Transcription:
NHK Newsline
Ramin Mellegard: I'm Ramin Mellegard in Tokyo.
China's state-run television has released videos showing what it claims are large-scale Chinese military drills around Taiwan. China's military announced on Monday that its troops had been dispatched to participate in the exercises, the first major military operations in waters surrounding Taiwan since May.
The videos released by China Central Television show troops preparing for action in the early hours. It said members of the army, navy, air, and rocket forces are taking part. The military earlier said the drills will serve as a warning to pro-independence forces in Taiwan. They say these operations are legitimate and necessary to safeguard national sovereignty and unity.
The drills come after Taiwan's president spoke at a ceremony last week to mark what is known as Double Tenth Day, the first time since taking office. Taiwan considers October 10th its National Day. In his speech, he said the People's Republic of China has no right to represent Taiwan.
Taiwan's defense ministry strongly condemned what it calls irrational and provocative actions. The ministry says it will deploy appropriate force to defend Taiwan's sovereignty. Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department has expressed concern about the exercises. In a statement, it says Beijing's response with military provocations to a routine annual speech is unwarranted and risks escalation.
The statement also said Washington calls on China to act with restraint and to avoid any further actions that may undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the broader region, which is essential to regional peace and prosperity and a matter of international concern.
Ramin Mellegard: American media have reported that U.S. officials believe Israel has narrowed down the targets of its response to Iran's large-scale missile attack on the country's military and energy facilities. NBC News on Saturday quoted multiple officials as saying that the Israeli government is planning its response to the October 1st attack. The officials reportedly stress that the Israelis have not yet made a final decision about when to act, but they are ready to go at any time.
The U.S. and oil-producing nations in the Middle East are asking Israel not to target nuclear and oil facilities. They want to prevent the situation from escalating. The U.S. Defense Department announced on Sunday that it will deploy a THAD missile defense system in Israel. A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery is set to be capable of shooting down incoming ballistic missiles at a high altitude.
The department said this action underscores the U.S. commitment to the defense of Israel and Americans in Israel from any further ballistic missile attacks by Iran.
The Iranian Foreign Minister said in a social media post on Sunday that the U.S. is putting the lives of its troops at risk by deploying them to operate U.S. missile systems in Israel. On Sunday night there was a drone attack on Israel by the Lebanon-based Shia Muslim group Hezbollah. It struck a military base that was about 30 kilometers south of Haifa. The Israeli military says the attack killed four of its soldiers, local media say 60 others were wounded. Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera says the attack has inflicted the worst damage on Israel since the most recent hostilities broke out in October last year. Hezbollah has issued a statement that it launched a swarm of drones at a Galani Brigade camp in retaliation for what the group calls the Israeli massacre. Hezbollah has warned people in Israel to keep themselves away from military facilities, hinting at additional attacks.
U.S. President Joe Biden congratulated Nihon Hidankyo for winning this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. The Japanese organization represents survivors of the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The White House released Biden’s statement on Sunday, which lauds Nihon Hidankyo for their service, saying they have served as a human testament to the catastrophic toll of nuclear weapons, telling a story that humanity needs to hear.
Biden also congratulated the group for their historic work to ensure that nuclear weapons are never used again. He said that going to Hiroshima last year and meeting a survivor of the bombing powerfully reminded him of the need to make progress on ridding the world of nuclear arms.
During his visit, Biden wrote a similar message at the Peace Memorial Museum. He also said in his statement that the United States stands ready to engage in talks with Russia, China, and North Korea without preconditions to reduce the nuclear threat.
Now, one of the co-chairs of Nihon Hidankyo, on Sunday, visited the Peace Memorial Park to report the news of its Nobel win to those who devoted their lives to abolishing nuclear weapons. He promised that he and his peers won’t stop until that happens.
“We cannot give up because there are as many as 12,000 nuclear weapons in the world. The road is tough, but we must continue our work,” he said.
He expressed hope that people across the world will join their campaign to eliminate nuclear arms.
Now, people across Japan are looking up to the skies hoping to spot a long-tailed comet. The comet, which was discovered last year, came into sight across Japan in Sunday’s early evening sky.
The comet Atlas was first identified by astronomers in China and South Africa last year. A time-lapse video taken on Sunday by an astronomical observatory in Japan’s southwestern prefecture shows a white line streaming across the western sky as if it’s pulling along a tail.
More than 100 people gathered at an astronomical observatory hoping to spot the phenomenon. They cheered when they saw the comet.
“I didn’t expect to see the tail so clearly,” one observer said. “This is the experience of a lifetime. I’m thrilled.”
And on Sunday Japan time, the celestial body is set to reach a point about 71 million kilometers from Earth, the closest it will come to the planet. Japan’s National Astronomical Observatory advises that the comet will be visible in the lower western sky after sundown for about a week.
Observatory officials say that on Monday and Tuesday, the celestial body will be as bright as a star, but they say man-made light interference may conceal the comet because it will be near the horizon. The officials also say that between Wednesday and Sunday, the comet will be darker but may be visible to the naked eye because it will be higher in the sky.
Got to check that out. And those are the top stories for this hour.
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Snoech.
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And that’s a wrap for this edition of NHK “Newsline.” I’m Ramin Mellegard. Thank you very much for joining us.
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