00:00:09 話者 1/Takao Minori
Welcome back to NHK Newsline. Here's the latest we have for you at this hour.
Severe Tropical Storm Jangmi Brings Strong Winds to Okinawa
A severe tropical storm is on track to hit Okinawa's main island.
Weather officials say bands of clouds that cause torrential rain could spring up in Amami and the southern part of the Kyushu region beginning Tuesday morning.
Officials are also warning residents to take precautions against strong winds, high waves and landslides.
The Japan Meteorological Agency says severe tropical storm Jangmi was south-southwest of Naha City and moving north at 20 kilometers per hour as of 3 p.m. on Monday.
It says wind gusts could reach 162 kilometers per hour in Okinawa and Amami through Tuesday. Strong winds have already damaged parts of Okinawa.
Firefighters in Naha City had to secure a wooden utility pole to a building to prevent it from falling. Two people were also injured after they were blown over.
The storm could bring up to 250 millimeters of rain to Okinawa and Amami in the next 24 hours. Jangmi is expected to approach western to eastern Japan through Wednesday.
It could bring heavy rain to areas along Japan's Pacific coast.
About 400 flights were canceled Monday, mostly in and out of Okinawa.
More than 160 additional flights scheduled for Tuesday have now been canceled as well.
Airline operators are asking passengers to check their websites for the latest information.
Shinkansen bullet trains could also be affected. The Tokaido Shinkansen line operator is warning of possible interruptions from Tuesday night into Wednesday.
Weather officials say it's possible that level four alerts could be issued.
Level four is a new category under Japan's revised disaster information announcement system that indicates an urgent warning.
It means that people should evacuate from areas considered dangerous.
In the meantime, officials are calling on people in those areas to take precautions and to prepare early.
Iran Conflict: Trump Says Draft Deal Includes Wording on Nuclear Plans
US President Donald Trump reportedly wants the draft of a memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran amended.
Trump indicated that the changes relate mainly to Tehran's nuclear plans.
Trump took to social media on Sunday, shedding light on what he described as my Iran nuclear deal.
He says it states very clearly that Iran will not have a nuclear weapon, and he says the text goes on in very strong and lengthy detail about other aspects of nuclear.
This comes as the US website Axios reported on Saturday that Trump wants the draft to include how and when the US will obtain Iran's enriched uranium.
US broadcaster CBS News quoted a source on Sunday as saying that Trump's edits included somewhat significant changes.
The media says the changes are related to the Strait of Hormuz and the removal of highly enriched uranium.
Iran Conflict: Tehran to Request Own Amendments to Draft
Meanwhile, Iran's Tasnim news agency quotes a source as saying the exchange of texts is continuing.
It adds Tehran will also make amendments to the potential draft document and that nothing has been finalized yet.
State-run media reported remarks by Iran's parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Baghir Ghalibaf.
It quoted him as saying Tehran will not make easy concessions and will reject any agreement that fails to ensure its rights.
Ghalibaf is among the officials who have been involved in talks with the US.
Death Toll Rises to 11 in US Chemical Tank Accident
Now to the latest on last week's deadly chemical tank accident in the US state of Washington. Authorities say 11 people have been confirmed dead.
On Tuesday, the tank at the Nippon DynaWave packaging facility in Longview collapsed following a rupture. The firm is a subsidiary of Japan's Nippon Paper Group.
Nine employees were left missing after the implosion.
The Japanese company and local fire departments say that by Sunday, all were confirmed dead. They say eight others were injured.
The tank reportedly contained a chemical substance used to produce paper pulp.
Local authorities are investigating the cause of the rupture.
They are also working with relevant agencies to assess the potential environmental impact on surrounding areas.
Five Rescued From Flooded Laos Cave, Two Still Missing
Five people who were trapped in a flooded cave in Laos for more than a week have been rescued. Search crews are looking for two others who remain missing.
Local media say seven people entered the cave in a mountainous part of Saisomboom province around May 20 to search for gold.
The reports say their way out was blocked by flooding and a landslide caused by heavy rain. Rescuers found five of them alive in a chamber inside the cave on Wednesday.
