It's a Thursday evening here in Japan.
I'm James Tengan in Tokyo. Welcome to NHK Newsline.
IRAN SEIZES TWO SHIPS IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it has seized two vessels near the Strait of Hormuz.
It says they were operating without the required authorization and tampering with their navigation systems.
Reuters says it's the first time Iran has seized ships since the conflict with the United States and Israel began.
This footage was aired on Iranian state TV early Thursday morning.
The BBC says one of the vessels is a Greek-owned cargo ship.
It says the ship suffered extensive damage after coming under Iranian fire.
The BBC also reported that the IRGC said the ships were headed toward the Iranian coast.
White House spokesperson Caroline Levitt said in a Fox News interview on Wednesday that the seized vessels were not US ships, nor Israeli ships, but international vessels.
She said the seizure is, therefore, not a violation of the ceasefire between the US and Iran.
Meanwhile, the US is continuing its blockade against Iran.
The US Central Command announced on Wednesday that 31 vessels have been turned back so far.
It says the measures have been implemented not only in the Middle East, but other regions. And most of the vessels were oil tankers.
DETAILS OF CEASEFIRE EXTENSION UNCLEAR
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has told the New York Post that negotiations with Iran could begin as early as Friday.
But Iranian leaders appear to be rejecting that idea.
Officials in Pakistan have been mediating the negotiations.
The newspaper cites sources in Islamabad as saying,
There have been positive efforts with Iran, and they say more talks could happen in the next 36 to 72 hours.
Trump told the paper the timeline is possible.
But Iran's Tasnim news agency wrote on social media that Trump lied again.
It says officials haven't decided to join any talks on Friday.
Iran's parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Baghughalibaf, posted his own comment.
He says the ceasefire is meaningful only if it's not violated by the US
blockade.
Axios quoted a source saying that Trump is willing to wait another three to five days, but it says the extension will not be open-ended.
The White House denied that the timeline even exists.
It says Trump hasn't set a firm deadline and that the Iranians are in disarray.
00:02:43 話者 2
There's obviously a lot of internal division.
This is a battle between the pragmatists and the hardliners in Iran right now, and the president wants a unified response.
00:02:53 話者 1
CNN has reported more details on why Trump may have extended the ceasefire.
It says he huddled with top officials at the White House on Tuesday.
And it says Vice President JD Vance was ready to depart for Pakistan as the deadline approached.
The US side reportedly sent Tehran a list of points for an agreement, but received no reply.
Officials pressed Pakistan's army chief to get some kind of response before Vance boarded his plane.
But hours went by with no answer.
The report says the deadline was extended to give Iranian officials more time.
They need to form a consensus with approval from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
EU PLANS COUNTERMEASURES TO JET FUEL SHORTAGES
The European Commission has announced it will set up measures to respond to concerns about jet fuel shortages amid rising prices due to the Iran conflict.
00:03:47 話者 3
The coming months will be filled with uncertainties.
The crisis will hit different member states in different ways.
As we cannot predict everything, we must be prepared for anything.
00:04:04 話者 1
Jorgensen's comment follows the Commission's proposal published on Wednesday of a series of measures to address the impact on the region's energy markets.
The European Union's executive body says it will establish a system to track transport fuel stock levels in the EU.
It says this will enable swift identification of potential shortages and will be used in emergency stock releases.
The Commission will also propose measures on alternative jet fuel supplies to optimize distribution among member countries.
It notes that imports account for about 40 percent of jet fuel consumption in the European Union, half of which pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
The turmoil in the Middle East has triggered a wave of price hikes on energy and products worldwide.
ANALYSIS: HOW THE OIL CRISIS IS PLAYING OUT WORLDWIDE
Earlier, I asked NHK's deputy chief commentator, Iida Kaori, about the oil crisis and its impact on the global economy.
Kaori, can you help us understand where things stand economically right now?
