You're watching NHK Newsline. I'm Kanako Sachno.
TRUMP ORDERS 700 IMMIGRATION OFFICERS TO LEAVE MINNESOTA
The administration of US President Donald Trump says it's ordered hundreds of federal officers to leave Minnesota.
They include members of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE.
The move follows significant public backlash against the agency.
Scores of people protested following two fatal shootings by federal agents last month.
The Trump administration had sent the officers to the Midwestern state to crack down on the number of people staying in the country illegally.
Border Czar Tom Homan is in charge of the enforcement operation.
He announced on Wednesday the immediate withdrawal of 700 personnel, citing increased collaboration with local officials.
But he says around 2,000 officers will remain until the operation is complete to make the city safer.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has pushed back, saying the operation is not making his state safer.
He calls the withdrawal announcement a step in the right direction, but adds there needs to be a faster and larger drawdown of forces.
KYIV OFFICIAL CALLS TRILATERAL PEACE TALKS 'PRODUCTIVE'
The president of Ukraine says the number of his country's soldiers killed in the Russian invasion has reached a grim new milestone, 55,000. And many more are still missing.
Work is underway to try to find an end to the fighting.
The two countries in the US had high-level peace talks on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi.
The meeting included the Ukrainian President's Chief of Staff, a US special envoy, and Russia's Chief of the Military Intelligence Service.
It follows trilateral talks last month. The key question is how flexible participants are willing to be over the issues of territory and security guarantees for Ukraine.
The Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, Rustem Umirov, attended the latest meeting.
He called the talks substantive and productive and said they focused on concrete steps and practical solutions.
The US Secretary of State told reporters on Wednesday that the checklist of open items has been substantially diminished.
00:02:16 話者 2
The bad news is that the items that remain are the most difficult ones.
and meanwhile the war continues so all I can say in that regard is that we are investing at a very high level a substantial amount of time and energy to this endeavor we are going to continue to do everything we can to see if there's a breakthrough.
UKRAINE'S SENIOR OFFICIAL APPEALS FOR CONTINUED SUPPORT
00:02:33 話者 1
The talks will continue on Thursday as peace talks took place on Wednesday NHK World spoke to the deputy head of Ukraine's presidential office in Kiev the senior official has appealed for continued international support.
00:02:48 話者 2
A compromise for us, in my opinion, would be a cessation of hostilities along the current line of contact.
00:02:59 話者 1
Pavlo Polisa also told NHK that Ukraine will not accept unfavorable conditions, such as the unilateral withdrawal of troops from the front lines to end the fighting with Russia.
He says his country will not surrender.
Polisa said that Russia plans to capture and reach the borders of the Donetsk region by the end of March or early April.
He described this as unrealistic and said that Ukrainian forces will continue to counterattack.
He also criticized Russia's increasing attacks on energy facilities amid the severe winter as nothing but acts of terrorism.
Polisa appealed for continued international support, such as the provision of missile defense systems.
He said Russia is analyzing how Ukraine's air defense works to enable more effective strikes.
ISRAELI STRIKES REPORTEDLY KILL 24 PEOPLE IN GAZA
Palestinian media say Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip killed 24 people, including children and a paramedic, on Wednesday.
They cite local sources as saying that one of the Israeli attacks targeted tents sheltering displaced people in the Khan Yunis area.
The Israeli military said on the same day that it carried out a strike targeting the Islamic group Hamas in response to what it called a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement.
It said Hamas militants opened fire at Israeli troops in northern Gaza, severely injuring a reserve officer.
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect last October as the first phase of a peace plan.
But Israel has carried out strikes intermittently, accusing Hamas of violating the agreement.
Health authorities in Gaza said on Wednesday that the death toll since the ceasefire began had reached 556.
Hamas said in a statement that the ongoing Israeli strikes constitute a deliberate sabotage of efforts to solidify the ceasefire.
It called for international pressure to halt the attacks.
