Hello. Welcome to NHK Newsline. I'm Yamamoto Miki in Tokyo.
TRUMP WARNS IRAN STRAIT OF HORMUZ WILL REMAIN OPEN
US President Donald Trump says the US-Israeli military strikes against Iran have been largely successful, but warns the US will hit back hard if Tehran blocks the flow of oil.
00:00:27 話者 2/Donald Trump
We're achieving major strides toward completing our military objective.
And some people could say they're pretty well complete.
We've wiped every single force in Iran out very completely.
00:00:44 話者 1
Trump said that in the 10 days since the start of the military operation, US forces have struck more than 5,000 targets and sunk more than 50 Iranian naval ships.
He also said Iran now has 90 percent fewer missile launchers and that Iranian drone attacks have dropped by more than 80 percent.
Referring to the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said it is going to remain safe and even suggested temporarily lifting oil related sanctions on some countries.
00:01:16 話者 2
We have a lot of navy ships there.
We have the best equipment in the world, inspecting for mines.
Again, most of their ships are down at the bottom of the sea, but we will hit them so hard.
00:01:31 話者 1
The president also warned on social media that if Iran does anything to stop the flow of oil within the strait, the country will be hit by the US 20 times harder than it has been hit so far.
But a senior official with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps showed no sign of backing down on Tuesday.
In a statement to Tasnim news agency, he said Iran's armed forces will not permit the export of even a single liter of oil.
INVESTIGATIVE GROUP: US LIKELY BEHIND SCHOOL ATTACK
The Red Crescent Society says more than 13,000 houses, schools and other civilian facilities have been damaged by the airstrikes, which began on February 28.
Meanwhile, an independent investigative group says it is likely the US military was responsible for last month's attack on an elementary school in Iran that killed scores of people.
The group released its analysis on Sunday of video footage purportedly capturing the very moment of the US strike.
The international group Bellingcat says it studied the footage, which was posted online by an Iranian news agency.
The group says the video shows the exact moment a Tomahawk missile struck an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps facility near the school.
Iran's education ministry earlier said the attack in Hormuz, Gan province killed 168 people, including children.
Bellingcat says the United States is the only participant in the military conflict that is known to have Tomahawk missiles.
The group's analysis appears to contradict Trump, who on Saturday accused Tehran of being responsible for the attack. He said, Based on what I've seen, that was done by Iran.
AUSTRALIA GRANTS VISAS TO 5 FEMALE IRANIAN SOCCER PLAYERS
Australia has granted visas to five members of the Iranian women's soccer team who Trump said risked losing their lives if they returned home.
00:03:38 話者 3/Anthony Albanese/Australian Prime Minister
We issued five humanitarian visas to members of the Iranian women's soccer team.
They're safe here and they should feel at home here.
00:03:48 話者 1
Reuters and other media say their team was criticised for refusing to sing Iran's national anthem before an Asian Cup match in Australia.
A host on Iranian state TV reportedly called the team's members wartime traitors.
The 5 players are said to have left their accommodations on Monday night.
They are now under Australian police protection.
On Monday, Trump posted a message on social media urging the Australian government to give the athletes asylum.
He said Australia was making a humanitarian mistake by allowing the team to be forced back to Iran. He said if they returned, they would most likely be killed.
MORE JAPANESE NATIONALS REPATRIATED FROM MIDDLE EAST
A second group of Japanese nationals has been evacuated from the Middle East.
A flight chartered by the Japanese government landed near Tokyo on Tuesday.
The plane departed from Saudi Arabia with 281 people on board.
The government has been helping to repatriate Japanese nationals from Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
00:04:55 話者 13
I'm relieved.
00:04:59 話者 14
Many are still there and I'm worried about their situation.
00:05:06 話者 1
Another Japanese flight carrying 107 passengers arrived from Oman on Sunday.
The government plans to charter two more additional planes from Saudi Arabia and the UAE to evacuate those who want to leave.
BUSINESS
Now for business stories, let's turn to Gene Otani from The Business Gene.
00:05:33 話者 3/Gene Otani
Miki, thanks. In our top business story this hour,
JAPAN TO BACK G7 ON ENERGY SUPPLY, MULLS UTILgdITY SUBSIDIES
Japanese Finance Minister Katayama Satsuki has taken part in an online meeting of the Group of Seven countries.
She agreed to take the necessary steps to support the global energy supply.
00:05:53 話者 4/Katayama Satsuki
It is essential to maintain information sharing among G7 finance ministers, as the situation in the Middle East remains fluid.
