Welcome back to NHK Newsline. I'm Kanako Sachno.
Storms Expected as Extreme Heat Continues Across Japan
Intense heat continues across Japan Friday, with temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius for the fourth day in a row.
Officials are warning people to take precautions against heat stroke, and storms are expected to develop in some areas as atmospheric conditions become unstable.
The mercury soared to 40.8 degrees in Kuwana City in Mie Prefecture.
It reached 40.2 degrees in Gifu Prefecture's Mino City.
Readings of 39.7 degrees were recorded in Aichi Prefecture's Nagoya City and Kochi Prefecture's Shimanto City.
(Japanese)
Heat stroke alerts are in place for 32 of the country's 47 prefectures, stretching from the Kanto region to Okinawa.
The number of people taken to hospitals has been surging across the country.
Officials are advising people to use air conditioning, consume adequate amounts of liquids and salt, and avoid intense outdoor activities.
Meanwhile, atmospheric conditions are likely to be unstable in the Kanto, Koshinetsu and Tohoku regions.
Tainai City in Niigata Prefecture experienced torrential rain of 56 millimeters per hour before 11 a.m. on Friday.
Officials say thunderstorms are expected across the regions and are calling on people to be on high alert for landslides and swollen rivers in low-lying areas.
Iran Conflict
Trump Warns Tehran Over Houthi Attacks as US Strikes Continue
US Central Command says its forces have completed a 13th consecutive night of strikes against Iranian military targets.
It said in a social media post that the strikes are intended to diminish threats from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to commercial shipping.
This comes as Houthi rebels in Yemen say they've carried out attacks on Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea.
The Houthis said on Thursday that they'd launched missile and drone strikes on two vessels in response to Saudi Arabia violating their declared naval blockade.
The announcement drew a swift response from Washington.
President Donald Trump warned on social media that if they do it again, the US will hold Iran responsible.
He says the Houthis are a proxy force for Iran, and he says further attacks could prompt the US military to target them both.
Meanwhile, US news site Axios reports that Trump is considering a massive attack on Iran, one that he says would be bigger than ever before.
It says he acknowledged that such a strike would have consequences, but he claims the military is ready and that he's close to making a decision.
War in Ukraine
Zelenskyy Discusses Prospects for Peace Talks With US Envoys
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he's talked with US envoys about ways of reviving peace negotiations with Russia.
Zelenskyy said he held a phone conversation with US President Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner.
He said he was waiting for the relevant proposals and will discuss them with the Americans as soon as possible.
Ukraine's president revealed the talks at a news conference.
He said if his country is satisfied that serious discussions are possible, there will likely be a trilateral meeting with the US and Russia.
He added this all needs to be done before autumn.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was asked about proposals for a peace deal raised at a US-Russia summit last August. Rubio said those efforts failed.
00:03:46 話者 12/Marco Rubio
You can't have a peace deal unless both sides agree to it.
But we'll have to find new suggestions and new ideas, because certainly that one, it was not acceptable to Ukraine at the time, and I don't think it's acceptable to them now either.
00:03:57 話者 1
A Ukrainian media outlet reported that last year's proposals involved the division of territories.
Rubio added that the US is prepared to play a constructive role in bringing about an end to the conflict.
2 Towns, 2 Nuclear Disasters: Japan and Ukraine Share Tragic Past
Two municipalities, one in Japan, the other in Ukraine, are dealing with similar challenges after each suffering their own distinct nuclear disasters.
Now Futaba Town in Japan's Fukushima Prefecture and Slavutych, north of Kyiv, are joining forces to try to overcome their difficult histories.
Slovutic isn't far from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
For almost the last 40 years, it's grappled with stigma in the aftermath of what's called the world's worst nuclear accident.
That experience rings familiar to Japanese towns affected by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
Those disasters led to a triple meltdown at the TEPCO-operated Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
That unique type of tragedy is why Slavutych and Futaba have now signed an agreement to share what they've learnt about rebuilding their communities.
00:05:06 話者 23/Yurii Fomichev/Slavutych Mayor
Even now, 40 years after the Chernobyl accident and 39 years after Slavutych city was established, some people still ask, Is the radiation here really safe?
