Welcome to NHK Newsline. I'm Gene Otani in Tokyo.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has condemned Russia for continuing to attack his country, despite declaring an interim ceasefire scheduled for later this week. Zelenskyy took to social media on Sunday. He claimed Russia has launched over 1,180 attack drones and 1,360 guided aerial bombs to strike Ukraine in the past week.
Ukrainian media report that weekend drone attacks in Kiev sparked fires at a shopping mall and a high-rise building.
11 people were reportedly injured. The media also say four civilians were killed in Russian strikes in Kharkiv and Donetsk. Zelenskyy said Russians are calling for the ceasefire while striking Ukraine every day. He highlighted the need for what he called a real ceasefire. He wrote on social media last week that a ceasefire must be immediate, full and unconditional and continue for at least 30 days. The Kremlin says its three-day truce will mark 80 years since the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
Russia has yet to agree to a 30-day ceasefire proposed by the administration of US President Donald Trump.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said there has been no need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine and that he hopes the situation will stay that way.
He made the remarks in an interview with state television on Sunday. Putin has repeatedly said Moscow would use any means to protect the country and its people. In November, Russia changed its so-called nuclear doctrine to lower the threshold of nuclear deterrence. The intention of his latest remarks is not clear. In the interview, Putin also said Russia has enough strength to bring the Ukraine conflict to what he called a logical conclusion with a result Russia needs.
The comments suggest that the country aims to have a ceasefire deal that favors Moscow.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to.
Visit Russia for four days. Starting on Wednesday, he will attend the anniversary celebrations there, marking the former Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany.
Xi and Russian President Putin are expected to meet and reaffirm the alliance between their countries. This comes as trade friction between the United States and China continues to intensify. The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced Xi will participate in the celebrations in Moscow on Friday.
The ministry stated the two nations unequivocally oppose acts of unilateralism and bullying. It added the countries are working together to promote an equal and orderly, multipolar world as well as universally beneficial economic globalization. The two leaders are likely to exchange opinions on the situation in Ukraine.
The South Texas home of Elon Musk's SpaceX has become an official city.
A referendum was held on Saturday to decide whether to approve the area in Cameron County as a new city. Results show 212 votes in favor and six against. The Associated Press says most of the 283 eligible voters in the area are believed to be workers from SpaceX's Starbase. That's a facility where rockets are launched. The new city has taken on that name. Musk wrote on social media quote Starbase TX is now a real city. A senior SpaceX official has dis has been elected as the city's first mayor.
Company officials have reportedly told lawmakers that granting the city authority to close a nearby beach would streamline operations for rocket launches. Some critics say the creation of an official. The company town will lead to Musk's personal control over the area expanding.
The ASEAN Plus Three group of nations have reaffirmed their full commitment to free and open trade across borders. The show of unity comes as the region braces for impact from US tariffs.
Finance chiefs and central bank governors from the group met in Italy on Sunday.
ASEAN Plus Three brings together Japan, China and South Korea, plus the ten-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. They issued a joint statement. It says the region's economic outlook is subject to heightened uncertainties. It warns that rising protectionism is affecting trade, investment and capital flows across the region. The statement pledges support for a free, fair and open trading system, with the World Trade Organization at its core.
I said that ASEAN plus three countries should exchange opinions and cooperate with each other, while paying close attention to the impact of tariffs on the region.
Japan's representative also said his country will strongly urge the US to review its tariff arrangements.
US President Trump has announced a 100% tariff on movies produced outside the United States. He claims to be protecting what he calls a dying film industry.
We're making very few movies now. Hollywood is being destroyed. And I'm saying if they're not willing to make a movie inside the United States, then we should have a tariff on movies that come in.
Trump said he is authorizing the US Commerce Department and the US Trade Representative to immediately start the process of establishing the tariff on all movies produced in what he calls foreign lands. The president concluded by saying, quote, we want movies made in America again, a CNN report says it is not clear how such a levy would be imposed? It notes that films are intellectual property, not goods, so they represent a kind of service currently not subject to tariffs.
