Welcome back to NHK Newsline. I'm Kanako Sachno.
Police say they're investigating whether a body found this week is linked to a woman who disappeared last year. She'd claimed her ex-boyfriend was stalking her.
Police say the remains were discovered in a bag in the ex's home in Kawasaki City.
The body was reportedly hidden under the floor of his house. The presumed victim disappeared back in December. Her family says she told many about how she was being stalked by her ex and asked for advice.
He was stalking my daughter for a long time. He would wander in front of the home or around her workplace.
After she disappeared, her family and friends posted this video online. They say it's proof she was being followed.
Investigative sources told NHK the woman did consult with police last year. They then issued several warnings to the alleged stalker. His current whereabouts remain unknown. Police say he likely left Japan in early April.
Police have arrested a man on suspicion of trying to kill 7 elementary school children in Osaka, western Japan by driving into them on Thursday. All were injured too seriously. Investigators said the suspect, 28 year old Yazawa Yuki, told them he was fed up with everything and attempted to kill the children by ramming them with his car.
The children, all aged seven or eight, were hit near their school in the afternoon while walking home. Two suffered broken arms.
Yazawa, who's from Tokyo and unemployed, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. The day after the incident, local police officers and parents watched over students on their way to school.
The children are really anxious, so I came to school with them, hoping to be even a little bit of support.
Investigative sources say the car was zigzagging along a one-way St. before heading for the children. The driver did not appear to break.
A body has been recovered from a truck that fell into a massive sinkhole north of Tokyo. Authorities believe it belongs to the driver. He's been missing since the hole opened months ago.
Firefighters and police conducted a full scale search Friday morning and recovered the body from the truck's cabin. The 74 year old driver had been travelling at the busy intersection in January when the cave in happened. The cabin was later found in a sewage pipe. On Thursday, firefighters and others entered the pipe for the first time and found what appeared to be a body in the driver's seat. The Saitama prefectural government plans to retrieve the cabin and begin restoring the area around the sinkhole.
Japan's top tariff negotiator says his team held a constructive second round of talks in the US on President Donald Trump's trade policies. Economic Revitalization Minister Akazawa Ryosei says that he hopes the talks will advance so that Japanese and US leaders can reach a trade agreement next month.
Akazawa and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent led the meeting in Washington, which lasted about two hours.
I reiterated that Japan regrets the tariff measures, and I strongly urged the US to review them. I believe we had a constructive discussion and made progress to reach a mutually beneficial agreement as soon as possible.
Akazawa says the talks included mutual expansion of trade, non-tariff measures and economic security. He added that currencies and defense issues were not discussed.
Japanese automakers are suffering losses of $1 million per hour. So we should rush slowly. Japan is acting to protect its national interests while seeking to achieve a win win outcome as soon as possible. This is the top priority.
Akazawa says the two sides are expected to meet again later this month. He added that he hopes the talks will lay the groundwork for leaders of both countries to reach a trade agreement next month.
Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru says he agrees with Akazawa on the need for an urgent yet careful approach to the discussions.
We should not rush to reach agreement. We don't need an outcome that compromises our national interests. The two sides are negotiating to protect their interests, so Japan will make the best efforts to find common ground.
For more, I spoke earlier with NHK World's senior economic commentator, Sakurai Reiko.
Reiko, what stood out to you about the second round of talks?
Well, there are two main points I want to focus on. The first and most important is the auto tariffs. We're still waiting for more updates from the US and Japan delegations, but it's unclear whether the US has put the elimination of auto tariffs on the table.
That's Japan's biggest priority.
The second is the deadline. Akazawa mentioned the possibility of an agreement being reached as early as June. That reflects the pressure both sides are feeling to strike a deal as soon as possible. Japan wants to quickly ease the effects of the auto tariffs, which went into effect in April.
Akazawa says automakers are losing one million dollars per hour.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has its own reasons for wanting a quick resolution. The US economy recorded negative growth through the first quarter of the year, and people are starting to talk about a possible recession.
Public disappointment is growing over his handling of the economy, even among his core supporters, and his approval rate is sliding. But stark differences remain between the two sides. Akatsaba says intensive working-level talks will start tomorrow in an effort to try to narrow these gaps.
And how are they going to overcome these differences?
