Hello, welcome to NHK Newsline. I'm Yamamoto Miki in Tokyo.
JAPAN PM SAYS SHE'S EAGER TO PUT PLEDGES INTO ACTION
Japan's Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae says she wants to put her election pledges into action quickly following her party's historic victory in the lower house election.
The main ruling Liberal Democratic Party won an overwhelming majority on Sunday.
00:00:32 話者 Takaichi Sanae
As a united party, we will grit our teeth and fulfill the promises we have made to the people.
00:00:38 話者 1
During the campaign, the LDP pledged to speed up talks about suspending the consumption tax on food items for a period of two years.
Takaichi said she's eager to accelerate discussions on the issue so that an interim report can be compiled by summer at the latest.
The government and ruling parties are arranging to convene a special diet session on February 18.
Takaichi is expected to be re-elected as prime minister and form a new Cabinet.
Takaichi says she will more or less maintain the current Cabinet lineup.
She's also asked the LDP's coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, to consider taking a Cabinet position.
00:01:22 話者 3
Officially, nobody has approached us yet.
But if they do, I would certainly consider it positively.
00:01:31 話者 1
But JIP members are divided over whether to join Takaichi's cabinet.
The ruling coalition still lacks a majority in the upper house.
The government and ruling parties aim to pass a draft budget for the next fiscal year as early as possible through the upcoming diet session.
VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION FIGURE ABDUCTED SOON AFTER RELEASE
A Venezuelan opposition leader has gone missing soon after he was released from detention. His family claims he was abducted.
The Venezuelan government has been releasing opposition officials and other figures since US forces captured President Nicolas Maduro over a month ago.
Juan Pablo Guanipa was released from prison on Sunday.
He's an ally of opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Marina Corina Machado.
His family says he was abducted by unidentified assailants after addressing his supporters following his release.
Guanipa's son has demanded the government provide proof of life.
The public prosecutor's office said in a statement on Monday that it has asked the court to revoke Guanipa's release, citing a violation of the terms.
It called for him to be put under house arrest, but did not mention his current whereabouts.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week the release of political prisoners is an important step toward a free and fair election in Venezuela.
CUBA UNABLE TO REFUEL FLIGHTS DUE TO US PRESSURE ON OIL
Air Canada has suspended flights to Cuba after aviation officials on the island warned that from Tuesday it will not be able to supply jet fuel to airplanes.
Cuba has been unable to procure oil due to pressure from the United States.
Cuba notified airlines on Sunday that the measure will remain through March 11.
Air Canada said it will operate
empty flights to the country over the following days to pick up and fly home about 3,000 customers already there.
The situation is forcing other airlines to bring extra fuel or making refueling stops elsewhere.
Cuba used to rely on its ally Venezuela for oil, but it has not received any recently as the US
is restricting supplies to the island.
The US has also threatened to impose tariffs on any country supplying oil to Cuba.
As a result, Cuba could run out of fuel as early as this month.
Parts of the capital, Habana, suffered a power outage for 18 hours on Sunday.
The United Nations has repeatedly expressed concern over Cuba's growing fuel shortages and their impact on its people.
JIMMY LAI'S SENTENCE SPARKS INTERNATIONAL OUTCRY
A Hong Kong court's ruling on Monday against former media tycoon Jimmy Lai is raising international concerns over restrictions on freedom of speech.
The founder of the now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for violating the national security law.
Lai was charged with colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security.
Prosecutors claimed he used his paper to incite hatred against the Chinese government and to call on foreign countries to impose sanctions on China and Hong Kong.
Lai is a long-standing supporter of the pro-democracy movement.
He's denied all charges, saying he merely expressed his own views.
Apple Daily was known for publishing articles critical of the Chinese government.
It was shut down in 2021 and authorizes
authorities froze its assets.
China's foreign ministry spokesperson says Lai deserves his punishment.
00:05:16 話者 4
Lai's actions severely breached the one country, two systems principle, seriously threatened national security, and damaged Hong Kong's prosperity, stability and well-being of its citizens.
00:05:30 話者 1
Lai is 78 years old and a British citizen.
He won't be eligible for parole until he's close to 100.
The British foreign secretary is calling for his release, describing the prosecution as politically motivated.
Yvette Cooper says Beijing's national security law was imposed on Hong Kong to silence China's critics.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio calls the sentencing unjust and tragic.
He's urging authorities to grant Lai humanitarian parole.
Japan's top government spokesperson also expressed concern.
00:06:11 話者 3
Incidents like this continue to undermine trust in Hong Kong's one country, two systems framework.
We call on Chinese and Hong Kong authorities to respect the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong citizens, while we work closely with the international community to strongly urge them to speak out as well.
