Hello, I'm James Tengan. We're coming to you live from our studios here in Shibuya, Tokyo. This is NHK Newsline.
Breaking News: N.Korea Fired Object, Likely Ballistic Missile
The Japanese Defense Ministry says North Korea has launched at least one projectile that appears to be a ballistic missile.
Defense officials confirmed the missile had not flown over Japan's exclusive economic zone as of 5:30 p.m. They said there have been no reports of damage.
The ministry says this is the sixth time North Korea has launched what are likely ballistic missiles this year.
Japan Marks 81 Years Since Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima
Hiroshima held its annual peace ceremony Thursday marking 81 years since the atomic bombing. People across Japan are taking time to pause and remember the victims.
Hiroshima fell silent at 8:15 a.m. the same minute the US dropped the bomb in 1945.
The heat and radiation from the blast destroyed the city, killing an estimated 140,000 people by the end of the year.
Many who survived suffer from cancer and other diseases related to radiation exposure.
Prime Minister Takeichi Sanae and representatives from a record 121 countries and regions attended the ceremony at the Peace Memorial Park.
An updated list of atomic bomb victims was placed inside the cenotaph.
It now holds 353,639 names.
including 4,393 who died or whose deaths were confirmed over the past 12 months.
There were about 91,000 atomic bomb survivors alive at the end of March.
Their average age is now over 86 years old. Hiroshima Mayor Matsui Kazumi delivered a peace declaration calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons.
00:02:20 話者 12/Matsui Kazumi
Policymakers of the world, civil society demands the immediate abolition of nuclear weapons. How much longer do you intend to disappoint us?
Surely you understand that any use of nuclear weapons would inflict catastrophic damage on humanity, and that nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament can only be addressed through multilateral efforts.
Leaders of nuclear weapons states, you bear primary responsibility for nuclear disarmament. You must surely recognize the imperative to lead by example.
00:03:01 話者 1
Takeichi also spoke at the ceremony.
00:03:09 話者 13/Takeichi
Japan firmly upholds the three non-nuclear principles and, as the only nation to suffer atomic bombings during war, will persevere in bringing about a world free of nuclear weapons. This is the mission we carry.
Today, the global security environment is becoming increasingly severe.
Recently, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference was held, and it showed us that the path towards a world without nuclear weapons is far from smooth, yet that is exactly why we must keep moving forward.
00:03:49 話者 1
Some residents made a pilgrimage to the park before the ceremony.
00:03:55 話者 14
Today is a special day, so we came here to think again about peace.
I pray for world peace for children.
00:04:08 話者 15
Because the number of survivors is decreasing, I think it's important for more younger people like us to listen to their stories so we can pass on their experiences to future generations.
00:04:21 話者 1
That's why their memories are shared at elementary schools like this one.
Students gathered to listen to a presentation about what the survivors went through.
00:04:41 話者 16
When I imagine what it was like back then, it's scary.
00:04:47 話者 17
I want to share what I've learned today to promote peace.
00:04:55 話者 1
In other parts of the city, many visited the graves of their loved ones.
00:05:03 話者 18
For the people of Hiroshima, August 6th has always been an important day.
And given how unstable the world is right now, I think it's a reminder that we must never make the same mistake again. It's a day to stop and think seriously about peace.
00:05:25 話者 1
People are expected to continue paying their respects throughout the day.
Kyiv Mushroom Cloud Painting Expresses Nuclear Attack Fears
Two Ukrainian artists have painted the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on a store shutter in Kyiv to express fears of a nuclear attack on their country.
The painters are Anastasiia Merezhko and her husband, Maksym Rybalko.
Last month, they painted a crying girl and a mushroom cloud on the shutter of a vacant store in the Ukrainian capital. The painting is 2.5 meters high and 2.7 meters wide.
It's based on The Cloud That Won't Disappear by Kei, a traditional Japanese picture story show based on the life of atomic bomb survivor Ogura Keiko.
The Japanese group that produced the show asked the couple to create the painting.
00:06:20 話者 28/Anastasiia Merezhko
I saw many children who had suffered because of those terrible events.
That is why this story feels so personal to me and resonates so strongly.
00:06:30 話者 1
After completing the painting, Rybalko returned to the battlefront as a soldier with the Ukrainian forces.
