September 20, Thursday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuka Matsumoto and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

  1. Japan’s main ruling Liberal Democratic Party is choosing its leader for the next 3 years, a vote that also effectively decides who will be the prime minister.
  2. The United States has welcomed the latest inter-Korean summit and proposed a prompt resumption of talks with Pyongyang.
  3. Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono is planning to meet his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, next week.

September 19, Wednesday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Mariko Kojima and Mr. Michael Reese

  1. South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have signed a joint declaration at the end of their talks in Pyongyang on Wednesday.
  2. China says it will impose tariffs on U.S. imports worth about 60 billion dollars in retaliation for new U.S. tariffs.
  3. The operator of Hokkaido’s main power plant says unit one of its Tomatoh-Atsuma thermal plant is back online.

September 18, Tuesday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Emma Howard and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

  1. The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has unveiled the third- and largest yet- round of additional tariffs on Chinese goods that will take effect on September 24th.
  2. South Korean President Moon Jae-in is now in Pyongyang hoping to improve relations and jumpstart stalled denuclearization talks between the U.S. and the North.
  3. Railway services to Kansai International Airport have resumed, two weeks after the bridge linking it with the mainland was damaged by an oil tanker.

September 17, Monday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Emma Howard and Mr. Michael Reese

  1. Authorities in the Philippines say a powerful typhoon has left 65 people dead on Luzon Island.
  2. Thousands of boats have left ports after Chinese authorities lifted a ban on seasonal fishing in parts of the East China Sea.
  3. The South Korean government is making final preparations for the 3-day inter-Korean summit, which will start in North Korea’s capital Pyongyang on Tuesday.

September 15, Saturday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

  1. Powerful Typhoon Mangkhut has made landfall in the northern Philippines early Saturday local time.
  2. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has criticized Russia for attempting to undermine U.S. Security Council sanctions resolutions against North Korea.
  3. U.S. media are reporting that President Donald Trump has instructed aides to go ahead with imposing additional tariffs on about 200 billion dollars’ worth of Chinese imports.

September 14, Friday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradhan and Ms. Emma Howard

  1. The operator of typhoon-hit Kansai International Airport in western Japan has reopened part of its main passenger facility.
  2. The United States has imposed sanctions against 2 IT companies in China and Russia in a bid to stop the flow of illicit revenue to North Korea.
  3. Turkey’s central bank has steeply raised its key interest rate in an attempt to stem the currency crisis.

September 13, Thursday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradhan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

  1. The Russian government has expressed readiness to open talks with Japan on President Vladimir Putin’s proposal to sign a peace treaty by the end of the year without any preconditions.
  2. Nearly 1,600 people remain displaced in Japan’s northern prefecture of Hokkaido a week after the region was hit by a magnitude 6.7 earthquake.
  3. Japanese tennis sensation Naomi Osaka has spoken to reporters after returning to Japan after her U.S. Open championship.

September 12, Wednesday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Reese and Ms. Mariko Kojima

  1. Electricity supply in quake-hit Hokkaido, northern Japan, will likely improve soon as a hydroelectric power plant is scheduled to go online later this week.
  2. Japan’s prime minister and China’s president say they’ll work to improve relations. As part of that, Shinzo Abe told reporters he’ll push ahead with plans to visit China next month.
  3. On Tuesday, the United States marked 17 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Bereaved families and many others remembered the victims in New York City.

September 11, Tuesday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

  1. In Hokkaido, the death toll from last week’s earthquake has risen to 41 after police found the body of a 56-year-old man who’s been trapped under the books at his home.
  2. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin has concluded their meeting in Russia’s Far East.
  3. U.S. President Donald Trump has received a letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un requesting a second meeting following their historic Singapore summit in June.