Glad you are with us on this edition of NHK “Newsline.” I’m Raja Pradhan with the news from Tokyo.
Security issues are top of mind for leaders and representatives from Asia and beyond gathered in Laos. The East Asian Summit brings together the Southeast Asian nations with other regional powers. Participants include Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru, Lee Chan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and the Russian Foreign Minister. Issues affecting them include North Korea and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Some also have concerns over Beijing’s growing presence in the East and South China Seas. Sources say Blinken wants to stress the importance of freedom of navigation and the peaceful resolution of disputes based on international law, something which could prompt intense talks with Li. Blinken may also spar with Lavrov as they make their respective cases on Ukraine. Laos chairs this year’s series of meetings and is planning to release a statement, but finding consensus from all participants may prove challenging.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has held separate talks with the leaders of Britain, France, and Italy to discuss his plan to end the war with Russia. Zelenskyy visited London first on his whistle-stop tour of three European capitals on Thursday. He said on social media that he outlined the details of his victory plan to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Zelenskyy said the plan aims to create the conditions for what he called a just end to the war. The Ukrainian president then traveled to Paris to meet with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron. “I shared with Emmanuel Macron our plans. Victory plan and other situation on the battlefield and everything preparing. Before winter we need your support.” After talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome, Zelenskyy told reporters it’s important all partners work together for just peace. Zelenskyy had initially intended to set out the plan at a summit on military assistance for Ukraine, but the meeting was postponed after U.S. President Joe Biden canceled his visit to Germany due to Hurricane Milton.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has again pledged federal government support for hurricane victims while former President Donald Trump continues to criticize Democrat-led recovery efforts. “Our heart goes out to everyone who has been impacted by these storms. Our administration has mobilized thousands of federal personnel across the region to work hand in hand with local and state officials to give folks the help they need.” The Democratic presidential candidate campaigned on Thursday in the western battleground state of Arizona. Harris referred to two hurricanes that devastated parts of Florida. She said she told both Republican and Democrat state officials the federal government will be with them. Arizona has long been considered a Republican stronghold, but in the previous presidential election in 2020, Democrat Biden won the state. Trump has continued the attacks on the federal response and addressed storm survivors through his social media network. “We are deeply saddened by the devastation being reported and it sounds like it’s as bad as it gets.” In a speech in Detroit, Michigan, on Thursday, Trump said the federal government had let storm victims suffer unjustly. Harris has accused Trump of playing politics over the crisis.
Japanese prosecutors are set to investigate a Tokyo go-kart rental firm that allegedly allowed foreign tourists to drive on the streets without valid licenses. Tokyo police have sent papers on the case to prosecutors. They say accidents involving the small motor racing vehicles have been rising sharply. The number of incidents this year hit 25 by the end of August, which is more than double from all of 2023. Police say the manager of the firm is suspected of renting go-karts to two foreign tourists in April even though they did not have the required driving permits. They say their licenses had not been issued under the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic. The manager is accused of violating Japan’s Road Traffic Act. Police say the case surfaced after a go-kart hit a parked vehicle near a crossing in Tokyo’s Minato Ward. The company started its business around autumn last year. Police suspect the firm has rented go-karts to about 50 foreign visitors who did not have proper permits. The manager has reportedly told investigators staff checked whether customers had international driving permits, but failed to confirm they were issued by countries party to the international traffic standards.
Next, space weather researchers are calling on people to stay alert for possible disruptions to GPS and radio communications. They say it’s due to a severe geomagnetic storm caused by solar flares. Solar flares are large bursts of electromagnetic radiation. They seem to have affected GPS-based services in the United States in May. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the storm was observed after a large amount of charged particles were released. It says the storm’s conditions Thursday were at the second highest level on a scale of five and could put additional stress on power grids. The agency also says that auroras may become visible at lower latitudes than usual. Indeed, northern lights resulting from the geomagnetic storm have even been seen here in Japan. Images taken by an observatory in Nayoro City show the northern sky tinged with red. This is the first time an aurora has been visible with the naked eye in Hokkaido since August 12th. When an aurora occurs in the Arctic circles it is in blues and greens, but the lights in Hokkaido were slightly red. The observatory says solar activity is intensifying so there could be more opportunities for night sky watchers to see the lights.
It’s been one month since the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi plant tested ways to remove nuclear fuel debris, but the tests have been suspended indefinitely. The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant suffered multiple meltdowns after the 2011 quake and tsunami. An estimated 880 tons of nuclear fuel debris remains in its three reactors. The plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, said it would test ways to remove it. It planned to start in late August, but the work was delayed for three weeks. They say a mistake was made when installing the retrieval device. They finally started their tests on September 10th, but suspended them just a week later. They say they couldn’t get visuals from two of the cameras on the device. After three weeks trying to repair them, the company said Monday they will need to be replaced. One expert says they should review the decommissioning process again. “It’s not easy to anticipate specific issues, but they should have done experiments and assessments and considered what could go wrong. They should think about possible problems when they restart the work.” They say it will take about two weeks to replace the cameras, if all goes well. It’s unclear when the debris removal tests will continue.
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Yes, please do access the NHK World Japan website for more details.
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Yes, please do access the NHK World Japan website for more details.
It’s time now for a check on the world weather with our meteorologist Yumi P.
People in Europe have been experiencing floods due to a hurricane. Still battling Western Europe, heavy rainfall was reported in parts of Spain, France, and Belgium. We have some video. Downpours flooded a campsite in the southern country on Thursday. Many people had to be rescued by a military helicopter. Local media says 25 people were relocated to safety after a river lost its bank and flooded a nearby city. Folks are urged to stay alert for more flooding as many river levels remain dangerously high. The system is expected to move northward to Scandinavia on Friday. Also, a cold front is bringing severe conditions to the Balkans, with intense rainfall and even tornadoes possible in western parts into the weekend. People in southern Belgium should watch out for flooding even though the rain is not expected to be heavy.
Moving to the United States, sunny skies are expected on Friday for many major cities including New York, Washington, and Tampa, Florida, which is still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. The temperature in Chicago will reach 29°C but will drop to only 18°C on Saturday.
Finally, across Asia, a huge high-pressure system is dominating from eastern China, the Korean Peninsula, to much of Japan. So sunny and warm weather is expected on Saturday in Beijing, Seoul, and Tokyo with highs in the mid-20s.
That’s it for me, have a nice weekend.
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And we have news just in. The Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize to the Japanese organization Hidankyo for efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons. The Nobel Committee has awarded the Peace Prize for efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons.
And that’s all for this edition of NHK “Newsline.” I’m Raja Pradhan in Tokyo. We’ll be back with more soon, so please stay with us.
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