October 21, Sunday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

  1. World leaders are urging the Saudi Arabian government to provide more details about the apparent killing of the Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi.
  2. U.S. President Donald Trump says he will scrap the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, known as the INF, signed with the Soviet Union.
  3. Japan’s main ruling Liberal Democratic Party is aiming to present the party’s plan on a Constitutional amendment in the upcoming extraordinary Diet sessions starting Wednesday.

October 19, Friday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Emma Howard and Ms. Sara Macdonald

  1. Defense chiefs of the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will meet in Singapore on Friday.
  2. Leaders of Asian and European nations opened the ASEM summit in the Belgian city of Brussels on Thursday
  3. British Prime Minister Theresa May have hinted at extending the post-Brexit transition period for a few months beyond the planned December 2020.

October 18, Thursday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto

  1. The leaders of Japan and France have agreed to strengthen security cooperation with the aim of realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
  2. U.S. officials say they are continuing to monitor the currency practices of 6 countries including China and Japan.
  3. U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has begun the process of pulling out of an international postal pact, saying its postal rate system unfairly benefits China.

October 17, Wednesday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Reese and Ms. Mariko Kojima

  1. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Spanish Minister Pedro Sanchez have agreed to step up cooperation on a wide range of issues including the promotion of multilateral free trade.
  2. The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has notified Congress that it intends to start trade talks with Japanese officials. The negotiations are expected to begin as early as January.
  3. Turkish investigators have cancelled another search of the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul to find out what happened to the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

October 16, Tuesday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

  1. General spending in Japan’s national budget for fiscal 2019 may top 100 trillion yen, or about 895 billion U.S. dollars, for the first time in the initial plan.
  2. Japan’s prime minister has left for his European tour, including attending a summit of the Asia-Europe Meeting known as ASEM.
  3. Turkish investigators have concluded a search at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on the state of a missing journalist.

October 15, Monday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradhan and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

  1. Japan’s prime minister has reiterated his commitment to amending the country’s Constitution to incorporate the Self-Defense Foreces.
  2. Radical militants in Syria have reportedly not left an area designated to become a demilitarized zone in the country’s northwest.
  3. Foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany have demanded Saudi Arabia’s full cooperation in uncovering what has happened to a missing Saudi journalist.

October 14, Sunday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Risa Shimizu

  1. U.S. President says he will call Saudi Arabia’s king to find out what happened to a missing Saudi journalist.
  2. Ministers from the Asia-Pacific countries hammering out a proposed free trade deal have agreed to meet again to try and achieve a “substantial conclusion” to the pact by yearend.
  3. Anwar Ibrahim has won a decisive victory in Malaysia’s parliamentary by-election, paving the way for his return to frontline politics in the country.

October 13, Saturday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Ms. Risa Shimizu

  1. Ministers from 16 Asia-Pacific countries are meeting in Singapore on Saturday for a new round of talks on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership free trade pact.
  2. Japan’s Finance Minister Taro Aso says Japan will offer support to rebuild the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, which was hit hard by a powerful earthquake and tsunami last month.
  3. Tokyo’s new wholesale market has opened its doors to the public. Visitors to the Toyosu market can now see the fishmongers and auctioneers in action.

October 12, Friday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Emma Howard and Ms. Eriko Kojima

  1. Share prices in Tokyo continues to slide on Friday, following 2 straight days of losses on Wall Street.
  2. Finance ministers and central bank governors from the Group of 20 nations are holding a two-day meeting in Indonesia. The participants expressed concerns about growing risks facing the global economy.
  3. The Japanese government may grant visas that allow highly skilled foreign workers to live with their family members without a specific limit on duration.