ニュースで学ぶ現代英語 23/5/15(月)-19(金)

2023年5月15日(月)の放送内容
韓国ユン大統領米議会で演説
YOON ADDRESSES U.S. CONGRESS
Yoon addresses U.S. congress
2023年4月28日のニュース

The president of South Korea has thanked Americans for their defense of freedom. Yoon Suk-yeol took the opportunity during a visit to the U.S. to address a joint session of Congress. He reminded lawmakers of the need to work together to safeguard peace.
Yoon reflected on the 70th anniversary of the alliance. He thanked American veterans of the Korean War. And he said, once again, people in both countries need to protect democracy with their blood and sweat.

(Yoon Suk-yeol / South Korean President)
“Our alliance is stronger than ever, more prosperous together, and more connected, like no other. Indeed, it has been the linchpin safeguarding our freedom, peace, and prosperity.”

Yoon says provocations from the North pose a serious threat. But now, South Koreans will have a greater voice in the use of U.S. nuclear weapons in any conflict on the peninsula.

2023年5月16日(火)の放送内容
タクシー運賃に“変動制”導入
JAPAN TO ALLOW TAXI APPS TO CHANGE PRICING BASED ON DEMAND
Japan to allow taxi apps to change pricing based on demand
2023年4月24日のニュース

Taxi app users in Japan could soon see fares that change based on demand. The transport ministry plans to allow the services to introduce flexible pricing for certain offerings.
The system will enable firms to set rates higher during peak demand, such as when it’s raining or on weekend nights. Rates could also be set lower during the daytime, when fewer people use cabs.
Companies that apply with the ministry will be able to utilize the system when app users specify their destination and get fares upfront. Prices could be up to 50 percent higher or lower than the normal rate.
The ministry believes this will help balance supply and demand for rides. Officials plan to check every three months to see whether the charges are set appropriately.

2023年5月17日(水)の放送内容
韓国の化粧品が人気
SOUTH KOREAN COSMETICS FIND MARKET IN JAPAN
South Korean Cosmetics find market in Japan
2023年4月26日のニュース

The global dominance of K-Pop is increasing interest in another export from South Korea. That’s cosmetics. And retailers in Japan are further developing this fast-growing segment.
Variety store chain Loft is giving more shelf space to South Korean facial masks, foundation, and mascara. It started carrying about 40 new products in the fiscal year that ended in March, bringing the total up to around 160. The management says sales in the category rose 46 percent from the previous year.
Convenience store chain Lawson worked directly with a South Korean brand to develop 25 items that hit shelves last month.
A trade group says Japan’s imports of cosmetics from South Korea in 2021 came to 62 billion yen, or about 464 million dollars. That is nearly at the level of France, which has been a top exporter to Japan for three decades.

2023年5月18日(木)の放送内容
長井健司さんのカメラミャンマーから戻る
SISTER BRINGS SLAIN JOURNALIST’S CAMERA TO HIS GRAVE
Sister brings slain journalist’s camera to his grave
2023年4月30日のニュース

The sister of a Japanese journalist who was killed in Myanmar has visited his grave with a video camera that was recently returned to his family.
Nagai Kenji was fatally shot in Yangon in September 2007 while covering a protest against the military regime.
A media outlet in Myanmar obtained the camera and returned it to his sister, Ogawa Noriko, on Wednesday. On Sunday, Ogawa brought the camera to Nagai’s grave in his hometown of Imabari in western Japan.

(Ogawa Noriko / Nagai’s younger sister)
“I think my brother is more concerned about Myanmar than getting to the bottom of his death. I think he wants people around the world to pay attention to the current situation in Myanmar.”

Images recovered from the camera show Nagai describing the scene, moments before he was shot by security forces.
Myanmar’s military seized power from the elected government in 2021. A human rights group says more than 3,400 people have been killed in military attacks and crackdowns since the coup two years ago.

2023年5月19日(金)の放送内容
ヤギさん除草隊が活躍
‘WEED WHACKING’ GOATS PUT TO WORK IN CENTRAL JAPAN
‘Weed whacking’ goats put to work in central Japan
2023年4月26日のニュース

Before we go, let’s enjoy a soothing scene of goats munching away on weeds in the Japanese countryside.
An agricultural firm in Minokamo City, central Japan, keeps a team of 15 goats to help clear overgrown grounds in the city.
It started using the ruminants 12 years ago as a cheaper alternative to burning unwanted weeds. It says it’s also a good way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
This day, the goats are grazing on knee-high grasses on the slope of an industrial park.

(Watanabe Shoji / Farming firm representative)
“It’s relaxing to watch the animals grazing, and it’s also good for landscaping.”

The owner says the goats will remain “on duty” about three days a week until winter comes.