UNIVERSITY OF OSAKA CELEBRATES SAKAGUCHI'S NOBEL PRIZE
The University of Osaka is celebrating the awarding of the Nobel Prize to scientist Sakakuchi Shimon, who serves there as a specially appointed professor.A day after winning the prize, Sakakuchi was greeted with applause at the university. The professor posed for a photograph with his wife, Noriko.
It is very important to pass on knowledge and research methods, even if they may be intangible. I hope students studying here will grow in such an environment.
A medical school student said it was touching to see Sakaguchi win the Nobel Prize.
I applied and came to University of Osaka because of Professor Sakaguchi, and then had honor to witnessing him receiving the Nobel Prize as his student. It really inspired us to keep moving forward with strong motivation.
Sakaguchi and two American scientists were named winners of this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on Monday. They were honored for their discovery of regulatory T-cells, which suppress overreacting immune cells.
WHO: E-CIGARETTE USERS WORLDWIDE TOP 100 MIL
The World Health Organization says more than 100 million people across the world are estimated to be using electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes.The organization on Monday released its first report on e-cigarette use. The report says it's more common in higher income countries as categorized by the World Bank. It also says nearly 15,000,000 adolescents aged 13 to 15 are believed to be e-cigarette users, but the actual number is likely higher. The report adds that in countries where both sets of data are available, these adolescents are on average using the products nine times more than adults.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adanom Gebryeses expressed concern that the tobacco industry is aggressively targeting young people with new nicotine products, despite countries' efforts to control their use.
ISRAEL-HAMAS CONFLICT
INDIRECT TALKS UNDERWAY AS CONFLICT REACHES 2-YEAR MARK
It's been two years since the Israel-Hamas conflict began, and both sides have taken a step toward possibly ending the fighting. They started indirect negotiations Monday on the US president's cease-fire proposal for the Gaza Strip.Donald Trump has expressed confidence that Israel and Hamas can reach a deal soon.
I think Hamas now has been, all I can say is they've been fine. They've been fine. I hope it's going to continue that way.
The talks are happening in Egypt. The topics are believed to include the Islamic group's agreement to release the hostages and the partial withdrawal of Israeli troops. Trump announced his 20-point plan last week.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he'd support it. The plan says that if both sides agree to the proposal, the war will immediately end and that all military operations will be suspended. It also stipulates that Hamas must return all the hostages living and dead within 72 hours after Israel publicly accepts the agreement.
Hamas has not made clear its stance on Trump's proposal of disarmament, as it would threaten the group's veryexistence.
Meantime, the Israel Defense Forces continue their attacks on the Gaza Strip, saying they are eliminating terrorist cells. Local health officials say the death toll in the enclave since the conflict began has surpassed 67,000.
Hamas led the massive surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The group killed about 1,200 people and abducted more than 250. Hamas still has 48 hostages.
GROWING PRESSURE IN ISRAEL TO END THE CONFLICT
Israeli leaders have faced significant criticism over their response to the conflict, including from within their own country. We explore some of the issues being raised in this next report.
Calls for a cease-fire are growing in Israel. So too the number of people who have been involved in the conflict.
Thank you so much.
Max Kresch has been called up twice to serve as a medic, but he says he's decided that he will not respond to future calls. He says that the continued expansion of the Israeli operation shows a disregard for the lives of the hostages.
I would say it's. You know, I see it as a as an imperative, not just as a citizen, but also as a soldier, to call on others to refuse today. The vast majority in Israel very much wants a ceasefire.
Kresh questions the motives of the prime minister. I think it's become very clear that Netanyahu is, he's acting on personal political interest over the national interest. And for that reason, I have been saying for a very long time, it is unreasonable for us to be. It's illegitimate for us to be continuing this war under Netanyahu's leadership.
While there have been two ceasefires between Israel and Hamas, talks to end the fighting have repeatedly stalled. Israeli journalist Bar Peleg says there are reasons on both sides. A poll from last month shows that about 60% of people in Israel want the hostages brought back, but about 30% want Hamas dismantled, showing that there are still many people who are hardline supporters.
