Welcome back to NHK Newsline. I'm Kanako Sachno.
Firefighters in Los Angeles are still struggling to contain wildfires that have raged for days. Authorities have reported 10 fire related deaths.
A fire started Tuesday in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood and spread rapidly due to strong winds. Fires also broke out in northeastern Los Angeles and other areas. Authorities say fires in five areas have burned a total of over 140 square kilometers.
The Los Angeles Times reports that officials using aerial infrared technology estimate the number of damaged or destroyed buildings at over 9,000.
US weather company AccuWeather released a preliminary report estimating the economic loss at 52 to $57 billion. It says the worst affected areas include some of the most expensive real estate in the United States.
This is the most widespread devastating fire in California's history. We're doing literally everything we can at a federal level.
Firefighters are intensifying their efforts as the winds ease, but police suggest that the scale of the damage may increase as it will take time to understand the full extent of the disaster.
Nation-building efforts are continuing in Syria since the overthrow of the Assad dictatorship last month. A minister of the interim government tells NHK the country wants foreign assistance and investment.
Maher Khalil Al Hassan is in charge of internal trade and consumer protection.
He spoke in an exclusive interview with NHK. Al Hassan says more than a decade of civil war has destroyed most of Syria's infrastructure.
There's an urgent need to restore roads, bridges, ports and airports.
The Syrian market is now open for all nations, including Japan.
Syria has tremendous investment opportunities.
Another challenge centers on Christians and other groups. They're concerned over the interim government's ties with Islamic extremists. Al Hassan agrees that minorities may remain skeptical, but he believes their fears will fade through shared dialogue and a new vision for the future.
Our government has great faith in every citizen over the prospect of working hand in hand. Together, under our new leadership, all Syrians will rebuild this country.
Snowfall continues in eastern and northern Japan. Authorities say the rapid accumulation appears to be slowing down, but they're still warning of blizzards and travel disruptions in the area.
Japan Meteorological Agency officials say a winter pressure pattern and a strong cold air mass led to the heavy snowfall.
Conditions are especially intense along the Sea of Japan. As of 11 AM on Friday, 1.99 meters of snow had accumulated in Yamagata Prefecture's Okura Village. Uonuma City in Niigata got 1.94 meters and Gifu's famous Shirakawa Village had 1.84 meters. For some areas, it's more than double the amount they usually see this time of year.
In Hyogo Prefecture's Toyooka City, a car plunged into a roadside river on Thursday evening. A man was left unconscious and in critical condition. Police investigating the accident say the car might have skidded due to snow.
East Japan Railway Company says all services on the Yamagata Shinkansen Line were suspended on Friday morning, but have since resumed. Some sections of expressways and national roads are closed to traffic.
Heavy snow is expected mainly in areas along the Sea of Japan, from northern to western Japan towards Saturday morning.
Officials are calling on people to stay vigilant against traffic disruptions, violent winds and high waves, as well as avalanches and power outages.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has weighed in on Japan US relations. He said it's important for Prime Minister Ishibashigeru to build close ties with incoming President Donald Trump. Suga spoke to reporters on Thursday in Washington, where he attended the state funeral for former U.S. President Jimmy Carter as a special envoy of the Japanese Prime Minister.
The most desirable situation will be that Prime Minister Ishiba and Mr. Trump are on such good terms that they could talk over the phone whenever they like.
Referring to the next U.S. government, Suga said it's important to further strengthen the ties between the two countries. On the previous day, Suga met with U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty.
He served as the U.S. ambassador to Japan during Trump's first term. Suga said Haggerty told him he will spare no effort to elevate the alliance. Suga also stressed the need to build ties with people close to Trump.
Denmark's Prime Minister is suggesting holding talks with US President-elect Donald Trump on the subject of Greenland.
Mete Frederiksen says she thinks the two could have a good dialogue concerning the Danish autonomous territory.
Her remarks came after Trump called for the United States to acquire Greenland for national security reasons. After an emergency meeting with Denmark's ruling and opposition leaders, Frederiksen said the government has been proposing talks with Trump since last year. She said she hopes that can happen after his inauguration on January 20.
Greenland's Prime Minister also weighed in on the issue. Muta Egeda said the territory is on its way toward a new era when it becomes a focus of world attention. He added that Greenland's people must be united in order to be ready for a new future.
