Following Omusubi vol. 7, in keeping with the new year we are again presenting a reading task based on the biggest news items in the previous year. Students apply their knowledge of kanji, guessing strategies and decoding skills such as searching for katakana words and numbers, to read the news headlines below. The English versions of the headlines (given in different order) can be used to provide assistance in the comprehension process.
　
　
1. Arakawa wins gold medal in Torino
2. Princess Kiko gives birth to boy
3. Succession of child murder cases in Akita Prefecture
4. Bank of Japan lifts zero interest rate policy, economy surpasses 'zanagi Boom'
5. Series of bullying related suicides in Fukuoka and other regions
6. Prime Minister Koizumi visits Yasukuni Shrine on the anniversary of the end of the Pacific War
7. North Korea conducts nuclear tests, fires missiles
8. 3 governors arrested for corruption, fixed tendering agreements
9. Horie, former president of Live Door, and Murakami Fund president arrested
10. Abe government inaugurated
　
Note:
 日銀 ( にちぎん ) = 日本(にっぽん)銀行(ぎんこう) Bank of Japan
　
　 1. Match the English versions to the top 10 Japanese news headlines of 2006.
　 2. After matching the Japanese to the English headlines, give the English for the following key words:
  逮捕(たいほ)    北朝鮮(きたちょうせん)   靖国(やすくに) 参拝(さんぱい)   自殺(じさつ)   
殺人 (さつじん)事件(じけん)   出産(しゅっさん)   五輪(ごりん)    首相(しゅしょう)
　

3. Discuss the news items in class. Suggested discussion questions:

このニュースは聞いたことがありますか。どこで聞きましたか。
このニュースについてどう思いますか。
　 　
　 This section written by Cathy Jonak
　  
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