Trump warns of strikes on Iran’s power plants,
UN reports soaring Ukrainian civilian casualties,
and Tokyo’s governor meets UN chief in New York.
トランプ氏がイランの発電所攻撃を示唆、
ウクライナ民間人犠牲が急増、
東京都知事がニューヨークで国連事務総長と会談。
Welcome to NHK NewsLine. I'm Yoko Nishimura in Tokyo with the latest news.
Iran Conflict: Trump Hints at Strikes on Iran's Power Plants Next Week
US President Donald Trump says the US military will attack Iran's power plants and bridges unless Tehran resumes negotiations with Washington.
00:00:25 話者 10/Donald Trump
Next week it gets really bad for them because next week comes the power plants.
Next week comes the bridges. We're going to knock out all their power plants.
We're going to knock out all their bridges unless they get to the table and negotiate.
00:00:41 話者 1
Trump made the comment in an interview with Fox News Channel's Trey Inkst on Tuesday.
He said that his representatives spoke with the Iranian side earlier in the day, passing on a message, insisting that Tehran make a deal.
He said that if they don't, Iran is not going to have anybody or anything left.
The United States Central Command, which directs military operations in the Middle East, says it completed an additional round of strikes against Iran at 10 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday. The attacks have continued for four consecutive days.
CENTCOM says Tuesday's operation hit dozens of military targets near the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian coastal areas.
War in Ukraine UN: Ukrainian Civilian Casualties Soar
Civilian casualties are continuing to soar in Ukraine.
A UN human rights watchdog says more than 2,200 civilians were killed or injured in June alone. That's the highest monthly total since the Russian invasion began four years ago.
The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine says at least 293 civilians were killed and 1,990 were injured last month.
The group says the figures show an alarming escalatory trend with a mounting civilian toll.
It says Russia's intensifying use of powerful weapons in densely populated urban areas is driving the increase.
War in Ukraine
Poland to Host First Military Drills by Nations Backing Kyiv
Meanwhile, Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk says the first military exercises by nations supporting Ukraine will be held in his country this autumn.
Speaking to reporters in Paris, Tusk said it seems unlikely that Ukraine and Russia will reach a ceasefire or peace agreement in the near future.
He said the planned exercises will prepare the entire coalition of countries back in Kyiv to provide tangible security guarantees to the region.
The coalition agreed at a meeting in Paris on Monday to hold joint military exercises in a country neighboring Ukraine in the coming months.
Meanwhile, Bulgaria's Prime Minister Rumen Radeff indicated that his country will withdraw from the coalition.
Radov, who took office in May, is known for his pro-Russian stance and opposition to providing military assistance to Ukraine.
Business
Now to tell us what's happening in the world of business, here's Yuko Fukushima from the biz desk.
00:03:15 話者 2/Yuko Fukushima
Thanks, Yuko.
China's Economic Growth Slowed to 4.3% in Apr.–Jun.
China's economic growth slowed to 4.3 percent in the April to June period from a year earlier.
Personal consumption stalled and investment declined, partly due to the prolonged slump in the real estate sector.
Data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday shows that the second quarter GDP expansion in real terms was down from the previous three months and lower than market expectations.
The 4.3 percent growth is the slowest since the October to December period in 2022, when Beijing strictly restricted social activities under its zero COVID policy.
Soaring energy and raw material prices stemming from the Middle East situation also weighed on the economy.
The latest GDP figure is below China's annual growth target of 4.5 to 5% for this year.
Major fast food chain, Kentucky Fried Chicken Japan, says its outlets may have trouble offering some products.
The company says there are some supply delivery problems due to system failures at a logistics firm.
KFC Japan: Logistics Glitch Affecting Chicken Delivery
KFC Japan said some outlets may be unable to offer certain items.
Some branches might have to shorten hours or close temporarily.
The company outsources the delivery of chicken and other ingredients to Nichire Logistics Group, a subsidiary of Japanese frozen food giant Nichire.
KFC Japan says system failures at Nichire Logistics on Monday started causing delivery disruptions on Tuesday.
The glitch at Nichire Logistics is said to also be affecting major sushi chain, Kurasushi, with product availability issue system outlets.
Nichire says the failures are due to unauthorized access and that system restoration efforts are underway. It did not give a timeline for recovery.
EV Sales in Japan Double in First Half of 2026
Sales of electric vehicles in Japan more than doubled in the six months through June from the same period last year.
Automakers say new models and generous subsidies are attracting buyers.
Industry groups say nearly 60,000 EVs were sold, a jump of 2.1 fold.
That accounts for about 3% of all passenger vehicles bought in the country in the period.
