at 18:00 (JST), November 30 (Ai-CC by Clipchamp)

20241130180000_english_1.mp3

Welcome to NHK Newsline. I'm Ramin Mellegard in Tokyo. 

Now, sources familiar with Japan-China relations say a man detained in southern China for allegedly stabbing a Japanese schoolboy to death has been formally arrested. In September, a man wielding a knife attacked the 10-year-old who was on his way to a Japanese school in Shenzhen, Guangdong province. The boy died of his injuries.
The suspect, who is in his 40s, was taken into custody at the scene. Chinese authorities have not provided any information about his motive.
Japanese officials are still asking for an explanation.

The U.S. government has condemned the seven-year prison sentence given to a veteran Chinese journalist for espionage.
A court in Beijing handed down the ruling on Friday. Dong Yuyu was the deputy head of the Guangming Daily's commentary section. The newspaper is affiliated with the ruling Communist Party. He also worked as a researcher at Harvard University. In a statement, the U.S. State Department called Dong's sentencing unjust. It said it highlights China's failure to protect the right to freedom of speech and the press.
It also acknowledged Dong's achievements as a journalist and his contributions to people-to-people ties between the two countries. Washington is calling for his immediate and unconditional release.
Dong was detained in 2022, shortly after meeting with a Japanese embassy official.
He was indicted last year on charges of spying. Dong was well known among Western journalists and diplomats.

And North Korean media say leader Kim Jong Un has conveyed to Russia's defense minister the willingness to enhance ties with Moscow in military and other areas.
Kim met Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov in Pyongyang on Friday. In the meeting, Kim reportedly criticized Western countries, including the United States. For allowing Ukraine to use long range strike weapons supplied by them to attack targets in Russia, he also called the move direct military intervention. Kim was quoted as saying that it is an exercise of the right to self-defense for Russia to take resolute action to make the hostile forces pay the price. He reportedly affirmed his support for Russia's stance of defending its sovereignty and territory in the military operation against Ukraine. Kim also expressed A readiness to strengthen bilateral relations in all fields based on their comprehensive strategic partnership treaty. The deal calls for mutual military assistance if either country is attacked. The two countries have completed procedures to ratify the pact. South Korea's Yonhap news agency says experts have raised the possibility of Russia asking Pyongyang to further provide weapons or send troops in exchange for compensation from Moscow. 

And Japan's defense ministry says it detected a total of 10 aircraft of the Chinese and Russian militaries flying near the country on Friday.
The ministry said two Chinese and two Russian bombers staged a joint flight over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea and that one Russian fighter jet joined them. It also said a total of five Chinese military planes, including fighter and intelligence gathering aircraft, flew over the same area.
Japan's Air self-defense Force scrambled fighter jets in response.
Officials say there was no violation of Japan's airspace. The Defense Ministry says that it has conveyed grave concern to China and Russia through diplomatic channels, respectively. This is the first time since December last year the ministry has announced joint flights of Chinese and Russian military planes near Japan. It is the ninth time in total. Officials remain on alert as Beijing and Moscow are apparently stepping up military cooperation.

Local officials in Kiev said on Friday that overnight Russian drone strikes significantly damaged a medical facility in Ukraine's capital. They said one person was injured.
Ukraine's military says Russia launched 132 drone attacks across several regions. It says 88 were intercepted. Residential buildings also suffered extensive window damage, illustrating the intensity of the attacks.

When it, I was shaking so much I couldn't stop. I just jumped up as I didn't know whether to run or what to do.
This is an act of destruction against us and our country.

Ukraine's military also said Russia conducted large-scale attacks targeting energy infrastructure on Thursday. The attacks caused widespread outages in the western region of Lviv, about 1,000,000 households. Were left without power.

Now concerns are mounting of the growing number of casualties in the Gaza Strip, as Israel says it will keep fighting until it eliminates the Islamic group Hamas.
Israeli forces continued strikes in the enclave on Friday. Local media say 12 people in central and northern Gaza were killed.
Gaza health authorities said on Friday that over a 24 hour period, 33 people had died. They say 44,363 people have been killed in Gaza since last October. When Israel and Hamas began fighting.

On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a local broadcaster conditions have improved for a ceasefire in return for Hamas releasing Israeli hostages. But he said he won't end the war until Hamas is eliminated.

In the Israeli occupied West Bank on Friday, a shooter attacked a bus.

Israeli media say eight people were wounded. The suspect was reportedly shot dead by security forces. Hamas has claimed responsibility for the attack.

And British lawmakers gave initial approval to a bill legalizing assisted dying. The bill would allow terminally ill residents of England and Wales to seek medical help to end their lives.

The House of Commons voted in favor on Friday by 330 to 275. The bill would allow adults who are expected to have fewer than six months to live to seek medical help to end their lives. Decisions would be subject to approval from 2 independent doctors and. A High Court judge. The legislation is subject to a second vote in the lower house, followed by a debate in the upper chamber before it can become law. British Parliament voted down a similar bill in 2015, but in a recent poll, more than 70% of respondents were in favour of assisted dying in principle. Hundreds of people on both sides of the issue gathered outside the parliament.

I will, if I have to, take my own life. I am not ashamed. I am not afraid of it. I would rather go out on my own terms. A lot of people think that that it would be kind to let us die. We don't want to die. We want the assistance to live.

Western nations, including Canada, Switzerland and Spain have legalized the practice. So have some U.S. states. Other countries are currently debating whether to do the same.

♪

And those are the top stories for this hour.

♫

And that is a wrap for this edition of NHK Newsline. I'm Ramin Mellegard.
Thank you very much for joining us.

at 18:00 (JST), November 29 (Ai-CC by Clipchamp)

20241129180000_english_1.mp3

Hello and welcome to NHK Newsline. I'm Yamaguchi Hiroaki in Tokyo.

Japan's Prime Minister has started the new extraordinary session of the Diet by stressing he intends to achieve consensus with opposition parties. He needs to secure. a wider support after the ruling coalition lost its majority in last month's lower house election.
Ishiba Shigeru delivered a policy speech on Friday.

Based on the coalition between the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito, I will carefully listen to opinions from other parties. and sincerely and humbly work to form a broad consensus as much as possible to protect the safety and security of the people.

On diplomacy and national security, Ishiba expressed willingness to hold frank discussions with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. Ishiba says he wants to raise the country's alliance to a new level. He also pledged to drastically improve Japan's ties with South Korea,by frequently holding summit talks. The countries will mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year.
As for China, Ishiba says the government will try to communicate with the country on every level to build what he calls constructive and stable relations.
On the economy, he pledged a shift to a growth-oriented economy driven by wage hikes and investment. The ruling and opposition blocs have been discussing whether to raise the threshold for income tax to encourage more people to work further. Right now, part-time workers have to pay the income tax when their annual income exceeds 1.03 million yen, or roughly $6,900.

The so-called 1.03 million yen wall will be discussed and raised as part of tax reforms in fiscal 2025.

Some local governments oppose raising the threshold because it would lead to lower tax revenues.

For the first time, Japan's government has released the results of an expansive nationwide survey into levels of potentially harmful PFAS chemicals in tap water. None of the treatment facilities tested this fiscal year found levels beyond that target for safety. But gaps remain in the overall picture.
PFAS chemicals are a group of organic compounds which some studies argue lead to cancer risks. The new survey results cover water quality tests from the 2020 fiscal year up till this September. It found no facilities detected PFAS levels above the target for tap water in fiscal 2024.

And over the previous four years, 14 water providers reported contaminations beyond that threshold. They include facilities in Kibichuo, Okayama Prefecture, and Kakamigahara, Gifu Prefecture, which found PFAS levels many times beyond the target. Those providers and the others solved the issue by making changes, including switching water sources. The survey shows more and more Japanese water facilities are carrying out PFAS infections, PFAS inspections each year. But as of 2024, about 40% have not or chose not to provide information to the government.
Japan is considering upgrading its provisional target for PFAS levels to a water quality standard, which would mandate tests and improvements for water providers.

Hiroshima City is planning to create an environment at its Peace Memorial Museum for visitors to view the exhibits for visitors to view the exhibits in a relaxed and tranquil setting.
It came up with the idea in response to overcrowding at the museum.
About 1.2 million people visited in the six months from April to September. The number of visitors has been shooting up, partly because of foreign tourism. A survey by the organization that runs the museum found that students on school trips complained of congestion.
They reported difficulties such as not being able to stop in exhibits they wanted to see because there were too many people. The city wants to help younger generations learn about the atomic bombing in a calmer environment.
It plans to make use of more than 500 square meters of basement space now being used for conference rooms and other purposes. Officials are considering using virtual reality in the exhibition planned there.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has almost finished rounding out his team. He named more of his economic posts this week. The announcements are coming much faster than they did before his first term eight years ago. And he has already laid out some of his priorities, including introducing new tariffs.
Hedge fund investor Scott Bessons was picked to lead the Department of Treasury. U.S. media have described him as one of Trump's most vocal supporters in the finance world. Two officials from Trump's first term were tapped for other major posts. Kevin Hassett will head the National Economic Council. He'd previously chaired the Council of Economic Advisers.
And Jamieson Greer will be the new Trade Representative. He oversaw trade negotiations with China and Japan back during Trump's first term.
Howard Lutnick, a co-chair of Trump's transition team, was chosen to run the Commerce Department. Analysts are trying to assess how Trump's choices could impact global trade. For more on that, NHK spoke with Imamura Takashi.
He's an expert who has been watching Washington politics for decades.
Imamura says Trump's recent appointments show he's serious about his proposed tariffs. He believes Japan will first feel their impact through its manufacturing overseas.