00:05:08 話者 4/Iida Kaori
Sure. While we're looking at a possible ceasefire extension, the Strait of Hormuz is still being tightly controlled, and it's spelling trouble for the global oil supply, particularly in Asia, which depends heavily on Middle Eastern crude oil.
It's probably easiest to see the impact at the pumps.
Here in Japan, prices are up only 8% due to government subsidies,
But they've doubled, or almost doubled, in some Asian countries already.
Myanmar is the biggest hit, with prices up 108 percent.
Remember, 80 percent of the oil coming through the Strait of Hormuz goes to Asian markets.
So this part of the world has a lot to worry about right now.
Experts are even warning that the Iran shock could turn into a full-blown economic crisis for Asia.
00:05:58 話者 1
That sounds absolutely ominous.
Kaori, how is the rest of the world faring?
00:06:02 話者 4
James, not much better.
In Australia, for instance, gas prices are up almost 30%.
This is because refinery rationalization has left the country with only two operating refineries, forcing it to rely heavily on gasoline imports from Singapore and elsewhere.
In Europe, prices are also climbing.
Germany and the UK are both up around 20%.
The US
is taking a hit, too, with prices up 42% at the pumps.
00:06:33 話者 1
How are governments responding to this?
00:06:35 話者 4
Some are responding with pretty severe measures to conserve energy.
The Philippines is in a state of emergency, and government employees are down to a four-day work week to reduce travel.
In South Korea, driving is restricted based on whether license plates end in an odd or even number.
And to curb air conditioning use, Singapore and Bangladesh are asking people to keep indoor temperatures to 25 degrees Celsius, and in Sri Lanka and Thailand, that's 26 degrees.
We're not seeing any official guidelines to conserve oil in Japan.
The country has about eight months' reserves, and the Prime Minister says she expects to secure enough supply to last through early next year, and she's pointed out that routes are being developed to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.
00:07:23 話者 1
And speaking of, if the strait reopens sooner rather than later, how will that affect markets?
00:07:28 話者 4
I'm seeing a lot of concern that even if we return to the status quo tomorrow, high prices will persist.
Hundreds of ships are stranded in the strait right now, and it'll take time to make sure they can move on safely.
The International Monetary Fund is also warning that damage to oil infrastructure in the Middle East means it'll take a while for production to return to pre-conflict levels.
00:07:52 話者 1
So it sounds like shortages and high prices will unfortunately continue.
00:07:56 話者 4
Yes, it's looking that way.
The IMF is now forecasting slower economic growth around the world because of this oil crisis.
People are saying it's the biggest shock since COVID and even the 2008 global financial crisis.
The de facto closure of the state of Hormuz has effectively removed about 20% of the world's oil from the market.
And even now, some analysts argue that current prices are based on what they call irrational optimism.
It could get a lot worse and last for a long time, with some estimates at about two years for Middle East oil production to be restored to normal levels.
As the International Energy Agency put it, even the wealthiest countries cannot escape this crisis.
KYIV WANTS SUMMIT WITH PUTIN ANYWHERE BUT RUSSIA, BELARUS
00:08:46 話者 1
Ukraine's foreign minister says President Vladimir Zelensky is prepared to meet his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, for talks as long as they're held anywhere except Russia or its ally, Belarus.
Ukrainian media reported Andriy Sipyha's remarks on Wednesday.
He said Ukraine is pushing for a Zelensky-Putin summit to give fresh momentum to diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.
He said Kyiv has asked Turkey and other nations to host the meeting.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's state emergency service said on Wednesday one person was killed in a Russian attack in the northeastern region of Sumy.
And Russian authorities said two people, including a child, were killed in the central region of Samara in an attack by Ukraine that damaged residential and other buildings.
EFFORTS CONTINUE TO PUT OUT WILDFIRES IN NORTHEASTERN JAPAN
Two wildfires have broken out in Iwate Prefecture in northeastern Japan and are continuing to spread.
00:09:49 話者 5
To ensure the safety of our residents, we are working closely with disaster prevention.
