Welcome to NHK Newsline. I'm Yoko Nishimura in Tokyo with the latest news.
Sources say Nippon Steel will pour billions of dollars into US Steel if Washington approves its proposal to make the American steelmaker its subsidiary.
Nippon Steel is said to have revealed its substantial investment plans in discussions with the US government. The exact amount is reportedly still being negotiated. The Japanese steelmaker has already pledged a total of $2.7 billion to create jobs and invest in new facilities and equipment at US Steel. The buyout plan was blocked in January by then-President Joe Biden on national security grounds. Last month, President Donald Trump instructed the US Committee on Foreign Investment to conduct a fresh national security review of the proposal. That review is due to be completed on Wednesday. Trump is expected to make a final decision on the deal by June 5.
Now to tell us more about what's happening in the world of business, here's Gene Otani from the BizDesk.
Yoko, thanks.
Honda Motor is reducing its 2030 sales target for EVs and fuel cell vehicles. The Japanese automaker says it's lowering the goal from 30 percent of all new sales to 20.
President and CEO Mibe Toshihiro said the auto industry is facing uncertain times. He said a range of factors have led to a slowdown in the growth of the EV market. The company is slashing investment in its electrification strategy over the same period from 10 trillion yen to 7 trillion yen. That's over $48 billion. But it says it's maintaining its goal to make all new sales EVs and fuel cell vehicles by 2040. The automaker expects demand for the category to increase in the medium to long term.
Japan's top negotiator in tariff talks with the United States is scheduled to leave for Washington on Friday. Economic Revitalization Minister Akazawa Ryose is expected to engage in a third round of high-level discussions the following day.
It's important to achieve an agreement that's a win for both countries. Japan's national interests must not be damaged by prioritizing an early consensus.
Akazawa is expected to ask the US again to review levies imposed on Japanese autos and other products. Tokyo has already presented plans to buy more goods from the US. This includes a review of procedures to make it easier to import American cars. Japan has also made a proposal to increase imports of soybeans and corn.
Meanwhile, Washington has given Tokyo a list of what it considers to be non tariff trade barriers.
Port of Los Angeles officials say inbound shipments in May plummeted after new US tariffs took effect. The port is a major gateway for goods coming from Asia.
Officials say shipments are down over 30%. In the first week of May compared to last year, they say 17 of around 80 container ships that were scheduled to enter the port canceled. The drop came after a 5% jump in inbound goods in April, when importers accelerated deliveries to beat the tariffs. The port's executive director says the impact of the tariffs is clearly visible on the docks. The May volume drop is likely to be substantial when we close the books on this month. The US and China recently agreed to drastically roll back tariffs on each other's goods. The port official says the de-escalation will likely lead to an uptick in vessel bookings from China, but he doesn't expect a surge in volume.
China's central bank has further eased policy to shore up the sluggish economy, it has cut interest rates for corporate and housing loans.
The People's Bank of China on Tuesday trimmed the one-year loan prime rate, or LPR, by 1/10 of a point to 3%. Commercial lenders used the rate as a benchmark when giving loans to corporate clients. The bank also cut the five-year LPR by the same margin to 3.5%. That rate serves as a yardstick for mortgages. The cuts to those benchmarks are the first since October last year. The central bank lowered the seven-day reverse repo rate for short-term funding to commercial lenders on May 8. The bank sees that as its main policy rate.
Domestic demand remains weak amid a prolonged real estate slump. Concerns also linger about a trade war with the United States as tariff negotiations continue between the two countries.
Efforts are ongoing around the world to develop meat products that are substantial and health-- sustainable, rather-- and healthy. A lab-grown version of Japan's famed wagyu beef is among the exhibits at the World Expo in Osaka.
The Osaka Kansai Expo is currently underway. One exhibit showcases efforts to develop so-called cultured meat that's made by taking cells from cattle. Visitors are invited to imagine a future with made-to-order meat that provides a specific taste and nutritional content.
I hope meat like this becomes available someday. It would be great if it could be fortified with nutrients like vitamins or iron.
The project is a collaboration of 6 organizations led by a professor at the University of Osaka.
Cultured meat offers solutions to problems such as protein shortages, while also contributing to animal welfare and environmental sustainability.
