at 18:00 (JST), May 04

 

20250504180000_english_1.mp3

Welcome to NHK News Line. I'm Gene Otani in Tokyo.

The Israeli government is set to approve a plan to expand its ongoing military operation in the Gaza Strip. Concerns have been voiced that it will worsen the humanitarian situation there and increase casualties.
Before dawn on Saturday, Israelis struck the southern city of Han Yunus.
NHK footage taken at a hospital shows it receiving people wounded in the attack. As the Israeli offensive continues, health officials in Gaza on Saturday reported 77 deaths over the previous 48 hours. That brings the death toll in the territory since October 2023 to 52,495.
Local media report that the Israeli cabinet is expected to sign off on a plan at a meeting on Sunday to expand its offensive in Gaza to increase pressure on Hamas.
Israeli forces have blocked humanitarian supplies to the enclave since March. the United Nations says Palestinians can now only live in less than a third of the territory after the Israeli military's evacuation orders ahead of its attacks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin's unilateral declaration of a three-day ceasefire, calling it a theatrical performance.
Putin says that the ceasefire will begin on Thursday, the day before the anniversary of the former Soviet Union's victory in World War II.
Zelenskyy says that two or three days is not enough to build any plan for the next steps to end the war. He stresses that Russia should agree to an unconditional 30 day ceasefire.
Zelenskyy also warned that Ukraine cannot be responsible for the safety of foreign guests attending the anniversary ceremony in Russia scheduled for Friday.
He suggested that Russia might stage an incident and try to blame Ukraine. Zelenskyy also spoke about his meeting with US President Donald Trump at the Vatican in April. He said the talk was short, but was the best they have had. He stressed that the meeting prompted Trump to change his views on the Ukrainian situation.

Japan's government is aiming to reach a package deal with the US that would include a review of auto tariffs.
Officials will study how to win concessions from Washington.
Japan's chief negotiator, Akazawa Ryosei, returned home on Saturday after his second round of talks with officials from President Trump's administration. And he briefed Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru.

I heard that the talks were constructive, in-depth discussions on issues including autos and other sector-by-sector levies.

Ishiba told Akazawa and the Chief Cabinet Secretary to quickly and carefully study plans ahead of the next round of talks. In the latest negotiations, Japan fought for a review of Trump's tariffs. US officials repeated that Japan cannot be given special treatment on autos, steel and other sectors. Akazawa says Japan cannot agree unless all are included in a package deal.
Government sources say delegates proposed a review of Japan's rules to make it easier to import American vehicles. They also brought up expanding imports of corn and soybeans and technical cooperation in shipbuilding. The sources say the US presented a list of what it calls Japan's non tariff barriers.

Japan's Defense Ministry says that for the first time, a Chinese government helicopter  briefly entered Japanese airspace. The incursion took place on Saturday near the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture. Tokyo has since launched a strong protest with Beijing.
Ministry officials say Japan Coast Guard patrollers first detected a Chinese Coast Guard vessel entering Japanese waters off the islands on Saturday afternoon. A helicopter then took off from the ship and, briefly, flew into Japanese airspace. The Japan Air Self-Defense Force scrambled fighter jets, but refrained from using weapons or signal flares.
Officials believe the Chinese were reacting to a small Japanese civilian aircraft flying near the islands moments earlier. Japan's Vice Foreign Minister has launched a protest with China's ambassador, and he strongly urged Beijing to prevent a recurrence.
This is the fourth time Chinese aircraft have violated Japanese airspace.
Three of the incidents have taken place off the Senkaku Islands. Japan controls the islands. China and Taiwan claim them. The Japanese government maintains the islands are an inherent part of Japan's territory. Japanese authorities remain on alert, as such Chinese vesselshave been sailing just outside the island's territorial waters on a near daily basis.

A survey in Japan shows that an increasing number of young children are using the Internet and spending more time doing so.
The survey is conducted by the Children and Families Agency. Nearly 2,000 parents of children up to the age of nine responded in fiscal 2024. Among their children, nearly 80% use the Internet, including to watch videos and play games. The figure is up more than 20 percentage points from 2018. The time spent on the Internet is also on the rise. About half of the children spend more than two hours per weekday.
Professor Takeuchi Kazuo analyzed the survey results.

Using smartphones can be helpful for parents in raising children. But if there are no rules or limits, it can lead to disorderly lifestyles or addiction.

Takeuchi says the surveys need to be continued as it is still unclear what connection time spent online has with possible negative effects on young children.

A centuries-old Spring Festival has been held in Japan's central region of Noto for the first time since the area was devastated by an earthquake in January 2024.

The annual Seihakusai Festival is a tradition that dates back over a thousand years. It features enormous wheeled floats called dekayama, which stand 12 meters tall and weigh 20 tons.
Local people pulled three floats through the streets on Sunday, the second day of the festival. The skillful maneuvering of the floats is called Tsujimawashi.
Japanese festivals such as this are registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Spectators cheered. When the floats' front wheels were lifted to negotiate tight corners, some of them joined the locals in pulling the floats.

I was thrilled to see people's smiles and hear their cheering and brave voices.
I hope this will support the Noto region's recovery.

The festival runs through Monday.

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Those were the main stories for this hour.

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And that's the news this hour. I'm Gene Otani from all of us here at NHK NewsLine to all around the world. Thanks very much for joining us.