at 18:00 (JST), October 04

 

20251004180000_english_1.mp3

Welcome to Education Newsline. I'm Ramin Mellegard in Tokyo.

BREAKING NEWS
TAKAICHI ELECTED AS NEW LDP LEADER

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party officially has a new leader. Former Economic Security Minister Takaichi Sanae was elected by members on Saturday. She's the first woman to ever lead the party.

Instead of just celebrating, I know the real challenge starts now. I believe there is a mountain of work ahead, and we must tackle it together with everyone's support. With all of you, I will strive to fire up the LDP and make it a positive party, which turns people's anxieties into hope.
Pointing to how the LDP has lost numbers in the diet, she said everyone in the party should work tirelessly and she will strive to work even more.
She said she would remove the term work-life balance from her vocabulary. Five candidates ran for the top spot in the first round.

1ST ROUND OF VOTING
TAKAICHI - 183 ,KOIZUMI - 164 ,HAYASHI - 134 .KOBAYASHI - 59 ,MOTEGI - 49

Former Economic Security Minister Takaichi Sanae got 183 votes. Agriculture Minister Koizumi Shinjiro got 164. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Yoshimasa got 134. Former Economic Security Minister Kobayashi Takayuki got 59. Now the party's former Secretary General Motegi Toshimitsu got 49.

BREAKING NEWS
TAKAICHI BECOMES 1ST WOMAN TO LEAD LDP

Takaichi and Koizumi then went to head-to-head in a runoff, with Takaichi emerging victorious with 185 votes to Koizumi's 156. Next, she'll be facing a vote in the Diet. The lower and upper houses decide who becomes Prime Minister.
The ruling coalition currently lacks a majority in either house, but it's unclear if the opposition parties will rally behind an alternative.
If Takaichi wins that vote, she will make history as the first woman to become Japan's Prime Minister. This was her third time running for party leadership. A former television anchor, she made the leap into Japanese politics in 1993, winning her lower house seat as an independent. She represents her home prefecture of Nara.
She joined the LDP in 1996 and 1st entered the cabinet under late Prime Minister Abe Shinzo in 2006. She served as the Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs. She later became the first woman to chair the LDP's Policy Research Council. Takaichi went on to become the Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications. She stayed in the role for a record 1,438 days. She was later appointed Minister for Economic Security, where she established the security clearance system to better protect sensitive information. 

ISRAELI MILITARY FORCES ORDERED TO SUSPEND GAZA CITY OPERATION

The Israeli government has reportedly told its military forces to halt their operations in Gaza City. Local health officials say over 66,000 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip, and the focus is now on whether a ceasefire will be reached.
Israeli military radio report on Saturday that the country's political leadership has instructed its forces to take only a defensive stance in Gaza in the Palestinian enclave. This comes as the Islamic group Hamas has released a statement saying it will release all Israeli hostages. It says Hamas submitted to mediators a response to the plan put forth by US President Donald Trump. Trump announced a 20-point ceasefire plan this week, and he said on social media that the deal must be reached by 6:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on Sunday.

US GOVT. SHUTDOWN STRETCHES TO THIRD DAY

The shutdown of the US federal government has stretched into a third straight day, and Republican and Democratic lawmakers are keeping blame on each other for the deadlock.
Senators returned to the Capitol on a Friday to try once again to break the impasse, but their proposals failed to reach the necessary 60 votes.
Democrats are seeking to include an extension of insurance benefits, but Republicans claim that will restore health care to undocumented immigrants. The Trump administration has been expanding  pressure on Democrats have passed the budget bill. The Office of Management and Budget says it's put on hold $2.1 billion for an infrastructure project in Chicago.
The office had previously paused or canceled funding in Democratic strongholds, including California and New York. That money was for infrastructure and green energy projects. White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt blamed the Democrats for holding the American people hostage.

The Office of Management and Budget, as we've said repeatedly, is working with the the agencies and our cabinet secretaries to identify where cuts, unfortunately, can and have to be made.

Levitt says that if the Democrats did the right thing, the shutdown would be over.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries shot back. He says Republicans don't want to reopen the government.

This is day three of the Trump shutdown, but it's day 257 of the chaos that Donald Trump and his administration and Republicans have been inflicting on the American people, including mass firings that they've already done outside of a government shutdown. 

He says the president has been behaving in a deeply unserious manner.

US: 4TH NARCO-TRAFFICKING VESSEL STRUCK OFF VENEZUELA

US President Donald Trump says US forces have struck another vessel off Venezuela that was allegedly carrying drugs to America. The four crew members on board reportedly died.
Trump wrote on social media on Friday that the boat was in waters off the coast of Venezuela. His post was accompanied by the video showing a moving boat engulfed in flames after an explosion. In a separate post, US Defense Secretary Pete Hexeth said that four what he called narco terrorists were killed in the attack that took place in international waters. It was the fourth such strike by the US military in the past month. A total of 21 people have been killed. Heg Seth said the strikes will continue until, in his words, the attacks on the American people are over. Experts have raised concerns about the legality of the strikes. US media reported the Trump administration has told Congress that the country is in an armed conflict with drug cartels. Observers say the administration is apparently trying to justify the strikes by US forces without due legal process by labeling the crew of boats allegedly carrying drugs as combatants.

DRONE SIGHTINGS FORCE TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF MUNICH AIRPORT

And drone sightings around Germany's Munich airport have forced it to close temporarily, affecting about 3,000 passengers.
The airport's official website reported several drones were spotted on Thursday night, causing facility to close through Friday morning and cancel 17 flights. German Federal Minister of the Interior Alexander Dobrin said details of the incident are not known, including the number of drones. He also said it is necessary to upgrade drone defense technology and pool expertise at the European level in cooperation with partners from Israel and Ukraine. The minister added he will raise the issue at a meeting of EU interior ministers scheduled for Saturday. Late last month, airports in Denmark and Norway would close temporarily after drone sightings around the facilities.
Other European countries, including Poland, have reported incursions by Russian military. Drones.

Weather

Here's a 3D forecast for selected cities around the globe.

♫～　3-DAY FORECAST　～♫

That's a wrap for this edition of NHK Newsline. I'm Ramin Mellegard. Thank you very much for joining us.