- A-bomb survivors voiced concerns over nuclear policy discussions, Japanese firms reassessed AI investment costs, and eel farmers pursued larger eels to stabilize supply.
- 被爆者が核政策協議に懸念を示す一方、日本企業はAI投資コストを見直し、養鰻業者は供給安定化に向け大型ウナギの育成に取り組んでいます
- Shadowing Tips: 毎日テレビで流れていた曲が、何十年経っても自分に染み付いているように、シャドーイングも継続が大切です。毎日続けることで、英語のリズムや特有の音が自分の中に浸透していきます。
**00:11**
[Yamaguchi Hiroaki]
Welcome to NHK NEWSLINE. I’m Yamaguchi Hiroaki in Tokyo.
A-Bomb Survivors Alarmed over Nuclear Policy Talks
**00:17**
Lawmakers in Japan are discussing whether to review the government's non-nuclear principles, and survivors of the atomic bombings are concerned.
Nobel Peace Prize-winning survivors group Nihon Hidankyo held a news conference with other NGOs on Thursday in Tokyo. Three members of Nihon Hidankyo will attend a conference this month on a treaty banning nuclear weapons. The discussion takes place at the United Nations in New York.
Japan's non-nuclear principles state that the country will not possess, produce, or permit the introduction of nuclear weapons. Nihon Hidankyo Secretary General Hamasumi Jiro is worried about the ramifications of opening the principles up for discussion.
**01:05**
[Hamasumi Jiro / English voiceover]
"今、日本は、非常に… (Japan is at a critical juncture. I feel a sense of crisis. The discussions could have a significant impact on Japan's signing and participating in the nuclear ban treaty.)"
**01:19**
Hamasumi says he wants to tell the UN conference about what nuclear weapons can do to humans. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons took effect in 2021. It has been ratified by 75 countries and regions, but the world's nuclear powers have not signed. Neither has Japan.
Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara Minoru outlined Japan's position on the treaty.
**01:48**
[Kihara Minoru / English voiceover]
"国際社会の情勢を見極め… (It is necessary to carefully examine the situation in the international community from the perspective of what is truly effective for ensuring Japan's security and practical progress in nuclear disarmament. …必要があると考えております。)"
**02:05**
At the same time, Kihara says Japan's mission is to lead the push toward a world without nuclear weapons.
China, US Top Diplomats Speak by Phone Ahead of APEC
**02:13**
The top diplomats of China and the US have spoken on the phone. The call between Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Secretary of State Marco Rubio comes ahead of possible bilateral talks on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit next week in China.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that the two sides held in-depth discussions on relations between their countries and exchanges between their heads of state. It described the call as positive and constructive. Wang said China is willing to strengthen communication and cooperation with the US while properly handling differences and sensitive issues.
The US State Department confirmed Rubio and Wang's discussion of upcoming meetings to be attended by Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. The department said the two agreed on the importance of leader-level talks for advancing goals like peace and denuclearization, including at any potential trilateral talks with Russia.
At Least 2 Dead, 17 Injured in New York Building Collapse
**03:21**
Authorities in New York say at least two people are dead after a partial building collapse. At least 17 people, including several children and a firefighter, were also injured in the incident.
Officials say the three-story building in Brooklyn collapsed into an adjacent construction site at around 4:00 PM on Wednesday. Crews are carrying out search and rescue operations for others who may be trapped in the rubble.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at a news conference that he is heartbroken and that it is an incredibly challenging and fast-moving situation.
According to The New York Times, the building was built in 1930 and contained four apartments. Authorities are still looking into what caused the collapse.
BUSINESS
**04:14**
All right, now let's see what's happening in the world of business. Ramin Mellegard joins us from our biz desk. Ramin.
**04:22**
[Ramin Mellegard]
Thank you very much indeed.
WSJ: NVIDIA Preparing to Remove CEO Jensen Huang
Now, The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday said US semiconductor giant Nvidia is set to remove CEO and co-founder Jensen Huang. The paper said Nvidia's board could make the decision within the day, citing people familiar with the issue.
Huang admitted to an extramarital affair with a female executive at a Singapore company. US media have reported that the woman is suspected of working with Chinese intelligence agencies. The New York Times also said on Wednesday that Huang had an affair with an Nvidia employee who reports directly to him.
The paper notes that Nvidia's code of conduct requires employees to avoid personal relationships that can create conflicts of interest. Nvidia's shares fell about 10% in after-hours trading following the media reports.
Nissan Narrows First-Half Loss on Cost Cuts
**05:27**
Japanese carmaker Nissan Motor has logged a first-half net loss for the second year in a row. But the company says the amount of red ink was reduced by cost-cutting and a weaker yen.