They have already huge money to build the automobile factory in Mexico.
President Trump already saw the target of his tariff is China and Mexico.
So I think such an indirect impact should be more bigger than direct impact to the Japanese economy itself.

But the largest impact will come from the proposed tariffs on China. that could have a major impact on Asia at large, especially if some factories have to move.

Damage to Chinese manufacturing is very severe. And also like East Asian countries, ASEAN countries, also suffer the damage because their so-called global value chain that includes China and the ASEAN countries. They have to change the supply chain. That caused a huge cost for the ASEAN countries, I think. So the damage is not so small.

Imamura says all of this is being done in the name of the working class. But he said this America First policy is effectively isolationism.

So this is very dangerous for the all the global market. All the working classes they bought to the President Trump expects more high-quality and high-wage jobs in their own towns or cities by manufacturing. I think it is very difficult to do that. I think also it is out of date.

Imamura said those jobs likely won't exist without global partners. So it will be difficult for Trump to achieve both goals. He believes this will be a difficult issue throughout Trump's second term.

Australia's Upper House greenlit a bill on Thursday that bans children under the age of 16 from using social media. The legislation is expected to go into effect in about a year. The legislation will be enacted after the Governor General signs it. The measure would require social media operators to take steps to keep under-16s off their platforms.
Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, X and Facebook are among those operators. But YouTube and other services that primarily support the health and education of end users would be exempt from the legislation.
Violators would face fines of up to nearly 50 million Australian dollars. That is roughly 32 million U.S. dollars.
But there would be no penalties for young rule breakers or their parents.
The latest opinion polls in the country suggest nearly 80% of respondents want the prohibition. But analysts say challenges remain, such as how to confirm a user's age and how to handle personal information. Discussions are being held around the world about restricting children's social media use. Other measures aimed at protecting kids from harmful content on the Internet are also being debated. But some children's rights organizations say it is problematic to completely ban access to social media. They point out doing so could hamper the rights of children to express themselves freely and obtain information.

Popular K-pop group New Jeans announced it was terminating its contract with management agency Adore. The group has demanded that its producer return to the agency, which they say has not listened to them.
Speaking to reporters at a news conference on Thursday, NewJeans said that Adore had neither the intention nor the ability to protect the group.

It will be a waste of time to stay in the agency. We will keep suffering mental pain if we do that. We would like to freely engage in activities we care about.

The group said since the company was the one who violated their contract, they don't need to pay penalties.
Adore said it is regrettable that the group made the announcement at a news conference without sufficient consideration. It also said the contract is still in effect.
Adore is a sub-label of the major South Korean K-pop company HYBE, which manages boy band BTS and other popular pop artists.

Now we'll check out the world weather. In the northeastern U.S., wide-stripped snow showers have caused traffic disruptions going into this Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Our meteorologist Yumi Hirano has the details.

Due to the coldest snap of the season, some areas are experiencing heavy snowfall impacting Thanksgiving travel. We have some video.
It was severely affected by heavy rain and snow in parts of the U.S. Northeast.

The bad weather was brought on by a strong wave of Arctic cold air.

Snow ploughs had to be deployed to clear some major roads in the region. Weather officials say similar weather conditions with a mix of rain and snow are expected into Saturday. A cold front that brought widespread showers in the east is moving offshore, so the conditions will be drier along the coast, but more snow is still possible in parts of the northeast.

Sunny skies are coming back to New York and Chicago on Saturday and Sunday, but the highs will be well below average,Chicago temperatures are likely to stay sub-zero even during the daytime. LA and Houston will stay on the warmer side.

Moving to Japan, 32 centimeters of heavy snow has been reported in Hokkaido in just one day. More snowfall is possible with blizzard conditions in the north. Along the Japan seaside, especially in Hokuriku and Tohoku, heavy downpours are likely with risks of lightning and gusty winds. The same conditions are expected to continue. Sapporo and Kanazawa will have snowy and rainy days at least a week.

So the total amount of rainfall will keep increasing and more caution is needed over risks of floods and landslides. But the Pacific side, including Tokyo and Osaka, the weather will stay in the sunny and dry. 

That's all for me. Have a nice weekend.

♫

And that concludes this edition of NHK Newsline, but there's there's much more to come on NHK World Japan, so please do stay.
 

at 18:00 (JST), November 28 (Ai-CC by Clipchamp)

 

20241128180000_english_1.mp3

Welcome to NHK Newsline. I'm Morishita Erika in Tokyo.

Japan's diet has kicked off a new extraordinary session. Key issues for debate are expected to be political funds reform and a draft supplementary budget for a new economic stimulus package.

Taking into account the general election results, I will listen to the opinions of other parties more carefully than before as I manage diet proceedings. I want the public to pay attention to our debates, and I want outcomes that the public finds satisfactory. 

Ishiba was referencing last month's vote. It saw his Liberal Democratic Party and coalition partner Komeito lose the majority in the lower house. The leader of the largest opposition group, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, stressed he will take advantage of this new political reality.

We succeeded in pushing them into losing their majority. We want to show the public what will happen as a result. The Diet used to be like a subcontractor for debate on decisions already made. I want to create a big change to that situation.

Ishiba is set to deliver his policy speech on Friday. A question-and-answer session will be held for three days starting Monday. He will also face his first budget committee sessions as prime minister next Thursday and Friday.
The extraordinary session is scheduled to run through December 21st.

Diet members went into the session with a tragedy on their mind when that hits especially close to home. A fire tore through a condo unit belonging to a Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker. Two of her family members are believed to have died. The fire erupted on the sixth floor of a building in central Tokyo Wednesday evening. The flames were extinguished about eight and a half hours later.
The unit belongs to Inoguchi Kuniko. She serves in the upper house and used to be a minister for gender equality. She represented Japan during United Nations talks around disarmament. She was not home at the time. Two deaths have been reported, including a woman who died in hospital after being rescued.
Inoguchi's husband and her eldest daughter are believed to have been inside the unit when it caught fire. They remain unaccounted for.

The White House says three Americans imprisoned for years have been released from detention in China.
A U.S. government spokesperson said on Wednesday that the three will soon return and will be reunited with their families. U.S. media reports say the individuals had been charged with espionage or drug-related crimes and had been sentenced, respectively, to 10 years in prison, life in prison and death.
Officials have not disclosed details of the deal with China, but the New York Times reports the Americans were freed in exchange for a Chinese intelligence officer who was serving a 20-year prison term in the U.S.
The White House says U.S. President Joe Biden pressed for the return of the Americans when he met Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier this month on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Peru.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also pushed for the release when he met Chinese Foreign Minister Wan Yi in New York in September. The White House stressed that the Americans were wrongfully detained and are coming home thanks to the administration's efforts and diplomacy with China.

Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court are seeking an arrest warrant for the leader of the Punta in Myanmar. They accuse him of persecuting Rohingya Muslims. The ICC's Karim Khan says Min Ran Plein bears criminal responsibility for the crimes against humanity of deportation and persecution of the Rohingya in 2017.
Khan says this is the first arrest warrant sought for a high-level Myanmar official. He says his office will file more warrant requests over the oppression of the minority group.

We will seek to show that the Rohingya have not been forgotten. That they, like all people around the world, deserve and are entitled to the protection of the law.

ICC judges will decide whether to issue the warrant after examining Khan's evidence. Myanmar's military responded by saying the country is not an ICC member and does not recognize ICC statements. In 2016 and 2017, clashes took place between Rohingya armed groups and Myanmar security forces. That led to an estimated more than 700,000 Rohingya people fleeing western Myanmar for neighboring Bangladesh.

Moving on to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, envoys from both countries exchanged barbs at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. It was over Moscow's recent use of a new-type intermediate-range ballistic missile. The launch was in response to Ukraine's attacks on Russian territory with long-range missiles supplied by the West.
The Ukrainian city of Dnipro suffered an attack by an intermediate-range ballistic missile capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction.
Selgi Kislitsa also called on UN member states to condemn what he called Russia's irresponsible nuclear saber rattling. Russia's first deputy permanent representative described the missile as a hypersonic weapon. That American missile defense systems in Europe cannot intercept.

Every wave of escalation from the West is going to be decisively responded to. I will be frank. We believe that it is our right to use our weapons against the military facilities of those countries who allow the use of weapons against our facilities.

