Welcome to NHK Newsline. I'm Ramin Mellegard in Tokyo.
US-CHINA TRADE TALKS BEGIN IN SPAIN
Senior government officials from the United States and China have begun a new round of trade talks in Spain. On the agenda, the deadline for Chinese affiliated video sharing app TikTok to sell its US operations. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Li Feng, who oversees his country's economic policy, are attending.In previous rounds, the US and China slashed additional tariffs they had imposed on each other and suspended some of the tariffs until November as they continue talks. Reuters news agency quoted a US official as saying Sunday's discussions focused on tariff measuresthe economy and TikTok.
The US delegation apparently urged the Chinese side to take action to resolve the TikTok issue. The US side maintains the Chinese owner of TikTok should divest its American operations by September 17.
SIGNS OF WEAKER CHINA ECONOMY ADD TO TRADE WORRIES
Growth in Chinese consumption and industrial production slowed last month, while investment in real estate development fell. The raft of fresh data pointing to a weakening expansion adds to concerns that China-US trade tension could escalate.China's National Bureau of Statistics announced on Monday that growth in retail sales slowed in August to 3.4% from a year earlier, compared with July's 3.7%.
The slowdown is partly driven by budget-conscious consumers eating out less Industrial output expanded 5.2 percent year-on-year, from 5.7 percent in July. Investment in real estate developments tumbled 12.9 percent in the eight months through August, compared with the same period last year.
MACAO HOLDS ELECTION, BEIJING SHUTS OUT PRO-DEMOCRACY CAMP
Macau residents went to the polls on Sunday to choose members of the Legislative Assembly, as Beijing tightened its control over the territory.Macau's Legislative Assembly consists of 33 seats. Fourteen members are elected directly by the public. The region amended its election laws last year, and pro-Beijing officials now determine a candidate's eligibility. Twelve people were disqualified because they did not pledge allegiance to the Macau government. Even moderates elected in the previous election were not able to run this time. Local media reports say 71 candidates competed for the 14 directly elected seats.
That was reportedly the lowest number since Macau was returned to China from Portugal in 1999. Now, after casting his vote, Macau chief executive Sam Hofi said members of the Legislative Assembly must uphold the principle of patriots governing Macau. Sam became chief executive last year. He's the first from mainland China to take up the post. Pro democracy forces have had limited influence in Macau, but China is tightening its grip on the territory as it did in Hong Kong under the same one country, two systems framework.
ISRAEL-HAMAS CONFLICT
ISRAEL ATTACK IN QATAR CONDEMNED AT ARAB-ISLAMIC MEETING
Foreign ministers and other officials from the Arab and Islamic countries have met in Doha to discuss Israel's strike on the Qatari capital.Israeli forces targeted some of Hamas's delegates in last Tuesday's attack.
The delegates were in Doha to talk about a ceasefire with Israel. Five Hamas members and a Qatari security official were killed. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani said on Sunday the attack can only be regarded as state terrorism. He stressed decisive action needs to be taken to halt what he described as Israel's arrogance and its continued perpetration of crimes against humanity.
An Arab-Islamic summit is scheduled to be held on Monday. Now, meanwhile, Israel's prime minister and the US Secretary of State met on Sunday in Jerusalem. Benjamin Netanyahu and Marco Rubio visited a holy Jewish site together. Netanyahu stressed the Secretary's visit as a testament to the strong relationship between the United States and Israel.
RUSSIA, UKRAINE CONTINUE DRONE ATTACKS, RAISING TENSIONS
Ukraine's military has conducted massive drone attacks against Russia after Moscow sent drones into the airspace of Ukrainian neighbors. Concerns are mounting that tensions in the region could rise further.Ukraine's General Staff of the Armed Forces announced on Sunday that drones struck an oil refinery in the northwestern Russian region of Leningrad.
Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, thanked the country's soldiers for inflicting huge losses on Russia.
Russia's defense ministry said its forces had shot down more than 360 Ukrainian drones. The Ukrainian Air Force said the Russians attacked with a missileand more than 50 unmanned aerial vehicles, including drones. Russia came under criticism when its drones intruded into the airspace of Poland on Tuesday and Wednesday last week. Poland shares a border with Ukraine. On Saturday, Romania, which also borders Ukraine, reported that a Russian drone had breached its airspace.