Well, Japan is trying to speed up the talks by compiling its own list of measures it is willing to consider. They include modifying Japan's auto safety and EV charging standards, and simplifying the screening process for imported vehicles.
A big point of contention is rice.
Japan wants to protect the interests of domestic farmers, but for the US, Access to the Japanese market is seen as something of a symbolic goal.
Japan could also be willing to increase imports of soybeans, corn, and biofuel. US exports of those products are expected to shrink heavily due to the trade dispute with China.
Also, there might be demands in the financial sector. Finance Minister Kato Katsunobu and the US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent have held separate talks on this topic. Japanese officials are carefully monitoring the comments of Stephen Myran, who currently serves as chair of the Council of Economic Advisors. He's considered one of the fatigue minds behind Trump's economic policy. He made a speech last month saying the US has been providing two major global public goods, one, a security umbrella, and two, a reserve currency. He demanded that other countries share the costs and burdens.
And how do you think the talks will proceed from here?
Well, the goal is to be able to announce at least a temporary agreement at the G7 summit in mid-June. But with the Japanese Upper House election coming in July, it's unclear whether Japan will be able to make major concessions, especially in the agricultural sector. Japan wants to make sure that if an agreement is reached, this time it won't be undermined by additional demands. The two countries struck a deal called TAG, or the Trade Agreement on Goods, during Trump's first term. But when he returned to the White House this year, he started blaming Japan for trade restrictions on cars and made misleading statements about rice tariffs. A new agreement should strengthen ties and restore trust between the countries.
We have a developing story on US-China trade talks. Gene Otani from our business desk is here to tell us more. Gene, can you fill us in?
Thanks, Kanako. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has indicated that tariff negotiations with China will be held soon.
Rubio pointed out in a Fox News program on Thursday that the levies imposed by the Trump administration are hurting the Chinese economy badly. He then questioned if the US can reach a short-term accommodation with China. He said the Chinese are reaching out and want to talk. Rubio added that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is involved and the talks will come up soon. Trade friction between the two countries has escalated. Both have slapped tariffs of over 100% on each other.
Policymakers at Japan's central bank are warning that upheaval in global trade is likely to take a heavy toll. They say there are a range of downside risks to economic activity and prices in their latest outlook.
The central bank downgraded its forecast for Japan's GDP growth rate and inflation from January's outlook. It says trade policies by other countries are likely to have a negative impact both domestically and overseas. The bank says the introduction of wide-ranging tariffs is expected to curb global trade and uncertainty around the tariffs. is likely to hurt business and household sentiment worldwide, while dragging on financial and capital markets.
Foreign economies are slowing due to the impact of the trade policies of various countries. That could lead to a decline in company profits in Japan. Under these circumstances, we think that even though an easy monetary policy will help support the economy, the pace of growth will slow down.
The bank says the longer the uncertainty continues, the greater the risk that businesses will start cutting costs. It warns that efforts by management to raise wages in line with inflation could weaken. The bank says it's watching changes in foreign exchange rates and import prices, including international commodity prices.
It says it's monitoring how these affect domestic prices.
The Bank of Japan forecast in January that economic growth for fiscal 2025 would be 1.1%. It has now downgraded that prediction to 0.5%. The size of that cut came as a surprise to one expert.
I was caught off guard by the size of the downgrade in the GDP forecast.
It reflects the Bank of Japan's growing sense of wariness about uncertainty stemming from Trump's tariff policy. The cut was bigger than we had expected.
Kugo said the Japanese central bank could still raise rates at some point this year, but he says if it happens, the hikes are likely to occur at a slower pace. He previously tipped July for the next increase, but now he expects it will happen later.
Currently, we believe the bank will raise the rate from the current 0.5% to 0.75 in October.
After that, we expect the BOJ to hike rates roughly once every six months.
Kugo says the coming months will provide clarity on. How Trump's tariff policy will impact Japan. He says it's important to pay close attention to the risks to the economy.
The annual wage negotiation this year yielded extremely high pay raises.
Companies will surely pass on those higher labor costs to consumers.
In other words, a rise in wages will push up prices. We will expect wages and prices to keep rising in cycles. As for next year, it all depends on what happens to the US tariff policy. But if things turn out more unfavorably for Japan than we expect, the manufacturing sector will take a big hit. This could dampen the momentum for pay raises in the industry and put the brakes on the trend.
