Journalist Describes Secret Japanese Military Unit Called "Betsuhan"
Listen to the story
A secret group inside Japan's military is in the news. People call it Betsuhan. This means "special team."
A journalist talked to a man who used to work in this group. The man told the journalist about his old job.
The man said workers did not need receipts for money, even for millions of yen. A receipt is paper proof that you paid for something.
He said the group trained people for dangerous jobs. This training included how to place bombs. It also included how to assassinate important people. To assassinate means to kill someone important for a secret reason.
The man said that if a worker got caught by police or enemies, no one would help them. He said they would disappear "from darkness to darkness." This means no one would ever know what happened to them.
News reports say even Japan's top leaders do not know about this group. This includes the prime minister, the top leader of the government. It also includes the defense minister, the leader who controls the military.
People are talking about this group because of a TV show called VIVANT. The show made people curious about real secret military teams.
Vocabulary15 words
- secret
- hidden; not known by other people
- journalist
- a person who writes news
- receipt
- paper that shows you paid money
- bomb
- a weapon that explodes
- assassinate
- to kill an important person
- caught
- stopped and held by someone
- prime minister
- the top leader of a government
- defense minister
- the leader of a country's military
- military
- the army, navy, and related forces
- unit
- a small group inside a bigger organization
- train
- to teach someone how to do something
- disappear
- to go away and not be found
- government
- the people who run a country
- TV show
- a program you watch on television
- curious
- wanting to know more about something
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Quiz
Answer key
1. A secret group in Japan's military 2. They did not need receipts, even for millions of yen 3. False
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
A secret group inside Japan's military is in the news. People call it _____. This means "special team."
A journalist talked to a man who used to work in this group. The man told the journalist about his old _____.
The man said workers did not need _____ for money, even for millions of yen.
He said the group trained people for dangerous jobs. This training included how to place _____.
It also included how to _____ important people.
The man said that if a worker got _____ by police or enemies, no one would help them.
He said they would disappear "from darkness to darkness."
News reports say even Japan's top leaders do not know about this group, including the _____.
It also includes the _____, the leader who controls the military.
People are talking about this group because of a TV show called _____.
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