In January, the central government raised the purchase subsidy for passenger EVs by more than 40 percent to as much as 1.3 million yen. That's about $8,000.
Dealers report the subsidies are helping sales along with new models.
Honda Motor says a high-performance vehicle it launched in May has attracted more than 10,000 orders. Some buyers reportedly have to wait until next year for delivery.
Meantime, the Tokyo metropolitan government in July boosted its EV subsidy by 30 percent to a maximum 1.3 million yen.
Sales of Used Smartphones in Japan Hit All-Time High
Sales of used smartphones in Japan hit a record high for the seventh straight year in fiscal 2025.
The rising prices of new models due to surging semiconductor demand and the yen's depreciation largely contributed to the popularity of used ones.
MM Research Institute says sales reached 3.6 million units in the year through this March, up 12.4 percent from a year before.
The institute is projecting that sales of used smartphones will top 5 million units in fiscal 2029.
Mercari, which runs a popular resale site, announced on Tuesday that it has now set up a website dedicated to sales of professionally refurbished second-hand smartphones and other products.
Used smartphones are put on the market after functional tests and cleaning by specialists.
00:06:59 話者 23/Shinohara Takaaki/Mercari
Customers feel more anxious about purchasing expensive second-hand products, so used items with quality guaranteed by professionals has become another quickly growing market.
00:07:15 話者 2
Mercari says it will accept returns and requests for repairs after purchase under certain conditions.
Warsh Says Fed Has 'No Tolerance' for High Inflation
US Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh has stressed the central importance of monetary policy in fighting inflation.
He says getting the policy right would make the inflation surge of recent years a thing of the past.
Warsh spoke at the House Financial Services Committee on Tuesday.
He told the hearing that longer-term inflation is largely determined by monetary policy.
00:07:48 話者 34/Kevin Warsh/US Federal Reserve Chair
The members of our committee have no tolerance for persistently elevated inflation, and we share a resolute commitment to ensure price stability.
00:07:59 話者 2
The June Consumer Price Index for the US released earlier the same day showed inflation slowed from the prior month.
Warsh said some may see that reading as a signal all is going well and say mission accomplished, but he noted that is not his view because he doesn't want to cherry-pick data.
Markets
Now let's get you a check on the markets.
♪
And that's the biz for this hour.
Tokyo Governor Meets UN Chief Guterres in New York
00:09:03 話者 1
Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko has met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York. The meeting took place at the UN headquarters on Tuesday.
Koike is visiting the city for a conference on sustainable development goals for 2030.
After the meeting, she told reporters that she spoke with Guterres on the need for collaboration among major cities around the world.
She referred to the impact of climate change, including heat waves, and said cities must work together to support people suffering amid many global challenges.
Koike also mentioned a proposal she made to Guterres last year to relocate some UN functions to Tokyo.
00:09:47 話者 41/Koike Yuriko
There are about 30 UN organizations in Tokyo and other cities in Japan.
We are listening to their views and considering the possibilities.
00:10:02 話者 1
She also said the Secretary-General expressed appreciation for Japan's long-standing support for the UN.
Japan MSDF Conducts Mine Disposal Drill off Aomori Pref.
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force invited some media to its annual mine warfare exercises on Tuesday. The US and India are also participating.
The annual drill takes place around this time of year in Mutsu Bay, off the northeastern prefecture of Aomori.
It involves ten MSDF vessels, including minesweepers, about 800 personnel, and will continue for 13 days.
The exercises use fake mines to simulate mine laying, mine sweeping, mine hunting, and explosive ordnance disposal.
One commander of the MSDF said the training is conducted regularly so personnel can be adequately prepared for various environments.
He added the exercises also aim to strengthen cooperation with the US .
Asuka-Fujiwara Set to Become World Heritage Site
Japan may soon have a new World Heritage Site.
The committee deciding the list will start its meeting this weekend.
Inara Prefecture's Asuka-Fujiwara is expected to make the cut.
00:11:23 話者 3
The area was once home to two ancient Japanese capitals, Asuka and Fujiwara.
They date back to the 6th and 8th centuries.
Today, 19 ruins have been identified, including the remains of an imperial court and a burial mound known for its colorful wall paintings.
Japan first started aiming for World Heritage status in 2007.
Since then, officials have been investigating the ruins and trying to emphasize their historical value. That work has paid off.
The International Council on Monuments and Sites gave the ruins top marks.
That makes it likely to become a World Heritage Site.
Some local residents were welcoming the news.
00:12:14 話者 53
I'm so happy.
00:12:19 話者 54
I hope this will be an opportunity for many foreign tourists to come to our town.