JAPAN, BRAZIL AIM TO QUADRUPLE USE OF SUSTAINABLE FUELS BY 2035
Japan and Brazil have proposed a global goal of boosting the annual use of sustainable fuels fourfold by 2035 to reduce fossil fuel use. The governments of Japan and Brazil held the first ministerial meeting on sustainable fuels.Representatives from more than 30 countries, as well as international organizations, attended.
Efforts by each nation, as well as international and public private cooperation, are essential in expanding the use of their fuels.
Participants discussed how to promote the use of fuels that can lead to decarbonization, such as biofuels and hydrogen. They confirmed the importance of expanding the use of sustainable fuels for automobiles, including hybrid engines. They also agreed each country should try to promote such fuels based on their own circumstances. The results of the meeting are expected to be presented at November's COP 30 UN Climate Change Conference in Brazil.♫～
And those are the top stories for this hour.
♫～ 3-DAY FORECAST ～♫
PEOPLE IN NORTHEASTERN JAPAN ENJOY GIANT TARO STEW
People at an annual outdoor event in Japan's northeastern prefecture of Yamagata have enjoyed a traditional treat. They feasted on a taro root stew cooked in a giant pot. The local autumn delicacy was cooked in a six and a half meter wide pot on a dry riverbed in Yamagata city on Sunday. More than three tons of taro, around 3,500 green onions, and over one ton of beef were put into the pot. It was enough for about 40,000 servings. Cooks stirred the stew, seasoned with soy sauce and sugar. Two excavators were used to scoop up the stew and was put into smaller containers. It was then served to visitors.It was cool how they scooped it up. I wonder who came up with the idea to use such a huge pot.
And that's a wrap for this edition of NHK Newsline. I'm Ramin Mellegard. Thank you very much for joining us.
Easy Japanese
Hi there. It's time for NHK World Japan's Easy Japanese. I'm Mary Kokojima. And I'm Michael Reese. Let's have fun learning Japanese together. Now, today we'll be bringing you Lesson 25 on saying you're not feeling well.
The main character in our skit is Tam, a student from Vietnam who lives in Harusan House. She's been relaxing in the living room, but something seems to be wrong.
Listen to the skit for Lesson 25.
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.
.
Now let's go over the skit line by line.
Haru-san is on the living room table.
She's equipped with a sensor that detects problems, so her cheeks start to glow pale blue.
Tam, you look pale.
What's wrong?Tam coughs and says, My throat hurts. Haru-san says,Oh, ohh dear. Haru-san gives her some advice.
In times like these, ginger honey tea may help. Miya says, Kaito is making you some now.
Then Kaito brings Tam the ginger honey tea. Already, Tam.
Here you go. Miya says to Tam, .
Take care. Now, ginger honey tea is made by pouring hot water over grated ginger and honey. It's said to work on sore throats and coughs.
Poor Tam. Let's hope she gets bettersoon.
Today's key phrase is, My throat hurts.
If you learn this pattern, you'll be able to say what's wrong with you when you're not feeling well. First, look at the meaning of the key phrase. Nodo is throat. The ga that follows is a particle that indicates the part where you're feeling pain.
Itaindesu means it hurts.
Today's point is contained within itaindesu, that is, N-desu. When you want to explain to someone that you're not feeling well, you add n-desu to the end of the sentence.
Itai-indesu is made-up of the i-adjective, itai, which means hurt, followed by n-desu. In today's kit, Tam used it to explain her condition to Haru-san. Now, listen and repeat.
Itai-indesu.
Listen to a conversation about other health problems.
Let's review the conversation.
What's wrong?This is a phrase used to ask about someone's condition. Do is an interrogative meaning how or what. Try to memorize the whole phrase. Atama gaitai in desu. My head hurts.
Atama means head. Atama gaitai means My head hurts.
Netsuga arundesu. I have a fever.
Netsu means fever and aru is a verb meaning to have.
Netsunga aru. Means to have a fever. As you can see in this case, not only adjectives, but verbs can also come before N desu.
Repeat the answer after listening to the conversation.
Nusitandesuka atama gaitain desu.
Netsuna arundesu.
Now, what would you say if your stomach hurts?Stomach is...
Onaka. Onaka.
And hurts is... Itai.
Itai. Right?Go ahead.
Onakaga itain desu.