Kugo warns Trump's tariffs could undermine the BOJ's goal to continue the positive cycle between wages and prices through next year.
Traders reacted to the BOJ's lower growth forecast by selling the yen in Tokyo on Friday. At one stage, the Japanese currency weakened to a three-week low against the dollar.
Speculation the BOJ will hold off on more rate hikes for now briefly pushed the end back to the upper 145 level.
Investors saw it as an opportunity to buy up shares of export related companies. Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei 225 stock index jumped by more than 500 points. During intraday trade, it closed on Friday at 36,830, up a little over 1%. Adding to pressure on the yen was a potentially positive development in the trade dispute between the US and China, which pushed the dollar higher.
US President Trump likes to call himself a tariff man, but he is not the first president to go by that nickname. Trump credits the nation's 25th President William McKinley for making America richer through tariffs. But was that really the case?
NHK World, Raja Pradhan has this report.
President McKinley made our country very rich through tariffs and through talent. He was a natural businessman.
Trump mentioned McKinley twice during his inaugural address. He was a Republican who took office in 1897. He was president when the US won the Spanish-American War, expanding its territory by acquiring Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. Written on McKinley's election poster was the word protection in large letters. Before becoming president, he developed the view tariffs would protect domestic industries and make America wealthy. He enacted the highest tariffs in US history to that point, over 50%. He was dubbed the Napoleon of protectionism.
Like Trump, he described himself as a tariff man.
Trump has paid tribute to him by changing the name of North America's highest peak from Denali back to Mount McKinley.
But one expert suggests Trump has a distorted view of McKinley's legacy.
McKinley is a rather obscure and forgotten president in the pantheon of American presidents. I wouldn't say he understands him very well. His tariffs were very controversial. Some historians have argued they were destructive to the American economy in the 1890s.
Later on in the 1930s, President Herbert Hoover also raised tariffs. But this sparked a trade war with other countries and caused both US exports and imports to fall.
President Hoover, who preceded the famous Theodore Roosevelt, raised tariffs to protect US industries after the Wall Street crash of 1929.
Historians assess that this policy led to an economy of trading blocs.
And exacerbated the Great Depression.
Kumano argues economic theory demonstrates industries in countries with high tariffs and protectionist policies have never grown stronger. He believes Trump's policies could undermine important domestic industries like steel and autos.
Many say that after President Trump leaves office, the high tariffs he introduced will go away. But isn't that too optimistic? Once a country starts protecting the steel or auto industries with high tariffs, it becomes difficult to stop. Trump is saying make America great again.
But isn't there a risk that the exact opposite will happen and this will continue for a long time?
So it seems we need to take another look at what the history of tariffs really teaches us. The US economy could be in for a rough ride, and the international economic system could be far less centered on the US than it is now, as some countries are already exploring.
And that's a look at business news. Kanako, I'm going to hand it back to you.
The CIA has released videos aimed at encouraging Chinese officials to leak secrets to the US. The move comes as the intelligence agency puts increased focus on China.
The CIA posted 2 Chinese language videos on social media on Thursday. One depicts A fictional senior Chinese Communist Party official who's risen through the ranks but risks being ousted.
He reaches out to the CIA in a desperate move to protect his family. It ends with contact details for the agency. The video says the agency will secure the safety of informants. CIA Director John Ratcliffe said on social media that one of the agency's primary roles is to collect intelligence by recruiting assets that can help steal secrets. The New York Times reports that Ratcliffe told CIA officers last month that China is a top priority.
The CEO of Apple says most iPhones sold in the United States will come from India to soften the impact of tariffs imposed by the administration of Donald Trump.
Tim Cook was responding to reports that his company plans to shift iPhone production for the US to India from China. But Cook said China would continue to be the country of origin for the vast majority of products sold outside the US.
He said Apple cannot precisely calculate the impact of the tariffs at the moment.
But the company estimates $900 million will be added to costs in the quarter ending in June. Apple released quarterly business results on Thursday.
Net sales in the January to March quarter came to over $95 billion. That was up around 5% from a year earlier. Net income was nearly $25 billion, roughly 4.8% higher.
It's believed US consumers rushed to buy iPhones and other goods on fears that prices would rise following the announcement of the new tariffs.