I said at the meeting that we should work closely together to roll out the necessary messages and measures in a timely manner.
00:06:10 話者 3
Meanwhile, Japan's government is considering utility subsidies to help smaller companies and households amid a higher energy price outlook.
That's due to the elevated futures prices for crude oil and natural gas.
During a diet session, Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae said the government began considering the outlook and immediate measures early last week.
Takaichi said these include support for gasoline and diesel fuel costs, as well as electricity and gas spills. She said the government would act before it's too late to do so.
ANALYST: HIGH ENERGY PRICES WOULD SLOW GLOBAL GDP GROWTH
Moody's Analytics Chief Economist Mark Zandi comments on crude oil futures staying at the current high range of $85 to $90 per barrel.
He says that would shave up to 0.4 percentage points off global GDP expansion in the coming year.
00:07:10 話者 5/Mark Zandi
The impact of the higher oil energy prices is not only just the dollars and cents involved, which are obviously considerable, but it's the impact on sentiment and psychology.
I mean, I think globally sentiment is already pretty weak.
Consumers and business psychology is very fragile.
00:07:26 話者 3
Zandi added that Asia would suffer particularly given its dependence on energy imports.
He touched on US President Donald Trump's comment at CBS News on Monday that the war is pretty much complete.
The comment has raised expectations in financial markets for an early end to the Iran conflict.
00:07:48 話者 5
Hopefully it means that the conflict is going to wind down here pretty soon.
I mean, I think that's the most likely scenario.
I mean, the president has been very sensitive to the stock market, to bond yields, to what's going on with gasoline prices, and all those things would suggest that he would bring this conflict to an end quickly.
00:08:06 話者 3
Crude oil prices also surge after Russia invaded Ukraine. But Zandi said one of the biggest differences this time is that the conflict was started by the US and Israel, and they can end it whenever they feel it's appropriate.
TOKYO STOCKS REBOUND AS OIL SUPPLY WORRIES EASE
Japan's benchmark stock index rebounded sharply on Tuesday as concerns eased that the Middle East conflict could disrupt global oil supplies.
The Nikkei 225 gained nearly 2.9 percent at close at 54,248. It rose 3.7 percent at one stage after G7 member nations indicated they are ready to release oil reserves if needed.
US President Trump also said the Iran conflict will end soon.
The Nikkei index plunged 5.2% on Monday amid oil supply worries.
That was a fall of nearly 2,900 points, or its third biggest drop on record.
JAPAN REVISES UP OCT .- DEC. GDP ON ROBUST CAPITAL INVESTMENT
Japan has revised its gross domestic product upward for the October to December period last year on the back of stronger capital investment and personal spending.
The figure released by the Cabinet Office on Tuesday showed an annualized GDP growth rate of 1.3%. The preliminary reading last month indicated an expansion of 0.2%.
Stronger capital investments, such as in construction of chip manufacturing factories, It helped drive the gain.
Personal spending, which accounts for more than half of GDP, was revised up to 0.3 percent. The preliminary figure was 0.1 percent.
The reading for exports was unchanged, with a fall of 0.3 percent.
However, the contraction was smaller than the previous quarter.
This is as the US lowered tariffs on automobiles and other goods from Japan.
AI STEPS IN AS JAPAN'S FARM WORKFORCE SHRINKS
Japan's agriculture workforce is both aging and shrinking. One estimate warns that current production levels may be unsustainable without major changes.
We look at how artificial intelligence is being used to modernize this traditional sector.
00:10:25 話者 6/Narrator: Kitadai Hiroko
This dairy farm keeps over 200 cows. Many advanced tools are already in place.
Milking is fully automated by robots.
An app can photograph a cow and instantly estimate its size and weight, useful for understanding its growth.
On top of that, the farm is also partnering with the university and private companies on an AI system that predicts milk output. It is still in the trial phase.
00:11:04 話者 7/Sugino Toshihisa/Director, Dairy Ecosystem R&D Center, Hiroshima University
By forecasting yields, we can keep production steady.
It helps us maintain a year-round balance between supply and demand.
00:11:12 話者 6
A cow's milk production is influenced by its health and the weather, creating major challenges. Each cow wears a sensor that tracks its activity.
Temperature, humidity, and other data are fed into AI, which forecasts how much each cow will produce over the next two weeks.
Based on those projections, ventilation and feed are adjusted, stabilizing both quality and quantity, and raising overall output.
