The US Geological Survey says a magnitude 7.7 earthquake has struck Myanmar.
3:20 p.m. Japan time, with strong tremors also felt in neighboring countries.
USGS says the quake's epicenter had a depth of nearly 10 kilometers and was located near Myanmar's second largest city, Mandalay. The area is known for its many Buddhist temples and historic sites. We're waiting for details on any damage or casualties from Myanmar, which has been controlled by a military junta since 2021. The quake also caused tall structures to sway in Thailand's capital, including NHK's local bureau, located on the 17th floor of a building. Office workers present streaming into the streets.
Earthquake is scary. This is my first time to experience this.
Experience earthquake. Where are you?
In the 10th floor.
10th floor?
Yes. Rain is swinging very clearly, so we decide to run.
Bangkok is located more than a thousand kilometers away from the quake's epicenter. We'll have more details on this story as it develops.
Two major wildfires in western Japan finally seem to be under control.
Rainfall has helped to turn the tide in both Imabari and Okayama. The latter now says its fire is officially contained. The recent downpour was the first rain to hit the areas since the fires broke out Sunday.
This is the blessed rain I was waiting for.
City officials said Friday they have not confirmed any flames or smoke in the area. But they said drones did identify some heat sources that could be the remnants of some fires.
Over 440 hectares have been burned as of Thursday. At least 21 structures, including houses and warehouses, have been damaged. The city issued evacuation orders to nearly 6,000 of its residents.
Officials say they will consider gradually lifting those orders as they confirm the situation on the ground. In Okayama, the mayor announced the fire was completely contained Friday. The news came shortly after the city lifted all its evacuation orders.
Meanwhile, South Korea is also grappling with the worst wildfires in its history.
At least 28 are dead and another 30,000 were forced to evacuate.
As of Friday morning, about 94% of the fire in the hard-hit North Gyeonsan Province has been extinguished.
The number of schoolchildren in Japan who took their own lives rose to record levels in 2024. This has prompted the government to seek measures to prevent suicides by minors.
The Health and Welfare Ministry says 529 elementary, junior high and high school students committed suicide last year. The figure exceeded the previous record of 514 reported in 2022. The ministry also compiled reasons or motives for the suicides, allowing multiple factors per case. Problems at school, such as poor grades or anxiety about the future, resided in the largest number of cases at 272.
Health problems, such as depression, resided in 164 cases.
Family issues, such as tensions with parents, were seen as contributing to 108 cases.
Mihara Junko, the minister in charge, expressed her extreme regret over the situation.
If children have worries or problems, we want them to feel free to seek help. This is the kind of society we should create.
The Children and Families Agency promotes measures to prevent suicides by children.
Officials say they will analyze the factors behind the incidents and work to encourage minors to talk more freely about their problems. They say they will also advise adults and the community on ways to support troubled children.
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called a general election for May 3, but it's unclear whether his ruling Labor Party can retain power amid growing discontent over the economy.
And at a time where it's never been more important for Australia to stand on our own two feet, only Labor is building an economy where we make more things here.
The Prime Minister's remarks come as US President Donald Trump's tariffs cast a shadow over Australia's economic outlook.
The central-left Labor Party returned to power for the first time in nine years in the 2022 general election. but it's facing challenges amid frustration with inflation and soaring housing prices. A recent poll shows a tight race between the Labour Party and the Conservative coalition led by the largest opposition, Liberal Party.
The two-party preferred vote is tied at 50/50 percent. About half of the upper house seats will also be contested in the May election.
NHK has learned that a cybersecurity firm has uncovered a fake website offering tickets for the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka. The company is calling on people to exercise caution when buying passes online.
Trend Micro says it made the discovery this month. The website appears to host information in English about ticket sales for the expo and more. But the firm says it actually seems to be designed to steal people's personal information. The company also says it found multiple attempts to acquire domain names similar to the expo's official site. And it has seen fake accounts claiming to be official ones for the event on social media.
The company advises people make sure they only buy tickets through official channels.
There are often moves to create fake web pages before events that attract global attention. People should be aware of this and check that they're using legitimate sites.
The six month long Expo 2025 in Osaka begins April 13.
Working at a hot spring or a ski resort? It may seem like a young person's game, but there's a shift underway in Japan. A growing number of people in their 50s or older are working part-time jobs in resort areas, offering new careers, as well as a variety of new benefits.
More than 70,000 skiers hit these slopes every month during the winter, among them 55 year old Murayama Saburo.
He retired early from his role as a public servant, but this isn't your traditional retirement life.
Murayama actually works at this resort as a part-time instructor. Between November and April, I want to ski every day, so this is perfect for me.
His wife also works with him. They live in a dormitory, including utilities. It costs them about $66 each month.
They can use the resort's cafeteria as part of their employee benefits. Their pay is about $7.60 an hour.
That adds up to a combined roughly $1,900 per month. It may not be a lot, but they find another employee perk quite enticing.
(Japanese)
They enjoy their hobby with lift tickets provided by their employer.
Muriyama started his new career two years ago when his children started working. My daughters are all grown up now, so I want to focus more on my own happiness. In that sense, being able to enjoy a different life by working part-time at a resort is appealing to me. I'm so happy.
He's not alone. An agency that connects part-time workers with businesses in resort areas, says the number of workers, 50 or older, has significantly increased in the past decade. It surveyed the workers. They say gaining experience or being challenged in a new environment was one of their top reasons for starting part-time work at a resort.
This researcher says when employees approach the end of their career with their company, they start to rethink their lives.
They ask themselves what they really want to do, and some of them start to think about choosing another option.
Middle-aged workers have experience and can help with Japan's growing labour shortage. This traditional Japanese style hotel in a hot spring resort in Shizuoka Prefecture is hiring seven of them. Because they and the customers are close in age, they find their interactions to be more pleasant.
I like to talk with customers, so I enjoy working every day.
The researcher in the story points out that despite the benefits, part-time jobs also carry risks. The workers may not be able to earn enough stable income.
He says they should also think about whether they can save enough money to sustain themselves when they're unable to work in the future.
Now let's check out the weather. Japan has experienced warmer than usual conditions this week, although the weekend will cool down. Our meteorologist Yumi Hiono has the details.
These warm conditions are helping cherry blossoms to reach full bloom.
This is the fourth time this March the high temperature in central Tokyo has reached 25 degrees or higher. It's the first time on record that month has had so many high temperatures.
Meanwhile, officials announced the cherry blossoms are in full bloom in the prefectural capital cities of Kochi, Fukuoka and Kumamoto, the earliest in the country this season. It's an ideal time to view the blossoms in many places, but below normal temperatures are on the way starting this weekend. So a big change is coming. Cold air is expected to cover much of the country over the weekend. So the high in Tokyo will drop to only 10, which is as cold as mid-winter. Sapporo will see snowfall with a high of only 6.
Moving to the United States, severe weather is a concern. In southern Texas, almost 300 millimeters of heavy rainfall, gusts of over 90 kilometers per hour, and even a tornado having reported. A small but active low-pressure system near the border is causing these conditions.
The system is expected to move slowly, so the same impact will continue into Friday. People should keep watching out for flash flooding and power outages.
And another system is bringing wet weather to the Pacific Northwest. Heavy rain and windy conditions are possible along the coast. Showers are also likely in Seattle and Vancouver, but sunny and mild conditions are expected in LA with a high of 17.
That's all for the weather. Have a nice weekend.
♫～
And that's all for this edition of NHK Newsline. Thanks for staying with us.
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