at 18:00 (JST), February 05

20250205180000_english_1.mp3

Welcome back to NHK Newsline. Here's the latest we have for you at this hour.

US President Donald Trump says his country will take over the Gaza Strip while suggesting the Palestinian people should leave. He made the comments at a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Tuesday.

The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too. We'll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site.

Trump said all of Gaza's residents, about 2 million people, should be moved to other countries, saying it will end the death and destruction in the enclave. The president also suggested wealthy nations in the region could foot the bill. When asked who would then live in Gaza, he said, the world's people.
Netanyahu said Trump's ideas could change history.

He sees a different future for that piece of land that has been the focus of so much terrorism, so many attacks against us, so many trials and so many tribulations.
He has a different idea. And I think it's worth paying attention to this.

Netanyahu is the first foreign leader to visit the White House since Trump's second term began. The meeting comes amid an ongoing ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The next phase calls for a permanent end to the fighting, with Hamas releasing all hostages. In exchange, Israeli troops would completely withdraw from Gaza. United Nations officials have been monitoring the effects of the deal so far. They say about half a million Palestinians are believed to have crossed into northern Gaza in the week since it took effect. The ceasefire is expected to hold until the next phase begins in March. We asked an expert on the Middle East for what he thinks Trump's comments mean for Palestinians.

At least we could say that this so-called two-state solution based on the Oslo accord is no longer valid, at least in the eyes of the Americans and Israelis. The only thing that they think that is possible, and also plausible, is to move everybody, move all the Palestinians out from Gaza as well as the West Bank.

Tanaka says countries in the Middle East may be dissatisfied with the announcement, but they likely won't take action against the U.S. He describes Trump's comments as fitting in with the law of the jungle, the kind of attitude that prevailed in the past and doesn't belong in the present.

I think this is not a good sign to show in the in the front of the eyes of the Russians or the Chinese. It's like saying that, OK, we have the force to place pressure or exert pressure on the others, and eventually they will have to comply. And that would mean that whoever can exert the pressure by force is going to be the winner.

We also reached NHK World's Yamanaka Miyu in Washington for more.

Trump's announcement came as a huge shock, but it looks like Trump has been thinking about this for a while. He talked about turning Gaza into the Riviera of the Middle East. It finally put into context recent comments he's made about Gaza having a phenomenal location on the sea. This is not the first time this idea has come up. Back in 2023, Trump's own son-in-law, Jared Kushner, said Gaza's waterfront could be valuable. This proposal contradicts what Trump has said he wants for the Middle East. For example, he said he wants to improve Israeli-Saudi relations under an expansion of the Abraham Accords. But Riyadh made it very clear it won't sit down with Israel unless there's a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and a two-state solution.
If the U.S. were to permanently displace millions of Palestinians and redevelop the Gaza Strip, that obviously wouldn't happen. Trump has also said he wants to reduce American commitments abroad and focus more on issues at home.
Placing the United States at the physical center of a centuries-old conflict in the Middle East would fly in the face of that. Meanwhile, the second phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas is being negotiated as we speak.
We don't know what effect Trump's comments are going to have on those talks or on the lives of the hostages. But while Trump's remarks were a huge surprise, Trump's overall support for Israel here isn't. Netanyahu is the first foreign leader to visit in his second term. It sends a signal that his administration will prioritize the US-Israel relationship. This is good news for his largely pro-Israel base and prominent Israeli-American donors.

Weather officials in Japan are warning that this winter's most powerful cold spell is bringing heavy snow across the country. The Meteorological Agency says snow is intensifying mainly in regions along the Sea of Japan coast from northern to western parts of the country on Wednesday. As of 11 AM, half a meter of snow had accumulated in Toyama City in the Hokurika region, setting a record for this season. They say up to one meter of snow could fall in the 24 hours through Thursday noon in the Tohoku area and Niingata Prefecture. The Hokuriku area could see 80 centimeters, while 70 is expected in Gifu Prefecture. Heavy snow warnings have been issued across the country, and weather officials say low-lying areas along the Pacific coast could see rare snowfalls.
The cold air is expected to intensify further through Thursday. Authorities are urging people to watch out for traffic disruptions, snowstorms, high waves, as well as power outages, fallen trees and avalanches. They also warned the public to avoid non-essential outings and consider changing plans to avoid the bad weather.

The U.S. president has signed an executive order for his country to leave the United Nations body responsible for human rights. He's also calling for a review of U.S. involvement in UNESCO.

The United Nations is largely funded by us, but and it shouldn't be, it should be funded by everybody, but we're disproportionate.

Trump pulled out of the Human Rights Council and UNESCO during his first presidency, claiming they were biased against Israel. The U.S. then rejoined the organizations under the Joe Biden administration, which sought to emphasize international cooperation.
Trump also recently announced the country's withdrawal from the World Health Organization. The group later proposed cutting next year's budget by about $400 million to just under $5 billion.