US-RUSSIA NUCLEAR WEAPONS TREATY EXPIRES THURSDAY
The only nuclear disarmament treaty binding the United States and Russia is set to expire on Thursday.
The two nations own the vast majority of the world's nuclear warheads.
The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New START, caps the number of nuclear weapons they're allowed to possess, no more than 1,550 strategic nuclear warheads and 800 intercontinental ballistic missiles and others.
Together, the two nations hold nearly 90% of the world's nuclear weapons stockpile.
Unless a new agreement is reached, they would face no limits on their nuclear capabilities.
Russian President Vladimir Putin in September effectively proposed extending the treaty by another year.
US media reported in January that President Donald Trump said he may let the treaty expire.
He's insisted on the need for a new framework that includes China.
One expert points to China's rise changing the strategic environment.
00:06:02 話者 2
It's natural the US wants to create a framework for a stable relationship.
00:06:08 話者 1
Between major powers including China, not only with Russia.
The US has always had this intention.
TRUMP, XI DISCUSS RANGE OF ISSUES
Meanwhile, Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping held a video conference on Wednesday.
Putin stressed Russia will act in a measured and responsible manner based on a thorough analysis of the overall security situation.
The US and Chinese leaders have spoken on the phone.
Trump says they have an extremely good relationship, and they discussed a range of issues, including Taiwan, Ukraine, and the situation in Iran.
Trump says the long and thorough call took place on Wednesday.
He says they also spoke about China's purchases of US oil, gas, and additional farm products.
He describes the talks as all very positive.
China's foreign ministry released a statement.
It says Xi stressed that the Taiwan issue is the most important in their relations.
He warned that the US must handle the issue of arms sales to Taiwan with prudence.
The Trump administration decided in December to approve an arms sale package to Taiwan.
It was valued at more than $11 billion, and Beijing has strongly opposed the move.
The statement also says Trump understood how China feels about Taiwan.
It's their first phone call since November, and Trump is slated to visit China for a summit in April.
HONG KONG FIRM CHALLENGES PANAMA CANAL RULING
A Hong Kong conglomerate has launched arbitration proceedings against Panama.
The country's Supreme Court had ruled that it's unconstitutional for the company to operate ports in the Panama Canal.
The ports, one on the Pacific and the other on the Atlantic, have been operated by a subsidiary of CK Hutchison Holdings since 1997.
The contract was renewed in 2021, but Panama's top court said last month the contract was unlawful.
CK Hutchison says the court's actions are inconsistent with the relevant legal framework and the legislation that greenlit the contract.
China's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office slammed the decision.
It says Panama willingly succumbed to hegemonic power.
It warned Panama will pay a heavy price, politically and economically.
President Trump has repeatedly said America should take back the canal in the face of Chinese influence.
CK Hutchison had initially reached an agreement to sell the port's business to a consortium led by a US asset management firm.
But Beijing pressured it to review the deal.
CAUTION ADVISED IN SNOWY REGIONS AS MERCURY RISES
Temperatures are expected to rise in wide areas across Japan on Thursday.
That will come as a relief to people in snowy regions who've had to deal with some intense winter weather recently.
But they're now advised to watch out for avalanches and snow falling off roofs.
The Japan Meteorological Agency says warm air flowing in from the south could push temperatures in some places up to highs normally observed in March.
Several cities have seen higher than average snow accumulation.
more than double the norm in some areas.
Aomori City recorded about 1 1/2 metres of snow and Sapporo City nearly one metre.
There have been a growing number of accidents involving snow removal.
Officials are advising people to work in groups of two or more when removing snow from rooftops and other areas.
Officials say at least 38 people have died since January 20th due to the harsh winter conditions and significant snowfall.
And people in northern Japan will need to remain vigilant.
A low-pressure system is rapidly developing.
Snow and rain are expected to fall beginning Thursday night.
Hokkaido should expect extremely strong winds on Friday, as well as stormy seas.