00:09:53 話者 1
Agencies to extinguish the fires as quickly as possible.
One of the blazes started on Wednesday in Kozuchi, a mountainous area of Otsuchi town.
Fire authorities said they received a report of the fire shortly before 2 p.m.
When they reached the scene, there were also seven buildings burning, including one home.
Authorities said another wildfire was confirmed in the Kitikiti area of the same town on Wednesday evening.
They said it was dangerously close to homes.
Teams of firefighters are working to contain both blazes, but about 200 hectares had burned as of 6 a.m. on Thursday, according to town officials.
The town has issued an evacuation order for more than 2,500 residents.
I could see the smoke from my house. I fled.
00:10:45 話者 6
Our house was not affected by the tsunami in the Great East Japan earthquake in 2011, but it caught fire and was completely destroyed.
It hasn't been that long since we rebuilt it.
And now, another fire.
00:11:00 話者 1
Town authorities say there have been no reports so far of anyone unable to evacuate safely.
But one woman was injured in a fall at an evacuation center.
The Japanese government set up an information liaison at the Crisis Management Center in the Prime Minister's office on Thursday morning.
Staff there are working to gather information and confirm the extent of the damage.
EXPERT: 'SLOW SLIP EVENTS' ON THE RISE NEAR TOHOKU
An expert says the strong earthquake off the coast of northeastern Japan on Monday might have occurred in an area known for slow slip events.
and he says that seismic phenomenon could be expanding.
The government's Earthquake Research Committee says the magnitude 7.7 quake could have occurred at the boundary between the landward tectonic plate and the Pacific plate that is subducting beneath it.
Scientists have observed slow-slip events at this boundary before.
These gradual, silent movements of tectonic plates
don't cause noticeable tremors, but they may trigger earthquakes nearby.
The red dots on this map show the area where large slow-slip events have occurred off the coast of Tohoku since the beginning of this year.
It also shows large earthquakes that have occurred in the same area since 2025.
Monday's earthquake also occurred around the red dots.
Uchida Naoki of the University of Tokyo says:
The effects of the slow-slip events may be extending to the north side of the epicenter of Monday's quake.
There was a major quake in the same area about 30 years ago.
00:12:39 話者 5
We expect this area to have a big slide at some point, and that will cause a major earthquake.
Slow-slip events don't end quickly and can last for a long period.
We need to pay attention to seismic activities around this area.
00:12:58 話者 1
The Japan Meteorological Agency has issued an alert for a potential mega-quake in northeastern Japan.
The alert covers 182 municipalities in coastal areas of the prefectures of Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, Ibaraki, and Chiba.
People in those areas should follow the advisory until next Monday.
It does not call for advance evacuation.
JAPAN CONFIRMS RECORD HIGH CASES OF FIRE ANTS
Japan's Environment Ministry says highly venomous fire ants were spotted on 36 occasions in fiscal 2025, which ended in March.
The number of cases is at a record high.
The reddish-brown fire ants are native to South America.
They could have a devastating impact on Japan's ecology if they inhabit the country.
They're designated an invasive alien species requiring urgent action.
The insects have been found inside cargo containers arriving from abroad and at ports every year since they were first confirmed in 2017 in Amagasaki City in the western prefecture of Hyogo.
The 36 cases in fiscal 2025 by prefecture include 15 in Tokyo and 10 in Kanagawa.
Niigata and Toyama prefectures confirmed sightings for the first time.
The Environment Ministry says there have been 53 cases since 2017 in which the ports of departure of cargo containing fire ants were identified.
percent came from China.
The ministry says all fire ants spotted in Japan have been exterminated, and no infestations have been confirmed.
But an expert warns that fire ants can become endemic in Japan due to global warming.
00:14:48 話者 6
It has become hotter in summer in recent years in cities across Japan, including Tokyo, and the climate is becoming similar to the natural habitat of fire ants.
If they live underground during the winter, they can live on the surface for the rest of the year.
