Welcome back to NHK Newsline, here is the latest we have for you at this hour.
Iran’s president has signaled he’s willing to take a path toward diplomacy with the United States. He says he’s open to direct talks, but only if the other side demonstrates it’s willing to improve ties as well. He made the comments during his first press conference since taking office in July.
Translator: We have no hostility toward the U.S., but they have closed all pathways. First, they must show that they do not have any hostility toward us.
Tensions have been building between Tehran and the West over the ongoing war between Iran-backed Hamas militants and Israel in the Gaza Strip. Iran has also been accused of supplying Russia with ballistic missiles, though they deny this.
Translator: I can assure you that since I took office Iran has not provided Russia with anything that could be a reason for Western countries to impose sanctions.
He also denied supplying missiles to Houthi militants in Yemen. That group has been carrying out missile and drone attacks against Israel in solidarity with Hamas.
For insight into the Iranian president’s remarks we spoke to an expert on Iran and the Middle East.
Translator: It’s not surprising that a reformist would use his first press conference to discuss improving relations with the Biden world.
What he stressed was that the current condition which Iran faces within the country and also with its international relationship, is not simply sustainable. So he thinks that things need to be changed. This is sort of a staunch difference, I would say staunch comparison with what the conservative politicians usually preach. They consider that they can do by their own without any foreign assistance or any foreign investment.
Reporter: Tanaka says he’s also keen to calm down conservatives, like Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who were -- by what happened in July. Iran blamed Israel and vowed to strike back. Tanaka says retaliation will come but not just yet, especially with the leader set to address the U.N. General Assembly next week.
And I don’t think that he would be welcomed in many parts of New York City or in the Western world if the retaliatory attacks had already taken place. So at the moment he’s trying to fend off those who want to retaliate immediately within his own camp to tell them that it is not the right moment to do so.
Reporter: Tanaka also says he wants to deescalate because Iran is not ready to go into direct conflict with Israel, especially over a dead foreign leader.
The Iranian people will not understand why they would have to go for a full-scale war with another country. Once the war breaks out it would be hard to control or keep it under control to keep the United States away from interfering directly against Iran. I think that was the reason that Iran or the Iranian president, new president, tried to convince Ayatollah Khomeini not to go to war immediately.
Reporter: Regarding relations with the U.S., Tanaka says there is an opportunity for improvement, but Washington would have to begin dismantling what Tehran used as hostile sanctions placed over its nuclear program.
So he needs to -- or any Iranian president or administration needs to see that the U.S. hostility against Iran needs to cease first and based on mutual respect and the bases of, say, principles of noninterference that the two parties can talk in a civilized manner.
Reporter: A situation which Tanaka admits remains tricky for Iran, even with an internationally-minded reformer at the helm.
Russia President Vladimir Putin has ordered its military to increase troop numbers to 1.5 million. The Kremlin says Putin signed the decree on Monday and that it will take effect on December 1st. The order to expand Russia’s military by 180,000 troops comes as the war in Ukraine stretches on for more than two and a half years. Russian news outlets say this is the third time Putin has beefed up the size of Russia’s forces since the start of the invasion.
Meanwhile, Russia is set to be continuing its counteroffensive in Kursk. The Russia Defense Ministry said its forces had taken two or more Ukrainian -- to 12. The British Defense Ministry said on Sunday that Ukrainian forces maintained control of 800 to 900 square kilometers of Russian territory. Kyiv said it had seized 1,300 square kilometers as of late August.
Washington says it may sell over $200 million worth of military aircraft equipment to Taiwan. This is widely seen as a response to China whose planes routinely fly near Taiwan. The State Department announced return, repair and reshipment of spare parts Monday and notified Congress of the potential sale. Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry says this is the 16th time the Biden administration has provided arms to Taipei. The sale includes spare aircraft parts, as well as logistical and technical support. In response Taiwan vowed to strengthen its defense capabilities. The move will likely draw protests from China. The sale is being seen as an effort to keep the country in check as its military aircraft routinely cross the median line of the Taiwan Strait. Beijing has been demanding Washington and its military support for Taiwan.
There is an update on an alleged second attempt to assassinate former U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida. Prosecutors have arrested a man found with a rifle near the site where Trump was playing golf.
Walk straight back.