They worked to drain water from tunnels and finally freed them by Saturday.
They say the two people still unaccounted for could be deeper in the cave than the chamber where the five were located.
The rescuers include divers from Japan and other countries.
Some of them took part in the rescue of youth soccer team members from a flooded cave in northern Thailand in 2018.
Shangri-La Dialogue: Delegates Talk Indo-Pacific Security
The 2026 Shangri-La Dialogue wrapped up in Singapore on Sunday.
The annual Asian Defence Summit brings together senior officials and security experts from across the Indo-Pacific and beyond.
This year's summit comes at a time of growing concern over regional stability.
Delegates Talk Indo-Pacific Security at Shangri-La Dialogue
For more on this, my colleague Yoshi Ogasawara spoke earlier with NHK World's Kitai Genki in Singapore.
00:06:09 話者 2/Yoshi Ogasawara
Genki, a major focus this weekend was the speech from US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. What stood out to you about what he said?
00:06:18 話者 3/Kitai Genki
One of the biggest questions going into the dialogue was how the Trump administration with balance signaling its commitment to the Indo-Pacific while also managing relations with China.
In last year's speech, Hegseth has repeatedly singled out China for criticism.
But this year, his tone was noticeably more restrained.
That appears to reflect the outcome of the US-China summit last month.
At that meeting, both Washington and Beijing confirmed they want to stabilize relations.
00:06:51 話者 12/Pete Hegseth
Under President Trump's leadership, relations between the United States and China are better than they've been in many years.
I bore witness to their hours of candid conversations. It was truly historic.
00:07:05 話者 3
But on the other hand, HEGSA did raise concerns about China's military buildup in the region.
A former US diplomat told me that Hexet's soft tone did not mean a total shift in policy.
00:07:19 話者 13/Nathan Sales/Former US Ambassador-at-Large
The administration's policy, the United States policy, with respect to China is we want to preserve the status quo, we want to trade with countries in the region, and we want to maintain a military balance that prevents conflict from breaking out.
00:07:35 話者 3
Chinese delegates at the forum also stress the stable relationship with Washington.
But one Chinese expert told me there is still a risk that things could deteriorate, particularly over Taiwan.
00:07:49 話者 14/Da Wei/Director, Center for International Security and Strategy, Tsinghua University
The direction is still dangerous if the US continues its current policy.
If the Taiwan authority continues its current direction and trajectory in their position on the Taiwan sovereign status, I think the direction is still dangerous and China and US could be dragged into a war in the future.
00:08:17 話者 2
So it sounds like a story of tensions easing up a bit when it comes to China and the US, but a bit of a different story when it comes to Japan and China.
What did you hear on that front?
00:08:30 話者 3
That's right. Chinese representatives at the forum warned about what they called a revival of militarism from Japan.
The Japanese Defense Minister Koizumi Shinjiro rejected that characterization.
Koizumi's speech drew a lot of attention here on Sunday.
He talked about Japan's efforts to strengthen defense capabilities, as well as its new policy on the transfer of defense equipment.
Koizumi said these efforts are aimed at contributing to the peace and stability of the region, and he said that Japan is being highly transparent about what it's doing and why.
00:09:09 話者 15/Koizumi Shinjiro
There is a country that has a huge arsenal of nuclear weapons and strategic bombers.
Japan has neither of such weapons. And yet, Japan is labeled new meteorism.
Isn't this strange?
00:09:25 話者 3
Koizumi said it was disappointing that he was unable to hold talks with the Chinese defense minister who didn't attend the forum.
He also said he is committed to staying in communication with Beijing.
00:09:39 話者 2
The tensions between major global and regional powers might have been at center stage, but what about other countries who participated?
00:09:48 話者 3
Well, I spoke with several experts, and my impression is that many of them are looking at the US-China rivalry in a very calm and pragmatic way.
They recognize the risks, but some also said countries in the region should not simply depend on major powers.
Instead, they stress the need for middle powers to work more closely together and to help shape the regional order themselves.
00:10:16 話者 16/Renato Cruz de Castro/Professor, De La Salle University
We also have to build our respective capabilities.
