Welcome to NHK Newsline. I'm Yoko Nishimura in Tokyo with the latest news.
We begin this hour in China. Authorities there have executed a man convicted of attacking a school bus carrying Japanese children. The man killed one person and wounded others. The man was Chinese and in his 50s. He launched a knife attack on a school bus last June in the city of Suzhou. He killed a Chinese bus attendant and wounded a Japanese woman and her child. A court handed him the death sentence in January.
He did not appeal. During the trial, the court did not mention Japan. The man did not express any opinion. The judge said the man was fed up with living because he was in debt. Some Japanese people who live in China say they're concerned because the trial did not clarify why he attacked a school bus carrying Japanese children. In a separate case, a man in his 40s killed a boy with a knife last September in the city of Shenzhen.
The boy had been on his way to a Japanese school. A court sentenced the man to death.
Japanese officials have held their first tariff negotiations with their US counterparts. Economic Revitalization Minister Akazawa Ryosei said the talks were frank and constructive.
I relayed the message to President Trump that Prime Minister Ishiba would like to realize a comprehensive agreement between Japan and the US as soon as possible to strengthen both economies. I strongly requested a review of the tariff policy.
The US camp included Treasury Secretary Scott Besant, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jameson Greer. Tokyo is calling on Washington to drop an additional auto tariff of 25 percent plus a so-called reciprocal tariff that applies to a wide range of Japanese goods, of 24 percent. The US has suspended the latter duty for 90 days.
Akazawa said the signs agreed to continue working-level negotiations in addition to the ministerial talks. The Japanese minister also met with US President Donald Trump for about an hour at the White House. He told reporters Trump explained his position regarding trade and tariffs. Akazawa said the president's suggested talks with Japan may be a top priority. Trump posted a message on social media saying it was a great honor to have just met with the Japanese delegation on trade, big progress. Japanese Prime Minister Ishibashigeru said he spoke with Akazawa after the meetings in Washington.
I am aware that the talks will lead to the next round of negotiations, and I appreciate that. Of course, I'm considering to visit the United States at the most appropriate time so I can meet directly with President Trump.
Japanese officials say the sides want to reach a deal soon, hopefully after the next round of ministerial discussions this month and other talks.
White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt spoke to Fox News after the talks. She quoted Treasury Secretary Besant as saying they were productive and moving along. She also says Trump wants to be involved in the negotiations, referring to his meeting with Akazawa. Leavitt also commented on US trade relations with other countries, claiming many are reaching out to the Trump administration to cut deals. Regarding Beijing, she says the ball is in China's court.
For more on this, earlier, my colleague Yoshio Kasawara spoke with NHK World's Nemoto Kotaro in Washington.
Kotaro, how do you think it went?
Hard to say, but it's clear President Trump really cares about this issue. The fact that he joined in at all speaks volumes. Akazawa thanks to Trump for meeting with him directly, but he also saw it as a sign that Trump wants to wrap this up quickly.
Next, the two sides will start more in-depth talks. The Japanese government will now discuss how best to proceed, taking into account Washington's timeline.
Japan is one of the first countries to meet with the US over these tariffs. What does this tell us about how other negotiations could go?
Well, the rest of the world was definitely watching this meeting. Other nations will come to negotiate their own deals. But what we learn is that Trump will be personally involved in these talks right from the start.
Trump wasn't expected at this meeting. It was supposed to be at the ministerial level. But on the day, Trump met Akazawa first, which was quite unusual. As I see it, Trump wants to clearly show that he will be the one to make the final call. One way to do that is to show he's involved right off the bat. Governments around the world will soon enter their own negotiations. Everyone is still trying to figure out what kind of proposal Trump may accept.
Friday marks three weeks since a massive earthquake jolted central Myanmar. But fighting between the military and pro-democracy forces is said to be continuing. That's raising concerns about international relief efforts.
A local media outlet said Myanmar's military carried out an airstrike on Monday morningthat targeted two villages in the quake-hit Zaigong region. It said two people were killed. The fighting has gone on despite pledges by both sides to lay down their weapons temporarily in the wake of the disaster.
The military has reportedly carried out over 200 attacks since the quake on March 28, resulting in 151 fatalities. It claims pro-democracy forces are attacking its facilities and other targets using drones. Military officials say the magnitude 7.7 quake has left more than 3,700 people dead and more than 120 unaccounted for.
United Nations agencies and local volunteer groups continue to make efforts to deliver food, medical supplies and other relief goods to the quake-affected areas.
As part of its aid efforts, Japan's government has sent dozens of people to Myanmar to provide medical assistance. A doctor who is part of the first team is back in Japan and telling NHK World's Kitai Genki about the experience.
But Dr. Nakamori Tomoki knows firsthand that many in Myanmar face a far different situation. He and the medical team set up this temporary clinic in the second largest city of Mandalay and started providing aid on April 4.
Nakamori says the team treated about 1,200 patients in 11 days.
Many people in Myanmar said this is their first time to to be affected by the earthquakes. And then um even the small aftershock they felt a great fear.
