August 11, Sunday, 2019 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

  1. North Korean state media says Saturday’s launch of two projectiles was a test to verify the capabilities of a new weapons system.
  2. Tens of thousands of people in Moscow have taken part in a rally, demanding that opposition candidates be allowed to run in next month’s election for the city’s legislature.
  3. Hong Kong has experienced another weekend of unrest between pro-democracy protestors and police.

August 10, Saturday, 2019 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Ms. Risa Shimizu

  1. The South Korean military says North Korea has fired two more projectiles, believed to be short-range ballistic missiles, into the sea east of the Korean Peninsula.
  2. Former Japanese residents of four Russian-held islands claimed by Japan have arrived in the territory to visit the graves of their ancestors.
  3. U.S. President Donald Trump says he is not ready to make a trade deal with China, questioning whether the next round of scheduled talks will take place.

August 9, Friday, 2019 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Emma Howard and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

  1. People in Japan are remembering the atomic bombing of the city of Nagasaki during World War II.
  2. A government body advising on decommissioning of the disaster-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant says removal of molten fuel should start in the facility’s No.2 reactor.
  3. Japan’s GDP grew at an annualized growth rate of 1.8 percent in the April-to-June period, marking the third straight quarterly expansion.

August 8, Thursday, 2019 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto

  1. Amid strained bilateral ties, Japan’s trade ministry has given the go-ahead to sell sensitive high-tech materials to South Korea.
  2. U.S. President Donald Trump revealed that talks aimed at getting South Korea to bear more of the burden of U.S. troops in the country have begun.
  3. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has expressed hopes to hold a fresh round of denuclearization talks with North Korea within a “couple of weeks.”

August 7, Wednesday, 2019 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Emma Howard and Ms. Mariko Kojima

  1. Japan’s Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya and U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper have reaffirmed their countries’ close cooperation on North Korea.
  2. North Korea’s state-run media say the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, oversaw the launch of a new type of tactical guided missile on Tuesday.
  3. Japan’s Cabinet ordinance to remove South Korea from a list of nations entitled to simplified export-control procedures.       The ordinance will take effect on August 28th.

 

August 6, Tuesday, 2019 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Ms Hiroko Kitadai

  1. The Japanese city of Hiroshima is marking the 74th anniversary of the world’s first atomic bombing. Participants offered a silent prayer.
  2. The Japanese government says it has confirmed that no ballistic missiles have entered Japan’s territory or its exclusive economic zone.
  3. Share prices plunged on Wall Street on Monday after China devalued its currency.

August 5, Monday, 2019 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Emma Howard and Ms. Sara Macdonald

  1. Protesters in Hong Kong are trying to bring the city to a standstill with a general strike.
  2. The U.S. and South Korean militaries started joint drills on Monday in South Korea on the assumption of emergencies on the Korean Peninsula.
  3. The South Korean media report the country’s Fair Trade Commission has ordered four Japanese companies to pay penalty surcharges for collusion.

 

August 4, Sunday, 2019 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

  1. Police in the U.S. state of Texas have detained a suspect in a fatal mass shooting at a shopping mall in El Paso.
  2. Police in Hong Kong fired tear gas at protestors and arrested at least 20 of them as clashes continued in several spots through early Sunday.
  3. The ASEAN Regional Forum has urged the United States and North Korea to resume working-level talks on Pyongyang’s denuclearization.

August 3, Saturday, 2019 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Ms. Risa Shimizu

  1. Japan’s trade minister Hiroshige Seko says Japan will closely monitor South Korea’s move to remove Tokyo from its list of trusted trading partners.
  2. U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper says his country will start full-fledged development of intermediate-range missiles, following the expiration of a key nuclear treaty with Russia.
  3. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has reiterated that the Etorofu Island is Russian territory, responding to Japan’s protest against his visit to the island claimed by Japan.

August 2, Friday, 2019 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradhan and Ms. Mariko Kojima

  1. Japan’s Cabinet has decided to go ahead with a plan to remove South Korea from a list of nations entitled to simplified export-control procedures.
  2. The U.S. Defense Department says North Korea has launched two missiles. It marked the third set of launches in just over a week.
  3. U.S. President Donald Trump says his nation is going to impose an additional tariff of 10 percent on 300 billion dollars’ worth of Chinese products, starting on September 1st.