May 21, Tuesday, 2019 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

  1. Japan’s foreign minister plans to meet his South Korean counterpart to push Seoul to agree to set up an arbitration panel over the wartime labor issue.
  2. Iran’s nuclear officials say they have quadrupled the country’s capacity to produce low-enriched uranium, amid escalating tensions with the United States.
  3. The United States has announced that an economic conference aimed at helping Palestinians will be held in Bahrain next month.

May 20, Monday, 2019 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Emma Howard and Mr. Yoshi Ogasawara

  1. Japan’s GDP grew at an annualized 2.1 percent in the January-to-March period, marking the second straight quarter of expansion.
  2. The foreign ministers of Japan and Tajikistan have agreed to boost bilateral relations in a wide range of fields.
  3. The world’s major oil producers have agreed to put off until next month a decision on whether to increase output.

May 18, Saturday, 2019 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

  1. U.S. President Donald Trump will delay a decision by up to six months on whether to impose higher tariffs on imported automobiles and parts.
  2. China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi says his country opposes unilateral U.S. sanctions against Iran.
  3. Talks between Britain’s government and main opposition Labour Party over the country’s departure from the European Union have ended without an agreement.

May 17, Friday, 2019 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Emma Howard and Ms. Sara Macdonald

  1. The New York Times says U.S. President Donald Trump told acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan that he does not want to go to war with Iran.
  2. Iran’s foreign minister is said to meet with senior officials in China to discuss U.S. sanctions against his country.
  3. President of Nissan Motor will hold on to his post under a new plan to shake up management at the scandal-plagued automaker.

May 16, Thursday, 2019 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuka Matsumoto and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

  1. Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has discussed with his Japanese counterpart the growing tension in the Middle East.
  2. The U.S. State Department has ordered non-emergency government employees in Iraq to leave the country.
  3. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has disclosed that the United States and China will likely resume ministerial-level trade talks at an early date.

May 15, Wednesday, 2019 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Reese and Ms. Mariko Kojima

  1. The U.S.-China trade dispute is intensifying after the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump began procedures to impose higher tariffs on almost all Chinese goods.
  2. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says his country is not seeking a war with the United States.
  3. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has confirmed cooperation with Russia on North Korea and other issues.

May 14, Tuesday, 2019 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

  1. The U.S. is planning to extend its 25-percent tariff to nearly all goods China exports to the U.S.
  2. U.S. President Donald Trump says he will meet with the Chinese and Russian leaders on the sidelines of the upcoming Group of 20 summit, scheduled for late June in Osaka, Japan.
  3. A group of ancient burial mounds in western Japan is expected to be added to UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage List.

May 13, Monday, 2019 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Emma Howard and Mr. Yoshi Ogasawara

  1. The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump will announce on Monday additional tariffs on roughly 300 billion dollars’ worth of Chinese products.
  2. Five people were killed when a gunman stormed a luxury hotel near a Chinese-funded port in southwestern Pakistan.
  3. The United Nations says rebel forces in Yemen have withdrawn from a key port as part of the plan designed to help bring an end to a 4-year civil war.