Now Japan Airlines says it has resolved a system failure that began on Thursday morning. The company says it was caused by a cyber attack, but no customer data was leaked.
The attack began shortly before 7:30 Thursday morning. The airline says the issue caused delays in more than 70 domestic flights. Now the company suspended ticket sales for Thursday's flights, but has now resumed them. Jal says it deeply apologizes to customers and others affected by the inconvenience. It also says there's no impact on flight safety. Officials say this could be a DDOS attack in which attackers send massive amounts of data to websites to make them crash.
We turn now to Syria. The interim authorities there say 14 security personnel have been killed in an attack by supporters of the ousted government.
Officials say the attack came near the western city of Tartuz. They say 14 people were killed and 10 wounded.
Meanwhile, Muslim minorities that supported the ousted government of Bashar al-Assad are staging protests in places including Tartus and the city of Latakia.
The protests were triggered by an online video purportedly showing an attack on a shrine in the northern city of Aleppo.
The shrine belongs to a minority sect called the Alawites. They supported the Assad government. The interim authorities say the video was old. They say it dated from the time of Aleppo's liberation.
They believe it was used to stir up strife among the Syrian people.
The interim authorities are acting on international calls to rebuild Syria in ways that respect minorities, but the country is experiencing turmoil, and the authorities face challenges in achieving reconciliation among citizens.
And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has condemned a major Christmas Day attack by Russia on the country's energy infrastructure.
Zelenskyy denounced the strikes in a social media post on Wednesday. He said Putin deliberately chose Christmas for an attack and asked what could be more inhumane. The mayor of Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine said Moscow hit thermal power plants, boiler houses and other facilities. He added that four people were injured and a large part of the city was left without heating.
Russia's Defense Ministry said it carried out a massive strike on critical power infrastructure facilities. Authorities in the southern Russian Republic of North Ossetia said on Wednesday the debris from a downed Ukrainian drone caused a fire at a shopping center in the city of Vladik Kavkaz. Russian media reported that one person died and two others were injured.
And meanwhile, the Japanese and Ukrainian leaders held talks by phone. Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru told President Zelensky that Japan will continue working with his country to realize a just and lasting peace as soon as possible.
During a conversation on Wednesday lasting over half an hour, Ishiba expressed his respect for Zelensky, saying he's fighting for his country.
Ishiba noted that Japan has consistently supported Ukraine and has imposed sanctions on Russia.
Zelensky expressed his appreciation for Japan's support. He explained the current war situation and the efforts Ukraine is planning for the future. The two leaders also exchanged views on the participation of North Korean troops fighting in the fighting and military cooperation between Russia and North Korea. They agreed to continue working closely together.
And Pope Francis has delivered a Christmas message where he called for an immediate halt for fighting around the world. He encouraged all people and nations to silence the sound of arms and overcome divisions.
The Pope gave his traditional address to people gathered in Vatican's Saint Peter's Square on Wednesday. The Pope spoke about the deepening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. He said may there be a ceasefire, may the hostages be released and aid be given to the people worn out by hunger and by war.
Regarding Ukraine, the Pope said, may there be the boldness needed to open the door to negotiation and to gestures of dialogue and encounter in order to achieve a just and lasting peace. Now the phrase is a metaphor for the opening of the holy door of Saint Peter's Basilica on Christmas Eve this year. The holy door is only opened during special periods.
Authorities in Brazil say they rescued more than 160 workers from slavery-like conditions at a factory construction site for the Chinese electric car maker BYD.
Footage released by investigators shows beds in the workers' dormitory with no mattresses, only sheets.
The plant was being built in Bahia State in northeastern Brazil. It was to have a production capacity of 150,000 cars per year. Local media say the workers are Chinese nationals hired by a contractor with BYD. The company says it will terminate the contract and promises to comply with Brazilian law on workers rights. A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry told reporters that China attaches great importance to workers rights and interests. She said it asks companies to do business in accordance with laws and regulations.
Imai Tadashi spoke to reporters after the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States failed to reach a consensus on the takeover by Monday's deadline. The panel had examined the security risks of the acquisition, but Biden must now make the decision.
I believe if President Biden recognizes the fundamental value of the buyout, it will be approved. The acquisition will protect U.S. steelworkers' jobs and help strengthen the American steel and manufacturing industries. It will ultimately bolster U.S. national security.
Imai said he feels support for the buyout has risen significantly in steelmaking communities. Biden is due to announce his conclusion within 15 days ofreceiving the committee's report. He has expressed negative views on the takeover.
And Thursday marks 20 years since the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami. The disaster left more than 220,000 people dead or missing and caused extensive destruction. The focus in the region has now turned to preserving the memories of the disaster.
The tsunami was triggered by a massive earthquake that struck off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra on December 26, 2004.
The wave inundated vast areas from Southeast Asia to East Africa. More than 160,000 people were killed in Indonesia's Aceh province, near the quake's epicenter. In the years since, houses, roads and other infrastructure have been rebuilt in the area with international assistance. The province's capital, Banda Aceh, has also seen a significant recovery. An increasing number of people have been born there or moved to the city in the years since. Its population in 2023 stood at about 260,000, which marks a return to pre-disaster levels.
The capital now faces the challenge of passing on the memories and lessons of the disaster to younger generations.
And those are the top stories for this hour.
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And that is a wrap for this edition of NHK Newsline. I'm Ramin Mellegard. Thank you very much for joining us.
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In this episode of The Backstory of Japanese Landmarks, we feature Kusatsu Hot Springs.
The first thing a visitor notices upon entering the town of Kusatsu what appears to be a giant pond of hot water.
Some 4,000 liters of hot spring water gushes up every minute at this yubatake, or literally hot water field. It's 60 meters across and 20 meters wide.
The area is filled with the sound of flowing water, steam rising from the yubatake, and a sulfurous odor typical of hot spring resorts. It all adds up to create an atmosphere that helps visitors step away from their everyday mind state.
Bathing is a well loved part of life in Japan, but bathing in Hot Springs is not the same as taking a bath at home. Under Japan's hot spring law in order to be officially considered a hot spring. The water, steam, and gas must well up from the ground and contain certain natural elements, and the temperature must be at least 25 degrees Celsius.
One of the main features of Kasatsu Hot Springs is the sheer amount of water that wells up from the ground in the area. In terms of volume, it's the top hot spring in Japan, with more than 32,000 liters gushing out a minute. That's enough to fill 230,000 oil drums a day. The Yubatake hot water pond at the center of the town is where visitors can get a sense of the vast amount of water flowing out from the ground. Seven wooden conduits line the oval-shaped Yubatake.
Hot water of around 50 degrees Celsius cools as it flows through the conduits before being distributed for bathing to some baths. The conduits also accumulate what are known as yunohana, or literally hot spring flowers.
They're crystalline compounds that form from the elements in the water as it's cooled by the air. The crystals are gathered and dried and made into a powder. The powder is a popular souvenir as it can be used as a natural bath salt.
But the most famous of the attractions at Kusetsu is a water stirring event called Yumomi.
With a temperature of around 50 degrees Celsius, the hot spring water must be cooled down to a temperature suitable for bathing. One way to do this is yumomi stirring the water using wooden paddles. Locals stir the water while singing traditional folk songs to keep rhythm. The most famous of these are the kusatsu folk songs. Visitors can enjoy yumomi performances and even try their own hand at stirring the water.
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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