Thank you for joining us. From our studio here in Tokyo, this is NHK Newsline.
It happened in Inuyama City in Aichi Prefecture.
Local authorities received reports of the crash shortly after 3 p.m. on Wednesday.
Oil, as well as what appears to be debris, can be seen in the pond.
North Korean media say leader Kim Jong-un has ordered his military to improve its capacity for modern warfare. Kim reportedly inspected a special force drill on Tuesday involving drones.
The ruling Workers' Party newspaper Rodon Shimbun published photographs of troops conducting tank bombardments and operating a drone. Kim described the training as innovative and said it was conducted across various spheres to cope with actual war.
South Korean media say the drill was aimed at sharing within the North Korean military the combat experience of soldiers dispatched to Russia in connection with its invasion of Ukraine.
The newspaper also published photos of senior North Korean military officials shaking hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin. It says those pictures were taken on May 9, the anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in World War II. The paper also reported that Putin himself expressed gratitude to commanders of North Korean special forces who fought near the Kursk region in western Russia.
A bag containing signal flares fell from a US Marine helicopter flying over Okinawa Prefecture in southern Japan on Tuesday. No injuries or damage have been reported. The Okinawa Defense Bureau said US Forces Japan told it. The incident occurred around 4 p.m. on the Motobu Peninsula in the north of the prefecture. The bag weighed about 18 kilograms. It fell from a helicopter based at Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in the prefecture. It added that the bag had yet to be recovered. It said the bag measured 90 centimeters by 30 centimeters and was packed with signal flares.
The bureau is calling on anyone who finds it to report it immediately. It warns it should not be touched, as the flares could burst into flames.
What happens if tsunami hit one of Japan's tourist hotspots? It's a question plaguing Kamakura, the ancient capital just south of Tokyo. The city is now working on new measures to help foreign tourists stay safe. I earlier spoke with NHK's Sato Mariko in Kamakura.
Mariko, first tell us where you're standing right now.
According to the city, this spot could be hit by a tsunami in as little as eight minutes. Estimates say it could be up to 13 meters high, that's about four stories. Kamakura is also at risk if the anticipated Nankai Trough mega quake hits. A government panel recently revised its damage estimate. There's now an 80 percent chance it will rock Japan's Pacific coast in the next 30 years.
Experts say a huge quake can also hit the greater Tokyo area, which would, of course, affect Kamakura. So there's a big concern about evacuating people from areas like these.
According to the city, the number of foreign tourists grew by over 40 percent, compared to last fiscal year. I spoke to some who told me they were not aware of the signs warning them of the tsunami risk.
I just saw the signs, but I didn't know. A little bit scared if I if I hear it from you, but I don't feel unsafe at the moment.
There's so many signs that we don't really we're not familiar with, right?I came from Indonesia, I think, and we experienced a lot of earthquake as well.
This is the first time I came here, so actually I don't know where the assembly point, but I just saw the signs.
It is pretty concerning to hear so many people say they didn't know about the potential of tsunami. Mariko, how is Kamakura trying to address the issue?
For starters, the city has started to install more signs like this. Before, this was only in Japanese, but now there's a pictogram showing someone running from tsunami. The name of the nearest evacuation site is also written in both Japanese and English. with an arrow pointing out, pointing the way.
I was wondering how well they worked, so I decided to find out.
So this sign says to evacuate to Hasedira Temple. So let's follow the signs and see how it goes.
So we are at the fork. But we don't know which way to go. There's no sign going there.
But maybe let's follow this way.
Let's see. They have another sign for the tsunami evacuation area. So maybe this is the right direction. So let's keep going.
Now we are here. We finally arrived. It took about 10 minutes to get here. But in a real emergency, we don't know how long it takes because the roads are very narrow and there are so many people and cars are passing by. So we cannot imagine how many how long it takes to come to the evacuation area.
The city plans to install more of those signs. They also created an English emergency radio broadcast systemthat with urge people to flee the coast.
Umm Warning. A tsunami is approaching. Move to higher ground. One city official told me they designed these tools with the worst-case scenario in mind.
Since a tsunami can hit Kamakura quickly, It's key to get the information out fast.
The radio broadcasts are played on loudspeakers, so if the sentences are too long, they may echo and be difficult to hear. So for foreigners who don't understand Japanese, we try to speak in simple English. We focus on getting to higher ground in the event of an earthquake, no matter what.
Ultimately, he said, Kamakura's rich natural landscape is a double-edged sword. While it attracts tourists from around the world, he fears they don't understand the dangers that come with it.
Yeah, we were able to see that the city is actually taking some measures, but if tsunami actually hits Kamakura, Mariko, would those measures be enough?
Well, so one expert say it won't be. He told me tourists just don't know what to do in an emergency, so officials need to teach them specifics, not just general advice.