Onakaga itain desu.
How about if you were feeling sick from motion sickness?Feeling sick is kimochi gawarui.
Kimochi gawarui. Now give it a try.
Kimochi gawarui in desu.
Kimochi gawarui in desu.
OK, now you can explain what's wrong when you're feeling sick.
Today's bonus phrase is this line by Mia.
She said it to Tam, who was not feeling well. Memorize it and make it yours.
Odaishini means take care.
It's a phrase you use with someone who's ill or has been injured, hoping that person will get some rest and feel better soon. Listen to how various people say it.
Now it's your turn. Listen and repeat.
Now let's listen to today's skit one more time.
Tom-san, . Ohh Oh yeah, oh yeah. Son-nataki niwa.
Shoga hachimitsu ugai desu. Tom-san, .
Next up, Harusan's bag full of advice. Today, what to do if you get sick in Japan.
Michael, how about you?What would you do if you got sick here?Well, it would depend really on the symptoms. If it's not too serious, I'd probably buy something at a drugstore. When the symptoms are not too serious, drugstores are convenient. If you describe your symptoms, such as my stomach hurts or I have a fever, the pharmacist will show you some over-the-counter medicines. What if you have to go see a doctor?Well, you should find a clinic or a hospital that has the right kind of doctors who can treat your symptoms. After an examination, the doctor will give you a prescription. You can take that to the drugstore to be filled. The website of the Japan National Tourism Organization has a list of medical institutions that are prepared to accept international tourists, such as by offering information in various languages. To access the site, search for safe travels in Japan JNTO. You might want to bookmark it for reference, and you can also find nearby institutions by asking at the tourist information centers and hotel reception desks.
In case of emergencies, however, dial 119 on the phone and ask for an ambulance. Yes, that's 119.
Please remember that number, although I do hope you never need it.
We hope you enjoyed today's easy Japanese. Please join us again.
the Great Buddha of Kamakura
Japan has various kinds of landmarks that fascinate visitors. They range from cultural and historic locations to modern buildings created with cutting-edge technologies. What led to their creation and what were the challenges involved?The Backstory of Japanese Landmarks brings you the stories behind these amazing places. In this episode of The Backstory of Japanese Landmarks, we feature the Great Buddha of Kamakura.
Kamakura is a popular tourist destination located near Tokyo. It's about a one-hour train ride from the capital. One of Kamakura's landmarks is the Great Buddha.
As its name suggests, the Great Buddha is a colossal copper statue of Amitaba Buddha. It was built as the principal deity of Jodo-sek Temple, Kotokuin. The Buddha is nicknamed Rozano Daibutsu, meaning the Great Buddha sitting out in the open. It's a national treasure of Japan.
From central Kamakura, the train ride and walk to Kotoku-in temple takes about 15 minutes. After passing through the temple's gate, the grand statue of Buddha comes into view.
The Buddha sits in a Zen meditation posture and is over 11 meters tall.
Kamakura was the seat of Japan's feudal government from the end of the 12th century to the early 14th century.
The construction of the Great Buddha began during this period in 1252, almost 800 years ago.
Today, the statue is covered with verdigris, a bright green substance that forms on oxidized copper.
A closer look reveals slight traces of gold leaf. Indicating that the statue was originally gilded. The great Buddha was made by copper casting.
It's a manufacturing method of melting copper and pouring it into a mold.
But creating a statue that's over 11 meters high wasn't easy at the time, and it wasn't possible to melt over 120 tons of copper in one go. So the metal was cast in 40 sections.
This is why joints can be seen on the statue's surface. The Buddha is hollow. The statue has two windows on its back. After the statue was completed, the inner mold was removed through these openings. Today, the windows let in light and air.
The Buddha was enshrined when it was first built, but over time the hall was damaged by earthquakes and typhoons.
A tsunami at the end of the 15th century swept it away, leaving the Buddha exposed to the open air. The temple was also abandoned for a certain period, but was restored in the early 18th century. After a period in which Japan secluded itself from the rest of the world, the Yokohama port near Kamakura was opened for foreign trade in 1859. Following this, many foreigners are said to have visited the Great Buddha of Kamakura.
Built nearly eight centuries ago, the Great Buddha of Kamakura has a magnificenceThat continues to captivate people.
Thank you for tuning in to the back story 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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