A group monitoring the human rights situation in Syria says a series of clashes in the country has left more than 100 people dead, which the UN special envoy to the nation called deeply alarming.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights made the announcement on Thursday.
Fierce fighting broke out earlier this week in an area mainly inhabited by members of the minority Druze community near the Syrian capital, Damascus.
Interim leaders are currently governing Syria after the collapse of President Bashar al-Assad's regime last December.
The fighting involved armed groups from the Druze community and the majority Sunni Muslims, as well as forces of the interim government. The UN special envoy for Syria, Gaia Pedersen, released a statement saying he was deeply alarmed at the potential for further escalation of an extremely fragile situation. He was also concerned about reports of Israeli airstrikes. On Wednesday, the Israeli military said it had carried out a strike in Syria against what it called operatives who had attacked Druze civilians. The special envoy said these attacks must stop.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is celebrating the minerals deal signed with the United States. He called it the first tangible outcome of his recent conversation with President Trump.
Zelenskyy posted a video message on social media on Thursday calling the deal truly an equal partnership. He said it creates opportunities for substantial investment and significant modernization of Ukraine's industries. He added that it will benefit both Ukraine and the US, which has been a major backer in the war against Russia. The two countries signed the agreement on Wednesday. It will jointly set up a fund to develop Ukraine's natural resources, including oil and critical minerals.
Zelenskyy said he and Trump discussed the deal during their April 26 meeting at the Vatican. He called the agreement truly historic and said he looks forward to other outcomes from the conversation.
Trump has shaken up his new administration for the first time. He says he will nominate National Security Advisor Mike Wells to be the next ambassador to the UN. It comes after Wells was revealed to be at the centre of a scandal involving government communications.
Trump shared the update online, following multiple reports in the US media about the removal. He says he's tapped Secretary of State Marc Rubio to serve as the interim National Security Advisor.
Walsh responded, saying he's deeply honored to continue his service. He's been under scrutiny since March. It was revealed that he mistakenly added a journalist to a private group chat.
Senior officials were discussing sensitive military operations in Yemen on the Signal app.
Crowds are flocking to a theme park in western Japan. They're hoping to catch a final glimpse of four giant pandas set to be transferred to China around late June.
With the spring holiday season in full swing, about 800 guests lined up outside Adventure World in Shirahama Town, Wakayama Prefecture on Thursday morning. The park opened half an hour earlier than usual. Many guests headed straight to one of the panda exhibits where two of the pandas were in full view. The visitors watched 8 year old Yu Hin and four-year-old Fu Hin eat bamboo. They called out to the pandas and took photos.
This trip wasn't originally planned, but I decided to come to Wakayama Prefecture today. This is my last chance, so I want to see them as much as I can.
Because the pandas will soon be gone, I wanted to show them to my granddaughter, even if she may not remember them.
Last week, the park announced that the four pandas will be sent to China as a joint panda conservation project is set to end in August.
It's now time to check the weather. Widespread rainfall is affecting much of Japan, with some areas experiencing intense downpours. Our meteorologist Yumi Hirano has the details.
Rainfall is now peaking in the Kanto region, including Tokyo. Intense rain and lightning strikes are possible.
But the system is expected to move away from Japan by Saturday, so clear skies are coming back. However, another storm may approach the Korean Peninsula.
Showers are likely in Seoul, but sunny skies are coming back to Tokyo. The high will jump to 24.
Moving to Europe, it's only the beginning of May, but people are experiencing summer like weather. The temperature hit 29.4 in Paris, breaking the record for May 1. People in the UK and Germany are also feeling the heat.
Midsummer-like like hot weather peaked in some parts of central Europe on Thursday.
In London, residents and tourists went to parks and streets to enjoy the early summer heat and sunshine.
Meanwhile, in Berlin, Europe's biggest inland beach opened. Many people went swimming in the lake and along the long beach in the warm, sunny weather.
Warmer than usual conditions are expected to continue through Friday. The highs will be 28 in Berlin and 29 in Paris, but it's not likely to last any longer.
Cold air is expected to cover much of the continent after Friday. In many cities, highs will drop into the teens on Sunday. Paris will experience a big temperature change from 26 on Saturday to only 17 on Sunday.
That's all for now, have a nice weekend.
♫~
That wraps up this edition of NHK Newsline. I'm Kanako Sachno in Tokyo.
Thanks very much for joining us.
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