Many people in Ukraine feel a nuclear attack is an urgent threat.
As Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested, he's ready to use his country's nuclear arsenal.
Journey to Preserve Hibakusha's Story in Her Own Words
81 years after the war, it has become increasingly rare to hear first-hand accounts from survivors of the atomic bomb.
Known as hibakusha, those who live to share their experiences are now finding new and unique ways to tell their stories.
00:07:20 話者 29/Yahata Teruko
(Japanese)
00:07:20 話者 10/Fujie Risa
89-year-old Yahata Teruko is one of the hibakusha sharing her testimony to this day.
On August 6, 1945, she was at home 2.5 kilometers from the hypocenter when the atomic bomb dropped. She was just eight years old at that time.
Fortunately, all of her family survived, but she was witness to the horrific aftermath that followed.
Today, she continues to share her experiences, so that future generations will never forget the tragedy of war.
00:08:00 話者 29/Yahata Teruko
(Japanese)
00:08:18 話者 10
Yahata first began sharing her testimony in 2013 when she joined an international exchange vessel called the Peace Boat.
As she traveled around the world, she came to realize the importance of passing on her story.
At the same time, she became frustrated by not being able to communicate directly with international audiences in her own words.
00:08:50 話者 29
(Japanese)
00:09:06 話者 10
Several years after returning home, Yahata took on a new challenge.
She set out to fulfill her lifelong dream of studying English, but at 83 years old, that was no easy feat.
Rather than starting with basic grammar and vocabulary, Yahata chose a different approach.
She carefully studied the English translation of her own testimony word by word and memorized it in phrases.
Through that repetition, She was eventually able to share her experiences in her own words.
...
00:09:54 話者 10
Her audiences now include not only tourists, but also foreign officials from around the world.
Meanwhile, Hiroshima city recently launched a new project, aimed at preserving the memories of Hibakusha.
In July, the city held a hands-on demonstration in the Peace Memorial Museum for members of the press. The project is slated to go live in the next fiscal year.
(Japanese)
00:10:29 話者 10
The interactive testimony system uses AI technology to pick the most appropriate pre-recorded answers from the survivors in response to visitor questions.
(Japanese)
00:10:43 話者 10
Yahata is one of five survivors featured on the project.
Hers is the only testimony that responds in English.
00:11:00 話者 29
We had food shortages worse than during the war.
We ate sweet potatoes and pumpkin vines, anything we could find.
00:11:14 話者 10
She was not alone in preparing her recordings.
Her granddaughter Meg played a pivotal role by supporting her throughout the project.
00:11:24 話者 22/Yahata Meg
In the poor and difficult post-war years, Everyone helped each other to survive.
00:11:33 話者 10
Meg, who was born in the UK, recorded all 200 responses to provide a model for Yahata's English testimony.
00:11:42 話者 22
I'm hoping to sit with her and talk to her more about her experience and her memory and hopefully I can take her words and put it into a speech, so then I can carry her stories.
00:12:03 話者 10
Moved by Yahata's passion, Meg has now joined the Hiroshima CD program to become a family legacy successor.
That means she will be entrusted to tell her grandmother's stories for generations to come.
00:12:19 話者 29
(Japanese)
00:12:35 話者 10
Through new digital technology and a special bond between family, Yahata's living testimony will not only have a greater impact, but will now endure forever.
Fujie Risa, NHK World.
Kumamoto Quake
Survivors Continue to Struggle Amid Ongoing Heatwave
00:12:58 話者 1
People in Kumamoto Prefecture, where recovery efforts continue after last week's massive quake, are still reeling under sweltering temperatures.
They're being advised to take all possible measures against heat stroke.
The mercury on Thursday in Yatsushiro City reached 39 degrees Celsius.
Nearby Uki City reported 38 degrees as of 3 P.m.
00:13:26 話者 32
I'm trying to protect myself by staying hydrated.
00:13:31 話者 1
The 7.1 magnitude tremor struck on July 28. The death toll stands at 38, including one death that is suspected to be linked to the quake.
Eleven people have chosen to shelter at a nursery school, including school staff and their families.
The building has been closed since the quake and didn't suffer any major damage.
They're using children's mattresses as beds and sheets as curtains.
Since they don't have a water supply, they've been using river water to flush the toilets.
They've also been taking baths at neighbors' houses using well water.