It's hard to say we could bring the great medical services, but we can understand their fear and their anxiety. Nakamori treated people following the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami, and more recently, the Noto Peninsula earthquake. But Myanmar's case poses additional challenges. Nakamori says the military front is struggling to respond to the disaster overall, including the coordination of the international relief efforts coming in.
Nakamori also says he's especially concerned about the coming months.
Now many people spend their night time because of the fear of the aftershock. So still now they sleep outside. But if rainy season they have, the situation would change and we have some anxious about the infectious diseases.
Nakamori says those include malaria and dengue, both of which are transmitted by mosquitoes.
It would be a very, very long, long duration for recovery. I think there are many stages to support and the measures, methods would change. but never forget their struggling.
A struggle a second Japanese medical team is now trying to alleviate, using its own experiences from back home to try to stop preventable deaths.
Kitai Genki, NHK World.
Ukraine and Russia are accusing each other of violating a limited ceasefire brokered by Washington last month. Both say the other side has launched attacks on energy infrastructure, threatening to upend the deal.
Keith's foreign ministry told reporters that Moscow has launched numerous attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure since the pause was supposed to have taken effect.
Not even one month has passed since the agreement was made, but Russia has already violated this agreement over 30 times, meaning more than once a day, probably, if you take it on average.
The spokesperson says Ukraine wants a temporary ceasefire to be extended, but it's up to Russia to keep up its end of the deal. Moscow's defense ministry leveled similar allegations against Kyiv via social media.
It claims Ukraine launched six attacks against Russian energy facilities, including some in the western regions of Belgorod and Bryansk, on Tuesday and Wednesday. It also claims such attacks are happening daily.
Ukraine and Russia agreed to pause attacks on energy infrastructure, following talks with US negotiators in Saudi Arabia last month. The Trump administration has been pushing both sides to quickly end the more than three-year-long war.
Now let's see what's happening in the world of business. Here's Rami Melegaard from the Biz Desk.
Thank you very much indeed.
Now, the World Trade Organization says US tariffs have triggered a crisis that will have serious knock-on effects for the global economy. It's now projecting that the volume of worldwide trade in goods this year will fall.
We've seen that the trade concerns can have negative spillovers intofinancial markets into other broader areas of the economy. But I'm also very concerned about impact on poor countries, you know, developing countries. And we really need to think about that.
The WTO says based on current tariffs, global merchandise trade will slump by 0.2 percent in 2025. That's a substantial downgrade from its previous forecast. In October, the WTO said it expected 3 percent growth. Worse still, it warns that if the US goes ahead with its so-called reciprocal tariffs, trade will fall even further by 1.5 percent. Now, the change is largely due to new projections for North America, which is now expected to see a decline of more than 12 percent in exports and nearly 10 percent for imports. The WTO says the trade war between the US and China is likely to push the Asian power toward other markets, Chinese exports, the regions excluding North America are forecast to grow between 4 and 9 percent. The US rocked markets earlier this month by hitting countries around the world with heavy duties. It fueled more uncertainty by swiftly declaring it would suspend them on all countries except China for 90 days.
Now, the head of the US central bank remains cautious about cutting interest rates at a faster pace, despite the growing impact of the administration's tariff policies.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell spoke in Chicago on Wednesday.
The level of tariff increases announced so far is significantly larger than anticipated, and the same is likely to be true of the economic effects, which will include higher inflation and slower growth. Powell said household and business surveys show a sharp decline in sentiment, largely on trade policy concerns. But his cautious stance on accelerating rate cuts was revealed when he said that the US economy is still solid and inflation is just above the bank's target of 2%.
And Japan posted a trade deficit for the fourth straight fiscal year. in 2024, but the figure shrank year on year, with exports hitting the highest level in decades. The finance ministry says the trade balance was in the red by over 5 trillion yen, or about $37 billion.
That's down 15% in yen terms from the previous year. Exports rose nearly 6% to roughly 109 trillion yen, the largest number since comparable data became available in 1979.
One factor was an increase in exports of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, mainly to Taiwan, amid rising global demand for AI chips. Another reason is that auto exports to the US fell in volume but rose in value due to the weaker yen. Imports climbed 4.7% to over 114 trillion yen, the second largest recorded figure. The import value of crude oil and coal dropped, while that of personal computers from the US and smartphones from China increased.
And that is it for Business News.
Next, let's go over to Shibuya Ake with Newsline in Focus. We're looking at how foreign talent is contributing to a very Japanese art form, manga.
These days, manga are a global phenomenon. In the United States and France, for example, around 40% of total comic book sales in 2023 were from Japan. Now, since the advent of the internet, artists have many more avenues for showing their work, making it harder for publishers to sign up the top talent. So editors are now turning their attention to manga artists from outside Japan.
The story opens in a remote mountain village in northeastern Japan. A veteran hunter has stumbled upon an abandoned game console.
As he discovers the world of online gaming, he draws on his traditional hunting skills as he plays. And soon, he is a master sniper, battling rivals all around the world. Since this manga first began to be serialized in 2022, it's won widespread popularity in Japan.
The illustrator is Juan Albaran, a manga artist from Spain. When this series first began, he was still living in Barcelona, but two years ago he moved to Japan.
