Welcome to NHK Newsline. I'm Ramin Mellegard in Tokyo.
Now, sources say the Japanese firms are aiming to finalize a deal in June. The president of the new holding company is likely to be appointed by Honda. Honda and Nissan each held board meetings about the merger. The Integrated Auto Group would be the world's third largest in terms of vehicle units sold. Nissan is the biggest shareholder in Mitsubishi Motors. The head of Mitsubishi is also expected to join the talks. Honda and Nissan hope a merger will allow them to streamline operations and share huge development costs in EVs and autonomous driving. Software development is another sector considered key to gaining a competitive edge. Innovation in those areas has been driven by new entrants such as Tesla in the United States and BYD in China. They've drastically changed the dynamics of the auto industry.
Now, former Olympus head Stefan Kaufmann has admitted in court to buying illegal drugs. He says he used them to cope with tiredness and long hours.
Authorities charged the 56 year old of violating Japan's narcotics law. They accused him of obtaining what are believed to be cocaine and the synthetic drug MDMA multiple times in June and November last year. Kaufman stepped down as CEO and president of the Precision Optics Maker in October.
Kaufman appeared at the Tokyo District Court on Monday for the opening day of his trial. He says he started using the drugs on the recommendation of a friend.
Adding that he wanted to conceal his fatigue from working 16 to 18 hours a day. Prosecutors are demanding 10 months in prison. Kaufman's defense team are calling for leniency.
Now, the South Korean military says North Korea may launch a ballistic missile around the time of an important year-end meeting of the ruling Workers' Party. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff say an assessment released on Monday confirmed signs of North Korea producing and moving solid fuel ballistic missiles. They add Pyongyang may launch an intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile before or after a meeting of the ruling party Central Committee. The Joint Chiefs say the North will take domestic and foreign political events into consideration ahead of the launch. This includes the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump in January.
They also say North Korea is unlikely to go through with the planned launch of military reconnaissance satellites this year due to slow preparations.
But they warn the North will carry out various provocations to build bargaining power against the US. These could include intercontinental ballistic missile launches and nuclear tests.
The Joint Chiefs also say the military has confirmed that about 1,100 North Korean soldiers sent to Russia have died or been wounded. They say Pyongyang is planning to rotate personnel or increase its deployment. They add the military has also confirmed that North Korea is trying to produce suicide drones to support Russia.
US President-elect Donald Trump has warned Panama that his administration could demand the return of the Panama Canal. Trump said the country has been charging US ships exorbitant rates to pass through the waterway. The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, highly unfair.
This complete ripoff of our country will immediately stop. Trump made the remarks at a conservative conference in Arizona on Sunday. He said the US is the number one user of the waterway. The Panama Canal was built by the US in the early 20th century. It became a vital transportation channel linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
The US ceded control of it to Panama in 1999. Trump also said that the handover was meant solely for Panama to manage the canal, not China or any other country. Beijing in recent years has been seeking to bolster ties with Central and South American nations.
Panamanian President Jose Raul Molino responded on social media that every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belong to Panama and will continue to be. He added that Panama's sovereignty and independence are not negotiable.
A Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, says 2025 will be a decisive year for bringing peace to his country.
The president also stressed his resolve to continue negotiations on Ukraine joining NATO in an address to high-ranking government officials and diplomats in Kyiv on Sunday.
Zelenskyy told them that everyone understands that there will be changes in international affairs after the transition to the Trump administration in January. He also touched on the upcoming federal election in Germany and the presidential election in Poland, both scheduled for next year. Ukraine maintains that NATO membership is crucial for it to enter into peace negotiations with Russia.
Alliance for Ukraine is achievable. But only if we fight for this decision at every necessary level.
Zelensky also indicated his intention to increase friendly ties with more countries. He said it is crucial to advance Ukraine's interests in relations with China and India. He said the country needs to develop a genuine partnership with Japan and establish deeper, more meaningful ties with South Korea.
And Turkey's top lipmat has traveled to Syria to build ties with the country's interim government. Ankara has long supported some of the groups that ousted President Bashar al-Assad earlier this month. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held talks with Abu Mohammad al-Jolani in Damascus on Sunday.