The head of the nursery says he wanted to offer people a safe place to stay.
00:14:16 話者 33/Mori Muga/Nursery school director
I don't know how much we can help, but we will do what we can.
00:14:25 話者 1
Meanwhile, volunteers have been going around checking on survivors some are sheltering cars or in tents near their homes.
Nurses and certified psychologists are among those making the rounds.
00:14:40 話者 34
It's inconvenient that we don't have any temporary showers around here.
00:14:48 話者 1
Kumamoto officials say about 6,900 people are staying in evacuation shelters.
And as of Wednesday afternoon, authorities say more than 43,000 households were still without water.
Typhoon Dolphin Approaching Southern Japan
A big powerful typhoon is expected to approach the southern Japanese regions of Okinawa and Amami.
People there are urged to stay on high alert for violent winds and heavy rain.
Japanese weather officials say Typhoon Dolphin was 160 kilometers northeast of Okinawa prefecture's Minami Daitojima Island at 4 p.m. Thursday.
They believe it's moving west-northwest at a speed of 20 kilometers per hour.
On Thursday, the maximum wind speed is expected to reach about 125 kilometers per hour in Okinawa, 90 in Amami and around 70 in southern Kyushu.
The wind is forecast to get even stronger on Friday.
In Okinawa and Amami, it could be strong enough to make houses collapse.
The region can also expect heavy rain.
Bands of heavy rain clouds may emerge in Okinawa Prefecture's Daito Islands region between Thursday evening and early Friday.
They could also emerge in Okinawa's main island region between early Friday and Saturday morning.
Authorities are urging people to be ready in case of strong gusts of wind, high waves, landslides and flooding.
N.Korean Abductions
Thai Human Rights Officials Meet Former Japanese Abductee
A team of human rights commissioners from Thailand has met with a Japanese national who was abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and eventually returned to Japan.
They are seeking information about a Thai woman who is also believed to have been kidnapped by the North.
Two members of Thailand's National Human Rights Commission met with Soga Hitomi at Sado City Hall in Niigata Prefecture on the Sea of Japan.
Anocha Panchoi, originally from Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, went missing in 1978 while working in Macau.
Testimony by Soga's late husband, Charles Robert Jenkins, an American army deserter who was also being held by Pyongyang, suggested that the Thai woman was likely abducted by North Korea.
Soga told the commissioners that Panchoi lived in the same apartment complex as her family in the North Korean capital.
The commissioners asked Soga about Panchoi's life in North Korea, including about when she had taken care of Soga's starters.
00:17:29 話者 44/Soga Hitomi/Former abductee
I remember she was very nice and kind.
I called her my sister. She was such a caring and reliable person.
00:17:47 話者 1
After the meeting, the two commissioners visited the site in the city where Soga and her mother Miyoshi were abducted in August 1978.
Business
Now, for the latest on the business and financial fronts with Ramin Mellegard.
00:18:22 話者 15/Ramin Mellegard
Thank you very much indeed.
Japan Govt. Approves 2-Year Food Consumption Tax Cut to 1%
Now, Japan's government has decided to lower the consumption tax on food to 1 percent for two years from April 2027. It currently stands at 8 percent.
The reduction was approved at an extraordinary cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
In addition to cutting the tax rate to 1%, benefits will be provided to make the tax effectively zero for low and middle income earners.
The policy says the government will review all spending and revenue streams to secure the necessary funding. It will not rely on deficit covering bonds.
The government aims to come up with a conclusion during its budget formulation process for fiscal 2027.
00:19:12 話者 43/Takaichi Sanae/Japanese Prime Minister
We will conduct a zero-based review of all special accounts, government funds, and the like. I'm confident that we can secure the necessary funding through these reforms.
00:19:30 話者 15
The head of the Japan Business Federation, or Keidanaren, told reporters the tax cut will affect Social Security funding.
He said the government needs to take the perspective of the general public and try to ease their concerns.
00:19:47 話者 47/Tsutsui Yoshinobu/Chairman, Japan Business Federation
I think the government should clarify the alternative revenue sources.
I also think it is extremely important that the reduction ends in two years, as the government has promised.
00:19:59 話者 15
The government plans to submit draft tax reform bills during an extraordinary diet session expected in the fall.
Food Service Industry Divided Over Tax Cut
Now, reactions to the tax cut plan are mixed within Japan's food service industry.