 Meanwhile, U.S. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood asked the North Korean envoy whether Pyongyang had sent troops to Russia. North Korean Ambassador Kim Song declined to answer, saying only that the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership treaty between North Korea and Russia fully conforms to international law and the UN Charter.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has created another new position in his administration -- a special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. To fill that role, he's nominated a retired general who has voiced support for Kyiv.
Keith Kellogg served as former Vice President Mike Pence's national security adviser during Trump's first administration. He's also co-chair of the Center for American Security at the America First Policy Institute. Kellogg wrote in April that the U.S. should continue to support Ukraine to ensure Russia will not attack it again. But he also says future military aid should come on the condition Kyiv participates in peace talks with Moscow. And he says Ukraine's potential NATO membership should be put on hold for an extended time to bring Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table.
Kellogg's future boss Trump has said he wants to bring an end to Russia's war with Ukraine as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Trump's transition team says several cabinet picks and administrative appointees have been targeted with bomb threats and swatting incidents. They happened Tuesday and Wednesday.
Brooke Rollins, Trump's choice for agriculture secretary and elite Stefanik, who speak for UN ambassador, say they've been informed about threats against their homes. Trump's team says it will not be deterred by dangerous acts of intimidation and violence. The FBI says it takes all potential threats seriously.

Now it's time to check out the world weather. Although it's Thanksgiving, some areas in the eastern U.S. are facing severe conditions. Our meteorologist Yumi Hino has the details.

A low pressure system and two frontal systems are bringing thundershowers along the east coast. Winter storm weather is likely in northeastern United States to southeastern Canada on Thursday.
Up to 30 centimeters of additional snowfall is possible by Friday afternoon.
Showers are expected in New York and Washington, but sunny skies are covering Chicago, Denver and LA.
Moving to South Asia, a storm system is impacting Sri Lanka. Over 250 millimeters of heavy rain has been reported in just two days in one area in the country. We have some video.

The storm brought severe downpours and damaging winds on Wednesday. Massive flooding covering wide areas can be seen from aerial footage. Police say a tractor killing eight passengers was swept away by the floods. while one woman is reported dead from a matslide. November is one of the major cyclone seasons there.
It's expected to develop more and make landfall in southeastern India this coming weekend. Up to 300 millimeters of rain is possible, and cyclone force winds and high storm surges are also a concern. Stormy conditions are possible in Colombo and even in Chennai. But dry and hazy weather is still an issue in the north, including New Delhi.

Finally across Japan, wet weather is likely along the Japan seaside. Snow and blizzard conditions are possible in Hokkaido. Isolated thundershowers are possible in Hokuriku and Tohoku. But the Pacific side, including Tokyo, will see sunny skies with a high of 18. 

That's all for me. Have a nice day.

♫

Before we go, the snake is next year's Asian zodiac symbol. Cross people in the western Japanese prefecture of Hyogo are busy making porcelain figurines of the reptile.
A pottery studio in the Izushi district of Toyo-oka city has been producing zodiac figurines in a traditional style called Izushiyaki for more than half a century. Workers pour liquid clay into a mold to dry.
Then they retouch the figure's shapes and facial expressions using tools and their fingertips. The craftspeople glaze them after an initial firing.
They then fire them again at high temperatures to create translucent white porcelain. The final design depicts a snake with its head held high. Its dynamic shape symbolizes momentum to keep moving ahead. Nagasawa Hitoshi is a fifth-generation master ceramicist. He explains the key characteristics which make the snake an icon of growth.

As snakes keep growing, they repeatedly cast off their old skin. I am making these with the hope that the new year will be a good one for people's growth.

The Izushiyaki zodiac figurines will be sold at the studio and at souvenir shops in the area.

So that's all for this edition of NHK Newsline. I'm Morishita Erika in Tokyo.
Thank you for watching.

at 18:00 (JST), November 27 (Ai-CC by Clipchamp)

20241127180000_english_1.mp3

Welcome back to NHK News Line. Here's the latest we have for you at this hour.

A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is in effect. The Israeli and Lebanese governments arranged a deal after a year of clashes, including exchanges of airstrikes and rockets, in just the past few days. The ceasefire began 4 a.m. local time Wednesday, shortly after U.S. President Joe Biden announced it. He hailed Israeli and Lebanese efforts, saying the U.S. and France will work with them to make sure it holds. The U.S. says Hezbollah will withdraw from the south. Lebanon's army and security forces will regain control.
They'll prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding infrastructure, as Israeli forces gradually pull out over the next 60 days.
Israel's prime minister said his country agreed to the deal to focus on threats from Iran as well as Hamas in Gaza.
He also says his forces set Hezbollah back decades.

We eliminated Hezbollah's top leaders, destroyed most of its missiles. We killed thousands of terrorists, and we demolished their underground terror infrastructure along our border.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati says the agreement is a fundamental step toward establishing calm and stability, and he says it will lay the groundwork for the return of people who have been displaced by the fighting.
French President Emmanuel Macron says the ceasefire shows political courage that could lead to peace elsewhere.

This agreement should open the route toward long-needed ceasefire for the people in Gaza in the face of their incomparable suffering.

Violence between Israel and Hezbollah began after Hamas launched its October 7 attack from Gaza. The clashes escalated in recent months, with Israeli forces launching what they called a limited ground operation into Lebanon.
About 60,000 Israelis have been displaced and over 3800 people in Lebanon have died in the fighting.

Reuters reports U.S. president-elect Donald Trump's transition team is discussing the pursuit of direct talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The news agency quotes people familiar with the matter as saying the first goal would be re-establishing basic engagement to lower the risk of an armed conflict. They also say the situation is fluid, and Trump has made no final decisions. One source tells Reuters North Korea may take a backseat to concerns in the Middle East and Ukraine. Trump met Kim three times during his first presidency, including the first-ever U.S.-North Korea summit in 2018. Progress on denuclearization eventually stalled.
Reuters says Pyongyang ignored four years of outreach from the Biden administration while expanding its nuclear program and growing closer to Russia. If Trump does seek renewed talks, he may have help from someone with experience.
He has tapped former State Department official Alex Wong to be Deputy National Security Advisor. The president-elect says Wong helped broker talks with Kim the last time around.

The border czar picked for the incoming U.S. administration has vowed to carry out the mass deportation of undocumented migrants. Tom Homan made the comment while visiting a military facility on the U.S. southern border with Mexico. He will be responsible for securing the country's borders under Trump, who has put border security among his top priorities. Holman offered words of encouragement to National Guard troops and other border security personnel. He said Trump's campaign pledge to deport undocumented migrants will be going forward.

Let me be clear. There is going to be a mass deportation. If we don't do it, what is the option?Let them stay? Because if you let them stay, you'll never fix the border.

Holman warned people who've pledged to stop the deportations not to cross that line. It was an apparent reference to Democratic governors and others opposed to the operation. Holman served as the Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the first Trump administration.

Japanese and South Korean top diplomats say they will not let an issue over a recent event sour ties between their countries. Seoul boycotted a memorial for workers, including Koreans, who mined for gold on Japan's Sado Island during World War II.

We agreed to make sure that the issue of the memorial service for Sado Island mines won't affect bilateral relations. We confirmed that we will continue to closely communicate with each other at various levels.

Iwaya on Tuesday spoke with his South Korean counterpart Cho Tae-o. They met on the sidelines of a Group of Seven meeting in Italy. Seoul hinted one reason for the boycott was the memorial's content that Japan conveyed at discussions ahead of the ceremony. Seoul expressed regret to the Japanese Embassy on Monday. The foreign ministry says the ministers pledged to maintain the positive momentum of cooperation the countries have cultivated so far.

Japanese police have raided sites linked to a gang of Vietnamese shoplifters targeting drugstores. Investigators suspect the stolen items collected at the sites were sent to Vietnam by air.
Police searched 4 storage sites operated by the group, including one in Saitama Prefecture's Sakado City. Investigators say the stolen cosmetics and medicines were sent to the storage areas by home delivery services. They base their information on statements by the suspects and images of receipts saved on their cell phones. They also believe people recruited on social media picked up the stolen items from storage on orders from someone in Vietnam. One of the suspects told investigators he had shoplifted about 150 times between June and October. The gang is believed to have at least 10 storage sites across Japan.

Leaders in Osaka are busy promoting the World Expo, which kicks off in the western Japanese prefecture next spring.
Both the governor and mayor are drumming up support as far away as Paris.
The international organization that oversees World Expos is headquartered in the French capital. Osaka Governor Yoshimura Hirohumi attended a general assembly on Tuesday.

Bringing together cutting-edge technologies from over 160 countries, the expo is expected to present solutions for the changes we face.

Mayor Yokoyama Hideyuki also took part. He described Osaka as a fun city filled with good things to eat, a placea unique style of hospitality.
Governor Yoshimura announced Ukraine has accepted an invitation to join the expo.

The situation in Ukraine is extremely severe, but I think the country's involvement is meaningful in terms of conveying a message of peace.

The 2025 Osaka Expo runs for six months, starting in April.

Thailand is experiencing rapid economic growth, yet social disparities are widening as a result. Well, in many rural communities, few people are exposed to books, and daily reading is uncommon.
Our next report highlights a Japanese woman who is determined to change that.

Horiuchi Yoshimi is narrating a Japanese folk tale in Thai.
Horiuchi is based in Thailand and has returned to Japan to promote her activities.
She has established a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging Thais to read books.

Many Thais tell me that books are uninteresting. I hope to show them that reading is enjoyable and meaningful.

Horiuchi has had limited vision since infancy. Her family nurtured a love of books by reading aloud to her. Inspired to read independently, she mastered Braille.

Books broke the physical barriers that were in my way.

While studying at a university in Thailand, Horiuchi was shocked to learn that Thai children rarely read and had minimal access to books.

