at 18:00 (JST), July 27

20250727180000_english_1.mp3

 Glad to have you with us on NHK Newsline. I'm Yuko Fukushima. 

TRUMP: THAILAND AND CAMBODIA AGREE TO CEASEFIRE TALKS

US President Donald Trump says Thailand and Cambodia will start ceasefire talks.
The two Southeast Asian countries have been engaged in military classes since last week in a disputed border region.
Trump said on social media on Saturday that he had spoken to Cambodia's Prime Minister and Thailand's acting Prime Minister. He says the leaders agreed to immediately meet and workout a ceasefire and ultimately peace. Trump says he's working on trade agreements with both countries, but will not make a deal with either if they continue fighting.
Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai says he has agreed in principle to a ceasefire, but adds that Thailand hopes for a sincere response from Cambodia.
And Cambodian Prime Minister Hud Manneh says his country agreed to the proposal for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire between the two armed forces.
But border clashes have continued even after the two expressed their intentions to agree to the ceasefire. The clashes since Thursday have left 20 civilians dead and over 30 others injured in Thailand. Cambodia says 13 residents were killed and dozens others wounded. The number of people displaced on both sides have surpassed 110,000. Japan's Foreign Ministry has raised its travel advisory for the border regions to Level 3, the second highest alert level on a scale of one to four. It is calling on Japanese nationals to avoid all travels to the area. 

TAIWAN BID TO RECALL KMT LAWMAKERS FAILS

Voters in Taiwan have rejected a bid to remove 24 lawmakers from the Kuomintan, or KMT, the largest opposition party in a recall election. Taiwan's Central Election Commission said Saturday the number of votes against the recall surpassed those in favor in all the electoral districts the 24 KMT lawmakers represent.
The recall vote was held following calls by civic groups. They argue the KMT has been involved in Beijing's infiltration operation to expand its influence in Taiwan. The KMT currently holds 52 seats in the parliament, while the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, or DPP, of President Lai Tseng-te holds only 51. The KMT, together with another opposition party, has imposed budget cuts and include that include a reduction in defense spending. The minority DPP government is facing difficulty in implementing its agenda. The outcome of the election is seen as voters approval of the opposition majority in parliament and a major blow to President Lai.
Another seven KMT lawmakers are set to face recall votes on August 23. The DPP could gain a majority if enough KMT lawmakers are dismissed and if it wins at least six seats in by-elections to fill vacancies caused by the recall vote.

DANGEROUS HEAT CONTINUES ACROSS JAPAN ON SUNDAY

A heat wave continues to bake Japan on Sunday. The mercury is expected hit 39 degrees Celsius, reaching dangerous levels in the Kinki region. Authorities are urging people to take extra precautions against heat stroke. The Meteorological Agency says a high pressure system will cover areas near the country's main island of Honshu, bringing sunny and hot weather. Some places have already recorded 37 degrees Celsius or above. The projected daytime high for the city of Toyooka and Hyogo Prefecture is 39 degrees and three degrees in Kyoto. Many other cities could see the mercury top 35. Heat stroke alerts have been issued for 20 prefectures. The extended heat wave has seen more people taken to hospitals with symptoms of heat stroke. Some patients have died. Authorities are telling people to stay cool by using air conditioning, drinking water, taking salt and resting frequently during outdoor activities.

JAPAN TRADE ENVOY TO URGE TRUMP TO SIGN ORDERS TO CUT TARIFFS

Japan's top negotiator for trade talks with the US says the government intends to urge President Donald Trump to sign at an early date executive orders to cut tariffs on Japanese imports.
Economic Revitalization Minister Akazawa Ryosei made the remarks in an NHK news program on Saturday. He referred to the latest meeting in which Japan and the US reached an agreement on trade and tariffs.

President Trump is skilled at making deals with a style that presses for an answer. But if I fell silent, that would be the end of it. So I repeated dozens of times. Mr. President, may I ask one more? 

Akazawa stressed the significance of the agreement, saying Japan successfully cut tariffs by 10 percentage points from the rate that had been scheduled to kick in on August 1st. He said about 10 trillion yen, or about $68 billion in losses have been avoided. He also referred to a plan in which up to 550 billion dollars should be offered for bilateral cooperation in economic security through government-affiliated financial institutions. The funds will be included in the category of investment, loans and loan guarantees. Akazawa said the investment is expected to account for one or two percent of the total and that the Japanese government plans to accumulate the funds during Trump's term.

JAPANESE EX-ABDUCTEE COLLECTS SIGNATURES FOR THE RETURN OF OTHERS

A former Japanese abductee to North Korea has taken part in a petition drive. He's calling on Japan's government to take serious steps to free all abductees as soon as possible. Hasuike Kaoru was abducted on July 31, 1978 along the coast of Niigata Prefecture. He was repatriated in 2002 after a Japan-North Korea summit. On Saturday, just days before the 47th anniversary of his abduction, Hasuika took part in a signature collection campaign near where he was abducted. People responded to his petition dry, with some saying they support him. Hasuika said it is important to send a message to North Korea that the Japanese people have not forgotten the abduction issue.

I want the Japanese government to seriously consider how to make progress with this issue. And take action regardless of the political situation following the upper house election.

The Japanese government says at least 17 of its citizens were abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s. Five were returned home in 2002, but the other 12 remain unaccounted for. 
Abductee Arimoto Keiko's mother father, actually, Akihiro died at the age of 96 this past February. That leaves Sakiye Yokota, the 89-year-old mother of abductee Megumi Yokota, the only surviving parent of the recognized victims.

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JAPANESE DANCE SETS GUINNESS WORLD RECORD

People gathered Saturday at the 2025 World Expo in Osaka in an attempt to set a Guinness World Record.
Bon is a Japanese dance performed at summer festivals throughout the country.
Nearly 4,000 people from 62 countries wore summer kimono known as yukata and other traditional clothing as they dance to the expo's official theme song. The rule, set by Guinness, says that 90% of participants need to continue a choreographed dance for at least 5 minutes.
The event had over 1,000 more participants than the previous record for the largest bond dance set in 2017 in the city of Yao, Osaka prefecture.

I feel so happy that so many people came together. I was nearly moved to tears during performance. 

It was very iconic to participate with a lot of different countries from different worlds. I really enjoyed it so much.

All the participants surpassed the requirements by dancing for 10 minutes.

WEATHER 

And here's the three day weather forecast.

♫～　3-DAY FORECAST　～♫

And that's it for this hour on NHK Newsline. I'm Yuko Fukushima. Thanks for joining us.