I imagine it's the same in Fukushima.
00:05:27 話者 24/Izawa Shiro/Futaba Town Mayor
We share many common challenges, and I hope that by continuing our exchange, we can also use what we learn from each other for our own reconstruction.
00:05:35 話者 1
But Slavutych is now facing new challenges.
Russia's prolonged invasion has had a major impact on the city's economy.
People are moving away, and it's worrying those who remain.
Sofia Sidorova is a university student who's doing her best to keep Slavutych alive.
Most of her relatives worked in the nuclear plant.
She wants to make sure their story is passed on, but fears for the future of her hometown as its population dwindles.
She's hoping the agreement with Fdaba will generate new ideas for preserving her town's history.
00:06:13 話者 25/Sofia Sidorova/Slavutych resident
A physical museum could be destroyed by the attack.
So I want to create a virtual museum online using VR technology.
What Japan and Ukraine Can Learn From Each Other About Disasters
00:06:24 話者 1
Earlier I spoke with NHK World's Takasu Eri in Kyiv.
She covered the aftermath of the nuclear accident in Fukushima until four years ago.
Eri, how is Russia's ongoing evasion affecting Slavutich?
What are you seeing?
00:06:44 話者 2/Takasu Eri
The first thing that struck out was how many people still depend on jobs related to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
And their lives have been dramatically altered by the invasion.
There's a route through Belarus that connects the city to the Chernobyl plant, but because of the invasion, it's no longer available.
That forces workers to travel over six hours one way to work at the plant.
Serhii Akulinin is one of the residents we spoke to.
He once worked at the nuclear plant and worries about his city's future.
00:07:24 話者 27/Serhii Akulinin/Slavutych resident
The population is aging.
It's a wonderful city for children, but there aren't enough jobs for young people.
I just hope the war ends as soon as possible.
00:07:34 話者 1
Given the difficulties, what does it mean for the city to have this agreement with Futaba in place?
00:07:46 話者 2
Mayor Fomichev just told me the origin of this pact go back to his visit to Futaba town seven years ago. What interested him was so-called social recovery.
So how to support people forced to leave their hometown after a nuclear accident and how to rebuild communities that have been lost.
Amid the invasion, the city hopes to learn from Futaba, which has spent the last 15 years rebuilding that includes attracting businesses, revitalizing the local economy, and encouraging residents to return.
And of course, Slavutych can also share its experience with Futaba.
One is how the city has dealt with concerns about radiation and reputational damage in the nearly 40 years since the accident.
Another is how it has passed on the memories and lessons of the disaster to future generations.
Serhii, for example, has been a tour guide for about 9,000 visitors from around the world, sharing the lessons of the accident and the progress of decommissioning efforts.
And we saw younger people like Sophia, who are finding new ways to communicate those experiences to people around the world.
So it's clear both communities have a lot to gain from this kind of formal kinship and regular exchange.
Business
00:09:19 話者 1
Now for more business stories, here's Ramin Mellegard.
00:09:24 話者 7/Ramin Mellegard
Thank you very much indeed.
US Imposes New Tariffs on Imports
Now, the administration of US President Donald Trump has imposed more new tariffs on 60 major trading partners, including Japan.
The administration says the levy on Japanese imports to the US will be 12.5 percent if the existing tariff on those goods is below that rate.
It says no additional tariffs will be imposed if they're already more than 12.5 percent.
The new levies came into force after the current 10 percent ones expired just after 12 a.m. Friday, US Eastern Time.
The Trump administration had said the additional 12.5 percent tariff is based on Section 301 of the Trade Act.
It targets countries and regions that it says have failed to take appropriate action against goods made with, what it calls, forced labor.
Japan Trade Minister Calls Additional US Tariffs 'Regrettable'
Japan's trade minister said the new tariffs were regrettable.
00:10:23 話者 35/Akazawa Ryosei/Japanese Trade Minister
Industrial and trade activities in our country are conducted in accordance with international rules.