00:12:26 話者 3
But others weren't so happy.
The ruins are scattered across 3 municipalities, including Asuka Village.
It conducted a survey asking residents what they thought about becoming a World Heritage Site.
While about half of respondents thought it was a good idea, about 13% were against it.
Some said they were concerned about how tourists will behave, whether it will lead to more trash or generate more traffic.
00:12:58 話者 55/Morikawa Yuichi/Asuka Village Mayor
Taking the survey into account, I want to work with both those who have high hopes and those with concerns.
00:13:06 話者 3
Another question is how to actually present the sites.
Many are mostly empty or have the ruins buried underground.
Kashihara City is also home to some of these spots.
It's hoping to tackle the issue by releasing an augmented reality app.
Visitors can hold their smartphone cameras up to the ruins to see what was once there.
It's available in several languages, including English, Korean, and Chinese.
If Asuka-Fujiwara is approved, it will be Japan's 22nd World Cultural Heritage Site or the country's 27th Heritage Site overall.
New York State Enacts Moratorium on New Data Centers
00:13:56 話者 1
The US state of New York says it will pause granting construction permits for hyperscale data centers for up to one year.
The moratorium is the first of its kind in the United States.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order establishing the moratorium on Tuesday.
The governor said that the state is experiencing unprecedented demand for data center development driven by infrastructure needs that support artificial intelligence.
The executive order said that data centers could lead to soaring utility bills and water resource depletion.
Large amounts of energy and water are required to run and cool computer servers in the facilities.
While data center development projects are expanding across the US, opposition has also been widespread.
The National Conference of State Legislatures said 14 state legislatures are considering restrictions on new data center construction.
Conference Fails to Agree on New Pacific Bluefin Tuna Quota
An international conference on managing Pacific bluefin tuna stocks has failed to reach agreement on expanding catch quotas for the prized fish.
The disagreement means it will be difficult to increase the limits from 2027.
The week-long conference in Japan's southwestern city of Nagasaki wrapped up on Tuesday.
The participants were negotiating how much fishing quotas could be increased if tuna stocks recovered.
Japan's fisheries agency says the parties were unable to agree on new rules.
The negotiators discussed a 25-percent increase in the catch quota for bluefin tuna weighing 30 kilograms or more in the western and central Pacific.
The area includes Japan's coastal waters.
They also discussed reducing the cap for tuna weighing less than 30 kilograms by 6 percent.
The participants made adjustments based on these proposals, but were unable to reconcile their differences due to opposition from Mexico toward the end of the conference.
00:16:11 話者 61/Fukuda Takumi/Japanese Fisheries Agency
If an agreement is not reached by the end of this year, the current rules will apply next year.
We would like to continue exploring every possibility to see what can be done.
00:16:26 話者 1
Japanese fishers want to raise the catch limits of bluefin tuna as their catches have surged recently to near the annual cap.
Some regions have been forced to suspend fishing or voluntarily restrict their catches.
00:16:42 話者 62/Nishikawa Seiji
I believe the oceans are teeming with bluefin tuna.
Coastal fishermen in Japan have endured many hardships until today.
I'd like to continue calling for an increase in the quota.
In Focus
In the final days of World War II, over 30 American prisoners of war in southwestern Japan were executed without trial by the now-defunct Imperial Japanese military.
81 years on, an American woman whose grandfather was one of the victims visits Japan seeking reconciliation and hope.
Remembering US Airmen Executed in Fukuoka
00:17:28 話者 5
Heather Buchanan is in Japan to pay tribute to her grandfather, Charles Appleby.
00:17:35 話者 6/Heather Buchanan
I'm Heather. This is his first time out of the United States.
00:17:42 話者 5
He had served as a navigator aboard a B-29 bomber during World War II.
During a mission targeting areas in Fukuoka Prefecture, his aircraft was shot down.
After being captured as a POW, Charles and fellow crew survivors were executed without trial.
Just 21 years old, He left behind a wife and two-year-old daughter.
Heather is paying her respects at the crash site.
Growing up hearing stories about her grandfather made her feel close to him.
00:18:32 話者 6
From what I understand, he was playful and funny and very kind and loving, and he loved his family.
Jacket, I hung it up.
00:18:44 話者 5
Heather treasures one of his jackets.
00:18:46 話者 6
This is from...
And on the back is the picture that he drew, and he was going to have it stitched when he came home, but he didn't come home.
00:19:01 話者 5
It was as a teenager that Heather first learned her grandfather had been executed by Japan's Imperial Army.
00:19:11 話者 6
I felt like they were evil and that they didn't, like I don't know how somebody could do that.
