at 18:00 (JST), March 12

 20250312180000_english_1.mp3

Welcome back to NHK Newsline. I'm Yamaguchi Hiroaki.

Tokyo police say a 42-year-old suspect was driven by one sided resentment when he repeatedly stabbed a 22-year-old woman as she was live streaming. The woman died soon after being brought to hospital with knife wounds to her head. neck, and stomach. The attack happened in Shinjuku Ward's Takadanobaba area Tuesday morning. The victim is identified as Sato Airi, a resident of Tokyo's Tama City, an internet personality.

When I looked outside, I saw a person lying on the ground. I could see her legs and a man looking at her. The man was calm, so I thought he was trying to assist the woman.

Police arrested Takano Kenichi, a man from Tochigi Prefecture, on the spot.
He's now being charged with murder.
Takano told investigators that he came to Tokyo because he learned the victim would be broadcasting during a walk along Tokyo's Yamanote train line. He said he located her by watching her stream.
Investigators say the suspect claimed he had borrowed money to lend to Sato. He says he gave her thousands of dollars and she did not pay him back. He also reportedly denied intending to kill her.

Thai police have detained two Japanese men on suspicion of staying in the country illegally. The men are believed to have previously been at a scam hub in eastern Myanmar. Police say they took a 31-year-old man and 22-year-old man into custody on Tuesday in Mae Sot, western Thailand, near the border with Myanmar. They say both men overstayed in Thailand by more than a month. A source said the two are believed to be those whom Japan asked Thai authorities to help release last month, believing they were probably in a scam hub in Myanmar. The men are thought to have been staying at the same hub as a Japanese high school student.
The student was taken into protective custody in Thailand last month.
Police say they will investigate whether the men went to the Myanmar scam center voluntarily or were lured there unwittingly.

Trump says he's nominating former US Ambassador to Thailand Michael DeSombre to be his Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific.
He'll manage US relations with countries across the region, including Japan. Trump made the announcement on social media. He says DeSombre did a great job serving in Bangkok during his first term in the White House. Trump highlighted his nominee's academic credentials, including a thesis he wrote on Chinese nuclear weapons strategy while studying at Stanford University. DeSombre is listed as a partner at Sullivan Cromwell, a major multinational law firm based in New York. His profile on his website describes him as having decades of experience assisting corporate transactions in China and across Asia. If approved by Congress, DeSombre will serve under Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He'll deal with issues related to Japan, China, as well as North Korea and its ongoing nuclear and missile development programs.

South Korea could be just days away from learning the fate of its impeached president. The Constitutional Court is expected to soon decide whether to reinstate Yoon Suk-yeol to office.
Lawmakers impeached him last year over his short-lived martial law declaration.
Earlier, I spoke with NHK rule's Kim Chan-ju, who was just outside the court.
Chun-joo, what are people bracing for?

They expect a backlash no matter what the court rules. Some people have come here to show their support for Yoon. But they don't represent the whole picture.
Gallup Korea released a poll on Friday. 60% of respondents said they support Yoon's impeachment, while 35% were against it. So the country remains divided.
Some have shaved their heads or staged hunger strikes in protest against Yoon. They say they will keep demonstrating until the ruling comes out. The main opposition Democratic Party urges the court to uphold the impeachment. The floor leader called for that to happen quickly to minimize damage to the country. As for the ruling People Power Party, the emergency response chairperson says justices must remain unfazed by the opposition's unconstitutional claims and make the right decision.

And what about Yoon? What is he saying?

Well, he's been relatively quiet since being released from detention last weekend in a separate case. He has not attended any public events and news outlets report things will stay that way for now.
Quick refresher on the two major cases he faces. First, the one in the Constitutional Court, as mentioned, it will decide whether he's fully removed from office. But Yoon's martial law declaration also spurred multiple investigations. It led to his arrest and indictment in January on charges of leading an insurrection. This case is being handled by a district court. It recently decided to end his detention. To be clear, the trial is expected to happen, but it does not have to stay in custody. right now.
Still, his supporters think his release is a sign the Constitutional Court may rule in his favor, even though it's a completely separate case. The main opposition party is not taking Yoon's release well. It says the prosecutor needs to resign right away or face possible impeachment.

Prosecutor General Sim Woo Jong is the root cause of this entire situation. If you have a conscience, stop acting disgracefully. Resign immediately.

Yoon's party is also right up. It's taken aim at the investigators who arrested him.

It's absurd that the illegal is incited to investigate the lawful. This shows that the investigation body is nothing more than a judicial errand center for the opposition party.

Chan-ju, a couple months ago, we saw things churn violent with Yoon's supporters rioting after his arrest. How is the Constitutional Court preparing for when it releases its ruling?