So, it is regrettable that the US has chosen to impose tariffs by citing the absence of an import ban on products made with forced labor.
00:10:41 話者 7
Akazawa Ryosei also said Tokyo had confirmed with Washington that Japan would not face any additional tariffs beyond those agreed upon last year.
He added that the Japanese government will keep in close communication with the US side over this issue.
The Trump administration argues that excessive production by Japan, China and other Trade Partners is dealing a blow to the US industry.
Washington is currently looking into this matter and may raise tariffs further.
Akazawa said he will refrain from making any comments that would prejudge the outcome of the US investigation, but he said he does not anticipate a conclusion that would impose any additional burden on Japan.
Japan's Inflation Up 1.6% in June
Japan's inflation for June ticked up 1.6 percent from a year earlier.
Consumers were hit by higher electricity and gas bills, as well as rising food costs.
The Internal Affairs Ministry says the consumer price index, excluding fresh food, rose from the 1.4 percent increased recorded increase recorded in May.
Now the CPI has remained below the Bank of Japan's 2% target for five straight months.
The low rate of increase is partly due to a government program to reduce education costs.
A drop in gasoline prices also contributed.
The government is keeping the energy bill down with subsidies amid the situation in the Middle East.
But overall food prices, excluding fresh items, rose 3.1 percent from last year.
Coffee beans jumped 23 percent. Boxed lunches increased about 11 percent.
And chocolate was up nearly 9 percent.
But rice prices fell for the second straight month, dropping about 9 percent.
It was the biggest decline since August 2015.
Nikkei 225 Falls Sharply on AI Spending Worries, Oil Rise
The Nikkei 225 stock index fell sharply on Friday as concerns about higher crude oil prices and heavy spending on AI infrastructure weighed on investor sentiment.
The benchmark fell 2.7% at the end of the day at 64,611.
It lost more than 2,200 points at one stage, down more than 3% from Thursday's close.
WTI crude oil futures hit $93 a barrel overnight as the United States and Iran continue to exchange fire.
Concern resurfaced over whether huge spending on A.I. infrastructure by the US I.T. giants is excessive, and investors placed sell orders for shares related to A.I. in Japan.
As these negative factors accumulated, investor sentiment worsened and the losses increased.
Now, analysts say investors will closely focus on monetary policy meetings in Japan and the US next week, as well as the announcement of financial results by semiconductor-related firms.
They point out that the market may react sharply depending on the results.
Biz Picks
Okay, next, NGK World's Gene Otani is here with BizPicks.
00:13:53 話者 6/Gene Otani
Let's take a look at the key business and economic stories for the week ahead.
The US Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan will both announce their latest monetary policy directions during the week.
Analyst: Key Drivers of US Growth Set to Change
And the US Commerce Department releases its GDP report for the April to June period on Thursday.
Real GDP increased at an annual rate of 2.1% from the previous three months.
Officials said the rise mainly reflected strong investment and exports.
Yasaku Daisuke is a senior researcher at Daiwa Institute of Research.
He expects US growth in the second quarter order to be 1.9 percent, that's steady expansion despite the Middle East conflict.
Yasaku says the main driver has been robust domestic demand.
00:14:43 話者 44/Yasaku Daisuke
I predict that personal consumption, which is the foundation of the US economy, grew faster than the January to March period and marked steady growth.
Low and middle income earners suffered as crude oil prices remained mainly high in the April to June quarter.
Personal consumption among high-income earners was propped up by President Trump's tax cuts and high share prices.
An increase in active AI-related investment was another contributor, but the US alone cannot supply the components necessary for all the AI-related investment, so the country's imports were increasing. That's one factor that pushes down GDP.
00:15:24 話者 6
US tech giants invested heavily in data centers and chips on the back of the generative AI boom that helped lift US stock prices.
But Yasaku points out that concerns are now mounting in the market over how far the monetization of the AI sector can go.
He says if stock prices fall, the asset effect would be suppressed and personal spending by high earners will likely be squeezed.
00:15:53 話者 44
At the bottom, corporate AI-related investment has generally been strong, but investors are becoming wary of an adjustment in the market.
