at 18:00 (JST), August 02

20250802180000_english_1.mp3

 Welcome to NHK Newsline. I'm Gene Otani in Tokyo.

NASA SPACEX CREW REACHES ISS

Japanese astronaut Yui Kimiya and his team have docked onto the International Space Station after a 15-hour journey. The Crew Dragon mission is a collaboration between NASA and private aerospace company SpaceX.

Three, two, one, mission.
Mission full power and liftoff. Go stop it, go NASA, go through 11.
Together we rise as NASA's SpaceX Crew 11 heads up to the International Space Station.

The rocket lifted off from Kennedy Space Center just before noon local time Friday.
It reached orbit moments later, then the Dragon capsule separated from the Falcon 9 booster.

The launch had been planned for Thursday, but unfavorable weather forced NASA officials to scrub it just one minute before liftoff. Yui's fellow astronauts include Xena Cardman and Mike Fink from the US And Russian Oleg Platonov. The new crew will relieve Japanese astronaut Onishitakuya and others who've been on the ISS since March. They'll stay for about six months to conduct experiments. They'll help prepare for missions to the Moon and other destinations. Japan has a new cargo spacecraft that may dock at the station for the first time during Yui's stay.
He's expected to be given the job of snaring it with a robotic arm.

TWO CHINESE SHIPS ENTER JAPAN'S WATERS OFF SENKAKU ISLANDS

2 Chinese government ships have entered Japan's territorial waters in the East China Sea. The vessels crossed into the zone off the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture early Saturday and were sailing in the north-north easterly direction as of 1:00 AM.
The Japan Coast Guard says the vessels sailed into waters off Uotsuri Island, where they appear to approach a Japanese fishing boat. Coast Guard officials are monitoring the ships, which are equipped with cannons. They have warned them to leave the waters immediately. Chinese government ships were last confirmed in the same waters off the Senkaku Islands on July 9. The Coast Guard has deployed patrol vessels to ensure the fishing boats can operate safely. Japan controls the islands. China and Taiwan claim them. The Japanese government maintains the islands are an inherent part of Japan's territory in terms of history and international law. It says there is no issue of sovereignty to be resolved over them.

DANGEROUS HEATWAVE CONTINUES ACROSS JAPAN

A dangerous heat wave continues to grip Japan. In Guma and Hiroshima prefectures, temperatures top 40 degrees Celsius. This is the fourth day in a row that a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius or higher has been recorded in Japan. 
Daytime highs on Saturday reached39 degrees in some prefectures, including Yamanashi and Aichi prefectures. A high of 35 degrees is recorded for central Tokyo. Heat stroke alerts have been issued for 35 prefectures from the Tohoku region in the north to Okinawa in the south. Weather officials are urging people to stay cool by using air conditioning, drinking plenty of water and resting frequently during outdoor activities.

GERMANY TO PROVIDE UKRAINE WITH TWO MORE PATRIOT SYSTEMS

Germany says it will deliver two additional Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine in the coming days.
Berlin has already delivered three Patriot systems to Kiev. Germany's Defense Ministry says the US Department of Defense agreed to replenish the country's stockpile. Defense Minister Boris. Pistorius said in a statement that Germany has shown that it's the strongest supporter of Ukraine in the field of air defense.
Berlin plans to urge other countries to step up their support to boost Kiev's air defense capabilities.

TRUMP ORDERS 2 NUCLEAR SUBS MOVED AFTER MEDVEDEV POST

US President Donald Trump says he has ordered two nuclear powered submarines to be positioned in what he called the appropriate regions. He cited comments by former Russian President Dmitri Medvedev as the reason. 
Trump wrote on social media on Friday that he gave the order based on the highly provocative statements of Medvedev. The US President did not say where the two ships will be deployed or which of Medvedev's comments he considered provocative.
Medvedev wrote on social media on Monday that Trump is playing the ultimatum game with Russia. He asserted that each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. US media outlets are also reporting that Trump took one of Medvedev's other posts as a reference to Russia's nuclear retaliation system. And the president said he ordered the Sub's move to protect Americans. 

I do that on the basis of safety for our people. He was talking about nuclear. When you talk about nuclear, we have to be prepared. 

Trump revealed earlier this week that special envoy Steve Witkoff will visit Russia. The trip comes ahead of the August 8th deadline that Trump set for Moscow to agree to a ceasefire deal with Ukraine. Observers say Trump's submarine deployment order has increased pressure on Russia.

TRUMP TARIFFS
JAPAN URGES COMPLIANCE WITH TRADE AGREEMENT

 The new tariff rate set by US President Trump will go into effect from August 7.
Japanese officials are closely watching whether the deal they reached last week will be carried out. 

We will continue to urge the United States to swiftly take measures to implement the agreement, including reducing tariffs on automobiles and auto parts.

Trump signed an executive order on Thursday increasing tariffs on dozens of countries and regions. It says the baseline levy on imports from Japan is 15%. That's the same rate the two sides agreed on last week. Japanese officials said at the time that US tariffs on automobiles would be 15%, but the executive order makes no mention of that. US Treasury Secretary Scott Besson said the agreement will be reviewed every quarter, and he warned that if Trump is not satisfied with the progress, he may reinstate 25% tariffs on cars and other goods.

HIROSHIMA, NAGASAKI PREPARE PEACE DECLARATIONS

Next week marks 80 years since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The mayors of the two Japanese cities will take to the podium and deliver rallying cries for world peace.
A ceremony takes place in Hiroshima on August 6. Mayor Matsui Kazumi has released a summary of the peace declaration he'll read out. It was penned with the help of experts and atomic bomb survivors. He plans to say, Never give up. The phrase was often used by prominent survivor Tsubui Sanao, who died four years ago.
Matsui will refer to the notion that nuclear weapons are needed for defense, and he will ask the world's leaders if they've ever considered the possibility that their policies actually lead to conflict. Nagasaki Mayor Suzuki Shiro also released a summary of his declaration ahead of a ceremony on August 9. He plans to call for immediate ceasefires around the world.
He will also refer to atomic bomb survivors group Nihon Kidankyo, which won last year's Nobel Peace Prize, and he will ask people to transcend race and nationality by acting as global citizens. Suzuki will urge the Japanese government to sign and ratify a treaty banning nuclear arms, and he will call for. Concrete road map toward abolishment in time for a key conference scheduled for next year.

Those were the main stories for this hour.

♫～　3-DAY FORECAST　～♫

And that's the news this hour. I'm Gene Otani from all of us here at NHK News Line to all around the world. Thanks very much for joining us.