The Expo is a great opportunity for people to learn about this technology.
I hope visitors can envision a future where we produce our own meat and control its nutritional profile.
Matsusaki's research focuses on gourmet meat.
This is a video that visualizes the actual structure of wagyu beef.
It is said that the taste of beef is determined by the ratio of muscle and fat fibers. By digitizing actual beef and bundling the fibers in the same way, researchers try to replicate the texture.
Muscle and fat cells are cultured in the lab. These are then injected into a gel and shaped with 3D printing. They then form fibrous strands.
The team successfully produced two pieces of cultured meat, each about 9 by 15 centimetres. In March, the team conducted its first sensory test. They heated small samples, analysing them for taste, texture and aroma. The feel in the mouth seemed authentic, but the taste was somewhat bland. Still, the overall impression was that the samples closely approximated the real meat.
After chewing it several times, it gradually began to taste more like real meat. I think it was a promising result.
The team had hoped to offer public tastings at the expo, but Japan does not yet have regulations on this. As an alternative, in July they will host a demonstration where visitors can experience the aroma of grilled, cultured meat.
All right, that's a look at business news. Yoko, I'm going to hand it back to you.
Thanks, Gene.
Overseas voting in South Korea's presidential election has begun ahead of the domestic vote on June 3. The election comes after former President Yoon Suk-yeol was impeached and removed from office. South Korean nationals aged 18 or older living abroad are eligible to vote in advance.
The Central Election Commission says more than 258,000 people have registered. Of those, over 38,000 are in Japan, where polling stations have been set up at 19 locations. South Korea's ambassador to Japan, Park Chul-hee, cast his ballot at a station in Tokyo. He was among many other voters.
Whoever becomes the new president, I hope they can foster relations where both countries respect each other.
The main contenders in the race are the former head of the largest opposition Democratic Party, Lee Jae-yung, and Kim Moon-soo of the ruling People Power Party. A poll released last week showed Lee leading with 51 percent support and Kim trailing at 29 percent.
Japanese police have obtained arrest warrants for two Vietnamese suspected of directing a shoplifting ring from abroad.
Sources close to the investigation say the suspects are a 31-year-old man and a 29-year-old woman. They are believed to have issued instructions from Vietnam to group members suspected of stealing cosmetics and other products in Nagano Prefecture last year. The group is believed to have assembled large volumes of stolen items and sent them to Vietnam. On Monday, police raided one of the group's suspected bases near Tokyo. They arrested two people on suspicion of being involved in receiving and sending items they knew were stolen.
12 members of the group have been arrested so far. The investigators believe the two suspects in Vietnam solicited shoplifters on social media and instructed them on what to steal and where to send the products.
Police plan to have the two put on the International Criminal Police Organization's wanted list.
Sticking with the crime beat, Tokyo police have arrested a Chinese national they suspect of using a false identity to help other people cheat on an English proficiency test. They believe he attempted to give answers to other examinees through a small microphone hidden under a face mask.
Wang Likun, a 27-year-old graduate student of Kyoto University, was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of trespassing.
The police said Wang allegedly trying to take the test at a venue in Tokyo under another person's name. They said he told them that someone had offered to pay him to take the exam. The police had been tipped off by the test organizer that an individual had taken an exam repeatedly under different names. The police said about 30% of the exam candidates did not show up in the room where Wang was scheduled to take the test. They suspect that a wider cheating scheme involving others may have been planned, with Wang possibly tasked with sharing answers with them.
Japan has long searched for solutions to its growing problem of so-called hikikomori, or people who withdraw themselves from work, school, and society. Many live at home with aging parents who struggle to understand why their children have chosen isolation.
Next, how are non-profit is helping families bridge that gap?
54-year-old Shinichi, who we're choosing not to identify for privacy reasons, starts his day. He says hello to his 82-year-old father, who we're calling Akihiro, grabs his lunch and heads to work. But it used to be very different. There was a time when Shinichi would barely leave his room. For over 20 years, Shinichi was hikikomori, isolating himself after quitting his job at the age of 31.
Akihiro says his son shut himself away, never telling him why. He recalls growing frustrated.
