paris prosecutors say at least 120 people were killed in shooting attacks and bombings in and around the French capital on Friday. French President Francois Hollande has declared a state of emergency.

2. The International Association of Athletics Federations has provisionally suspended a Russian sports federation over alleged systematic doping of the country’s track and field team.

November 15, Sunday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

1. The investigation into the deadly attacks in Paris is spreading across borders, with three arrests in Belgium on Saturday.

2. Leaders of the Group of 20 major economies will focus on the fight against terrorism and responses to the refugee crisis when they begin a summit in Turkey on Sunday.

3. Foreign ministers meeting in Vienna have agreed on a peace plan aimed at ending the civil war in Syria.

November 16, Monday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Emma Howard and Mr. Raja Pradan

1. French police have disclosed the name and released a photo of a man suspected to have been involved in last Friday’s attacks in Paris.

2. U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed on the need for a political transition in Syria and that it should be Syria-led.

3. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Putin have confirmed that they will try to arrange a visit by Putin to Japan without setting a deadline.

November 17, Tuesday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Risa Shimizu

1. Japan’s central government has taken Okinawa Prefecture to court, hoping to advance the relocation of a U.S. military base.

2. French President Francois Hollande says Friday’s attack on Paris was planned by the Islamic State militant group in Syria.

3. The Islamic State militant group has threatened to attack the United States.

November 18, Wednesday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuka Matsumoto and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

1. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has arrived in Manila to attend a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

2. The Russian military has carried out massive airstrikes on Islamic State positions in Syria.

3. A U.S. Congressional panel says U.S.-China relations are deteriorating due to China’s activities in the South China Sea and its cyber espionage.

November 19, Thursday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuka Matsumoto and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1. The leaders from 21 Pacific-Rim economies have begun talks on such issues as regional economic cooperation and anti-terrorist measures.

2. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will travel to Europe later this month to attend a U.N. climate conference in Paris.

3. Japan’s trade balance returned to surplus in October after 7 straight months of losses.

November 20, Friday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Ms. Yuka Matsumoto and Ms. Sarah McDonalds

1. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has met U.S. President Barack Obama. Abe said he wants to effectively use the bilateral alliance to promote peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and within the international community.

2. French prosecutors have confirmed that the suspected mastermind of last Friday’s terrorist attacks in Paris was killed in a gun fight with police on Wednesday.

3. The head of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has urged Americans to stay calm, saying there is no connection between the Paris attackers and the U.S.

November 21, Saturday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Jeff Adolf and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto

1. Leaders from 10 member countries of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations have begun their summit talks in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  China’s on-going project of constructing artificial islands in the South China Sea will be high on the agenda.

2. The Malian government has declared a state of emergency across the country in the wake of a terror attack on a hotel in the capital Bamako.

3. The U.N. Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution condemning a series of terrorist attacks by Islamic State militants.

November 22, Sunday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

1. The East Asia summit is now under way in Malaysia.  Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and other countries begun their meeting in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday morning.

2. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has told Southeast Asian leaders that external intervention in South China Sea affairs serves nobody’s interest.

3. Former South Korean president Kim Young-sam has died.  He was 87 years old.

November 23, Monday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yoshi Ogasawara and Ms. Risa Shimizu

1. The Belgian government has decided to maintain its highest threat level on Monday in the capital, Brussels as it stays on the alert for possible terrorist attacks.

2. The foreign and defense chiefs of Japan and Australia have agreed to urge China to halt its reclamation activities in the disputed South China Sea.

3. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department says it launched an investigation into an apparent explosion in a rest room at Yasukuni Shrine in central Japan.

November 24, Tuesday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Risa Shimizu

1. The French military says fighter jets from its aircraft carrier deployed in the Mediterranean Sea launched their first airstrikes on Islamic State positions in Syria and Iraq.

2. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has stated that the country will continue to launch cruise missile attacks on Islamic State targets from its military ships operating in the Caspian Sea.

3. French media say what is believed to be an explosive belt has been found dumped in a suburb of Paris.

November 25, Wednesday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Ms. Risa Shimizu

1. A Russian military helicopter in Syria has come under attack while searching for the 2 pilots of a downed warplane.

2. Tunisia has declared a state of emergency after at least 12 people were killed in an attack on a bus carrying presidential security guards in the capital, Tunis.

3. The European Commission is offering financial aid to Turkey to help curb the massive flow of asylum-seekers and migrants into Europe.

November 26, Thursday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1. Insurgents claiming to be linked to the Islamic State militant group say they were behind a deadly attack in the Tunisian capital.

2.Russia has reiterated claims that its warplane shot down by Turkish jets had not violated that country’s airspace.

3. The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan says human error led to the U.S. military mistakenly bombing a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Afghanistan.

November 27, Friday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Mariko Kojima

1. French President Francois Hollande has solicited pledges of cooperation from the leaders of Western allies and Russia to defeat Islamic State militants, but differences remain over their approach to the Syrian president.

2. Russia is set to impose wide-ranging economic sanctions against Turkey following the downing of a Russian warplane by Turkish forces.

3. The International Atomic Energy Agency says Iran is implementing restrictions on its nuclear program in line with an agreement reached with 6 world powers in July.

November 28, Saturday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Mr. Jeff Adolf

1. A memorial ceremony has been held in Paris for the victims of the terrorist attacks two weeks ago.

2. A suicide bombing targeting a procession of Shia Muslims in northern Nigeria has killed at least 21 people.

3. Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected requests from Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a telephone conversation after the downing of a Russian warplane by the Turkish military.

November 29, Sunday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

1. At the COP 21 climate talks Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be calling on countries to include new provisions that further reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

2. The French interior minister says about a thousand people have been banned from entering France after the November 13th terrorist attacks.

3. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree imposing economic sanctions against Turkey over the downing of a Russian warplane by Turkish forces.

November 30, Monday, 2015 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Emma Howard and Mr. Raja Pradan

1. The United Nations conference on climate change has opened in Paris on Monday.

2. Leaders of the European Union have agreed to help Turkey with its bid for EU membership in exchange for Turkish help in curbing the flow of migrants to Europe.

3. In Saudi Arabia, women have been allowed to vote and become candidates in local elections for the first time.