1)   A Tokyo court will hand down a verdict later this week on whether three Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) executives are liable for the 2011 Fukushima disaster, the only criminal case to arise out of the world’s worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl in 1986.

2)   A court on Tuesday ordered a hospital operator in northern Japan to pay 1.65 million yen damages to a man, after it refused to employ him last year for failing to report his HIV infection.

3)   Japanese companies shipped $223,000 worth of beer to South Korea in August, figures from the Korea Trade Statistics Promotion Institute showed — down 97% from $7.57 million last year.

4)   Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tuesday Japan’s existing Air Self-Defense Force may “evolve into the Air and Space SDF” in the future as he stressed the need to strengthen the country’s defense capabilities in outer space.

5)   U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said it looked like Iran was behind attacks on oil plants in Saudi Arabia at the weekend that raised fears of a fresh Middle East conflict, but added that he did not want war with anyone.

6)    A Georgia homeowner shot dead three masked teenagers in a possible “stand your ground” case, police say.

The teenagers allegedly tried to rob three people in the front yard of a home in Conyers and fired a handgun, prompting the resident to return fire.

7)   The drone attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil installations are an attack on the “whole world” and its economy, according to the newly appointed Saudi ambassador to London.

8)   A popular giant panda has died unexpectedly in a Thai zoo – prompting China to send experts to investigate. Chuang Chuang had been at the Chiang Mai zoo on loan from China since 2003.

9)   A virus research center in Russia — one of two places in the world that houses the smallpox virus — exploded on Monday, officials said.

10)   French police began clearing around 1,000 migrants from a gymnasium near the northern port of Dunkirk on Tuesday after a court ruled it was a health and security hazard.

1)   U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday dismissed concerns over a protracted trade war with China despite a warning from Beijing that Washington’s decision to label it a currency manipulator would lead to chaos in financial markets.

2)   A UN panel on climate change has warned that global warming could undermine the stability of food supplies and lead to a surge in food prices.

3)   U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents executed search warrants at food processing plants across Mississippi on Wednesday, resulting in the arrest of 680 people.

4)   Hundreds of people have been detained and communications cut off in the India-controlled part of Kashmir. The move follows New Delhi’s decision to strip the region of its special status that granted it a high degree of autonomy for decades.

5)   The body of a missing British scientist has been found in a ravine on the Greek island of Ikaria two days after she disappeared, Greek police said on Wednesday.

6)   Syrian government forces seized ground from insurgents in northwestern Syria on Thursday, sources on both sides said, building on advances since the military declared an end to a brief ceasefire earlier this week.

7)   Russian authorities on Thursday froze a slew of bank accounts linked to jailed opposition politician Alexei Navalny as part of a money laundering investigation that his allies say is a attempt to cripple his political movement.

8)   Russian authorities on Thursday froze a slew of bank accounts linked to jailed opposition politician Alexei Navalny as part of a money laundering investigation.

9)   Britain will relax its immigration rules to attract more top scientists after Brexit by seeking to fast-track visas, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday.

10)   U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents executed search warrants at food processing plants across Mississippi on Wednesday, resulting in the arrest of 680 people.

11)   Influencers on Ugandan social media and others with large, commercialized online followings must henceforth register their activities for monitoring by the state, the country’s communications regulator said on Thursday.

1)   Japan hanged two death-row inmates Friday morning, the Justice Ministry said, in the country’s first executions this year.

2)   The U.S. has recorded nearly 20 mass killings so far this year, the majority of them domestic violence attacks that receive scant national attention compared to high-profile public shootings in recent years at schools, churches and concerts.

3)   Scientists in Japan will begin trying to grow human organs in animals after receiving government permission for the first study of its kind in the country.

The cutting-edge — but controversial — research involves implanting modified animal embryos with human “induced pluripotent stem” (iPS) cells that can be coaxed into forming the building blocks of any part of the body.

4)   The operator of 7-Eleven convenience stores in Japan said Thursday it will end its mobile payment service 7pay in late September, only three months after its launch, after hundreds of customers suffered as a result of unauthorized access to their accounts.

