BREAKING NEWS
RUSSIAN MEDIA: 49 PASSENGERS, CREW FEARED DEAD IN PLANE CRASH
We have an update on our breaking story. A passenger plane carrying 49 people has crashed in Russia's Far East. State-run task news agency quoted an aviation official as saying there are no signs of survivors. The plane was headed to Tinda from Blagovyaschensk, a major city in the Amur region that's near the border with China. Reports say the plane was an Antonov An-2-4 operated by local carrier Angara Airlines.The governor of the Amur region says 43 passengers and six crew members were on board. Past reports that the plane crashed in a forest area near Tinda airport. Footage released by emergency officials shows smoke rising at the site where the plane was believed to have gone down.
BREAKING NEWS
THAILAND-CAMBODIA BORDER CLASHES LEAVE AT LEAST 9 DEAD
Thai and Cambodian forces have exchanged gunfire in a deadly escalation of the country's long-running border dispute.The Thai military says nine people were killed on the Thai side and more than ten were injured.
The clashes started on Thursday morning and were said to be continuing in several locations along the border. Both sides blamed the other for firing first.
The Cambodian government said its forces returned fire in self-defense.
The Thai army said it deployed F-16 fighter jets that attacked Cambodian military targets. The two countries' forces exchanged fire in the area in May, leaving one Cambodian soldier dead. Earlier this month, several Thai soldiers were injured by landmines near the border that Thailand claims Cambodia had recently laid.
EXTREME HEAT CONTINUES TO WALLOP MUCH OF JAPAN
Those hoping for a break from Japan's punishing heatwave will have to wait a little bit longer. Weather officials say Thursday will still be a scorcher, especially in the country's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido.The daytime high in Hokkaido's Obihiro City reached 38 degrees Celsius in the afternoon. Officials are calling it an unprecedented heat that could even be life-threatening. Some places were even hotter. The mercury hit 39 degrees in the nearby city of Kitami, a record high.
Similar temperatures were seen across Japan, including Fukushima in Fukushima, Gunma, Kyoto, and Hyogo prefectures.
Heatstroke alerts span most of the country, from Hokkaido in the north all the way to Okinawa in the south.
Officials say it could lead to unstable atmospheric conditions. Eastern Japan, in particular, could be hit by sudden localized downpours. They are asking people to stay on alert. Officials say flooding, landslides, swollen rivers, lightning strikes, gusts and hail could also occur.
HOKKAIDO WILTS UNDER UNUSUAL HEAT WAVE
For more on this, earlier, I spoke with NHK World's Aoki Midori in Obihiro.Midori, you're in one of the hottest places in the country right now. How are you feeling?I have lived here for two years and I have never felt the heat like this. We are in Tokachi region, which has been under a heat stroke alert for three straight days, but today is definitely the worst so far. So the sun is especially strong. So it was hot even early in the morning. Well, I don't know if you can tell onBut I can't stop sweating and it feels like my skin is just burning. I can't overstate how crazy it is to have feet like this here in Hokkaido of all places. As I understand, the region is just not used to coping with this, right? Exactly. Because Hokkaido usually has cooler summers, many buildings don't have air conditioning. So even if you are inside, you are at risk of heat stroke. Hospitals and schools are trying to keep things cool by installing fans, for example. But some schools even went a step farther and shortened classes or cancelled them entirely.
Officials are also going door to door to make sure people are safe. They are visiting elderly residents at home to see if they are staying hydrated. Cooling shelters have also been set up in some public facilities. But the heat is not just putting people's health at risk. There's fears about what it could do to people's livelihoods.
This region is one of Japan's dairy powerhouses. Many veterinarians say heat stroke is also hitting the area's cattle population. Even agricultural farms are struggling. If the heat drags on, their crops may die.
If things don't cool down soon, people across Japan will startto see the impact at the dinner table.
NEARLY 900 ELECTION-RELATED THREATS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Last Sunday, Japan held an upper house election. Now, authorities say they found hundreds of social media posts containing threats against candidates and lawmakers. In several weeks leading up to the election, the National Police Agency identified nearly 900 threatening posts, Officials say they identified the posters, warned them, and had them take their posts down. They also say many of the posts were responses to social media comments from lawmakers.Agency officials say none of the posters were actually planning to inflict harm. They say some posted while drunk out of dissatisfaction with politics.
