Welcome back to NHK Newsline. I’m Yamaguchi Hiroaki in Tokyo.
Japanese authorities say they will search for unexploded bombs at four airports across the country. This comes after a World War II-era bomb exploded on a taxiway in southwestern Japan, forcing dozens of flights to be cancelled. The bomb that blew up on Wednesday at Miyazaki Airport is believed to have been dropped by the U.S. military during the war. The blast left a one-meter-deep crater and scattered fragments of paved road across the taxiway. No one was injured, but a Japan Airlines plane carrying 93 people had passed through the area minutes earlier. On Thursday, another suspected wartime U.S. bomb was reportedly found at Naha Airport in Okinawa Prefecture. The Self-Defense Forces conducted a safe detonation. In response, Japan’s Transport Ministry says it’s conducting emergency searches at those two airports, as well as at airports in Fukuoka and Sendai. The locations were used by the now-defunct Imperial Japanese military during the war.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has issued a fresh warning to South Korea and the United States. He says his country will not hesitate to use its offensive capabilities, including nuclear weapons, in response to threats to its sovereignty. The remark was made in response to a speech by South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Tuesday. Yoon said if the North attempts to use its nuclear arsenal, it will face the end of its regime. North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency said that Kim spoke while inspecting an army training base on Wednesday. It says Kim called Yoon’s speech an acknowledgement of the fact that the South Korea/U.S. alliance is destroying regional peace and security. NHK spoke to an expert who says Kim made the remarks to reiterate his hostility toward Seoul ahead of the Supreme People’s Assembly scheduled for Monday. North Korea is expected to revise its constitution during the assembly to define South Korea as the number one hostile nation.
Striking U.S. dock workers agreed to get back on the job Thursday after reaching a tentative pay deal with their employers. The union had been on strike since Tuesday.
“The action threatens to seriously disrupt the U.S. economy. 45,000 workers at more than 30 ports on the East and Gulf Coast, including New Jersey and Texas, walked off the job. The union and management sides now say they will extend an earlier expired contract until mid-January 2025. They plan to return to the bargaining table to negotiate other outstanding issues. U.S. media outlets reported that the two sides agreed on a wage hike of more than 60% over six years. If the strike had continued, a severe impact was feared upon the manufacturing and retail sectors ahead of the end-of-the-year holiday season.”
Israel is continuing its air and ground campaign against Hezbollah militants. Its troops are pressing ahead with so-called limited and targeted operations in southern Lebanon while Israeli jets hammer that area, as well as the capital. Israel says its targets included a Hezbollah intelligence headquarters in Beirut. The city’s residents have been living under fear of bombardment, though Israel says it’s carrying out precise strikes. But Hezbollah claims one strike hit a health center in the heart of Beirut, killing paramedics and rescue workers.
“This enemy is showing its true face, its criminal face,” said a translator.
Lebanese officials have reported dozens of air strikes in recent days, while Israeli forces say Hezbollah continues to launch projectiles over the border. All the while, aid workers are trying to help those forced to flee their homes by the fighting in recent weeks. They say the number of people needing shelter has doubled.
“Even if we had been preparing for such a scenario, the resources that we have are not enough to respond to all the needs and the fast-growing needs,” said a translator.
Lebanese officials say there are now about 1.2 million displaced across the country.
The ten non-permanent members of the U.N. Security Council have issued a joint statement condemning the current cycle of violence in the Middle East. The group, which includes Japan, issued the statement on Thursday. They called for an immediate end to all hostilities and urged the parties to protect civilians.
“We also call on all parties to respect their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law. We further emphasize that a diplomatic solution is the only appropriate way forward,” said a translator.
The council has repeatedly held emergency meetings since late last month but has been unable to issue a resolution or respond collectively. The statement also expressed full support for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres after Israel’s foreign minister said on Wednesday that he was barring Guterres from entering the country.
