November 18, Sunday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

  1. Leaders from 21 Pacific Rim economies meeting at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Papua New Guinea have begun the main part of their talks.
  2. South Korea says Chinese President Xi Jinping intends to visit North Korea next year at the invitation of its leader Kim Jong Un.
  3. Authorities in Taiwan have imposed a ban on imports of live pigs, pork and related products from Japan after a case of swine fever was detected in the country.

November 16, Friday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Sara Macdonald and Ms. Emma Howard

  1. Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga has dismissed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s remarks on the possible return of 2 of the 4 Russian-held islands at the center of a long-running territorial dispute.
  2. Saudi Arabia’s public prosecutor is seeking the death penalty for 5 suspects in the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
  3. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, 7 U.N. peacekeepers have died during a joint operation against rebel forces in the country’s east.

 

November 15, Thursday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuka Matsumoto and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

  1. The leaders of Japan and Russia have reached an agreement that could be a breakthrough in the decades-long dispute between the 2 countries.
  2. The leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have expressed concerns about issues related to the South China Sea, where China continues to build various facilities.
  3. The British cabinet has approved the draft agreement for the country’s withdrawal from the European Union.

 

 

November 14, Wednesday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Reese and Ms. Mariko Kojima

  1. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has expressed his resolve to advance negotiations for a peace treaty with Russia ahead of his planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
  2. The leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have reportedly confirmed that the 10-nation bloc will take the lead in the region’s development while seeking benefits from international initiatives.
  3. Japan’s economy contracted for the first time in two quarters. Government officials say a string of natural disasters in the period dented exports and consumer spending.

 

November 13, Tuesday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

  1. 16 Asia-Pacific nations have given up on efforts to reach a deal, by the end of this year, on a free trade pact that would cover half of the world’s population.
  2. Tokyo stocks fell sharply on Tuesday, following an overnight plunge on Wall Street.
  3. Japan’s chief cabinet secretary has pledged that the government will do everything it can to help bring back all Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea.

 

November 11, Sunday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

  1. Sunday marks the centenary of the end of World War I.       France’s president will host the ceremony in Paris to commemorate 100 years since the end of the war.
  2. Turkey says it has shared recordings related to the killing of the Saudi journalist with Saudi Arabia, the United States and others.
  3. The current outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the worst since the disease first struck the country in 1976.

 

 

 

 

 

 

November 10, Saturday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

  1. The U.S. and China held ministerial-level diplomatic and security talks in Washington on Friday, amid tensions over trade.
  2. Japan’s Foreign Minister Taro Kono says the plaintiffs in a recent South Korean court ruling were not “forced laborers,” as they claim.
  3. Floods and mudslides have gushed near the Petra ruins in southern Jordan, reportedly leaving at least 10 people dead.

 

 

November 9, Friday, 2018 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Sara Macdonald and Ms. Emma Howard

  1. Japan’s trade minister Hiroshige Seko says Japan, the United States, and the European Union will jointly submit proposals to reform the World Trade Organization.
  2. Myanmar and China have agreed to scale back a port development project in the Southeast Asian country.
  3. Japan has effectively abandoned a plan to send officers from the Self-Defense Forces to U.S. bases in the country for safety inspections of military helicopters.