00:11:49 話者 16/Oki Takanori/Executive Director, Tom Milk Farm
Our goal is to produce milk efficiently with minimal waste. If AI can analyze the data and suggest simple practical steps, it leads to stronger action plans.
00:12:04 話者 6
New technologies may also help offset the shrinking workforce.
The number of people whose main job is farming has fallen by around 40% in the past decade. About 70% of those who remain are at least 65 years old.
One projection shows that, to maintain current production, productivity in 2050 must be 4.5 times what it is now.
A new project is testing how AI can streamline farm operations with fewer workers.
A think tank and a Tokyo tech firm are developing a system that plans daily tasks.
Weather forces last-minute adjustments.
The AI generates new schedules and required worker numbers.
A large body of farming expertise is being fed into the system, such as methods for measuring onion growth.
The aim is highly efficient agriculture, with AI acting as an advisor that also manages soil data, work logs, and other information.
One expert says that Japan's agriculture sector has found a crucial partner in AI.
00:13:34 話者 8/Noguchi Noboru/Professor, Research Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University
Introducing AI can spark real innovation. It will reshape how we think about farming and may even attract more young people to the industry.
MARKETS
00:13:49 話者 3
All right, let's have a look at the markets.
♪
And that's it for business news.
WHAT THE OCEAN KEPT: 15 YEARS AFTER DISASTER
00:14:31 話者 1
The Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami left more than 22,000 people dead or missing. In Osuchi Town, Iwate Prefecture, that number sits at 1,200.
Waves up to 22 meters high hit the area.
And 15 years later, the town may appear peaceful again.
But reminders of the disaster remain below the surface.
NHK World's Sumida Wataru went diving to show us them up close.
00:15:00 話者 8/Sumida Wataru
I'm 70 meters offshore on the seabed at a depth of 7 meters.
The water temperature is 6 degrees Celsius.
but it's starting to rise slightly, as it usually does at this time of year.
It causes an increase in plankton, lowering visibility.
Beside me lies a large piece of silver-colored metal.
It was part of a ship made of aluminum.
A vessel was under construction at a nearby shipyard at the time of the disaster.
It's believed to have been destroyed by the tsunami and carried to this spot.
The part was crossed so badly, it's hard to tell what it once was.
The damage really gives a sense of the tsunami's power.
Now, take a look down here. I can see a yellow line.
It's believed to be the center line of a road.
This footage was taken on the seabed, about 800 meters from where I am now.
A concrete bridge broke apart and sank here.
There was a plate engraved with the bridge's name.
It's believed to be from Nozomi Bridge, which was tested nearby.
Nozomi means hope in Japanese.
The total amount of debris washed into the sea is estimated at 5 million tons.
Some of what remained on the seabed has been removed over the years.
But anything that doesn't interfere with ship navigation or fishing operations remains here.
Also looking for traces of the disaster on the seabed is Sato Hiroshi, a diver from Iwate Prefecture.
Immediately after the disaster, he began recovering sunken objects and searching for mission people.
In Otsuji town, more than 400 people are still unaccounted for.
Within two months, Sato formed a non-profit organization with fellow divers.
So far, they have removed roughly 1,000 tons of submerged items.
00:18:50 話者 9/Sato Hiroshi/Founder and Representative, NPO Sanriku Volunteer Divers
I went diving after a storm the other day and found a bag.
Even after 15 years, new items are still being discovered.
I hope they help lead to the people still missing.
I want what remains underwater, these remnants of the disaster, to serve both as a lesson to people in other regions and abroad, and as a lasting reminder for generations who have no memory of the tsunami.
00:19:19 話者 8
Even 15 years later, the remnants on the seafloor continue to bear witness, to the lives of people affected by the disaster.
Sumida Wataru, NHK World.
POLICE RENEW SEARCH FOR 2011 TSUNAMI VICTIMS
00:19:41 話者 1
Searches have also taken place elsewhere in the region ahead of the disaster's anniversary Wednesday.
Police looked for victims' remains in the city of Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture.
Officers and other personnel searched Ajishima Island and the surrounding waters.
They sifted through sand and rocks and used a specially-equipped boat to look for clues underwater. Police say 1,213 people are still unaccounted for in the prefecture.
00:20:14 話者 7/Chiba Tomohiro/Ishinomaki Police Station
It's been 15 years since the disaster, and the conditions at our search sites have changed significantly.
We want to uncover as many clues as possible, anything that might offer even the smallest lead for the families of those still missing.
