Bethune gets suspended sentence

An antiwhaling activist from New Zealand was convicted and given a suspended prison term July 7 for interfering with a Japanese whaling ship and illegally boarding it in the Antarctic Ocean in February.
The Tokyo District Court gave a two-year prison term, suspended for five years, to former Sea Shepherd member Peter Bethune, 45, for launching a bottle containing butyric acid onto the Shonan Maru No. 2 that injured one of its crew members Feb. 11, and for illegally boarding the vessel Feb. 15.
Bethune was not planning to appeal, according to his counsel. After the ruling, Bethune was taken into custody by immigration authorities. As he had technically illegally entered Japan by boarding the vessel, he is expected to be deported within days, said one of the attorneys, who declined to be named. Prosecutors had demanded a two-year prison term, while the defense team sought a suspended sentence. (The Japan Times)


要約：
環境保護団体「シーシェパード」のメンバーによる日本の調査捕鯨妨害事件で、ニュージーランド国籍の同団体メンバー、ピーター・ベスーン被告の判決公判が7月7日東京地裁で開かれ、執行猶予5年の有罪判決が言い渡された。


単語：
suspended sentence
執行猶予付きの判決
was convicted
有罪判決を受けた
suspended prison term
執行猶予付きの判決
interfering with ～
～（の活動）を妨害して
butyric acid
酪酸
counsel
弁護団
was taken into custody by ～
～に引き渡された
be deported
強制退去させられる

Toll-free highway trials start

The government stopped collecting tolls on 50 sections along 37 rural expressways at midnight June 27 in line with a key promise made by the ruling Democratic Party of Japan in last year's election, and traffic immediately surged.
In the pilot program that will last until March 31, all expressways in Okinawa and most sections in Yamagata, Shimane and Oita prefectures will be toll-free for all vehicle types, regardless of whether they use the electronic toll collection system. The program will cost ¥100 billion. (Kyodo News)

要約：
国土交通省は、高速道路無料化の効果を検証する社会実験を全国37路線50区間で始めた。

単語：
Toll-free highway trials
高速道路の無料化実験
rural
地方の
in line with ～
～に沿って
ruling
与党の
surged
急増した
pilot program
社会実験
regardless of ～
～にかかわらず