00:15:08 話者 1
He adds serious efforts are needed to prevent their spread.
20 JAPANESE PREFECTURES HAVE WORKER PACTS WITH FOREIGN GOVTS.
An NHK survey has found nearly half of Japan's 47 prefectures have memorandums with foreign governments to secure workers amid Japan's ongoing labor shortage.
NHK learned that 20 prefectures have signed such memorandums.
Their partners include administrative authorities in Vietnam, Indonesia, India, and Nepal.
The parties undertake to work together to develop suitable working environments for foreign workers in areas such as agriculture, tourism, and nursing care.
They also agree to other measures, including appropriate living arrangements and regular information exchanges.
The number of foreign workers in Japan reached a record 2.57 million as of the end of last October.
But about 40 percent of them are concentrated in Tokyo and its three neighboring prefectures.
One expert says local governments are increasingly taking independent measures to attract foreign workers.
When it.
00:16:14 話者 7
Comes to reliably securing foreign labor, there are suboptimal disparities in the level of support provided by local governments.
I believe the central government should give more guidance on how to support foreign workers.
00:16:28 話者 1
Manjome says foreign workers who start out in regional areas often move on to cities.
He says if local governments supported the workers to learn Japanese and integrate with Japanese residents, they may not be so inclined to move away.
BUSINESS
And now here to walk us through what's happening in business and finance is Yuko Fukushima.
00:17:01 話者 8/Yuko Fukushima
Yeah, thanks, James.
NIKKEI 225 SEES PROFIT-TAKING AFTER 60,000 RECORD
Well, Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei 225 stock index crossed the 60,000 line to set a record intraday high on Thursday, but ended the day lower.
Our business reporter Kitai Genki gives us the details from the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
00:17:17 話者 9
Buy orders increased soon after the opening, especially for AI and semiconductor-related shares that pushed the Nikkei above the 60,000 level for the first time.
But later, many investors locked in profits, selling led the index to finish three-quarters of a percent lower at 59,140, ending a three-day winning streak.
The intraday record followed the announcement of an Iran ceasefire extension by US
President Donald Trump.
Investors have recently reacted sharply to the US-Iran moves, buying on growing expectations for an end to the conflict.
The nickel fell significantly in March, but the trend turned upward at the beginning of this month.
But Washington and Tehran are sending mixed messages about navigation through the strait of Hormuz.
Market sources say investors remain largely cautious because of uncertainties about how the Iran conflict will play out.
I'm Kita Genki, NHK World from the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
JAPAN GOVT., BANKING SECTOR TO DISCUSS 'CLAUDE MYTHOS' AI RISKS
00:18:23 話者 8
Now, in other business news this hour, Japan's financial services agency plans to meet with the country's financial sector to discuss the risks that a groundbreaking new AI model may pose to banking security.
US-based startup Anthropic has developed the Claude Mythos AI model.
The system is said to have exceptional capabilities to identify vulnerabilities in operating systems and web browsers.
Concerns are rising that it could be exploited by hackers.
Financial Services Minister Katayama Satsuki said that her agency will convene a meeting with financial institutions to exchange views on the model as early as Friday.
00:19:04 話者 10
First, we'd like to review the status and exchange ideas.
We want to discuss issues that are beginning to be pointed out in various places in the international financial community.
00:19:17 話者 8
Participants include the Bank of Japan, three mega-banks, and the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
BUY CANADIAN: CARNEY'S PIVOT TO BUILD DEFENSE INDUSTRY
Canada's defense industry has long been dependent on US companies.
But as ties with Washington grow strained over tariff policies and other issues, Prime Minister Mark Carney is designing a new strategy.
In simple terms, buy Canadian. NHK World's David McClure has the story.
00:19:45 話者 11/David McClure
In February, Carney's administration announced details of the government's spending targets.
The goal is to turn the domestic defense industry into a growth sector, generating jobs and opportunities.
