Welcome back to NHK Newsline. I'm Kanako Sachno.
KAGOSHIMA'S KIRISHIMA CITY UNDER HEAVY RAIN WARNING
Weather officials are urging people in a southwestern Japanese city to be on alert for landslides, flooding in low lying areas and swollen rivers. The rainfall in Kirishima Kagoshima Prefecture has been record-breaking and the region is set for more wet weather. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a heavy rain emergency warning for the city early Friday, then revised it in the afternoon. Flooding and landslides have hit across the region. In Aida City, authorities say multiple houses have collapsed, injuring at least two people. One of the four residents of this house is missing.Rescue operations are underway.
This video, also from Aida, shows a car that's fallen into the river. The person who recorded it says no one seemed to be inside. Another witness said the levee there was gouged out by the water.
Residents should brace for more. Southern Kyushu is forecast to get about 180 millimetres of rain in the 24 hours leading up to noon Saturday.
And northern Kyushu is expected to get about 150 millimetres in the 24 hours leading up to noon Sunday.
The Japanese government says it's ready to respond.
ISRAELI CABINET APPROVES PLAN TO TAKE CONTROL OF GAZA CITY
Turning to the Middle East, where Israel says its forces will prepare to take full control of Gaza City.The Prime Minister's Office said on Friday that the decision was approved at a meeting of the country's security cabinet. Officials also adopted 5 principles for ending the war, including security control of the entire Gaza Strip. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to Fox News Channel's Bill Hemmer earlier. He said his country's goal is to assure its own security and remove Hamas militants from Gaza. Israeli attacks on the enclave are continuing. Health officials in the territory said on Thursday that 100 people had died there over the past 24 hours. The number of hunger-related deaths is also climbing amid serious food shortages. Analysts say the planned expansion of military action could further deteriorate the humanitarian situation.
WAR IN UKRAINE
US DEADLINE FOR RUSSIA TO AGREE ON CEASEFIRE ARRIVES FRIDAY
The deadline that US President Donald Trump set for Russia to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine arrives on Friday.Trump says he's awaiting a response from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
It's going to be up to him. We're going to see what he has to say. It's going to be up to him. Trump has warned if Moscow misses the deadline, he'll slap sanctions on countries that buy crude oil or other products from Russia. The US president on Wednesday signed an executive order imposing an additional 25% tariff on goods from India, citing its imports of Russian oil.
Trump said there's a good chance he will meet with Putin very soon. His comments followed Wednesday's meeting between US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and the Russian leader. A senior Kremlin official also said on Thursday an agreement in principle was reached to hold a Russia-US summit meeting in the coming days. But a Russian diplomatic source said Moscow will need to see what sorts of sanctions Washington will impose.
BUSINESS
Now let's see what's happening in the world of business. Here's Ramin Melegaard from the Biz Desk.Thank you very much indeed.
US TO AMEND EXECUTIVE ORDER ON JAPAN TARIFFS, ISSUE NEW ONE ON AUTOS
Japan's chief trade negotiator says the US has agreed to amend an executive order on import tariffs to correctly reflect what the two sides agreed in recent trade talks.The US tariffs came into effect just after 1:00 PM on Thursday, Japan time.
The two sides had agreed to a baseline US tariff of 15% on most Japanese goods. However, this levy is being imposed on top of existing tariffs, which is contrary to the agreement.
Japanese Economic Revitalization Minister Akazawa Ryose met with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Besant overnight. He said he says he requested urgent revisions to the tariff executive order signed by President Donald Trump on July 31st. Now, Akazawa says his US counterparts expressed regret over the handling of the issue.
The US side said they will revise the executive order in a timely manner. the US also explained that a revised executive order will allow for retroactive repayment of tariffs that have been paid above the agreed level since the day the tariffs took effect.
Akazawa says he also confirmed that the US government will issue another executive order to lower its levies on Japanese autos. To the agreed 15%.
TOKYO SHARES RISE ON NEWS OF US TARIFF REVISIONS
And news of those revisions triggered a surge in Japan's benchmark stock indexes on Friday. Let's have a look at the screens. Now the Nikkei 225 ended the day at 41,820, up 1.8% from Thursday's close.The broader topics also rose up 1.2%.
