The Japan Times, the Mai-ni-chi Daily News, NHK World, Nik-kei and Kyodo News said Friday they will jointly launch an English portal web-site Saturday to provide news reports, transcripts, official documents and other information on a series of ASEAN-related meetings later this month in Bali, Indonesia, including the ASEAN Regional Forum on July 23.
The five major news organizations will also provide their respective top stories about Japan, along with information related to the ASEAN meetings, until July 24 on the Japan Press Pool Service site. It is the first time the five news organizations have teamed up to offer such a service.
Items available on the web-site will include news alerts and reports on the ASEAN meetings and related events, news photos and videos, unofficial rush transcripts of news conferences, comments by Foreign Minister Ta-ke-a-ki Ma-tsu-mo-to and Japanese press briefings. Official transcripts and documents released by the Japanese government will also be available.
The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, forms the ASEAN Regional Forum together with Australia, Canada, China, Japan, India, North Korea, South Korea, Russia, the United States, the European Union and others, to discuss regional security issues.
The site's address is www.47news.jp/international/mediapool/.