JMA REVEALS NEW TSUNAMI MESSAGE FOR EQUIPMENT FAILURE
Japan's Meteorological Agency is making changes to its tsunami warning system.Now, it will display data not available when its equipment is damaged. The change comes from lessons learned after 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake. When there's a risk of tsunami, the JMA typically issues a warning in about three minutes. Using equipment along the coast, it also provides updates on the observed height and time of the tsunami. But in Suzu City, that system failed. A sudden uplift of land made some tsunami gauges inoperable. As a result, the agency was unable to publish the data, even as waves approached the city. Now the JMA says if people see or hear data not available, They should assume a large tsunami is coming and evacuate immediately.
TRUMP TARIFFS
US PUSHES OTHER PARTNERS AFTER JAPAN DEAL
US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday what he describes as a massive trade deal with Japan. Now he's increasing pressure on other trading partners ahead of his tariff deadline of August 1st.Trump posted on social media that the agreement with Japan was wished because of so-called tariff power. He said Japanese leaders agreed to open their markets for the first time ever.
This photo was posted by the White House official. It shows the negotiations on Tuesday. Trump is holding a board with the words Japan invest America. The figure of 400 billion dollars has been closed out and new numbers have been written in by hand. He later said Japan will invest 550 billion dollars in the US White House disclosed other details of the plan. It says Japan agreed to buy 100 Boeing aircraftand increased defense spending with US firms. It says purchases of American rice will rise by 75 percent and Japan will buy 8 billion dollars of agricultural and other goods.
Treasury Secretary Scott Besson told Bloomberg TV that Tokyo was ready to deal and proposed a very innovative solution. He described the Japanese side as tough negotiators, but said Trump is tougher.
A White House spokesperson warned other trading partners about dealing with the president. He will only lower tariff rates if a country agrees to open their market to American-made products. If not, they will continue to face tariffs and pay a steep price to do business in the United States of America. South Korea is one of the countries still trying to cut the deal. Negotiators will hold talks with Besant later this week. And discussions with China are expected to take place early next week.
BUSINESS
Staying with the trade agreement, Ramin Malagar from our business desk has more of the details. So Ramin, tell us about what's involved.Yeah, quite a lot of details. Let's get into that exactly.
WHITE HOUSE UNVEILS DETAILS OF JAPAN-US TRADE DEAL
Now, the White House has published a fact sheet on what it calls a landmark economic agreement with Japan. It says Japan will invest $550 billion to rebuild and expand core American industries.The document released on Wednesday says President Trump will direct the funds to revitalize the strategic industrial base in the US. This includes energy, semiconductors, critical minerals, pharmaceuticals, and commercial and defense shipbuilding. The document says the US will retain 90% of the profits from this investment.
So that's the investment part. President Trump has called for more access to Japan's markets for US products. So what does it say about that?Yeah, they go into a lot of details on that as well, specifically what the White House has said. Now, the White House does give details on the increased access to Japanese markets.
Beside the item mentioned earlier on rice, it says Japan will purchase billions of dollars of US corn, soybeans, fertilizer, bioethanol, and sustainable aviation fuel. The document says the agreement includes a major expansion of US energy exports to Japan. It adds that the two nations are exploring a new off take agreement for Alaskan liquefied natural gas. as well as the purchase of Boeing aircraft, Japan will spend additional billions of dollars each year on US defense equipment to enhance alliance security in the Indo-Pacific.
Now, on the auto sector, the White House says longstanding restrictions on US cars and trucks will be lifted and that US automotive standards will be approved in Japan for the first time.
Imports from Japan will be subject to a baseline 15 percent tariff rate.
So what is the take away about the state of the Japan US relationship after this agreement?Yeah, again, the White House did give specific details on this. The White House says the deal is a generational shift in US Japan economic relations and reflects the strong and enduring relationship between the two countries.
It calls the agreement a foundation for shared prosperity, industrial resilience, and technological leadership.
ECONOMISTS PROJECT US TRADE DEAL TO DENT JAPAN'S GDP
Now, a senior economist at Daiwa Institute of Research says the new trade agreement between Tokyo and Washington will hurt Japan's economy.President Donald Trump announced a deal which includes what he calls a 15% reciprocal tariff on imports, Daiwa's Kugo Shotaro says the tariffs may reduce Japan's GDP by 1.1% in real terms this year. He estimates that could widen to 3.2% in 2029. Japanese vehicles imported into the US now face the 15% levy.
Daiwa's Kugo says the tariff rate is not as bad as projected, but it is still high. Other economists are wading in with projections. Kyuichi Takahide at Nomura Research Institute says the deal could trim Japan's GDP by 0.55 percent over the coming year. He says Washington's America First policy adds to business risk for Japanese companies, and they may reconsider investments in the US.
