An AI researcher warns that advanced systems could endanger humanity.
AI研究者が高度なAIが人類を危険にさらす可能性を警告。
Germany’s AfD leader intensifies criticism of immigration policy.
ドイツAfD党首が移民政策への批判を強めている。
Wartime tourism in Ukraine exposes visitors to the reality of conflict.
ウクライナの戦時ツーリズムが紛争の現実を来訪者に伝えている。
00:00:11 話者 1/James Tengan
It's a Thursday evening here in Japan. Hello, I'm James Tengan.
Welcome to NHK Newsline from our studios here in Shibuya, Tokyo.
Researcher Says AI Could 'Kill US All'
A US artificial intelligence researcher said people building the technology believe it could destroy the human race by the end of the decade.
Jacob Coxon has been involved in research at OpenAI and Anthropic, two of the leading companies in the field.
He made the comments in a social media post revealing his resignation from Anthropic.
He said on Tuesday that Anthropic and its competitor OpenAI are racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives.
He also accused both companies of not acting responsibly.
Coxon warned against underestimating the power of AI.
He also said the systems will soon be superhuman and capable of hacking anything.
He added that the people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade. He called for a temporary ban on improving model capabilities.
Another researcher from Anthropic echoed Coxon's concerns in a social media post.
In July, an OpenAI model under development hacked its own way out of security barriers and stole data from another company in a cyber attack.
Coxon's departure may fuel further debate over how AI could impact society.
German Far-Right AfD Leader Criticizes Immigration Policy
A leader of a far-right German party has criticized the government's immigration policy in parliament.
It was her first address since a recent state election in which her party significantly increased its seats.
The Alternative for Germany, or AfD, opposes accepting immigrants and refugees.
It won 39 of the 83 seats in Sunday's vote in the state of Saxony-Anhalt.
Party co-leader Alice Vidal addressed Germany's parliament in Berlin on Wednesday.
She said Saxony Anhalt voters have communicated with utmost clarity and that her party pulverized the ruling Christian Democratic Union.
She criticized lawmakers saying over a million refugees whose asylum applications have been rejected are living in Germany. She then called for their deportation.
German Chancellor Frederick Merz countered that the AfD won't get majorities anywhere in the country.
He said that if foreign workers are forced to leave Germany, not a single care home, hospital or restaurant would be able to continue operating.
Two more local elections are scheduled in September.
Four Japanese Win Lasker Awards for Medical Research
Four Japanese have won Lasker awards for their contribution to medical science.
The Lasker Foundation made an announcement about the award on Wednesday.
The Laskers are widely regarded as the most prestigious medical awards in the United States.
On Thursday, the Japanese winners held a news conference in Tokyo.
The Clinical Medical Research Award went to three scientists from Japan's Chugai Pharmaceutical for developing a drug for hemophilia.
Hattori Kunihiro, Kitazawa Takehisa and Igawa Tomoyuki invented an antibody to help treat hemophilia, a disorder that makes it difficult to stop bleeding due to a lack of protein in the blood.
Hatori said he's very honored that the dedicated efforts by many researchers and clinical experts resulted in the award.
Professor Yanagisawa Masashi of the University of Tsukuba shared the Basic Medical Research Award with a Stanford University professor for their research on the nature of sleep.
Yanagisawa, who heads his university's International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine, discovered a substance called orexin involved in sleep control.
He found that orexin plays a role in narcolepsy, a disorder that causes sudden overwhelming urges to sleep.
This breakthrough has contributed to the development of therapeutic drugs.
The Lasker Foundation will hold the award ceremony in New York on September 17.
Trump Speaks on First Day of Midterm Convention
US President Donald Trump is holding the first ever midterm convention in Texas.
This comes ahead of the national elections slated for November.
The two-day event is taking place in Dallas.
In his keynote speech, Trump tried to appeal directly to Americans by claiming if Republicans lose, they will lose their border, tax cuts, safety, security and wealth.
He continued his criticism of the Democrats throughout his speech.
00:05:10 話者 12/Donald Trump
If we hand America's future to the radical left Democrats and our nation will spend the next decade just getting back at its feet, it will be a tragedy.
00:05:24 話者 1
Trump also referenced the situation in Iran and called it the state sponsor of terror all over the world. He once again justified the US military operation in the Middle East.
00:05:36 話者 12
Can Iran have a nuclear weapon? Absolutely not. Well then I'm right that I win.
00:05:44 話者 1
Despite his claims, Trump's approval rating has been slumping.
Issues like the conflict with Iran and rising prices have been pulling it down.