A prominent U.S. Republican has appeared on the campaign trail alongside Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
“I have never voted for a Democrat, but this year I am proudly casting my vote for Vice President Kamala Harris,” said former Congresswoman Liz Cheney.
Cheney attended a Democratic event in Wisconsin, one of the key battleground states. She is a daughter of former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney, who served under President George W. Bush. She was a senior Republican member of the House of Representatives but became a vocal critic of then-President Donald Trump. That followed the attack on the Capitol led by his supporters on January 6th, 2021. She slammed Trump for not conceding defeat in the 2020 election, saying he was trying to remain in office.
“Any person who would do these things can never be trusted with power again,” said Cheney.
At Thursday’s event, Harris pledged to be a president for all Americans.
“No matter your political party, there is a place for you with us and in this campaign,” said Harris.
The latest polls suggest the election will be closely contested. Harris is hoping to drum up support from non-affiliated voters and moderate Republicans who may have soured on Trump.
The mother of a Japanese citizen abducted decades ago by North Korea is again calling for all abductees to be released. It comes ahead of her daughter’s birthday.
“I don’t know how many more years I have left to live. It is not clear whether the abductees waiting in North Korea are alive or sick. I don’t want to spend any more time not knowing anything,” said Yokota Sakie.
Her daughter Megumi was 13 years old when she was kidnapped. She had been on her way home from school in Niigata City in 1977. She turns 60 on Saturday.
“I cannot imagine what 60-year-old Megumi looks like. I don’t know if she is eating properly. I feel sorry for her and just want to do something about it as soon as possible,” said Yokota.
Yokota urges the Japanese government to do all it can so all victims can return home. The government says North Korean agents abducted at least 17 Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s. Five returned home after a bilateral summit in 2002. The others are unaccounted for. Only two parents of the remaining abductees are still alive.
A collection of precious old books is being aired out at Japan’s oldest school in a prefecture north of Tokyo. Some of the books have been designated as national treasures or national important cultural assets. Staff members moved 53 books from a library to a room. They exposed the books to fresh air and spread them out on the tatami floor. Among them were books on the art of war from ancient China. Every year when sunny and dry days arrive after summer, the city staff members air out the books to protect them from bugs and mold. More than 17,000 books are housed at the school. Some are hundreds of years old.
“Ashikaga School has kept valuable books for a long time. Exposing books to fresh air is one of the methods to protect them. I hope we can show everyone how we have protected the books,” said a translator.
The city says the work will continue through early November. Visitors are welcome to watch the staff members work.
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Now it is time for a check on the weather. Parts of Japan have been facing severe conditions including risks of thundershowers and even tornados. Our meteorologist Yuumi Hirano has the details.
People in Shizuoka Prefecture saw over 130 millimeters of rainfall in just 12 hours. Gusty winds were also reported in nearby areas. We have some video. Strong gusts suspected to be tornados hit parts of Shizuoka Prefecture on Thursday evening, damaging buildings. A boy was reportedly injured by broken glass. Meanwhile, rain fell in the Noto region of Ishikawa Prefecture which was hit by devastating floods last month. The region had more than 80 millimeters of rain between Wednesday and Friday. It caused a landslide on part of a highway, blocking traffic. Widespread showers are still likely in central and northern Japan with risks of strong winds and lightning by Friday night along a stationary front. Behind the system, cooler air is coming into the country, so the high in Tokyo will drop sharply from 30 on Friday to only 23 on Saturday. Elsewhere in Asia, showers are likely in Shanghai, but sunny skies are coming back to Taipei after heavy downpours from Storm Krathon.
Moving to the United States, storms continue over the southwest. Over 100 places have experienced record high temperatures in October. On Thursday, the mercury hit over 39 in Sacramento and 42 in Phoenix. Unfortunately, the situation is not expected to ease over the weekend, so the highs will be 31 in L.A. and 42 in Phoenix, which is over 10 degrees hotter than usual. That’s it for me. Have a nice weekend.
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And that’s all for this edition of NHK “Newsline” from Tokyo. Thanks for staying with us.
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