Hello, a very warm welcome to NHK Newsline. I'm Yamamoto Miki in Tokyo.
We begin this hour at the Vatican.
Catholic Cardinals from around the world have begun the second day of their conclave. They're choosing the successor to Pope Francis, who died last month.
The cardinals are gathering in the Sistine Chapel. They're not allowed Internet access or any other contact with the outside world. They're casting ballots twice each morning and twice each afternoon, until they agree on the next pope. When that happens, they will tell the world by sending white smoke out of the chapel chimney. Black smoke on Wednesday showed the voting on the conclave's first day had not been conclusive. Pope Francis was born in Argentina. He pushed reforms and appointed cardinals from Asia, Central and South America and Africa. Catholics will be watching whether his successor builds on his reforms and whether he's another non-European.
Japan's defense ministry says North Korea fired several ballistic missiles on Thursday morning. It says they likely fell outside Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone. This is the first such launch since March and occurred between 8:00 and 10:00 AM. One reached a maximum altitude of around 100 kilometers and flew a distance of around 800 kilometers before landing in the Sea of Japan. There are no reports of damage to ships and aircraft.
The launch trajectory of one of the ballistic missiles may have been irregular. We are continuing to analyze the situation.
These actions by North Korea threaten the peace and security of our country, the region and the international community. We have issued a strong protest and condemnation.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff says in total fewer than 10 short range ballistic missiles were fired from an area near the eastern city of Gwonsan. Those include what Pyongyang calls super-large rockets and an upgraded version of Russia's Iskander short-range ballistic missile. The South Korean military says North Korea may have been testing the performance of the missiles before exporting them to Russia.
World leaders are urging India and Pakistan to de-escalate after recent cross-border strikes. There's fear the situation could turn into a full-scale conflict.
Oh, it's so terrible. And I want to see it stop. And if I can do anything to help, I will I will be there.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also touched on the situation in parliament Wednesday.
Rising tensions between India and Pakistan will be of serious concern for many across Britain.
Starmer said the UK is encouraging both sides to engage in dialogue and protect civilians. Tensions have been rising between the two neighbors ever since a terrorist attack last month. Gunmen attacked tourists in India-controlled Kashmir, killing 26. The Pakistani government denied involvement in the attack. In response, India launched military strikes against what it called terrorist infrastructure.
They struck targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
Reuters claims the attacks left 31 people dead and 46 others injured.
Pakistan claims the strikes killed innocent civilians. Pakistani Prime Minister Shabazz Sharif warned India that his country will respond.
Russia's three-day ceasefire in Ukraine is now in effect, but Kiev says it wants to see a longer truce. Both sides continue to exchange fire until the very last minute.
Ukrainian Air Force officials say Russia launched 5 ballistic missiles and over 180 drones overnight. Authorities say two people were killed in Kiev and eight more, including children, were injured.
I think they are non-humans. They're just non-humans. There's no other way to describe them.
This will not be a ceasefire. Putin cannot be trusted. No one believes him.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says measures depriving the aggressor of resources are key to bringing about a lasting peace.
Russian defense officials say their forces also came under attack. They say they shot down more than 500 Ukrainian drones and five anti-ship missiles.
The short ceasefire coincides with the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany ending World War II in Europe.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is among foreign leaders attending the Victory Day parade. He arrived in Moscow on Thursday, where he met face-to-face with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two leaders are believed to have discussed Ukraine and further cooperation between their countries.
And earlier, I spoke to former Moscow bureau chief and current senior commentator Amma Hideo for his take on the gathering.
Hideo, lots of politics to sort out. First, let's explore the optics of President Xi being there. What message is Putin trying to convey through this?
Well, he wants to remind the world that he has some very powerful friends. This is especially important for Putin following years of isolation from the West due to his invasion of Ukraine. But things are not giving exactly the way he had in mind.
Quick request here. Victory Day is one of the most important patriotic moments for Russia. It was also meant to reaffirm the importance of the post-World War II global order and also promote unity.
Take a look at this pairing two decades back, Putin standing next to then-President George W. Bush, other world leaders who were there included Japan's Prime Minister at the time, Koizumi Junichiro.
They gathered to pledge peace and non-aggression. Things have changed in large part due to the Russian invasion, so Putin is playing up his relationships with other leaders.
They include Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, though he is not attending army tension with Pakistan.
But Putindescribes Xi as his main guest at the gathering.
Putin wants to show off, especially toward the West, this solidarity between China and Russia.
Umm And shifting the perspective, what is Xi trying to get out of this by being there?
It's important for him, as he is also dealing with a big conflict, a trade war with the US It stems from President Trump's massive tribes. Xi has been responding in kind.
Attending the Victory Day celebration tells Trump that Xi and Putin are united. And it's also worth pointing out that even before Trump's efforts to bring an end to the fighting in Ukraine, Beijing had offered up its own peace plan two years ago. Xi has taken a cautious approach toward the conflict, because supporting Russia could impose his country to Western sanctions.
Beijing denies supplying weapons to Russia, but Ukraine and the West suspect China exports materials to Russia that could be repurposed for military use. Xi is trying to strike a gated balance, but he clearly thinks his relationship with Putin provides value.