I met kids who didn't know picture books even existed. Many saw a real book for the first time when they were given textbooks in elementary school.

A few years later, Horiuchi moved to Thailand and started volunteer activities. She also honed her Thai skills.
She travelled around the country with a mobile library.

When I bring books, children gather around in amazement. Libraries are vital infrastructure in every community.

But Horiuchi often encounters obstacles.

In a village deep in the mountains, when I greeted villagers in Thai saying hello, they didn't reply.

The villagers speak a language unique to their ethnic group rather than Thai.
Since that moment, teaching Thai has also become an important mission for Horyuchi.

Our activities are still at an early stage. We have planted and nurtured seeds, but they haven't quite blossomed yet.

But Horiuchi is confident that books can shape a brighter future for Thai children, having experienced the transformative power of reading herself.

And now let's check the world weather with our meteorologist, Jonathan Oh. So, Jonathan, many people in the U.S. are going to be traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday, and they start traveling Wednesday. How's the forecast looking?

Hello, it looks like that we have a bit of a mixed bag in terms of what we can expect in terms of the travel day Wednesday ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. We are looking at a bit of a messier set up down toward the South, possible thunderstorms as we go through Wednesday and also back toward the West.

So seeing a little bit of a snowy pattern across portions of the Rockies because of this low pressure system that's moving across toward the east. As we head toward Thursday, a lot of the focal points will shift toward the east. And cold air will be coming in from the north, as it will be a lot colder up toward the north as we go throughout the next couple of days. So here's a look at the forecast for Wednesday. Snow toward places like Denver with the rain spraying toward the east as we progress through Wednesday. And then as we go into Thanksgiving Day, we're looking at again the rain along the eastern seaboard from Thanksgiving, Maryland to Pecan City in Georgia. The cold weather into places like the Dakotas where parade is located. Snow with a high of 7 below 0. Cranberry Creek also looking at some rain and snow and back to the West a little bit on the drier side as we go through the day on Thursday on Thanksgiving Day.
Meanwhile across Japan we are seeing a little bit of warming trend. Some areas along the eastern side of Japan seeing temperatures about 6 degrees higher than what they saw the day before. As we saw a lot of that warm air surging in, we do have another low that's developing coming out of the Korean Peninsula and that's responsible rain, some of the first snowfall portions of North and South Korea. And we'll be seeing the rain impact in the northeastern portions of Japan as this low moves toward the east. But we're seeing this warm pattern kind of sticking out for a little bit longer. Tokyo looking a high of 19 with sunny skies. 14 in Sendai, but showers into Niigata snow possibly into Sapporo as we go through today on Thursday.

Quick note on Europe, we have this low moving through central portions of Europe that's going to create a little bit instability with some colder weather toward the east looking at some snow possibilities in the Kiev with high at freezing on Wednesday. That's the extra forecast.

Hope you have a good day wherever you are.

♫

And that brings us to the end of this edition of NHK Newsline. 
We'll have more for you soon. Thank you for joining us.

 

at 18:00 (JST), November 26 (Ai-CC by Clipchamp)

 

20241126180000_english_1.mp3

Welcome back to NHK Newsline. Here's the latest we have for you at this hour.

A funeral and entombment ceremony for the late Princess Mikasa took place in Tokyo. She was 101 years old. The princess's given name was Yuriko. She passed away due to old age at a Tokyo hospital on November 15. The princess was the longest-living member of the imperial family since the Meiji era began in the late 19th century.
The ceremony, called rensono-gi, began at the Toshima Gaoka Cemetery on Tuesday morning. A farewell service started with over 480 attendees, including imperial family members. Among the others on hand were Prime Minister Ishibashigeru and representatives of foreign governments. The farewell service began with delegates for members of the imperial family bidding the late princess a solemn farewell. Princess Akiko, Crown Prince, and Princess Akishino themselves followed suit. Members of the public also lined up to pay their respects.

Testing on Japan's new Epsilon-S solid fuel rocket has been halted. That's after an explosion and fire occurred at the Tanegashima Space Center in the southwestern prefecture of Kagoshima.
Epsilon-S is one of Japan's mainstay rockets being developed by the Japan  Aerospace Exploration Agency.
JAXA said a combustion abnormality was detected at around 8:30 AM on Tuesday, 49 seconds into the second stage of testing. Local police and fire authorities say there are no reports of injuries. JAXA is investigating the situation. In July last year, an explosion also happened during a second stage test of the rocket in the northeastern prefecture of Akita. JAXA attributed that blast to the melting and scattering of a part of the ignition device, which damaged the insulating material in the pressure vessel. The agency said it had taken measures to prevent this from recurring before Tuesday's test.

A U.S. District Court has dismissed a federal criminal case against President-elect Donald Trump. It's over his alleged role in trying to overturn the 2020 election. Trump can't face prosecution while in office, though the charges may come back once his term is up. Special Counsel Jack Smith asked to have the case dismissed on Monday, citing the Justice Department's policy against prosecuting as sitting president. His motion also highlights that Trump's immunity is temporary.
Trump, rather Smith, led the investigation into Trump and the 2021 Capitol riot. The president-elect was facing charges, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Smith also asked the Court of Appeals to dismiss another case, which alleged Trump illegally retained classified documents after he left office. In both filings, Smith said the government's position on the defendant's prosecution has not changed. Smith is reportedly considering stepping down as special counsel before Trump takes office. Posting on social media, Trump called the cases against him empty and lawless.

A United Nations report says 60% of homicides of women and girls last year were committed by their intimate partners or family members. The report on femicides was released on Monday by two UN bodies, including UN Women.
Its publication was timed to mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The report says 85,000 women and girls were killed intentionally worldwide in 2023.
It says 51,100 or 60% of the femicides were committed by an intimate partner or family member.

Families in our homes are supposed to be places of joy, of safety, where women and girls can thrive.

The Deputy Executive Director of UN Women says the true scale of the gender-related killing of women and girls may be much higher, as it continues to be under-detected. The report also refers to data from France, South Africa, and Colombia. They show that around 30% of women killed had previously reported that they had been subjected to some form of violence by their partners. It says that suggests many femicides could be prevented if the authorities take appropriate measures.

Work continues in Busan, South Korea to tackle a global problem, plastic pollution. Delegates are in the final stage of discussions to hammer out the first international treaty on it. Let's take a closer look.

This is our moment to act with courage, determination, and optimism. Together, we can end plastic pollution and leave a legacy to hope for our planet And future generations.

Reaching consensus among so many is a big challenge. So too is the scale of the issue they're focusing on. Plastic waste produced around the world reportedly hit 353,000,000 tons in 2019, more than double the figure from 2000, and only a small amount was recycled.
The UN Environment Assembly has adopted a resolution calling for a legally binding agreement by the end of this year to tackle plastic pollution. It's a problem above and below. This is not seaweed. Plastic bags, in fact. 22 million tons of plastic waste reportedly leaked into the environment, including on land, in 2019 alone. A joint research team from Japanese and Thai universities says it has become the first to find microplastics in the innermost part of coral. The samples were taken in waters off Thailand in 2022.

The team says it found tiny plastic particles invisible to the human eye in all three parts of the coral, the surface mucus, tissue, and the skeleton. The team says that once particles reach the skeleton,They could remain there even after the coral dies and for 1000 years.

If the the like a large amount of micro plastic could be blocked, you know the the capacity of the photosynthesis and then eventually coral could be dying. And once coral die, you know the ecosystem is collapsed. So the fish, the home of the fish is is gone. The some of the fishermen you know like in calm is gone as well. So it's kind of consequencing effect.

The consequences of plastic pollution also stretch to our own bodies. I spoke with NHK World's Sekiya Satoshi about that and more.

Satoshi, what are experts saying about plastic pollution in regards of human health?

Minori, they are sounding the alarm, saying they are concerned about its possible impacts and it might surprise you and gross you out to learn where they are finding plastic.
Takada Hideshige researches microplastics and is an observer in this round of talks in Busan. He read a research group that earlier this year reported detecting plastic in human blood. Very tiny particles measuring up to a thousand of millimeter. Takada says Plastic may be getting in a couple ways by eating fish and other marine products that ingest plastic particles in the water. We also inhale them.

Plastics contain countless substances whose harmful effects have yet to be fully investigated to reduce people's exposure to them. Each substance must be identified and regulated. It's extremely important to reduce the total amount of plastic produced and its overall use.

Now there is a lot to reduce. In 2015, Japan ranked second in terms of the amount of plastic waste thrown away, about 32 kilograms per person each year. Minori, that's half of my body weight.

Well, that certainly puts this problem into perspective. We do know the the delegates in Pusan are discussing ways to reduce the amount of plastic being produced.

Yes, it's one of the focal points, and there is a debate on how to pursue it. European Union and African countries are among those calling for introducing uniform regulations on plastic production. China, India, and countries that produce petroleum are against the measures. Petroleum is used to manufacture plastic.
Japan has said each country needs to set goals and regulations depending on circumstances, and promote recycling and other efforts. Talks are also expected on whether to require countries to implement measures to prevent plastic from entering the environment. The meeting wraps up on Sunday.

