March 18, Saturday, 2017 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

1. Finance ministers and central bank chiefs of the Group of 20 economies met on the first day of talks in Germany. Sources say some members expressed concern over protectionism.
2. Officials from Tokyo and Moscow have begun talks on shared economic activites on 4 Russian-held islands claimed by Japan.