Welcome back to NHK Newsline. I'm Kanako Sachno.
TOKYO MAN ARRESTED OVER FORCED LABOR OF 12-YEAR-OLD THAI GIRL
We begin in Tokyo, where police have arrested a man after a 12-year-old Thai girl told officials she'd been forced to work at his massage parlour and provide sexual services.
Police suspect 51-year-old Hosono Masayuki, who operates a private room massage parlour in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward, employed the girl for about a month until July.
Police say the girl entered Japan in late June with her mother on a 15-day temporary visitor visa.
They say she told them her mother took her to the massage parlour the day they arrived and told her to work there.
The mother left the country alone in mid-July.
The girl told police her mother instructed her to provide sexual services to customers, which happened repeatedly.
She said she was forced to sleep in the massage parlor's kitchen.
Police suspect the case may involve human trafficking.
The authorities were first alerted in mid-September when the girl visited the Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau.
She told officials she'd been forced to work and she wanted to return to Thailand and go to school.
For now, Hosono is being held on suspicion of violating the Labour Standards Act for allegedly forcing a child under 15 to work.
JAPANESE AMONG DOZENS DETAINED IN CAMBODIA FOR FRAUD
In Cambodia, Japanese nationals are among 50 people detained by authorities who raided a suspected base for international fraud.
They were taken into custody near the border with Vietnam.
The Japanese embassy says 13 of its citizens were swept up in the operation in the city of Bavet.
Local media outlets say investigators also took 32 people from Taiwan and eight from the Philippines.
They reportedly seized a large number of PCs and mobile phones.
Japan's deputy chief cabinet secretary says the government is monitoring developments.
00:02:04 話者 2
We Want to deal with the case appropriately through the Japanese embassy there and cooperate with local authorities.
00:02:13 話者 1
Back in May, 29 Japanese citizens were detained after a raid at another facility and later arrested by Japanese police on suspicion of attempted fraud.
JAPANESE POLICE ARREST SUSPECTED LEADER OF SCAM RING
Back in Japan, police have arrested seven people for allegedly stealing a cash card from an elderly victim.
They say the suspects are part of a broader scam ring responsible for stealing millions since 2023.
Tokyo police say 40-year-old Takahashi Munemasa and six others defrauded a woman in her 80s last year.
Takahashi is believed to have been the group's leader.
Police say the group members posed as banking employees and took on various other roles to convince the woman that she needed a new cash card.
They took her card and allegedly used it to withdraw 4 million yen, or about $26,000, from ATMs.
They're suspected of fraud and theft.
29 members of the same scam group have been arrested since 2023.
Takahashi and the other six most recent suspects surfaced in the course of the wider investigation into the crime ring.
Over the course of 30 months, police suspect the group stole about 2.2 billion yen, or about $14 million.
GERMANY DETAINS 18 IN GLOBAL CREDIT CARD FRAUD CASE
Meanwhile, police in Germany say they've broken up an international fraud ring that stole credit card data from millions of people worldwide.
They say they've taken 18 people into custody.
German police and prosecutors said Wednesday the suspects from 9 countries were detained following an internationally coordinated investigation.
Investigators say the group stole data from more than 4 million people across 193 countries between 2016 and 2021.
They allegedly created fake dating websites and other services, charging small monthly fees so the victims wouldn't notice.
The group is thought to have raked in more than 300 million EUR, or about $345 million.
German authorities say they're still investigating other suspects, including former employees of payment service providers.
They believe the funds were funnelled through more than 2,000 bank accounts in Germany, and they're looking at it as possible money laundering.
BUSINESS
Now let's see what's happening in the world of business.
Here's Gene Otani from the Biz Desk.
TRUMP TARIFFS SLAM BRAKE ON EARNINGS AT JAPAN, GERMAN AUTOMAKERS
00:04:37 話者 3
In our top business story this hour, the Trump administration's import tariffs are starting to take a bite out of earnings at Japanese and German automakers.
Mitsubishi Motors posted a group net loss of 9.2 billion yen or 60 million dollars for the April to September period.
That's the company's first mid-term net loss since 2020. Mitsubishi says the US tariffs reduced its operating profit by about 180 million dollars.
It also blamed the weaker yen.
Japan's largest automaker, Toyota Motors, says its group net income for the same period fell seven percent from a year earlier to 1.77 trillion yen or 11.5 billion dollars.
Toyota says sales were brisk in Japan and North America, but the Trump levies ate up 5.8 billion dollars in operating profit.
Germany's BMW reported a 6.8 percent drop in its group net profit for the first nine months compared with last year.
Germany's two other auto giants took a harder hit.
Volkswagen Group saw its net profit slide 53 percent, while Mercedes-Benz Group reported a 50 percent drop.