We also have also in terms of establishing relationship among ourselves, the notion of minilateral and of course linking those alliances, those allies between themselves.
Like for example, a very good example is Philippines Japan, Japan South Korea and even Japan Australia.
00:10:38 話者 17/Bilahari Kausikan/Former Singaporean Ambassador-at-Large
Competition among major powers and therefore conflict or the risks of conflict, these are inherent characteristics of international relations and have been so throughout history and for all time. So let's not get too excited about what we are experiencing now.
We have to learn to manage the risks and we have managed the risks.
00:10:58 話者 3
One idea I heard from a number of experts here is that being prepared for potential conflict is essential for maintaining peace.
And that seemed to capture the mood of this year's forum.
Countries in the region do not want conflict, but they are increasingly focused on strengthening their defense capabilities.
They say that makes it all the more important to keep dialogue going so that an accident or miscalculation does not trigger a crisis.
BUSINESS
00:11:33 話者 1
Japan stocks have been rising sharply.
For the latest, we go to Yuko Fukushima from our business.
So Yuko, how has the week started off?
Nikkei 225 Sets Record Closing High for Second Straight Day
00:11:40 話者 4/Yuko Fukushima
Well, actually, the week started off pretty strong, Minori, because Tokyo's Nikkei 225 stock index at an all-time closing high for the second straight session on Monday.
Investors continue to buy artificial intelligence and semiconductor related shares.
The benchmark ended the day at 66,943, up 9/10 of a percent.
It briefly breached the 67,000 mark for the first time, rising as high as 67,231.
Shares of SoftBank Group jumped 14 percent after it announced a massive AI-related investment.
The firm's market capitalization reached 48.7 trillion yen, or about $305 billion.
It displaced Toyota Motor as the most valuable company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. It's the first time in about 22 years that the auto giant has lost the top spot.
In contrast with the Nikkei, the broader topics dropped four-tenth of a percent.
Analysts say uncertainty over the future of the Iran situation affected investor sentiment, leading to a fall of more than 70 percent of shares on the TSE's prime section.
SoftBank to Invest €75 Bil. on AI Data Centers in France
As we briefly mentioned in the market report, Japanese tech giant SoftBank Group says it will spend as much as 75 billion euros or about $87 billion to build AI data centers in France.
SoftBank said over the weekend it plans to develop and operate 5 gigawatts of AI data center capacity in France.
The first phase of the project will see AI data centers rolled out in northern France by 2031 at a cost of 45 billion euros or about $53 billion.
SoftBank says it will partner with French firm Schneider Electric for the project, which it says it's likely to create thousands of high-skilled jobs across a range of fields.
The Japanese group is betting big on AI infrastructure as the race to develop capacity intensifies globally.
In March, it announced A $500 billion project to build a massive data center in the United States.
Iran Conflict: Japan Extra Budget Over Iran to Hit ¥3.1 Tril.
Japan's government plans to ask for tens of billions of dollars for an extra budget to cope with the effect of higher energy prices due to the Iran conflict.
NHK has learned that government officials are compiling a supplementary budget bill worth more than 3.1 trillion yen, or nearly $20 billion.
The bill will include 2.5 trillion as a contingency fund in case soaring energy prices and other effects of the Middle Eastern conflict affect Japan's economy.
The officials want over 510 billion yen to bring the reserve fund for assistance on electricity and gas bills back up to 1 trillion yen.
The government has decided to use part of the fund as subsidies to help households pay rising energy costs this summer.
The government plans to seek 100 billion yen as grounds for regional municipalities to help ease the burden on users of liquefied petroleum gas.
It plans to fund the entire extra budget with deficit covering bonds, but apparently predicts a minimal impact on the country's fiscal health.
The officials expect that the government bought insurance in the last fiscal year through March has likely come down by about 3 trillion yen from originally planned.
That's thanks to higher than expected tax revenue and spending cuts on some budget items.
Price Hikes Ahead in June for Over 1,000 Food Items in Japan
Prices for more than 1,000 food items in Japan will rise in June, further pressuring consumers.
That's partly due to higher packaging costs as turmoil continues in the Middle East.
A survey by private research from Teikoku Data Bank found that 1,078 items are set for price hikes this month.