NIKKEI 225 REACHES NEW HIGH FOR THE YEAR FOR 2ND DAY
And Tokyo's benchmark stock index has reached a new high. For the year for the second day in a row now, shares continued to climb following the Japan US deal on hopes for more agreements between Washington and other trading partners. The Nikkei 225 closed Thursday at 41,826, up 1.6%. Investors picked up. A wide range of shares soon after the opening. The index briefly hit the 42,000 mark for the first time since last July, when it set its all time high. The benchmark jumped 3 1/2% on Wednesday after Japan and the United States struck a trade deal.Analysts say there are growing expectations among investors for an agreement between the US and the European Union. Meanwhile, the broader Tokyo Stock Price Index or topics. Closed at its all time high of 2,977.
TOYOTA TO BUILD EVs IN INDONESIA AS MARKET HEATS UP
Toyota Motor says it will start making electric vehicles in Southeast Asia this year for the first time. The move to begin production of the vehicles at its plant in Indonesia comes as the region's EV market heats up.Toyota said on Wednesday that it plans to make electric SUVs at its plant in a suburb of Jakarta starting in December.
The Japanese automaker's strategy is focused on providing a range of vehicle types, including EVs, hybrids and plug-ins. Its decision to build EVs locally may have been swayed by Indonesian government efforts to popularize the vehicles. Toyota is also facing greater competition in the region. Japanese automakers have enjoyed a high market share in the country and in other Southeast Asian nations, but Chinese and South Korean firms have recently made inroads with their own EVs in these markets.
JAPAN POLICE TO TRIAL BODYCAMS FROM AUGUST
Now, Japanese police will trial the use of body cameras from August. The aim is to prevent disputes arising from questioning or traffic stops. The move comes as officers have faced incidents of verbal abuse during stops.Meanwhile, there have been complaints about police behavior during some encounters. Certain instances have been recorded, edited out of context and shared on social media. The body cameras are meant to preserve reliable evidence of what happened. Officers will wear cameras on their chest or head, along with armbands to indicate the recording is in progress. Videos will be kept for about one week to three months before being deleted. The National Police Agency says the trial will run for three months to one year in 13 prefectures across Japan. Now, based on the outcome, body cams could be introduced nationwide as early as fiscal 2027.
OK, let's get a check on the markets.
♪
And that is it for Business News. Going to hand it back to you.
Thank you, Ramin.
QUAD COAST GUARDS HOLD 1ST JOINT MISSION ON SAME VESSEL
Next. The Coast Guards of the four member nations of the Quad Security Framework have carried out their first joint mission aboard the same patrol ship. It was apparently aimed at strengthening communication in the face of China's growing maritime activities.Japan's Coast Guard announced on Wednesday it had conducted the five-day exercise on a US patrol ship from late June to early July.
It was joined by teams from the US, Australian, and Indian coast guards.
The mission included a firefighting drill simulating a blaze on the vessel as it traveled from Palau to Guam. The exercise stems from an agreement reached at the Quad Leaders Summit last September to boost maritime security cooperation.
TV SHOW DEPICTING CHINESE INVASION SET TO AIR IN TAIWAN
A Taiwan-produced TV show that depicts a fictional Chinese invasion of Taiwan has been previewed to audiences ahead of its debut.Zero Day Attack will be available on TV and streaming in Taiwan, Japan and other places next month. The 10-episode show depicts possible scenarios of an invasion,such as a blockade of borders around Taiwan and a cyberattack.
I hope people will watch this show and think about war and how to prevent it.
Production was subsidized by Taiwan's government. The opposition Clomington Partywhich has adopted a more conciliatory stance toward Beijing, has criticized the series as propaganda.
NOBEL CHAIR VISITS HIROSHIMA, NAGASAKI
We are approaching 80 years since two atomic bombs devastated the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Last year, a group of survivors who've campaigned against nuclear weapons won the Nobel Peace Prize. Now, the Norwegian Nobel Committee's chair has paid them a visit.The Peace Prize for 2024 to the Japanese organization Nihon Hidankyu.
Jorgen Britnes was the one who announced last year's winner.
Nihon Hirankyo and the Hibakusha, the survivors of the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, have never wavered in their efforts to erect a worldwide moral and legal bulwark against the use of nuclear weapons.
This week, Creedness spent time in the places that experienced firsthand the horrors of those weapons. He visited Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park and offered prayers to the victims who were honored there.
Welcome to Hiroshima. Then, he reunited with the co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo. Mimaki Toshiyuki visited Oslo last December to accept the Peace Prize on his group's behalf.
This is where the atomic bomb exploded.
Free Nest then went on to Nagasaki, visiting the city's Atomic Bomb Museum.
