I'm Raja Pradhan with the news from Tokyo.
The United States, under President Donald Trump, has backed a move by Israel to ban the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees, UNRWA.
The agency head told the Security Council this week the ban will be disastrous for the humanitarian work in Gaza. The controversial new law, due to come into effect on Thursday, prohibits UNRWA from operating in Israel and occupied territories. Israel has accused UNRWA staff members of taking part in the October 2023 attacks by Hamas. The acting U.S. ambassador to the UN said the agency is exaggerating the impacts of the law.
UNRWA is not and never has been the only option for providing humanitarian assistance in Gaza.
The former administration under President Joe Biden had expressed concerns about the ban. Many countries, including the Security Council's other permanent members, Britain, France, China, and Russia, voiced their support for UNRWA's continued operation in Israel.
Next, the number of suicides here in Japan was among its lowest last year, but for minors, the figure hit an all-time high. Preliminary data out of Japan's health and welfare ministry show there were more than 20,000 suicides in 2024. This was about 1,500 lower than the previous year and the second lowest since data compilation began in 1978. Of the suicides, more than 13,000 were men and a little over 6,500 were women.
Meanwhile, 527 minors took their own lives, surpassing the previous highs set in 2022. High school students accounted for nearly 70% at 349. There were also noticeable increases in suicides among junior and senior high school female students. The number rose by 19 to 99 for those in junior high, and by 17 to 183 for those in high school.
Ministry officials say the motives for suicides among minors include school-related issues, such as poor grades, health problems, including depression, and family troubles. The officials say they're taking the issue seriously and will work with relevant groups to tackle the problem. People in need of help should call Yorisoi hotline at 0120-279-338.
Note this phone number is not accessible outside Japan.
And staying with Japan, efforts to rescue a 74-year-old man from a sinkhole are being hampered by sewage. There are fears the road itself is still unstable.
The incident began when a street in Yashio City, north of Tokyo, suddenly collapsed Tuesday morning. According to witnesses, the truck almost immediately fell in. The hole is believed to be about five meters deep. 15 hours later, rescue workers were able to use a crane to remove the rear portion of the truck, but then...
Another part of the road collapsed, and a second sinkhole appeared nearby. As of Wednesday afternoon, the front half of the truck is still in the first hole.
Firefighters said they were initially communicating with the driver, but have not heard from him since Tuesday afternoon. Local authorities fear the area could cave in again. They say the sinkhole has been steadily growing.
And they fear a potential gas leak from underground pipes. City officials are urging nearby residents to evacuate.
At least 30 people relocated to Yashio City Hall as of Wednesday morning.
Police cars came around telling people to evacuate. I didn't expect that to happen.
Saitama Prefecture officials held an emergency task force meeting to discuss their options. They said sewage has accumulated in the sinkhole, complicating rescue efforts. The prefecture's governor is calling on residents to reduce the amount of sewage going into the system.
A North Korean media outlet says the country's leader, Kim Jong-un, has visited a nuclear weapons institute and a base where a nuclear material is produced. The ruling Workers' Party newspaper Rodon Sinmun reported on the visit Wednesday. During the visit, Kim mentioned a five-year defense plan set to end this year. He also stressed the need to produce weapons-grade nuclear materials and strengthen North Korea's nuclear shield. Kim noted the country's security situation is very unstable, and a long-term confrontation is inevitable with countries he described as vicious and hostile. This is the first report of a visit by Kim to a nuclear facility since September. It comes less than 10 days after the inauguration of U.S. President Trump.
UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Nakamitsu Izumi spoke to NHK in Tokyo Tuesday. Nakamitsu expressed concern over Trump's order to withdraw the U.S. from the World Health Organization and his America First stance. She said this worldview could lead to the collapse of the international order.
There continue to be challenges all around the world to international law.
I am actually concerned nobody will be held responsible, and the trend might spread.
But she welcomed Trump's willingness to work with Russia and China toward the reduction of nuclear weapons, expressed at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, earlier this month.
Nakamitsu said countries must recognize an endless arms race benefits no one.
The United Nations will be happy to help countries put into practice what the president is proposing.
She said she hopes Japan, the only country to suffer atomic bombings, will exert its leadership in the international community this year. 2025 marks 80 years since the end of World War II and the founding of the UN.
In other news, fighting is raging between security forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and rebels for control of the key eastern city of Goma.
