ニュースで学ぶ現代英語 2023/2/6-2/10

2023年2月6日(月)の放送内容
新型コロナ春にも“５類”移行
JAPAN’S PM EYES RECLASSIFICATION OF COVID-19
2023年1月20日のニュース

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio is reassessing a disease many have come to live with. He’s set to reclassify COVID-19 and put it in the same category as the flu.
COVID-19 is now ranked at a level almost equivalent to Category II. That’s the second-most severe tier in Japan’s classification system for infectious diseases. That lets authorities take strict measures to stop the virus spreading, including urging people to limit their movements.
But in light of its impact on socioeconomic activity, the government decided Thursday to work to downgrade COVID to the lowest rank of Category V. The reclassification means more medical institutions can accept coronavirus patients. People will also no longer be requested to limit their activities.

2023年2月7日(火)の放送内容
ニュージーランドアーダーン首相が辞任
NEW ZEALAND PM ARDERN TO STEP DOWN
2023年1月19日のニュース

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced she’s stepping down. She says her time in office has been her greatest honor, but says she’s no longer the right person for the job.

(Jacinda Ardern / New Zealand Prime Minister)
“I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice. It’s that simple. But I absolutely believe and know there are others around me who do.”

In 2017, Ardern became the world’s then-youngest woman ever to be elected prime minister. She also became the first-ever sitting head of government to take maternity leave.
She guided New Zealand through the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings and the COVID-19 pandemic.
But her popularity has flagged in recent times over issues like the rising cost of living. An independent poll last month put Ardern’s approval rating at 29 percent, her lowest since taking office.

2023年2月8日(水)の放送内容
越冬キャベツ掘り出し作業盛ん
HOKKAIDO TOWN BEGINS SHIPPING WINTER CABBAGES
2023年1月19日のニュース

A town in northern Hokkaido is getting ready to start shipping a winter delicacy to the rest of the country. Farmers there are now digging up cabbages that have been preserved under snow since the autumn.
Harvesting of so-called wintering cabbages is in full swing in Wassamu Town. They are planted and preserved by about 60 farming households.
The town has an average temperature of zero degrees Celsius from December to March and gets more than one meter of snow per month. The cabbages are stored under snow during this time.
A local agricultural cooperative says this keeps them fresh and increases their sugar content.
Each cabbage weighs about two kilograms. They will be available for delivery until the middle of March.

2023年2月9日(木)の放送内容
去年の貿易赤字過去最大に
JAPAN POSTS RECORD FULL-YEAR TRADE DEFICIT
2023年1月19日のニュース

Japan has posted its biggest annual trade deficit on record. The weaker yen and soaring energy prices were mostly to blame.
Preliminary data released by the Finance Ministry shows a trade deficit of almost 20 trillion yen for 2022. That’s the equivalent of about 155 billion dollars. The deficit is the largest since comparable data became available in 1979.
Imports surged nearly 40 percent in yen terms. Costs for crude oil, coal, and liquefied natural gas were up significantly. The weaker yen also contributed to the increase. This outpaced an 18 percent rise in exports.

2023年2月10日(金)の放送内容
ウクライナの地雷除去を支援
JAPAN, CAMBODIA TEACH LAND MINE REMOVAL
2023年1月21日のニュース

Technical advisors from Japan are trying to help Ukrainians help themselves. They’ve run a training course in Cambodia on how to remove land mines and other unexploded ordnance.
Members of Ukraine’s State Emergency Service took part. They’re being trained by experts from the Cambodian government and the Japan International Cooperation Agency, or JICA.
Part of the training took place in an area still littered with mines from previous conflicts. The members practiced with metal detectors provided by Japan.

(Arsenii Diadchenko / Ukrainian State Emergency Service official)
“The Cambodian government will give us so much experience.”

Ukrainian authorities say mines and other explosives are a problem that affects about a quarter of their country’s total land area.
Cambodian officials and staff at JICA will continue their assistance. They’re drawing up how-to manuals on land mine removal and sending experts to Ukraine’s neighbor Poland.