And he's invited Putin to attend a different Victory Day ceremony in September. It marks the end of the war against the now-defunct Imperial Japanese military.
And as for that ceasefire Putin declared unilaterally, what's the outlook, and do you think it will actually last?
ohh Based on how a similar polls turned out, the one he announced around Easter, probably not.
Putin wants people to see his ceasefire as humanitarian gestures, but he's also trying to convey another key message. He has been working with Xi to emphasize the importance of a multipolar world to counter Trump's unipolar America's first policy.
US allies, including Japan and Canada, are busy trying to deal with the turmoil caused by Trump's tariffs.
So Xi and Putin may find now to be the opportune time to pursue their vision.
With a difficult situation in Ukraine, some people are finding a sense of purpose in a traditional Japanese sport.
Let's go to Newsline in Focus host Shibuya Aki for our next installment.
In Ukraine, sumo wrestling is getting big, both as entertainment and as a competitive sport. One of the most important centers in Ukraine for sumo used to be the city of Bakhmut,in the eastern region of Donetsk.
Heavy fighting with Russian forces took place there, and the Russians announced that they had taken full control of the city in 2023.
We report on people from Bakhmut trying to move forward and who are pinning their hopes for the future on Sumo.
These amateur sumo wrestlers at this sports facility in Kyiv used to train in their hometown of Bakmut. Some of them have excelled in world-level competitions.
I won second place in the World Championships. My best memory of sumo is winning against a Japanese wrestler.
Bakmut was once the jewel in the crown of sports in Donetsk. Sumo was introduced there as a martial art about 20 years ago, and it was taught in school.
The number of wrestlers competing in the world championships gradually increased, and sumo became a source of pride for the locals.
Sumo trainer Oleg Reva used to teach the sport at a school in Bakmut.
He has nurtured world-class wrestlers.
We are world level. Everyone in Bakmut knew about the sport of sumo.
After the Russian military invasion, Reva took refuge in Kyiv and managed to find a place there to continue training students, help them once again set their sights on competing in the World Championships.
We managed to bring the sumo ring from Bakmut. The ring floor connects us to Bakmut.
10 year old Vladislav Stavitsky is an evacuee from Bakmut. He started to train in sumo wrestling at the age of three and is passionate about continuing practicing.
I love sumo, so it's great to be able to train in Kiev.
In February, Vladislav took part in an international competition held in Tokyo.
It was the first time for him to come to Japan, the birthplace of sumo.
He threw down a string of strong opponents and advanced to the fifthround.
Vladislav lives with his mother and younger brother in the suburbs of Kyiv.
His father is fighting as a soldier on the front lines. Living in an unfamiliar environment, the mother, Elvira, and her children have experienced times of emotional stress.
Our city has been destroyed. As well as our home, my son repeatedly said. He wanted to go home. It was hard when he said he wanted to see his father again and asked me when he will meet him again.
During these difficult days, Vladislav's enthusiasm for wrestling kept the family going.
All of these medals are for coming first, second or third in sumo wrestling. Even though we are far apart, my father always cheers me on over the phone. My father and mother give me a lot of encouragement.
I feel like my son was born for Sumo. I am proud of him and want to support him.
Support is a word always on the mind of the Sumo trainer Reva. Over the past three years, he's been doing volunteer work to help troops fighting against Russia.
Almost every day, he and his friends make nets for the soldiers to use as camouflage.
I have grown fond of Kyiv, but the city where I was born and raised is Bakmund. My dream now is to work near Bakmund.
Greta believes that the day will come when Ukraine will reclaim his hometown. But no one can say when the city will be liberated from Russia. For now, all that the people of Batma can do is move forward one step at a time. And for the budding wrestlers, Sumo is helping guide the way.
Sumo is my life. My dream is to become a professional wrestler.
If there is hope, good results will surely come in the field of sports. I expect Bakhmut will become a treasure for Donetsk in the future.
It was Vladislav's father who first got him into sumo, and even though they're far apart, he feels connected to his father through wrestling. Like Vladislav and his coach Reva, more than 10 million Ukrainians are said to have been forced to live as evacuees, both at home and abroad. And for many of them, sumo has become a sport that drives their passion and gives them strength. And that's all from me.
Now let's see what's happening in the world of business. Here's Ramin Mellegard from the business. Ramin.
Thank you very much indeed.
Now, Toyota Motor has announced record sales for fiscal 2024, which ended in March. But it also says profits were down and it forecasts a sharp drop in income for fiscal 2025, partly due to the Trump tariffs. Group sales stood at 48 trillion yen, or roughly $330 billion.
That's up 6.5% from the previous year.
Japan's largest automaker says high-end cars sold well and a weaker yen also pushed up sales. But Toyota says net income fell 3.6% in yen terms to $33 billion as operating profit dropped more than 10%. This is mainly due to investments in advanced technology and improvement to working environment.
We will keep increasing our earning power so we can flexibly deal with changes in the business environment.
