January 11, Saturday, 2020 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

  1. A patrol plane unit of the Maritime Self-Defense Force left Japan for the Middle East on Saturday to help ensure the safe navigation of commercial vessels.
  2. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has left Japan on a three-nation Middle East tour amid growing tensions in the Gulf region.
  3. Voting is underway in Taiwan for the presidential election. The territory’s future relationship with China is seen as one of the biggest issues.

January 10, Friday, 2020 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kimberly Gale and Ms. Emma Howard

  1. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says evidence suggests that an Iranian missile shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet that crashed on Wednesday.
  2. Japan’s Defense Minister Taro Kono is set to order the dispatch of a Self-Defense Force mission to the Middle East on Friday despite heightened tensions in the region.
  3. Japan and the Philippines have agreed to strengthen bilateral maritime security cooperation amid China’s increasing maritime activities in the South China Sea.