A theater in the western Japanese city of Kyoto has held a ritual awaited every year by Kabuki fans. It hoisted wooden boards, revealing the names of actors who will appear in its year-end performances.
The name board of living national treasurer Kataoka Nizaemon was the final one put up outside the Minamiza Theater on Tuesday morning after workers put up 58 others. The annual event is called Maneki Age. It is held to draw attention to the year-end shows in the hope of attracting large audiences.

I'm excited to see this Maneki Age. Some years, we see many name boards and fewer in other years. I have different feelings every year at this event.

I want many people to enjoy the attractions of Kabuki and the Minamiza Theatre, which have many years of tradition.

The performances are scheduled to run from December 1st through December 22nd, and it's time for us to check the weather with our meteorologist Jonathan Oh. So Jonathan.
People in western Japan have been dealing with heavy rain and storms Tuesday. How is Wednesday looking?

Hello, we've been watching a couple of low pressure systems coming out from the Korean Peninsula in China and moving across Japan and with both of those systems working with each other, it packed quite a bit of a punch for the western and central portions of Japan and it looks like the focal point will more toward the east and north as we head into Wednesday.
Let's take a look at some video. We're going to start in Nagasaki where storm systems unstable weather to the Kyushu region Tuesday. Strong winds toppled a tree blocking a national highway in Nagasaki Prefecture. You can see the wild winds cause those umbrellas just blow everywhere.

Meanwhile, Fukuoka Prefecture winds blew over tents set up for an event. Thankfully, police say no one was injured. The stormy weather is expected to move east Wednesday, bringing with it the risk of landslides, flooding and even tornadoes. So like I said, a couple of systems interacting with each other and we'll be seeing the heavy rainfall possibilities from Tokyo you know points northward into Hokkaido as we go through Wednesday and then we'll be seeing a little bit of a slightly calmer pattern coming up later on this week.

Here's a look at the forecast. Showers into Tokyo, Sendai into Sapporo as well as we go through today on Wednesday. Slightly warmer with a southerly flow coming into the picture. Maybe seeing some showers though once again back toward the west into Fukuoka with a high of 15 for Wednesday.

Toward Australia we go bit of a higher pattern right now taking place with some rain moving through the central portions of Australia. Meanwhile, New Zealand slightly on the calmer side here, partly cloudy skies coming up on Wednesday from Auckland to Wellington with highs in the lower 20s with showers into the central and eastern portions of Australia.

Looking at what's happening across North America, Eastern Seaboard, looking at a messy weather set of a couple days of travel ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday. And so it's going to be on the messy side for the northeast and down toward the South. Back for the West, also not the great in terms of traveling for Tuesday as we have a snow and wet pattern coming up as we go through day on Tuesday. 

Hope you have a good day wherever you are.

♫

And that brings us to the end of this edition of NHK Newsline.
We'll have more for you soon. Thanks for joining us.

at 18:00 (JST), November 25 (Ai-CC by Clipchamp)

 

20241125180000_english_1.mp3

Welcome back to NHK Newsline. Here's the latest we have for you at this hour.

South Korea held a ceremony to honor those who worked at Japan's Sado Island gold mines. This comes after it boycotted a similar event organized by the local government. The ceremony was held Monday in Sado City at a former lodging facility for Korean miners. The mines became a UNESCO World Heritage Site last July.
South Korea initially objected to that decision, saying Koreans were forced to work there during wartime.
About 30 people attended, including the miners' families and South Korea's ambassador to Japan, Park Cho-hye.
He said their tears and sacrifices are part of the mines' history and must never be forgotten. Participants observed a moment of silence and placed flowers at the site. South Korean representatives and relatives chose not to attend a similar event on Sunday. That memorial was organized by Sado City and local groups. South Korean media say Seoul canceled after learning Japan's parliamentary Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Ikuina Akiko would attend.
South Korea's foreign ministry says Ikuina visited the Yasukuni Shrine after she was elected in 2022. The shrine honors Japan's war dead, including those convicted of war crimes after World War II. South Korean leaders have long criticized Japanese lawmakers for visiting the site.

We've been communicating with both Seoul and the local government. Japan is not in a position to explain why the South Korean side decided not to attend. But their absence is regrettable.

Hayashi said Ikuina has not visited Yasukuni Shrine since becoming an upper house lawmaker. He said Tokyo explained that to Seoul.

Fears are growing about an escalation of the war in Ukraine. In Washington, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for national security advisorSays the incoming administration will work to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine at an early date. Mike Waltz was speaking to Fox News on Sunday.

We need to bring this to a responsible end. We need to restore deterrence, restore peace, and get ahead of this escalation ladder rather than responding to it.

Waltz suggested the new administration will study ways to find an early end to the conflict. The congressman said North Korea, sending troops to Russia, has raised concerns about an escalation of the war. He said ending the conflict will require discussions on who's at the negotiating table, how to get both sides to the table and the framework of a deal.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's Security Agency has shown what they say is wreckage from a new intermediate range ballistic missile that Russia fired last week. The missile struck the eastern city of Dnipro. An expert with Ukraine's Security Service says this is the first time the remains of such a missile have been discovered on Ukrainian territory. Ukraine's Defense Intelligence Agency says its analysis shows the missile was launched from southern Russia and flew for about 15 minutes before striking 900 kilometers away. The agency says the missile's peak speed was at least Mach 11 or about 13-thousand kilometers per hour.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law to forgive the debts of new army recruits in an apparent move to mobilize more troops. The law, signed on Saturday, forgives debts of up to about $96,000 for those who sign a contract for at least a year. The measure, which begins next month, also applies to their spouses. Moscow has been ramping up its efforts to recruit contract soldiers as its invasion of Ukraine drags on. It has also offered high pay for the soldiers, and pardons for convicted prisoners who enlist in the army. The move comes amid reports that Russia has sent hundreds of Yemeni mercenaries to the front lines. According to the Financial Times, the men were promised jobs and even Russian citizenship, but were then forcibly sent to fight. Mercenaries from India and Nepal are also reported to be among the foreigners hired by Russian forces.

A South Korean court has handed the country's main opposition party leader a major legal victory, finding Lee Jaemyung not guilty in a high profile trial. It was one of several cases on his plate. They include one that did not go in his favor and now threatens his future in politics. Our Kim Chanjoo is tracking the story from just outside the Seoul Central District Court. So Chanjoo, what can you tell us about Monday's hearing?

It attracted many of Lee's supporters and critics. They gathered outside the courtroom, with one side claiming he's innocent and the other demanding he face severe punishment. Lee entered the courthouse without responding to any questions from the many reporters waiting here. But he spoke publicly about an hour after the verdict came out. Here's part of what he had to say.

I am grateful to the court for restoring truth and justice. I call on the government and the ruling party to adopt politics that helps people prosper, rather than politics that crushes.

Prosecutors accused Lee of demanding false testimony from a witness in a 2019 trial. Lee was acquitted in that trial, thanks in part to that testimony. In October last year, prosecutors presented fresh evidence of telephone transcripts and indicted Lee on charges, including perjury and demanding false testimony.
Lee contends that he only asked for the truth to be told. and never requested perjury. But his time in courtrooms is not over yet. Earlier this month, the same court found Lee guilty of violating the Public Official Election Act and sentenced Lee to a suspended prison term. If it stands, Lee will be stripped of his seat in parliament and also barred from running for public office for a period of time, including possibly during the 2027 presidential election.
Lee has appealed the sentence. There are other court cases ahead. In one, he's charged with corruption surrounding two development projects while he was a mayor. Another involves an allegation Lee pressured a local businessman to send illegal funds to North Korea.

Well This torrent of cases is capturing a lot of attention in South Korea. What has the reaction been like?

The public seems to have mixed feelings as well as a lot of frustration.

These kinds of problems have been happening non-stop since the presidential election. It would be good to put all this to rest.

This is a time when politicians should be cooperating to move the economy and policies forward, but they're so focused on other things that they're unable to do what they're supposed to do.

Lee's Democratic Party condemns the prosecution's indictments. It has taken a hard-line stance against the government and been pushing to oust President Yoon Suk-yeol. Yoon is facing a string of controversies, including allegations of influence peddling alongside his wife.
Lee achieved a landslide victory in the general election earlier this year and succeeded at being re-elected as party leader. His path to the presidency had appeared strong compared to other possible Democratic Party candidates.
But that's now likely to fluctuate significantly depending on how things pan out in the courts.

Thank you, Chan-joo. That was NHK World's Kim Chan-joo reporting from Seoul.

A special adviser for Japan's Prime Minister Shiba Shigeru says he met with officials close to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to request that multilateral collaboration efforts continue.
Nagashima Akisa handles national security issues within the Cabinet. The Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker spoke to NHK in Tokyo on Sunday after returning from a five-day trip to Washington. Nagashima said he met with Senator Bill Hagerty,who served as U.S. ambassador to Japan during the previous Trump administration. He said he asked how the transition of government is proceeding.

I've been working on deepening and strengthening the Japan-U.S. alliance and strengthening coordination with like-minded partners for the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region. I've requested the next U.S. administration continue these policies.

Nagashima said an in-person meeting between Ishiba and Trump is not on the cards yet because deliberations on the budget will begin early next year in the ordinary Diet session.

In South Korea, international negotiators are trying to draft the first-ever United Nations treaty aimed at reducing plastic pollution. A big focus of the talks is how far guidelines should go to control the amount being made around the world.
The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee is holding its final week-long round of discussions in Busan.