Spain has hardly any manga industry of its own, and it's hard to make a living there just as a manga artist. So I'm happy to be working in Japan.
The story vividly depicts life in Akita Prefecture, including scenes showing the expertise of the traditional matagi hunters. But Alberon has never actually been there.
Instead, he worked from the hundreds of photographs taken by the original writer and editorial staff during research trips to Akita.
To create his backgrounds, Alberon drew over the photos of Akita.
He also made use of 3D computer graphics to study the structure of Japanese houses.
To me was like, in a way, entering a new world. Very interesting to learn through drawing this manga about a new way of life, so to speak, or a new area in Japan that I've never been in.
He also came up with his own ideas for the powerful action scenes and weapons in the game. Even the samurai avatar that the hunter has adopted reflects a unique blend of cultural influences and a foreigner's perspective about Japan.
In recent years, the major Tokyo publisher behind Matagi Gunner has been focusing on discovering overseas manga artists.
It's very new and exciting to create manga from a non-Japanese perspective. I believe this is very meaningful. I think there's real potential for completely new kinds of works.
Last year, the publisher launched a global team to analyze manga trends abroad and to scout international artists with strong potential.
In December, Alberon and the team attended a manga convention in Spain.
They invited submissions from artists hoping to debut in Japan and received 70 entries.
The team is able to help overseas artists who are not familiar with Japan by matching them up with writers within the country. One who has been taken on is Konata, another Spanish artist who is already known for the quality of her artwork.
From May of this year, her new manga will be serialized in Japan.
It's a fantasy story with a strong European cultural influence in the look of the towns and buildings. She is continuing to live in Spain as she works on this series.
I'm really excited to be starting a series with such a big publisher. I hope it becomes a hit. I want to carry on drawing.
In Japan, competition between publishers to sign up the top talent is becoming fiercer.
There are still very few editors or editorial departments working with overseas artists. That's a big advantage for us. I see huge potential. It's really exciting.
Impressive efforts are also underway inside Japan to nurture new artists from abroad. In Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, a Tokyo-based publisher has set up a manga artists village using a converted hot spring facility.
Two years ago, nine artists were invited here from several countries, including Indonesia and Brazil, hired as contract employees. They are assisting Japanese manga artists while developing their own skills.
They are provided with food and lodging and also support for their visa arrangements.
I felt like his change of heart at the end was a little bit sudden. Oh, I see, yeah.
Each artist is paired with an English-speaking editor who gives detailed feedback about the characters, storylines, and draft storyboards.
Annawald is from Finland. She was invited to work here after winning attention in a manga contest for foreign creators.
She's hoping that getting published in Japan could lead to global recognition.
I liked manga and like Japanese. So that's why I wanted to come here. I think I wanted the, you know, the approval kind of, maybe, of of having worked in a Japanese market.
After working on multiple ideas, she had a sci-fi manga published last year in a magazine as a one-shot story. Several of the visiting artists have already landed serialization deals.
The publisher has spent about 13 million US dollars on the village and sees it as a long-term investment.
Our aim is to provide a platform for them to make their debuts in Japan. After that, they can return home, become star creators in their own countries.
ohh This will help to cultivate manga culture around the world. And ultimately, it will lead to Japan's manga industry expanding too.
In 2022, overseas sales of Japanese content, including manga, anime, and games, were worth about 31 billion US dollars.
That's the same kind of level as Japan's steel or semiconductor exports.
The Japanese government now sees it as a key industry and has set a goal of quadrupling that figure by 2033. And it may just be that overseas artists can help power the spread of Japanese manga even further. That's all for me.
♪
Now it's time to check the weather. It's still April, but some parts of Japan have already become as hot as summer. Our meteorologist Yumi Hirano has the details.
On Thursday, temperatures exceeded 28 degrees from eastern to western Japan. The cities of Ueda and Yonaga experienced highs as hot as in July. This is because of a high pressure system dominating much of the country and pushing warm air to this from the South. So the temperatures will stay higher than usual in next few days.
Tokyo may see 26 on Friday and 28 on Saturday, the highest so far this year. So please stay hydrated.
Speaking of hot weather, India is facing its second heat wave of the season.
Temperatures hit 46 in one location on Wednesday. The highest level of heat warning is in effect for the area on Thursday.
The heat may push your temperatures to above 45 degrees on Tuesday.
Many people in western India crowded beverage stalls for cool drinks to beat the heat. Officials said earlier in the week, temperatures were expected to go two or three degrees higher, making the situation worse. Even on Friday, the scorching conditions will persist in the country, the highs will be 40 in New Delhi,and 39 in Hyderabad. Finally, across the United States, a storm system is bringing two different types of severe weather. In the south, there will be strong southerly wind, creating a high risk of wildfires, especially in New Mexico. But behind the system, cold air is surging from the north, so heavy snowfall is an issue in the northern Rockies. The total amount could be about 60 centimeters by Friday. people there also should watch out for strong winds and blizzard conditions.
That's all for now. Stay safe.
♫～
And that's it for now on NHK Newsline.
I'm Yoko Nishimura in Tokyo. Thanks for joining us.
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