Nissan announced its consolidated financial results for the six months ending in September on Wednesday. Sales jumped 8.8% from the same period last year to more than 6 trillion yen, or about 38 billion dollars. The company's group net loss was about 40 billion yen. That narrowed from a deficit of around 220 billion yen a year earlier.
Now, Nissan cut its forecast for unit sales in the full fiscal year ending in March. The company had expected to sell 3.15 million units globally, but now sees the number at between 2.97 and 3 million units. It cites intensifying competition in China due to a growing shift to new energy vehicles.
Japan Producer Prices Accelerate as Oil Costs Rise
**06:43**
The pace of increase for Japan's wholesale prices accelerated in October from the previous month. Rising costs of petroleum-related products pushed up the figure.
Preliminary data from the Bank of Japan shows the Producer Price Index rose 7.1% from a year earlier. Now, that's 0.3 percentage points higher than the September number. The PPI gauges prices of goods traded between companies.
The costs of gasoline, diesel, and other petroleum products rose almost 16%. The increase for chemical items such as ethylene was 15.5%. This was attributed to higher prices of the raw material naphtha. Non-ferrous metals jumped nearly 32%. Copper prices rose on growing global AI demand. Damage to an aluminum production base in the Middle East was another factor.
Central bank officials say crude oil prices have been on the uptrend since the summer. They note that many companies passed on their higher costs to prices last month.
Japanese Firms Rethink Cost of AI
**08:06**
Okay, AI is becoming more powerful, and companies are adopting it at a rapid pace. But as usage grows, so do the costs. Some businesses are now facing outlays far higher than expected, forcing them to rethink how they manage the cost of AI. NHK World's Kimura Miyako reports.
**08:32**
[Kimura Miyako]
This Tokyo-based IT company offers contact management and other business software services. Obi Ryosuke is a sales employee. He has developed an AI-powered system to help sales staff secure more client meetings.
By entering a company name, the system pulls up public information, such as business plans, as well as records of past meetings and visits. It can also generate tailored sales proposals and draft emails for individual clients.
**09:13**
[Obi Ryosuke / English voiceover]
"成果につなげる… (I think AI has made it much easier and more efficient to turn our efforts into results.)"
**09:21**
The system has now been adopted across the department. But the monthly bill to use it surged to nearly $6,000, far exceeding the original budget.
Generative AI services for individual users are typically inexpensive. But many businesses now use pay-as-you-go pricing. As usage rises, costs can quickly spiral out of control.
To keep spending under control, the company has introduced measures requiring management approval once AI expenses exceed a certain threshold.
**10:04**
[Company official / English voiceover]
"びっくりしました。 (We were surprised by the costs. It was difficult to gauge both the level of AI usage and how much value it would generate.)"
**10:20**
Against this backdrop, firms offering AI cost management services are emerging. This company, known for its accounting software, launched a service in August that tracks AI usage and provides visibility into monthly costs.
**10:41**
[Demonstrator / English voiceover]
"You can view AI costs by department."
**10:46**
This screen, for example, shows how much each department has spent. It also makes it easy to identify employees whose spending has exceeded budget limits.
On this day, the company was advising a business with 300 employees on how to manage its AI spending.
**11:09**
[Client / English voiceover]
"Our AI costs keep rising month after month. They're beginning to weigh on our business."
**11:17**
[Adviser / English voiceover]
"What do you expect from our service?"
**11:19**
[Client / English voiceover]
"We want to use the service to control costs."
**11:23**
[Adviser / English voiceover]
"We're entering a phase where companies will need to assess whether the value created by AI justifies the investment."
**11:36**
As AI becomes more deeply embedded in business operations, firms are under increasing pressure to show that the gains outweigh the costs. Kimura Miyako, NHK World.
outweigh（～を上回る）Against this backdrop（こうした状況を背景に）
Markets
**11:52**
[Ramin Mellegard]
Okay, let's have a check on the markets.
*(11:55 - 12:22 市場データ画面)*
**12:23**
And that's it for biz news.
COP31 UN Chief: Climate Crisis Outrunning Us
**12:34**
[Yamaguchi Hiroaki]
The UN Secretary-General is sounding the alarm at the COP31 climate conference. Antonio Guterres says the world's shift away from fossil fuels is not happening fast enough.
**12:48**
[Antonio Guterres]
"The brutal truth is that the climate crisis is outrunning us. We have the power to make sure the overshoot is a temporary breach, not a permanent sentence."
**13:01**
The conference is taking place in southern Turkey. Guterres described climate justice as the defining challenge of the next decade.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said humanity is driven by an appetite for excessive consumption and faces an existential crisis. He also said developed nations must fund measures to reduce emissions. Leaders from more than 90 countries are attending the conference. They will also discuss raising the global electrification rate and reducing waste, which Turkey advocates.