They include 450 seasoning products and around 300 processed foods such as instant noodles. The survey targeted 195 domestic food producers.
The firms were also asked why they were planning to raise prices with multiple answers allowed, almost 98 percent said higher ingredient costs.
More than 70 percent cited distribution costs as well as the price of packaging and other materials. The Middle East situation was chosen by around 23 percent.
Grocery price increases are expected to accelerate in July, affecting nearly 2,270 items.
UK Pub-Goers Thirsty for Alcohol-Free Brews
The UK is famous for its pub culture, but drinking habits are changing.
Alcohol consumption has been falling in recent years as people adopt healthier lifestyles and develop different tastes.
Low or non-alcohol drinks are growing in popularity and producers are riding this wave.
00:16:28 話者 5/Narrator: Yoshino Mika/Reporters: Yamada Hiroki, Hannah Kershaw
UK pub industry players gathered in London for a major trade show.
Drinks with no alcohol drew particular attention.
00:16:40 話者 24
Quite regularly I have non-alcoholic beer.
Rather than drinking alcohol every night, it's good to wake up fresh.
00:16:46 話者 25
The development of non-alcoholic beverages in the last few years has been pretty good.
00:16:51 話者 5
This regional brewer started producing non-alcoholic beer four years ago along with growing demand.
00:16:59 話者 26/Jerry Green/National Account Controller, Butcombe Brewing
In the company currently, I think that represents about 6% of our total sales is now coming from zero beers. The market is getting bigger and bigger and bigger.
00:17:07 話者 5
An industry association estimates no and low alcohol beer consumption hit an all-time high last year, equivalent to 200 million pints.
That's about 20% more than the previous year.
Overall alcohol consumption, including beer, has dropped nearly 30% in the last two decades. More traditional pubs now serve alcohol-free options.
This pub in central London dates from the 18th century.
A non-alcoholic beer brand acquired it in 2023 and has been exploring new demand.
As well as conventional beer, the pub offers its own brews on tap.
Alcohol-free beer from other brewers is also available.
00:18:01 話者 27
Cheers.
00:18:03 話者 5
The aim is to attract customers who don't usually drink alcohol to a traditional venue for social gatherings.
00:18:11 話者 28
It's still a nice atmosphere to go out to the pub, even if you're not drinking alcohol.
00:18:15 話者 29/Nate Roberts/Assistant General Manager, The Lucky Saint Pub
Three or four years ago, you might have seen quite a significant difference between people drinking and people not drinking.
Now, social circles and connections are pretty much intertwining, so you don't really notice a difference.
00:18:32 話者 5
This brewer near Edinburgh now specializes in non-alcoholic beer, seeing the boom as a business opportunity. Sonya Mitchell launched a brewery in 2024.
She had been a marketer for a consumer goods company but became passionate about making high-quality alcohol-free beer.
She started with no experience in the field, but brewing specialists helped her develop the rich flavors she was looking for.
00:19:01 話者 23/Sonja Mitchell/Founder, Jump Ship Brewing
So the way we brew our beer is to control the fermentation so we're getting all the flavour and everything you'd expect from a beer just without the alcohol.
00:19:11 話者 5
She says the brewery plans to hire more staff and expand its operation.
00:19:17 話者 23
I think the market in the UK for alcohol-free beer will be at least three times bigger than it is now within the next 10 years.
We'd like to be known in more places and to continue to grow our reputation as being one of the world's best alcohol-free specialists.
00:19:35 話者 5
Major brewers are also pouring money into non-alcoholic drinks production.
Consumers will soon be able to enjoy a wider range of hangover-free brews.
MARKETS
00:19:49 話者 4
Let's get you the latest in markets.
♪
And that's the biz for this hour.
Tokyo's Shibuya Starts Handing Out Littering Fines
00:20:34 話者 1
One of Tokyo's busiest tourist hubs is introducing on-the-spot fines for littering.
Shibuya Ward, home of the famous Scramble crossing, is counting on financial penalties to keep the area clean.
Patrols to stamp out the litter bugs started near Shibuya station on Monday.
Anyone caught dropping trash in the ward will be fined 2,000 yen or about $12.
