Welcome to NHK “Newsline.” I’m Mor Ishita in Tokyo.
Hurricane Milton has knocked out power for almost 3 million homes and businesses in the U.S. state of Florida. The storm is being described as catastrophic. Weather officials say it made landfall Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane before going into Category 1. Storm surges are expected alongside the western coast of the Florida Peninsula. Media sources report Milton has caused life-threatening flooding and spawned multiple tornadoes. More than 7 million residents have been ordered to evacuate. Tens of thousands have fled to public storm shelters at the urging of U.S. officials including President Joe Biden.
“I know it’s really tough, leaving behind your home, your belongings, everything you own. But I urge everyone in Hurricane Milton’s path to follow all safety instructions as we head into the next 24 hours. It’s a matter – really, a matter of life and death.”
Milton’s track of Florida, of course, that state is still recovering two weeks after Hurricane Helene. That storm killed more than 230 people.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump says the Biden administration’s response to Helene has been the worst rescue operation in the country’s history. He claims the administration is giving almost all of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s money to people he calls illegal migrants. Biden denies that. He says there has been a relentless promotion of disqualification and lies. He says it’s undermining confidence in rescue and recovery work and it’s harmful to people in need. Biden says Trump has led the onslaught of lies.
Disaster response has emerged as a new campaign issue in the presidential election which is less than a month away.
Japan’s Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru spoke with the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Laos on Thursday. This is his first visit abroad after taking office on October 1. Ishiba was expected to express hope in Japan’s trusted relationship with the bloc and place importance on ASEAN. He was expected to call for cooperation in fields including energy, security, and decivilization to maintain and strengthen a free and open international order. The Prime Minister was believed to have explained ideas on the situation in the East and South China Seas where China is getting more assertive. He also was expected to share views on military abduction issues as they relate to nuclear and missiles. Ishiba is scheduled to attend a summit with ASEAN, as well as one with China and South Korea. He’s also said to have bilateral talks with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Japan’s new Foreign Minister has spoken with his Chinese counterpart by phone for the first time. Iwaya Takeshi has urged the full accounting of a Japanese boy killed going to school in China. Iwaya took up his post earlier this month under new Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru. The two diplomats confirmed that Japan and China share the broad direction of comprehensively promoting a mutually beneficial relationship. They say it’s based on common strategic interests and building constructive and stable ties. Iwaya referred to last month’s fatal stabbing of the 10-year-old boy while he was on his way to school in Shenzhen. A man was detained over the killing. Iwaya says anxiety is rising among Japanese in China. He proposed that Tokyo and Beijing come up with measures to prevent such an incident from happening again. The two ministers discussed the bilateral agreement for China to resume imports of Japanese seafood. Beijing suspended them over the release of treated and diluted water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea. Iwaya asked Wang to restart the imports at an early date. Iwaya expressed serious concern that China has increased its military activity in the East China Sea. Over Taiwan, he said Tokyo is closely watching developments, including the recent military situation.
“It’s important to continue high-level dialogue. I’d like to continue to hold a candid dialogue with Minister Wang.”
The Chinese Foreign Minister says Wang told Iwaya Beijing appreciates the positive signals from Tokyo since Japan’s new cabinet, including Iwaya, took office.
Japan’s judicial system is still reckoning with a recent court decision. A retrial found a man innocent decades after he was sentenced to death. This is only the fifth time someone has been acquitted in a retrial since World War II. Hakamada was convicted for allegedly killing a family of four. The victims were found dead in their home in 1966. The father of the family was a senior manager at the miso factory where Hakamada worked. He claimed he was coerced into confessing by the police and retracted his confession at trial. Then over a year after the murders, police claimed they found Hakamada’s blood-stained clothes in a miso tank. Hakamada was found guilty and was sentenced to death. He’s been appealing the decision ever since. The discovery of the clothes also cast doubt on the police investigation. The defense argued the blood looked too red for something that was presumably covered in miso for so long. During this trial, the court ruled evidence had been fabricated, including the clothes and the confession. Prosecutors opted not to appeal the decision.
Earlier, I spoke with NHK World’s reporter following the trial. So, what’s been the reaction to this decision?
“Well, it’s taken almost 60 years to get to this point. The National Police Agency reacted to the news on Thursday.”
“We will look into this case, and seriously consider what lessons can be learned from it.”
As for the police force who investigated Hakamada’s case, they said Wednesday they want to apologize. As you can imagine, now must be a very emotional time for him. Hakamada addressed the public last month.
“I’ve been waiting to hear those words for a long time. Finally, a complete victory, thank you.”
Miyu, why did it take so long to get –
“The issue while in Japan retrial decision, the Japan Association says there are two major problems. First, there are no detailed rules around the disclosure of evidence. That can make it difficult for defendants to even access the evidence against them. Secondly, prosecutors can appeal the decision to allow a retrial. It can take a long time before a retrial is set. The Federation said some countries like Germany and France ban that practice. In Japan, a nonpartisan group of lawmakers is trying to tackle the issue, they met with the justice ministers and submitted a petition for reform. The judge who issued a retrial ten years ago also says the system needs to change.”
“People make mistakes. I think this acquittal has made it even clearer that there is a serious problem with the retrial system. This case will give some momentum to change.”
“This decision may have a major impact on the system. But where does all of this leave Hakamada?”
“Well, he’s 88 years old now. For much of his life, he was at the mercy of the death penalty. It’s left a lasting scar on his mental state. His defense team argues he was unjustly detained for almost 50 years. They said they will request up to 200 million yen or $1.3 million in compensation. But, obviously, that doesn’t make up for the life he’s lost. Right now, I think a lot of people are asking why this happened and how we can prevent it from happening again. Now is the time for the prosecutors, the courts, and the policymakers to figure it out.”
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Now, it’s time for a look at the world weather. As we’ve been hearing, Florida is being battered by Storm Milton, our meteorologist has the details.
A part of western Florida has already seen over 460 millimeters of heavy rain, and another area had a gust of over 160 kilometers per hour. The system has been moving over the peninsula into early Thursday, so people should keep watching out for gusting winds and high storm surges. Heavy rainfall is also a concern, over 400 millimeters of additional rainfall is possible in this case, leading to flash flooding.
Moving to Europe, the remnants of Hurricane Kirk are battering parts of France. We have some video. People in northern France are dealing with the remnants of Hurricane Kirk. The storm dumped a monthly average of rainfall in a short period of time. Strong winds and heavy rain brought traffic to a standstill in a part of Paris. Officials say any additional rain on the already saturated ground could lead to more flooding. The system is expected to move northward to the Scandinavian Peninsula on Thursday. Its connecting fronts also bring severe conditions over Italy and the Balkans. It brings rainfall, gusty winds, and even tornadoes are possible. Showers are likely from Stockholm, Berlin, Vienna, into Rome. But temperatures are on the cooler side in London, with a high of only 13.
Finally, across Asia, sunny and comfortable conditions are expected in much of the northeast, including Beijing and Seoul. The temperature in Tokyo will be warm with a high of 25.
That’s it for me. Have a nice day.
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That’s all for this edition of NHK “Newsline.” I’m Morishita Erika in Tokyo, thank you for watching.
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