G7 Foreign Ministers Reaffirm Support for Ukraine
**13:38**
The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven nations have reaffirmed their support for Ukraine amid ongoing Russian attacks and expressed backing for US efforts to achieve peace.
The top diplomats issued a joint declaration on Wednesday following their two-day meeting in Paris. They described their support for Ukraine and its people as unwavering. They also expressed backing for US-led efforts to end the conflict through negotiation.
The ministers said stopping attacks by both sides on energy infrastructure and in the Black Sea would be what they called an important first step toward achieving a lasting peace. They agreed to boost financial and material support to help Ukraine get through the winter. The country's energy-related facilities have been damaged by Russian strikes.
The ministers also acknowledged the need for a coordinated approach to addressing Ukraine's financial needs for 2027 and beyond. The G7 ministers also discussed the conflict in Iran and restated their support for diplomatic efforts to reach a settlement. And they called on Iran to halt its attacks against civilian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
Russia, Ukraine Agree on Major Prisoner Swap
**14:55**
Officials from Russia and Ukraine have agreed on a large-scale prisoner swap. Russia's state-run TASS news agency said a two-day meeting between the two sides in Abu Dhabi ended Wednesday. TASS said the negotiations, which also included the United States, lasted about two hours.
After the talks, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky told reporters both sides had agreed on a major exchange of prisoners of war. TASS quoted a Russian delegate as saying the transfer involves more than 1,000 POWs from each side.
Medinsky also said security in Europe, including Ukraine, was a main topic on the agenda. But he suggested that even though the parties have reached mutual understanding on some issues, differences remain.
US negotiators held a news conference with their Ukrainian counterparts. US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner said the territorial issue is the hardest to resolve.
**16:00**
[Jared Kushner]
"The implementation of post-war security will not occur until there's an agreement on territory and on all other bilateral issues."
**16:08**
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on social media that the parties discussed broader formats for further work involving European partners. He urged the US to take a strong stance on Russia to end the war.
Analysis: Why S. Korea's Diving Deeper into Middle Eastern Waters
**16:25**
Now, South Korea may soon have a bigger role in the Middle East. The Cabinet approved plans to expand one military unit's operating zone to bring it closer to the Strait of Hormuz. For more on this, earlier I spoke to NHK World's Kim Chan-ju in Seoul to ask why this proposal is attracting so much attention.
**16:52**
[Kim Chan-ju]
The question is, is South Korea wading into a war? As you know, the Strait of Hormuz is a flashpoint of the US-Iran conflict. Opposition parties and civic groups here say they're concerned about getting too involved.
The unit itself isn't new. South Korea has maintained a military presence in the area since 2009. Its goal is to protect commercial vessels from piracy. Under this new proposal, their operating zone would expand to include the area south of Oman. As you can see, it doesn't include the strait itself, but it does bring South Korean forces closer to the waterway. The unit would also gain new personnel and equipment specifically for minesweeping. Experts say it suggests South Korean forces could eventually be sent into the area.
**17:57**
[Analyst / English voiceover]
"This multi-dimensional deployment of troops and assets can be seen as South Korea preparing to play a stabilizing role post-conflict."
**18:10**
[Kim Chan-ju]
Seoul emphasized Thursday they will not participate in combat or enter any dangerous situations, but that has done little to ease people's concerns.
**18:23**
[Yamaguchi Hiroaki]
Considering the public pushback, why is the government moving ahead with this plan?
**18:31**
[Kim Chan-ju]
It's probably because of the United States. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly called on countries like South Korea to help ensure freedom of navigation.
**18:44**
[Donald Trump]
"You know, we get less than 1% of our oil from the strait, and some countries get much more. Japan gets 95%, China gets 90%, many of the Europeans get quite a—quite a bit. South Korea gets 35%. So we want them to come and help us with the strait."
**19:07**
[Kim Chan-ju]
The South Korean government says they're not doing this in response to any pressure from Washington, but experts say this could help strengthen relations.
**19:21**
[Analyst / English voiceover]
"An ally and partner like South Korea using its own capabilities to contribute to maritime security can strengthen the alliance's combined defense posture. It could also be a major opportunity to deepen cooperation between the two countries."
**19:39**
[Kim Chan-ju]
Iran was quick to react. A spokesperson Monday urged Seoul to proceed with caution.
**19:48**
[Iranian spokesperson / English voiceover]
"Well, the best way South Korea can help is by keeping themselves out of an issue that is already sufficiently complicated."
**20:01**
[Yamaguchi Hiroaki]
So Chan-ju, what would happen if South Korea does move forward with this plan?