JAPAN RAISES SQUID CATCH QUOTA BUT KEEPS SMALL BOAT BAN
Japan has raised the fishing quota for flying squid for the second time this season, but a ban on catches by small vessels remains in place, leading to growing frustration among some fishers.
A government panel on Wednesday approved a plan to expand the quota by 6 percent to 27,600 tons.
It is the first time the quota has been hiked twice in the middle of the fishing season.
But a ban on squid fishing by small boats remains in effect.
The measure was put in place after the first quota increase, as hauls by smaller vessels were surging.
The ban has frustrated the fishing community of Hakodate.
The city is known for its squid catches.
Live squid fishing has long been a popular tourism attraction at a local market, but the tank has been empty since October, when the ban was introduced.
Mae Naoyuki heads the cooperative that operates the market.
He says he expected the ban to be scrapped with the quota increase.
00:07:12 話者 4
Many visitors look forward to coming here and catching squid. They are sad to see the empty tank. Why can't we catch squid? There are so many out in the ocean.
00:07:23 話者 3
Tomita Kazuko has been selling fish at the market for over 50 years.
She said she is trying to meet demand for squid by buying up those caught through other means, such as with a net, but she says supply and prices are unstable.
00:07:40 話者 5
Many people come here for freshly caught squid, so I want fishing to be resumed as soon as possible.
00:07:47 話者 3
Officials at the fisheries agency say they are searching for ways to protect the income of fishers, but they also say they have a responsibility to protect marine resources.
TRADE DEAL SOWS HOPE FOR US FARMERS IN JAPANESE MARKETS
The trade deal signed by Tokyo and Washington this year includes significant opportunities for US farmers in the Japanese market.
Rice and soybean growers in the United States are focused on how to take advantage of this wider export window.
00:08:22 話者 4
This is late September in Arbuckle, Northern California, and massive mechanized harvesters are bringing in the rice crop.
Farmer George Tibbetts collected about 3,000 tons of rice from his 250 hectares of paddy fields this year.
His farm is in Sacramento Valley, where most of California's rice is grown.
Tibbetts cultivates medium-grained japonica rice, known locally as Calrose.
00:08:53 話者 5
My pride is in growing high quality rice every year and I pride myself in having high yields every year.
00:09:05 話者 4
So how does Calrose rice taste?
This is a restaurant specializing in rice balls. It has six stores in the US.
The outlet has more than 30 varieties of rice balls on the menu and uses Calrose for all of them.
00:09:28 話者 5
As an everyday rice, I don't think it's that different from Japanese rice.
00:09:33 話者 6
It's delicious.
00:09:38 話者 4
In the trade deal, Japan agreed to increase imports of US rice by 75% under the so-called minimum access framework, which allows tariff-free imports.
Tibbett says US farmers are focused on improving varieties to suit demand in Japan's market.
00:09:58 話者 5
Our varieties now are very well adapted for high quality and we think they're very well adapted for the Japanese market.
So we look forward to the day when Japanese consumers will enjoy California rice.
00:10:16 話者 4
Soybean farmers in the US are also in search of new export markets as shipments slumped.
China was the biggest buyer of US soybeans, but when Washington slapped additional tariffs on China products, Beijing slashed purchases in retaliation and switched to Brazil.
Consequently, soybean prices fell sharply in the US Ohio is a major soybean growing region. One farmer explains the predicament.
00:10:51 話者 5
Well, it's definitely on our number one concern on our radars, because our prices are off about 35% from a few years back.
00:11:02 話者 4
Jim Sutter heads the US Soybean Export Council that represents farmers and others in the supply chain.
He traveled across the country to get feedback from those struggling in the industry.
In early October, he visited Japan and lobbied major convenience store chains to increase imports from the US.
00:11:24 話者 5
We talked about tofu bars and natto and things.
We're seeing strong demand for US soy going into Japan these days.
00:11:37 話者 4
At the end of October, President Donald Trump said China has agreed to sharply increase purchases of US agriculture, including soybeans.
However, the crop is likely to remain a bargaining chip in ongoing US-China trade talks, so American farmers will continue to look to Japan for a stable export market.
00:11:59 話者 3
That's it for business news.
TURNING UP THE VOLUME: J-POP'S GLOBAL PUSH
00:12:17 話者 1
For many, she needs no introduction.
Masked singer Adil recently wrapped up her second world tour, visiting 33 cities and drawing in more than half a million fans.
She's among many Japanese artists making their mark on the global stage, and people are trying to expand J-pop 's reach even further.
One of the country's largest music trade fairs aimed at promoting the genre and anime songs to international markets is underway.
The Tokyo International Music Market runs for three days.
