HEAT WAVE INTENSIFIES THROUGHOUT JAPAN
A major heat wave continues to bake Japan this week. From Hokkaido in the north to Kyushu in the south, the mercury hit dangerous levels Tuesday.It was very hot. I'm relieved to be in the shade right now.
The Meteorological Agency says a high pressure system was near Japan, pushing up temperatures throughout the archipelago. The mercury topped 38 degrees Celsius in many places.
Authorities issued heat stroke alerts for some areas, including those in Tokyo and Hokkaido. The Hokkaido Board of Education announced around a dozen school closures in the towns of Nakashibetsu and Shibetsu in the northeastern part of the prefecture. People were advised to use air conditioners appropriately, consume adequate amounts of water and salt, and rest frequently while doing outdoor activities to prevent heatstroke.
Meanwhile, extremely unstable atmospheric conditions led to heavy rain north of Tokyo Tuesday afternoon. It was due to the rising temperatures meeting a cold air mass. Officials are urging people to be on the alert for flooding in low lying areas. There could also be mudslides, swollen rivers, lightning strikes, tornadoes and hail.
SOME LDP MEMBERS REJECT ISHIBA'S PLEDGE TO STAY IN OFFICE
Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru has pledged to stay in office after his ruling coalition lost its majority in the upper house in Sunday's election. The disappointing results have stirred calls from inside his Liberal Democratic Party for him to step down as party leader.We must listen carefully to the voices of the people and fulfill our responsibility as the leading party in the upper house.
as well as our responsibility to the people of the country to prevent politics from becoming stalled or from falling into disarray.
The LDP and its coalition partner, Koh Maito, secured 47 of the seats up for grabs. That was below the 50 they needed to maintain a majority. It's the first time in the LDP's 70-year history for it to lead a coalition that does not control either house. Upper house lawmaker Ao Yamashige Haru has called for Ishiba to resign.
How can the Ishiba administration negotiate with the strong Trump administration on behalf of Japan after it was denied by voters in both houses of the Diet? One of the party's prefectural chapters plans to demand that Ishiba step down as party leader. Former Economic Security Minister Kobayashi Takayuki says Ishiba, as head of the party, needs to take responsibility for the election results.
But Kobayashi also says party members should not pull each other down.
The LDP is planning a meeting of its lawmakers in both chambers of the Diet.
Executives want to gain support for Ishiba staying in office amid tariff negotiations with the US.
OPPOSITION PARTIES ON ISHIBA'S FUTURE, WHAT'S NEXT
The opposition parties are also chiming in on the Prime Minister's future and their next steps. Here's what some of the key figures have to say.
My impression is that he is ignoring public opinion and intends to stay where he is. In that sense, Shiba's pledge to stay in office is not convincing at all.
I once again feel we must continue to take a tough stand against the Yeshiva administration. As for a no confidence motion, I would say we are not in the stage of responding with preconceived notions. I think the election result, with the ruling coalition losing its majority, is favorable for us in terms of implementing our policies. We've always conducted politics on a case by case basis. We should push on issues where other parties can agree with us, no matter if they're from the ruling parties or the opposition. That, I believe, is the mission of politicians. It's hard for me to imagine nobody taking any responsibility for the election result.
The Yeshiba administration has been giving the coal shoulder to proposals for reducing income and residents taxes, as well as removing the provisional tax rate on gasoline. We would like to keep promoting those ideas, and I believe that other opposition parties and some in the ruling parties will agree.
If I were in that position, I would step down. Perhaps it is not our place to say anything about personnel matters in other parties. We will prioritize how to organize and structure our party. Our positioning and our negotiations with other parties will be a secondary consideration. The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan is the largest opposition party. It has dismissed the idea of forming a grand coalition with the ruling parties.
We will work closely with other opposition parties as much as possible and continue to face off against the LDP Kometo coalition.
HOW SANSEITO USED SOCIAL MEDIA TO RESONATE WITH VOTERS
One opposition party in particular has grabbed a lot of attention, Sanseito.
Its catchphrase, Japanese first, helped it grow from two seats to 15.
Let's take a look at how they got that message to voters.
The party held a rally in Tokyo after its big election game.
If the public were asked who is more suitable to be Prime Minister between Shiba and Kamiya, I think most people would probably pick Sanseito leader Kamiya. The biggest reason I voted for the party is its slogan, Japanese first.
Many Sanseito supporters say they learned about the party via social media.
