at 18:00 (JST), December 01 (Ai-CC by Clipchamp)

 

20241201180000_english_1.mp3

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

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has arrived in the U.S. state of Hawaii as part of his Pacific tour. China has stated its opposition to the visit and suggested it may take countermeasures.
Taiwan's presidential office says Lai was welcomed by the governor of Hawaii and other officials on Saturday. He visited a museum and saw exhibits related to Taiwan. Lai is scheduled to visit Pacific island nations, which have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, on his first overseas trip since taking office. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson issued a statement on Sunday. It says the ministry has lodged serious protests with the United States. It says China firmly opposes any form of official interaction between the US and the Taiwan region. The statement hints China could take steps in response, saying China will closely follow the developments and take resolute and strong measures to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Reuters news agency quotes Taiwanese authorities as saying China is likely to launch military drills in the coming days near Taiwan. Taiwan is stepping up its vigilance.

And massive protests have continued in Georgia against the government's decision to suspend talks on European Union accession. The Georgian Prime Minister accused the pro EU opposition of plotting a revolution.
Many thousands of demonstrators gathered on Saturday outside the parliament building and elsewhere in Georgia's capital of Tbilisi. Protests have been ongoing for three consecutive days, and the interior ministry said it has detained more than 100 people.
Police used tear gas and water cannons to try to disperse them, causing injuries.
Prime Minister Irakhli Kobachitsei says, who takes a conciliatory stance toward Russia, said there will be no maiden revolution in Georgia. Citing Ukraine's protests that led to the collapse of his pro Russian government in 2014. Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, who supports the EU membership, insisted that there were electoral violations in the October parliamentary election in which the pro Russian ruling party won a majority of seats. Members of the parliament are expected to carry out the country's first indirect vote for president. On December 14, casting their ballots instead of a popular vote, Souravishvili said an illegitimate parliament cannot elect a new president and that she will stay on in the position after her term expires in the middle of this month.

US President-elect Donald Trump has said in a social media post that he had talks with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on issues. Their countries need to address together, including drug smuggling and trade.
A photo posted by an attendee of the dinner shows Trudeau at Trump's Mar a Lago residence in Florida. Trump wrote on Friday that he just had a very productive meeting with Trudeau. Trump revealed that the topics included illicit drugs smuggled into the United States from Canada and other countries that he said is a result of illegal immigration.
He said he and Trudeau also discussed the massive US trade deficit with Canada.

Trump said he made it clear to Trudeau that the US will no longer sit idly by as our citizens become victims to this drug epidemic. Trump said Trudeau has made a commitment to work with the US on the problem.
Now, the Canadian Prime Minister told reporters after the talks that he had an excellent conversation with Trump. Trump has been claiming that crime and drugs are being brought into the US through Mexico and Canada. Last Monday, he announced that he would impose a 25% tariff on all products imported from the two countries until the illegal cross-border flows are stopped.

A senior Russian Foreign Ministry official says Russia is facing the question of whether to resume nuclear tests.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov Was interviewed by the state-run TASS news agency on Saturday. He was asked whether Russia would resume nuclear tests in response to US escalatory policies.

He responded. There is this issue, he added. I don't want to portend anything, but will simply say the situation is quite complicated. He said the issue is under constant review in all aspects. TASS also quoted an expert as saying the possibility of Russia resuming nuclear tests has come closer, given the current stance of the US. Russia ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in the year 2000, but Moscow revoked its ratification in November last year, citing that the US has not ratified the treaty. Russian officials say Ukrainian forces have launched attacks on Russian territory with long range missiles supplied by the US.

Anti government forces in Syria have reportedly taken control of much of the second largest city of Aleppo, including government centers.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says that on Wednesday, rebel forces launched a major attack on the government-held city. The monitoring group says the death toll has surpassed 310, including civilians. The Syrian military says that its forces have redeployed and are preparing a counterattack. Russia reportedly responded to the large-scale offensive with airstrikes on the opposition's positions. Reports also say Moscow has promised to give Damascus additional military aid. In 2011, anti government demonstrations broke out across Syria as part of the Arab Spring pro democracy movement.
President Bashar al Assad's government cracked down on the rallies prompting the civil war. Aleppo was the main stronghold of the anti-government forces, but in 2016, the government, backed by Russia, regained full control of the city.

Now, birthday wishes are in order for Japan's Princess Aiko, the daughter of Emperor Naruhito, and Empress Masako turned 23 on Sunday.
The Princess graduated from Gakushin University this spring. She's been working for the Japanese Red Cross Society. The emperor's only child also performs duties as a member of the imperial family. Princess Aiko attended a luncheon for foreign dignitaries for the first time in February. She greeted the Kenyan president and his wife in Swahili.
The Princess made her first appearance at an imperial garden party in April. She visited Saga Prefecture in October. That was the first time she carried out a solo official engagement in a regional area. The Princess watched some of the events at the Japan Games Sports Festival there. She also tried making traditional handmade Japanese paper.
The Emperor's daughter was scheduled to visit Ishikawa Prefecture in September.
She wanted to see how the region was recovering from the earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula on January 1, but she had to cancel the visit as heavy rain had just hit the area. The Princess, the Emperor and the Empress are said to be deeply saddened by the series of disasters. They hope those affected will be able to live with peace of mind as soon as possible.

Now, there's just one month remaining in 2024, and a Buddhist temple near Tokyo is busy preparing a decoration to welcome in the new year.
At Narita-san Shinsho-ji Temple in Chiba Prefecture, temple staff and neighborhood residents are bundling together rice straw. They have been working since early November on a giant rope decoration that symbolizes the wish for a bountiful harvest. The decoration, called Shimenawa, will be hung at the entrance to the main hall starting on December 25. When completed, it will weigh around 200 kilograms.
I hope for a good year without natural disasters because there have been too many this year. I wish for a good year for everyone. The temple welcomes about 3 million visitors in the first three days of every January.
And those are the top stories for this hour.

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And that's a wrap for this edition of NHK News Line. I'm Ramin Mellegard.
Thank you very much.