SOURCE: REACTOR RESTART COULD HAPPEN AS EARLY AS MONDAY
A reactor at a nuclear power plant in central Japan's Niigata Prefecture could come back online within days.
A source says that Tokyo Electric Power Company is planning to once again restart it as early as Monday.
TEPCO reactivated the number six reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant late last month.
It shut it down just over a day later after an alarm sounded while control rods were being extracted.
The reactor was the first run by TEPCO to go back online since the disaster at its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in 2011.
The source says the company has identified a fault in the alarm settings for a device that controls the movement and speed of the rods.
The source also says that TEPCO believes it can resolve the problem by changing the settings.
The company is said to be making final arrangements to resume control rod removal as early as Monday.
TEPCO had initially planned to resume commercial operations at the plant on February 26.
In the wake of the alarm problem, it has indicated it will likely review that plan.
The source says the company plans to announce the results of its alarm investigation on Friday.
BUSINESS
Now let's see what's happening in the world of business.
Here's Ramin Mellegard from the BizDesk.
00:11:22 話者 3/Ramin Mellegard
Thank you very much indeed.
TSMC TO PRODUCE 3-NANOMETER CHIPS IN JAPAN
Now, the world's largest contract chip maker says it will produce advanced 3-nanometer semiconductors in Japan.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Chief Executive Officer CC Wei notified Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae of this plant during their meeting on Thursday in Tokyo.
Now, if realized, it would be the first output of three nanometer chips in Japan.
00:12:48 話者 13/CC Wei
The three nanometer technology today is the most advanced process used by AI and smartphone products.
We believe this will further contribute to the local economic growth and, most importantly, form a foundation for Japan's AI business.
00:12:13 話者 12/Takaichi Sanae
We will promote investments in crisis management and economic growth through public-private collaboration.
AI and semiconductors are key sectors, and the partnership with TSMC will be a model.
00:12:27 話者 3
Takaichi vowed to extend government support for the plan.
The Taiwan-based chipmaker's first factory in Japan was put into full operation in 2024 in the southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto.
It makes 12 to 28-nanometer class chips that are used for automobiles and industrial equipment.
The company is now building a second plant on the same premises.
JAPAN'S BIGGEST BANKS REPORT RECORD PROFIT
The three-nanometer chips are expected to be used in high-demand applications, such as AI data centers and autonomous vehicles.
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group posted record profit, posted a record profit for the nine months to December.
The lender is the third Japanese mega bank to report all-time high net income as interest rates rose.
Mitsubishi UFJ reported Wednesday that net income climbed 3.7% year-on-year to 1.8 trillion yen, or more than $11 billion in the period.
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group earlier this week said profits surged 23% to about 1.4 trillion yen in the nine-month period.
Mizuho Financial Group reported this week net income of 1 trillion yen, or about $6.5 billion. That's a 19% jump.
Rising interest rates help banks to generate more profit from lending.
The lenders also receive more fee income from services, including advice on mergers and acquisitions.
The Bank of Japan raises key interest rate in December to the highest in 30 years.
All three mega-bank groups forecast rising revenue from lending and investments.
ALPHABET NET INCOME JUMPS 30%, AI INVESTMENT SET TO DOUBLE
Google's parent company, Alphabet, posted a 30% year-on-year jump in net income in the three-month period through December.
That was largely due to its brisk AI-related cloud services and search engine business.
Alphabet announced on Wednesday that consolidated revenues in the quarter increased 18% from a year earlier to more than $113 billion.
Net income rose to around $34 billion.
User numbers of Google's generative AI Gemini 3 are on the rise.
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said the launch of Gemini 3 was a major milestone and his company has great momentum.
He suggested more of it will be embedded into a search engine and other services.
The tech giant said its capital investments, mainly in AI-related infrastructure in 2026, will likely be in the $175 to $185 billion range, as double the sum invested in 2025.