Jolani is the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham that heads the interim government. Fidan said that Turkey will support Syria's reconstruction and the return of its refugees. He urged governments around the world to lift all economic sanctions imposed on Syria under the Assad government. Fidan also called for the protection of minority groups in Syria to create a nation where all religions coexist. However, he said the Syrian interim government should take a hard line against Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria. Turkey has long opposed them.
Ankara appears to be trying to increase increase its influence in the country.
Turkey dispatched the head of its intelligence agency to Damascus 2 weeks ago.
And turning to Germany now, where people are. Still coming to terms with a deadly car attack on a Christmas market, Investigators believe the suspect spent weeks planning his attack. Five people were killed and more than 200 others injured when a car drove at speed into crowds at the Christmas market in the city of Magdeburg on Friday. Police detained a 50 year old Saudi Arabian man at the scene. Now local media cited investigators are saying. The suspect stayed at a hotel near the market multiple times in November and December.
The area around the Christmas market was closed to traffic with bollards, but the suspect used an emergency vehicle access lane to drive in.
German media also reported the Saudi Arabia Secret Service had alerted its German counterpart about the suspect's online threats three times since 2023. Interior Minister Nancy Feza said the suspect came to Germany in 2006 and worked as a doctor. She also said he held anti-Islamic views. Investigators indicated the suspect could have been disgruntled with the way Saudi Arabian refugees are treated in Germany.
And those were the top stories for this hour.
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And that's a wrap for this edition of NHV Newsline. I'm Ramin Mellegard. Thank you very much for joining us.
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Japan has various kinds of landmarks that fascinate visitors. They range from cultural and historic locations to modern buildings created with cutting-edge technologies. What led to their creation and what were the challenges involved?
The Backstory of Japanese Landmarks brings you the stories behind these amazing places. In this episode of The Backstory of Japanese Landmarks, we feature the Great Buddha of Kamakura.
Kamakura is a popular tourist destination located near Tokyo. It's about a one-hour train ride from the capital. One of Kamakura's landmarks is the Great Buddha.
As its name suggests, the Great Buddha is a colossal copper statue of Amitaba Buddha. It was built as the principal deity of Jodo-sek Temple, Kotoku-in. The Buddha is nicknamed Brozano Daibutsu, meaning the great Buddha sitting out in the open. It's a national treasure of Japan.
From central Kamakura, the train ride and walk to Kotoku-in Temple takes about 15 minutes. After passing through the temple's gate, the grand statue of Buddha comes into view.
The Buddha sits in a Zen meditation posture and is over 11 meters tall.
Kamakura was the seat of Japan's feudal government from the end of the 12th century to the early 14th century.
The construction of the Great Buddha began during this period in 1252, almost 800 years ago.
Today, the statue is covered with verdigris,A bright green substance that forms on oxidized copper.
A closer look reveals slight traces of gold leaf, indicating that the statue was originally gilded. The great Buddha was made by copper casting.
It's a manufacturing method of melting copper and pouring it into a mold.
But creating a statue that's over 11 meters high wasn't easy at the time, and it wasn't possible to melt over 120 tons of copper in one go. So, the metal was cast in 40 sections. This is why joints can be seen on the statue's surface. The Buddha is hollow. The statue has two windows on its back. After the statue was completed, the inner mold was removed through these openings. Today, the windows let in light and air. The Buddha was enshrined when it was first built, but over time, the hall was damaged by earthquakes and typhoons. A tsunami at the end of the 15th century swept it away, leaving the Buddha exposed to the open air. The temple was also abandoned for a certain period, but was restored in the early 18th century.
After a period in which Japan secluded itself from the rest of the world, the Yokohama port near Kamakura was opened for foreign trade in 1859.
Following this, many foreigners are said to have visited the Great Buddha of Kamakura. Built nearly eight centuries ago, the great Buddha of Kamakura has a magnificence that continues to captivate people.
Thank you for tuning in to the back story of Japanese landmarks. We hope you have a chance to visit these landmarks and see for yourself what makes them so special.
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