OFFICIALS WARN OF MEGA QUAKE RISK AFTER MONDAY TREMORS
Officials are asking people across northern and eastern Japan to be ready for a possible mega-quake.
That's after a magnitude 7-point-5 tremor rocked the region late Monday night.
At least 33 people were injured.
The quake struck off Aomori Prefecture's eastern coast at 11:15 p.m.
It triggered a tsunami warning, which lasted for several hours before it was lifted Tuesday morning.
Some of the strongest shocks were felt in Hachinohe.
Several buildings in that city were damaged.
Tremors are believed to have sent a sign crashing down into a car in the city of Mutsu.
A house also caught on fire in Aomori City, sending an elderly man to hospital.
Some people in Hokkaido, Aomori and Iwate prefectures spent the early parts of Tuesday in shelters.
I evacuated here when the 2011 earthquake and tsunami struck.
Coming to higher ground, somewhere higher than my house, makes me feel safe.
The quake also caught some foreign travelers in the region off guard.
It was my first experience of earthquake.
Never had a quake before in Malaysia.
It's really scary.
The Japan Meteorological Agency is calling on people from Hokkaido to Chiba to remain vigilant over the coming week.
That's because there is the potential for a mega-quake to occur.
The worst-case scenario would be something similar to the 2011 earthquake.
Officials are urging people to make preparations.
The areas you see on screen are under an earthquake advisory.
It is the first time they've issued such an advisory since the mega-quake category was created in 2022.
Imamura Fumihiko, a professor at Tohoku University, says residents should continue on with daily routines while being ready for an emergency.
To prepare for a tsunami, people should locate their nearest evacuation center and figure out how they'll evacuate, so they can remain calm and take swift and appropriate action.
HOW RESIDENTS WERE AFFECTED BY NORTHERN JAPAN QUAKE
Now, NHK World's Endo Yuka joins us from Hachinohe, one of the cities closest to the epicenter.
So Yuka, what have you been seeing in terms of damage?
00:02:57 話者 2
Well, it seems like a lot of it is contained inside buildings.
For example, one man I spoke with earlier said a bookshelf in his home fell down.
But elsewhere, the damage is much more visible.
This building is in the center of the city.
Several of the windows are broken.
And down below, there are several loose bricks on the stairs.
We also saw a lot of damage at a major shopping mall in another area of the city.
It appears that a part of a wall or ceiling on a higher level crashed down.
The entire mall is closed for the day, and workers have been cleaning up the site.
00:03:42 話者 1
Looks like it's going to take some time.
That's a lot of damage.
Now, what have people told you about what they experienced Monday night?
00:03:53 話者 2
I spoke with a resident of a nearby town.
He says he was surprised by how the earthquake had more of an up-and-down motion effect.
00:04:04 話者 3
This jolt felt stronger than the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake.
I used to keep food and various other emergency items, but 13 or 14 years have passed since then and I was not well prepared this time.
00:04:20 話者 2
Matsumura says he's still anxious, especially because it's wintertime.
People are worried about losing power and therefore heat.
I also spoke with a woman who echoed similar thoughts.
She says the quake felt different, and she told me that she's worried about the next possible quake.
In the affected areas of the prefecture, many schools are canceled and some areas have no water supply.
Officials say they're rushing to rebuild damaged infrastructure and provide necessary support to all people in need.
00:04:54 話者 1
All right. Thank you very much, Yuka.
NHK World's Endo Yuka reporting from Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture.
MORE DETAILS EMERGE ABOUT TENSE RADAR INCIDENT WITH CHINA
Sources in Japan have shed more light on a tense incident involving the Chinese military.
They've revealed the distances from which at least one Chinese fighter jet aimed its radar at two Air Self-Defense Force aircraft.
The incident took place on Saturday over international waters southeast of Okinawa's main island.
The sources say a Chinese J-15 fighter was about 52 kilometers away the first time.
and about 148 kilometers away the second.
They also say China informed Japan in advance about takeoff and landing exercises on the aircraft carrier Liaoning.
China insists the radar incident was standard procedure, but Japan says it was dangerous.
WANG: JAPAN HAS NOT REFLECTED ON PAST
Bilateral ties have recently soured on Monday, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi met his German counterpart in Beijing.
Wang is said to have criticized a remark about Taiwan last month by Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae, and he reportedly said Japan has not reflected on its past aggressions 80 years after World War II.
ZELENSKYY MEETS WITH EUROPEAN LEADERS
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has met with European leaders in London.
The Ukrainian president says US cooperation is essential for a proposed peace deal with Russia.
There.
00:06:40 話者 4
Are some things which we can't manage without America, things which we can't manage without Europe.
That's why we need to make some important decisions.