That was a fresh record and exceeded the 3000 mark for the first time. Investors snapped up export related shares early in the session in the belief that the planned changes will bring trade with the US in line with the expectations of Japanese officials. But prices retreated in the afternoon as traders locked in profits. Market sources say investors were relieved that future uncertainties for Japan have been dispelled. They add that US trade talks with China and other trading partners are expected to affect stock prices in Tokyo.
US TARIFFS TAKE $5 BIL. BITE OUT OF AUTOMAKERS OPERATING PROFITS
US import tariffs hammered earnings at six leading Japanese automakers in the April to June quarter. Reports by the companies show their combined operating profit fell almost 800 billion yen or $5 billion.Toyota Motor took the biggest hit with a drop of $3 billion, followed by Honda Motors $850 million and a decline of $470 million at Mazda Motor. Other Japanese automakers, Nissan Motor, Subaru and Mitsubishi Motors. Were also hurt by the increase in US levies, with all three reporting lower operating profits. The Trump administration imposed a 25% additional import tariff on all vehicle imports in April, which drove up the duty on Japanese autos to 27.5%. This tariff is expected to be revised lower to 15%. But many of Japan's car makers warn this will dent their full fiscal year operating profits through next March.
CHINA'S EXPORTS TO US FALL IN JULY ON TRUMP TARIFFS
China's exports to the United States fell sharply in July from a year earlier amid the Trump tariffs.Chinese customs authorities say the value of US bound shipments dropped over 20% in dollar terms. The value of imports from the US was also down, falling at nearly 19% year on year. The rate of decline widened for both figures. The two countries significantly slashed their additional tariffs on each other in mid-May, but remaining levies are believed to have impacted July's figures. Concerns persist that the US China trade war could be rekindled, depending on how the negotiations play out. As for China's overall exports, they increased 7.2% in July from a year earlier, led by brisk shipments to Southeast Asia and Europe. Imports rose 4.1%.
SONY GROUP POSTS RECORD NET PROFIT, SALES FOR APR.-JUN. QUARTER
Sony Group has posted record net profit in sales for the April to June quarter.That's due to brisk sales of video game titles and solid demand in the semiconductor business.
The Japanese technology and entertainment giant says net income stood at almost 260 billion yen, or nearly $1.8 billion. That's a jump of 23%. From a year earlier, sales were a little more than 2.6 trillion yen, up 2.2%. Sony has adjusted its full fiscal year figures to reflect the 15% tariff agreed between Japan and the US.
It now expects the levy will result in a cut of operating income by $475 million. The company revised upward its annual net profit forecast. to about $6.6 billion while maintaining its sales projection.
BIZ PICKS
OK, now NHK World's Yanaka Marie is here with BizPicks.JAPAN'S ECONOMY ON BRINK OF TECHNICAL RECESSION
Let's look at the upcoming business and economic stories we'll track in the week ahead. On Tuesday, the US Labor Department will release the Consumer Price Index for July.The June reading rose 2.7 percent from a year earlier. Officials said costs increased for products with the most exposure to President Donald Trump's tariff policy. And on Friday, Japan's Cabinet Office will announce GDP data for the April to June quarter.
Japan's economy shrank an annualized 0.2 percent in the January to March period from the previous three months.
The last time GDP contracted was in the first quarter of 2024.
Suiki Saori of Mizuho Research and Technologies expects it to have shrunk slightly again in the April to June period. Real GDP for the quarter is estimated to have declined slightly by 0.1% quarter-on-quarter.
Japan's economy is expected to post negative growth for two consecutive quarters, which would meet definition of so-called technical recession. However, the magnitude of decline is limited, and there's no need for excessive pessimism. We do not believe it entered full-fledged recession.
Suiki is projecting a 0.4% quarter-on-quarter decline in capital investment. She says some manufacturers appear to have adopted a more cautious stance due to growing uncertainty about the impact of US tariff policy. On the other hand, Suiki anticipates a slight increase in personal consumption. which accounts for 50 percent of Japan's GDP.
She says that would likely be thanks to demand for summer clothing and air conditioners amid abnormally hot weather. But she doesn't think the spending trend will continue.
Strong summer bonus payment likely contributed positively to consumer spending in June.
On the other hand,Bear wage remained negative year-on-year, mainly due to raising price of food products. The surging price of everyday food items, such as rice, appears to be strengthening households' tendency to cut back on spending.
Looking ahead to next year, Seiki says Japan's economy will be trimmed as a result of the latest trade deal with the US that took effect Thursday. It imposes a baseline 15 percent tariffs on Japanese products.