The site offers exhibits detailing Nihon Hidankyo's efforts and displays banners carried by its members, including one brought to Norway last year.
He spoke with more A-bomb survivors, who were known as Hibakusha,who told him the Nobel Prize has encouraged them to keep campaigning. Freeness told them how important their mission is. We want the world's attention on a very important topic, and we want world leaders and the citizens of the world to listen to the voice of the hibakusha.
NOBEL CHAIR VISIT PUTS A-BOMBED CITIES IN SPOTLIGHT
For more, earlier I spoke with NHK World's Ikeda Mayumi from Nagasaki.She's been covering the Nobel Chair's visit.
So, Mayumi, how did this visit seem to affect freedness? I think he was moved emotionally by being here. He had a somber expression throughout his visit, especially at the memorials. It's one thing to know the history, but it can be very impactful to come and see these exhibitsunderstand what happened and why it must never happen again. I also think the Nobel chair was left feeling hopeful.
He repeatedly expressed his gratitude toward the survivors for continuing to testify about their experiences.
Fritnes says he thinks they helped save the world. That's because nuclear weapons have not been used since the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He says that is thanks in part to Hibakusha's efforts to raise awareness. Friedness was also impressed by the young people working here to preserve survivors' memories.
He told them, You are the future and you are our hope. So how do people in Nagasaki receive his visit?They were very happy about the international attention. The Peace Prize was a big deal here, and this visit shows how seriously the Nobel Committee takes nuclear abolition.
There is a sense we are fast approaching a time when there will be no survivors of the bombings left. That's driving a huge effort to preserve their memories and pass them on to the next generation in Japan and beyond. This feels especially urgent for people here.
because the global security situation is has grown so tense.
They fear some decision makers on the world stage may have forgotten how devastating nuclear weapons are.
So a visit like this one provides much welcome publicity.
Right. And the conversation doesn't end there. Can you tell us a bit more about that?Yeah, so Fritnes is not done visiting Japan just yet. He will be at Tokyo's Sofia University this Sunday. The Norwegian Nobel Institute is hosting a conference entitled Responding to the Threat of Nuclear Arms that will focus on how to deal with these issues at a time when tensions are escalating. And there doesn't seem to be a clear roadmap of how to get rid of nuclear weapons.
I should also note that Hiroshima and Nagasaki are about to be in the global spotlight even more so. As you said, next month marks 80 years since the atomic bombings, and representatives from all around the world will travel for the memorials. This will be a critical time for Hibakusha to speak out because their numbers are getting smaller. Nuclear abolition has been the spotlight since last year's Nobel Peace Prize.
Campaigners in Hiroshima and here in Nagasaki want to keep the momentum going long after these upcoming ceremonies conclude.
WEATHER
Now let's check out the world weather update.Hi there. Unfortunately I do not have such great news. We've seen record-breaking temperatures right across many parts of Japan, especially for people here in the north of Bihiro 38.8 degrees all time record. Some other places are breaking their monthly record such as that day in Fukuoka, but the rest of the country is really just reeling under those extremely high temperatures due to the high pressures that are sitting on those really opportune conditions or locations making it. big culmination of heat roll across much of the country. Sapporo will have a big improvement between Saturday and Sunday as temperatures go below 30 degrees. But Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, these big cities, these big boys are not going to change much. In fact, Tokyo will be into those mid 30s for the next three days.
Now, Now into Southeast Asia, we've got these two tropical storms that are active, Francisco and Kome bringing someDisastrous weather conditions, strong winds, heavy rainfall has been reported.
And then we've got another one over here.
You can see it's sort of moving all the way towards the north, targeting parts of Japan, but we'll talk about that a little bit later on. Before that, there was another storm that led to some damages.
Take a look at this following video.
We're talking here about the Tropical Storm Wepa, which left the central Vietnam submerged in flood waters on Wednesday. Strong winds from the from the storm damaged some homes, while others were left without electricity.
Authorities had warned people, though, of possible landslides and also put more than 300,000 soldiers just on standby to help affected victims. The heavy rain is expected to continue at least for next couple of days, and as you can see, there are. These other storms that are active, including the monsoonal systems. So you should see more rainy conditions towards northern Philippines, parts of Taiwan and along the Indochina Peninsula into parts of Vietnam. Well, Australia, some cooler weather here and there with a bit of showers, particularly towards the southern Australia. So please do dress warm if you are in that part of the world.
♫～ 3-DAY FORECAST ～♫
That's all for this edition of NHK Newsline. I'm Morishita Erika in Tokyo.Thank you for joining us.
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