5)   US President Donald Trump says the US is going to impose an additional tariff of 10 percent on 300 billion dollars’ worth of Chinese products, starting on September 1st. Almost all imports from China would be subject to additional tariffs if the measure goes into effect.

6)   Friday’s expiration of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is raising concerns about the possibility of a new arms race, as the pact has led the momentum for nuclear disarmament for more than 30 years.

On February 2, the United States notified Russia that it would pull out of the treaty that bans the production, possession and test-firing of ground-based ballistic and cruise missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers. Russia responded that it would also exit the INF.

7)   Poland’s Catholic Church has doubled down on the anti-gay rhetoric that has become the nationalist ruling party’s dominant theme in recent weeks.

8)   U.S. President Donald Trump has described protests in Hong Kong as “riots” that China will have to deal with itself, signaling a hands-off approach to the biggest political crisis gripping the former British colony in decades.

9)   People connected to the government of Saudi Arabia have run a network of fake accounts and pages on Facebook Inc <FB.O> to promote state propaganda and attack regional rivals, the social media giant said on Thursday.

10)   Japan will not send warships to join a U.S.-led maritime force to guard oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz fearing a military response from Iran,

1)   Prosecutors on Friday indicted a 56-year-old man on trespassing and other charges over an incident in April in which knives were found on Prince Hisahito’s classroom desk at a Tokyo junior high school.

2)      As ties between Japan and South Korea have been spiraling downward, a group of 75 citizens worried about the situation criticized the Japanese government Friday for being “hostile and counterproductive” and treating South Korea “almost like an enemy.”

3)   Australia said Friday it would establish the world’s first dedicated office to police Facebook Inc and Google as part of reforms designed to rein in the U.S. technology giants, potentially setting a precedent for global lawmakers.

4)   U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he was not upset by North Korea’s launching of short-range ballistic missiles earlier this week. “We’ll see what happens, but they are short-range missiles and many people have those missiles … very standard missiles,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

5)   Mass tourism took off after World War Two. Last year there were 1.4 billion tourist arrivals, up from 25 million in 1950, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, with Europe absorbing half of them.

The nation generating the most tourists is China – 143 million trips abroad in 2017, while France and Spain receive the most visits – more than 80 million a year.

6)   A group of top lawyers in Japan called on the government and parliament on Thursday to legalize same-sex marriage by revising relevant laws.

7)   Fifty-two railway companies and several commercial facilities across Japan on Monday began a campaign to promote safety while riding escalators. The initiative, coined “Escalator Riding Reform,” is requesting people to stand still in two lines on escalators in order to prevent accidents and be mindful of the elderly.

8)   he U.S. federal government will resume its use of capital punishment after a 16-year hiatus and have set execution dates for five convicted murderers, U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr announced Thursday. Acting on President Donald Trump’s call for tougher penalties on violent crimes

9)   Japanese weather officials say a tropical storm may bring heavy rain to Pacific coastal areas of Japan from Saturday through Sunday. They are warning people to be on the alert for possible landslides and floods.

10)   Summer forecasts of 43.3 degrees in Tokyo and scores of daily deaths from heatstroke will become the norm in 2100 unless sufficient countermeasures against global warming are taken, according to the Environment Ministry.

To drive home the dangers of climate change, the ministry released videos of mock weather forecasts for August and February 2100 based on simulations conducted by the Japan Meteorological Agency’s Meteorological Research Institute.

11)   In an awkward moment for Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK), the public broadcaster announced that a political party, whose campaign rally cry was “destroy NHK,” had won a seat in the Upper House.

“NHK Kara Kokumin wo Mamoru To,” or the party to protect the public from NHK, said almost nothing about constitutional revision, the planned hike in the consumption tax rate in October, or what to do about the pension system during campaigning for the July 21 Upper House election.

Its leader and its candidates instead shouted anti-NHK slogans at their rallies.

12)    Guatemala has signed a migration agreement with the United States that would apply to citizens from Honduras and El Salvador, the Guatemalan government said in a statement on Friday.