We can see that there is a part of the Israeli society that doesn't want to end the war. These are Netanyahu's allies from the coalition, Ben Gvir, Smotrich, and they're strong and they're holding Netanyahu. Because they're saying if the war will end, then this coalition will end and the government will fall down. I think that more and more people in the Israeli public understand that this war is continuing because of political reasons.
Peleg says two major things are at play, October 7 and Netanyahu's issues in court.
This is what is really problematic about a Prime Minister that is being accused in criminal affairs and still being a Prime Minister. And he plays on time. He wants to stay in power while he's being accused on his criminal affairs. If Israel will end the war, probably his coalition, his government, will collapse, will break down.
The worry is even if one conflict ends, another kind could be right around the corner.
WAR IN UKRAINE
UKRAINE MEDIA: CHINESE SATELLITES MAY HAVE AIDED RUSSIAN ATTACK
Ukrainian media reports say Russia's military may have used data from Chinese satellites to guide a recent mass missile and drone attack on western Ukraine.The Ukrainian Air Force says Russian forces launched more than 50 missiles and about 500 drones overnight on Saturday.
Most of them targeted the western region of Lviv. At least five people were killed in the strikes. Ukrainian military media outlet Militarny says at least three Chinese reconnaissance satellites flew over the Lviv region during the attack. It reported that the satellites made a total of nine passes over the area.
Ukraine's national news agency quoted a foreign intelligence service official as saying there was evidence of a high level of cooperation between Russia and China over satellite reconnaissance.
Militari reported that China's official position is that the satellites are used for scientific experiments and other peaceful purposes.
WAR IN UKRAINE
IAEA: SHELLING HEARD AROUND ZAPORIZHZHIA NUCLEAR PLANT
Staying with the Ukraine conflict, the International Atomic Energy Agency says its team at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine has heard incoming and outgoing shellfire near the site. The United Nations nuclear watchdog said in a statement the sound of shelling was heard between around 2 p.m. and 3:30 local time on Monday. The Zaporizhia plant is occupied by Russian forces.
The IAEA said the plant has been without external power since it was cut about two weeks ago. That's the longest period since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began.
The nuclear watchdog said the plant is now using emergency diesel generators to provide electricity.
IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi expressed concern that the nuclear safety and security situation at Zaporizhia is not improving. The statement quoted him as saying the risks are growing.
Grossi said he is continuing to engage with Russia and Ukraine in order to restore off-site power to the plant as soon as possible.
SEARCH ENDS FOR INDONESIA SCHOOL COLLAPSE VICTIMS
Disaster management authorities in Indonesia say the search has ended for people trapped under the rubble of a collapsed Islamic boarding school. More than 60 people have been confirmed dead.The building in East Java Province suddenly gave way on September 29 trapping many students under the rubble.
The authorities say they have been unable to make contact with two people still unaccounted for and are trying to establish their whereabouts.
Investigators say work was underway to extend the building when it collapsed.
They also say the structure's foundation may not have been strong enough. Local media have quoted officials as saying many Islamic boarding schools in Indonesia were built without construction permits. The government reportedly plans to inspect the buildings to ensure their safety.
LDP LAUNCHES NEW PARTY LEADERSHIP
Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party has officially launched its new leadership team following Takaichi Sana's election as party president.Takaichi was chosen as LDP president last week. On Tuesday, she named the party's new executives.
I would like to turn the public's anxiety about their lives and future into hope and dreams. We will work hard with that in mind.
Takaichi appointed the chairperson for the party's general counsel, Suzuki Shinichi, to the key management post of Secretary General. For the post of General Counsel Chairperson, Takaichi named Upper House member Arimura Haruko. For the position of Policy Research Council Chairperson, Takaichi picked former Economic Security Minister Kobayashi Takayuki. He was one of the contenders in the party's leadership race. She chose Furuya Keiji, a fellow LDP lawmaker, to serve as Election Strategy Committee Chairperson. The appointments were approved at an extraordinary general council meeting.
