Japan: Prime Minister says she received explanations from minister Yana

Une suspicion ou une déclaration conditionnelle n’est pas une sanction déjà prononcée.

Est is third-person singular and sont third-person plural of être. They express “is / are” — a state or description. If a past participle follows, it is a different structure such as the passive, so check the words that follow.

Selon TV Asahi, Sanae Takaichi a déclaré le 14 octobre au matin, en commission du budget, avoir reçu la veille au téléphone les explications du ministre de l’Agriculture Kazuo Yana sur des navettes gratuites lors des élections.

The passé composé is the most common past tense, used for “did” and “has done” — actions completed in the past. It is formed with the auxiliary avoir (a / ont…) in the present + a past participle. Past participles of -er verbs end in -é (annoncer → annoncé); learn the irregular ones (faire → fait, prendre → pris, voir → vu). In the negative, ne … pas wraps the auxiliary (n’a pas annoncé). In the news it reports facts that have already happened, such as “announced” or “voted”.

Distinguez les explications du ministre, la réponse du gouvernement et une éventuelle décision officielle.

The imperative expresses commands, requests and advice. It has no subject: the sentence starts with the verb (Consultez les informations.). The vous form ends in -ez, nous in -ons (Restons prudents.), and tu in -e for -er verbs (Consulte). It is very common in notices and warnings (Vérifiez, Consultez, Restez informé).

Le contrôle parlementaire se distingue d’une enquête pénale ou d’une décision de justice.

A pronominal verb is used with a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous) before the verb. It can mean “do to oneself”, “be done” or “do to each other”. In the news, se traduire (to result in), se tenir (to take place), s’agir de (to be a matter of) and se diffuser (to spread) are frequent. The pronoun changes with the subject (il se tient / ils se tiennent / je me souviens).

Une suspicion n’est pas une illégalité établie.

Normally ne and pas wrap the verb. Before a vowel, ne becomes n’. Check which part of the sentence the negation covers. Ne … plus means “no longer”.

Selon TV Asahi, Sanae Takaichi a déclaré le 14 octobre au matin, en commission du budget, avoir reçu la veille au téléphone les explications du ministre de l’Agriculture Kazuo Yana sur des navettes gratuites lors des élections.

Selon means “according to”. Put a person or organisation after it as the source. It separates facts the writer checked directly from what another body or report said. Citing a source does not turn a forecast into an accomplished fact.

Déclaration en commission le 14 octobre au matin.

Le 15 octobre means “on 15 October”. Distinguish the le before a date from the le that marks a weekly habit like a weekday. Du is de + le and au is à + le, so decide the meaning from the verb and period expressions around them. Their role depends on the group: a range of dates, the date of a bulletin or another complement.

La Première ministre dit ne pas pouvoir trancher actuellement la légalité, mais envisage une décision concernant le ministre si elle conclut à une infraction.

These continue with something that contrasts with the preceding content, or a reservation to note. Mais is the widely usable “but” and en revanche stresses the contrast. After the connector, information may come that corrects the first impression.

Distinguez les explications du ministre, la réponse du gouvernement et une éventuelle décision officielle.

Et joins not only words but also groups of nouns and whole clauses. Spot the two elements playing the same role to break up a long sentence. Et does not necessarily express cause and effect.

テレ朝NEWSによると、高市首相は14日朝の衆議院予算委員会で、13日夜に簗農林水産大臣と電話で話し、選挙時の無料シャトルバス送迎について説明を受けたと述べました。

As in “LCPによると”, it shows where the information comes from. What that source reported follows. It is used differently from “私にとって”, which gives one’s own opinion.

この記事は違法性が確定した、または大臣が辞任したという内容ではありません。

They negate a noun and similar content. “ではありません” is the polite form and “ではない” the plain form. “成立ではありません” shows that it cannot be said to have been concluded.

予算委員会は国の財政などについて政府に説明を求める議会の委員会です。

As in “予算について”, it shows the topic to be talked about or explained. In the form “〜についての報道”, の is added so that the group qualifies the following noun.

予算委員会は国の財政などについて政府に説明を求める議会の委員会です。

“暴言など” gives “abusive language” as one example. It is not necessarily a closed list of only the things named. It also helps when reading the scope of a news story.

テレ朝NEWSによると、高市首相は14日朝の衆議院予算委員会で、13日夜に簗農林水産大臣と電話で話し、選挙時の無料シャトルバス送迎について説明を受けたと述べました。

In “発表しました”, ました makes a verb polite past. The negative is “ませんでした”. Read the actual date together with the date and time in the text.

首相は現時点では違法かどうか答えられないと述べ、法令違反と判断した場合には人事上の対応もあり得るとしています。

と takes the content that is reported or explained. In “改定する方針だと報じました”, “改定する方針だ” is what the report said. Separating the content from who said it and how makes long sentences easier to read.