This represents the mitigation of around 0.2 percent points in the negative impact on real GDP.
with the broader impact including the employment income and capital investment, which is estimated at around -0.3%.
Tsuiki adds that if Trump had followed through on his threat of 25% tariffs, there would have been a real risk of Japan's economy entering a full-blown recession. I'm Nakamuri, and that wraps it up for this week's Biz Picks.
MARKETS
OK, let's get a check on the markets.♪
And that is it for Business News.
JAPAN'S YOMIURI NEWSPAPER SUES US AI STARTUP OVER COPYRIGHT
The holding company of a major Japanese daily newspaper has filed a lawsuit against a US startup that generates information using AI. It's seeking monetary damages for the unauthorized use of its articles. The Yomiuri Shimbun Holding says website operator Perplexity AI used the newspaper's articles and images to provide search results. Yomiuri claims the firm had infringed on its copyright by accessing about 120,000 of its articles from February to June this year.In a complaint filed with the Tokyo District Court, the newspaper is seeking to have Perplexity AI suspend the unauthorized use of its articles. It also seeks compensation of about $14.2 million. The Yomiuri's lawyer says the lawsuit is the first filed by a major Japanese media company over copyright infringement involving generative AI.
The newspaper said in a statement that allowing such a free ride would negatively impact accurate reporting backed by research. It also said it could possibly undermine the foundation of democracy.
Perplexity AI said in a statement to NHK, It is deeply sorry for the misunderstanding it has caused in Japan and is taking the matter very seriously.
It says it's working to understand the nature of the claims.
BROTHER OF JAPANESE ABDUCTEE TO N. KOREA APPEALS TO STUDENTS
The brother of Japanese abductee to North Korea, Yokota Megumi, has spoken to a group of junior high school students to raise awareness about the abduction issue. The Japanese government started the Junior High School Student Summit in 2023, hoping to get students to think about the abduction issue as the victims and their families grow older.North Korea's abduction of Japanese citizens is an issue that all people in Japan,From the young like you to the old need to work together on Yokota Takuya addressed a gathering of about 70 students in Tokyo on Friday.
Megumi was kidnapped in her first year of junior high school. Her brother said that even though 47 years have passed, she remains a 13 year old girl in the memories of her family. He said he cannot imagine how she looks now that she is 60.
And added that he believes she's still waiting to be rescued while living in agony. I want you to listen to our stories about an unresolved, serious human rights issue that continues to this day. I want you to remember that my elder sister, Megumi, is also still waiting for our rescue amid difficult times for her. Abductee Arimoto Keiko's father, Akihiro, died at the age of 96 this past February.
That leaves Yokota Sakiye, the 89-year-old mother of Megumi, as the only surviving parent of the recognised victims. Her son emphasised that the clock is ticking for his family. He said that while his mother is in good health now, she could fall ill at any time.
The Japanese government says at least 17 citizens were abducted by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 80s.
Five returned home after a bilateral summit in 2002, but the other 12 are unaccounted for.
LANTERNS LIGHT UP SHRINE IN KAMAKURA
A lantern festival is illuminating the summer nights at a shrine in Kamakura city near Tokyo.The annual Bonbori Festival is underway at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. About 400 lanterns of various sizes are lit as evening sets in. The designs include images of snakes, the Chinese zodiac symbol for 2025, the Enoshima Electric Railway that runs through the city, and baseball legend Nagashima Shigeo.
The festival will run through Saturday.
♪
AUG. 8 DECLARED 'END OVERLY HOT SUMMERS DAY'
Japan is in the grip of a scorching summer, with temperatures in many parts of the country hitting record highs this week, and experts believe the historic heat is closely linked to climate change.Now a coalition of businesses in Japan is focusing attention on the issue by declaring August 8th End Overly Hot Summers Day. For more, I spoke earlier with NHK World's Miyamoto Rikuya in central Tokyo.
Rikuya, it looks like it looks like it's pretty hot out there today.
Yes, Tokyo and much of Japan have had another week of dangerous heat with temperatures topping 40 degrees Celsius.
It actually is off a little today, but I still start sweating as soon as I step outside. Of course, it's much harder for people who have to spend the whole day working outdoors. That's been the forecast of a news conference held on Friday by a coalition called the Japan Climate Leaders Partnership.
It's a group of about 230 companies from a wide range of industries which launched in 2009 within the aim of achieving a carbon-free society.