13)   Germany is ready to take part in a British plan for a European-led naval mission to ensure safe shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, media group RND reported, citing participants in a meeting of parliament’s foreign relations committee.

14)   The Wall Street Journal said on Sunday that China had reached a secret deal with Cambodia this year to let it place forces at Ream. The report cited U.S. and allied officials.

Cambodia denied any such agreement and said hosting foreign forces would be against Cambodia’s constitution.

“You journalists. Open your eyes and noses. Today we show you everything,” said defense ministry spokesman Chhum Socheat. “We can’t hide anything … because there are satellites.”

1)  A Japanese court ordered the government on Friday to pay 370 million yen in damages to the relatives of former leprosy patients over a segregation policy that severed family ties and caused long-lasting prejudice.

2)   Leaders from the Group of 20 major economies wrapped up the first day of their summit in Osaka on Friday with a kyogen traditional theater performance and local cuisine featuring wagyu beef and deep fried anglerfish.

3)   More than 2,000 doctors at 50 university hospitals in Japan were found to have worked without pay, with many lacking an employment contract or compensation insurance, the education ministry said Friday based on a recent survey.

4)   Self-driving technology startup Monet Technologies Inc said Friday five major Japanese automakers have signed a contract to invest in the joint venture formed earlier this year by Toyota Motor Corp and SoftBank Corp.

5)   Companies with female directors outperform those with only men at the top, according to a study of more than 1,000 Asian firms released on Thursday, as calls grow for more diversity in the region’s boardrooms.

6)   Tokyo Electric Power Co. announced May 22 it was backtracking on plans to use foreign workers at its crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant after the health ministry urged extreme caution. The utility said it will not hire foreign workers at the plant “in the immediate future” as it will need “much more time to put a system in place to ensure their safety.”

7)   Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso and health minister Takumi Nemoto have chaired a meeting with their G20 counterparts to discuss global health issues. The agenda included ways to achieve universal health coverage, or UHC — which would allow anyone in the world to receive medical and health services without worrying about the costs.

8)   Trump said, “If Japan is attacked, we will fight World War Three. We will go in and protect them with our lives. But if we are attacked, Japan doesn’t have to help us at all. They can watch on a Sony television the attack.”

9)  Japanese convenience store chain Familymart is getting set to launch its own smartphone payment system. From July 1, customers will be able to pay for goods using an app.

10)   France registered its highest temperature since records began on Friday as the death toll rose from a heatwave suffocating much of Europe.

11)   The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Friday reported a large soybean sale to China, an apparent goodwill gesture a day before the first meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in seven months.

12)   Samson Ling may have a British passport, but it offers him no route out of Hong Kong to a life in London as protests grow against an extradition bill that many see as an example of growing Chinese influence in the financial hub.

13)    A quadriplegic French patient, who has been in a vegetative state for more than a decade, should be allowed to die, France’s top court ruled on Friday.

14)   

1)   Dementia patients reported missing in 2018 hit record 17,000′

2)   Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe faced stiff opposition criticism on Wednesday after a report warned that many retirees won’t be able to live on pensions alone, a topic likely to become an issue in an election for the Diet’s upper house.

3)   South Korea said on Wednesday it had proposed a joint fund with Japan to compensate South Koreans forced to work by Japanese companies during World War Two, but Japan rejected the idea out of hand.

4)   Police in Koshigaya, Saitama Prefecture, said Friday they have arrested a 53-year-old unemployed man for not reporting the death of his 86-year-old father so that he could keep collecting the dead man’s pension.

5)   Trump launches re-election campaign, presenting himself as outsider and victim.

6)   US President Donald Trump has acknowledged he approved military airstrikes on Iran, but pulled back just minutes before they were to be carried out.

Trump said he asked his generals how many people might die in the operation. “And they came back and said ‘Sir, approximately 150.’ And I thought about it for a second. I said, ‘You know what? They shot down an unmanned drone … and here we are sitting with 150 dead people.’ … And I didn’t like it. I didn’t think it was proportionate.”

