May 10, Thursday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradhan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

  1. A Japanese official linked to a government favoritism scandal is being questioned at a Diet committee hearing. He is a former secretary to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
  2. U.S. President Donald Trump says he plans to meet 3 Americans released by North Korea when they arrive in the United States.
  3. Japan’s prime minister and Chinese premier have agreed to set up a joint cooperation forum for cooperation from the nations still operating in third countries.

May 9, Wednesday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradhan and Ms. Mariko Kojima

  1. The leaders of Japan, China and South Korea have met in Tokyo for the first 3-way summit in about 2 and a half years.
  2. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has arrived in Pyongyang to finalize details for the planned landmark summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
  3. President Trump has announced that the United States will pull out of the Iran nuclear deal and resume its economic sanctions against the country.

May 8, Tuesday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

  1. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will start a 4-day visit to Japan on Tuesday for a trilateral summit involving South Korea as well as bilateral talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
  2. U.S. President Donald Trump says he will announce on Tuesday his decision on whether to keep the United States in the Iran nuclear deal.
  3. Russian President Vladimir Putin has chosen to retain Dmitry Medvedev as prime minister for his second term.

May 7, Monday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Sara Mcdonald and Mr. Yoshi Ogasawara

  1. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will meet with Chinese and South Korean leaders in Tokyo on Wednesday.
  2. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said his country would resist any decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to exit the 2015 nuclear agreement.
  3. The U.S. Navy has said it will re-establish its Second Fleet to patrol the northern Atlantic Ocean amid what are perceived to be growing threats from Russia.

May 4, Friday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Mariko Kojima and Ms. Emma Howard

  1. U.S. President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, John Bolton, is to meet his South Korean counterpart on Friday to discuss the prospective U.S.-North Korea summit.
  2. The families of Japanese abducted by North Korea have pleaded for help in bringing home their loved ones weeks before the first U.S-North Korea summit is expected to take place.
  3. Iran’s foreign minister has reiterated that his country won’t change the nuclear deal it has signed with the United States and 5 other global powers.

May 3, Thursday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuka Matsumoto and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

  1. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has agreed with his Israeli counterpart that dialogue between concerned parties is important to realize peace in the Middle East.
  2. A son of a Japanese woman kidnapped by North Korean agents has met an American man whose father is detained in the North.
  3. In Major League Baseball, Japanese two-way sensation Shohei Otani has been named the American League rookie of the Month for April.

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

  1. U.S. President Donald Trump says the location and date for his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will probably be announced over the next couple of days.
  2. South Korean President Moon Jae-in has asked the United Nations to help verify the planned shutdown of North Korea’s nuclear test site.
  3. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has told the Palestinian leader that Japan does not plan to relocate its embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

May 1, Tuesday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

  1. U.S. President Donald Trump has revealed that Singapore and Manmunjom are among the possible sites for the first-ever U.S.- North Korea summit.
  2. Families of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea are in the U.S. asking for help toward achieving the return of their loved ones ahead of the summit.
  3. A labor union group in South Korea is continuing its standoff with police over a plan to set up a statue in front of the Japanese Consulate General in Busan.