at 18:00 (JST), January 30

20250130180000_english_1.mp3

 Welcome to NHK Newsline. I'm Morishita Erika in Tokyo.

A search and rescue operation is underway near the U.S. capital after a passenger plane collided with a military helicopter. Both aircraft landed in the water and dozens are missing.
Emergency crews are searching the Potomac River. There were 64 people on the plane and three on the helicopter.
Federal aviation officials say the collision happened mid-air as the plane approached the runway of Ronald Reagan National Airport. They say the American Airlines jet, operated by PSA Airlines, was coming in from Wichita, Kansas. The military says the helicopter was a UH-60 Black Hawk. It was reportedly taking part in a training flight. Washington's mayor called the incident very tragic and gave an update on the search and rescue operation.

They are working diligently in very dark and cold conditions, cold water, to execute this rescue operation.

The local fire chief says about 300 first responders are on the river.
President Donald Trump has released a statement saying it was a clear night and that it looks like the situation should have been prevented.

The president continues his push to combat illegal immigration. He's announced a plan to prepare a facility to accommodate 30,000 migrants at the U.S. base in Cuba.
Donald Trump says it's for migrants with criminal records.

Well, some of them are so bad, we don't even trust the countries to hold them because we don't want them coming back. So we're going to send them out to Guantanamo. This will double our capacity immediately, right? And tough, that's a tough, it's a tough place to get out of.

The executive order he signed says the Migrants Operations Center in the base of Guantanamo Bay will be expanded to house those he calls illegal aliens. Trump also signed an order that lays the groundwork for the deportation of international students accused of pro Palestinian activities.
The order says it will be U.S. policy to prosecute, remove or otherwise hold to account perpetrators of unlawful anti-Semitic harassment and violence. U.S. news outlets say international students who participated in protests against Israel's offensive in Gaza could be deported.

Emergency workers near Tokyo were keeping up their efforts to rescue a truck driver from a sinkhole.
A truck plunged into a hole that opened Tuesday at an intersection in the city of Yashio. The hole was initially about 10 meters wide and 5 deep.
Another later opened up nearby.
Prefecture officials say the first cave-in likely happened after an underground sewage pipe collapsed.
They say the second was probably caused by leaking sewage eroding the soil.
Early Thursday, the holes joined up. Rescuers are using machinery to try to remove mud. Officials say the operation has made hardly any progress because of the risk of the rescuers. The condition of the truck driver is not clear. The prefecture government says the ruptured sewage pipe will not be fixed anytime soon. Meanwhile, officials are pumping sewage into a river. They say they're they're first disinfecting it with chlorine. They're asking people who live nearby to use less water. so as to create less sewage.

New data suggest the number of suicides in Japan was among its lowest last year, but for minors, the figure hit an all-time high.
Preliminary numbers out of Japan's health and welfare ministry show there were over 20,000 suicides in 2024. It's the second lowest year since records began in 1978. However, the number of young people taking their own lives has risen. Last year, 527 minors died by suicide. High school students accounted for nearly 70 percent of that figure. There was a notable increase among girls. 183 high school girls and 99 junior high girls died by suicide in Japan last year. Health ministry officials say they are taking the issue seriously and are working with relevant groups to tackle the problem.
For more on this, I spoke with Okaku Terumi. She's the founder and CEO of the grief support and suicide prevention organization, Live on.
Terumi, you've gone to hundreds of schools to speak about suicide. What are you hearing from kids?

What I hear from children is that bullying and exclusion on social media are very common.
Meanwhile, traditional forms of bullying, such as visible violence, have decreased. Many children are also very concerned about how they are perceived by others. In fact, some children have shared their thoughts after class, saying things like, I learned that it's okay to have different opinions from my friends.
They say they want to express their own opinions more, but they feel pressure to conform.

A Ministry of Health survey cites several key stressors. such as academic struggles, career anxiety and family problems. But those issues have always existed.
So why are suicides rising now?

