日: 2024年6月18日

1. Russian President Vladimir Putin, ahead of his first visit to North Korea in 24 years, said the two countries will boost their ties to a higher level. His remark appeared in an article printed by North Korea’s ruling party’s newspaper. Putin said in the article that Russia highly appreciates “that the DPRK is firmly supporting the special military operations of Russia being conducted in Ukraine.”
2. Japanese weather officials are warning of bands of heavy rain clouds that will likely form over the Shikoku region, western Japan. The Meteorological Agency says warm and damp air is flowing toward a front accompanied by a low pressure system that stretchers off the southern coast of Kyushu to Kanto, making atmospheric conditions very unstable. 3. Himeji City, in western Japan, has decided to review the admission fee for Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Cultural heritage site, and is considering setting higher rates for non-local and foreign visitors. Himeji Mayor Kiyomoto Hideyasu told reporters on Monday that he intends to consider setting different rates for Japanese visitors, foreign tourists and local residents.

1. Delegates to an international conference on peace in Ukraine have adopted a joint communique pledging to take concrete measures to address issues, such as the safety of nuclear power plants. The two-day summit to discuss a peace plan put forward by Ukraine ended on Sunday in the Swiss resort of Burgenstock. Representatives from about 100 countries and organizations attended.
2. A Swedish think tank says the global total of nuclear warheads deployed with missiles and aircraft has grown by 60 from last year. China and Russia appear to be promoting their deployment. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute released the finding on Monday in its annual report.
3. Japanese weather officials say the rainy season appears to have begun in the northern part of western Japan’s Kyushu region. They are also warning of landslides, flooding of low-lying land and swelling rivers in southern Kyushu and Shikoku.

1. Leaders of the Group of Seven nations have begun their second day of summit talks in Italy with a focus on China’s overproduction and artificial intelligence.
2. The president of the International Criminal Court is seeking widespread understanding and support for the activities of the court to establish the rule of law in the international community.
3. The operator of a short railway that runs in a city near Tokyo will launch a facial recognition ticketing system on Saturday.