NHK World News - June 20, 2011

Japan U-22 defeat Kuwait 3-1 in Olympic qualifier

In soccer, Japan scored a victory over Kuwait in Asian qualifiers on Sunday for the 2012 London Olympic Games. (NHK World Daily News, 20 Jun 5:53 JST).

IAEA Ministerial Conference

The International Atomic Energy Agency's Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety is set to begin in Vienna on Monday. (NHK World Daily News, 20 Jun 5:53 JST).

TEPCO injects water to No.4 reactor storage pool

Tokyo Electric Power Company has been trying to reduce a high level of radiation discovered in the Number 4 reactor of the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. (NHK World Daily News, 20 Jun 5:53 JST).

TEPCO races to restore decontamination system

Tokyo Electric Power Company has been working to restore a water decontamination system that had to be shut down after a brief operation on Friday. (NHK World Daily News, 20 Jun 5:53 JST).

Govt to cover renewable energy in quake-hit area

The Japanese government will subsidize renewable energy sources for public facilities in areas hit by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami. (NHK World Daily News, 20 Jun 5:53 JST).

Japan-US to procure "eco-friendly equipment"

Japan and the United States are likely to agree on promoting procurement of eco-friendly military equipment in the upcoming "two-plus-two" security talks. (NHK World Daily News, 20 Jun 7:01 JST).

TEPCO opens doors at No.2 reactor

Tokyo Electric Power Company says it has fully opened the doors at the No. 2 reactor of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. (NHK World Daily News, 20 Jun 5:53 JST).

Kan hopes to decide on consumption tax hike Monday

Prime Minister Naoto Kan hopes that a decision to raise the consumption tax will be made on Monday despite opposition to the increase within his own party. (NHK World Daily News, 20 Jun 7:25 JST).

EU to help keep Greece afloat

The European Union is expected to agree on an emergency aid package to help keep Greece afloat. (NHK World Daily News, 20 Jun 8:29 JST).

NATO admits to civilian deaths in Libya

NATO has admitted that one of its airstrikes mistakenly caused civilian deaths in Libya. (NHK World Daily News, 20 Jun 9:50 JST).

Road tolls lifted in disaster-hit region

Nationwide projects aimed at encouraging people to travel in Japan and reviving local economies have ended. (NHK World Daily News, 20 Jun 11:47 JST).

Lowering humidity underway at reactor No.2

The operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi plant says the high humidity inside one of the reactor buildings has been lowered after an entrance was opened to vent air. (NHK World Daily News, 20 Jun 13:21 JST).

Test of decontamination system continues

The operator of the damaged Fukushima power plant is struggling to fix the problem that caused the suspension of a system to decontaminate highly radioactive wastewater. (NHK World Daily News, 20 Jun 14:17 JST).

Heavy rain continues in western Japan

Heavy rain continues to fall along the Pacific Coast of western Japan. (NHK World Daily News, 20 Jun 12:08 JST).

Japan posts 2nd worst trade deficit in May

Japan posted its second worst trade deficit in May as the impact of the March 11th disaster continues to delay the country's economic recovery. (NHK World Daily News, 20 Jun 12:15 JST).

Europe agrees on loan installment to Greece

Euro zone nations have agreed to extend an emergency loan package to Greece to help it avoid defaulting on condition the country passes laws on additional spending cuts. (NHK World Daily News, 20 Jun 13:21 JST).

Japanese-made robot off to Fukushima Daiichi

A robot developed in Japan for work at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was transported to the facility by truck on Monday. It will be the first domestic robot to be used at the plant since the nuclear crisis began in March. (NHK World Daily News, 20 Jun 13:30 JST).

Kesennuma prepares for reopening of fish market

Preparations are underway in Kesennuma City, northern Japan, to reopen a fish market that was damaged by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami. (NHK World Daily News, 20 Jun 14:36 JST).

Toll-free expressways to help disaster-hit areas

People affected by the March 11th disaster in northeastern Japan will not have to pay expressway tolls in affected regions from Monday. (NHK World Daily News, 20 Jun 15:03 JST).

Ex-Livedoor president begins serving jail sentence

The convicted former president of a Japanese Internet firm has been taken to a detention center in Tokyo to serve a prison term of 30 months. (NHK World Daily News, 20 Jun 15:44 JST).

Reconstruction bill enacted

Japan's Diet has enacted a bill for rebuilding areas of eastern Japan stricken by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami. (NHK World Daily News, 20 Jun 17:27 JST).

IAEA ministerial meeting opens in Vienna

Ministers from International Atomic Energy Agency member countries are meeting to discuss ways to bolster nuclear safety following the accident at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi power plant. (NHK World Daily News, 20 Jun 19:00 JST).

2nd entrance opened at No.2 reactor

Two doors at a disabled reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant have been opened as a part of efforts to bring down humidity inside the building. (NHK World Daily News, 20 Jun 19:00 JST).

Okada asks PM to quit after passage of key bills

Democratic Party Secretary General Katsuya Okada has asked Prime Minister Naoto Kan to announce, within a day or two, that he will step down once 2 key bills are enacted. (NHK World Daily News, 20 Jun 17:36 JST).

Rice planted for radiation testing in Iitate

The government has planted rice in an experimental paddy in one of the evacuation zones near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear power plant. (NHK World Daily News, 20 Jun 18:13 JST).

Number of refugees hits 15-year high

The United Nations refugee agency says the number of people forced to flee their homes to escape war or abuse has risen to its highest level in 15 years. (NHK World Daily News, 20 Jun 19:55 JST).

Another TEPCO worker exceeds radiation limit

Preliminary research shows another worker at the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant may have been exposed to radiation above the limit. (NHK World Daily News, 20 Jun 19:55 JST).

TEPCO struggling to restart water treatment system

The operator of the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is eager to restart a key water treatment system within a few days. The operation, suspended since Saturday, is designed to decontaminate highly radioactive wastewater. (NHK World Daily News, 20 Jun 21:09 JST).