Meanwhile, the White House has posted an image on social media of Trump holding a light Saber, a sword from the movie Star Wars. The post was apparently marking Star Wars Day observed on May 4 every year.
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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 Gino Tani. From all of us here at NHK Newsline to all around the world, thanks very much for joining us.
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Hi there! It's time now for Easy Japanese from NHK World Japan.
I'm Eriko Kojima. And I'm Michael Reese.
Let's have fun studying Japanese together. Today we bring you Lesson 6 on how to ask where a bus, train or other kind of public transportation is headed.
The main character of our skit is Tam, a student from Vietnam. It's Tam's first day to commute to a university in Tokyo by train. She's at the station, but she's not sure if the train she's about to get on is the right one, so she asks a station staff member. Listen to the skit for Lesson 6.
Hi.
Ikimasen. Ikebukuroa. Yamanote sendes.
Yamanote sendo doko desca.
Sanban sendes. Vakarimasa.
Arigato gozaimasu.
Now, let's go over the skit line by line.
Tam catches the attention of a staff member. Excuse me. The staffer replies. Hi.
Yes. Tam asks if the train she's about to take goes to where she wants to go. Does this train go to Ikebukuro?The person answers, No, it doesn't.
Ikebukuro is on the Yamanote line.
So, Tam asks another question.
Where is the Yamanote line?The staff member replies, Platform number three, Tam says.
I see.
Thank you very much. I'm glad that Tam was able to find the right train. Lots of railway lines run through Tokyo, so it can get confusing.
If you're not sure which train to take, you can ask someone, like Tam did.
Today's key phrase is, Does this train go to Ikebukuro? Kono desya wa Ikebukuro ni kimasuka? Master this pattern, and you'll be able to avoid going the wrong way. Here's what it means piece by piece. Kono desya means this train.
Kono means this. and comes in front of a noun. Densha is train. The following wa is a particle expressing the topic, remember?Ikebukuro is the name of a train station. And it's one of the busiest in central Tokyo.
Mm-hmmNi is a particle expressing the destination. Ikimasu is the verb iku, to go, in the masu form. The sentence ends with ka, making it a question.
Now, today's point. In asking the destination of public transportation, say, Kono transportation wa destination ni ikimasuka.
So, after the destination, you add ni ikimasuka. That's right. Let's practice that. Listen and repeat out loud.
Ikimasuka.
Ikebukuro ni ikimasuka? Kono denshawa ikebukuro ni ikimasuka? Got it? Here's a conversation with the station staff checking where a train is headed.
Kono denshawa?Akihabara ni ikimasuka.
Iie ichimasen.
Akihabara ba ichiban sen desu.
Now, let's go over the details.
Kono denishawa. Akihabara ni ikimasuka. Does this train go to Akihabara?Akihabara is the name of a station in Tokyo. Iie ichimasen. No, it doesn't.
Iye means no. Yes, by the way, is hai. Ikimasen means it doesn't go. It's the negative form of the verb ikimasu, to go.
Instead of using masu at the end of a verb, masen changes it to the negative form. Akihabara ba ichiban sen desu. Akihabara is platform number one. Ichi is the numeral one. When referring to a train platform, add Bansen to the number. OK, imagine you're standing on the platform and going to ask a staff member if the train is bound for Akihabara. Listen and repeat.
Okay, now how would you ask if the bus in front of you is going to the airport? Bus is pronounced bus, bus. And airport is kuko, kuko.
Konobasuba, kuko ni kimasuka.
How did you do? Now to step up, where we study useful words such as numbers and days of the week. Here's our chance to learn how to count from one to ten. The skit we listened to included train platform numbers. Sang is three and ichi is one. Listen to how each of the numbers from one to ten is pronounced. One is ichi, two is ni. 3 is sang, 4 is yong, 5 is go, 6 is roku, 7 is nana, 8 is hachi, 9 is kyu and 10 is ju.