The big question is whether standing with Trump will help Republican candidates in the midterms or hurt them.
Iran Conflict: Fears of Further Escalation
The US and Iran are trading attacks targeting vessels around the Strait of Hormuz.
The situation is fueling concerns that the spiraling conflict could have even more serious consequences.
US Central Command said Tuesday it destroyed five Iranian crude oil tankers after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted a US Navy warship.
The US military said Saturday its forces struck three Iranian tankers in retaliation for previous Iranian attacks.
In response, the IRGC said it struck a US military base in Jordan.
The IRGC also said its naval force targeted two US vessels and eight oil tankers inflicting significant damage.
It said 10 other vessels that were trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz with the support of US forces were targeted.
Meanwhile, Reuters reports that one seafarer was killed aboard an oil products tanker at anchor off Dubai and another crew member was missing, citing the vessel's charter.
The news agency quoted maritime security sources as saying the tanker may have been hit by a drone.
In a social media post on Wednesday, CENTCOM denied the IRGC's claim that it struck two US Navy destroyers operating in the Middle East.
It said no US Navy warships were struck and all IRGC attempted attacks failed.
In Focus
Wartime Tourism Shows Reality of Ukraine
Russian airstrikes are continuing to target Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv.
Many countries have issued travel advisories warning people not to travel to Ukraine, and the country has seen a steep drop in the number of foreign tourists.
Even so, some tours are still being offered for people aware of the risks to show visitors the reality of the conflict.
00:08:06 話者 3/Reporter: Oishi Mayu/Narrator: Bill Sullivan
In the past, this area used to be filled with tourists.
These days, there are fewer souvenir stalls than before.
00:08:17 話者 24
Everything has changed. Many artisans used to come here to sell their crafts.
Things are very difficult now.
00:08:27 話者 25
See how many people used to come here. The street has changed.
These days there are no tourists. Unfortunately, very few people are interested.
00:08:43 話者 3
Svitozar Moiseev has worked as a tour guide based in Kyiv for 15 years.
00:08:50 話者 26/Svitozar Moiseiev/Tour guide
Especially after the coronavirus finished, things were going well for Ukraine, but then the full-scale invasion began. And now we have less than 10%.
00:09:01 話者 3
As the invasion dragged on, Moiseiev decided to use his experience as a guide to contribute to his country.
He began offering tours to sites damaged in attacks to convey the horror of the war.
Moiseiev offers tours to nearby cities such as Bucha, where hundreds of Ukrainian people were brutally killed by Russian troops during their brief occupation, and also to neighboring Irpin. He scans social media for the latest safety updates.
00:09:37 話者 26
I don't see it as a business at all because we have very few jobs at the moment.
We are super small.
It's much more about survival and it's much more about our personal investment for the sake of the future of our countries.
00:09:52 話者 3
He charges around $180 to $230 for his tours, part of which goes to supporting Ukraine's defense.
While some local residents support these tours, Others are critical.
00:10:12 話者 27
I don't agree with these tours. It's not right to show off people suffering.
00:10:23 話者 3
Even in the ongoing situation, some people have seen the need to set up a new tour company.
For lawyer Dmytro Nykyforov, the aim is to show people the reality of the invasion.
00:10:39 話者 28/Dmytro Nykyforov/Founder, War Tours Ukraine
As a lawyer, I want them to know who is an aggressor in this war.
I want them to know about Russian crimes.
00:10:56 話者 3
On this day, Participants are taken to a bridge in Irpin that was blown up by Ukrainian defenders to halt the Russian advance early in the invasion.
Before setting out, participants are briefed on the risks and safety procedures to follow in the event of an air raid warning.
00:11:18 話者 29/US tour participant
I wanted to see what life was like in a country at war.
I wanted to see how it affected the people, the utilities, transportation, the demeanor of the people.
00:11:39 話者 3
Participants include students, teachers and lawyers from Europe, North America, Asia and elsewhere. This year around 10 people a month have joined the tours.
Tours are even offered to the city of Kharkiv, which is close to the front line.
Before each tour, the company assesses whether it's safe to go ahead, based on information from local authorities and other sources.
Some participants have been inspired to volunteer in Ukraine's medical battalion.
Nikiforos' hope is that the tours will inspire people to help his country, and that this will help prevent future wars.
00:12:26 話者 28
Our mission is to share the truth about this war.
They tried to prevent and to stop such conflicts in their countries.
So I really hope that if people come and help us to stop our war, new war won't be started in the world.