I think the possibility of a rapid stall in that investment is low as the use of AI grows, but selecting targets with profitability in mind is expected to advance.
So, I expect that maintaining the rapid pace of investment we're seeing today would be difficult.
00:16:18 話者 6
Meanwhile, real wages began to improve when inflation eased in June.
Yasaku believes that a broader group of consumers will support spending against that backdrop.
00:16:30 話者 44
In the second-half of this year, low- and middle-income earners will become active in spending. Capital investment will likely slow down, which will make imports decelerate.
These factors will support the economy.
00:16:45 話者 6
Stability in the Middle East is needed to bring inflation down, but the situation remains volatile with crude oil prices rising once again.
Yesaku says that with the US midterm elections approaching, Trump is hoping to contain the conflict. However, the outlook remains uncertain.
I'm Gene Otani, and that's this week's Biz Picks.
00:17:10 話者 7
Great.
Markets
Okay, let's get a check on the markets.
♪
And that is it for Business News.
China's AI Micro-Dramas Go Viral
00:17:49 話者 1
AI-generated micro-dramas are surging in popularity in China.
By April, 110,000 such dramas had already gone online, almost double last year's total.
The rapid growth is driving a new trend in the country's entertainment industry.
00:18:12 話者 5/Narrator: Yoshino Mika/Reporter: Yamamoto Koji
AI dramas are on smartphone screens across China.
Each episode runs a few minutes, with a series lasting about one to two hours.
One of this year's top-ranked AI short dramas was created by a production company in Wuhan, Hubei Province.
Founder Zuo Yuxuan produced animation until last year.
Now, most of his productions are AI-generated.
00:18:44 話者 58/Zuo Yuxuan/Founder & Director, Manghe (Wuhan) Animation Technology
This scene shows the main character racing through the sky like the wind.
We describe exactly what kind of effects we want.
Once we give detailed instructions, AI generates the video.
00:18:57 話者 5
Here's how it works.
Once the AI gets the instructions, it takes just a few minutes before the characters are created and scenes with backgrounds are generated.
Our reporter tried it out. They put a picture of him into the AI.
A full-body character was generated, along with facial expressions such as anger and joy.
Scene instructions are then entered into special software.
Just 10 minutes later, the AI video is complete.
Production costs of an AI micro-drama are about one-third of those using human actors.
Production time is slashed to one-fifth.
With seven to eight staff working as one team, the company produces about six to eight dramas a month.
00:20:00 話者 58
We have to meet the audience's high expectations of quality and precision.
AI is a tool for creators. It helps us turn stories and scenes in our minds into finished works more quickly and more effectively.
00:20:15 話者 5
Zhuo says as demand grows, one of the biggest challenges is finding people with AI production skills.
He is looking to recruit new talent at a firm that teaches AI to young people.
He plans to double his current staff of about 40.
00:20:32 話者 58
We don't have enough skilled staff, but it's difficult to find the people we're looking for.
00:20:39 話者 5
The rise of AI dramas is also having a major impact on the broader entertainment industry.
An AI drama exhibition was recently held in Hengdian, Zhejiang Province, often called the Hollywood of the East, while booths for film production equipment have few visitors.
AI drama booths are packed.
Film sets recreating historic streets have reportedly seen far less use this year.
Places that were once crowded with background actors are now quiet.
Jobs and pay are being affected.
00:21:21 話者 53/Background actor
I lost almost all of my work and filming. It's a serious situation.
00:21:29 話者 55/Background actor
Pay is low, it's clearly a situation caused by AI.
AI-generated dramas are rapidly transforming China's entertainment industry.
The question is whether they can continue to capture the hearts of viewers in the years to come.
Medium and Heavy Rare Earths Found Off Japan Island
00:21:47 話者 1
Japanese researchers say mud from the seabed in Japan's exclusive economic zone contains rare earth elements vital for high-tech products.
A team test mined about 50 tons of mud from a depth of around 5,600 meters of Minami-Torishima Island in the Pacific.
They did the work in February under a Cabinet Office project.
Team members reported the results of their analysis.
