TOKYO (Reuters) -- Japanese public broadcaster NHK on Friday sent a news bulletin that incorrectly reported North Korea had launched a missile that fell into waters east of the Japanese archipelago, issuing an apology explaining it was a media training alert.The news alert came as the United States and its East Asian allies have been on tenterhooks after Pyongyang's warning this month of a possible "Christmas gift" for Washington in what experts took to mean a possible long-range missi

North Korea Dec. 27, 2019

BEIJING (Reuters) -- The spectre of new confrontation between Pyongyang and Washington hangs over meetings between China, Japan and South Korea this week, with growing risks North Korean actions could end an uneasy detente and upend recent diplomatic efforts.South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping separately on Monday. They will then travel to the south western city of Chengdu for a trilateral meeting with C

North Korea Dec. 22, 2019

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -- China and Russia on Monday proposed the UN Security Council lift a ban on North Korea exporting statues, seafood and textiles, according to a draft resolution seen by Reuters, in a move Russia said is aimed at encouraging talks between Washington and Pyongyang.The draft also called for a ban to be lifted on North Koreans working abroad and the termination of a 2017 requirementfor all such workers to be repatriated by next week. The draftwould also exempt inter-Ko

North Korea Dec. 17, 2019

It may sound like science fiction, but in a few short years the family dinner table may be laden with steak from a printer and other proteins produced from air, methane or volcanic microbes.　With the explosive success of vegan beef and burger substitutes developed by Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, the alternative protein sector just keeps growing.　According to investment bank Barclays, alternative meat sales could reach $140 billion - or 10 percent of the global meat industry - within a

World Business Nov. 6, 2019

Euro zone business activity grew more than initially thought last month but remained close to stagnation, according to a survey whose forward-lookingindicators suggest the existing growth might dissipate.Wednesday‘s survey of businesses comes soon after the European Central Bank resumed its 2.6 trillion-euro bond-buying program to try and stimulate inflation and growth.The former head of the ECB, Mario Draghi, repeatedly called on euro zone countries to add fiscal support to stoke growth,

World Business Nov. 6, 2019

TOKYO (Reuters) -- The South Korean and Japanese governments are studying plans for a joint economic programme involving companies from both countries that aims to ease strains over the issue of forced Korean labour in World War Two, Kyodo news reported on Monday.However, the Japanese government will not provide any money to the programme, in line with its position that claims overforced labour were settled in a 1965 treaty, Kyodo said, citing unnamed sources. Japanese foreign ministry spok

Foreign Affairs Oct. 29, 2019

North Korea said on Sunday there has been no progress in the North Korea-United States relations, and hostilities that could lead to an exchange of fire have continued, according to North Korea's state news agency KCNA.In a statement under the name of North Korea senior official Kim Yong-chol, KCNA said that it would be mistaken for the United States to ignore a year-end deadline on US President Donald Trump's and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's "close personal relations."Kim Jong-un

North Korea Oct. 27, 2019

TOKYO (Reuters) - The death toll from torrential rains that caused flooding and mudslides in eastern Japan rose to eight on Saturday, with a further four missing, public broadcaster NHK reported, just two weeks after the region was hit hard by a powerful typhoon.Landslides ripped through waterlogged areas in Chiba and Fukushima prefectures, in eastern and northeastern Japan, which were inundated by their third rainstorms in six weeks. In some places, a month’s worth of rain unleashed by a

World News Oct. 26, 2019

A popular children’s song became a rallying cry in Lebanon after protesters in Beirut spontaneously sang the hit to calm a toddler caught in the midst of a noisy demonstration. When driver Eliane Jabbour was surrounded by a rally in the capital last weekend, she asked protesters if they could stop shouting as her young son, Robin, was asleep in the front passenger seat. On the spot, Eliane relates, the crowd spontaneously broke out into a rendition of the song “Baby Shark,” com

World News Oct. 24, 2019

Pulling with smooth, steady strokes along a rowing course on an artificial lake, South Korean Paralympic hopeful Ha Jae-hun is the picture of calm determination, but it has taken him four years and 21 rounds of surgery to find this peace.Ha lost his legs when he stepped on a landmine just inside the Demilitarized Zone along the border with North Korea. He was just 21.The South Korean staff sergeant had volunteered to lead an early morning patrol after a colleague was assigned to training. That m

Social Affairs Oct. 17, 2019

TOKYO (Reuters) -- Crew of a suspected North Korean ship fell overboard in the East Sea near Noto Peninsula, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported on Wednesday, citing government sources.It was not clear if the broadcaster was referring to a member of the crew, more than one member of the crew or the vessel's entire crew. No further details were available in the NHK report. Japan's Coast Guard could not immediately confirm the report when contacted by Reuters.This month, Japan rescued about 6

North Korea Oct. 16, 2019

MOSCOW (Reuters) -- Russian border guards detained three North Korean fishing vessels and 262 crew members for poaching in waters that Moscow considers its exclusive economic zone, the Interfax news agency reported on Friday. The vessels have been delivered to Russia's port of Nakhodka and border guards have seized 30,000 squid as well as illegal fishing equipment, the report said.It is the second such incident this month. Russia on Sept.17 detained two North Korean boats in Russian territorial

North Korea Sept. 27, 2019

TOKYO (Reuters) -- Additional tests may add at least $500 million to Japan’s price tag for two US-built ballistic missile interceptor stations that could struggle to shoot down the latest North Korean missile types, four government and defense sources said.“Japan is waiting to hear back from the US Missile Defense Agency about what tests will be required,” said one of the sources. “Those tests haven’t been budgeted for.”As part of a major defense upgrade, Japa

North Korea Sept. 27, 2019

WASHINGTON/DUBAI (Reuters) - The United States believes the attacks that crippled Saudi Arabian oil facilities last weekend originated in southwestern Iran, a US official told Reuters on Tuesday, an assessment that further increases tension in the Middle East.Three officials, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the attacks involved both cruise missiles and drones, indicating that they involved a higher degree of complexity and sophistication than initially thought.The officials d

World News Sept. 18, 2019