00:12:46 話者 3
Ukrainian government officials say the tours can play a vital role in conveying the reality of the conflict.But trained guides are needed to ensure accuracy.
00:12:59 話者 23/Natalya Tabaka/Chairperson, State Agency for Tourism Development of Ukraine
Our mission is to tell the world the truth about the tragic and heroic chapters of the war.
The tours are not intended as entertainment for thrill-seekers.
Instead, our focus is on solidarity and volunteer support, remembering and honoring those who have fought and died for Ukraine for our land.
00:13:20 話者 3
Tourism in Ukraine has taken a completely different form.
Even so, people there are looking ahead to the time when it is once again safe to welcome visitors to the country.
Business
00:13:50 話者 1
Okay, let's see what the movers and shakers in the business and financial sectors are up to with Yuko Fukushima.
00:13:57 話者 8/Yuko Fukushima
Thanks, James. Let's get you up to speed in business.
Apple Unveils Its First Foldable iPhone
US tech giant Apple has unveiled its first foldable smartphone.
The iPhone duo features a large 7.6-inch display and a hefty price tag.
Apple introduced a series of new phones on Wednesday at its head office in California.
The iPhone duo folds down to roughly the size of a passport.
The phone can show multiple apps simultaneously, such as video and social media.
It says a large screen is the best for viewing content, gaming and multitasking.
Apple's new CEO John Turnis said, For a device that plays such a central role in your life, a larger display would open up entirely new possibilities.
Pre-orders for the phone will begin on October 16 with the device going on sale on the 23.
It will be priced from over 364-thousand yen in Japan for almost 24-hundred dollars including tax.
Expert: Foldable Smartphones 'Light in Dark Tunnel'
An expert at US research from IDC says global smartphone shipments this year are expected to mark a record year-on-year drop.
She attributes the fall to elevated memory costs which have caused which she calls an unprecedented crisis in the entire industry.
00:15:21 話者 39/Nabila Popal/Senior Director, Data & Analytics, IDC
The total market is declining by 17%, foldable market is growing by 13%.
So it is really the light in a dark tunnel, right, for the smartphone industry.
The only segment that is showing strong growth.
00:15:37 話者 8
Competition is growing in the foldable smartphone space.
Samsung Electronics, Huawei Technologies and Google have already released several such models.
Bessent Says 'I Am the House Now'
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent appears to have a warning for those betting against the yen.
He said he has information that market players don't and that he is the house now.
The comment was made on Tuesday during an event at a business school in the US state of Texas.
The former hedge fund manager said whenever people say he is taking a risk, he responds that he has asymmetric information.
He went on to say that when the US intervenes with the Japanese yen, he has pretty good insight into what the Japanese, the Bank of Japan and Japanese policymakers are going to do.
Solar Power Plant Completed at Chornobyl With Japan Funds
A large-scale solar power facility has been completed at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in northern Ukraine with financial support from the Japanese government.
The new plant reportedly has about 7,000 solar panels.
The generated power will be used for monitoring and decommissioning reactors.
Japan gave financial support of about 825,000 dollars through the United Nations Development Program to help set up the new plant.
The new facility is meant to ensure a stable power supply at the Chernobyl plant, which in 1986 experienced what is believed to be the worst nuclear disaster in history.
The solar plant stands next to the No.4 reactor, which suffered a catastrophic explosion in the disaster.
Decommissioning work continues and spent nuclear fuel is stored at the site.
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the plant has often come under Russian attack.
In February 2025, a dome covering the number four reactor was struck by a drone.
The covering was built to contain the radioactive substances from the disaster.
Japan Govt. to Hike Wheat Price by 12% From Oct.
Japan's agriculture ministry says it will raise the price of imported wheat by 12 percent from the fall.
The ministry on Wednesday announced the average price of five major wheat brands for the period between October and March next year.
It says it will go up 12 percent from the previous six months to slightly over 70,000 yen or roughly 455 dollars per ton.
Japan depends on imports for more than 80 percent of its domestic wheat consumption.
To secure a stable supply, the government imports wheat in bulk and sells it to private firms such as Millers. Selling prices are reviewed every six months.
The ministry pointed to rising shipping costs from the weaker yen and higher crude oil prices due to the Middle East situation as the main reasons for the hike.
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has also pushed up international prices.
The new price will exceed 70,000 yen per ton for the first time in three and a half years.
Markets
Now let's see how the markets are performing in this region.
♪
And that wraps it up for this for this hour.
UN Chief Urges World Leaders to Work for Peace
00:19:33 話者 1
In other news, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called on world leaders to work for peace at a United Nations ceremony on Wednesday.