The tax will be reduced from the current 8% to 1% for takeout food, but dine-in meals will remain at 10%, raising concerns about a possible drop in sales.
Staff at this takeout shop hope the move will be positive.
00:20:33 話者 45
Because the prices are higher, customers appear to be cutting back on purchases.
I hope the lower rate at 1 percent will encourage them to spend more.
00:20:45 話者 15
But at this yakitori grilled chicken restaurant that provides dining space, the owner is concerned.
He worries that the lower tax rate for takeout meals will discourage people from sitting down for a meal.
00:21:00 話者 48
Some customers may think buying food to go would be the better alternative.
That could reduce diner numbers here.
We will have to think of ways to deal with a potential drop.
00:21:16 話者 15
Restaurant operators will continue to consider how they will cope with the tax change and serve their customers.
Kumamoto Quake: Honda Suspends 3 Plants After Parts Maker Damaged
Honda Motor says is suspending production at three vehicle plants in Japan.
This comes after last week's powerful quake damaged a supplier's factory in Kumamoto Prefecture.
Honda said on Wednesday a plant operated by group parts maker Astemo suffered major damage in the jolt. This has affected parts procurement.
Astemo says it expects to resume some operations at the factory from Friday, but has no clear prospect for coming fully back online.
Honda says one assembly plant in Saitama prefecture and two in Mie prefecture will halt operations until August 19. This includes a scheduled summer break.
The automaker says it aims to then decide when it can restart output, after looking at recovery efforts by the parts supplier.
Toyota, Nissan and other automakers are moving to restart operations at their factories in Fukuoka Prefecture, which neighbors Kumamoto and elsewhere.
Nikkei 225 Falls Amid Profit-Taking on Chip Shares
Okay, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 stock index fell on Thursday as some investors took profits on semiconductor-related shares that had been on the rise.
The benchmark finished about 0.9% lower as 65,683.
It was down more than 2% from Wednesday's close at one stage during morning trading.
But the decline eased in the afternoon as some chip stocks were bought back.
Analysts also say the losses were limited because firms in a wide range of industries have issued strong earnings reports.
Markets
Okay, now let's get a check on some of the other stock markets.
♪
And that's it for Business News.
World Weather
00:24:07 話者 1
As we mentioned earlier, people in the southwestern islands of Japan are hunkering down as some will be taking a direct hit.
From Typhoon Dolphin on Friday, our meteorologist Yoko Komagata has the details in this world weather update.
00:24:21 話者 19/Yoko Komagata
Hello there.
The eye of the storm is now very close to Minami Daito, producing destructive winds of more than 100 kilometers per hour.
Typhoon Dolphin will continue to head toward the Okinawa and Amami regions overnight Thursday and move across these areas on Friday.
People there should experience gusts of nearly 200 kilometers per hour, possibly approaching trees and damaging structures.
Furthermore, storm surges and high waves related to life-threatening flooding.
Rainfall could reach 300 millimeters by Friday and more could arrive on Saturday, so people there should watch out for dangerous flooding.
As the storm system moves toward the west, rain and winds will also develop across the southeastern parts of China, including Shanghai, with the risk of flash flooding.
At the same time, Typhoon Dolphin will enhance the southwest monsoon, producing downpours along the northwestern seaboard of the Philippines.
In the north, Courching weather will continue in Seoul with highs approaching 40 degrees.
Highs in Beijing and Tokyo will be in the mid-30s with a chance of afternoon thunderstorms.
In Europe, dangerous heat will continue to be a major concern in Madrid and Rome on Thursday.
Meanwhile, some showers will produce some relief from the heat in Vienna and Warsaw.
In South America, an intense storm moving across southern Chile has caused bursts of showers leading to severe flooding.
Heavy rain has caused persistent flooding in southern Chile.
Over the weekend, the risk of rising water levels increased, prompting Chile's disaster agency to issue an alert.
Authorities urged residents to stay away from rivers and streams.
back-to-back storms will continue to produce heavy rain in Santiago and Buenos Ales on Thursday.
That's all for now. Have a nice day.
♫～ 3-DAY FORECAST ～♫
00:27:40 話者 1
And with that we conclude this hour's NHK Newsline.
I'm James Tengan in Tokyo. Thanks for watching.
checked.
NHK World
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