Officials are bracing for the worst case scenario. There have been hundreds of threats and violent remarks online. The acting president says the government will guarantee the right to hold lawful and peaceful rallies, but there will be zero tolerance for any acts of violence. Police plan to surround the court with barricades within a 100-meter radius when the ruling comes out. They have designated two districts here as special crime prevention zones. Officials are also being trained to use expendable batons and pepper spray.
While it may seem drastic, it's important to remember what happened in 2017 when the court upheld an impeachment against the president. Clashes between supporters and wire police killed three people and injured 30. That's one of the reasons why people are taking this all very seriously.

Right, moving on. French President Emmanuel Macron is urging allies to quickly draw up a plan to define credible security guarantees for Ukraine.
Chief has accepted a US-proposed ceasefire if Russia goes along with it.
Macron addressed military chiefs from more than 30 countries and others at a closed-door defense conference in Paris on Tuesday. He reportedly said the accelerating pace of peace negotiations means the time has come to move from concept to plan regarding security guarantees. A French presidential office source said the participants agreed that security guarantees must be accompanied by unwavering support for Ukraine's military. Earlier in the day, French Defense Minister Sebastian Lukornu dismissed Ross's insistence that Ukraine be disarmed.

We reject any form of demilitarization of Ukraine.

Reuters news agency said the United States was not invited to the meeting as US President Donald Trump has distanced himself from allies. It quoted a military official as saying the decision was a signal that Europe and its partners are prepared to shoulder the responsibility of supporting Ukraine.

Electric carmaker Tesla has been receiving immense backlash over the political activities of CEO Elon Musk.
But Musk is vowing a comeback, supercharged with a somewhat unprecedented presidential endorsement.
Trump told reporters on Tuesday that he plans to become the owner of a brand-new Tesla.

I'm going to buy because, number one, it's a great product, and he's a great patriot. And he's also done an incredible job with Tesla.

As a function of the great policies of President Trump and his administration, and as an act of faith in America, Tesla is going to double vehicle output in the United States within the next two years.

US network NBC News points out it's extremely rare for a sitting president to explicitly endorse consumer products.
Musk currently serves as the head of Trump's new Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. It's been pushing through sweeping federal job cuts and slashing government funding, angering many Americans. On Saturday, people protested across the US at Tesla-related locations.

Right now, supporting Tesla is supporting Musk, and that's something you really need to think about.

Some Tesla showrooms and charging stations were damaged. The firm's share price has also plotted.

It's time for a check on the weather with our meteorologist, Jonathan Oh. So, Jonathan, it was the warm Wednesday, but the showers are spreading across Japan.
How are things looking for Thursday?

Hello, we have been talking about the expectation of warmer weather across Japan as we went through this weekend that took place as we went through this Wednesday and looks like it's going to get even warmer as we head toward Thursday. In the process though, we are talking about some rain. We have one low down toward the south, another one approaching from the north. Both of these systems helping to bring in some of that wet weather and that'll be the story as you head into Thursday before things start to clear out in places like Tokyo, we'll be seeing temperatures that are more like May. As opposed to March. Yeah, that's what we are expecting. 

Now back toward the West from China out of Shanghai will have a stationary front that's been pushing toward the east and that's going to help bring the chance for some rain to places like Okinawa and even to southern portions of Kyushu as you go through Thursday. So here's a look at the forecast 11 in Sapporo 14 Niigata will see the temperatures really drop off in the northern areas of Japan as you go through today, which introduces the possibility of seeing some snow as we go through the day. 23 Yeah, that's the expected high in Tokyo for Thursday. Thursday 19th Osaka 17 in Fukuoka. So might need some of the T-shirts in Tokyo to go through the day on Thursday.

Meanwhile across North America, western areas of the United States seeing a couple of systems moving on board and that's going to bring some showers, a wet day in store for Wednesday. For those of you located down to the southern plains, we have a low pressure system that's going to be pushing on through, maybe really juiced up with the warm air coming in from the south and that's going to bring the chance for some thunderstorms. Some of them may be on the stronger side for Wednesday, so you need to pay attention.
I mean it is spring, it is. Severe weather season for those of you, especially in the southern United States.
Ahead of that mid to upper 20s for the highs as we go through day on Wednesday for Oklahoma City to Atlanta. Shouts from Vancouver down toward Los Angeles. Highs ranging from single digits to like 16 in Los Angeles for Wednesday.

Wrapping things up with a look at Europe low stuck down to the southern areas of Europe.
Continue to bring some wet weather, maybe in some stormy weather as you go through day on Wednesday with a cold front. Bring some snow to Stockholm for the middle of the work week.

Hope you have a good day wherever you are.

♫～

And that's all for this edition of NHK Newsline. I'm Yamaguchi Hiroaki in Tokyo.
Thank you very much for seeing us.