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> 国は「中止していた特定技能の試験を外国でいつ始めることができるか考えたいと思います」と話しています。

Source:
<https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/easy/k10012450361000/k10012450361000.html>

At the end, the sentence says: 話しています but I don’t get why the continuous
aspect is necessary here. Shouldn’t it be simply: 話します as in: the state
“says”?

P.s.: Also, isn’t 考えたいと思います redundant? Unless it means “they thought about
wanting to consider”? Because if the 考えたい which means “to want” + “to
consider”?
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2020-06-04T15:26:16.887
77814
2023-01-21T09:01:09.570
2020-06-05T04:47:47.390
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question
grammar verbs aspect
話します vs 話しています in a News Article
I'll attempt the 話しています part. Japanese's present tense sometimes carries a
hint of future. For example, saying 行きます usually means that the speaker is
about to do this action; 行っています on the other hand means that the action has
started and is ongoing. In the article, 話しています refers to a quote, which in the
context of a new report is likely something that has already started before
the news report was written. I believe this is why 話しています (ongoing) is used
instead of 話します (about to happen).
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-05T16:28:41.110
77826
2023-01-21T09:01:09.570
2023-01-21T09:01:09.570
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answer