My friends recommended the party to me, so I started watching its YouTube videos.
As of July 3rd, the party had 210 politicians, including elected officials and candidates. More than 90% of them used their social media accounts to spread posts about Sanseito.
Supporters have also done the same.
This one posts political videos under the name Sagawa. He has more than 100,000 subscribers on YouTube.
I thought it would be a good idea to cover Sanseito as it has attracted a lot of attention rapidly. I'm glad that my business is doing well and I hope it makes people become more interested in the election. Starting around May, the number of video clips created by third parties increased substantially.
This month alone, Sanseito related videos were viewed 155 million times. One social media expert says despite being small and relatively new, the party succeeded at harnessing the Internet.
People on social media, who weren't really politically active before, seemingly spread Sanseito's message.
The party's campaign likely attracted people who were not very interested in politics before.
He says right now it's possible to profit from online videos about politics, even during elections. He says addressing that would createa healthier ecosystem overall.
LESSONS FOR THE LDP: UPPER HOUSE LOSS MARKS MAJOR SHIFT
For more, we're joined by Kikuyama Kengo, an HK World's political correspondent. So Kengo, the LDP felt a drop in support as Sanseito received a surge.Were these connected?Well, it seems they were linked for a few reasons. As we saw, Sanseito appeared to benefit from this grassroots online campaign, but that's not all. For one, even though it's a relative newcomer on the national stage, the party already has about 100 elected members in local assemblies across Japan. So this allowed it to match the outreach of bigger parties. Sanseto's leadership also skews younger.
One of the LDP's big issues this election was that it appears to represent the old guard of Japanese politics. This put them at the disadvantage with young voters and those unsatisfied with the status quo. We can look at the exit polling around which party people chose to vote for through proportional representation. About twice as many people in their teens to their 30s selected Sansseto compared to those who picked LDP.
The new party also did better among independents. 15% of voters with no affiliation went for Sanseto, compared to the 12% who supported LDP. Finally, Sanseto's Japanese-first slogan was controversial, but it also seemed to have struck a chord, especially with people who are politically conservative. Some critics saythe party promotes exclusionary or divisive rhetoric at a time when there are record numbers of foreign residents and tourists in Japan.
We'll see what happens now that Sanseto has more seeds in the diet. And we'll have to see what kind of lessons the LDP learns to rebuild its younger support base for next time. Let's shift gears a bit now. The ruling coalition is in a challenging spot, and we know that Ishiba is facing some pressure. So should we expect a change at the top? Normally, if a prime minister lost majorities in both houses of the Diet less than a year into their tenure, you might expect them to resign. But these are not normal times.
That's thanks in part to US President Donald Trump's tariffs. These are set to kick in on August 1st.
Japanese imports are set to receive a 25% tariff. So Ishiba's administration is racing to get the deal. His chief trade negotiator flew to Washington on Monday to continue talks with his US counterparts. Ishiba also said he hopes to meet with Trump as soon as possible in hopes they can come to an agreement.
Tariff talks aside, Ishiba has also made no indication he's ready to leave. Instead, he wants to make the best of a bad situation. He says he want to work with the opposition parties to reach a consensus with them on policies that would tackle things like the rising prices.
The question is which opposition parties will be willing to collaborateAnd will his party accept this strategy? Only time will tell. Yes, interesting times ahead. Thanks for this, Kengo. NHK World's political correspondent, Kikuyama Kengo.
BUSINESS
And now let's see what's happening in the world of business. Here's Ramin Mellegard from the Biz Desk.Thank you very much indeed.
NIKKEI 225 BRIEFLY TOPS 40,000 IN POST-ELECTION TRADING
Now, Tokyo's benchmark stock index briefly regained the 40,000 mark in the first trading day after Japan's upper house election on Sunday. Now, investors widely viewed the outcome as within expectations, but the Nikkei 225 ended the day slightly down. The index closed on Tuesday at 39,774 to lose 0.1%. Monday was a national holiday in Japan. The benchmark gained more than 450 points or 1.1% at one stage, but it later lost steam as many traders locked in profits. Meanwhile, investors bought the yen against the dollar in the wake of Japan's election.The dollar briefly traded at the lower 147 yen level.
Analysts say investors foresaw no major political upheaval after Prime Minister Ishibashige expressed his intention to stay in office. But with some voices calling for Ishiba to resign, the analysts say there may be a period of volatility ahead.