They said more than half the minerals in the mud are what are known as medium and heavy rare earths. These are said to be even rarer than other rare earths.
They include an element called yttrium, which is used in semiconductor production devices. This accounted for the highest proportion of the minerals at around 30%.
They did not disclose the total volume of rare earths found in the mud.
00:22:38 話者 63/Ishii Shoichi/Program Director, JAMSTEC
In response to the successful test, we are speeding up preparations to go ahead with a large-scale mining test under full operation in February next year.
00:22:49 話者 1
Japan relies heavily on China for supplies of medium and heavy rare earths.
The research team believes mining on an industrial scale would be immensely valuable to Japan if it could be achieved.
Sprawling Sunflower Maze in Bloom in Nagasaki
If you're looking to get lost in a field of sunflowers, Nagasaki has you covered.
Children in the prefecture have built a maze using over 150,000 flowers.
Unzen City is home to the sunflower maze every year.
Local elementary school students designed the labyrinth, and local residents helped bring it to life. They hope the maze will become a new tourist attraction.
(Japanese)
It will remain open to the public through the end of July.
Oiwa to Manage Japan Men's National Soccer Team
The Japan Football Association has decided on a successor to lead the men's national soccer team.
The new head coach will manage the campaign for the 2030 World Cup to be co-hosted by Morocco, Portugal and Spain.
00:24:02 話者 73/Yukawa Kazuyuki/General Secretary, Japan Football Association
A proposed resolution has been adopted. As a result, Mr. Oiwa Go will manage the team starting from the friendly match in March 2027 through to the World Cup in 2030.
00:24:15 話者 1
The association held an executive meeting on Thursday. It decided Oiwa Goh, head coach of the men's national youth team, will take over the senior squad.
He'll continue managing the youth team ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
54-year-old Oiwa is replacing Moriyasu Hajime, who led the recent World Cup campaign.
Japan was eliminated in the knockout stage, losing to Brazil.
The association says Moriyasu will remain in charge of the national team until the Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia next January and February.
World Weather
As we reported earlier, dangerous heat continues to grip western Japan, while downpours have been impacting the east.
Our meteorologist Sayaka Mori joins us now with the details.
00:25:01 話者 9/Sayaka Mori
Hello there. It's a mixed bag here in Japan.
It's almost cloud free across the west, but there's a line of clouds developing across the east. Underneath it, heavy rain has been pounding.
Now, we've got nearly 60 millimeters of rainfall recorded in just one hour across Niigata Prefecture.
This is a rainy season. You know, this is the rainy season still in the Hokuriku region.
This is a boundary between cooler air from the north and warm and juicy air from the south. So the combination is bringing quite unstable conditions.
Now, the system will likely stay here for a while, so we'll likely see an additional 120 millimeters of rainfall into the next 24 hours.
That's 50 percent of the average July rainfall that could easily cause flooding and also landslides.
On top of that, damaging winds, tornadoes, isolated tornadoes and gusts could be a concern across there, and then hail is also a possibility.
To the south of the front, Tokyo area is peppered with thunderstorms because of daytime heating and humid air from the south.
Now temperatures are much cooler across the east thanks to rain and clouds, but Tajimi could see 40 degree once again on Saturday.
It could be the 4th 40 degree mark of the season and 37 degrees in Osaka.
So heavy monsoon rain has been pummeling across parts of Pakistan as well as India.
To show you the situation, take a look at this video from northern Pakistan.
The southwest monsoon has killed dozens of people in northern Pakistan, rescue workers carrying out operations and widespread flooding.
According to national disaster management authorities, more than 2,600 people were rescued in three days by Thursday.
Heavy rain has been pounding in the north, but heavier rain has been pounding in western areas of India.
In fact, within 24 hours, more than 1,000 millimeters of rain has fallen in this spot.
That's the third heaviest rainfall in the country's history.
That's it for me. Stay safe.
♫～ 3-DAY FORECAST ～♫
00:27:40 話者 1
That wraps up this edition of NHK Newsline.
I'm Kanako Sachno in Tokyo. Thanks very much for joining us.
checked.
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