IMPACT OF LAI SENTENCE ON FREE SPEECH
00:06:32 話者 1
And there's also concern about the ruling among people in Hong Kong.
Earlier, I spoke with NHK's Hong Kong bureau chief, Oda Makoto, who covered the trial.
Makoto, you were inside the courthouse for the ruling and then spoke with people outside. What were the reactions?
00:06:53 話者 5
Many in the crowd were Lise supporters, so there was a big sense of sadness and disappointment.
That said, many did not feel surprised. They had expected a harsh ruling.
That's because Hong Kong's chief executive hand-picked the judges.
Supporters knew the outcome would be in line with Beijing's wishes.
Still, 20 years is the longest sentence handed down under the national security law since it took effect in 2020.
case has scared a lot of journalists.
They see it as an attack on free speech.
Many have actually left the industry here.
They are afraid of being prosecuted.
And so we hardly see media critical of authorities.
00:07:50 話者 1
Now, what about the journalists who used to be with Apple Daily?
What are they saying about all this?
00:07:58 話者 5
Well, they are echoing what a lot of others have been saying, that this reflects a bigger issue. We spoke with Shari Leung, who is now based in Taiwan.
She says she's worried about Rice's health and that at his age, the sentence basically means life imprisonment.
She says, We are witnessing the erosion and decay of the rule of law and freedom of speech in Hong Kong.
Leon warned that the situation has not yet reached rock bottom and that things are only getting worse.
We also spoke with a man who used to report for an affiliate of Apple Daily.
He does not want to be identified.
He says this sentence proves Hong Kong is moving further away from democracy.
He also says what's most sad is journalists have become anxious and scared to express their opinion on this case.
00:09:05 話者 1
So finally, zooming out, what does the loss of outlets like Apple Daily mean for Hong Kong?
00:09:14 話者 5
Yes, it means fewer chances for accountability.
The newspaper was renowned for its investigative journalism.
It exposed all kinds of political and social corruption.
The impact of losing this kind of monitoring here is immeasurable.
Take, for example, last year's massive fire at the high-rise apartment complex that killed nearly 170 people.
It's allegedly linked to not just sloppy safety measures, but also collusion between contractors and authorities.
The Hong Kong government claims its international city is free and open.
But in reality, it's focused on freezing Beijing.
BUSINESS
00:10:10 話者 1
Now, let's see what's happening in the world of business.
Here's Gene Otani from The Biz Desk.
00:10:16 話者 6/Gene Otani
Miki, thanks. In our top business story this hour,
NIKKEI 225 SETS RECORD CLOSING HIGH FOR SECOND DAY
the benchmark Nikkei 225 index closed at a record high for the second straight day in Tuesday, trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
Investors are banking on economic growth under
Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae's policies to ramp up government spending.
The index finished the day at 57,650, up nearly 2.3 percent.
It briefly approached the 58,000 mark led by semiconductor-related shares.
Though the buying was broad-based, Takeichi's Liberal Democratic Party scored a landslide win in Japan's general election on Sunday.
That's given the Prime Minister the opportunity to implement what she calls a responsible, proactive fiscal policy.
EXPERT: SPENDING, TAX CUTS AMONG CHALLENGES FOR TAKAICHI GOVT.
The lower house election brought a historic victory for the LDP and the party leader, Prime Minister Takaichi, pledged to accelerate her policy agenda.
We asked an executive economist at the Nomuna Research Institute, Kyuchi Takahide, about the market and the challenges going forward.
Some market players see the Takaichi administration's so-called responsible proactive fiscal policy as likely to press ahead with spending to prop up the economy.
That expectation helped push the Nikkei 225 to record highs on Monday and Tuesday.
Kyuchi says, however, that the market response was largely in line with his expectations.
00:12:01 話者 3/Kyuchi Takahide
The election result was a major surprise, with LDP scoring a historic landslide.
But compared with that, the reaction in financial markets was not so much.
Stock prices rose sharply on Monday, but it was not on a historic scale.
Moves in bonds and currencies were limited.
The yen briefly weakened, but strengthened again.
00:12:33 話者 6
Kiuchi is concerned that Takaichi's proactive fiscal policy lacks clear funding and could worsen public finances.
She's considering a possible two-year exemption of food items from the consumption tax.
Kiuchi says this would affect the markets and may end up tying the government's hands.
00:12:54 話者 3
In response to her proactive fiscal policy, what's called the Takaichi trade is happening.
That means cheaper yen, cheaper bonds and higher stock prices.
But when markets see Japan's fiscal situation worsen as a result,
That would undermine the credibility of Japan's finances and currency, causing the yen and JGBs to drop further.
