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.
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.
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?
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.
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We'll have more for you soon. Thanks for joining us.
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