Now, for the current fiscal year, Toyota projects sales to edge up 1%, but it expects operating profit to fall more than 20% and net income to shrink nearly 35%. The company forecasts that changes in foreign exchange rates investments in cutting edge technology and higher material costs will drag down profits. Toyota also estimates the effects of US tariff measures in April and May to push down operating profit by 180 billion yen, or about one and a quarter billion dollars.
President Trump's tariffs mean hard choices. For policymakers at the Federal Reserve, the Fed decided on Wednesday to keep interest rates unchanged for the third straight time, but Chair Jerome Powell warns that the tariffs are certain to raise inflation and unemployment.
Fed policymakers decided to maintain the rate's target range from four and a quarter to four and a half percent. They said the US economy is expanding at a solid pace and joblessness is low.
Yet they added that inflation remains above the Fed's 2% target.
If the large increases in tariffs that have been announced are sustained, they're likely to generate a rise in inflation, a slowdown in economic growth, and an increase in unemployment.
Powell has taken a cautious stance, cautious approach to lowering rates and had previously expressed concerns about Trump's trade policies. The president has repeatedly called on policymakers to cut interest rates. He's referred to Powell as Mr. Too Late.
Now for more, we spoke to Amemiya Aichi, senior US economist at Nomura Securities International. We asked him for his take on Powell's response to Trump's persistent pressure.
Today's mayor from the meeting was uneventful. So the Powell's press conference and the Powell's meeting statement both emphasized uncertainty around the labor market outlook as well as inflation outlook. So the key phrase was uncertainty. So which means that the Fed, you know, they basically remained patient on the rate cut.
The biggest of these uncertainties affecting the US economy, Trump's tariff policy.
We might see some, you know, some discontinuity of economic activity also because of the tariffs. So that's why, you know,I would say that the data which have been released so far might not have might not be so important at this moment. We don't know how the trade policy will play out going forward. Nobody knows. So that's why the Chao Power emphasize uncertainty, which makes sense to me, although the resilience of the economy so far.
Trump's threat to fire Powell rattled the markets in April. He then backed off, but has continued to call for rate cuts. Amemiya says Powell has chosen not to respond to avoid further market disruptions.
Chair Powell intentionally was not engaged on those topics and discussions at this moment, which might help. reduce the risk of further escalation of Trump's rhetoric against him. Financial markets are not comfortable with the recent attacks by President Trump. So basically, the central bank's independence is essential for financial markets.
Amemio says he doesn't expect the Fed to agree to Trump's demands anytime soon.
despite some significant risk of a recession. Our base case is no recession for this year and a falling year. So given that economic outlook, so we expect the Fed to focus on inflation and then given, you know, expected acceleration and inflation due to tiffs. So we we think the Fed will not resume rate cuts until December meeting this year.
So, which means that you know basically we expect Feder to resume rate cuts in December, followed by two rate cuts in January and March next year.
And that is it for business news.
Let's check the weather with meteorologist Yumi Hirano. Yumi, looks like people in parts of Asia need to get ready for a wet and stormy Friday. Tell us more.
Widespread rainfall is expected from parts of China to Japan. Over 100 millimeters of heavy rain has been reported in just eight hours in China's Guangdong Province due to a frontal system. And a low pressure system is expected to develop along this front, extending stormy conditions to the Korean Peninsula and Japan on Friday. Over 200 millimeters of heavy rain is possible in western Japan, leading to possible floods and landslides. On top of that, stormy conditions are likely with gusts of over 100 kilometers per hour.
In southern China, heavy rain may ease gradually. However, the region has already experienced downpours. Even a small amount of additional rain could lead to flooding. Tokyo may have sunny skies in the morning, but the rain will arrive in the evening.
Showers are also likely in Seoul, Shanghai, Taipei and Hong Kong.
But the sunny skies are coming back to Chongqing with a high of 28.
Moving to the United States, heavy rain is also an issue in the deep south. Over 180 millimeters has been reported at one location in Louisiana due to a stationary front. The system is expected to stage static on Thursday, bringing isolated thundershowers.
Severe weather is likely from Texas to the Carolinas with a whisk of flash flooding. Showers are also likely in Oklahoma City and Atlanta, but people in New York could enjoy sunny skies with a high of 21. The temperature in Chicago will be only 10, which is over 10 degrees cooler than usual.
That's all for now. Have a nice day.
♫～
People in Taiwan have celebrated the music and life of pop sensation Teresa Ten, who died exactly 30 years ago. The singer was popular across Asia, and she had a special affinity with one town in northeastern Japan.
Ten was known for a string of hit songs, includingI Only Care About You.
She died on May 8, 1995, at the age of just 42. A memorial concert took place on Thursday at a park in New Taipei City, northern Taipei, where Ten was laid to rest.
Fans and family members were seen offering incense sticks and flowers.
Her songs have soothed the hearts of many.
The deputy mayor of Mishima Town in Japan's Fukushima Prefecture also took part. Teng likened the area to a second home.
We hope to deepen exchanges with Taiwan by cherishing our town's ties with Teresa Teng.
That's NHK News signed for this power.
I'm Yamamoto Miki in Tokyo. Thanks for watching.
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