Welcome to NHK Newsline. I'm Gene Otani in Tokyo.
Firefighters are working around the clock to contain massive wildfires in Japan's northeast in Iwate Prefecture. Dry weather is forecast to continue on Saturday and winds there will likely intensify.
Officials say 1,400 hectares had been burned as of Saturday morning.
The fires broke out on Wednesday in Ofunato City. One person has died in the fires, and more than 80 buildings are believed to have been damaged. But a full assessment of the destruction is expected to take time as firefighting efforts continue. Ofunato City's government issued evacuation orders to three more districts on Saturday. Now, nearly 4,600 people are being urged to evacuate.
These students at the shelter are supposed to take their high school entrance exams four days from now.
I hear sirens and sounds of helicopters. I just can't concentrate on studying.
As the exam date has been set, I think I need to be calm to study for it.
Authorities say more than 1,000 people are taking shelter at evacuation centers.
Japanese Defense Minister Nakatani Gen and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth are expected to discuss measures to improve the deterrence and response capabilities of the alliance. Command and control between Japan's Self-Defense Forces and the US military is also expected to be on the agenda. The SDF plans to set up a Joint Operations Command covering the ground, maritime and Air Defense Forces later this month.
The two countries agreed in February to further enhance the alliance to cope with increasing tensions in Asia, including China's growing assertiveness. The defense chiefs will also take part in a joint memorial ceremony on the Japanese island of Ioto, the site of fierce fighting in World War II. The event on the island, formerly known as Iwojima, will serve to highlight the strong bonds between the two countries. This year marks 80 years since the end of the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has visited the White House for the first time since Donald Trump returned to office. The two leaders were meant to discuss a planned deal on developing Ukraine's natural resources, but the meeting instead turned into a heated exchange with no agreement reached. The plan was to discuss a deal that would give the US access to Ukraine's mineral deposits, oil and gas. The leaders met in front of reporters for about an hour, but the atmosphere grew tense after Zelenskyy questioned US diplomacy.
You've allowed yourself to be in a very bad position that he happens to be right about from the very beginning of the war.
You're not in a good position. You don't have the cards right now. With us, you start having cars. Right now, you don't have your playing cards. You're playing cards. You're gambling with the lives of millions of people. You're gambling with World War III.
Zelenskyy left the White House without speaking to reporters. Later on social media, he thanked the US for its support and said Ukraine needs a just and lasting peace.
Trump, meanwhile, told reporters as he left the White House that the meeting didn't go well.
He's got to say, I want to make peace. He doesn't have to stand there and say about Putin this, Putin that, all negative things. He's got to say, I want to make peace. I don't want to fight a war any longer. His people are dying. He doesn't have the cards.
He went on to say he doesn't trust or distrust anybody and that he just wanted to get a deal, a deal done.
We interviewed some people in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv. Here's what they had to say.
Trump doesn't look like our partner. He looks like just a partner for Russia. I believe Europe should be much, much more active and in the economic way, like supporting us, and also in like military way as well.
For more on this, my colleague Keiko Kitagawa earlier spoke with NHK World's Ben Marks in Washington.
Ben, the outcome was not exactly what people had expected.
That's right. Trump had earlier called Zelenskyy a dictator, but he had toned down his rhetoric in the days leading up to the talks. And the meeting had a good start, with Trump praising the deal and saying they would sign the agreement. But when Zelenskyy began to question Trump's diplomacy with Russia, the mood grew tense. Trump lashed out at Zelenskyy, saying the fight against Russia would have ended if not for US weapons.
Going into the meeting, Trump seemed confident, so Friday's result was no doubt unexpected by him too.
So can we expect the US and Ukraine to return to negotiating table anytime soon?
It's hard to say at this point, but I believe Trump wants to move forward toward a ceasefire by reaching an agreement with Zelenskyy. And what Zelinskyy definitely wants is security guarantees from the US. Zelinskyy later appeared on Fox News, where he said Ukraine is ready for peace and that the mineral deal is the first step towards security guarantees.
Trump said Zelinskyy wants to come back right now, but he doesn't think it'll happen.
The United Nations Secretary General has expressed concern about possible cuts in funding by the US for UN agencies and other aid groups.
Antonio Guterres called on Washington to reverse the decision.
I want to start by expressing my deep concern about information received in the last 48 hours by UN agencies, as well as many humanitarian and development NGOs, regarding severe cuts in funding by the United States.
Guterres said the move will affect humanitarian aid, the fight against terrorism and combating AIDS and other infectious diseases, and will run counter to American interests globally.
The UN chief also touched on the Gaza Strip, where US President Trump has suggested residents should be moved elsewhere. Guterres reiterated his position to any reduction in size of the Palestinian territory and the forced transfer of its population. He said a framework is needed based on international law for Gaza's reconstruction and lasting stability.
A Japanese man taken into custody by an armed ethnic group in Myanmar is believed to have worked at a scam center for about four months. The man was found at one of several scam operation hubs in eastern Myanmar, near the border with Thailand. The armed ethnic group BGF controls the area and is now trying to locate the centers. And free foreign captives. A senior BGF official told NHK that a Japanese man found at one of the scam hubs traveled to Myanmar from Thailand. He was guided by a Chinese national, the official said the Japanese man may have been taking part in the operation voluntarily. The official added that BGF is searching for several other Japanese nationals who fled the scene.
Myanmar's military rulers plan to jointly take measures against the country's scam centers with China and Thailand.
Those were the main stories for this hour.
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And that's the news this hour. I'm Gino Tani from all of us here at NHK Newsline to all around the world. Thanks very much for joining us.
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