月: 2025年1月

1. Japan marks 30 years since the Great Hanshin-Awayji Earthquake. The magnitude 7.3 tremor devastated the city of Kobe and surrounding areas.
2. The United Kingdom and Ukraine have concluded a long-term cooperation agreement. Under the accord, London will also provide Kyiv with military assistance.
3. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has told US President-elect Donald Trump that Denmark will not agree to sell Greenland to the United States.

1. An NHK survey found that more than 60 percent of the survivors of the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake feel that memories of the disaster and lessons learned are fading. 2. US President Joe Biden has warned against a concentration of power by a few very wealthy people as he prepares to step down and hand power to Donald Trump. 3. Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Yoshimasa has described the Gaza ceasefire agreement as a crucial step toward Japan’s goal of improving the humanitarian situation in Gaza and easing tensions in the region.

1. South Korean investigators say they have detained President Yoon Suk-yeol. He faces charges of insurrection over his brief declaration of martial law in December. This is the first time in South Korean history that a sitting president has been detained. Yoon remained defiant as he was taken in for questioning. He said, “I cannot help but feel disappointed to see that the investigators are pushing ahead with an invalid detention warrant. But I have decided to accept the request, despite it being an illegal investigation, to prevent bloodshed as investigators forced their way into the residence. But I stand against this investigation. 2. NHK has learned that the Japanese government is arranging to offer aid worth 2 million dollars to the United States, in response to the raging wildfires in the Los Angeles area. The Japanese government officials hope the funds can be used to provide safe shelter, food, psychological care and other support that meet local needs.
3. Japan’s ancient city of Kyoto has officially announced it will raise the cap on its accommodation tax tenfold to 10,000 yen, or about 63 dollars, a night. The city started collecting the tax in 2018 from all guests at hotels, inns and other accommodation facilities, in principle.

1. US President Joe Biden has delivered a foreign policy speech ahead of the expiration of his term early next week. He stressed the importance of multinational cooperation, with an eye on the “America-first” approach of his successor, Donald Trump. Biden said: “America is stronger. Our alliances are stronger” compared with four years ago, while “our adversaries and competitors are weaker.”
2. A new takeover bid is reportedly in the works for US Steel to counter the offer made by Japan’s Nippon Steel. Media outlet CNBC says US steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs is teaming up with local rival Nucor for the deal. The deal is reportedly structured to avoid violating anti-monopoly laws.
3. The prime minister of Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, has reiterated his position of not agreeing with remarks made by US President-elect Donald Trump. Prime Minister Mute Egede, at the same time, expressed hope for the territory’s cooperation with the US and others in fields such as defense and the mining of its mineral resources.

1. US President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for national security advisor says he expects a telephone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to take place in coming weeks. Mike Waltz, a member of the House of Representatives, appeared on an ABC television program on Sunday. Trump said earlier that a meeting with Putin was being set up. 2. The father of a woman abducted by North Korean agents decades ago has again called for her return in a written comment released on her 65th birthday. Arimoto Keiko was 23 when she was abducted in 1983 while traveling in Europe after completing a study program in London. Her 96-year-old father Arimoto Akihiro celebrated her birthday on Sunday with cake and red bean rice at his home in the city of Kobe, western Japan. 3. Monday is Coming of Age Day, a national holiday that celebrates people reaching 20 years of age. In Osaka City, western Japan, young people climbed the stairs of one of Japan’s tallest buildings under the slogan “Let’s Step into Adulthood.” About 50 people wearing kimono and suits took part in the rite of passage at the 300-meter-tall Abeno Harukas skyscraper. In 2022, the country’s legal age of adulthood was lowered from 20 to 18, but many people still mark the milestone when they turn 20.