It brings together Japanese music companies and more than 200 international buyers.
It's expected to attract around 5,000 attendees by the time it wraps up later Thursday.
Earlier, I spoke with NHK World's Maria Sato.
Maria was at the venue in Shibuya Ward, digging deeper into this J-Pop push.
00:13:09 話者 2
This event is held on several floors, so I can't show you everything, but let's check out some booths over here.
Excuse me. No, it's okay.
First, a blast from the not-too-distant past.
So this company is highlighting one of its top songs with a new face.
So this song has been buzzed on social media because of its original anime music video.
So let's now go to another room. Thank you.
We have record labels over here.
Hi, so this is an interactive booth. Participants are exchanging business cards, and...
In return, they get this coin.
They pop it in here and twist the knob. And this is a Japanese capsule toy.
And up comes this capsule. And in here are pins with Japanese artist covers.
And so this has a surprising element and attracting, this exhibition is attracting a lot of people from outside the country.
And I ask people here why they're so attracted to J-pop.
00:14:33 話者 3
It's related with the anime wave that we are having right now in Mexico.
I think it's already popular, but it's getting more popular.
00:14:42 話者 4
I see a lot of more musicianship in Japan.
Like a lot of bands are actually like playing like instruments and like singing at the same time.
00:14:51 話者 1
So Maria, what about from the industry side?
Why are record labels trying to reach more overseas audiences?
00:15:00 話者 2
It's because they're thinking about the long term.
The Japanese recorded music market is the second largest following the US.
The market has already matured and isn't changing much, but Japan's birth rate is.
It's dropping, so companies are trying to expand further abroad into countries with bigger populations.
One focus is on streaming services.
Subscriber numbers jumped heavily during the coronavirus pandemic.
Streaming dominated nearly 70 percent of recorded music revenue last year.
And the Japanese government is paying attention as well.
The newly formed cabinet thinks it's crucial to boost the economy, and it's seeing exporting the country's content as one way to do that, even including through digital distribution.
00:15:55 話者 1
So the Internet makes delivery of the content fairly limitless, but are there any target audiences in mind?
00:16:04 話者 2
The Japanese music industry has focused a lot on the US and Southeast Asian markets, but I attended a seminar here and speakers here are saying that Latin America is emerging as a key driver of global music growth.
They say the market is worth nearly four billion dollars annually and continues to grow rapidly.
They also point out that Latin America saw a rise of more than 20 percent in revenues last year alone.
Expanding into that market also means expanding into the US market...
as that country has many Spanish speakers.
And that segment of the population is growing.
Suzuki Takayuki has been playing a key role in bridging Japanese music businesses to the global market.
He says there needs to be a strategic move for J-pop to go mainstream.
00:17:03 話者 6
We are seeing a lot of Japanese music traveling in the rest of the world, but also we need to make more like an infrastructure how we get the majority of the revenue, but also at the same time we need to resonate our local player with our local partner.
00:17:20 話者 2
The Japanese music industry is known for its strong physical sales and passionate fan culture.
Suzuki says J-pop could keep part of what it has thrived on and tailor its foundation to the foreign market.
00:17:35 話者 6
The concept we call the superfan is really booming up in the entire global music industry.
Now the bigger record label and the management company is also seeing the new opportunity as a superfan, but which is already the standard for the Japanese music business.
00:17:56 話者 2
He says J-pop artists can find more global revenue by finding a sweet spot that can translate abroad.
And he says building international partnership is key.
Clearly, interest in this genre is not going away and in fact this exhibition is now in its 22nd.
But people here say more can be done to tap into J-pop's full potential.
JAPANESE NOVELS ATTRACT FOREIGN PUBLISHERS TO TOKYO
00:18:23 話者 1
And music is not the only content Japan is keen to share with the world.
Japanese publishers have gathered in Tokyo to find international outlets for their novels.
The event is called the Tokyo Rights Meeting.
It's held annually by a foundation consisting mainly of publishers.
This year, about 100 Japanese publishers have booths.
They've attracted industry professionals from a record 25 countries, including the United States, Britain and China.
One booth caught the eye of a Malaysian publisher looking for a novel to publish back home.
00:18:58 話者 6
We do a lot of translation from around the world. So of course, definitely Japanese books are one of our strong call and also a lot of our customers.
00:19:09 話者 1
Japanese novels have become more and more popular internationally in the past few years.
Butter by Yuzuki Asako became a bestseller in Britain.
An organizer of the event in Tokyo said he believes Japan has lots of great content and wants more people around the world to enjoy it.
NORTH KOREA SLAMS NEW US SANCTIONS AS HOSTILE POLICY
North Korea has slammed an announcement by the United States of new sanctions on Pyongyang, calling it a demonstration of hostile policy.
