at 18:00 (JST), November 05 (AI-CC by Clipchamp)

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20241105180000_english_1.mp3

Thanks for joining us on NHK Newsline. I'm Yamaguchi Hiroaki in Tokyo.

The main candidates in the U.S. presidential election make their final pitches in Rust Belt states Monday night. Polls show a neck-and-neck race as tens of millions prepare to head to the polls in just hours.
Democratic nominee Kamala Harris held a rally at a former steel facility in Pittsburgh, the second largest city in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania. 

We are not going back because America is ready for a fresh start.

She said, Americans are ready for a president who understands that a true leader does not beat people down, but lifts them up.

♪There's no need to feel down. ♪

Her Republican rival, Donald Trump, also spoke at an indoor arena in Pittsburgh.

Kamala Harris has delivered soaring prices and economic anguish at home, war and chaos abroad.

He added that he would launch what he called the most extraordinary economic boom the world has ever seen. Harris held another rally in the state's largest city, Philadelphia. Trump wound up his campaign in Michigan, another battleground state.

Political scientists have been looking at the trends and trying to get a sense of where the election is headed. NA Scare Roll's Catherine Kobayashi spoke with Professor Paul Czarasyk from Youngstown State University.

Professor, Americans have had an eventful few months. How do you look back at the campaign?

Well, it certainly has been an unusual political season in the United States. Begins in some ways with an attempted assassination attempt against former President Trump, now candidate Trump, something we hadn't seen in more than 40 years. And then pretty soon after that, you had President Biden withdrawing from the race after having run in all the primaries, something that has never happened actually in recent, at least American political history, replaced by Kamala Harris, who ran in no political primaries. So these are a lot of things we hadn't ever seen before in American politics. 

We've certainly seen a lot of twists and turns. How would you? Explain the appeal of each of the candidates.

Well, first for Kamala Harris, it's about firsts, right? She would be the first female president of the United States should she be elected. Also the first Asian-American president in U.S. history. So a lot of firsts. And that's part of her appeal. People want to break the glass ceiling. Also, you have the issue of abortion in the United States and reproductive rights. And she is the candidate that appeals to voters who think that is a very important issue, femaleVoters. Women voters. We see a real gender gap this year with women supporting Kamala Harris. Finally, she's not Donald Trump, and that's part of her appeal. There are voters out there who absolutely do not want Donald Trump to return to the White House, and they're drawn towards Kamala Harris. For Donald Trump, on the other hand, part of his appeal is that he's not Kamala Harris because there's a lot of people that think that she is not qualified to be president and that she shouldn't even be the candidate because she didn't run in any primaries. Trump is also seen as a disrupter, and that's appealing the United States right now because so many people think the United States is on the wrong track when it comes to the economy or immigration, and he represents a change from that. 

And what trends will you be looking out for, Professor, on Election Day?

Well, historically what we look for is a blue shift, meaning Democrats who are the blue party in the United States symbolized by the color blue. They tend to vote absentee and early and by mail. And those votes don't get counted first. They get counted later on. Sometimes they don't arrive until very late or even in some states allowed later the next day if they're postmarked in time. So you had a shift where it looked like the Republican candidate, the red candidate was doing well and overtime that shifted towards. Democrats. Well, this year we might not see that blue shift because Republicans have not decided to vote early.

NHK News Line will bring you special coverage of the US presidential election. Join us as it starts from 6:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on Tuesday.

♪

Japan has launched a protest after North Korea fired at least seven ballistic missiles Tuesday morning. All are believed to have fallen into waters outside Japan's exclusive economic zone. There are no reports of damage or injuries.
Japan's defense ministry says the launch happened around 7:30 a.m. The missiles appear to reach a maximum altitude of around 100 kilometers. They're believed to have splashed down around 400 kilometers away in the Sea of Japan, near the Korean Peninsula.
South Korea's military says the missiles were fired from around Sariwon.
Japan has strongly condemned North Korea for the launch. And the prime minister says the government is monitoring the situation.

North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles this morning following last week's launch. In response to the situation, I've instructed officials to provide information to the public and thoroughly confirm safety.

Tuesday marks the 13th time this year Pyongyang fired ballistic missiles, or projectiles believed to be ballistic missiles. Ahead of the latest launch, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un issued a statement. Kim Yo-jong condemned the recent joint aerial drills conducted by Japan, the United States, and South Korea.
Her remarks were published by the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
She described the joint exercises as the most hostile and aggressive acts against North Korea. Kim said her country is behaving in direct proportion to what she called the ever-escalating military threats. She also said Pyongyang will continue moving its nuclear and missile programs forward and maintain a hard-line stance.
Japanese, U.S. and South Korean aircraft carried out drills east of the South Korean island of Jeju on Sunday. That was after Pyongyang fired what it claims is its latest model of intercontinental ballistic missile Thursday. That launch led to some tense exchanges at the United Nations in New York.