But they're coming here for sightseeing. If you say, let's have an evacuation drill before check-in, well, they won't like that, will they?It's not enough to tell them that tsunami is coming. Instead, tell them it's dangerous, that it's life-threatening. That kind of specific advice is key.
So he pointed out that communication in an emergency can be simple. Just saying follow me would work. Even in Japanese, if you motion for people to follow, it will be enough.
But he also said tourist wants to know exactly where to evacuate to and how. One tourist even told me she thinks she should have been told what to do right when she landed.
So it's not just on the city itself to keep everyone safe. But Kamakura officials say they will continue this life-saving work for the sake of residents and tourists alike.
Now let's see what's happening in the world of business. Here's our Ramin Mellegard. Ramin.
Thank you very much indeed.
Now the United States and China have cut additional import tariffs on each other's products. In line with their agreement, the Trump administration also slashed the levy imposed earlier this month on low value shipments of goods from China. Until May 2, shipments valued under $800 could enter the US free of duty and taxes.
Chinese online retailers such as Temu and Sheen have benefited from the exemption policy, but Washington imposed a 120% tariff on the value of each package, where a flat fee of $100.
That rate has now been cut to 54%. The US and China said on Monday they'd agreed to cut their additional tariffs by 115 percentage points at trade talks in Switzerland.
Washington has slashed its extra levy from 145% to 30%, and Beijing has cut its rate from 125% to 10%.
24 percentage points out of the 115 have been halted for 90 days, rather than scrapped as the two sides plan to continue negotiations.
And staying with US-China trade relations, American media say China has removed a ban that stopped Chinese airlines from taking delivery of jets from US aviation giant Boeing.
In April, Boeing said a number of airlines in China had refused to receive its planes amid the tariff escalation. Beijing backed the move. It said the US tariffs had caused both Chinese airlines and Boeing to suffer greatly. Now, on Tuesday, Bloomberg and other US media outlets reported that officials in Beijing had told domestic carriers they could take delivery of the US-made aircraft again. In addition to rolling back tariffs, China had indicated it would act to suspend or lift other countermeasures. The decision to accept Boeing aircraft again is seen as one such step. But US media outlets say it is unclear if Chinese airlines will actually take the jets, as trade talks are still underway.
Japanese companies' business results announcements have peaked. A survey shows about 1/3 of the listed firms project project lower profits for the current fiscal year than last year.
SNBC Nikko Securities analyzed reports by 630 topics listed firms on the Tokyo Stock Exchange that had announced business results by Monday. SNBC Nikko says the combined net profit of the 630 firms came to over 34 trillion yen or about $230 billion. That's up 4.3% from the previous year in yen terms. Now for performance forecasts for fiscal 2025, the focus is on how much the impact of the US tariffs has been factored in. SNBC Nickel says about 57% or 359 firms expect a net profit increase, while 35% or 224 see a decline. In particular, transport equipment sector companies, including automobiles, steel and marine transportation project large drops. They cite higher costs and decreased trade due to the tariffs, among other factors. The analysis says 7% or 44 firms have not disclosed their projections. Many say the effects of the levies are still unclear.
Yasuda Hikaru, chief equity strategist at SNBC Nikko Securities, says the impact on the real economy and corporate performance is yet to be quantified.
I think we'll be able to see more specific tariff impacts when midterm results come out in September, so upgrades. or downgrades to projections are still possible.
Yasuda says projections for now are not worse than expected, despite the tariffs. The combined net profit forecast among the 586 firms that announced projections is 7.5% lower than last year's figure.
Now, tourists from Japan have long been a top source of Hawaii's international visitors. But since the coronavirus pandemic, they have been notably absent, largely due to the yen's depreciation. NHK World's Saheiki Akira reports on the impact on local businesses.
This main street in Waikiki is lined with resorts, hotels and boutiques. It's bustling with tourists. Many of them used to be Japanese.
There are not many Japanese here. There are lots of people who look Korean and Chinese. I thought there would be more Japanese.
Visitor numbers to Hawaii have recovered to over 90% of pre-pandemic levels. But Japanese still account for less than half of their former numbers.Local businesses are having to change their focus. For many years, this boat tour relied heavily on Japanese tourists. But now, they are in the minority.
A lot of people hurting in Hawaii, not only us. There's a lot of people, the shops in Waikiki who dealt with the Japanese are really suffering, or they just closed up.
Aloha, welcome in.
Hawaii's first capsule hotel opened in a prime Waikiki location this month. It occupies the entire renovated floor of an office building. The price per night is from $120, reasonable for this area. The goal is to meet travelers' demands for cheaper accommodation. They already have reservations for next year, including families from Japan.