US PLANS CRITICAL MINERALS TRADE BLOC TO COUNTER CHINA
The US administration of US President Donald Trump has unveiled a plan to form a critical minerals trading bloc to counter China's dominance.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted a ministerial meeting in Washington on Wednesday to outline the plan. More than 50 countries took part.
Vice President J.D. Vance said the international market for such minerals is failing and supply chains remain brittle.
He proposed a mechanism to return the global market to a more competitive state through enforceable price floors.
That objective is very simple.
Diversifying global supply in the critical minerals market while strengthening the partner countries who help all of us in this shared effort.
The move is the latest in the Trump administration's efforts to ensure stable supplies of critical minerals.
On Monday, it announced a $12 billion project to create a national stockpile.
MARKETS
Okay, let's get a check on the markets.
♪
And that is it for business news.
IN FOCUS
00:16:46 話者 1
Next, let's join my colleague Shibuya Aki for Newsline in Focus.
She's spotlighting the many young Africans who are being sent to fight Ukraine as Russia does not have enough of its own soldiers.
YOUNG AFRICANS LURED TO RUSSIA'S FRONT LINE
00:16:58 話者 2
A group of soldiers in the snow.
This video illustrates the way a Russian speaker views the black soldiers fighting for his country in Ukraine.
NHK has not verified the video, but it was posted by an advisor to Ukraine's Minister of Defense.
Last November, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrei Sibiha announced that more than 1,400 soldiers from 36 African countries are currently fighting for Russia on the front line, including more than 200 from Kenya.
We have a report from Nairobi.
00:17:46 話者 4
He was talking as if he didn't like it there.
He wanted to come home, but there were no choices.
00:17:54 話者 5
Susan Koloba's son, David, is one of those who have never come back.
In October, she heard from another Kenyan fighting alongside him that David had died under artillery fire.
In Kenya, David had been working as a day laborer, and he wanted out.
Initially, he said he was going to Russia to work as a security guard, but later on, he revealed he was fighting as a Russian soldier.
This footage sent by David is thought to have been shot on the flight to Russia.
In this photo, David can be seen with soldiers in combat uniforms, including one that shows the Russian flag.
This video appears to show a training session with a rocket launcher.
David can be seen smiling as his turn seems to have gone well.
Susan has asked the Kenyan government about David's status, but has not yet received an official notification.
Neither has there been any response about repatriating his body.
00:19:09 話者 4
Our family is preparing for a cultural burial, and then from there we wait for his body.
When he comes through my mind. so devastating.
00:19:25 話者 5
Kibera is the largest slum area in Nairobi.
We made contact with a man in his 20s who managed to escape from Russia's front line.
He agreed to speak with us about what he went through on condition of anonymity.
00:19:43 話者 4
Hey, that's please, man. You feel like you are in hell.
00:19:48 話者 5
The man had been working as a carpenter.
But he was frustrated by his low salary, so he contacted a broker.
He had heard from a friend who was already in Russia that he was making about seven times as much as a day laborer in Kenya.
After 3 weeks training in Russia, he was sent to a fierce battlefield in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
00:20:16 話者 4
You see some bikes and other cars were bombed, like you see someone hanging his head and legs outside.
Those people of mass grave haven't come there yet to collect them.
So it wasn't one of very dangerous places.
00:20:31 話者 5
There were seven fighters in his unit, including Kenyans and Nigerians, as well as Russians.
He says their Russian commander ordered them to advance through a minefield.
00:20:45 話者 4
As we were moving on the ground, the drone came from the air.
when it is on far away, you hear it sound.
There is sound that moves.
People trying to run, to run, others stepping on land.
The drone came and hit one of the guys, was a Russian.
That guy died there.
00:21:10 話者 5
It was a narrow escape for him.
Later, he was assigned to another unit, but he got away while being taken there, jumping from the back of a truck.