00:06:52 話者 1
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed Zelenskyy at Downing Street.
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also joined the talks.
Starmer reaffirmed Europe's support for Ukraine.
00:07:08 話者 4
The principles remain the principles that we have for a very, very long time, which is that we stand with Ukraine and it needs to be a ceasefire, it needs to be a just and lasting ceasefire.
00:07:23 話者 1
The details of the meeting have not been disclosed.
Zelenskyy posted on social media that he briefed the European leaders on his contacts with the US and other topics, including security guarantees.
Zelenskyy had a phone call on Saturday with US Special Envoy Steve Witkopf and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.
They discussed the territory issue, but reportedly failed to narrow differences between Ukraine and Russia.
As a peace deal remains up in the air, those on the ground in Ukraine are still trying to lead normal lives despite nearly four years of warfare.
UKRAINIANS HOLD OUT HOPE FOR PEACE AS WAR DRAGS ON
Earlier, I spoke with NHK World's Takasu Eddie in Kyiv.
So Eddie, tell us how people there are feeling now.
00:08:17 話者 5
It's obvious that the fighting is wearing down the people of Kyiv.
They are forced to listen to air raid silence at night.
It's a constant reminder that they could be attacked at any moment.
However, they are still trying to stay hopeful.
The Russian military damaged the iconic cathedral here in June, but it's still the site of a giant Christmas tree.
Families come here to celebrate the holiday and pray for peace in spite of the ongoing danger.
The reality is that the war affects every aspect of daily life.
Planned outages happen here almost every day to save power.
So people have to spend a lot of time in the cold and the dark.
The temperatures in the winter hover around freezing.
All of this is made worse by constant Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure.
And Russia claims last week it had also taken control of Poklovsk in eastern Ukraine, which is vital for transporting supplies.
Even though Ukraine says that's not true, it still shows that the Russians are on Kyiv's doorstep.
I visited a housing complex in Kyiv that was recently attacked by Russian drones.
A man living there suggested he's still holding out hopes for an end to the war soon, even though his own home was just battered.
00:09:47 話者 1
So Russia and Ukraine, as we've been reporting, are considering a peace deal.
What's the latest on the diplomatic front?
00:09:57 話者 5
As you said a few minutes ago, the US is trying to broker this deal, but a major stumbling walk is the issue of territory.
And that isn't helped by recent confusion within the Zelensky's administration.
One of his closest aides who was leading the peace talks quit late last month.
Zelensky did speak with diplomats over the weekend and he said it was constructive.
But Russia reportedly still wants Ukrainian troops to withdraw from Donbass and wants Ukraine to cede the territory.
Zelensky has said he won't agree to that.
And while the US and Ukraine are reportedly close to an agreement on a security guarantee, they haven't locked it down yet.
After the meeting with the European leaders on Monday, Zelenskyy said the revised plan contains 20 points.
It allegedly would require both countries to release prisoners of war and also the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia.
So there's some movements on the issue, but as fighting continues, there's no guarantee that this deal will succeed.
And for now, that means people across Ukraine must continue to enter the conflict around them.
BUSINESS
00:11:21 話者 1
Now, let's see what's happening in the world of business.
Here's Ramin Mellegard from The Business. Ramin.
00:11:28 話者 6
Thank you very much indeed.
G7 CALLS FOR DIVERSIFYING SUPPLY CHAINS FOR CRITICAL MINERALS
Now, the Group of Seven finance ministers say the nations will work together to diversify and de-risk supply chains for critical minerals, including rare earths.
Now, they warn that export controls on the minerals used in a vast array of electronic devices are a threat to the global economy.
The ministers issued a statement after an online meeting on Monday.
The statement doesn't mention any country by name, but China imposed export controls on rare earths this year.
The statement says the use of non-market policies and practices to disrupt critical minerals, supply chains, can have significant negative global macroeconomic consequences.
It goes on to say that this can increase price volatility and undermine global stability, competitiveness, as well as national and economic security.
00:12:27 話者 3
China's non-market policies should not be allowed to dominate and boost the prices of critical minerals, nor.
00:12:34 話者 6
Should it be allowed to disregard human rights, environment, and governance standards.
Katayama said Japan will take the initiative to expand the critical minerals market and put importance on governance standards.
TRUMP SAYS US WILL ALLOW EXPORTS OF NVIDIA CHIPS TO CHINA
US President Donald Trump says he has informed Chinese President Xi Jinping of his decision to allow Nvidia to ship an advanced type of computer chip to China.
Trump posted on social media on Monday that the US
chip giant will be permitted to sell its H-200 processors to China under conditions that ensure strong national security.
He said Xi responded positively.
Trump said the same approach will apply to other major US
chip companies such as AMD and Intel.