1. US President Joe Biden has pledged to do everything at a federal level to help contain the Los Angeles wildfires. He said, “The worst fire has ever hit Los Angeles, ever.”
2. Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has suggested holding talks on Greenland with US President-elect Donald Trump. Frederiksen said she believes they will have a good dialogue about the Danish autonomous territory. Her remarks came after Trump called for the United States to acquire Greenland for purposes of national security. 3. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has downplayed US President-elect Donald Trump’s remarks on Greenland and the Panama Canal. Meloni said she would rule out the possibility of the US attempting to forcibly annex territories that interest the country in the next few years.

1. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has suggested that North America, including the United States, could be called “Mexican America” as shown in an old map. The Mexican president floated her idea by showing reporters a map from the 17th century. It described North America as “America Mexicana” in Spanish, which means Mexican America. Sheinbaum said with a smile that the name “sounds nice, doesn’t it?”
2. Former Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide and US Senator Bill Hagerty have confirmed that they will work to uphold and bolster the bilateral alliance from their respective positions. Suga and Hagerty met for about 30 minutes in Washington on Wednesday. Hagerty was the US ambassador to Japan during the first Donald Trump administration. Suga will attend Thursday’s state funeral for former US President Jimmy Carter as a special envoy of Japan’s Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru.
3. Public health officials in Japan say the average weekly number of influenza patients per medical institution has hit a 26-year high. The National Institute of Infectious Diseases says a total of 317,812 cases were reported in the week to December 29, an increase of over 100,000 from the previous week.

1. US President-elect Donald Trump says NATO member countries should increase their defense spending to 5 percent of their GDP. Trump said defense spending by NATO members should be at 5 percent, not 2 percent, of GDP. He has been promoting his “America First” policy. He has repeatedly claimed that NATO member states are not paying their fair share on defense.
2. A new term started on Wednesday at an elementary school in Anamizu Town in central Japan’s Ishikawa Prefecture. The school building was severely damaged in the massive earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula on New Year’s Day last year. About 130 children at Anamizu Elementary School exchanged greetings at the entrance of their temporary school building. 3. Sumitomo Mitsui Banking plans to raise its starting monthly salary to 300,000 yen, or nearly 1,900 dollars from April next year. The firm is the first among Japanese megabanks to offer wages at this level. A number of financial organizations are making plans to raise base pay for newcomers, amid Japan’s severe labor shortage.

1. The historical TV series “Shogun” has triumphed at the 2025 Golden Globes, taking Best Television Series –Drama and three other awards. Lead actor Sanada Hiroyuki, who also produced the series, won Best Performance by an actor in the TV drama category. “Shogun” was produced by the US pay TV channel FX. Set during Japan’s Sengoku Warring States period, it features a samurai warrior and a British navigator who became his subordinate. Dialogue in the 10-episode drama is mostly in Japanese, which is unusual for a US production. 2. Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken have wrapped up their meeting in Tokyo. The two top diplomats met over lunch at a Tokyo hotel on Tuesday. At the start of their talks, Iwaya expressed hope for thorough discussions on regional affairs and the state of bilateral relations to elevate the Japna-US alliance to new heights. 3. The Canadian prime minister announced on Monday that he will resign, after leading the country for almost a decade. Justin Trudeau said he is stepping down as head of the Liberal Party and prime minister at a press conference in the capital of Ottawa.

1. Japanese golfer Matsuyama Hideki clinched his 11th career PGA Tour victory at the season-opening event on Sunday in the US state of Hawaii. Matsuyama finished with a PGA Tour record total of 35-under par. The season opener featured 59 players, including Matsuyama, who won two PGA events last year and a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics. 2. A ceremony to distribute traditional round rice cakes was held on Monday at Hikone Castle in Shiga Prefecture, western Japan. The castle is designated as a national treasure. Eleven members of the castle’s management center gathered in the morning to divide the two glutinous rice cakes, called “kagami mochi.” The cakes were displayed over the New Year holidays at the castle museum and gardens.
3. Economists predict that Japan’s economy will grow more than 1 percent in inflation-adjusted terms in fiscal 2025. They see wage increases giving a boost to consumer spending.