A rebel group called M23 claimed it had taken control of the city Monday, although fighting has continued in some areas. The group is reportedly backed by neighboring Rwanda. The eastern part of the huge Central African country has been mired in conflict for decades. The United Nations said hospitals in Goma and surrounding areas have been overwhelmed by the influx of wounded people. It added, There have also been reports of looting and rape. Now, in the capital, Kinshasa, people protesting against the rebel offensive attacked the embassies of Rwanda, the United States and France. Video footage showed protesters breaking security cameras at an embassy and setting tires ablaze.
This year marks 80 years since the end of World War II. And as the conflict fades from living memory, Tokyo is preparing to demolish a relic of the post-war era, located right near our broadcast studios.
In a quiet corner of Yoyogi Park stands this old house.
A placard describes it as a memorial for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics when it was part of the Athletes' Village.
But Shinohara Toichi remembers its original purpose.
The signboard doesn't mention this structure was part of Washington Heights.
The 83 year old came to see it before it's knocked down. Coming here now conjures so many memories.
Back then, there were not so many fancy buildings like this in Japan.
We were living in places that barely stood up against the rain and the wind.
Shinohara grew up near Yoyogi. In the wake of World War II, the area was devastated by American bombs.
Nothing remained here. Everything was flattened.
When the US military occupied Japan, it needed a place for officers and their families to live. It chose the spot where Yoyogi Park now sits. Dubbed Washington Heights, it hosted more than 800 western-style houses with healthy green lawns, an enclave of post-war Americana amid the blasted landscape of post-war Tokyo.
Peering over the fence, it seemed unreal to Shinohara.
The entrance to the complex was right here. I felt those on the other side had a cultured lifestyle. It was a totally different to pick up world.
As Japan beganthe pieces, Shinohara's family rebuilt their house.
They struggled to find food.
There were moments where young Shinohara could feel the difference between his life and life for the Americans.
We used to eat the plants that grew around us or anything that was said to be edible. We just boiled them and ate.
Occasionally a person staying in our house would give us sweets he got while working in Washington Heights. They were delicious.
Eventually the US military relocated its families and the houses were used for the Olympics, then eventually cleared for what would become a sprawling park.
Now the last remnant is set for removal.
Shinohara hopes the lessons from its time don't fade.
In a way, Washington Heights was a foundation for post-war Japan. I hope people acknowledge the tragedy of war.
I hope they understand, even just a little. the misery it brings to people's lives.
While the original will be gone, its memory will remain. Tokyo plans to complete a replica house around March next year and will exhibit photos detailing the history, preserving a snapshot from when Japan rose from the ashes of war and hosted athletes from around the world less than two decades later.
And it's time now for a check on the weather with our meteorologist Jonathan.
Oh, heavy snow and strong gusts have battered parts of the coastline along the Sea of Japan. So Jonathan, how's the forecast looking?
Take a look at this video that's coming out from the region. A winter storm is hitting Yamagata Prefecture, prompting officials to issue heavy snow and snowstorm warnings. Parts of the prefecture have reported more than 50 centimeters of snow in 24 hours and gusts of up to 108 kilometers per hour. You can see that really thick, heavy snow that's falling there. Now the windy conditions are also disrupting sea travel in Niigata Prefecture, which ferry services suspended, especially when you have wave heights like that. Now authorities are urging people to check updated road information and avoid necessary travel.
As more snow is expected, so that's going to be the story as we go into Thursday, we'll have that northwesterly flow coming back into the picture. And so as that continues, we'll see more snow into places like Hokkaido and also into the Hokurika and Tohoku regions as we go through today on Thursday. Looking at the forecast here too in Sapporo for Niigata, Tokyo looking at more sunny skies and high of 12 by the time we go into the weekend though. Big cold setup will be in place and that's going to really drop temperatures as we head toward the weekend.
We brought out the view cold air coming in for the eastern areas of China into North and South Korea. That continues to be the story. So highs a low freezing from Seoul into Beijing as we go throughout the day. On Thursday meal across North America down toward the South we have a low that's developing might be seeing some strong thunderstorms as this low push on through the state of Texas up toward the north.
We may be talking about some snow squalls into theeastern portion of the United States as you have a little dropping out of Canada and moving through the region.
So that could be a bit of a messy setup as you go through Wednesday. So be prepared for some really strong downbursts of snow, possibly in the region as you go through the middle of this work week.
That's the forecast. Hope you have a good day wherever you are.
♫～
That's all for now on this edition of NHK Newsline. I'm Raja Pradhan in Tokyo, there's much more to come on NHK World Japan, so please, do stay with us.
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