月: 2023年5月

1. A large typhoon is moving toward the Okinawa region in southwestern Japan. Japan’s Meteorological Agency says that as of 9:00 a.m. Wednesday, Typhoon Mawar was moving slowly northward over the sea south of Okinawa. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
2. The head of the United Nation’s nuclear watchdog has proposed five principles to ensure the safety of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which has been under Russian control since 2022. The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, made the proposal at the UN Security Council in New York on Tuesday. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　3. Russian leaders have ordered wave after wave of strikes on Kyiv and other communities across Ukraine. Now, they are seeing threats reach into the heart of their own capital, Moscow. President Vladimir Putin claims Ukrainians are attempting to “intimidate” his people.

1. A large and powerful typhoon is expected to approach the Okinawa region in southwestern Japan from Wednesday, unleashing strong gusts of wind, high waves and heavy rain. Japan’s Meteorological Agency says Typhoon Mawar has been showing sluggish movement over the sea south of Okinawa as of Tuesday afternoon.
2. Japan’s automakers have reported another sharp rise in global production, as supply chains continue to recover from the pandemic. Six of the country’s 8 major carmakers say they shipped more vehicles in April than the same month last year. Toyota Motor says it made about 787,800 new vehicles last month, up 13.8% from the same month last year. That’s a record high for April. Honda’s output grew by 44.5%, while Mazda 21.1% and Mitsubishi 20.6%. Nissan was up 15.8&, and Subaru up 12.8%. 3. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suggested that his country will soon launch a full-scale counteroffensive against Russia to win back territory. Ukrainian Air Force officials said on Tuesday that Russian forces launched airstrikes with 31 drones from Monday night to early Tuesday morning. They said 29 were shot down and that most of the airstrikes targeted Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv.

1. Japanese government officials say North Korea has told the International Maritime Organization of plans to launch what it calls an “artificial satellite” between May 31 and June 11. Japan has condemned it as a provocation against its national security. Prime Minister Kishida Fumio told reporters the Self-Defense Forces have been ordered to shoot down any incoming missile expected to fall in Japanese territory.
2. The Philippine Coast Guard will hold a drill with its Japanese and US counterparts from Thursday in waters around Manila Bay. Officials from the three countries confirmed they will strengthen cooperation, apparently with China’s increasing activities in the South China Sea in mind. 3. Turkey’s election commission has announced that incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the winner in the presidential runoff election. Erdogan declared victory before his supporters on Sunday evening in Istanbul. Erdogan was running against Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the head of a six-party opposition alliance.

1. Police in central Japan have arrested a 31-year-old man in connection with the killing of four people, including two police officers, in a shooting and stabbing attack. Police have identified the suspect as Aoki Masanori, the son of Nakano City assembly speaker Aoki Masamichi. 2. Overall prices in the Japanese capital remain high as people continue to pay more for food and some services.
3. Investigators around the world are waiting for signs that the Bank of Japan is ready to adjust its ultra-easing policy and start raising interest rates. Central bank Governor Ueda Kazuo has reiterated that achieving sustainable inflation of 2 percent is still the main consideration.

1. Newly released minutes of the last US Federal Reserve policy meeting show officials were divided over whether to halt rate increases in June. The minutes say several participants noted that further rate hikes may not be necessary if the economy evolves as they expect. But others said some additional policy tightening would likely be warranted at future meetings because they were concerned that inflation would take too long to slow down to their target of 2 percent. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　2. A senior South Korean official says Seoul will decide its stance on Japan’s plan to release treated and diluted water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea after the International Atomic Energy Agency issues its assessment. Japan plans to release the treated water after diluting it to reduce tritium levels to one-seventh of the World Health Organization’s safety standards for drinking water.　
3. Japan’s junior coalition partner Komeito has decided not to cooperate in Tokyo with the main ruling Liberal Democratic Party in the next Lower House election. The two ruling parties have been at odds over whether to file their own candidate in Tokyo’s 28th electoral district.

1. A senior Ukrainian military officer says the country’s forces are not joining pro-Ukrainian volunteer soldiers fighting inside Russian territory. Roman Kostenko said two armed groups that claim to have intruded into Russia’s Belgorod region have their own goals. He acknowledged that the military is in partnership with them, but said Kyiv does not want Russian land. 2. The European Union’s foreign policy chief says Ukrainian pilots have started training to operate F-16 fighter jets in “several countries,” including Poland. Josep Borrell said that the training “will take time, but the sooner the better.” He added that Western allies have opened the door for providing the aircraft.
3. Major US media outlets reported on Tuesday that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will announce on Wednesday his bid to seek the Republican nomination for next year’s presidential election. He could be the biggest rival of former President Donald Trump in the Republican nomination race.

1. Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida Fumio says he does not plan to introduce new tax increases to fund government measures aimed at reversing the country’s declining birthrate. The government held a panel meeting on Monday to discuss its plan to strengthen childcare measures over the next three years. On the agenda was how to finance the package.
2. A team of South Korean experts is at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to assess the safety of Japan’s plan to release treated and diluted water into the ocean. The delegation of about 30 members includes senior officials of South Korea’s Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, as well as marine environment specialists.
3. The government of the western Russian region bordering Ukraine says members of a Ukrainian sabotage group had entered the Russian territory. Belgorod region governor Vyacheslav Vyacheslav Gladkov on Monday said counter-terrorism measures were taken to drive them away.

1. A team of South Korean experts has started a four-day survey in Japan to check on the safety of treated and diluted water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant that is slated to be released into the sea. Under the government plan, the treated water from the plant will be diluted to reduce tritium levels to meet World Health Organization safety standards for drinking water before it is released into the ocean.
2. A survivor of the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima says she shared her thoughts about nuclear weapons with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy when she told him her experiences on Sunday. Ogura Keiko met Zelenskyy at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and told him her experiences in English. 3. The G7 summit has concluded in Hiroshima with leaders welcoming Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and reaffirming their support for Ukraine. Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, who chaired the summit, is hailing it as a success. In the summit’s closing speech on Sunday, Kishida said leaders demonstrated their determination to protect the international order.

1. The leaders of the Group of Seven nations have started talks in Japan’s western city of Hiroshima. Issues on the agenda include the global economy, the war in Ukraine, nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, who is chairing the event, spoke at the beginning of the talks on Friday. “The major theme of this summit is not division and confrontation,” he said. “It is reaffirming the G7’s unity and strengthening our role to ensure a coordinated international community and to hammer out active and concrete contributions to that end.” 2. Multiple western media outlets are quoting sources as saying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will attend the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, western Japan. It will be the first visit to Asia for the Ukrainian leader since the start of Russia’s invasion in February of last year. He is expected to ask G 7 leaders directly for more military aid. Reuters says Zelenskyy will arrive on Sunday. 3. Authorities in Hiroshima have put in place traffic restrictions on city center roads and expressways in Hiroshima Prefecture for the duration of the three-day talks of the G7 summit that started on Friday.

1. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has told a Chinese envoy that his country will not accept a peace proposal that involves ceding territory to Russia.
2. Montana is set to become the first US state to impose a complete ban on Tik Tok, a popular video-sharing app owned by a Chinese firm.
3. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte agreed on Tuesday to build an international coalition to provide Ukraine with military support, including fighter jets.