Local officials say people are drinking on the streets and littering has become a growing problem. Violators will be asked to pay the fine in cash.
Credit card or QR code payments will also be accepted.
00:21:13 話者 31/Nakajima Tetsuya/Shibuya Ward official
Shibuya Ward decided to introduce the penalty because calling for good manners alone was not enough to reduce littering.
We hope the strict rules will help create a clean environment.
00:21:25 話者 1
Shibuya introduced another new rule in April. Convenience stores, cafes and other takeout establishments are now obliged to provide trash bins for their customers.
Crested Ibises Released Into Wild on Japan's Honshu
Japanese crested ibises have been released into the wild in the Noto region of Ishikawa Prefecture in the first event of its kind on Japan's main island of Honshu.
While the birds designated as a special natural monument are widely viewed as a symbol of recovery from the Noto Peninsula earthquake that struck two years ago.
Eighteen ibises, packed into wooden crates were delivered from a training facility in Niigata Prefecture shortly after 4 a.m. on Sunday.
Many people had gathered near the site to get a glimpse of the birds.
Crown Prince and Princess Akishino attended a ceremony in Hakui City.
00:22:37 話者 45
The birds looked beautiful. They were so graceful in flight.
00:22:42 話者 1
Japanese crested ibises used to inhabit nearly all parts of the country.
But their numbers continued to plunge due to environmental changes.
The last bird died in 2003. An artificial breeding program started in the city of Sato, Niigata Prefecture, using ibises donated by China.
Well, as of last December, there were an estimated 500 ibises in the island city.
The program operators recently decided to expand the birds' habitat to other regions and chose Ishikawa Prefecture.
In the run-up to their release, the ibises were trained for three months.
They were placed near farmers planting rice to help reduce their fear of people.
They were also exposed to the sound of mowing machines.
For many people in Ishikawa, the release of the birds symbolizes the Noto region's reconstruction from the 2024 earthquake.
♫～
WEATHER
We continue to monitor the path of Jangmi as it moves through parts of Japan.
Our meteorologist, Jonathan Oh, joins us with the details as well as important information on how you should stay aware and safe. Jonathan.
00:24:53 話者 51/Jonathan Oh
Hello, Jangmi continues to move toward the north and northeast and has brought powerful winds with some gusts up to 146 kilometers per hour and rainfall amounts hitting over 150 millimeters in just a 24 hour period.
This storm is packing a lot of rainfall and it's also bringing strong winds and high waves.
Coming up as we go through the day on Tuesday, for those of you located in the southwestern, western portions of Japan from Okinawa to Amami and southern Kyushu, rainfall amounts in the 24 hour period can be up to 300 millimeters with gusts up to 162 and waves up to 10 meters.
And then going forward from there from Tuesday into Wednesday into place like Tokai, we can see 300 millimeters of rainfall as we go from Tuesday into Wednesday.
And so this storm has a lot of moisture with and will continue to be something we have to monitor as we go through next couple of days.
So for Tuesday, rain extending for Okinawa all the Osaka later parts today in Tokyo will see that rain.
Then we go into Wednesday and that rainfall spread to the north and east and it's bringing some rainfall into place like Sendai.
And again, heavy rainfall along with the strong winds were part of the storm.
Even though the storm by that point will be weakening, we have to be on the lookout for that.
I want you to review this five-level warning system updated last week where these weather alerts are stated with the level number, the type of warning, as well as the type of alert, meaning, for example, a level three warning for heavy rain.
And this is something you have to be on the lookout for because as heavy becomes an issue, we may be seeing the possibility of these types of warnings being issued.
But what has not changed, you should not wait for level 5 to evacuate.
Once you start seeing the issues from 3 to 4, you need to start taking that action.
So make sure that you are aware of the threats, make sure that you have the evacuation plan in place, get your supplies in place, and keep an eye out on the warnings that may be coming out as you go through the next couple of days.
Stay safe wherever you are.
♫～ 3-DAY FORECAST ～♫
00:27:35 話者 1
And that's all we have for this hour's NHK Newsland.
We'll have more for you soon. Thanks for joining us.
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