The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting Monday to discuss North Korea's claimed test-firing of the latest ICBM model, the Hwasen-19. Japan's ambassador to the UN, Yamazaki Kazuyuki, said the regional and global security situation has deteriorated even further because of the launch. U.S. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood criticized North Korea, as well as China and Russia.

This council has a responsibility to hold the DPRK accountable. Yet, we are here again today because two members of this council, China and Russia, have repeatedly shielded the DPRK.

North Korean Ambassador Kim Sung argued the launch was a part of an exercise in self-defense. 

We will accelerate and will not let up on build up our nuclear force that can counter any threatPresented by hostile nuclear weapon states.

Shifting now to Russia, NHK has learned details about the deployment of North Korean troops there amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. A Russian military commander has apparently been placed in charge of those forces as part of something called Project Vustok.
Mostok is the Russian word for east, and it's the name, sources say, Moscow has given for its acceptance of the North Korean soldiers. Those troops will reportedly be looked after by a major general who has commanded Russia's 76th Airborne Assault Division since 2020, and also served in Syria.
The appointment suggests Russia intends to work closely with the North Koreans during the deployment. The delivery of North Korean troops to Russia has been criticized by South Korea and some of Ukraine's Western allies, who've called for an immediate withdrawal.

♪

Now Japan's traditional alcoholic drinks, including sake and shochu, have been gaining popularity around the world. Now the know how of making them is about to be honored by UNESCO. Japan's Cultural Affairs Agency says the UN advisory panel has recommended the method of making the drinks be added to the world body's intangible cultural heritage list. The original method of producing the beverages, which is still used, was established more than 500 years ago. It involves steaming rice or barley, creating koji mold, and then fermenting the drinks.
The craftsmanship has evolved according to the natural characteristics of individual regionsand has been passed down through generations. The fermented drinks have long been used in traditional rituals and festivals, and have served an essential role in Japanese culture. The cultural agency says the UNESCO committee is expected to make the listing official at a meeting in December in Paraguay.

Japan already has 22 items on the list, including nogaku theater, washoku cuisine, and local folk dances. It is also seeking to have traditional shoto calligraphy listed.

It's time for a check on the world weather with our meteorologist Jonathan Oh. People in the United States are heading to the polls Tuesday. Jonathan, how is the weather looking across the country?

Hello, it looks as we're going to be talking about a couple of different things. Warm weather for the East Coast with some stronger storms located along a cold front from the Great Lakes down toward Southern Plains and another low that's moving across the Upper Rockies. And so we're going to be seeing an interesting pattern here where ahead of a cold front, the eastern seaboard will be seeing temperatures that are quite warm and dry. But then the cold front will be moving through as we go through Tuesday and that's going to bring some thunderstorms along with us, some stronger storms possible to the Ohio River Valley down to portions of the southeast. And I mentioned that other cold front moving through the Upper Rockies that could bring some rain, even some snow possibilities as we go through the day on Tuesday. So be on the lookout for that. Southern Plains look at the possibility of seeing some relatively warm weather, mid 20s in Houston, some thunderstorms. And again along the front we're seeing some storms. So to the east temperatures relatively warm here with highs up into the mid 20s in place like New York and some snow and rain into the Upper Rockies as we go through Tuesday.

Meanwhile, we are keeping an eye out on this pesky low pressure that's caused some real big problems into the Iberian Peninsula, and it looks like the more rain will be a part of the story, and that's just going to compound the problems that has impacted the region. 

Meanwhile, the central portions of the continent looking at relatively dry weather as high pressure controls it with highs anywhere from 10 in Berlin to 20 in Rome as we go through the day.
Quick note in East Asia, we have a tropical system that's going to be moving its way across the northern portion of the Philippines. Once again, we're talking about another tropical system nearby. In Japan, we have a low nearby that's going to bring some unstable weather. So looking at some rain, possibly some of that colder weather pattern as you go through day on Wednesday. So be on the lookout for that.
In Beijing, sunny skies, the high of 14, nice decent fall foliage there. Take a look at some video that's coming from the city as the fall foliage is at its peak in Beijing, attracting residents and visitors alike. The recent cooler weather has helped the leaves turn bright shades of yellow and red. Let's look at your forecast. Hope you have a good day wherever you are.

♫

And that wraps up this edition of NHK Newsline, but there is much more to come on NHK World Japan, so do stay with us.