Meanwhile, senior officials from the opposition camp have held talks. They confirmed that they will call on the government and ruling parties to convene an extraordinary diet session as soon as possible. They say they want an election to choose Japan's next prime minister and discussions to be held on abolishing the provisional gasoline tax rate. They say a further political vacuum is unacceptable as the new LDP leadership has been launched.
TRUMP CONGRATULATES TAKACHI ON HER WIN
US President Donald Trump congratulated Takaichi Sanae on winning the race to become the leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party. He hailed her victory over the weekend as tremendous news for Japan.Trump describes her as a highly respected person of great wisdom and strength. The new LDP chief hasn't been elected yet as the country's leader, but Trump says Japan has chosen its first female prime minister. Lawmakers are expected to vote for the new prime minister in mid-October.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also welcomed the news. He says she'll be a valuable partner in deepening Japan and US relations. And he notes that he's looking forward to working together on economic and national security issues of mutual interest. Trump is set to visit South Korea later this month for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit. Officials in Washington and Tokyo are working on arrangements for Trump to possibly stop in Japan.
BUSINESS
Now to tell us what else is happening in the world of business, here's Gene Ohtani from the BizDesk.Yoko, thanks. In our top business story this hour,
NIKKEI 225 CLOSES AT RECORD HIGH FOR 3RD TRADING DAY
Tokyo's benchmark stock index set an all-time closing high on Tuesday for the third straight trading day. The Nikkei 225 was pushed up by investor expectations for the new leader of Japan's main ruling party to ramp up fiscal spending, but it later gave up almost all its gains due to profit taking. The Nikkei index ended at 47,950, up just 0.01%. It rose sharply soon after the opening and briefly climbed as much as 1.2% to a fresh intraday high above 48,500.A weaker yen also prompted buying of auto and other export-related shares, but the index then seesawed throughout the session, closing the day just in positive territory.
TOKYO STUDIO APARTMENT RENTS RISE 10% ON COSTS, DEMAND
A survey says studio apartment rents in central Tokyo rose more than 10 percent in August. The increase is attributed to strong demand in convenient locations and owners passing on higher maintenance costs. The survey by the At Home Data Platform shows the average rent for a studio topped 100,000 yen for the 4th month in a row. That's about $700.00 for a unit of 30 square meters or less. The figure is up 10.6% from a year earlier, and the highest since the survey started in 2015. The average rent for family units of 50 to 70 square meters rose 9.7% to nearly 250,000 yen, or about $1,600.That's also a record high for the survey.
Higher costs of construction and maintenance are a key factor behind the rise in rents.
Iwasaki says companies are putting more emphasis on working from the home, the office rather, so people are looking for rental accommodation in areas with easy access to business districts. She adds that people are also opting for rental units for the time being because of the jump in sale prices for new and second-hand apartments.
HONDA MOTOR USES ADVANCED SIMULATORS TO CUT DEVELOPMENT TIME
Japan's Honda Motor is speeding up its vehicle development by using advanced simulators that can test out features such as ride comfort without using actual cars.Honda has introduced a virtual reality simulator at its development center north of Tokyo. The test course is projected onto a screen surrounding the car. Officials say the driving experience is reproducedWith software developed by a French company, it can test how a car's vibrations and ride comfort change depending on the road surface and differences in the parts used. Officials say the simulator can cut the time for such tests by about 40% compared to using real cars.
The speed of new car development at US, European and Chinese automakers is accelerating. We want to introduce the latest technologies to compete with them.
Reducing development time is critical to offering new value to customers.
Honda is not the only car maker looking to trim development time. Mazda Motor has been using artificial intelligence to develop its engines.
SINGAPORE DINING SCENE ADAPTS AMID RISING PRICES
Singapore's street food and restaurants make dining out a part of daily life, but rising costs forced 3,000 outlets out of business last year, the highest figure in two decades. Now, new styles of dining are emerging, and HK World's Lin Ling Fong reports.Very sad, because some of these dishes, we cannot get it elsewhere.
