月: 2023年11月

1. China’s foreign ministry is hailing the outcome of President Xi Jinping’s latest summit with US President Joe Biden. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, ministry spokesperson Mao Ning described the talks as comprehensive and constructive, with strategic significance and far-reaching influence. 2. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Britain’s new Foreign Secretary David Cameron has visited Kyiv in his first overseas trip after taking up his new post. The former British prime minister became foreign secretary in a cabinet reshuffle on Monday. 3. Ukrainian troops have made some progress in their counteroffensive against Russia by securing a foothold in an occupied area of the Kherson region. The two sides are currently engaged in fierce fighting in Ukraine’s south and east.

1. The Israeli military has raided al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical institution in the Gaza Strip. The military said on Wednesday that it is conducting what it calls a “precise and targeted operation” against the Islamic group Hamas in a specified area of the hospital. 2. Ministers from 21 members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum have gathered in San Francisco. Japan’s Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko and Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Nishimura Yasutoshi were among the attendees on Tuesday. Issues on the agenda included sustainable economic growth. Nishimura said it is important to seek a diverse and realistic path to achieve net zero emissions of greenhouse gases. 3. Families with young children gathered at Zenko-ji Temple in Nagano City, central Japan, on Wednesday to celebrate “Shichi-go-san,” the traditional rite of passage for kids. This custom involves boys aged 3 and 5 and girls aged 3 and 7 visiting a shrine or a Buddhist temple on November 15 to pray for their growth.

1. Doctors at hospitals in the Gaza Strip have been working for more than a month in perilous conditions. They have seen Israeli troops fighting Hamas militants right outside their windows. Health authorities say 25 of the 35 hospitals in the enclave have closed. 2. Japan is seeing a clear recovery in tax-free spending by Chinese visitors, which was the key driver of consumption among inbound tourists before the coronavirus pandemic. International tax-free service operator Global Blue says Chinese tourists visiting Japan spent 25 percent more on tax-free goods in October than in the same month in 2019. That’s on a same-store companion. 3. The organizer of the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka has begun a meeting with participating countries and organizations. The organizer aims to accelerate preparations by explaining support measures, as a number of countries are behind schedule in building their pavilions.

1. Japan’s government has approved the resignation of State Minister of Finance Kanda Kenji, who repeatedly failed to pay taxes for his company. The Cabinet gave the approval on Monday after Kanda handed in his resignation. Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has decided to replace him on the grounds that the issue should not stall Diet deliberations. 2. Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange are releasing their midterm earnings for fiscal 2023. More than half the firms that posted their results for the April-September period say they saw net profit growth.
3. NHK has learned that Japan’s government is considering providing defense equipment to Vietnam and Djibouti under a new security assistance framework. Government officials say the two countries are candidates to receive Official Security Assistance, or OSA, during the fiscal year that begins next April.

1. US officials have pressed their Israeli counterparts repeatedly for a pause in the fighting in the Gaza Strip. They say the Israelis have agreed to stop military operations against Hamas militants for four hours every day.
2. Japan’s senior national security official and China’s foreign minister have exchanged opinions on holding a summit between the leaders of their countries. Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio is considering holding talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the US city of San Francisco on the sidelines of the summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum next week. 3. In Major League Baseball, Japanese two-way star Ohtani Shohei has won the Silver Slugger Award in the designated hitter category. He received the award in the American League for the second time since 2021.

1. The foreign ministers of the United States and South Korea have agreed to take concerted actions against the military cooperation between Russia and North Korea. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his South Korean counterpart Park Jin shared “profound concerns” about North Korea’s “growing and dangerous military cooperation with Russia,” calling it a violation of UN Security Council resolutions and a serious threat to the world. 2. A joint coastal defense drill has begun in the Philippines with five countries participating, including the US and Japan. The drill is part of efforts by Manila to strengthen multilateral security cooperation at a time when China is growing aggressive in the disputed South China Sea. 3. Japan is experiencing an unprecedentedly warm fall. Weather officials say most of the snow on the summit of Mount Fuji has now melted away. The Meteorological Agency on Wednesday said most of the snow on the top of Mt. Fuji has melted due to unseasonably warm weather over the past few days.

1. Britain’s King Charles has delivered his first King’s Speech in Parliament, outlining the government’s policy priorities. In the British tradition, the monarch reads out a speech on the government’s legislative plans at the start of each parliamentary session.
2. A senior US government official has reiterated President Joe Biden’s position on post-conflict Gaza, saying that reoccupation of the Palestinian-controlled area by Israeli forces is “not the right thing to do.”
3. Japanese exports of seafood to China in September plunged sharply from a year earlier. This was after Beijing suspended imports of marine products to protest the release of treated and diluted water into the sea from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

1. US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have discussed the idea of “tactical pauses” in the fighting in the Gaza Strip. In a statement on Monday, the White House said the two leaders discussed the possibility of tactical pauses for humanitarian reasons in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic group Hamas. 2. Senior diplomats from the United States and China have met in Washington on nuclear arms control, ahead of an expected summit between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping. 3. A US research institute says that China is taking steps to de-risk its Belt and Road Initiative, as the country is moving to outflank its competitors. AidData, a research lab at William & Mary’s Global Research Institute, released a report on Monday saying it describes China as “the world’s largest official debt collector.”

1. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has held its first drill using shelters designated for emergency evacuation in the event of a missile attack. About 60 people took part in the drill held on Monday at three places in Tokyo’s Nerima Ward, including Toei Subway Nerima Station and the Heisei Tsutsuji Park. At the subway station, participants began to evacuate when the central government’s J-Alert nationwide warning system issued an alarm for a missile launch. 2. People in Japan are getting bigger returns on their fixed bank deposits for the first time in years. The change follows a rise in long-term interest rates that accompanied tweaks in the country’s monetary policy. MUFG Bank previously offered returns of a uniform 0.002 percent for 5- to 10-year fixed term deposits. Starting Monday, it increased the 10-year rate by 100 times to 0.2 percent. It’s the first such increase in 12 years. 3. A senior UN official has urged the international community to hold dialogue with the Taliban and provide support for women and girls in Afghanistan. The UN Development Programme’s Director of the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, Kanni Wignaraja, spoke to NHK on Monday in Tokyo. The Taliban, which seized power two years ago, have been restricting women’s rights to education and work.

1. Israel is stepping up its ground and air offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military says its troops have now completely encircled Gaza City. Following Thursday’s announcement, Israel carried out intense bombings of northern Gaza. Footage showed flares lighting up the night sky, while missiles rained down amid loud explosions. 2. A large float has toppled over at a festival in Shizuoka Prefecture in central Japan, killing one person and injuring at least 18. The incident took place on Friday morning during an annual festival held by Hirose Shrine in Izunokuni City. Police say one of the floats being paraded on the streets appears to have become uncontrollable and flipped on its side on a downward slope. 3. The Beatles have released what is billed as their “last” song which was produced with the help of artificial intelligence. The British rock group’s late member John Lennon composed the tune, “Now and Then,” in 1978, two years before he was killed.