Now it's your turn. Listen and repeat.
Ichi ni sang yong go roku nana hachi kyu jiu Not too hard, right?Okay, let's listen to the skit once again.
Next, Harusan's bag full of advice on culture and manners. Today's topic is train lines in Japan.
Japan's railway system spreads all across the country. Big cities, in particular, are filled with lines, including subways.
They're also connected by express trains and Shinkansen bullet trains, making long-distance travel convenient. Buying tickets takes a little getting used to, though. First, look for your destination on the fare list.
Then, insert the money in the ticket machine and get your ticket. If you get a prepaid IC card, you can just touch in and out at the ticket gate. The fare is deducted automatically. Quite simple. And the trains are typically on time. In urban areas during the morning and evening peak periods, they pull into the station within minutes of one another. The duration that each train stays at a station is calculated in seconds. Really?Yes, they're quite precise. But the stations and trains are extremely crowded in rush hours, so you'd better take that into account when you're travelling. So plan accordingly and have a nice trip.
We hope you enjoyed today's Easy Japanese. Join us again next time.
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Japan has various kinds of landmarks that fascinate visitors. They range from cultural and historic locations to modern buildings created with cutting-edge technologies. The Backstory of Japanese Landmarks brings you the stories behind these amazing places.
In this episode of The Backstory of Japanese Landmarks, we feature Fushimi Inari Shrine.
Kyoto served as the capital of Japan for more than a thousand years until 1868, when the capital was moved to then Edo, now Tokyo. When the imperial capital was moved from Nara to Kyoto in the year 794, it went by the name Heiankyo, which means the capital of peace and tranquility. The city was modeled after the Chinese Tang Dynasty capital of Changwang and built on a grid pattern system. In fact, the streets of Kyoto today continue to follow this well-arranged grid. The Fushimi Inari Shrine, famous for its seemingly endless rows of vermilion torii gates, is popular among tourists from both Japan and abroad. It's less than 10 minutes by train or bus from Kyoto Station, or about a 35-minute walk. The shrine has a history of more than 1,300 years. It serves as the headquarters for over 30,000 Inari shrines across Japan.
As legend goes, more than 1,300 years ago, a deity was enshrined at Mount Inari. The mountain has since been considered sacred. People express their belief by dedicating torii of various sizes. Another practice is engraving the deity's various names onto stones called otsuka and placing them on the mountain. The most famous part of Shiminari Shrine is the thousand torii gates.
Torii are the gate-like structures at shrines. Although the size may vary, the torii is generally made of two pillars and a beam.
It stands on the boundary of the shrine's precincts and indicates that the area inside is sacred.
Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto has long rows of vermilion tori that seem to stretch on without end.
Inari Shrines are dedicated to a deity popular among common people, representing good harvest, prosperous business, safety for the family, and the accomplishment of ambitions. The Edo period from the 17th century to the end of the 19th century was when much of the popular culture leading up to the present age took shape. It was during this period that people started offering tori to Inari shrines, hoping that their wishes would be fulfilled, or to give thanks when their wishes came true.
As the headquarters shrine, Shiminari Shrine, received the most of these offerings, this is why there are nearly 10,000 torii gates in various sizes in the precincts. Particularly famous are the rows of Torii called Sembom Torii or Thousand Tori, which lead to the main shrine building.
The endless Torii make for a great photo background for tourists.
Fox statues are a common sight at Inari shrines. The foxes are believed to be messengers for the Inari deity.
Unlike actual foxes, these are imaginary creatures considered sacred and invisible. There are many scary stories about Inari shrines and foxes across Japan. Also, the sushi wrapped with deep-fried tofu is called inari sushi. This is because fried tofu is believed to be a favorite food of the sacred foxes. Inari shrines and foxes have long been a part of Japanese people's lives.
Thank you for tuning in to the backstory of Japanese landmarks. We hope you have a chance to visit these landmarks and see for yourself what makes them so special.
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