Well, teachers have said that in the past, bullying only happened at school, but now it follows kids home because of social media. Pediatricians have also reported a rise in self-harm and overdoses among children, with cases occurring even before 10. the ability to access information on the internet is also having an impact.

Before 10, that's surprising.

Yeah, that's odd. 

Are the teachers and schools equipped to deal with these problems?

The National Suicide Prevention Initiative for Children focuses on encouraging them to reach out. However, since it began, child suicides have not decreased.
In fact, they have gone up. This Just that while the message it's OK to ask for help may be getting across, the adults may not be able to respond to these cries for help. Schools nationwide have slogans like be strong, be bright, be tough. So I believe that adults who grew up with that kind of message and values may struggle to fully acknowledge or address young people's suffering. The root issues that adults themselves are struggling.
There is also a teacher shortage. The number of educators applying for workers' compensation due to mental health issues is at an all-time high.
Ultimately, children have nowhere to turn when they need to ask for help.

It seems like such a complex problem. How do you start to tackle it?

It is important not to treat death and suicide as taboos. When we frame discussions solely around suicide, it may seem like an issue that only certain organizations can address. However, behind suicide lies deeper struggles, such as child poverty, being absent from school, and sexuality. So rather than limiting the discussion to suicide itself, we need a broader collaborative effort. One way organizations, stakeholders that work with children come together to address these struggles.

So telling me, like us, what are some concrete steps we can all take to address this?

Well, we need to tackle it without over-medicalizing the problem.
There's this idea that mental health program can be treated with just a pill, but that isn't always the case, and that approach can push young people away. This also means creating a third place, beyond schools and home, where children can express their pain, learn self-care and develop resilience to face their struggles. Public education should also play a significant role in fostering this approach.

So, what message should we send to children in distress?

When you feel like you want to run away from it all, know that it's not strange or unusual.

Not strange.

Yeah. Anyone can experience that feeling. It's normal. Showing vulnerability is not something to be ashamed of.

Thank you. That was Okaku Terumi. She's the founder and CEO of the grief support and suicide prevention organization Live on.

If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs help, there are resources for you in Japan. The Yorisoi hotline is available in multiple languages toll-free at 0120-279-338. Again, the number is here, 0120-279-338.
Please note this number is not accessible outside of Japan. For our overseas viewers, please consider reaching out to resources in your area.

♪

It's now time to check the weather. Some areas in Japan are facing peak heavy snowfall on Thursday. Our meteorologist Yumi Hiyano has the details.

The snow is intensifying, especially in southern Tohoku and Hokuriku. 37 centimeters fall in just six hours in one place in western Fukushima, setting a record for January. We have some video.
A winter storm has hit western Fukushima prefecture, prompting officials to issue heavy snow warnings. Some areas have reported more than 60 centimeters of snowfall in 24 hours. Travel has been disrupted, with local train services suspended or delayed.
Authorities are urging people to check the latest traffic information.
The snow is expected to ease gradually on Friday, but there is still a whisk of power outages, avalanches and traffic disruptions for a while.
Niigata will see drier weather on Saturday, but another low pressure system is expected to bring showers to Osaka on Saturday and then snowfall to Tokyo on Sunday.
Even a small amount of snow can disrupt traffic in the capital. So please stay updated with the latest information.
Elsewhere in Asia, high pressure systems are likely to dominate northern China and the Korean peninsula, but the low pressure system is expected to bring rain and snow to southern China. So Chongqing will see some showers with a high of 10. Beijing will stay in freezing temperatures.
Moving to the United States, active low pressure and frontal systems are moving across the southern plains. There are risks of heavy downpours, gusty winds and even tornadoes, especially from eastern Texas to the western Carolinas on Thursday. But sunny weather is expected along the east coast, including New York and Washington. That's all for me. Have a nice day.

♫～

That's all for this edition of NHK NewsLine. I'm Morishita Erika in Tokyo.

Thank you for watching.