7)   The British science journal Nature has ranked a university in Japan’s southern prefecture of Okinawa in the top ten of institutions. 

The Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University was ranked tenth globally and number one in Japan.

The ranking is calculated based on the number of articles published in 2018 by an institution’s researchers in prestigious scientific journals.

8)    The Tokyo Metropolitan Government says it will use test sporting events starting next month to assess the effectiveness of its planned anti-heat measures for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.

9)   A government report says the number of fatal car accidents has fallen to less than one-third the figure of 30 years ago, but more elderly drivers are now involved in such accidents.

The report calls for developing car safety features to assist elderly drivers. 

10)   “Japan’s nightlife is boring.”

“There isn’t much to do after dark.”

These are the comments by some foreign travelers that have Japanese tourism officials worried. Now they plan to do something about it, and are trying to put a buzz into Japan’s nightlife and promote what’s available.

11)   An influx of foreign tourists has been giving a big boost to the Japanese economy.

A government white paper says the money spent by the visitors surpasses the value of exports of semi-conductors and other electronic parts.

Japan saw more than 31 million people arrive from overseas last year. That was the first time for the number to top 30 million.

12)   NATO aims to recognize space as a domain of warfare this year, four senior diplomats said, partly to show U.S. President Donald Trump that the alliance is relevant and adapting to new threats after he signed off on the creation of a U.S. Space Force.

13)   Flying objects over Kansas City on Thursday night sparked the interest of locals and had stumped people looking for answers. 

14)   Fourth of July fireworks will light up the skies next month. But next year, those displays could glow less brightly for towns and their local economies if the U.S. slaps more tariffs on Chinese imports.

As President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping prepare to meet at the Group of 20 summit next week in Japan to discuss the trade war between the two countries, one item looms in the balance: fireworks.

15)    Missouri health officials on Friday refused to renew the license of the state’s only abortion clinic, but the facility will remain open for now as a judge left in place an injunction blocking its closure.

16)   Madrid’s new rightwing city council has begun rolling back one of the flagship initiatives of the last mayor three days after taking office by in effect shutting down the Spanish capital’s low-emissions zone.

17)   Thousands of people in Hong Kong have surrounded police headquarters, calling for an extradition bill to be scrapped.

American firms are barred from doing business with companies on the Entity List without specific approval. The latest move follows a significant decision announced on Wednesday.

2)   A major Japanese convenience store operator says it will launch a new loyalty program this fall in a bid to tackle the industry-wide problem of food waste.

Seven-Eleven Japan says it will encourage customers to buy food that’s nearing its expiry time by rewarding them with points to redeem against other purchases.

3)   Twenty-two brands of sake from Fukushima Prefecture in northeastern Japan have won top prizes in an annual national sake contest. The figure is the highest in the country for a seventh straight year.

4)   The job market for new high school and university graduates in Japan remains solid.

The employment rate for this group was 97.6 percent as of April 1 — 0.4 points lower than last year. This is the second highest rate since the survey began in 1997.

5)   Nissan Motor is set to be the first Japanese automaker to release a car with autonomous lane-change technology for highways. It said on Thursday that the new Skyline model will debut later this year.

The firm says the car can automatically shift lanes when traveling on a predefined route, but only if the driver has both hands on the steering wheel.

6)   Japan’s Diet has enacted a law to severely restrict the use of drones over facilities of the US military and the Self-Defense Forces.

The legislation, which aims to prevent terror attacks using drones, was passed by a majority vote in the Upper House on Friday.

7)   Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has met the visiting top Iranian diplomat and expressed concern over growing tensions in the Persian Gulf.

8)   Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party has created a manual instructing its members how to avoid gaffes after several ministers were forced to resign over verbal blunders.

The manual cautions members about public speeches, saying words may be taken out of context by the media. It advises them to try to speak in short sentences.

9)   Japan’s government plans to set its first-ever targets for reducing the number of people in their 70s with dementia. The government says it aims to delay the onset of dementia in patients by one year over the next 10 years.

10)   Japan’s government has drawn up a plan to enable people to work up to the age of 70.