The annual ceremony of ringing the peace bell at the UN takes place ahead of the International Day of Peace on September 21.
Japan presented the peace bell to the UN in 1954, created at the suggestion of a Japanese peace activist, Nakagawa Chioji.
The bell was cast from coins collected from nations around the world.
In a speech, Guterres urged global leaders to take action.
Top people from around the world will gather for the UN General Assembly's High Level Week that begins on September 18.
00:20:24 話者 46/Antonio
Our call on world leaders to stand with us, take action, invest in solutions and do the hard work of building lasting, sustainable peace.
00:20:36 話者 1
Later in the event, Guterres, Nakagawa's daughter Takase Seiko and other participants rang the bell.
00:20:47 話者 44/Takase Seiko
I hope people aspiring to work hard for peace will gather around the bell.
It is important not to think of peace as someone else's responsibility, but to recognize that peace is something each of us must create.
00:21:03 話者 1
The bell is rung every year as a symbol of peace.
50 Children Across Japan Died From Abuse in FY2024
Japan's Children and Families Agency says 50 children across the country died from abuse in the fiscal year of 2024. 30% of them lost their lives soon after birth.
The agency says the number rose by two from the previous year.
The victims ranged in age from zero to 11.
17 or 30% of them died within 24 hours after birth.
Just over 70% of the mothers involved were under the age of 29.
Agency officials say there continues to be cases where women abandon their newborns after facing unexpected pregnancies.
The agency also revealed there were 27 deaths referred to as parent-child suicides in that same period. That's up 10 from the previous year.
Officials say those cases will now be reclassified as abuse deaths involving the suicide of a parent or guardian.
The latest analysis says factors behind the parents suicides often included anxiety over child rearing or mental instability among mothers, as well as financial hardship, including large debts among the fathers.
Agency officials say they're concerned that the number of child victims has not dropped.
They say they want to quickly strengthen a support system such as launching a 24-hour telephone counseling service.
Renoir Paintings Stolen From French Museum
Thieves have stolen two paintings by French impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir from an art museum in southern France.
Local media say the loss amounts to around 9 million euros or roughly $10 million.
Investigators say two people cut through a perimeter fence and broke into the Renoir Museum in Cannes-sur-Mer before it opened on Tuesday.
Police arrived just minutes after the alarm system went off, but the works were already gone.
Local authorities say four works were initially taken, but two were found dropped in the museum garden.
The missing paintings are titled Madame Colonna Romano and Young Woman at the Well.
The local mayor suggested that the perpetrators had been well prepared, wearing helmets and gloves and dressed in combat gear.
The museum is located in the last home of Renoir, where he also has studios.
A series of incidents like the jewel heist at the Louvre Museum last year has revived calls for better security for cultural sites around France.
♫～
World Weather
Now for a check on the weather. It felt cool bordering chilly this Thursday morning.
Our meteorologist Yuumi Hirano is here to tell us why.
00:24:34 話者 10/Yuumi Hirano
Cooler air has covered much of Japan. That's why the high in Tokyo was only 22.5 degrees on Thursday which is as cool as October.
Along the edge of the cooler air, there is a frontal system.
It's expected to move northward, so showers are also likely to cover much of the country on Friday.
Intense rain is possible in Tokai and Kanto Koshin, so people there should watch out for landslides.
The frontal system will stay static along western and eastern Japan for a while, so wet weather is likely to persist over the weekend.
The temperature in Tokyo will stay below average on Friday and Saturday, but it will jump to 32 on Monday. The heat will be back again next week.
Now, moving to the United States, a powerful heat wave has been affecting parts of the country.
The highs exceeded 38 in Springfield, 39 in Oklahoma City, and 40 in LA on Wednesday.
California has been dealing with not only heat but also wildfires.
People in LA were taught to be ready to leave as a wildfire wasted on Wednesday.
According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the fire has burned about 25 acres near the Getty Museum complex in the city's western.
Over 180 firefighters stopped the fire from spreading and are still working to contain it and put out hot spots. No injuries have been reported.
The high in LA will drop to 35 on Thursday, but it's still much higher than usual.
Meanwhile, Las Vegas could get up to 42 degrees.
That's it for now. Stay safe.
♫～ 3-Day Forecast ～♫
00:27:45 話者 1
Hope the weather is looking good in your neck of the woods.
With that, we end this edition of NHK Newsletter.
I'm James Tengan in Tokyo. Thanks for watching.
checked.
NHK World
00:28:01 話者 99
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