The plan is known as the Defense Industrial Strategy.
It aims to trigger investments of more than 340 billion US dollars over the next 10 years.
This would boost the domestic share of defense procurement to 70% from a reported 30%.
Carney has made clear he sees Russia across the Arctic Circle as the biggest military threat.
He visited Norway in March to deepen security cooperation with Nordic countries, which also see Russia as a security challenge.
00:20:32 話者 7
We are all making significant additional investments in our defense and security to protect our peoples, given the threats that have gone up immeasurably.
Look, the biggest security threat, physical security threat,
in the Arctic is Russia.
00:20:48 話者 11
Canada's new strategy is already causing a surge in the number of local startups seeking government defense contracts.
This venture firm was founded last year and is developing data and communication sensors.
A prototype set up on a frozen lake is designed for use in the Arctic.
The goal is to set up a network of sensors over vast frozen areas.
Data from the sensors will then be fed into custom AI-enabled software to analyze and detect possible threats from air, land, or sea.
The company also plans to produce a fleet of reconnaissance drones that would communicate with the Arctic Sensor Network.
The goal is to become a large defense contractor, known in the industry as a prime.
00:21:40 話者 6
We are designing this space to be a sort of factory of the future.
The history of Canadian defense is, by and large, they integrate into foreign primes.
The opportunity now is for Canada to have the ambition to build their own global primes.
00:22:01 話者 11
Rockets are on the drawing board at another startup, which aims to have a fully developed Canadian-built model launching in 10 years.
The startup says it has hired engineers who worked in US space development projects, including at SpaceX.
00:22:17 話者 3
It's a signal, equally importantly, to the private capital markets that this is a government priority and there is funding and there is interest.
So in periods of conflict and as the world becomes, you know, unfortunately filled with more conflict, we need the ability to replace both ours and our allies' assets in space.
And without that, it would be very difficult to remain a sovereign nation without those key capabilities.
00:22:50 話者 11
Canada's massive spending plans on domestic defense were spurred by difficult disagreements with longtime ally Washington.
But the end result may attract more talent and technologies to the country and give a significant boost to the economy.
David McClure, NHK World.
MARKETS
00:23:11 話者 8
And let's check on the latest currencies and stocks.
♪
And that is the biz for this hour.
WEATHER
00:24:45 話者 1
Now for a check on the weather. For much of Japan, it's not a good time to be without an umbrella. as our meteorologist Yumi Hirano tells us.
00:24:54 話者 12/Yumi Hirano
Widespread showers are affecting western Japan.
More than 110 millimeters of rain was reported in Kagoshima Prefecture.
Intense rain is now hitting eastern Japan, including Tokyo, just in time for the evening commute. Windy conditions are also possible.
However, the rain is not expected to reach Iwate Prefecture, where wildfires continue.
In the bigger picture across Asia, the same system is also stretching along southern China.
Up to 130 millimeters of rain is possible in Guangdong Province by Friday afternoon.
Downpours are also expected in Hong Kong.
Showers in Tokyo will taper off by Friday morning, and sunny skies may return later.
Moving to the United States, dry weather has been persisting in the southeast.
Atlanta saw only 3-point-3 millimeters of rain in the past 30 days, just 3 percent of its average.
The dry conditions may increase and intensify wildfires.
Thick smog has been causing hazy skies across the US southeast this week.
This comes after large wildfires erupted on Tuesday, forcing many people to flee their homes.
Local media say the flames have destroyed more than 50 homes in Georgia.
Although the cause of the fires is unknown, drought and low humidity has made the situation worse.
Atlanta will continue to be hot and dry with a high of 29.
Warmer than usual conditions are also likely in other cities.
The highs will be 28 in Houston, 27 in Oklahoma City.
That's all for now. Have a nice day.
♫～ 3-DAY FORECAST ～♫
00:27:39 話者 1
For more news, feature stories and information, visit our app or website.
I'm James Tengan. Thanks for watching.
NHK World
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