at 18:00 (JST), March 10

20250310180000_english_1.mp3

Hello, a very warm welcome to NHK Newsline. I'm Yamamoto Miki in Tokyo.

Monday marks 80 years since a massive US air raid on Tokyo during World War II.
People have gathered to remember the estimated 100,000 people who lost their lives. The attack by massed US B-29 bombers on March 10, 1945 devastated residential areas in the east of the Japanese capital. Relatives of those who died attended a memorial service at a hall in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on Monday.
Crown Prince and Princess Akishino were also present. The remains of many victims are stored in the hall. Most of them have not been identified.

Our mission is to ensure that these tragic events do not fade away, but are passed on to the next generation to serve as a lesson.

About 160 people, including Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko, offered incense and prayers in the victim's memory. Now, survivors have been sharing their stories at ceremonies and other gatherings. Let's listen to what some of them had to say.

Prayers for the 800 people killed in this Koto Ward neighborhood.
They include several of Kato Yoniko's family members.

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The 94-year-old says she vividly remembers that day. The US dropped more than 300,000 incendiary bombs.
They hit densely packed neighborhoods filled with homes made of wood.

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Kato's parents and her sister died as they tried to escape.

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Ebina Kayoko shares similar memories. The raid killed six of her family members.
The 91-year-old organizes this gathering every year. It's to pray for peace. The participants visit Ueno Park. Many of the victims were temporarily buried right after the attack. A message by Ebina was read on her behalf.

(japanese)東京が燃えている

Kids from a local kindergarten sing a song of hope for peace.
Ebina says no child should ever experience what she went through. And in a world where wars continue, everyone should raise their voice.

(japanese)♪

Kitamura Yoko continues to raise hers. She was 9 years old at the time of the attack.

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Kitamura says that day continued to haunt her when she later became a doctor and ambulance sirens reminded her of the air raid alerts. Kato says the anniversary draws out memories, making it a difficult time for her. But she also feels thankful.
People still care and still remember. Something important as it becomes harder for the remaining survivors to share their stories.

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People forced to flee due to wildfires in northeastern Japan are learning whether their homes survived. The flames were declared contained on Sunday, about a week and a half after the blazes broke out.

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Ofunato City in Iwate Prefecture lifted the remaining evacuation orders, which covered more than 2,000 residents from the affected areas on Monday morning.
A local elementary school reopened for the first time in 10 days. Some of the children are still unable to return home, so they come to school from temporary shelters.

I'm happy to see my friends.

I'm grateful to the firefighters, and I'm happy to be studying with everybody.

The wildfires burned through about 9 percent of the city, and officials say more than 200 buildings were damaged.
There have been no further outbreaks, but it will take more time until the fire has been confirmed to be completely extinguished. Officials are preparing to construct temporary housing for the displaced.

Now, to the Korean Peninsula. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff say North Korea has launched several ballistic missiles into the sea. Officials in Seoul say it happened around 1:50 PM on Monday. They say the salvo of projectiles was launched from somewhere inland and appeared to fly west of the peninsula into the Yellow Sea.
Now the launch comes after North Korea strongly condemned the US and South Korea for beginning an annual series of joint military exercises.
The Freedom Shield exercise started in South Korea on Monday and will run through March 20. It simulates responses to projected emergencies for the Korean Peninsula. The US and South Korean militaries say the scenarios will reflect the North's expected strategies and tactics. Pyongyang has recently been deepening military cooperation with Moscow. The exercise will involve drills across the land, sea, air, cyber and space domains.
About 70 field training sessions are scheduled to be held. This is the first joint exercise by the US and South Korea since President Donald Trump took office. Their militaries stress that the security alliance remains strong.
Pyongyang's foreign ministry slammed the drills as an aggressive and confrontational war rehearsal in a statement Sunday. It accused Washington of what it called a habitual hostile policy, which would only serve to justify the toughest anti-US counter-action.