Senior North Korean foreign ministry official Kim Eun-chol issued a statement through state-run media on Thursday.
He stressed the US should not expect its methods, full of pressure and threat, to work.
Washington said on Tuesday it had sanctioned eight North Korean individuals and two entities for their role in laundering money from activities such as cybercrime.
US President Donald Trump said late last month he was open to meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un if Kim was willing. The meeting did not occur.
MORE DETAILS EMERGE AFTER CARGO PLANE CRASHES IN US
More information now on how a cargo plane in the southern US state of Kentucky went down in flames.
The plane crashed after taking off on Tuesday from an international airport in Louisville.
An official says 12 people, including a child, have died so far.
The Federal Aviation Administration says the aircraft was bound for Hawaii when it went down in an industrial area near the runway.
The crash caused a massive explosion.
Kentucky's governor and other officials said rescuers are still searching for a handful of people, but expect the number of casualties to grow.
The National Transportation Safety Board says a large plume of fire engulfed the plane's left wing during takeoff before the plane was airborne.
They said the left engine detached from the wing during the takeoff roll.
Officials say they've now recovered the plane's black box, which will reveal more about what went wrong.
The plane was operated by the delivery company UPS.
It says three crew members were on board.
The airport is a global hub for UPS's air cargo and package handling operations.
DEMOCRAT MAMDANI WINS NYC MAYOR RACE
Voters in New York City have delivered a historic victory.
They've elected a Muslim as mayor for the first time.
Zoran Mahmandani is a 34-year-old Democrat who ran on a progressive platform.
00:21:42 話者 5
As we turn the page on a politics that abandons the many and answers only to the few.
New York, tonight you have delivered a mandate for change.
00:22:04 話者 1
Mamdani was born in Uganda and has Indian ancestry.
He was elected to the New York State Assembly in 2020 and was serving his third term when he launched his bid for mayor.
He pledged to freeze rents, build affordable housing, make buses free, and nearly double the minimum wage.
He says he'll fund those measures by taxing businesses and the wealthy.
His left-wing policies and energetic campaign won support among young and low-income voters.
00:22:34 話者 2
So Zohran is the change that we needed to have in New York City.
He is the voice of the people.
00:22:42 話者 5
I think it's great to have somebody who is close to our age.
It's such a refreshing thing to see somebody who's not, you know, a boomer or a little bit on the older side.
00:22:52 話者 1
Mamdani's main opponent was former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
He ran as an independent after coming in second in the Democratic primary.
00:23:01 話者 5
And I am proud of what we did and what we did together.
This campaign was to contest the philosophies that are shaping the Democratic Party, the future of this city, and the future of this country.
00:23:22 話者 1
Cuomo says Mamdani made promises he can't keep and warned that New York is heading down a dangerous road.
President Donald Trump weighed in during the campaign, repeatedly calling Mamdani a communist.
Trump hinted at ending federal funding for the city if voters were to elect him.
♪
WEATHER
Now let's take a look at the world weather.
Storm systems are producing torrential rainfall and hazardous winds over parts of Southeast Asia. Our meteorologist Yumi Hirano has the details.
00:24:45 話者 6
We can see two circulating systems on this satellite.
One is Fung-Wong over the Pacific, and another is Kalmaegi over the South China Sea, which has already caused severe damage to a popular tourist island of Cebu.
Cleanup efforts have already started after Typhoon Kalmaegi rampaged through the central Philippines.
On Wednesday, after the commotion, many started to clean up litter and debris blown around by gusty winds.
People used heavy machinery to clean some of the affected roads.
The Philippines has already reached its average of 20 tropical cyclones a year with this storm.
Kalmaegi is affecting central Vietnam as a very strong typhoon, so strong winds are a big concern, causing possible power outages.
And up to 600 millimeters of rain is likely that could lead to flash floods and landslides.
The system is likely to reach the Laos-Cambodia border on Friday.
Further east, another storm Phangwon near Guam is still bringing stormy conditions to the islands.
It's expected to intensify and approach the northern Philippines by Sunday, so people in Luzon should be prepared by Saturday for possible flash flooding and widespread power outages.
Finally, across Japan, cold air will surge into the country over the weekend, so Hokkaido may see some snowfall on Friday.
Some snow accumulation is expected even in low-lying areas.
Snow is also likely in Sapporo.
The high in Tokyo will be 20 on Friday, but will drop to only 16 on Saturday, despite sunny skies.
That's all for now. Have a nice day.
♫～ 3-DAY FORECAST ～♫
00:27:36 話者 1
That wraps up this edition of NHK Newsline. I'm Kanako Sachno in Tokyo.
Thanks very much for joining us.
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