A drop in the yen's value pushes up commodity prices, while falling bond prices raise long-term interest rates.
Both will have a negative impact on people's lives.
If the long-term rates rise further, money would shift from stocks to bonds.
This could send stock prices lower.
If the higher rates spread to the world, Japan's financial markets could trigger global turmoil.
The world is now increasingly viewing Japan in this way.
The Trump administration is also beginning to worry the cheaper yen and lower bond prices will result in a stronger dollar and higher long-term interest rates in the US, damaging the US economy.
I think even if Takaishi tries to accelerate her financial policy now that she has an overwhelming public
mandate that will not necessarily be feasible.
00:14:04 話者 6
Takaishi says it is important to deliver policies that keep the nation's long-term fiscal soundness in mind.
Takaichi's landslide victory could be a fresh start for Japan, but the markets are watching to see how she responds to the challenges ahead.
DOLLAR DIPS ON REPORT CHINA TELLS BANKS TO CURB US BOND BUYS
The US dollar weakened against the yen to the lower 155 level in Tokyo on Tuesday.
The decline is linked to reports China advised domestic financial institutions to curb their holdings of US treasuries as well as concerns about the US economy.
The dollar started to weaken the previous day in New York after Bloomberg News reported regulators in China urged banks to reduce purchases of US government bonds.
This prompted selling of the US currency and buying of the yen.
This trend also reflects remarks by a White House economic advisor on US job numbers in coming months.
National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said in a media interview, One shouldn't panic if you see a sequence of numbers that are lower than you're used to.
Market sources say it's unlikely Chinese banks will dump US Treasuries, but they say investors remain especially sensitive amid uncertainties about the policies of President Donald Trump's administration.
MARKETS
All right, let's have a look at the markets.
♪
And that's it for business news.
MILANO CORTINA 2026
MURASE FIRST JAPANESE FEMALE SNOWBOARDER TO WIN GOLD
00:16:19 話者 1
And turning to the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.
On day four, Japan won three medals, including Murase Kokomo's gold in the women's snowboard Big Air competition.
This is Japan's second gold medal at the games and the first ever for a Japanese female snowboarder.
Murase scored 179 points in her victory. She says the gold medal feels like it holds everything she's worked so hard for up until now.
At the age of 17, Murase took the bronze at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.
She won the world championship title last year.
Meanwhile, speed skater Takagi Miho won a bronze in the women's 1000 meters.
It is her third straight Olympic medal in the event and her eighth overall, the most for any Japanese female.
She says she will use this result as motivation when she competes in the women's 500-meter and 1500-meter events.
In men's normal hill ski jumping, Nikkaido Ren was one of two bronze medal winners.
He says he never thought he would win the medal in a tie and is happy he did.
This is the 24-year-old's first Olympic Winter Games.
He's also a member of Japan's ski jumping mixed team.
IN FOCUS
Now we join Shibuya Aki for Newsline in Focus.
She has a story about why new resident status rules have some foreign nationals who run businesses in Japan worried.
JAPAN'S FOREIGN BUSINESS OWNERS STRESS OVER NEW VISA RULES
00:17:51 話者 7/Shibuya Aki
Japan's number of foreign residents reached a record high of 3-point-9-5 million as of last June.
Business manager resident status was introduced to attract overseas entrepreneurs and has grown in popularity.
The number of holders has increased by about two-point-five times in the last ten years.
But concerns grew that the visa was being abused as an easy route for immigration, prompting the government to implement changes last October, including increasing the capital requirement six-fold.
To explore the background behind this, we accompanied officials conducting on-site investigations into visa applications.
00:18:38 話者 4
These Tokyo immigration officials have come to Ibaraki Prefecture to confirm if a company listed on a business manager visa application is actually operating.
They're searching for an office that a man from South Asia said he'd be using to do design work.
00:19:07 話者 7
They couldn't find the office.
00:19:18 話者 4
The tightening of resident status requirements stems from the discovery of numerous shell companies where no business was being done.
About 300 applications were selected for investigation, mostly due to deficiencies in documentation.
Problems were confirmed in 90% of the cases, including the absence of any business activity.
00:19:47 話者 2
When we go to the office, no one's there, and it's difficult to meet them right away.
Even when we call, we get no response.
00:19:57 話者 4
There were also concerns that the visa requirements were too lax, and it was being used as a means to live in Japan.
The visa allows family members to stay together.
It was advertised on Chinese social media as a way for people to immigrate.
If someone with no intention of conducting business activities were to consider obtaining a business manager resident status solely as a means to immigrate to Japan, such an approach would naturally be unacceptable under the principles governing residency status.
00:20:37 話者 7
Let's look at some of the requirement changes.
