Welcome to NHK Newsline. I'm Ramin Mellegard in Tokyo.
NOBEL PEACE PRIZE LAUREATE NARGES MOHAMMADI DETAINED
Iranian authorities have detained human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi.
The Narges Foundation reports that she was taken into custody along with other activists in the northeastern city of Mashhad, while attending a memorial service.
Iran's state-run media confirmed that several people were arrested at the funeral for what was described as illegal behavior.
But it stopped short of clarifying whether Mohammadi was among those detained.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has issued a statement saying it is deeply concerned about what it calls the brutal arrest of Mohammadi and the other activists.
The committee has called on Iran to release her without conditions.
Mohammadi was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for her many years of campaigning for women's rights.
She was imprisoned at the time on charges that included acting against national security.
Last December, she was granted a suspension of her sentence on medical grounds.
REDDIT SUES AUSTRALIAN GOVT. OVER UNDER-16 SOCIAL MEDIA BAN
Global online forum Reddit has sued the government of Australia over the country's social media ban for children under 16.
The world's first nationwide restriction of its kind took effect on Wednesday.
Reddit is among the 10 platforms covered by the legislation banning social media use by anyone under the age of 16 in Australia.
Under the new law, the platforms have to take steps to prevent children in that age group from keeping or creating an account.
The firm says in its court filing that the ban is unconstitutional and invalid because it infringes the implied freedom of political communication.
But the Australian government says it won't back down.
00:02:07 話者 2
What it is, action taken to protect the profits that they make at the expense of the mental health of young people. And we will fight this action every step of the way.
00:02:18 話者 1
Reddit filed the suit on Friday in the High Court of Australia. It's the first legal challenge brought to the country's highest court by a platform included in the ban.
JAPAN TO ASK FORESTED LAND OWNERS TO REGISTER NATIONALITY
The Japanese government plans to ask buyers of forested land to register their nationalities starting next April.
The move aims to keep track of foreign property ownership nationwide.
The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry plans to announce the new rule as early as next week.
Corporate entities that acquire forested areas will be required to list the nationality of their representative.
Owners with a foreign address will need to register their place of contact in Japan.
Buyers will also be asked to report the purpose of the acquisition.
The government is conducting an extensive review of policies for foreign nationals with basic ideas to be mapped out by around January.
Officials say some measures will be introduced quickly if necessary.
HONDA MAY IMPORT MORE US-MADE MODELS TO JAPAN
NHK has learned that Honda Motor may start importing more of its American-made models to Japan.
The plan would likely be aimed at helping to cut the US trade deficit.
Sources say a Japanese automaker will conduct a market survey to choose which models to ship.
Possible candidates include a Honda SUV and another model due out next year under the luxury Acura brand.
The company already imports a limited number of US-made vehicles to Japan, but for leasing only.
The Japanese government is now considering allowing US-built vehicles to be sold without additional testing. Honda would then be expected to expand its imports.
Toyota also plans to import US-made models to Japan.
Nissan says it will decide after gauging demand and profitability.
CHINA'S NEW VEHICLE SALES RISE ON STRONG EV DEMAND, EXPORTS
China's new vehicle sales rose in November on the back of robust demand for electric models and soaring exports.
The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers says sales, including exports, rose more than 3% year-on-year to just over 3.4 million units.
Sales of electric, plug-in, hybrid and fuel cell vehicles jumped over 20% to account for more than half of last month's total.
That was mainly due to government incentives for consumers to switch to so-called new energy vehicles.
Total exports, including gasoline-powered vehicles, surged more than 48% to almost 730,000 units.
But the Chinese market faces uncertainty. The business environment is getting tougher for both automakers and dealers as price competition intensifies.
Meanwhile, some local governments have decided to cut subsidies for consumers who replace their gas-powered cars with NEVs.
'BEAR' PICKED AS JAPAN'S KANJI CHARACTER OF 2025
The character for bear has been chosen as the kanji that best represents the year 2025 in Japan. Bear sightings have been unusually frequent across wide areas of the country.
Some encounters have caused significant, even lethal harm.
The annual poll is conducted by a Kyoto-based association promoting the Chinese characters used in Japanese writing known as kanji.
The group announced the result on Friday in the ancient capital with a calligraphy demonstration by the chief priest of Kiyomizu-dera temple.
The kanji for bear received more than 20,000 votes among nearly 190,000 entries.
The Association officials said increasing bear encounters have fueled public anxiety.
00:06:38 話者 3
The natural environment has changed, and I realized that it is getting closer to our surroundings.
00:06:49 話者 1
The chief priest said he wants to pray for the souls of all those who died in bear attacks this year.
NIKKO'S SACRED BRIDGE CLEANED IN YEAR-END CEREMONY
Priests and shrine maidens performed a traditional year-end ritual, cleaning the bridge entrance of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo.
The annual event at the Shinkyo Bridge took place on Friday.
The bridge serves as a symbolic gateway to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of shrines and temples in Nikko, Tochigi.
Priests and others at Nikko cleaned the bridge's railing and other sections using bamboo poles about three meters long, with bamboo leaves attached at the top.
00:07:36 話者 4
The bridge welcomed visitors from various countries over the past year.
I'm pleased the cleaning was done safely.
00:07:44 話者 1
He said that he hopes the cleanup work will help bring a happy new year to all visitors.
ALPACAS GRADUATE FROM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN CENTRAL JAPAN
Now, a graduation ceremony for alpacas was held Friday at an elementary school in Niigata Prefecture, central Japan.
After the event, the animals were returned to the ranch where they originally belonged.
Kuzumaki Elementary School borrows alpacas each year so children can learn lessons on the value of life.
This year, a mother alpaca named Lily and her baby Nina arrived at the school in September.
69 first-year students took turns caring for the furry guests.
Their return came ahead of the arrival of winter.
At the ceremony, the students presented the alpacas with graduation certificates.
The head of Yamakoshi Alpaca Farm said the animals grew up healthy because the children cared for them and became their friends.
The students petted them to say goodbye as the two alpacas boarded a vehicle and departed. The children waved and followed the car to see them off.
(Japanese)
And those are the stories for this hour.
WEATHER
♫～ 3-DAY FORECAST ～♫
And that is a wrap for this edition of NHK Newsline. I'm Ramin Mellegard.
Thank you very much for joining us.
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