11)   Japanese researchers say they’ve proven that infection with a type of parasitic worm is effective to control weight gain. They say their discovery is the first of its kind in the world.

Researchers at Gunma University and the National Institute of Infectious Diseases put mice on a high-fat diet and infected some of them with a naturally-occurring type of gastrointestinal roundworm.

12)   A global federation of construction workers has asked the organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games to improve labor conditions at the venue construction sites.

The report is based on interviews with workers at the New National Stadium and the athletes’ village. It says some people have had to work for 28 days in a row without a break. The report says some of the sites are poorly lit. 

13)   A court in Wakayama Prefecture began hearing arguments Friday over whether dolphin hunting violates animal cruelty laws. The plaintiffs are asking the district court to stop the permits from being issued.

14)   Prosecutors asked a court Thursday to sentence a woman to two years in prison as she pleaded guilty to complicity in her husband’s assaults on their 10-year-old daughter who died last January near Tokyo in a case that has attracted international attention.

Nagisa Kurihara, 32, was accused of failing to stop her husband Yuichiro, 41, from assaulting their daughter Mia and following his instructions not to feed her from around Jan. 22. 

15)   Man arrested for beating wife to death because she wouldn’t cook dinner for him

16)   A former economic adviser to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Thursday that an increase in sales tax planned for October should be shelved until the economy puts a decisive end to deflation, or it could trigger an economic crisis.

“Now is not the time for a sales tax hike,” Etsuro Honda, former Japanese ambassador to Switzerland who is close to Abe, told Reuters.

17)   Japan’s government is considering downgrading its assessment of the economy next week as the intensifying Sino-U.S. trade war takes a toll on exports and factory output

A downgrade in the crucial monthly report could fuel speculation that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may delay once again a planned sales tax increase set for October.

1)   Police in Tokyo are investigating reports of drones seen flying Thursday night over the imperial palace, the Akasaka Estate, as well as near the Musashino.

2)   Over 82 percent of voters feel affection for newly enthroned Emperor Naruhito, while nearly 80 percent would support allowing females to ascend Japan’s imperial throne, a Kyodo News survey showed Thursday.

3)   The “Kenji to Shokei no gi” rite marking the emperor’s enthronement was staged as a state occasion financed by public funds, critics pointed to the possibility that it violated the Constitution banning the government from engaging in religious activities.

4)   Ahead of Constitution Day on May 3, a large majority of respondents to an Asahi Shimbun survey said they feel no momentum has developed for amending the nation’s Constitution, despite the efforts of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

When asked to what extent momentum had built up for amending the Constitution, a combined 72 percent said either “only somewhat” or “not at all.”

5)   According to Kyoto officials, 30 people, most of whom were foreign visitors, have been attacked by monkeys since February, with many being bitten or scratched.

6)   One woman who spoke to NHK said she had to take her son to a day-care facility because the nursery school he usually attends is closed for the holidays. She says paying the extra cost of about 90 dollars a day is tough.

And a survey by a private research firm of married women who work part-time found that more than 40 percent of respondents said they were not happy about the 10-day break.

7)   Japan’s chief cabinet secretary says the government will protect the interests of Japanese firms in connection with wartime labor suits in South Korea.

Yoshihide Suga made the comment on a TV program on Wednesday. His remark comes after South Korean plaintiffs started the process of selling off shares seized from two Japanese businesses.

8)   A 110-year-old woman in western Japan, who has already lived through four imperial eras, was visited by her great-great-grandchildren and other young members of her family, as the Reiwa era began. Tsuru Ueda was born on November 22, 1908. She has lived through the Meiji, Taisho, Showa and Heisei eras in Japan.

9)   A United Nations report says that 10 million people in North Korea are suffering from a severe food shortage. It follows the country’s worst harvest in 10 years.

10)   The finance ministers and the central bank governors of Japan, China and South Korea have renewed their opposition to trade protectionism.

11)   The cases in which Chinese companies took part in mergers and acquisitions of Japanese businesses hit a five-year high in Japan’s last fiscal year through March.