ANALYST: MARKET DIRECTION DEPENDS ON JAPAN'S FISCAL POLICY
And one analyst says market direction will likely depend on what fiscal measures Japan's government implements.The ruling coalition has lost its majority in the diet, so it now has to consider the opinions of opposition parties in parliamentary sessions. Many of them have pledged to cut the consumption tax, so that may stoke concern among market participants about. Japan's fiscal deterioration.
This could in turn weaken the yen against the dollar, and pressure on yields for long-term Japanese government bonds could remain, especially for super-long bonds.
Ichigawa adds that investors apparently see Prime Minister Ishiba staying in office and negotiating tariffs with the US as a positive because it indicates stability.
KANSAI ELECTRIC TO RESTART SURVEYS ON BUILDING NEW REACTOR
The operator of a nuclear power plant in central Japan says it will resume on site survey. toward constructing a next-generation reactor within the facility. If built, it would be the first new reactor in Japan after the 2011 Fukushima Daichi accident.Kansai Electric Power Company announced the plan for geological and other studies at the Mihama plant in Fukui Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast.
We will seek the understanding of local communities and continue to promote the nuclear power generation business. Now, in 2010, Kansai Electric started voluntary surveys toward replacing an aging reactor at the plant, but they were suspended after the Fukushima Daiichi crisis the following year. 2 reactors at Mihama were decommissioned in 2015. The utilities latest move comes as the government approved a new basic energy plan that calls for maximum use of nuclear power along with renewables.
The government had been trying to reduce dependency on nuclear energy as much as possible after the 2011 accident. A geological survey is the first step for the construction of a new reactor, but Kansai Electric says it will not decide on the rebuilding work solely on the results of the upcoming studies.
JAPAN CARMAKERS DEVELOPING RARE-EARTH RECYCLING TECHNOLOGY
Nissan Motor is developing technology with Waseda University to recycle rare earth metals from magnets in scrapped electric vehicle motors. The project has taken on a new urgency since China announced in April it will restrict exports of rare earths.The process involves melting the motor in an electric furnace. with other chemicals to separate off the rare earths. The metals are essential to manufacturing EVs. A Nissan engineer says a technical challenge is to increase the amount of rare earths they can recycle from the magnets.
We hope to have the system in practical use for when more scrapped electric motors are available. That is expected to be around 2030.
Toyota Motor is also testing a technology to recycle rare earths from hybrid car motors.
JAPANESE RETAILERS STEP UP AI USE TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCY
Retailers in Japan are using artificial intelligence to improve efficiency as they face labor shortages. AI is helping to place orders and manage inventory. The Family Mart convenience store chain introduced AI at about 500 nationwide outlets in June. The technology analyzes sales over the past year, people flow and weather to recommend purchase orders for each store.Family Mart uses a system for placing orders for bread, sandwiches, onigiri, rice balls and other products. Officials say the system cuts in half the time needed for placing orders and reduces out-of-stock rates by about 4%.
The company says it may introduce the technology at more outlets. A Family Mart official says AI can make calculations from large amounts of data at speeds beyond human capabilities. We want to use AI and digital technology for efficiency and labor-saving efforts.
In addition, we hope to increase the profitability of our stores by optimizing purchase orders in terms of quantity and quality. Retail giant EON is also using AI to on price to decide on price discounts for packaged meals and fresh foods at supermarkets.
KNITTING MAKES A COMEBACK AMONG JAPANESE YOUTH
Now there's a hot new trend snagging the youth of Japan, knitting. Spurred on by social media buzz, Generation Z is taking up the hobby.They're going beyond the usual sweaters and scarfs and putting their own spin on the industry.
Show us what you've knitted.
It's cute, and I feel relaxed makingthem.
I'm busy, but I enjoy knitting because I can forget about things and just focus on it.
This high school student made a bouquet of flowers for a friend after seeing a video on social media.
I did this in about two days. Since they're not real, they'll last and I can make my own original design.
This handicraft store started seeing a surge in young customers last fall.
Its sales of yarn and needles in May were up more than 50% compared to a year ago.
well I'm surprised by the number of young shoppers. I hear the store hasn't seen anything like it in 40 years. The shop even changed its products to cater to the new customer base. Instead of selling large quantities of the same yarn in bags, it separated them into individual units, since young people are making smaller items.
Sample creations have also been put on display, with information about what's needed to knit them. I want to help young people create fashionable items at a reasonable price.