**20:08**
[Kim Chan-ju]
Well, all eyes are on the Strait of Hormuz. So experts say what South Korea does here could influence what other nations do, too.
**20:21**
[Analyst / English voiceover]
"There's a strong possibility that conditions will allow for not only South Korea, but also other countries like Japan, to consider taking on bigger roles to maintain maritime security."
**20:36**
[Kim Chan-ju]
There is still no clear prospect of stability in the strait. As countries continue to monitor the situation, it will be interesting to see who does and doesn't engage.
**20:51**
[Yamaguchi Hiroaki]
Thanks, Chan-ju.
Eel Farmers Bet on Jumbo Versions to Improve Supply
**20:53**
Now, eel farm operators have struggled to maintain a stable supply of the Japanese delicacy. The latest idea to help solve the problem is raising jumbo eels twice the size of normal.
Eels usually ship at 250 grams each, but the jumbo versions weigh about double that. The Union of Eel Farmers Cooperatives of Japan says the industry relies on catches of wild glass eels for raising in farms. It says even if the catches are poor, the jumbo eels could help stabilize supply.
It says the thicker eels take more time to cook. At a tasting event in central Japan's Nagoya City on Wednesday, the grilling took more than twice as long as usual.
**21:38**
[Taster / English voiceover]
"ちょっとあっさりめで… (Its flavor is light, and the eel itself is delicious.)"
**21:47**
The group says it is working on measures to help more farmers raise the jumbo eels.
outweigh（～を上回る）Against this backdrop（こうした状況を背景に）
School of Fish Grilling in Western Japan
**21:53**
And eels aren't the only fish that taste good grilled. A group of children in western Japan have tried their hand at searing bonito over burning straw, which is a traditional local technique.
Bonito is a specialty of Kochi Prefecture, and the fish is now in season. About 50 elementary school students tried making katsuo no tataki. That's bonito which is seared on the outside and raw in the middle. The children watched as the bonito were expertly prepared for grilling and worked in pairs to sear the fish over burning rice straw.
**22:42**
[Student]
"周りはね、カリッカリしてて、中身はしっとりして、モチモチっとして。"
**22:48**
The children were taught about the traditional pole-and-line fishing method and the major ports where bonito are landed. They also learned about recent challenges facing the industry, such as declining catches and a shrinking workforce.
Castle in the Sky
**23:20**
People in the western Japanese city of Asago are enjoying a seasonal spectacle: the ruins of a castle appearing to float above the clouds.
The ruins of Takeda Castle stand atop a mountain about 350 meters high. Low morning temperatures and a phenomenon called radiative cooling caused fog to form near the ground, creating what looked like a sea of clouds. Tourists gathered on an observation deck to take in the view.
**23:54**
[Tourist / English voiceover]
"今まで見てきた… (This is probably the most beautiful view I've ever seen. …すごい綺麗な景色だなと思って。)"
**24:04**
Weather permitting, this spectacle can be seen until early next month.
♪
World Weather
**24:46**
And now to weather. Residents in Portugal are struggling to cope with relentless storms and flooding. Our meteorologist Yuumi Hirano gives us the details.
**24:56**
[Yuumi Hirano]
Lisbon had over 200 mm of rain in just 48 hours. That's about twice the average amount for this time of year. The downpours have caused severe disruptions.
On Wednesday, many streets were overrun by floodwaters with some cars partially submerged. Authorities asked many schools and non-essential services to close for the day. Earlier this year, the region was hit by similar storms damaging structures.
The storm which brought the heavy rain is now moving to Spain and Italy, bringing intense rainfall. In addition, gusts of over 100 km/h are possible in southern Spain.
Behind the system, another storm is lingering near Portugal, so people there should watch out for the next round of rain and additional flooding.
Further north, a well-developed low pressure system is moving across the Scandinavian Peninsula, bringing stormy conditions. About 15 cm of heavy snow is expected in Oslo with a high of only 3.
But sunny skies are expected in London and Paris. Showers are likely in Lisbon, Madrid, Rome, and Vienna. Warmer than usual conditions will continue in Athens with a high of 24.
Moving to Japan: high pressure systems are covering much of the country. Dry and calm conditions are expected to continue on Friday in many cities. The next round of rain is likely to start in Fukuoka on Saturday and then spread into Osaka and Tokyo on Sunday. That's all for now. Have a nice day.
♫～ 3-Day Forecast ～♫
**27:40**
[Yamaguchi Hiroaki]
And that's all for this edition of NHK NEWSLINE. Thanks for watching.
checked.
NHK World
**28:01**
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**28:07**
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**28:21**
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**28:34**
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