12)   The mystery surrounding the beluga whale alleged to have come from a Russian military facility continues with the marine mammal refusing to leave Norwegian waters, leading to jokes the whale has “defected.”

13)   The family of a Chinese student admitted to Stanford University paid $6.5m to the man at the heart of the college admissions scandal, according to reports.

14)   U.S. President Donald Trump said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed on Friday the possibility of a new accord limiting nuclear arms that could eventually include China in what would be a major deal between the globe’s top three atomic powers.

15)   The death toll from an Ebola outbreak in Congo rose above 1,000 on Friday, with attacks on treatment centers continuing to hamper efforts to control the “intense transmission” of the second-worst epidemic of the virus on record.

1)   Japanese stocks retreated on Friday, buffeted on the first trading session of 2019 as Apple Inc’s earnings warning hit technology stocks and signs of slowdowns in the U.S. and Chinese economies soured broader sentiment.

2)   The Japanese government will begin collecting a departure tax on Monday, under legislation enacted by the Diet last April. All travelers leaving Japan by plane or ship must pay 1,000 yen each. Children under the age of 2 and transit passengers will be exempt.

3)   Police in northeastern Ohio say a couple broke into a home, washed their clothes, took a shower and made some coffee before the homeowner’s relative confronted the pair.

4)   Survey: Majority feel they will have to work until at least 70

5)   Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says his government will announce the name of the country’s new era on April 1st. He said the name will take effect on May 1st when Crown Prince Naruhito ascends the throne.

6)   Police suspect a man arrested for driving into pedestrians in Tokyo’s Harajuku district on New Year’s Day had planned to set fire to Meiji Shrine.

7)   A hefty hog has been captured near a school bus stop in Florida. Florida Today reports the nearly 400-pound (181-kilogram) hog was captured over the weekend by a team of dogs and trappers in Palm Bay.

8)   When a Krispy Kreme doughnut truck caught on fire in Lexington, Ky., nobody was injured—except for the hearts of local police officers, that is.

All doughnuts carried by that truck were destroyed in the Dec. 31 fire, the cause of which is currently being investigated, according to local news reports.

9)   An NHK survey shows that nearly 70 percent of respondents say they saw development in their communities during the 30 years of the current Heisei era.

10)   Taiwanese authorities say a dead pig found on a beach on an island near mainland China tests positive for African swine fever. They say the pig originated in mainland China.

11)   US President Donald Trump is sticking to his demand for funds to build a wall on the Mexican border, as a partial US government shutdown enters its 13th day.

Democrats are refusing to include that money in a budget bill. The deadlock has forced some government agencies to close.

12)   The US Department of State is warning Americans travelling to China that they may be detained arbitrarily.

It says Chinese authorities could arbitrarily enforce local laws to detain US citizens without providing any information about the alleged crime.

13)   US President Donald trump says he has received a letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and will be setting up a meeting with him “in the not-too-distant future.”

14)   The CEO of the Chinese telecom giant Huawei says the company will invest two billion dollars over the next five years to bolster cyber-security.

Ren Zhengfei said the company’s top priority is strengthening the security, resilience, and privacy of its products.

15)   U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, a liberal firebrand who has taken on Wall Street and traded barbs with Donald Trump, on Monday became the most prominent Democrat to announce a challenge to the Republican president in 2020.

1)   A 65-year-old man was found dead on a road in Yonezawa, Yamagata Prefecture, early Friday morning after he was apparently hit by a snowplow.

According to police, heavy snow hit the region on Thursday and the snowplow was clearing a road during the night, Sankei Shimbun reported. The operator of the snowplow called 110 at around 3 a.m. Friday to report that a man was lying on the road near the snowplow.

2)   Police in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, have arrested a 47-year-old woman on suspicion of attempted murder after she tried to strangle her 19-year-old daughter to death at their home.

According to police, Kaori Harukawa tried to kill her daughter at around 10 p.m. on Wednesday, Sankei Shimbun reported. She then called 119 and said she had strangled her daughter.