00:19:20 話者 5
But something inside her shifted a little after reading the translation of a Japanese soldier's journals of the event.
He vividly describes the inner struggle he felt when his superior officer orders him to carry out the execution of one of the POWs.
I stood behind an airman who had been forced to sit in front of a pit.
My body was still trembling.
In my heart, I prayed to Amida Buddha and brought down the sword.
When she read those words, Heather gained awareness that the enemy had also been caught up in the tragedy of war.
00:20:12 話者 6
It was eye-opening.
It was, it was, see that as part of the different side of things that you don't see when you're like, I'm in America, I only see what America wants me to see.
00:20:28 話者 5
The account was written by Satano Osamu.
After the war, he was arrested and convicted.
Osamu left behind extensive journals of his wartime experiences.
He waited before his son, Wataru, came of age before sharing them.
(Japanese)
Wataru sympathizes with the extremely difficult position his father had faced, but he has always felt apologetic toward the POWs and their families.
In Fukuoka City, Heather is heading to a temple where a memorial service has been organized for the POWs.
And Watadu has traveled from Tokyo to attend the service as well.
00:21:46 話者 6
He says, I'm glad to meet you for the first time.
I'm very glad to meet you too.
00:22:00 話者 5
During the ceremony, Wataru is scheduled to share a few words.
(Japanese)
00:22:25 話者 6
Thank you all for coming today and taking part in this memorial ceremony.
Today I stand here not with anger, but with hope.
I believe memorial ceremonies like this are important because they remind us that peace is not something we should take for granted.
It gives us a chance to remember the past while choosing kindness and understanding in the present. We cannot change history, but we can learn from it.
00:22:55 話者 5
War leaves deep scars.
Yet here, the descendants of the Japanese and US soldiers are meeting for the first time, perhaps in a gesture of reconciliation.
00:23:10 話者 75
Three, two, one.
(Japanese)
00:23:16 話者 6
Thank you.
00:23:19 話者 5
See you again.
00:23:25 話者 6
Thank you.
00:23:32 話者 5
The sea here, according to documents in the US National Archives, is likely the resting place of the executed Americans.
00:23:44 話者 6
I'm so happy we were able to come out here and give the flowers to the sea, to his soul.
As the new generations come, then we have new ideas and new friendships, and I don't think that there's as much of that, the separation as there used to be.
♪
World Weather
00:24:40 話者 1
Even though parts of Japan are still in the rainy season, it's felt more like the middle of summer in quite a few places across the country.
Our meteorologist, Jonathan Oh, has a look at the details in world weather.
00:24:53 話者 4/Jonathan Oh
Hello, we are still in the rainy season for the eastern, northeastern portion of Japan and back to the west.
We're out of it, but it doesn't really matter.
It looks like that we're still seeing temperatures really rising up with the high pressure that was in place where some locations...
hitting anywhere from 37 to 38 degrees for daytime highs on Wednesday.
And even the Kanto-Koshin region, we saw temperatures pushing up.
Take a look at this video that's coming out from the area as people across the Kanto-Koshin region are sweltering Wednesday as heat stroke alerts were in effect.
The Japan Meteorological Agency reported a high of over 36 degrees Celsius in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture, which is the highest temperature for them so far this year.
Tokyo also sweltering as highs reached 34 degrees for a second day in a row.
And so, as the temperature continues to stay high, people are being reminded to try to get some shake and to air conditioning, make sure you stay hydrated, and if you are staying hydrated with water.
add a little bit of salt or electrolytes to make sure it balances out so that when you're sweating, you're also balancing those electrolytes in the process.
Now, changes are on the way coming up for Thursday because the remnants of Bavi, along with the rainy season in front, they're working together to bring some rain.
But down from the south, we have very unstable air.
And so even though we're starting the day relatively dry in Tokyo, might be season thunderstorms fire up every once in a while as you go through the afternoon.
So be on the lookout for that.
So 35 in Tokyo for Thursday.
Take it easy out there if you're going to be out under the sun.
Rain comes into the picture by Friday and Saturday, even as Sapporo seeing highs into the low 30s as we go throughout the next couple of days.
Heat also is a big story across North America, a big dump of high pressure controlling the eastern side of the United States into Canada.
And so highs getting close to 40 in Washington, D.C. for Wednesday, 36 In Denver, in 35 Los Angeles, that's another hot pattern taking place across the West.
And so same advice for you.
Take it easy if you have to spend any time outdoors.
Hope you have a good day wherever you are.
♫～ 3-DAY FORECAST ～♫
00:27:41 話者 1
And that's it for this edition of NHK Newsline.
I'm Yoko Nishimura in Tokyo. Thanks for joining us.
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