I told him over and over to get out and find a job. I kept telling him how much trouble he was causing his family. I couldn't think of anything else to do besides blaming him.
Japan estimates there are nearly one and a half million hikikomori across the country. Many are now middle-aged and living with parents who are getting too old to take care of them. That was the situation for Shinichi and his father.
But four years ago, Akihiro attended courses put on by a local nonprofit supporting families with hikikomori.
The program focuses on rebuilding trust in the family unit by discussing ways to communicate with isolated loved ones to help break them out of their shelves.
It's also a chance for parents to open up about their challenges with others in the same boat. Like this woman, who says she's grown fed up fighting with her reclusive daughter over chores.
She just got angry. It scared me and I just couldn't take it anymore.
Maybe your daughter wants affirmation.
I feel like we parents often struggle to focus on the positive things with our children.
Looking back, I remember she told me that I only saw her negative side, and she clearly said, I want you to praise me and acknowledge when I've done well.
And sometimes, the breakthroughs here lead to breakthroughs back home. The NPO says over the past decade, About one in six families who've taken part in the course have reported success in helping loved ones to escape isolation.
Sometimes the communication issues are because the children see their parents as their enemy. That's why it's important to try and understand the pain and difficulties they're facing. Otherwise they won't open up and will remain closed off.
After the course, Akihiro stopped pressuring his son to find employment. Instead, he rebuilt their relationship.
He took Shinichi on car rides, going to places they used to visit in better times to reminisce.
Do you remember going fishing with me here?
Fishing. You know, I don't think I do.
Akihiro began asking his son for back rubs, something they used to bond over when he was younger. Shihichi began opening up to his father, eventually revealing what led to him becoming Hihikomori.
For about a year, my boss would get extremely angry at me when I made mistakes. It didn't make sense why I was the only one getting yelled at, so I quit. I felt so guilty that I wasn't pulling my weight and that I wasn't doing anything with my life.
The gentle approach not only mended their bond, it gave Shinichi the confidence to emerge from seclusion.
I felt relieved. I now feel like it's OK to take it one step at a time and find my own path.
It wasn't long before he got a job at a local company without any pressure from his parents.
Unless a family tries to understand what its kids are feeling, nothing will change.
He says learning that lesson brought him and his son to where they are today.
And for that, he's truly grateful.
A US cybersecurity firm reports that the number of phishing emails targeting people in Japan has increased sharply this year. It says generative AI programs and other technologies are enabling scammers to overcome language barriers that prevented such issues in the past.
The cybersecurity firm Proofpoint says it analyzed about 600 million fraudulent emails detected around the world in April. It found that 83.6% of them targeted people in Japan.
In many cases, senders pretending to be securities companies tried to steal login IDs and passwords belonging to customers so that they could gain access to accounts. Japanese brokerage houses say there have been many cases this year in which a scammer managed to take over a customer's account and then use it to engage in fraudulent transactions.
Japan was considered to be a country that is easier to attack than other countries and has low security defense walls. The emergence of generative AI technologies means there is no language barrier. Because of this, the country was chosen as a target by fraud groups.
Sohta says people should not click on links in suspicious emails or input passwords and personal information.
She recommends the use of multi-factor authentication with biometric identification.
Humanitarian aid is finally flowing into the Gaza Strip again, though the deliveries are small. Meantime, the Israeli Prime Minister's plans for the enclave are big and controversial.
Benjamin Netanyahu released this message as his country expands its military operation.
Intense and huge fighting is underway, and we're approaching. We're going to control all parts of the Gaza Strip. That's what we're going to do.
The Israeli military says it deployed ground troops to strategic locations and conducted airstrikes on more than 160 targets, including Hamas strongholds.
Health authorities in Gaza said on Monday that more than 130 people had been killed in the past 24 hours. Residents have been facing severe shortages of food. In March, Israel halted the entry of humanitarian aid into the enclave. The country announced over the weekend that limited deliveries would resume. The UN says Israel cleared nine trucks of aid on Monday to enter through one crossing.
To say that this is a drop in the ocean is a clear, clear understatement.
The spokesperson says, given the small number of trucks and supplies going in, there will be outsized expectations.
The concern is that will increase the security risk for staff and recipients.