This is our moment to act with courage, determination, and optimism. Together, we can end plastic pollution and leave a legacy to hope for our planet and future generations.

The European Union and some African nations are calling for new rules limiting plastic production. But China, India, and petroleum-rich countries which benefit from plastic demand are against those measures. Japan has said each country needs to set goals and regulations depending on its circumstances and promote recycling and other efforts. Talks in Busan are also expected to touch on whether nations should be required to take steps to prevent plastic from entering the environment. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development reports from 2000 to 2019, global plastic waste more than doubled.
The organization points out only 9% of that waste was successfully recycled, while over 20% was mismanaged.

It's time now for us to check the world weather with our meteorologist Jonathan Oh. So, Jonathan, people in northern parts of Europe are getting a taste of winter. What's the latest for the area?

Hello, we're keeping an eye out on a storm named Bert that was moving across the northwestern portions of the continent and heading toward Scandinavia and bringing some windy weather, wet weather and snowy weather as well. Here's a look at the video coming out of the United Kingdom to give you an idea of what's been going on.
Storm Bert blanketed parts of England and Scotland with snow Saturday and disrupted travel, causing road closures, stranded vehicles and the use of snowplows to get that snow off the road. Passengers were also stranded at an airport in northeastern England as snow covered the runways, ended up delaying and canceling flights, weather officials issued amber warnings for heavy snow, which is the second highest level for alerts of this type.

So as I mentioned, the storm will be moving toward the east and heading toward the Scandinavian Peninsula and behind a big push of colder air and windy weather along this low pressure system. So we're going to be seeing a bit of a messy setup as we go into Monday and also into Tuesday as well.

Looking at the forecast, we are expecting again some of that rain and snowing mix to be up toward the north on Monday and looking at a bit of a hazier pattern into places like Vienna with a high of five.

Meanwhile, across North America,couple of areas where we're talking about some messy weather, one across the Great Lakes as a low pressure system is pushing toward the east. Back toward the West, a couple more low pressure areas are going to run in and bring in some winter storm type setup as well. It's been a very messy situation across places like Seattle and also into Oregon as well into Portland and it's going to be like that once again as we go through Monday with some wet weather. Put some snow into the mountains as we go through Monday. Snow also to Winnipeg with a high of five below freezing.

Looking at what's happening across East Asia, we do have this setup moving from China into the Korean Peninsula, so looking at some wet and even snowy weather possibilities as we go throughout the day on Tuesdays. So we're looking at some rain with a high of 10.

Hope you have a good day wherever you are.

♫

That brings us to the end of this edition of NHK Newsline.
We'll have more for you soon. Thanks for watching.

at 18:00 (JST), November 24 (Ai-CC by Clipchamp)

 

20241124180000_english_1.mp3

Welcome to NHK Newsline. I'm Gino Tani in Tokyo.

A group of Japanese researchers say they have developed a set of simple questions to detect Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment.

Project Professor Ito Daisuke at Keio University has been leading the research.
The group enrolled 155 people for the test, including those with no cognitive issues, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia. The subjects were asked certain questions. Their verbal and behavior responses were observed to find out if those questions helped to determine if they have any troubles with their cognitive functions.

（Japanese）

The researchers asked three questions. The subjects were asked whether they feel they have difficulties in their daily lives, if they noted any particular news over the past three months, and if they have favorite pastimes.
Over 83% of those who answered no to both of the first two questions It answered yes with concrete answers for the third question actually had Alzheimer's disease. The researchers also found that 87% of those who turned their heads to their family members or companions for help during the interview had the disease.

This task can be done in part of the flow of regular medical services. The burden on patients and doctors is very small. Nursing caregivers can also run a quick test, so it would be good if it leads  o awareness of Alzheimer's.

Promising drugs to treat the Alzheimer's have become available since last year in Japan, which makes early detection of the disease more important.

Delegates at the United Nations Climate Conference have agreed on a climate funding deal. COP 29 negotiators released a document on Sunday after a two-day extension of talks in Azerbaijan's capital, Baku. The document sets a goal of at least $300 billion per year to help developing countries tackle climate change under the leadership of developed nations by 2035. It also calls on parties to work together to scale up financing to developing countries from public and private sources to at least an annual $1.3 trillion. But some countries have voiced their criticism right after the document was adopted, saying the finance target is too low.

The goal is too little, too distant. It is 2035, it's too far gone. That the developing country is saying that it's taking the limit $300 billion till 2035 is a joke. And it's not something we should take lightly. I do not think it's something we should clap our hands and force us to take it.

Critical statements from developing nations drew loud applause from the floor. The representative of the European Union countered the criticism by saying we are tripling the 100 billion goal and we feel it ambitious.

NATO's Secretary-general has met with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to discuss a range of global security issues. NATO officials say Mark Rutte met Trump on Friday in Palm Beach, Florida. They are believed to have covered topics, including the situation in Ukraine. Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO allies for relying on the U.S. for defense and has vowed to review the alliance. After taking office, he is expected to demand that other members increase defense spending. Meanwhile, the Reuters news agency reported that Trump is considering creating the post of special envoy for the Russia Ukraine conflict to bring an end to Russia's invasion. The report says Trump may tap his aide Richard Grenell for the position. Grenell worked for the former Trump administration as the ambassador to Germany and the acting Director of National Intelligence. Trump accompanied Grenell at his talks with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in September. A senior Ukrainian Defense Ministry official estimates that Russia possesses at least 10 units of the new type of missile it launched against the country on Thursday. The Russian missiles are a new type of intermediate-range ballistic missile known as the Oreshnik. In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin said their use was in response to Ukraine's attacks on Russia using American and British-made long-range missiles. Ukraine's Defense Intelligence Agency deputy chief Vadim Skibitsky said on Friday that there may be at least 10 of these new missiles. Also on Friday, Putin mentioned mass production of the weapons at a meeting in Moscow with representatives from the defense ministry and related industries.

We will continue these tests, including in combat conditions. Depending on the situation and the nature of the security threats that are created for Russia, it is necessary to establish serial production.

Concerns are growing that fighting between Russia and Ukraine may intensify. A senior official in the Ukrainian military says of the land seized by its troops in Russia's western region of Kursk, over 40% is back in Russian control. The source in the Ukrainian general staff disclosed the information to Reuters news agency, the source told Reuters that in the cross-border offensive in to the Kursk region in August, Ukraine took about 1400 square kilometers. But the source added that due to increased Russian counterattacks, Ukraine now controls only around 800 square kilometers. The source says Ukraine will try to hold the land still under its control for as long as militarily appropriate. The source also confirmed that about 11,000 North Korean troops had arrived in the Kursk region to support Russia, but most of them are still in the final stages of training.

People in Paris are protesting to end violence targeting women. The UN designates November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
Protesters marched in the French capital on Saturday, with the color symbolizing the movement purple. The organizers say 80,000 people took part. The public has been angered by a series of sex crimes, including a case in which a man drugged his wife and allowed other men to rape her.

We're fighting not just for ourselves, but also for future generations of women. The whole world should speak up.

Men are trying to change as well. I think it's important to show our support for women.

French government statistics show that last year 93 women were killed by their partners.

♪

Let's take a look at the weather in your part of the world.

♫

And that's the news this hour.

I'm Gene Otani from all of us here at NHK Newsline to all around the world.

Thanks very much for joining us.

at 18:00 (JST), November 23

20241123180000_english_1.mp3

Welcome to NHK Newsline. I'm Gene Otani in Tokyo.

Donald Trump has selected a hedge fund manager as his Treasury Secretary. U.S. media described Scott Bessett as one of the finance world's most vocal supporters of the president-elect.
Besant is the founder of the hedge fund Key Square Group. He has reportedly been involved in investment management businesses for more than 35 years. His activities are said to span a variety of sectors, including agriculture, publishing and real estate. Besant's biography, attached to Trump's announcement, says the entrepreneur has been involved in some of the most profitable trades in hedge fund history, including shorting the British pound. The president-elect called Bessant a strong advocate of the America First agenda.
Trump added that his pick will help him usher in a new golden age for the US as it fortifies its position as the world's leading economy, center of innovation and entrepreneurialism, as well as a destination for capital.

We turn now to the Middle East, where 5 paramedics have been killed in Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon while negotiations continue for a truce between Israel and the Shia Muslim group Hezbollah.

Lebanon officials say the attack took place on Friday in the south of the country. Israeli forces are continuing a ground incursion into Lebanon. The fighting killed 52 people on Thursday in Baalbek and other areas. The death toll in the country now exceeds 3,500. U.S. special envoy visited Israel and Lebanon this week to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. But it's highly uncertain whether there will be any progress.
Meanwhile, a United Nations interim force base in southern Lebanon has been caught in the crossfire three times in the space of a week. The group is engaged in a peacekeeping mission. Officials say 4 Italian soldiers were injured on Friday in a rocket attack. The UN force said on Tuesday that Argentina has notified it of its withdrawal from the peacekeeping mission. The reason for the withdrawal has not been explained.