Ryan Routh was charged with possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Prosecutors could bring more counts against him. Prosecutors said that a Secret Service agent spotted a rifle poking out of bushes along a golf course where Trump was playing on Sunday. Routh was about 250 to 450 meters away from Trump and the Secret Service agent fired their weapon. A witness then saw a man later identified as Routh fleeing the area. Agents found a loaded rifle with a scope, a camera, and two bags in the trees, but no information has been given about a motive. U.S. media outlets report that the suspect had been involved in activities to support Ukraine, even traveling to Kyiv for protests. They say investigators are looking into whether he had grievances related to that and with Trump’s position on the issue. The White House says Biden spoke with Trump on the phone on Monday and conveyed his relief that the former president was safe. The White House says the conversation was cordial and Trump expressed gratitude for the phone call.
Trump is claiming that rhetoric used by his Democratic rivals led to the alleged assassination attempt. He spoke about the incident during a live streaming event using a social media platform.
I was playing golf with some of my friends and all of a sudden we heard shots, probably four or five. Secret Service did a great job and I think I can say honestly the sheriff’s office, law enforcement, everybody really did a great job.
And he said he needed more people on his security detail. Trump also took to Truth Social, his social media platform, to criticize remarks by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump wrote that his political rivals have taken politics in our country to a whole new level of hatred and because of them the bullets are flying and it will only get worse. The Trump camp issued a statement claiming that the Democrats’ rhetoric inspired another attempt on President Trump’s life. It said Harris the Democratic presidential candidate has reportedly called Trump a threat to our democracy.
U.S. tech giant Amazon says starting January it is requiring its employees around the world to return to working at the office five days a week. CEO Andy Jassy sent a message to staff on Monday announcing we’ve decided that we’re going to return to being in the office, the way we were before the onset of COVID. He explained the move was to deliver the absolute best for customers and the business. He also said when we look back at over the last five years we continue to believe that the advantages of being together in the office are significant. The decision reflects the company’s view employees learn from each other and teams connect better working at the office compared to remotely, but the company is expected to face some resistance as some people have been working under the assumption they will be able to work remotely to some extent. Amazon employees worked remotely during the pandemic. The company reviewed the practice last year and has since asked employees to work at the office three days a week. Other big tech companies including Google and Meta are reportedly asking employees to work at the office two or three days a week.
One of Japan’s most famous Buddhist temples is raising its admission fees to cover a growing cost of staffing and maintenance. The temple is located in Nara and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Starting next March it will charge adults, high school and university students 2,000 yen, around $14, that’s up by a third from the current price. Junior high school students will pay around $12, elementary school students will pay about $7. The group rate will rise by around $3 per person. The temple said the number of visitors dropped sharply during the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, the cost of maintaining its staff and cultural treasures is climbing. Other temples in Nara have raised entrance fees this year as well. One plans to do so from next April.
And now it’s time for a check on the world weather with our meteorologist Jonathan Oh. Heavy rain hit Shanghai this past weekend due to a tropical system. What can you tell us, Jonathan?
Hello. As we went through the weekend we were watching a system that intensified into a typhoon and eventually weakened as it moved over the eastern portions of China, but did cause some problems in Shanghai. Take a look at this video that’s coming out from the city. As the storm brought severe downpours that caused flooding to the city Monday morning, strong winds of more than 150 kilometers per hour were recorded near the eyewall. Powerful gusts uprooted trees and damaged power lines. Emergency crews have been deployed for both rescue and communication operations. Several shelters have been set up to house several victims. It will bring heavy rainfall as it moves to the west. We have a couple other tropical systems around the western Pacific to keep an eye on. One is located between Hainan and also the northern portion of the Philippines, as that continues to move to the west we will watch and see what impacts it makes. Looking at the forecast around East Asia, again, showers from Manila up into Taipei, Shanghai clouds with a high of 32, Tokyo looking at mid 30s as we go through Wednesday. Get ready for a big cooldown as we head toward the weekend, we are talking about highs in the mid 20s as we go towards Saturday and Sunday. Meanwhile, across North America we have this low that’s been running across the Carolinas into Virginia, bringing heavy rain to the area. That will continue to be the story as we go forward in time. A setup of lows across the U.S. western states will bring the possibility of strong to severe thunderstorms as we go forward in time throughout the day on Tuesday, so be on the lookout for that. Denver looking at thunderstorm pockets with a high of 29. Dry and quite warm through the south, 31 Oklahoma City and 34 in Houston with sunny skies for Tuesday. That’s a look at your forecast, hope you have a good day wherever you are.
And that is all we have for this hour’s NHK “Newsline.” We will have more for you soon. Thank you very much for joining us.
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