The international community has been warning that the more than 2 million Palestinians living in the strip face the risk of family.
Tokyo's Asakusa District has long been a popular tourist spot, famed for the city's oldest temple and its retro atmosphere. Rickshaw tours through the neighborhood are emerging as popular experiences. Our next report spotlights a female rickshaw puller who is introducing visitors to Asakusa's local gems.
On a street not far from Tokyo's SkyTree, Otoshi Misato is pulling a rickshaw.
A female pioneer in a male-dominated profession, she joined a rickshaw company in 2020, becoming their first full-time woman employee.
One, two, three, and you can get on.
Otoshi hauls a rickshaw that weighs up to 250 kilograms with passengers on board. Once you get the hang of the leverage principle, you can run swiftly.
But the path has not always been smooth.
She endured intense training to build her strength and master the skills needed to control the rickshaw. During those difficult times, it was local shop owners who supported her. This lady from a local restaurant always chats with Otoshi when she passes by.
Ohh She's been striving so hard. I have to keep up, too.
When Otoshi needs career advice, she talks to the owner of a noodle shop.
It's good to have one special talent, something you can be proud of.
Everyone has their good sides. If I can absorb them all, I'll become the best.
Otoshi is also active on social media. She and her colleagues post photos and videos about Asakusa's sites and their rickshaw services, attracting almost 100,000 followers.
Some women inspired by these posts have become rickshaw pullers.
She's not that much older than me, but she's like a mother. Did you say mother? Let's say sister.
As leader of the Female Pullers, Odoshi is committed to learning more about local culture. On this day, she is visiting a traditional Japanese restaurant to see a geisha performance.
I don't want to say anything wrong when I'm guiding visitors, so I ask the owner to teach me.
Otoshi films the experience in order to share it with her colleagues.
I want to be someone who enlivens and supports Asakusa.
Otoshi is now planning to launch a gourmet tour, taking overseas tourists to restaurants, cafes and street stalls by rickshaw, as she continues to steer Asakusa into the global spotlight.
♪
It's time for a check on the weather with our meteorologist, Jonathan Oh. So Jonathan, after a cool and cloudy Monday, we saw a warm and sunny Tuesday in Tokyo, so it was a bit of a roller coaster ride. So how are we looking for the rest of the week?
Hello, we were struggling to get toward that 20 degree mark in Tokyo as we went through Monday. But check out the high on Tuesday, 31.1 degrees, the highest so far this year. What helped is that the cloud deck associated with a stationary front has moved down toward the South, helped to clear up the skies, so plenty of sunshine. And in fact, we saw a little bit more sun over toward the West as well, even though we're seeing a lot more rain now coming back into the picture. And that'll be the story as you go throughout the latter part of this week. So for those of you in place like on the way down toward Okinawa, even into portions of Kyushu be seeing some rain picking up as we go into Wednesday and we'll see some showers also into the Tokyo region as well. Tokyo looking at temperatures still the warmer side with some sunshine 28 for the high on Wednesday before the rain starts to creep back in. Osaka Naha also seeing some rain as you go through the week with temperatures still on the warmer side as we go forward throughout the next few days. Meanwhile across North America. Huge flow of clouds building up in the central portions of the United States, and that's indicating very unstable weather with severe thunderstorms. And I want to show you some video of just one of the many series of storms we've seen over the past few days. Severe weather swept through the central US, leaving widespread destruction as officials in Texas and Kansas were evaluating the damage on Monday after tornadoes touched down overnight. And that's just days more after more than two dozen people were killed in storms that swept. Parts of the Midwest and South and the footage showing the damage to houses and vehicles as well as fallen trees and electric poles. And part of the issue that has been of concern is also trying to get the word out. Just the warning of staffing shortages have been also a concern with the National Weather Service. And we're looking at more storms for areas toward the east and South from the Ohio River Valley down toward the Deep South as we go through day on Tuesday. So just be weather aware as you go forward in time with these storms popping up, you want to make sure that you're prepared as we go throughout the next couple of days.
Hope you stay safe wherever you are.
♫～
That's it for now on NHK Newsline. I'm Yoko Nishimura in Tokyo. Thanks for joining us.
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