NHKニュースで学ぶ現代英語 2025年4月勉強分③

2025-04-29

三菱UFJ銀行 大卒初任給30万円に

< 見出し>MUFG BANK TO RAISE STARTING SALARY BY 18%

Next year is shaping up to be a great time to enter Japan’s banking industry, with major firms offering big entry-level wage hikes.
・shape up：（事態や物事などがうまく）発展、進展する
・entry-level wage：（新入社員の）初任給
・wage hike：賃上げ
　※「豆知識：給与に関する用語」参照

MUFG Bank is the latest financial giant to boost its salary for new graduates, announcing an 18 percent raise for fiscal 2026.

Japan’s largest bank will raise base pay for university recruits to 300,000 yen, or 2,000 dollars, a month starting in April 2026.
・base pay：基本給
　※「豆知識：給与に関する用語」参照
・recruit：新入社員、新人
・university recruit：大卒の新入社員

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking and Nomura Securities also plan to increase base pay for new employees.

Major companies in Japan are raising wages to attract workers amid severe labor shortages.

Financial firms are now following suit.
・follow suit：他者のまねをする、後追いをする、先例に従う ※GPT欄参照

The sector is enjoying strong business due to higher interest rates, among other factors.

MUFG’s entry-level wage hike follows news of a general wage increase of about 9 percent, which management agreed to at this year’s spring labor negotiations.

仏極右 ルペン前党首に有罪判決

< 見出し>MARINE LE PEN BARRED FROM RUNNING FOR OFFICE FOR 5 YEARS
・bar：禁じる、妨げる、できなくする、除外する
・bar A from ～ing：Ａが～することを禁じる、Ａが～できないようにする
・run for office：公職に立候補する、出馬する

Far-right politician Marine Le Pen of France has been convicted of embezzlement.
・embezzlement：横領

She’ll be barred from running for office for five years.

The ruling is likely to take her out of the 2027 presidential race.
・ruling：判決

A court in Paris on Monday gave the former head of the National Rally party a four-year prison sentence, with two of those years suspended.

Le Pen was convicted of misappropriating money when she was a member of European Parliament from 2004 to 2016.

Funds intended for parliamentary aides were found to be used for her party’s activities.
・parliamentary aide：議会の秘書、（ここでは公の費用で負担する）公設秘書

Le Pen plans to appeal.
・appeal：上訴する

She needs to have the ruling overturned by a higher court to revive her chance of running in the presidential election.
・revive：復活させる　※豆知識参照

She was widely viewed as the frontrunner.
・the frontrunner：先頭を走る人、（選挙戦での）最有力候補

But French newspaper Le Monde says appeals are often met with particularly long delays, so it’s uncertain if a new trial could happen before the election.

The current National Rally president, Jordan Bardella, slammed the ruling, saying French democracy was killed.
・slam：激しく非難する



【 豆知識："revive" と同じ語源を持つ似た意味の語彙 】
revive「復活させる」と同じ語源を持つ生命に関する語彙の例
・survive
・vivid
・vitamin

キャッシュレス決済 4割に

< 見出し>JAPAN’S SHOPPERS ADOPT CASHLESS PAYMENTS FASTER THAN EXPECTED

Over 40 percent of all the money transacted last year is believed to have been done by credit cards, electronic money, and other methods not requiring paper bills and coins.
・transact：取り引きする、（業務で）処理する

The economy ministry says the figure for 2023 was more than 126 trillion yen, or over 840 billion dollars.

That accounts for nearly 40 percent of the total volume.
・account for ～：～を占める

The figure for last year will be released by next week.

But it will almost certainly exceed the government target of 40 percent by June 2025.

The ministry credits the steady pace of adoption to an increase in the number of small and mid-sized restaurants accepting QR-code payments.
・credit ～：（功績・栄誉などを）～に帰する、～のおかげとする
・credit A to B：ＡをＢのおかげとする

Businesses pay relatively low fees for the systems.
・relatively：比較的に、相対的に

An expert says if cashless payments are to grow further, consumers will need to experience not only economic advantages but also greater convenience.
・be to + 動詞原形：～するためには、～するつもりなら　※GPT欄参照

韓国ユン大統領 失職

< 見出し>S. KOREA COURT UPHOLDS PRESIDENT YOON’S IMPEACHMENT
・uphold：（すでに行われた決定などを妥当と判断して）支持する
　※下級審の判決を上級審が支持する場合などに使われる・

South Korea’s Constitutional Court has upheld President Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment, formally removing him from office.

The decision comes about four months after he briefly declared martial law.
・martial law：戒厳令（特定の国や地域の行政権などを軍の管理下に置く措置）

The court handed down its unanimous ruling Friday morning.
・hand down：判決を言い渡す
・unanimous：（決定などが）満場一致の、全会一致の、全員一致の [ju(ː)nǽnəməs]

Yoon had already been suspended from presidential duties after the National Assembly voted last year to impeach him.

Yoon has released a statement to his supporters, saying, “I am so sorry and regretful that I could not live up to your expectations.”
・live up to ～：（期待などに）応える

Opposition supporters held a rally near the court.
・opposition supporter：野党支持者
・rally：（特に屋外で開かれる大規模な）集会

They burst out in joy when the ruling came out.
・in joy：喜びの感情をもって、うれしくなって

Yoon’s supporters at a rally in front of the presidential office were disappointed and shocked, some even cried.

Yoon’s removal follows the impeachment and ouster of former President Park Geun-hye in 2017.
・ouster：（大統領職からの）罷免

South Korea will hold an election for a new president within 60 days.

Local news outlets say June 3 is a strong candidate for the voting date.

東大 70年ぶりに新学部

< 見出し>UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO TO LAUNCH NEW FACULTY IN 2027

The University of Tokyo will launch its first new faculty in 70 years in the autumn of 2027.

It aims to attract top students from Japan and abroad to enhance its international competitiveness.
・competitiveness：競争力

The new program will offer an integrated bachelor’s and master’s five-year program taught entirely in English.
・integrated：統合された、総合的な

The program seeks to cultivate leaders who’ll contribute to solving social challenges facing the world.

The university’s first foreign national dean will head the faculty, and international students are expected to account for about half of those enrolled in the program.
・foreign national：外国籍の人、外国人
・dean：学部長
・head：(動)率いる、トップを務める
・enroll：入学させる

Students will be required to engage in off-campus activities for up to a year, in programs including company internships and study abroad.
・engage in ～：～に携わる

“We would like to respond to the needs for higher education and human resources, as well as new calls for learning.”
・human resources：人的資材、人材