The group makes environmental policy proposals to the government and showcases companies that are leading the way in decarbonization.
I think the heat is making it pretty dangerous for people to work. I hope this will be an opportunity for us to go from talking about climate change as an issue far removed from our own experience and start thinking about it as a reality that we're facing right now.
So there's no denying that summers are getting hotter, but a lot of people probably think there's nothing they can do about it. So how do you change that mindset? It's easy to feel overwhelmed when you think about climate change. The group thinks it's easier to grasp the issue by focusing on specific examples of how it is impacting people's lives.
I think everyone is becoming more aware of the issue, but that only gets us so far. We hope the system will be changed and policies put in place, and that will require the understanding and support of society as a whole.
The news conference featured a video showing the severe conditions faced by construction workers. Moving from construction sites to amusement parks, it also highlighted the pressures facing costumed performers. An organization representing these workers said they have been forced to cut their performance times by about two-thirds due to the heat.
So now that they've declared August 8th end Overly Hot Summer's Day, what comes next? Well, the group is still working on that part. It wants the government to be more ambitious in its environmental policy.
But by making the issue feel more personal and human-scale, it also hopes to create public support for change. The Japan Meteorological Agency forecaststhat average temperatures will remain higher than usual through fall. And it expects the summer heat to ringer for a long time. So unfortunately, we won't be getting much relief anytime soon. And we need to keep taking measures to protect against heat shock, like staying hydrated and using air conditioners as required.
WEATHER
While people in Kyushu have been dealing with record rain, those in Tokyo were hit by a short burst of heavy rain on Friday.Our meteorologist Sayaka Mori joins us now with the details. Sayaka?
Hello there. Tokyo started off with sunny weather, but a sudden downpour has hit the city, surprising many people. And we have video coming out of Shibuya outside the studios. Heavy downpours battered central Tokyo on Friday afternoon. A tornado advisory was also in place.
Over 40 millimeters of rain was reported in one hour, accompanied by lightning and hail. The heavy rain also caused the temperatures to drop by about 10 degrees in just one hour. And we could also see pop-up thunderstorms into Saturday.
Life-threatening heavy rain has been pounding Kyushu. The reason for this is two different airflows. We've got about 500 millimeters of rain in just 12 hours in parts of Kagoshima prefectures.
We have two flows, one is along the rim of the high pressure system, the other one is from the South China Sea, and this tropical depression fedmoisture to these flows. So we are seeing a lot of heavy rain. It's not heavy at this moment, but it'll likely intensify once again from Friday night into Saturday morning in southern Kyushu. And then as we go into Saturday, the front will shift to the north, affecting Nagasaki Prefecture, where the memorial ceremony will be taking place on your Saturday. So rain could be heavy at times, heavy rain is expected around the noon hours.
Meanwhile, we have a newly formed tropical storm to the south of Japan. The name is Poduo, meaning willow in Korean.
The system is expected to head towards the west. It could get very close to the southwestern islands of Japan as we go into Tuesday before affecting Taiwan on Wednesday. The frontal system is also impacting eastern China. Cloudy or rainy weather is the forecast in northern China, including Beijing. 32 is expected high, it's cooler in Seoul with high 29, and it's scorching hot making hot in the south, Shanghai at 36 degrees and 37 in Chongqing on your Saturday.
That's it for me. Have a nice day.
♫～ 3-DAY FORECAST ～♫
Before we go, here's our top story again.
KAGOSHIMA'S KIRISHIMA CITY UNDER HEAVY RAIN WARNING
Weather officials are urging people in a southwestern Japanese city to be on alert for landslides, flooding in low lying areas and swollen rivers. The rainfall in Kirishima Kagoshima Prefecture has been record-breaking and the region is set for more wet weather. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a heavy rain emergency warning for the city early Friday, then revised it in the afternoon. Flooding and landslides have hit across the region. In Aida city, authorities say multiple houses have collapsed, injuring at least two people. One of the four residents of this house is missing.Rescue operations are underway.
This video, also from Aida, shows a car that's fallen into the river. The person who recorded it says no one seemed to be inside. Another witness said the levee there was gouged out by the river, by the water, rather. Residents should brace for more. Southern Kyushu is forecast to get about 180 millimetres of rain in the 24 hours leading up to noon Saturday.
And northern Kyushu is expected to get about 150 millimetres in the 24 hours leading up to noon Sunday.
The Japanese government says it's ready to respond.
Thanks very much for joining us.
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