There were so many challenges. Having something such a brand new concept brought into Hawaii for the first time.The Japanese tourist is always going to be our initial target.
One expert points out the importance of sustainable business models while aiming to bring back Japanese tourists.
The future is uncertain, but most conservative estimates say that for Japanese visiting a market to recover to pre-pandemic levels, maybe a couple of years would be the best estimate. Three to four years down the line, a lot of Hawaii businesses are taking their own initiative to try and form strategies to try to survive this.
And that is it for Business News.
Next, we're going over to my colleague Shibuya Aki for Newsline in Focus. On the story about the loss of a young Palestinian man in the Gaza Strip who had a deep bond with Japan.
It's been over one and a half years since fighting broke out between Israel and the Islamic group Hamas. For journalists covering the conflict, it has been catastrophic, with at least 178 killed in Gaza.
Mohamed Mansour is one of them. The 29-year-old was a correspondent for a major Japanese newspaper. He was also a member of a Japanese NPO's Gaza office, where he worked alongside a man who took him under his wing. Here's a look back on the life cut too short.
After a fragile two-month ceasefire, Israel relaunched its barrage of attacks on Gaza. And the victim toll continues to rise.
On March 24, Israeli missile attacks killed 29 year old local journalist Mohammad Mansour.
At his memorial service in Japan, more than 50 people gathered to pay their respects.
Mohammad Mansour.
To be honest, I wanted to see what kind of person he would be when he turned 30, 40, and 50.
When the two first became acquainted, Mohammed was just 14.
Kuyama had been treating him for his emotional scars, and they formed a special bond.
Mohammad had ambitions to study at university. Kuyama not only helped him with his tuition, but also invited him to join the NPO after graduating. For him, Mohammad was family.
He's like a true son to me. At some point he found himself calling me father. He is honest with a sense of justice. He's also a person who won't give up.
In October 2023. The Israeli military operation got underway and intensified, making it difficult for Kuwayama to enter Gaza.
....
In March, Kuyama received the news.
Mohammed had been killed.
My state of mind is likely to get worse, because when I think about it, I can't bear it. It's too painful.
I can't accept his death in this war of hatred. I can't accept any death, but war is something we don't have to wage, right?
We can't stop earthquakes and tsunamis, but I think war can be stopped.
Throughout it all, Muhammad remained resilient.
????
During the memorial service, Mohammed's little sister is zoomed in.
She tells the mourners of her determination to carry on her brother's work, which she respected, and support the NPO.
I will take over his duties. While building on his efforts, I will carry his beliefs with me.
I hope to do my best with Mr. Kuwayama and his team.
Thank you very much.
It is not easy to improve the situation in Gaza, which is in a dire state. But people there say that they can get by through their connection with Japan. They can't make it alone, but they can have hope for tomorrow by feeling that they share a lifeline, a network with Japan. I want to continue our support as much as possible.
Kuwayama hopes people will remember Mohammed and his message.
When I reflect on what he wanted most, I think he hoped for a world where people would never die the way he did.
He wanted to stop people from losing their lives due to violence.
I'd like to continue pushing for peace and a world without war, according to his wishes.
Kuayama is planning an exhibition featuring Muhammad's photographs in June.
Living for peace, dying in conflict. Muhammad's images framing the human cost of war live on.
And that's all for me.
Warm air is covering much of East Asia, bringing unseasonally high temperatures on Wednesday, the high almost hit 30 even in northern Japan. This high pressure system will keep dominating Japan on Thursday, bringing sunny and hot conditions. But showers are possible from northeastern China to the Korean peninsula. The high in Seoul will drop to only 19 with the wet weather, but sunny skies are expected in Tokyo with a high of 24.
In Thailand, the monsoon season is almost starting, and a heavy rain warning is in effect. in the western half of the country, including Bangkok.
Thundershowers are possible with a risk of flooding.
Moving to the United States. Severe weather is an issue in the east. Gusts were reported in many places in North Carolina and Virginia on Tuesday, and people in Maryland are dealing with severe flooding.
Yeah, it is floating. Sheets were turned into rivers with many cars floating away in western Maryland on Tuesday.
This comes after a potent storm brought severe downpours to the area.
Officials say a school in a rural town was evacuated as Waldo Revels was to the second floor. The weather service says more rain along with stronger gas are expected on Wednesday.
The storm is gradually weakening, but still expected to impact the same earlier on Wednesday. At the same time, another low-pressure system is expected to affect the northern plains and move toward the Great Lakes with risks of intense rain, gusty winds and even tornadoes.
Expect some thundershowers if you are in Chicago. Wet weather is also likely in New York and DC, but sunny skies are expected in the south, such as Miami and Houston.
That's all for now. Have a nice day.
♫~
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