H-200 chips are used for artificial intelligence.
The president said Nvidia's more advanced chips under development were not covered by the approval.
The Biden administration had strengthened restrictions on sales of US chips to China, a policy Trump has maintained until now.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has reportedly expressed opposition to export controls.
has repeatedly expressed, I beg your pardon, has repeatedly expressed opposition to export controls.
He said China is one of the world's best biggest AI markets.
JAPAN MAY TRIPLE DEPARTURE TAX TO TAP SURGE IN TOURIST NUMBERS
NHK has learned that Japan's government and the ruling coalition are discussing plans to triple the country's departure tax.
Lawmakers say the additional revenue could be used to tackle problems caused by over-tourism.
The current tax of 1,000 yen, or more than $6, is incorporated into the price of air and other tickets.
All travelers leaving the country pay the charge, including Japanese citizens.
The international tourist tax generated 52 billion yen, or $330 million for government coffers in fiscal 2024 that ended in March.
Policymakers aimed to raise the levy to 3,000 yen.
The discussions include lowering the cost of obtaining a passport for Japanese nationals to help offset the higher charge on citizens making overseas trips.
A proposal to raise the levy is expected to be included in tax reform guidelines for fiscal 2026, which begins in April next year.
MARKETS
Okay, let's get a check on the markets.
♪
And that is it for Business News.
IN FOCUS
00:15:46 話者 1
Next, we join Shibuya Aki for Newsline in Focus.
She's been enjoying novels by Japanese female writers, creating a buzz around the world.
'CONVENIENCE STORE WOMAN' A NOVEL APPROACH TO LIFE
00:15:56 話者 7
There's a growing audience for novels by Japanese authors in the UK.
One of the most popular has been Butter by Yuzuki Asako.
It's sold over a million copies worldwide and won three British literary awards.
Then there's The Night of Baba Yaga by Otani Akira, a translated edition nabbed one of the country's most prestigious prizes for crime fiction.
and maybe the best-known of the current crop: Sayaka Murata's Convenience Store Woman.
This English edition was published in 2018 and over 30 translations are currently being enjoyed around the world.
We caught up with Murata, meeting fans at a high-profile festival for literature.
00:16:46 話者 8
October 2025.
And Sayaka Murata is on stage at the prestigious Cheltenham Literature Festival.
The 10 days of the festival drew over 100,000 book lovers for lively discussions and signing events.
00:17:04 話者 9
Thank you.
Very kind.
Thank you very much.
00:17:09 話者 10
Many people asked me to write in katakana, which was fun.
00:17:14 話者 8
Four of Murata's works have been translated into English.
Her biggest, convenience store woman, has sold over two and a half million copies worldwide.
00:17:26 話者 9
I think that Sayaka is post-Haruki Murakami in a way that she has breathed a new life into what internationally Japanese literature looks like.
Now I think she is a kind of taste maker and she's shown what Japanese literature can do outside of Murakami.
00:17:50 話者 8
Murata went through Japan's so-called employment ice age when jobs were scarce.
After university, she continued to write in a cafe while working part-time at a convenience store, or konbini.
The resulting book was a smash hit and won the prestigious Akutagawa Prize.
Its protagonist, Keiko Furukuda, is a 36-year-old single woman who's been working part-time at the same store for 18 years.
00:18:24 話者 3
Keiko, aren't you married yet?
No, I'm not.
00:18:29 話者 8
Really.
00:18:30 話者 3
But you're still not stuck in the same job, are you?
00:18:35 話者 8
You're going to have a baby, Miss Furukuda.
Uneasy about the social conventions of finding a steady job, then getting married, she attempts to fit in through the highly regulated world of the combini.
00:18:52 話者 3
It's not a matter of whether they permit it or not.
It's what I am.
I caught sight of myself, reflected in the window of the convenience store I'd just come out of.
My hands, my feet, they existed only for the store.
For the first time,
I could think of the me in the window as a being with meaning.
00:19:15 話者 8
Readers often say the book's depiction of everyday life outside the usual rat race really speaks to them.
00:19:25 話者 7
I think I just like interesting books, which are unlike anything else that I've read, I guess.
And I think that they're so interesting and unique.
They write about people who are kind of almost outside of society and not part of normal society, and I just think that's a really interesting thing to read about.
00:19:44 話者 9
If you look on the surface, it looks like Japan and the UK are very different societies, but when you read books like Sayaka Murata's books, you actually realize how many similarities there are.
00:19:56 話者 8
Murata's work particularly appeals to women around Keiko's age.
Among them is lawyer Emma Kenna Gallacher.
When she married her husband, both were clear they didn't want children.
It's a choice her parents respected, but she's acutely aware of the scrutiny decisions like that can bring.
