May 16, Wednesday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Ms. Mariko Kojima

  1. North Korea says it will suspend high-level talks with South Korea scheduled for Wednesday.
  2. The United States has imposed sanctions on Iran’s central bank governor and 3 other individuals, accusing them of involvement in funding the Shia Muslim group Hezbollah.
  3. Japanese government data on preliminary GDP figures for the January-to-March period shows that the country’s economy shrank for the first time in 9 quarters.

May 15, Tuesday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

  1. Turkey and South Africa are recalling their ambassadors to Israel after Israeli troops opened fire on Palestinian demonstrators in the Gaza Strip, killing scores.
  2. The Japanese foreign minister has called for a calm response to the relocation of the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
  3. Iran’s foreign minister is to meet his counterparts from the U.K., France and Germany following the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal.

May 14, Monday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradhan and Ms. Risa Shimizu

  1. Japan’s prime minister says he wants to use occasions such as the G-7 summit to convey his nation’s position on North Korea to U.S. President Donald Trump.
  2. The U.S. government will move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on Monday.
  3. Police in Indonesia have revealed that members of the same family were behind Sunday’s suicide bomb attacks on 3 churches.