A Ukrainian media outlet reports the country's troops are facing a strong counter-offensive in the western Russian region of Kursk. It says the attack is being bolstered by North Korean soldiers and a large number of drones.
Russia's forces have been ramping up their efforts in Kursk to recapture territory taken by Ukrainian troops. They are believed to be encircling the city of Suzha. Ukraine's public broadcaster points out the onslaught comes after the US suspended military aid. It quotes an Ukrainian soldier who says Russia appears to be deploying better-trained soldiers from North Korea to the battlefield. He says the Russians are also using drones that are immune to radio jamming to great effect.
The soldier says the drones have been responsible for an estimated 95-percent of losses among Ukraine's fire positions and equipment.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on social media that Russia has carried out hundreds of attacks against its people throughout the week using various weapons. Russia's Security Council Deputy Chair Dmitry Medvedev also posted online claiming the offensive in Kursk is going well. He referred to the situation as a smoking cauldron, adding that the lid is almost closed.

A Swedish think tank says Ukraine has become the world's biggest arms importer following Russia's invasion. The report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute says between 2020 and 2024, Ukraine received 8.8 percent of global arms imports. It says just under half of Ukraine's imports came from the US, followed by Germany and Poland.
Meanwhile, Japan's imports have nearly doubled, putting it at sixth place. The report says this is being driven by tensions with China and North Korea. On the other hand, China's imports have dropped by 64 percent. The report points to a decline in China's ability to design and produce its own major weapons.

And it's time for a check on the world weather with our meteorologist Jonathan Oh. So Jonathan, we're seeing some bright skies around Tokyo, but how are things looking for the rest of the week?

Hello, we have the influence of high pressure that's brought relatively calm weather across Japan as we went through Monday. We will be seeing some changes though as you go into the middle of the week. We have a low pressure system that's about developing West of Japan and as that continues to spread slowly toward the east, we will see clouds increasing followed by some rain as we especially go into Wednesday and Thursday from the West to the east. And by the time we go into the end of the week, we'll see some cold air from the north and that'll bring some stormy weather back into Hokkaido as we head toward the weekend. And so again, we're looking at some clouds, increasing amounts of rain as we head toward Wednesday and Thursday, even Tokyo picking up on some wet weather as we go through the middle of the work week. But look at the temperatures really surging up by the time we go into the latter part of the week, 20 on Thursday in Tokyo as we see those temperatures surging up also into the upper teens into Osaka Fukuoka. Then a little bit of a drop off as we head toward Friday.

Meanwhile, we're seeing warm temperatures across the central areas of Europe. We're seeing a lift from the South as a couple areas of low pressure located back to the West. And toward Italy helped really surge in some of that warmer air. So temperature will be on the higher side as we go through Monday. We have another sister up toward the north that's going to scoot on through, maybe bringing some precipitation into some of the coastal areas of Norway as we go through Monday. But look at this, I mean highs of around 20 in Vienna, Athens as well, 18 in Warsaw, but showers and even some thunderstorms possible back from Paris down toward Madrid, Elizabeth with a high of 15 as we go through Monday.
Look at what's happening across North America. We have a low that's located in the Deep South that's helping to bring some wet weather. Might be seeing a little bit of the heavier rain pattern as you go through Monday, so I'll be on the lookout for that. We have a cold front that's going to be moving across the Pacific Northwest into and along the border between Canada and the United States. So that's going to bring some snow possibilities into places like Winnipeg as you go through Monday.

Hope you have a good day wherever you are.

♫～

We're still a couple of weeks away from Sakura season, but some early blossoms are bringing crowds to a town in central Japan's Shizuoka Prefecture.
Kawazu is known for distinct cherry trees, whose flowers come to life a bit before other varieties each year.
Hundreds of them line the local river, making for a popular sightseeing spot.
The town's cherry blossom festival was set to wrap up last month, but was extended to Monday after cold weather delayed the flowers.

There are still plenty of trees in full bloom, so please come and enjoy them.

And those who miss out on Kawazu's sakura scenery still have the main season to look forward to. Japan's most popular variety of cherry blossom, Someiyoshino, is forecast to bloom around March 22 in Tokyo.

And that is all for this edition of NHK Newsline. I'm Yamamoto Miki in Tokyo.
Thank you very much for joining us.