3)   Japan’s top government spokesman said on Wednesday his government wants to promote rules that protect free and fair trade for the global economy.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, speaking during a recording of a TV program at Japanese broadcaster BS11, said Japan is ready to explain its stance in trade negotiations with the United States.

4)   The Japanese government is considering sending Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels to the Chinese navy’s fleet review next April, as the two countries are looking to facilitate defense exchanges amid thawing diplomatic ties, a source familiar with bilateral ties say.

5)   He is desperate to accomplish something that will leave his mark on history during his last three-year term as LDP president through 2021, political experts say.

The 64-year-old conservative leader, who has gained core supporters for the hard line he has taken on North Korea, hopes to bring back Japanese citizens abducted by Pyongyang in the 1970s and 1980s.

But this diplomatic agenda is unlikely to move forward anytime soon partly because of stalled nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang.

In May 2017, Abe caused a political stir by proposing to change the war-renouncing Article 9 of the supreme law to put an end to the debate over the constitutionality of the Self-Defense Forces.

6)   Two homeless men have been charged with burglary after a California man said he came home to find them cooking dinner.

Robby Spillman tells KNBC-TV he returned from Christmas shopping last Friday to find the men in his Santa Monica apartment.

Spillman says the men, who stank and wore filthy, ripped clothing, told him they hadn’t expected him home so soon and asked if they could “hang out” for a while.

7)   Authorities say two men were surrounded by customers with guns while attempting to steal tools from a Washington store.

The Daily Herald reports the men, ages 22 and 23, allegedly took four nail guns, each worth more than $400, from the Coastal Farm & Ranch store Saturday in Marysville.

The men walked out of the store and got into a car, only to be surrounded by about six customers with guns raised.

Documents say another customer shot at the driver’s side front tire, while a third fired twice at the rear tire.

Marysville police found the theft suspects’ car unoccupied about three blocks away, with two flat tires and the tools inside. Both men were apprehended after a search.

8)   Investigators say a 61-year-old Wisconsin man was arrested for tearing down a neighbor’s Christmas decorations while drunk and naked.

The Green Bay Gazette reports that Gregory Brannigan faces misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and resisting an officer.

A criminal complaint shows Brannigan’s neighbor called police Wednesday after to report that he was naked, kicking her door and tearing down her decorations. The neighbor told police Brannigan appeared intoxicated.

Officers say the Green Bay man was stumbling and told officers he needed to take care of supposed drug dealers in a neighbor’s apartment.

9)   apanese weather officials say snow is intensifying along the Sea of Japan coast. They are warning of possible transportation disruptions during the year-end holiday season.

10)   apanese weather officials say snow is intensifying along the Sea of Japan coast. They are warning of possible transportation disruptions during the year-end holiday season.

11)   The Japanese government has officially notified the US government of its withdrawal from the International Whaling Commission. The US is in charge of accepting applications for joining or withdrawing from the organization.

The action will allow Japan to officially withdraw from the IWC at the end of June. Japan plans to resume commercial whaling from July.

12)   Authorities in some Chinese cities have banned Christmas decorations and celebrations.

Many reports were posted online before Christmas about moves to strengthen restrictions on Christianity.

In Langfang, Hebei Province, an official notice called for Christmas decorations to be eliminated from streets and shops.

In Hengyang, Hunan Province, authorities last week announced a ban on Christmas celebrations on streets.

13)   An eight-year-old boy from the Central American country of Guatemala has died while in the custody of US Border Patrol agents.

US media reports the boy and his father crossed into the state of Texas from Mexico earlier this month. They were detained by border agents and later moved to a holding facility.

14)   Visitors from Southeast Asia have enjoyed a rare taste of winter, when a blanket of snow covered tourist spots in Gifu Prefecture, central Japan.

Takayama City on Friday was dusted with two centimeters of snow that fell overnight.

Foreign visitors were seen snapping photos in front of a popular bridge, with its red parapets capped in white.

Some children threw snowballs, while the adults helped themselves to warm grilled rice cakes. The treat, called “Gohei mochi,” is a local specialty.