He fled to the Kenyan embassy in Moscow, where he met many other youths who had been through similar experiences.
00:21:31 話者 4
I was rising from death.
I was so happy, man.
Coming back from that place, that place I did not have any hope.
When you're surviving like this,
You might survive today and tomorrow you won't survive.
So I don't think I'm going to there.
00:21:49 話者 5
However, with unemployment among youths in Kenya reportedly over 60%, the chance to fight and make money is very appealing to some young people.
00:22:00 話者 4
Will you really accept the job knowing you might die on the battlefield?
Yes, I would, because at the top of my mind, I would be thinking,
My family back home is set because poverty.
Poverty is such a big thing in Africa.
Poverty denies us so many opportunities.
Poverty ruins our mindsets.
00:22:23 話者 5
In Nairobi, the news of deaths on the front line has been widely reported.
Officials say that, as of January, 28 Kenyans have been repatriated from Russia.
00:22:38 話者 2
To deter more young Kenyans from going to fight, the authorities have begun detaining the brokers recruiting them.
But this is an issue that goes well beyond Africa.
The youth who spoke with us said he also saw fighters from Nepal and Mexico.
It's the young and vulnerable living in poverty who are being targeted.
Until there is a lasting ceasefire, the exploitation looks likely to continue.
And that's all for me.
FIERY RITE HERALDS SPRING
00:23:10 話者 1
Here's one more story before we go.
This one involves smouldering embers, prayer and bare feet.
Worshippers followed ascetic monks in a fire-walking ritual at a Buddhist temple in Shikoku.
They prayed for good health during the annual Setsubun festival, which marks the end of winter according to the old calendar.
Monks at the Dainichi-ji Temple, dressed as Yamabushi mountain ascetics, initiated the rite by lighting an altar made of pine wood and cypress leaves.
Worshippers then tossed in wooden sticks inscribed with wishes for good health and safety.
As the flames died down, the monks walked barefoot over the hot embers.
Worshippers then got their turn, treading carefully while carrying prayers in their hearts.
00:24:10 話者 2
It's my first time.
I was overwhelmed by how strong the flames were.
It was a great experience.
I prayed for good health.
At my age, that's the most important.
WEATHER
00:24:28 話者 1
Now it's time to check out the weather. Parts of Japan are grappling with snow melt and another winter storm is imminent. Our meteorologist Yumi Hirano has the details.
00:24:38 話者 2/Yumi Hirano
A developing low-pressure system is approaching northern Japan.
The storm is expected to bring stronger winds and snowfall to Hokkaido, causing blizzards and whiteout conditions through Friday.
Heavy snow will also be a major concern along the Sea of Japan side, such as in Tohoku, Hokuriku and Kinki.
The peak of the snowfall will be on Saturday and Sunday.
Traffic and transportation could be affected.
The colder-than-usual conditions are expected in many cities.
The high in Tokyo will drop from 16 on Friday to 8 on Saturday and 6 on Sunday.
Snow is also likely in Osaka and Fukuoka over the weekend.
Moving to Europe, a powerful storm is affecting the Iberian Peninsula, causing severe flooding.
Footage showed people crossing waist-deep waters with the assistance of firefighters.
Rainstorms caused some rivers along the Iberian Peninsula to overflow and flood communities on Wednesday.
In Portugal, authorities raised alot levels to their highest till at least Friday.
Meanwhile, in Spain, officials ordered the cancellation of classes and asked people to avoid travel unless necessary.
The storm is moving slowly and will continue to bring more downpours to the peninsula.
Stronger winds could cause high waves, leading to coastal flooding.
Showers are also possible in London, Palace, Lisbon and Madrid.
Sunny skies are expected in Moscow, but colder than usual conditions will continue with a high of minus 13.
That's it for now. Have a nice day.
00:27:41 話者 1
That wraps up this edition of NHK Newsline. I'm Kanako Sakano in Tokyo.
Thanks very much for joining us.
