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

  1. A UNESCO committee has decided to give World Heritage status to places linked to the history of Japan’s persecuted Christians.
  2. Ministers from 16 Asia-Pacific nations have begun talks in Tokyo aimed at forging a new free-trade agreement.
  3. In the soccer World Cup in Russia, France has advanced to the quarterfinals by beating Argentina 4-3 in their knockout-stage match.

June 30, Saturday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Ms. Risa Shimizu

  1. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is planning to visit North Korea next week to discuss details of the North’s denuclearization.
  2. Canada is set to impose tariffs on a wide range of U.S. goods starting on Sunday in retaliation for U.S. levies on steel and aluminum.
  3. A small rocket developed by a Japanese startup company has failed to enter space. It fell to the ground bursting into flames.

June 29, Friday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Emma Howard and Ms. Sara Macdonald

  1. The defense chiefs of Japan and the United States have confirmed the importance of their joint military exercises, as well as Japan-U.S.-South Korea drills, for regional security.
  2. Police in the eastern U.S. state of Maryland say 5 people are dead and several others are wounded in the shooting at a newspaper office.
  3. China’s government has released a white paper saying the rise of unilateralism and trade protectionism is posing a challenge to the World Trade Organization.