00:20:32 話者 1
Monday's search uncovered no new findings, but police say their efforts will continue.
SPECIAL COVERAGE LIVE
Mar. 11: NEW YORK 01:40
LONDON 05:40
TOKYO 14:40
And NHK World will have a special program for the 15th anniversary of the Great East Japan earthquake and nuclear power plant accident.
40 p.m. Japan time on Wednesday.
We will bring you live coverage of a moment of silence observed at the exact time the earthquake hit and reflect on the country's lasting grief and lessons learned from the disaster.
♫
N.KOREAN LEADER'S SISTER CONDEMNS US-S.KOREA DRILLS
The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has denounced a joint military exercise currently being conducted by the United States and South Korea.
She called it a rehearsal for a provocative and aggressive war.
The Freedom Shield exercise began on Monday in South Korea and will continue through March 19. The goal is to prepare for a possible emergency on the Korean Peninsula.
Kim Yo-jong released a statement on Tuesday through state media criticizing the drills.
She warned they would further damage the stability of the region.
The drills include field training sessions, but they've been scaled down to less than half the scope of last year.
This is because the South Korean government of President Lee Jae-myong is looking to resume dialogue with the North.
But Kim Yo-jong noted the adjustment does not change the confrontational nature of the exercise. She added that drills could lead to unimaginable and terrible consequences.
JAPAN APPROVES DRAFT LAW REVISION FOR NEW ONLINE ENTRY CHECKS
The Japanese government has approved a draft amendment to immigration-related legislation that will introduce a new online platform to streamline entry checks for visitors from overseas.
The approval came at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
The draft revision says the Japan Electronic System for Travel Authorization, or JESTA, will be introduced by the end of March 2029.
Visitors from some 70 countries and regions exempted from short-term visas for tourism and other purposes will be eligible for online immigration checks under the system prior to leaving for Japan.
Passengers on cruise ships making port calls in Japan and those who enter the country temporarily to transfer to other ships are also eligible.
The system is aimed at streamlining immigration procedures, as well as preventing foreign nationals who have plans to overstay in Japan from entering the country.
The draft revision also states that current fees for obtaining residence permits in Japan would be raised during the next fiscal year starting in April, following in the footsteps of other countries.
Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae's government plans to have the draft amendment enacted during the current session of the diet.
♫～
And please do access the NHK Rural Japan website for more details.
WEATHER
Let's check out the world weather with our meteorologist, Jonathan Oh, so Jonathan, wow, we saw some snow in parts of Tokyo Tuesday morning.
When's the spring weather coming back?
00:25:04 話者 10/Jonathan Oh
Hello, we had another taste of winter across even places like Tokyo as we went through Tuesday. I want to show you some video that's coming out from the area.
It looked and felt like winter in central Tokyo Tuesday as snow and frigid rain fell in parts of the capital during the morning hours.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, temperatures were as cold as 2 degrees Celsius during the morning hours.
While skies did clear during the day, the cold continues to remain in place.
Now the low pressure system that was responsible for bringing the wintry precipitation will continue to move toward the east.
High pressure comes in behind it, which means we'll be seeing a little bit of a moderation temperature, which is more normal for this time of year.
But it may not be the end of the story when it comes to the possibility of seeing more wintry type precipitation for places like Tokyo as we go later on this week.
Looking at the forecast here, yeah, dry across the board in Japan from Sapporo to Fukuoka for Wednesday and even into Thursday.
But Friday, we're looking at another different temperatures again with daytime highs likely around 8 degrees in Tokyo with a chance of rain and even Sapporo, even some snow possibility.
So we'll have to keep an eye on that as we look toward the end of the week before things go back to normal as we head toward Saturday.
Meanwhile, looking at what's happening across North America down toward the south, it's quite hot.
And with the instability moving into the area, that's creating more strong thunderstorms in the area. And we'll have to look out for that as we go through the day on Tuesday.
Atlanta looking at some thunderstorms with a high of 26. 28 in Oklahoma City, the front to the north of there, helping to trigger some of the rain and unstable weather.
Back to the north and west, very different story. We're talking about winter weather, snow into places like Vancouver and Seattle with highs in the single digits.
Winnipeg staying below freezing with snow as it progresses through the day on Tuesday.
That's a look at your forecast. Hope you have a good day wherever you are.
♫～ 3-DAY FORECAST ～♫
00:27:41 話者 1
And that's NHK Newsline for this hour.
I'm Yamamoto Miki in Tokyo. Thank you for staying with us.
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