The United Nations says 281 aid workers have been killed so far this year in conflict zones around the world, mainly in Gaza. This is a record number of deaths. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, reported on Friday the death toll has surpassed last year's. Record of 280. 178 aid workers have been killed in the Palestinian areas, including Gaza, while 25 have been killed in Sudan and 11 each in Ukraine and the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to OCHA. The UN body also says 165 aid workers have been wounded and 79 have been kidnapped, with Yemen having the most at 20. OCHA chief Tom Fletcher issued a statement saying aid workers are being killed at an unprecedented rate. He said states and parties to conflicts must protect humanitarians and uphold international law.

Delegates at the United Nations Climate Conference are continuing negotiations beyond Friday's original deadline. They've so far failed to reach consensus on a new draft agreement.
COP29 is underway in Azerbaijan's capital, Baku. Financial contributions are a sticking point in the talks.
Developing nations criticized a new draft that proposes developed nations provide them with $250 billion annually to fight climate change. They are asking for more than $1 trillion per year.

It doesn't correspond to the our fair and ambitious goal, but we will continue, of course, to engage with the parties.

Rafiev also insists the delegates would push for the most ambitious outcome.
Meanwhile, an international environmental group has given COP29 conference chair Azerbaijan A satirical Fossil of the Day award.

Today's Fossil of the Day award goes to Azerbaijan!

The Climate Action Network is presenting the prize daily during the talks to countries seen as reluctant to fight global warming. The network comprises about 2,000 NGOs. The group said Azerbaijan falls short of what is needed to lead the conference. It cited the country's president, who described oil and gas as a gift from God. The Climate Action Network gave a colossal fossil a war to developed countries, including Japan, that are obliged by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to financially help developing countries tackle global warming. The Climate Action Network accuses them of trying to escape their legal obligations to pay.

Authorities in China are making it easier for travelers from some nations to enter their country. They've temporarily relaxed a restriction they'd imposed during the pandemic. They're allowing Japanese citizens to visit without a short-term visa.
In the past, many Japanese citizens entered China without one for vacations and business trips. But the Chinese government suspended the visa exemption in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

China's foreign ministry announced Friday the visa exemption will take effect again on November 30. It will continue at least until the end of next year. Eight other countries will also get a similar exemption. Beijing also says they will be extending how long those stays are good for.

The Chinese government will also further optimize visa exemptions and extend the current 15-day stay period to 30 days.

China began resuming exemptions for certain countries like Singapore last year. But Japan had not been included at the time. Tokyo repeatedly called on Beijing to bring it back at the request of Japanese companies.

I expect the exemption measures will lead to even greater exchanges between the two countries.

Some experts suggest China's real estate slump is behind the move. They say Beijing may be trying to encourage investment from Japan as foreign investors remain cautious. China may also be trying to shore up its relationships before America swears in its next leader. There are concerns relations with Washington will deteriorate when Donald Trump returns to the White House in January.

The autumn leaf viewing season in Japan is in full swing, and one place in Hiroshima Prefecture in particular is attracting a lot of visitors.
The tourist town of Sera is home to Ryu-geji, a temple founded by the Reverend Buddhist Mankobo Daishi. The woods around the temple are popular with visitors who come to see the brilliant autumn foliage.
Sightseers get to stroll beneath the maple trees as they wander through the temple grounds. A local preservation group says the leaves began to change color this year about 10 days later than usual because of warmer temperatures.

There are so many varieties in colors. I hope visitors will enjoy viewing them as well as learning about the history of the site.

Officials say the autumn leaf mewing season in the Imakoyasan area will continue until early next month. 
Those were the main stories for this hour.

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And that's the news this hour. I'm Gene Otani.
From all of us here in NHK Newsline to all around the world, thanks very much for joining us.

 

at 18:00 (JST), November 22 (Ai-CC by Clipchamp)

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Hello and welcome to NHK Newsline. I'm Yoshikawa Ruichi in Tokyo.

We start this hour with breaking news.
China's foreign ministry says Japanese nationals will temporarily not need visas for short-term visits.

Japanese citizens used to be exempt from needing such a visa. Many entered China without one for vacations and business trips, but the Chinese government suspended that exemption in 2020 due to the coronavirus.

Tokyo has called on Beijing to bring it back at the request of Japanese companies. The exemption will take effect again on November 30th and will continue at least until the end of next year.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has stressed his intention to continue the country's nuclear and missile development. It's believed the comments were made with future U.S. diplomacy in mind. North Korea's ruling Workers' Party newspaper says Kim made the remarks at the opening ceremony of an arms exhibition in Pyongyang on Thursday. Photos were released that show an intercontinental ballistic missile and what the North claims to be a hypersonic missile.
Kim said his experience of negotiations with the U.S. has convinced him that Washington's hostile policy toward Pyongyang will never change. He said his country needs to keep modernizing its weapons as long as there are forces that infringe upon our sovereignty.
South Korea's Yonhap News Agency says the remarks could dash prospects for bilateral talks or another summit with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

Ukrainian strike on Russia has reportedly wounded a senior North Korean general. U.S. newspaper The Wall Street Journal cites Western officials. They say this is the first time a high-ranking military officer from the North has become a casualty in the conflict. The paper reports the attack happened recently in the western region of Kursk. Ukrainian military forces have been engaged in a months-long cross-border offensive there.
The U.S. government says North Korean soldiers recently dispatched to Russia are participating in combat operations in the region. Western media outlets say Ukrainian forces have begun using long-range missiles supplied by the United States and the UK for attacks inside Russian territory. They reportedly fired UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles into Kursk on Wednesday. Ukraine's president earlier said the number of North Korean troops deployed in western Russia could grow to 100,000.
Russian President Vladimir Putin says that his country fired a new type of middle-range ballistic missile into eastern Ukraine on Thursday.
He said the launch was in response to the deployment of US and British long-range weapons supplied to Kiev. The Kremlin released an eight-minute video of Putin speaking on Thursday.
The Russian leader said his forces had combat-tested a medium-range missile system that carries a hypersonic ballistic missile known as Arsenic. His comments appeared to contradict an earlier announcement by the Ukrainian Air Force. It said that missiles targeting critical infrastructure in the eastern city of Dnipro included an intercontinental ballistic missile launched from Russia's southern region. Putin said that Orishinik missiles fly at a speed of Mach 10, or about 2.5 to 3 kilometers per second.
He claimed that current defense systems are not capable of intercepting them.
Putin went on to say that the Ukraine conflict was provoked by the West and had assumed elements of a global nature.
He added that Moscow may further deploy intermediate range and shorter range missiles depending on the actions of the United States and its NATO allies. Putin said his country is entitled to use its weapons against the military infrastructure of countries that allow the use of their weapons against Russian targets.

US President-elect Donald Trump has named his new nominee for Attorney General.
He's chosen Pam Bondi after his first choice, Matt Gaetz, dropped out.
Bondi worked as a prosecutor before becoming Florida's first female attorney general. She also worked on Trump's defense during his first impeachment trial. In a social media post Thursday, Trump said Bondi will return the Department of Justice to its intended purpose of fighting crime and making America safe again.
Trump had initially picked former US Congressman Matt Gaetz. But he withdrew his nomination Thursday after it became clear he wouldn't get Senate approval easily. Gates was facing criticism even among Republicans. The Ethics Committee launched a probe into allegations of sexual misconduct with a teenaged girl.

Iran says it will turn on a large number of centrifuges for enriching uranium. It's in response to condemnation from the UN's nuclear watchdog over the country's poor cooperation. The International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors passed a resolution by a majority vote on Thursday. Four Western powers proposed it. The resolution addresses issues that include traces of uranium found in 2019 and 2020 at undeclared sites in Iran.
It condemns the country for insufficient cooperation with the IAEA's investigation. It also calls for the organization to issue a comprehensive report on Iran's nuclear activities by next March. Iran calls the resolution unjustified. The government says its principled policy has always been based on constructive interaction with the IAEA, and continued cooperation is part of that. It also says it will take effective measures, including the launch of a large collection of new and advanced centrifuges of various types. Iran had agreed to take steps to cap its stock of highly enriched uraniumWhen the director general of the IAEA visited the country last week, concerns were growing that Iran's nuclear development will speed up if Tehran moves ahead with its countermeasures.

Japanese superstar Otani Shohei has been chosen as Most Valuable Player for the third time in Major League Baseball. It's the second year in a row he has received the honor and his first playing in the National League. The Los Angeles Dodgers slugger made MLB history in 2024 by hitting 50 homers and stealing 50 bases in a single season. He's the first designated hitter to win MVP.
Otani played in 159 of his team's 162 games, the most ever for him in a regular season. He finished with a .310 batting average, the second highest in the league, and hit 54 homers and 130 RBIs.
His performance of 59 stolen bases and 134 runs scored broke the former records by a Japanese player set by Suzuki Ichiro.
Otani also won the Hank Aaron Award for the second year in a row. It recognizes the best hitter in each league. He's the first MLB player to win the award in both the American and National Leagues.

Work has begun to dismantle part of a collapsed stone wall at Kumamoto Castle in southwestern Japan. The restoration work is part of an ongoing project to rebuild the centuries-old castle. It suffered serious damage in the major earthquake that hit the region in 2016. The Uto Tarit is among a number of structures within the castle complex damaged by the quake. It's a majestic five-story wooden building designated as an important cultural asset by the government. The stone wall supporting the Uto Tarit partially collapsed and it has to be taken down. So the stones can be put back in place properly. On Thursday, workers began carefully removing the stones, some weighing as much as two tons.