U.S. media outlet Bloomberg reports Panama is mulling ending a contract with a Hong Kong-based port operator. It comes as Trump claims China has too much influence over the Panama Canal and has suggested he may reclaim it.
The Canal was built by the U.S. in the early 1900s. Today, the Panamanian government controls it. But ports on the Atlantic and Pacific sides are run by a subsidiary of a Hong Kong conglomerate, which has led to Trump's accusation that Beijing owns it. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Panamanian President Jose Raul Molino the current situation threatens U.S. interests. Panama's contract with the port operator expires in 2047.
Bloomberg's report comes as the country has already begun distancing itself from China. Panama recently announced it will not renew its participation in the Belt and Road Initiative. Other media outlets also report the country has offered to let U.S. naval vessels transit the Panama Canal for free after Trump complained fees are too expensive.

The chief of the UN's nuclear watchdog will visit Japan to inspect the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The aim is to reconfirm the safety of operations releasing treated and diluted water into the Pacific. The International Atomic Energy Agency said Tuesday that Director-General Rafael Grossi will go to Japan from February 18 to 20. He will inspect the plant in Fukushima Prefecture, as well as the Kashiwaza Kikariwa Nuclear Power Plant in Niigata Prefecture. Grossi told NHK he expects to confirm the safety of the water being released into the ocean. He said the new round of monitoring will involve experts from China, France and other nations. Grossi added that this would give confidence to regional countries, noting that the issue has been a source of tension between China and Japan. Water used to cool molten fuel at the plant has been mixing with rain and groundwater. The accumulated water is being treated to remove most radioactive substances, but it still contains tritium. Well, before releasing the treated water into the ocean, the plant's operator dilutes it to reduce tritium levels. They're lowered to about one-seventh of the World Health Organization's guidance level for drinking water.

Ukraine's president says his country needs nuclear weapons and other kinds of military support. He says they're necessary for protection against Russia until NATO accepts Ukraine into the alliance. Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke to a British journalist in an interview released Tuesday. He had been asked how Ukraine would protect itself if the process of joining NATO were to go on for years. Zelenskyy said the country should be given back nuclear arms. He added he wants his partners to provide missile systems and financial assistance for one million military members. Nuclear weapons were deployed in Ukraine during the former Soviet era. Zelenskyy has been pushing for membership. NATO leaders have promised to keep Ukraine supporting Ukraine. They say it is closer to NATO than ever before and it will join eventually.

Well, we've been telling you that snow has continued to turn out plenty of winter weather for the northern parts of Japan. Our meteorologist Jonathan Oh has more in world weather.

Hello, we have been seeing voluminous amounts of snow continuing to be a big part of the story up into the north and northeastern portions of Japan. I mean one location Niigata prefecture seeing almost 100 centimeters of snowfall in a 24 hour period, which is a record for the month of February in that location and we are talking about snow continuing as we head forward in time into Thursday as we see this low continue to span into the area and we are going to be dealing with more concerns when it comes to the snowfall into the area as far back West into Fukuoka as well. And so we want to make sure that you are staying out away from those areas. Stay indoors as much as possible because we are talking about strong winds, so it's going to really be hard to walk on the roadways in that process as well. So again, snow from Hokkaido way back toward Fukuoka as well as we have the snow that's going to be in place. And then we should be seeing things maybe improving as we head toward the weekend.
Snowed Niigata, Sapporo also Fukuoka looking at some of the winter weather for Thursday. Partly cloudy skies into Tokyo with a high of 10 as you go through today on Thursday.

Meanwhile, we've been talking about some heat, the hot weather down toward Australia, especially for the central and western portions of the country. That will continue to be the case. Very unstable weather though, into the northern portions of Queensland. So heavy rainfall that's been taking place and it looks like that's going to still be a part of the story. Heading into Thursday, Cannes looking at thunderstorms, the high of 30, 31 in Brisbane, 29 in Sydney, but near 40 into Port Hedland and Alice Springs as we go through the day.

Look at what's happening across North America back toward the West. We do have this unstable pattern taking place over into the Pacific Northwest with some snow and we have this low developing down to the South that could lead to some thunderstorms, something that may be strong in the mid South. And then look at maybe icy mix further toward the north as you go forward the next couple of days. So make sure you pay attention to that as you go through the next couple of days. Hope you have a good day wherever you are.

♫～

We've got one more story before we go.
Workers in Kesennuma, Northeastern Japan, are performing the more than century-old task of drying shark fins in the sun.
About 10,000 fins are spread outdoors at a seafood company. They're turned so that the sun reaches them evenly and weighted down to help dehydration. The company says it takes 70 to 90 days to finish the products. The fins are prized in high-end Chinese dining. The city in Miyagi Prefecture has the largest haul of sharks in Japan. The season is now at its peak with sunny winter weather and dry and cold winds.

I hope winter gets even colder. It makes the products better. Every day I'm thinking of our customers eating with a smile.

The company says it plans to produce about 30,000 dried fins at the site through the end of April and will ship them to restaurants in Tokyo and elsewhere.

And that wraps up this edition of NHK News Land. We'll have more for you soon.
Thanks for joining us.