2025年4月13日日曜日

at 18:00 (JST), April 13

 

Welcome to NHK Newsline. I'm Gene Otani in Tokyo.

The 2025 World Expo in Osaka kicked off on Sunday. The event's theme is Designing Future Society for our lives. 158 countries and regions are taking part, and each pavilion is showcasing next generation technologies to address global social challenges.

(japanese)

The venue is a man-made island Many people lined up in the rain to go inside.

I want to visit every single pavilion. I'm kind of looking forward. I wanted to see it once in my life.

People from ages 6 to 93 gathered on top ofthe Grand Ring, the world's largest wooden structure. 10,000 participants performed Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in chorus to welcome visitors. Among the exhibits is a miniature artificial beating heart made of IPS cells and three groups demonstrating flying cars. Some exhibits showcase regions gripped by conflicts, including Ukraine,Its theme is not for sale, featuring a store where nothing can be purchased. This is aimed at sending the message that Ukraine's democracy cannot be bought nor sold. Some countries have had to postpone opening their pavilions until construction work is finished.
Expo organizers aim to minimize waiting time by requiring advance reservations for entry in pavilion visits. But some pavilions offered same-day admission, leading to long lines there. NHK World's Ono Akira is at the Expo site and has been following all the festivities on opening day. Akira, I see people behind you. Can you give us an update on what's happening there now?

Yes, Gene. I'm standing beneath the ground ring here at the Expo. Certainly, The rain has not stopped, and we've had to take shelter. Many visitors are still soaring and under their umbrellas, but the back visit has forced organizers to cancel one of today's highlights, the Blue Impulse flight show. A large crowd gathered around the rink at noon to watch the aerobarics, and you could hear people's disappointment when the cancellation was announced.

umm There seemed to be a lack of interest among the public before the opening. What do Expo organizers make of today's crowd levels?

Today's strong turnout is sure to be a welcome sign for the organizers, the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition. But it's just the beginning. The goal over the next six months is ambitious, over 28 million visitors. Advance sale tickets, however, are expected to be just under 80% of 14 million target. I talked to a senior official from the association. He told me they are pleasantly surprised by the number of visitors so far and feeling realized. The early visitors are key. Organizers are counting on them to have a great time, share their experiences on social media, and encourage even bigger crowds. in the coming months.

With six months to go, what other challenges lie ahead?

The big one is financial. The exposed construction spending topped $1.6 billion. That's almost double the original estimate. That makes boosting attendance even more critical for this event to cover the bill or even better make up profit.
Visitor satisfaction will be the make-or-break factor that includes managing wait times, congestion, staff support, and especially preparing for the upcoming summer kids. By agreeing to host Expo 2025, Japan made a promise to the international community, procuring that promises includes staying on the track financially, and that will require both high visitor numbers and high satisfaction.

Thanks, Akira. That was NHK World's Ono Akira from the Expo site.

And in other news, US President Donald Trump's administration has made another pivot in its reciprocal tariffs, this time granting exclusions from all of the steep levies to smartphones and other electronic devices. These are mostly imported from China.
The US Customs and Border Protection published a notice on Friday. The latest exclusions cover computers, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and hard drives. The Trump administration has repeatedly hiked tariffs on Chinese goods, with levies adding up to 145% on Thursday. Trump has also announced a 90-day suspension of Reciprocal tariffs for countries including Japan, which have reached out for negotiations. Their tariffs will be lowered to 10% during that period. US media reported the exemption is aimed at curbing the impact on major electronic makers such as Apple, which manufactures many iPhones in China. Reports also said Washington is trying to keep US prices of smartphones and other goods from soaring.


Japan's Prime Minister has told business people that he will persuade the United States that recent tariffs will not benefit its industries.
Ishiba Shigeru heard from people in the manufacturing sector about the impact of US tariffs on their production.

Japan is the world's largest investor in the US and has created more jobs there than any other country. Japan will keep negotiating to win over the US administration and help them understand what Japan has been doing.

Ishiba commented on support for industries in Japan, saying the government will take appropriate measures by acting on opinions from manufacturers. He added that he will work with the ruling parties and will also listen to opposition parties to formulate measures.

The new US ambassador to Japan, George Glass, says he's optimistic about bilateral economic talks ahead of his departure to Japan in expectation of upcoming negotiations over US tariffs. On Friday, he attended a party hosted by the Japanese ambassador to the US, Yamada Shigeo.

Obviously, we have a lot to talk about that in the next few weeks, and we're well prepared to, and we're very optimistic about that.

Glass said one of the most important things for him is how to grow the friendly relationship between the countries. He is expected to arrive in Japan to take up his new post as early as this week. He is known to have been a major donor to President Trump during his election campaign. He served as ambassador to Portugal for more than three years during Trump's first term.

Those were the main stories for this hour.

♫~

And that's the news this summer. I'm Gene Otani. From all of us here at NHK Newsline to all around the world, thanks very much for joining us.

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