They not only increased the capital requirement to about 200-thousand dollars, they added new obligations, such as employing at least one full-time staff member.
And there are limits on who that may be.
Among the options available are Japanese nationals or permanent residents.
Other changes include requirements for things like Japanese language proficiency.
The changes apply not only to new applicants, but also to those who already have this residence status.
Visa holders have to meet the requirements within three years from October, when the new rules came into effect.
Some worried business owners are reaching out for help.
00:21:30 話者 4
This legal office supports people with resident status applications and renewals.
It's holding a consultation on the changes to the business manager visa.
This woman has run a restaurant in Japan for five years.
She feels very anxious about the change in capital requirements.
00:21:52 話者 7
It's extremely painful that I can no longer stay here due to the sudden change in residency status requirements.
00:22:02 話者 4
This trading company owner worries that the visa changes will affect her child.
00:22:10 話者 2
My child is in a Japanese public school, and I have to work hard to keep the company running while being a parent.
Some fear their businesses won't survive under these circumstances.
00:22:27 話者 7
Others are thinking about closing down and returning to their home countries.
00:22:33 話者 4
The legal office says many foreign nationals who run businesses are concerned about the new rules requiring them to hire certain people.
Ma Xiaoqing from China is one of them.
She obtained a business manager visa 2 years ago and is running a curated shop.
00:22:58 話者 7
The design is from Tokyo.
00:23:02 話者 4
She selects crafts from across Japan, which she sells at her shop and also exports, generating annual sales of about 100,000 US
dollars.
She says even if she can find someone to work full-time, she's concerned about whether she can increase sales enough to afford paying them.
00:23:30 話者 2
Would A Japanese national choose to work for a company run by a Chinese person?
It's difficult.
It costs about twice as much for full-time positions.
So, sales need to rise, and pensions and insurance add further costs.
I have friends and relationships with neighbors.
I want to stay in Japan forever.
00:23:58 話者 4
This expert on international labor mobility says it was necessary for the government to streamline the system's rules.
And the system should be operated with long-term perspective.
00:24:11 話者 7
It could also push young start-ups and young foreign talent looking to do business in Japan toward going elsewhere.
I think there are times when we need to trace things back to what we want Japanese society to be like, considering and discussing various aspects from that perspective.
While the challenges foreign entrepreneurs are facing may be daunting, the legal office supports them by introducing business websites that can assist with hiring full-time staff.
With the system change only four months old, it remains to be seen whether this stricter approach will prove beneficial or detrimental for Japan.
And that's all for me.
WEATHER
00:25:04 話者 1
Now let's check out the weather with our meteorologist, Jonathan Oh.
00:25:09 話者 8/Jonathan Oh
Hello. We have been seeing some changes in Japan from what we saw on the weekend with a bunch of snow, even in the Kantokoshin area, to where it's getting a lot warmer.
And that's creating some changes around in parts of the country.
Take a look at this video coming out of Toyama City, where people got a break from the snow Tuesday and traded the cold for warmer and sunnier weather.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the high temperature moved past 7
degrees Celsius in the afternoon, helping to melt away the mounds of snow in the area.
But JMA is warning people living in the region to be aware of falling snow from rooftops like these, as well as possible avalanches on the slopes, especially when the temperatures just really just pumps up real quick.
The snow in some portions melt, but other places don't.
And then there's that sliding mechanism that comes from that.
So make sure that you are just aware if you are going to be out and about in places where we still have a lot of snow still trying to melt.
We're going to have a different type of precipitation situation for most of Japan coming up on Wednesday, which is a national holiday.
A low pressure system coming in from the west.
also with the warmer air in place with the high, helping to bring some wet weather in places like Tokyo, Osaka, and into Fukuoka as well.
Now, South Porto, you're still going to see some snow for the next few days, but rain from Tokyo into Fukuoka for Wednesday.
Then we'll be back into the double digits for all those locations with partly cloudy skies as we go through the rest of the week.
Meanwhile, looking at what's happening across North America, we do have high pressure controlling the southeast, snow for the north into the Great Lakes.
Back to the west, a couple of low pressure systems that are going to be bringing some rain in places like Los Angeles. We're topping off at 19. Rain also into Vancouver.
Looking at some snow possibilities from Toronto into New York as we go through the day on Tuesday, and warm weather into places like Atlanta.
Quick note on Australia, we have what was a tropical system, now just a bunch of wet weather in western portion of Australia.
It looks like that rain will move into a place like Alice Springs as we go through Wednesday.
Hope you have a good day wherever you are.
00:27:36 話者 1
And that's NHK Newsline for this hour. I'm Yamamoto Miki in Tokyo.
Thank you for joining us.