In Italy, Prime Minister Georgia Maloney also mentioned the Panama Canal, a vital transportation channel in Central America, which Trump says the US needs for economic reasons. She described Trump's remarks as mainly a message aimed at other big global players. She noted that China has been increasing its presence around Greenland and the canal in recent years.
Trump's remarks have baffled other world leaders, with many swiftly shutting him down. Besides Greenland, he's called to reclaim the Panama Canal, absorb Canada and rename the Gulf of Mexico.
At a news conference on Wednesday, Germany's chancellor reacted to Trump with a quick lesson on international law.
The principle of the inviolability of borders applies to every country, and that every state must abide by it, whether it's a small country or a very powerful state.
France's foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barot, also chimed in. He said Greenland is EU territory and there is no question the EU would not let other nations attack its sovereign borders. Trump's ambitions for the US have also extended to its neighbours. On Tuesday, he invoked Mexico with his bold claim.
We're going to be changing the day. name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring that covers a lot of territory. The Gulf of America, what a beautiful name. And it's appropriate.
Mexico's president responded with a little humor. She brought out a 17th century map of the territory, which described the continent as America Mexicana.
Let's call North America Mexican America.
That name sounds nice, doesn't it?
And on Canada, Trump has suggested it should become the 51st US state.
He has threatened to impose tariffs as soon as he's back in office.
Outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hit back, saying there isn't a snowball's chance in hell Canada would join the US.
And what are his intentions with roughly one week to go until his inauguration?
We asked Maishima Kazuhiro, a professor and expert on American politics, to weigh in.
He's trying to get a head start on his term. Trump wants to show the international community he wants to make a lot of changes when he enters office.
So he's sort of floating these ideas and is gauging how the world is reacting.
On Greenland, Mayashima says Trump has some convincing reasons behind his claim. The country is rich in natural resources and strategically important for its location along the Arctic Circle.
Trump has always said that Europe lacks military commitment, so this could put pressure on Denmark and other countries to spend more on the military.
Even if he doesn't actually do anything, Trump has made Greenland a major talking point that will likely come up at global summits. Trump sees that China is vying for the region in terms of national security, and he wants to raise the alarm on that.
On Canada and Mexico, Mishima says Trump is warning his closest allies to not get too comfortable.
He is showing that there will be major shifts in the relationship. Trump believes its allies have been taking advantage of the US, and he wants that to end.
Instead of dealing with its adversaries like Russia and China, he believes it will be easier to make a profit from Europe, Canada, Mexico and maybe even Japan.
He adds that Trump's remarks don't reflect the whole country.
I think Trump will push for these changes, but if the election results are any indication, there are a lot of Americans that disagree with him.
So the international community should keep this in mind.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says about 4000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded so far while fighting alongside Russian forces against his country.
Zelenskyy addressed an international conference at a US base in western Germany on Thursday. Delegates from the United States and European countries met to discuss military aid for Ukraine. He referred to the North Korean troops fighting in the western Russian region of Kursk, where the Ukrainian military launched a cross-border offensive.
Zelensky stated that Pyongyang has been gaining experience cheaply to re-export the war, possibly to the Indo-Pacific region. He added that Russia's collusion with the north shows the weakness of President Vladimir Putin. The Ukrainian president asked Western leaders to keep up the pressure on Russia through sanctions and other means. He also spoke about talks with the US on licensing the production of air defense systems and missiles in Ukraine. He said it could become a significant part of security guarantees for his country and believes it's absolutely doable.
Runners race through a Shinto shrine in western Japan on Friday in a bid to become the Lucky Men of the year.
At 6:00 AM, over 100 people took off running through the shrine. They were chosen by lottery to participate in the annual tradition. They had to dash 230 metres through the grounds to the main hall. The first thing to get there would be crowned 2025's Lucky Men.
This year's top runner was 17-year-old Ogishi Fumiya, a high school student from Takarazuka City. It was his first time taking part.
It's so surreal that I'm a lucky man. I hope I'll have a good year.
He said he would like to share his good luck with the people of Noto. The peninsula is still recovering after a massive earthquake last year.
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And those were the main stories for thishour.
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That wraps up this edition of NHK Newsline. I'm Kanako Sachno in Tokyo.
Thanks very much for joining us.
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