ニュースで学ぶ現代英語 23/5/29 – 6/2

ニュースで学ぶ現代英語 23/5/29 – 6/2
ニュースで学ぶ現代英語 23/5/29 (月) 経常収支の黒字額前年度の半分以下に
JAPAN POSTS SHARP FALL IN CURRENT ACCOUNT
Japan posts sharp fall in current account
2023年5月11日のニュース

Japan’s current account surplus fell by more than half in the latest fiscal year as the currency weakened and the price of energy imports soared. The current account is a key indicator of trade and investment with the rest of the world.
The Finance Ministry says the surplus for fiscal 2022 stood at 9.2 trillion yen, or about 69 billion dollars. That’s down more than 80 billion dollars from the year before.
The rapid decline of the Japanese currency made imports much more expensive. The trade deficit was around 134 billion dollars. In yen terms, it was an all-time high.
Meanwhile, Japanese companies investing overseas earned much more in interest and dividends. This led to a jump in the primary income surplus, which hit a record of about 265 billion dollars. Major trading houses posted hefty gains thanks to rising prices of energy and natural resources.

ニュースで学ぶ現代英語 23/5/30 (火) 駐日大使らＬＧＢＴ差別反対呼びかけ
ENVOYS TO JAPAN POST VIDEO SUPPORTING LGBTQ RIGHTS
Enboys to Japan post video supporting LGBTQ rights.
2023年5月13日のニュース

Diplomats from more than a dozen embassies in Japan have expressed support for LGBTQ rights in the country ahead of the G7 summit.

(Rahm Emanuel / U.S. Ambassador to Japan)
“The time is now to ensure that everybody is seen, everybody is heard, and everybody is counted.”

On Friday, the U.S. ambassador to Japan posted a video with messages from 15 foreign missions in Tokyo. Envoys from Germany, Canada, and the European Union spoke in favor of equal rights and anti-discrimination.

(Julia Longbottom / British Ambassador to Japan)
“Under Japan’s G7 presidency, we hope to see concrete steps towards equal rights for the LGBT+ community in Japan.”

(Jean-Eric Paquet / EU Ambassador to Japan)
“Gender-based discrimination or discrimination against the LGBTIQ community is wrong. We need good legislation to prevent it.”

ニュースで学ぶ現代英語 23/5/31 (水) 白川村の合掌造りの家屋で屋根のふき替え
WORLD HERITAGE THATCHED ROOFS REPAIRED
World heritage thatched roofs repaired
2023年5月14日のニュース

Local community members at a UNESCO World Heritage site in central Japan are repairing the thatched roofs of a 200-year-old temple.
Houses in the Shirakawa Village district are known for steeply pitched tops that must be re-thatched every 20 to 30 years. The work has traditionally been done by members of the community.
On Saturday, more than 130 villagers, including local students, took part. The participants put around 9,000 bundles of grass-like sedge onto the roofs without using machinery. They tied the bundles to the roof frames with straw rope.

(Villager)
“I was impressed to learn that everything was made manually.”

Nowadays, more residents are entrusting re-thatching work to professionals, as members of the community are getting older, and the work requires many people. Saturday’s work was the first such re-thatching in five years due in part to the coronavirus pandemic.

ニュースで学ぶ現代英語 23/6/1 (木) タイ総選挙野党２党で過半数
THAI OPPOSITION PARTIES SEEK COALITION AFTER ELECTION WIN
Thai opposition parties seek coalition after election win
2023年5月16日のニュース

Thailand’s two opposition parties are set to begin negotiations to form a ruling coalition. This comes after a stunning victory by the progressive Move Forward Party over parties backed by the military in the general election.
Results released by electoral officials on Monday showed the Move Forward Party came first with 152 seats, and the Pheu Thai Party came second with 141 seats.
The Move Forward Party’s leader says it is seeking a completely democratic parliament to replace the current military-backed government. The current parliamentary rules were drafted by the military after the 2014 coup.
Incumbent Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha lagged behind the opposition. His party won just 36 seats. Prayut led the military coup nine years ago.

ニュースで学ぶ現代英語 23/6/2 (金)の放送内容
模型の見本市開催
JAPAN’S COOLEST PLASTIC MODELS ON DISPLAY IN SHIZUOKA
Japan’s coolest plastic models on display in Shizuoka
2023年5月12日のニュース

Computer games are a hugely popular hobby for many people these days. But in the central Japanese city of Shizuoka right now, it’s all about plastic models.
Around 100 domestic makers of models and related products are displaying their wares at the Shizuoka Hobby Show. Shizuoka Prefecture accounts for about 90 percent of the plastic models shipped in Japan by value.
One of the creations is a model of the famous DeLorean car used in the movie series “Back to the Future.” Another is a Gundam robot based on a famous samurai warlord.
Foreign buyers are there for the first time in four years, as they were kept away by the pandemic. Buyers from over 10 countries were seen negotiating at the booth of one Shizuoka City-based model maker. They came from Thailand, Germany, the U.S., and elsewhere.

(Foreign Buyer)
“We’ve already placed our orders. So, yeah, we’re very excited about all the new releases.”