月: 2021年11月

1. The leaders of the United States and China have come together to work on bridging a widening gap between the two nations. Their first online summit comes amid growing tensions. The two leaders remain far apart on issues ranging from the economy to human rights. But both US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping are vowing to cooperate.
2. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has visited a new city under construction, during his first public appearance in more than a month. The state-run Korean Central News Agency said Kim praised the progress of the project. He noted that the construction proved “the irresistible might of the single-minded unity” between the party and people, and “the iron will of our state to achieve prosperity in our own way and with our own efforts.”
3. Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and French President Emmanuel Macron have agreed to continue to deepen their cooperation in strengthening security ties. The two leaders spoke by phone on Monday at Japan’s request. It was their first talks since Kishida took office in October.

1. World leaders have reached an agreement at the COP 26 UN climate conference in Scotland. The pact includes a commitment to limiting increases in global average temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius. But the wording on cutting coal use was changed from “phase out” to “phase down.”
2. Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu says the country will work hard to reduce coal-fired power generation as much as possible. Matsuno was speaking to reporters on Monday about the agreement at the COP 26 UN climate conference in Britain.
3. Japan’s latest GDP figures show that the country’s economy shrank in the July-September period. It was the first downturn in two quarters as the pandemic weighed on consumer spending.

1.The Japanese government says it will strengthen the medical system to prepare for another possible wave of coronavirus infections this winter. The plans say the medical system will be improved this month so that about 37,000 people can be admitted to hospitals for treatment. The figure is about 30 percent higher than this summer when cases had reached a peak.
2. Germany has reported a record daily figure of more than 50,000 coronavirus cases. The public health authority confirmed 50,196 new infections on Thursday, and 235 deaths. The eastern state of Saxony strengthened its anti-infection measures this week. People will only be allowed to eat in restaurants if they are fully vaccinated or have recovered after being infected. The capital Berlin will impose similar restrictions from Monday.
3. China’s Communist Party has adopted a key resolution summing up the party’s 100-year history at its Central Committee’s plenary session. State-run Xinhua news agency says that the Central Committee’s sixth plenary session closed in Beijing on Thursday with President Xi Jinping and more than 300 senior members of the party in attendance.

1. Japanese writer and Buddhist nun Setouchi Jakucho has died at the age of 99. A publishing house and other sources said she died of heart failure at a hospital in Kyoto on Tuesday. Setouchi was born in 1922 in Tokushima City, western Japan. She began writing novels after graduating from university and made her professional debut in 1957.
2. New Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa has vowed to exercise leadership in tackling global issues such as climate change, the coronavirus, disarmament and nonproliferation to raise Japan’s international profile. Hayashi said he will pursue diplomacy with a determination to protect universal values and Japan’s peace and stability, and to contribute to humanity and lead the international community.
3. Bank of Japan officials have announced that the producer price index in October had its biggest spike in over 40 years. They cite as a main factor rising crude oil prices. The central bank says the cost of goods traded among companies rose 8 percent in October from the same month last year. That’s the largest margin of increase since January, 1981.

1.Japanese lawmakers have formally re-elected Kishida Fumio as the country’s prime minister. It comes after the ruling coalition won a comfortable majority in the Lower House election 10 days ago. In Japan, lawmakers officially choose the prime minister. He is expected to announce his Cabinet later in the day. Kishida plans to appoint former education minister Hayashi Yoshimasa as foreign minister.
2.Media in Taiwan have reported that members of the US Congress flew to Taiwan aboard a US military aircraft on Tuesday. The news drew strong condemnation from China.
3.The foreign minister of the South Pacific country of Tuvalu has showed the world how climate change is threatening his island nation, by giving a speech standing knee-deep in seawater. The video of Simon Kofe was released to coincide with the UN climate change conference, COP 26, now underway in Britain.

1.The US government has sought to justify its new coronavirus mandate for large companies in response to a court order blocking the measure. The administration of President Joe Biden implemented the mandate to help ensure the safety of workers. Under the rule, companies with 100 or more employees must require workers to get fully vaccinated or alternatively require them to undergo weekly testing and wear masks. The rule must be implemented by January 4th at the latest. Governors of more than half the states have filed lawsuits, arguing that the rule is unconstitutional.
2. In Major League Baseball, Japanese two-way star Ohtani Shohei has been shortlisted for this year’s Most Valuable Player Award in the American League.
The MVPs will be announced on November 18.
3. Japanese conglomerate Toshiba is reportedly considering splitting into three firms. The struggling company is looking to raise its market value, streamline its operations and respond to a shareholder revolt.

1. NHK has learned that Prime Minister Kishida Fumio is arranging to appoint former Defense Minister Nakatani Gen as his special advisor on human rights issues. Nakatani, a 64-year-old Lower House member, co-chairs a non-partisan parliamentarian group on China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
2. Business travelers who arrived at Narita Airport near Tokyo on Monday say they welcome Japan’s easing of coronavirus entry restrictions. From Monday, the quarantine period for vaccinated business travelers—Japanese nationals and foreign residents of Japan—has been reduced from 10 to three days, in principle.
3. Chinese President Xi Jinping has briefed those participating in a Communist Party meeting on a draft of a key resolution regarding the party’s history.

1. The world’s largest oil producing nations have decided not to increase output beyond the group’s current plan.
2. The UK medicines regulator has authorized the use of an oral antiviral drug to treat the coronavirus. It says the drug is the first of its kind to be approved.
3. Over 40 nations have agreed to phrase out coal power at the COP 26 UN conference on climate change, which is now underway in the UK city of Glasgow.

1. An international environmental NGO has given Japan its satirical Fossil of the Day award, following a speech by Prime Minister Kishida Fumio at the COP 26 climate change conference. The Climate Action Network is presenting the award every day during the UN conference in Glasgow, Scotland, to countries it says are “doing the most to achieve the least” to curb global warming.
2. The top US military officer has said it is unlikely that China will attempt to seize Taiwan in the near future. Asked whether China is preparing to make a move on Taiwan in the near future, General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he does not think it will happen in six, 12 or 24 months.
3. The Federal Reserve has propped up the US economy with monthly investments throughout the pandemic The central bankers announced on Wednesday they will withdraw some of their supports and scale back on their program of quantitative easing.

1.Islamic State related media say the militant group has claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on a military hospital in Afghanistan’s capital of Kabul. Reuters news agency says at least 25 people were killed, and more than 50 others wounded.
2.U.S. President Joe Biden says America “showed up” at the United Nations Climate Change Conference. Biden joined more than 100 leaders in promising to stop deforestation by 2030. The agreement encompasses 85 percent of the world’s forests. Leaders also committed to limit global warming above pre-industrial levels to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
3.Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has set out his country’s plan to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. He also vows to spend big in the push to help other nations follow suit. Kishida spoke at the United Nations climate conference in Scotland. He said Japan aims to achieve carbon neutrality in 2050. And to do that, the government plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 46 percent in 2030 from the level in fiscal 2013. He added if possible, Japan will even push for a reduction of 50 percent.