Uto turret is a popular spot, so it's extremely important to restore it properly, and I feel a heavy responsibility.

Officials overseeing the restoration projectsay the work to dismantle the stone wall is expected to continue through September next year. It's estimated that the restoration of the Uto turret will be completed by 2032.

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Please do access the NHK World Japan website for more details.

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Autumn is still in full swing here in Japan, but the first winter storms have reached large parts of Europe. Our meteorologist Yumi Hirano has the details.

A couple of storm systems are creating snowy conditions. People in Paris had their first major snow accumulation on Thursday. Parisians saw early snow on Thursday, covering some of the city's iconic monuments. As magical and beautiful as the day seemed, unfortunately, the Eiffel Tower had to close as precaution.
Strong winds caused significant delays and cancellations at the main international airport in Paris.
Officials urged the modelists to be careful so as to avoid their vehicles from being stranded due to icy roads. The system is expected to move to Italy and the Balkans on Friday, bringing strong winds and heavy snowfall. A high-pressure system is dominating France and the Iberian peninsula,Behind it, the next storm is approaching the British Isles. It will not only bring rain, but also warm air in the front of the system, leading to weak temperature changes over the weekend. So the high in Powys will jump to 10 on Saturday and 14 on Sunday.

A similar trend is expected in London and Bruin. People who had heavy snowfall need to watch for quick snow moat and flooding.
Moving to Japan, a typical winter pattern with a high pressure in the west and a low pressure in the east is expected. So sea effect snow is possible in northern Japan with risks of strong winds, lightning, and even isolated tornadoes.

However, on the Pacific side, including Tokyo, sunny skies are expected with a high of 16. In the bigger picture across Asia, clear skies are likely in Seoul, Shanghai,and Hong Kong. 

That's all for me. Have a nice weekend.

♫

That wraps up this edition of NHK Newsline. I'm Yoshikawa Ryuichi in Tokyo.
Thank you very much for joining us.

at 18:00 (JST), November 21 (Ai-CC by Clipchamp)

 

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Welcome to NHK Newsline. I'm Yoko Nishimura in Tokyo with the latest news. 

People in central Japan are still struggling to recover, two months after torrential downpours hit Ishikawa Prefecture. It was the second major disaster to devastate the Noto Peninsula this year and left 15 people dead.

Officials say the record rainfall damaged or destroyed at least 2,000 houses. 
More than 360 people in the cities of Wajima and Suzu are still living in shelters. Residents had already been dealing with the aftermath of an earthquake that hit on New Year's Day. The disaster killed 447 people in the prefecture and surrounding areas. The number includes those who died from disaster-related causes. The quake damaged more than 90,000 houses in Ishikawa alone.

As municipalities prepare to protect evacuees from the approaching cold, some are struggling to rebuild due to shortages of workers. Roads in many areas are also too narrow for heavy machinery to remove mud that flowed into houses. Volunteers are helping with the clean-up efforts.
Officials say they need a total of 20,000, but only half of that number participated in volunteer work as of November 4. Twenty-eight firms and organizations have offered help. Ishikawa wants to finish the removal work in Wajima, Noto Town and Suzu by mid-December before the snow arrives.
For kids in Suzu City, it's been a school year like no other. Many were displaced or watched their classmates adjust to life in temporary housing. Some are using music to overcome hardship.

Choir practice. The kind you'd find in any junior high across Japan. But these students sing a song that's special for them. The lyrics, about relying on each other to get through painful times, are their story. Their city was hit hard this year by the quake on New Year's and by floods in September. At Midorigaoka Junior High School, over one in five kids still live in temporary housing. In the aftermath of the mass evacuations, the school's music teacher, Nakatani Hyaku, got an idea. He had students write down their thoughts and feelings. The notes led him to a central theme, a craving for a place to call home.

When we say we have a place to belong, it can be any place like Iozen or Suzu, or a place we evacuated to. No matter where we go, we still have a place to belong, even if you come back to Suzu. We wanted to show you should feel like you can live here again.
He crafted a song with them, Ibasho, or a place where you belong, resonated. 

For me, I like when we sing, let's support each other in times of trouble. That's what my friends and family did for me.

My favorite lyric is there's always a place we belong. It makes me feel relieved.

Our homes collapsed, but Suzu is still here. I have a place to belong.

The gym had been partially serving as an evacuation center. It's also where the school's annual festival is held and Ibasho will be performed. Student Council President Morita Asahi will conduct.
On top of music, he's got a passion for baseball. After the quake, he had to practice his swing in an evacuation center, and despite the odds, his team won this year's prefectural tournament.

There's no denying the earthquake happened, so I want to use this experience to get stronger. I hope we can recover and bring our lives back to normal. Ibasho's message also hits close to home for him.

I didn't feel safe anywhere, not even at home. But now I live with peace of mind, so I believe this is where I belong.

Parents and students gather for the festival. There's a play put on by the older kids and other performances by students. And then, the main event.

♪　♫　♬

I'm deeply moved. Our kids had to endure so much, especially when they had to live away from home. They said they were fine, but I'm sure it was tough.

If the kids haven't given up hope, we parents shouldn't give up either.

Some from their community couldn't attend, forced to move away as Suzu recovers. So the school says it's sharing the performance online.
No matter where the kids of Midorigaoka Junior High go, they can hear Ibasho and know this is where theyalong.

 
Sources say Japanese police have obtained an arrest warrant for a Chinese teen on suspicion of involvement in a graffiti case at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo. The boy has already left Japan.
Sources close to the investigation say the warrant was issued on Thursday. It states the 14-year-old is suspected of damaging property and desecrating a place of worship. The graffiti was discovered in August on a stone pillar at the entrance of the shrine. It included characters for a Chinese word meaning toilet. Security camera footage showed an image of a person approaching the pillar at night. The sources say the boy arrived in Japan with at least one other person several days before the incident. They say he visited the shrine alone and returned to China on the day the graffiti was found. In a separate case in May, the same pillar was vandalized with red paint. Tokyo police have put two Chinese nationals on a wanted list in connection to that incident. Yasukuni Shrine honors Japan's war dead. Those remembered include leaders convicted of war crimes after World War II.

Entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have outlined their plan to reduce US government spending. They say slashing regulations would allow for huge cuts in the federal workforce.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump tapped them to lead the upcoming Department of Government Efficiency. The two men shared a blueprint for the reforms in an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal Wednesday. They said Trump asked them to cut the federal government down to size.
They said they would do things differently by serving as outside volunteers, not federal officials or employees. Musk and Ramaswamy said they will focus on three major areas of reform: retracting regulations, reducing administration, and seeking cost savings. They said reducing federal regulations would allow for mass headcount reductions across the civil service. The Federal Spending Review will also target certain annual expenditures totaling about $500 billion. Specifically, it will look at those not authorized by Congress, or being used in ways they say Congress never intended. Examples include funding for international organizations and US public broadcast services.
The two men say they hope to achieve their goals by America's 250th anniversary in 2026.

 
Iraq is conducting its first census in nearly 40 years. Officials hope the data will help enable infrastructure development, education, and other aspects of reconstruction.
Iraq last conducted a census in 1987.
Officials have not since been able to count the population because of the Iraq War and turmoil caused by the Islamic State group. The AP News Agency says about 120,000 workers are collecting data. In the city of Erbil, in the Kurdish Autonomous Region, they've been going door-to-door. They're entering information such as numbers of family members and dates of birth on tablets.

I hope the census results will be analyzed to help draw up plans.

To enable the census, the government has imposed a nationwide curfew. People are only allowed out in emergencies. Officials expect to release the final results in a few months.
♪

It's now time to check out the world weather. A storm off the coast of the Pacific U.S. and Canada has been pummeling the region. Our meteorologist Yumi Hirano has the details.

 

A circulating low pressure system is bringing stormy conditions to wide earlier. Hurricane force gusts of over 150 kilometers per hour were reported in one part of California, and over 170 kilometers per hour in British Columbia. High winds are also impacting Washington state.
It's brought widespread disruption to parts of the state this week. Powerful winds knocked down trees and power lines, causing large blackouts. Authorities say fallen trees have blocked many roads, causing traffic disruptions, people having urged to stay at home unless absolutely necessary. More rain is expected in Oregon as well as Northern California by Friday.

Unfortunately, the system is moving slowly, so windy conditions are expected to continue at least into Friday. In addition, heavy snow and downpours are also an issue. Intense heavy rain could lead to flash flats and landslides.
And another storm is impacting the Great Lakes regions. So Chicago will see snow with a high of only 7, but sunny skies are expected in Denver and LA.

Moving to Asia, a low pressure system will bring a wintry weather to northern Japan on Friday, but a high pressure system will dominate from central and western Japan to northern China on Friday. So dry conditions are likely in Beijing and Seoul. Sunny skies are coming back to Tokyo, the high will jump up to 18, but the next cold snap is coming again over the weekend. So the high will be only 13 on Sunday. Kanazawa may see the first snow of the season. That's it for me. Have a nice day.

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And that's it for now on NHK Newsline. I'm Yoko Nishimura in Tokyo.

Thanks for joining us.