Hello, and welcome to NHK Newsline. I'm Yoshikama Ryuichi in Tokyo.
The operator of Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it has completed the first test retrieval of fuel debris from one of the damaged reactors. Removal of all debris is considered the most challenging step in the decommissioning of the facility, which was devastated in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
Tokyo Electric Power Company began experimenting with the removal of molten fuel mixed with parts of the reactor structure at the Number 2 reactor in September. To do so, workers placed a pipe-like device inside the reactor containment vessel to grab the material from its base.
Last week, the tool succeeded in retrieving several grams of debris.
Radiation levels at a distance of 20 centimeters away were recorded at 0.2 millisieverts per hour.
For reference, the guidance for workers at the site is to limit radiation exposure to 24 millisieverts per hour. The debris was placed in a special container just before noon on Thursday, completing the process. Retrieval work was slated to begin in 2021, but was delayed due to technical glitches and other problems. There's hope the small amount of debris taken out will provide valuable data for large-scale removal. An estimated 880 tons of radioactive debris remains across Fukushima Daiichi's number one, two, and three reactors.
Former President Donald Trump is getting ready to make a historic return to the White House. The Republican is set to serve another term in office with a sweeping victory over his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump declared victory in the early morning when it became clear that Harris had no path to prevail. He took the stage with his wife, Melania, and his running mate, J.D. Vance.
This will truly be the golden age of America. That's what we have to have. This is a magnificent victory for the American people that will allow us to make America great again. Ohh
He says the election result has given him an unprecedented and a powerful mandate. We're going to Help our country heal. Help our country heal. We have a country that needs help and it needs help very badly. We're going to fix our borders. We're going to fix everything about our country.
Democratic leaders also suffered a major setback in Congress. They saw the Republican Party regain control of the Senate. The results for the House of Representatives are still undecided.
Trump's Democratic opponent has called to congratulate Trump on his win.
During her concession speech, Harris said she's full of gratitude for the trust voters placed in her.
The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for, but hear me when I say, hear me when I say. The light of America's promise will always burn bright.
Harris waded through election night and well into the day before appearing in front of her supporters. She said she told Trump that the current administration would help him and his team with the transition, and she pledged they would engage in a peaceful transfer of power.
For more on this, earlier, my colleague, Yamasawa Arena, spoke with Japan's former ambassador to the US, Fujisaki Ichiro. Here's why he thinks Trump clinched victory.
I think there are three things that Americans would look upon the United States president. One is strength. One is likability. Third is if he or she's good for me, and I think Mr. Trump was able to prove that he was strong, he has a strong leadership, he's good. As for likeability, 52% of people think they don't feel affinity and only 43% likes him. So I think he's not that good at that. But third element, I think he was able to feel that he can manage economy, inflation, and immigration better. And I think on those three accounts, strength, likeability, and is good, profitable for people. Mrs. Harris was not as convincing as Mr. Trump.
But the election doesn't just affect Americans. Fujisaki said a second Trump presidency will have a huge impact on foreign conflicts around the world.
I think on Ukraine and Gaza, there will be a big change. And I think Ukraine, I think he will try to have negotiations with between Zelenskyy and Putin as soon as possible. On Gaza, this is, I think, a bit worrying, because we may push Iran too far, because too far to the side of China, North Korea and Russia if we press too hard. So not only Gaza, but the Middle East, I'm concerned about Iran.
So do you think the relationship with Japan and the U.S. or Asia and the U.S.
will change from this administration?
Japan is a very important ally for the United States. I thinkAmericans will try to sort of have Japan on their side and from Japan, Japanese point of view, we are faced with some difficult situation by surrounding countries. So we like to keep very good relations with the United States and thanks to all these leaders. So now we have good relations with Korea and India, and I think that kind of relations in Asia Pacific or in the Pacific is important for United States as well. So I'm not concerned about US. As for China and US, we'll have to see.
But with a new administration in the White House, Fujisaki offered some advice to Japan's Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru.
As for relations with Japan, I'm not that concerned because we have experience, Mr.
Abe, and I think his legacy, what he has the know-how, whatever, is that trying to establish one-on-one relations and second, try to not criticize him in public like Mrs. May or Mrs. Merkel or Mr. Trineau did.
How? You don't know about democracy. That kind of preaching to American president, I think, didn't work.
What's important is that he's a negotiator. He's a dealer. So you don't say, hey, I'm concerned about this. And he'll know that, oh, this is the point that Japan is worried about. Why don't I poke a little bit about?So let's try to keep calm. Welcome back. Mr. President, let's work together. I think that's the most important thing that we have to be doing.
That was Japan's former ambassador to the U.S., Fujisaki Ichiro.
Germany could be in for a snap election next year. The country's three-party ruling coalition has collapsed. after failing to agree on economic and fiscal policies.
Chancellor Olaf Schultz on Wednesday announced he fired Finance Minister Christian Lindner, who leads one of the parties. Schultz criticized Lindner for putting the interests of his party before those of the country.
The coalition has faced deepening rifts among Schultz center-left Social Democrats Lindner's plural-market Free Democrats and the environmentalist Greens.
Schultz says he will take steps to allow for an election by the end of March.
Germany is Europe's largest economy. It's also the second largest contributor of aid to Ukraine's fight against the Russian invasion. The deadlock comes amid fresh complexity in Europeas countries try to figure out how they will work with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
A Japanese government survey shows that about 330,000 babies were born in the country in the first six months of the year. That suggests the annual total may fall below 700,000 for the first time since records began.
The health ministry released the demographic data, which excludes foreign nationals, on Tuesday. The figure represents a decrease of 6.3% from the same period last year. The number has plunged by almost 31% compared with 2014. The data also shows that just over 727,000 babies were born in 2023. That's the fewest on record going back to 1899.
People in many parts of Japan are feeling a chill in the air as autumn turns to winter. Staff at a zoo in Nagano have started providing some warmth to animals that don't like the cold.
Residents at the Suzaka Zoo include two capybaras. They're from South America.
Staff gave them a hot bath just before the start of winter on the traditional Japanese calendar. The zoo is also home to ring-tailed lemurs. They're from Madagascar. Staff are keeping their enclosure warm with an electric heater.
We're keeping different animals warm in ways that suit them. I hope they don't catch any colds.
That staff member says high energy costs are a problem, but he also says he hopes visitors will enjoy seeing the animals keeping warm.
Now it's time to check out the weather with our meteorologist Yumi Hirano.
In one part of Aomori Prefecture, 28 centimeters of snowfall has been reported. In the city of Sapporo, the first snow accumulation of the season has been observed. We have some video.
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That's it for this edition of NHK Newsline. I'm Yoshikawa Yurichi in Tokyo.
Thanks for joining us.
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