The core owner, Cedric Tang, said the cost of doing business got out of control. Staff wages went up by 10% in the last 12 months and food costs by 5%. Two years ago, rent jumped 30% and the landlord said a similar high would come in October. Cedric says closing was a tough decision after the restaurant had been in his family for three generations. But he could no longer absorb high costs.
It's very difficult to just increase your increase your prices to your customers. I think the scene in Singapore right now is quite challenging.
Soaring Rand has caused a new business model. Joseph Wong and his wife, Lin Yang, run a cafe out of their public housing apartment. To avoid watering neighbors, they offer take-out on weekends only. Their lattes cost about US$5, less than major coffee chains. They make up to 50 drinks a day. As long as food safety rules are followed, no license is needed.
Singapore has at least 150 home cafes.
The cafe scene as in a in like kind of like a real estate manner is too much right now.
This is another option.
Another trend is smart vending machines. Customers order in advance through an app, then pick up their meals piping hall.
It's very delicious and the pricing is also affordable. AI analyzes location-based sales data, then selects the 15 items most likely to sell at each location. So far, 100 units have been rolled out in Singapore.
This AI smart tools allow us to retrieve information from all machines island-wide and it will fit this info to our production hands. We will not have overstock.
As inflation puts pressure on Singapore's food industry, entrepreneurs are responding with creativity and resilience. Lim Ling Fong NHK World.
MARKETS
All right, let's have a look at the markets.♬
And that's a look at business news.
Yoko, I'm going to hand it back to you.
Thanks, Gene.
FRENCH PRIME MINISTER RESIGNS AFTER LESS THAN A MONTH
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecourneau has resigned just weeks after taking office.This Monday morning, the conditions were no longer in place for me to carry out the duties of Prime Minister and allow the government to appear before the National Assembly tomorrow.
Le Connie had tried to secure cooperation from opposition parties on a draft budget for next year, but a cabinet line-up he announced Sunday night drew criticism from opposition parties and even from ruling coalition partners. 5 prime ministers have stepped down since January last year. The office of President Emmanuel Macron has tasked the outgoing prime minister with conducting final negotiations by Wednesday evening.
The ruling coalition, led by Macron, failed to secure a majority in the lower house of parliament in an election last summer. The ruling camp has since struggled to implement its agenda. The opposition is calling on Macron to dissolve parliament for snap election or resign.
JAPAN'S EMPEROR AND EMPRESS VISIT OSAKA EXPO
Japan's Emperor Narushito and Empress Masako have visited pavilions at the 2025 World Expo in Osaka. It was their second visit, following the opening ceremony in April.They saw an exhibition on the history of the United Nations and its role in daily life. The UN is marking its 80th anniversary. The Emperor and Empress then visited a pavilion to see androids. They were briefed on robot technology by University of Osaka professor Ishiguro Hiroshi, who also produced the exhibition. The imperial couple learned how the technology will likely evolve in the next 50 years.
♬
WEATHER
It's time for a check on the weather with our meteorologist, Jonathan Oh. So, Jonathan, we've been keeping an eye on a tropical system south of Japan. What's the latest on the system?Now as we brought The view I want to share some video coming out of Vietnam because there was another tropical system in the area where Matmo triggered the latest in a series of heavy rain for northern portions of the country Tuesday, causing major flooding in Hanoi, with the downpours causing major roads to flood and people had to wade through this high water. One Police Department reporting deaths were up to 30 centimeters. And in another town, North Hanoi, local law enforcement said over 430 millimeters of rain fell in just 10 hours by Tuesday morning. The good news shows that the system is dissipating, though we still may see chance of rain in the area, and we're looking at a drier condition over toward the east as we go through Wednesday.
Hope you have a good day wherever you are.
♫～ 3-DAY FORECAST ～♫
And that's it for now on NHK Newsline. I'm Yoko Nishimura in Tokyo. Thanks for joining us.
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