The knitting craze got its start, in large part, thanks to pop star Miyawaki Sakura, a Japanese member of the Korean group Lute Seraphim. Her handmade creations trended on social media,Especially among Generation Z, the boom has also seen a surge in knitting clubs.
They bring together young beginners and veterans, creating community across generations. as they share trends and techniques.
Local businesses like this hotel are capitalizing on the trend. It has started hosting knitting meets that have drawn in new customers.
Participants only pay for food and drink and can stay as long as they like.
It's a way for me to reward myself.
Everyone is knitting all kinds of things, so it's even fun just to watch.
About 100 guests come to the hotel to knit every month.
For many of the people joining the knitting club, it's their first time to come to the hotel. It's proven to be a great way to appeal to new customers.
And that is it for business news.
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WAR IN UKRAINE
RUSSIA LAUNCHES HEAVY STRIKES ON UKRAINE
Russia launched a heavy assault on Ukraine with missiles and drones overnight. Officials in Kiev say the strikes killed one person and injured nine others.Ukrainian Air Force officials say Russia launched more than 20 missiles and nearly 430 drones. They've seen drone damage and debris in multiple locations.
The attack also damaged a subway station in a central area. Locals nearby say they remain anxious about the attacks. One woman says she doesn't put much hope in a peace deal before the 50-day deadline that the US president has given Moscow.
The direct talks with Russia probably won't lead to any solution. If there's 50 days, places like train stations could be gone. And one shop owner says he must repair his store again. It's the third time this year to have damage.
Ukraine has proposed holding a new round of direct ceasefire talks with Russia, and Moscow is responding positively.
But Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov says the draft memorandums on a peace treaty from both sides are diametrically opposed, and he notes a lot of diplomatic work remains to be done. He also mentions that Russian President Vladimir Putin is prepared to meet Trump if they both visit China at the same time.
Putin's trip is planned for late August to early September.
POLICE PROBE ALLEGED CHEATING SCHEME ON ENGLISH TEST
Tokyo police are investigating what appears to be a systematic cheating scheme on English proficiency tests.
Police served a fourth arrest warrant to Wang Li Keng, a 27-year-old graduate student at Kyoto University. His alleged actions have included using a false name to take the test of English for International Communication, or TOEIC.
The Chinese national has reportedly remained silent during police questioning. Officials believe one tried to give answers to other examinees through smart glasses and a small microphone. hidden under his face mask.
Police say test takers allegedly received earphones measuring three millimeters across, a pendant-type repeater, and a video guide in advance. They suspect others may have collaborated in the scheme.
Good afternoon.
WEATHER
Now it's time for us to check the weather with our meteorologist, Jonathan Oh.So Jonathan, we've been talking about this heat wave that's been hitting all the way across north to Japan. How are things looking for Wednesday?
Hello, we're been, we've been talking about the heat over the past couple of days where temperatures have been moving into the mid to upper 30s here in Japan, up in Hokkaido, temperature high at Shibetsu 35.2 degrees.
That's hot. And also over into a western Japan, some locations getting close to 40 degrees. And I don't really have good news for you. We're going to be seeing mid-30s for a good portion of Japan, some areas maybe even upper 30s for Wednesday.
If you want to cool down, down here at Okinawa, a high of 32. And so, folks, this is serious heat. Make sure that if you can, take frequent breaks. Stay hydrated. If you can get into air-conditioned space, do so, because this kind of heat, especially with the sunshine on top of you, it can get really serious very quickly. Meanwhile, we're talking about some serious rainfall down towards Southeast Asia as we have one tropical system that's moved on land, with another one that's moving across the northern portions of the Philippines and is enhancing the monsoonal flow. So heavy rainfall will continue to be a story in both of these locations as you go throughout the next couple of days.
Meanwhile, across Europe, southern areas, it's hot and it's dry. Here's some video that's coming out from the area to give you an idea of the situation on the ground. It's been sizzling hot around the Mediterranean and it's been causing plenty of problems. Northwestern Turkey, hundreds of firefighters have been battling wildfires in forested areas on Sunday, so that's been a real problem.
And then over to the West on the island of Sicily, a strong heat wave hit on Monday, temperatures soaring over 40 degrees Celsius for daytime highs and excessive heat just. People trying to find some shade and some respite from that as well. High pressure continues to be the big Donald story down to the South. Highs topping off near 40 in Athens, 35 in Istanbul. A little bit cooler though to the north with some showers as we go through today on Tuesday.
Stay safe wherever you are.
Thanks for watching.
