April 7, Saturday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Ms. Risa Shimizu

  1. U.S. President Donald Trump has defended his proposed tariffs on Chinese goods, saying they will ultimately make the United States much stronger.
  2. The Trump administration has hit 38 Russian individuals and entities with sanctions for what it calls “malign activity.”
  3. Israeli forces have again opened fire on Palestinian protesters in Gaza, reportedly leaving at least 7 people dead and more than 1,000 others wounded.

April 6, Friday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Sara Mcdonald and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

  1. Japan’s Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera says the Air Self-Defense Force has found some of the records of its operations in Iraq.
  2. China’s Commerce Ministry says it has initiated a World Trade Organization dispute resolution procedure over U.S. tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum.
  3. The foreign ministers of China and Russia have agreed that the U.S. needs to decrease its military pressure on North Korea in order to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.

April 5, Thursday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto

  1. Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera says his ministry will investigate why the Ground Self-Defense Force waited a year before reporting to the ministry about the discovery of official documents that it had earlier said it could not find.
  2. Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono is expected to visit South Korea next week in connection with the inter-Korean summit planned for late April.
  3. Foreign Minister Kono says Japan has lodged a protest with both Russia and the United States over a joint project on one of 4 Russian-controlled islands claimed by Japan.

April 4, Wednesday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Sara Mcdonald and Ms. Risa Shimizu

  1. The U.S. military has unloaded 5 Air Force CV-22 Osprey aircraft from a ship docked near Tokyo. The aircraft are expected to be deployed at Yokota Air Base this week.
  2. The Trump administration has released a list of what Chinese goods it will target for tariffs.
  3. Police in the United States say 3 people were shot and wounded at YouTube’s headquarters in northern California.

April 3, Tuesday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Ms. Sara Mcdonald

  1. Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera has apologized again for the discovery of Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force records after the ministry had repeatedly denied their existence.
  2. An aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin says U.S. President Donald Trump proposed a summit at the White House during a phone call last month.
  3. Japan’s Cabinet has approved a basic plan outlining a series of ceremonies and events to be held next year for Emperor Akihito’s abdication and Crown Prince Naruhito’s accession.

April 1, Sunday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

  1. The United States and South Korea began their annual joint military exercises on Sunday.
  2. A special adviser to the South Korean President says the South will strongly urge North Korea to denuclearize at the inter-Korean summit scheduled in late April.
  3. Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has criticized the country’s military-led interim government, saying that “there’s no justice” in his country.