00:20:20 話者 9
Really strong kind of societal pressure, particularly for women.
is a really, it feels very familiar.
I certainly know lots of my friends who have been, who if they've not had children very quickly, they've had a lot of, oh, where are the grandchildren?
What's, you know, there's lots of that sort of expectation.
00:20:41 話者 8
She says reading Convenience Store Women gave her confidence in her own life choices.
00:20:50 話者 9
I felt the pressure
lifts in a way.
No matter what it is that makes you feel fulfilled and happy, that's what you should do.
You shouldn't have to bow to societal pressures to, you know, be happy and to be sort of accepted.
00:21:12 話者 8
Murata's works sometimes have roots in Tokyo's Jinbocho book town district.
She says she had never met any of her overseas readers, yet a story born in this tiny coffee shop took her out into the world.
The translations of her books were a trigger for her to travel abroad.
Murata participated in various international literary festivals and realized that the issues in Convenience Store Women are universal.
00:21:57 話者 10
It's painful to realize that so many people outside Japan feel similar pressures, struggles, and difficulties in life.
But honestly, I hadn't really imagined it before.
So when I hear their stories, I often find myself wanting to know more.
00:22:21 話者 8
Since then, Morata has traveled to many countries and engaged with fans and translators.
She says she often hears about different kinds of hardship.
00:22:35 話者 10
No matter how far I run to different places, life still feels difficult.
But even in a room with a different kind of difficulty, no matter how many doors I open or how far I go, life still feels tough.
That sense of vast challenges is what I find interesting.
00:22:59 話者 7
Murata's skill in blending empathy with humor about the darker aspects of society is a big reason why she speaks so directly to readers.
And the insights she's gained at events like literary festivals may well provide inspiration for future bestsellers.
And that's all from me.
IHP NEWSLINE
Tourist areas
00:23:23 話者 3
Japan is seeing a spike in bear sightings at tourist spots.
A Spanish tourist was attacked by a bear and injured near a World Heritage Site in Gifu Prefecture.
What can we do to protect ourselves?
Keep updated on bear sighting information provided by authorities.
Take bear spray or bells and travel in groups.
If you inadvertently encounter a bear,
Do not turn your back and run away.
That could make the bear aggressive.
Slowly step backwards while facing the bear.
If an attack is imminent, lie face down on the ground and cover your head. Stay safe.
WEATHER
00:24:22 話者 1
It is time now to check on the world weather with our meteorologist Jonathan Oh.
So Jonathan, people in Russia's capital are seeing warmer than usual conditions and looks like that's causing something interesting to pop up.
What can you tell us?
00:24:38 話者 4
Hello, we're now into the winter months in the northern hemisphere.
And so when you're looking areas far toward the northern portions of Europe, we're talking more about chilly weather and even wintry weather.
But something's happening across places like Moscow.
Here's a look at some of the video where you're like, wait, it's supposed to be December, but in and around Moscow, it's looking more like spring and there's no snow insight.
In fact, roses and mushrooms are blossoming due to unseasonably warm temperatures.
Highs in the city north of the capital were reaching 2 degrees Celsius, which is more normal for spring.
So mushroom hunters trekked back out into the forest in Moscow to try and grab the fungi before the cold weather comes back in.
They're growing up from the ground.
Now, we do expect the moderate temperatures to still be in place until later on this week.
We do have a low pressure system pushing in, and that's going to help bring in some
slightly cooler temperatures, but it's going to be later this week before we really see the temperatures dropping off.
Back toward the west, it's also quite warm.
Temperatures down toward places like Paris and Lisbon and Madrid, mid to upper teens as we go through the day on Tuesday.
So unseasonably warm for this time of year, and let's say that that's going to be continuing until we see another cold push coming in later on.
It's more like winter across the northern portion of the United States.
We have a low pressure system moving across the Great Lakes and dumping a bunch of snow in the process.
It's going to kick up some of that lake effect snow toward the northeastern portions of the country as we head on through the next couple of days.
Another little trucking across from the Rockies.
Dumping plenty of snow toward the north as well.
Winnipeg looking at snow on Tuesday.
Toronto as well.
Two for the high in Chicago.
And it looks like the temperatures down to the south, that's going to be just a little bit warmer as we go through Tuesday.
Snow also storing in the northern portions of Japan as we have a low pressure system rolling on through.
So as we go through the day on Wednesdays, Southport looking high of 1 with some snow.
Moderate temperatures along the Pacific side, though with highs in the mid-teens.
Hope you have a good day wherever you are.
♫～ 3-DAY FORECAST ～♫
00:27:36 話者 1
And that is all for this edition of NHK Newsline. I'm Yamamoto Miki in Tokyo.
Thanks for staying with us.
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