It's a Saturday evening here in Japan. I'm James Tangan in Tokyo. This is NHK Newsline.
RUBIO: US TO MAINTAIN FIRM ALLIANCE WITH JAPAN
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Washington will continue its firm alliance with Japan while having to seek ways to build cooperative relations with China.
Rubio was speaking at a news conference on Friday to reflect on 2025.
His comments come amid tensions between Tokyo and Beijing following a remark Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae made about Taiwan.
China reacted sharply after Takaichi said at the Diet last month that a possible Taiwan emergency involving the use of force could be considered a situation threatening Japan's survival.
Rubio said he thinks tensions between Japan and China are pre-existing.
He said the US understands this is one of the dynamics that has to be balanced in the region.
00:01:06 話者 2
I believe that we feel very strongly that we can continue with our strong, firm partnership and alliance with Japan and do so in a way that continues to allow us to find productive ways to work together with the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese government.
China is going to be, is, and it will continue to be a rich and powerful country and a factor in geopolitics. We have to have relations with them. We have to deal with them.
US OFFICIAL CALLS JAPAN LEADER IN NUCLEAR NONPROLIFERATION
00:01:30 話者 1
A US State Department spokesperson has called Japan a global leader in nuclear nonproliferation.
The comment came after a Japanese senior official in charge of national security at the Prime Minister's office said Japan should possess nuclear weapons.
The US official said Japan is a global leader and a valuable partner to the United States on nuclear nonproliferation and advancing nuclear arms control.
The official said the US will maintain the world's most robust, credible, and modern nuclear deterrent to protect America and its allies, including Japan.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary, Kihara Minoru, has refrained from commenting on the issue.
He said on Friday that Japan remains committed to its three non-nuclear principles of not possessing or producing nuclear weapons, or permitting their introduction into the country.
UZBEKISTAN LEADER EYES JAPAN INVESTMENT IN MINERAL RESOURCES
Uzbekistan's President Shafkat Mirziryoyev has spoken at a business forum in Tokyo.
He expressed hope for investment from Japan's private sector, especially in his nation's critical minerals industry, and stable energy supply.
The event took place on Friday on the sidelines of a summit between Japan and five Central Asian countries.
Mirziryoyev said he hopes Japanese firms help with speeding up Uzbekistan's industrialization and introducing advanced technologies.
He said that would assist with economic reforms to improve productivity and export capability.
Japan's Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Akazawa Ryosei said Japan would offer help.
00:03:18 話者 3
Japan will contribute to the sustainable development of Uzbekistan by strongly backing efforts in the private sector.
00:03:27 話者 1
Japanese companies operating in Uzbekistan then explained their activities and plans, including renewable energy and minerals exploration.
MEDIA: TAIPEI STABBING SPREE SUSPECT ON WANTED LIST
Media in Taiwan say a man who carried out a deadly stabbing spree on Friday was on a wanted list. Police say the suspect killed at least three people and injured 11 others.
Police say the attack took place at around 5:30 p.m. in a bustling part of central Taipei.
The 27-year-old man reportedly threw smoke-emitting devices at Taipei Main Station before embarking on a stabbing spree.
Authorities say the attacker then headed to another nearby subway station on foot, stabbing multiple people. The suspect later died after jumping from a building.
00:04:19 話者 4
It was scary. I often work here. I live nearby, so it made me worry about my family.
00:04:27 話者 5
It happened during the evening rush hour. If I left work earlier, I could have been attacked.
00:04:35 話者 1
Local media reported that the suspect had been put on a wanted list for obstructing military service procedures.
They also say materials believed to be used to make bombs were found in a room of his apartment. Police are now investigating the man's motive.
US CONDUCTS RETALIATORY STRIKES ON ISIS IN SYRIA
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says American forces have carried out strikes against the Islamic State group in Syria.
He described the operation as vengeance for last week's fatal attack on US service members.
Hegseth wrote on social media on Friday that US forces launched the strikes to eliminate Islamic State fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites.
In his post, Hegseth said, This is not the beginning of a war.
It's a declaration of vengeance.
He added that we hunted and we killed our enemies.
US media report that the strikes hit dozens of targets.
On December 13, a gunman attacked US military personnel supporting counter-terrorism operations in Syria, killing three people.
The US has maintained troops in Syria even after the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad's regime last year to continue counter-terrorism measures.
Hegseth said the US will never hesitate and never relent in defending its people.
REPORT: GAZA FAMINE OVER BUT FOOD INSECURITY STILL SEVERE
A committee of U.N. agencies and partner organizations says the food situation in the Gaza Strip has improved.
They say a famine in and around Gaza City in the north is over, but warned that many people remain at risk.
The committee released a report on Friday.
It says about 1.6 million people, or more than three-quarters of the enclave's population, still face severe food insecurity despite improvements in food deliveries.
It says more than 100,000 people are suffering from acute malnutrition.
The famine was declared in August, and a ceasefire in Gaza took effect in October.
The report says most families cannot afford the food that is available.
It warns the enclave could face another famine if hostilities break out again and food deliveries are halted.
In response, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres highlighted the relief effort, saying, Famine has been pushed back.
00:07:08 話者 6
Far more people are able to access the food they need to survive, and we are preparing more than 1.5 million hot meals every day and delivering general food assistance packages across Gaza.
00:07:21 話者 1
But he described the improvements as perilously fragile and urged the Israeli government to cooperate with the U.N. and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Those were this hour's main stories.
WEATHER
♫～ 3-DAY FORECAST ～♫
'TENGU' MASK AT BUDDHIST TEMPLE GETS YEAR-END CLEANING
In Japan, cleaning up at the end of the year is a long-standing tradition, and in Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo, this custom extends to a very long nose.
A temple in Ohtawara City enshrines a huge wooden mask, representing a mythical Japanese creature known as a tengu.
The mask weighs about one ton and stands more than two meters tall.
But its most characteristic feature is its 1.3-meter-long nose.
On Friday, the temple's chief priest and a group of helpers dusted and polished the mask.
It is said to have been brought here after locals attributed a series of fires and thefts to Tenggu over a century ago.
The mask is thought to have been enshrined to help prevent disasters.
00:09:24 話者 7
We went through many things this year, such as brutal bear attacks across the country and the strong earthquake off Aomori Prefecture this month.
I dusted the mask, wishing that such things will not happen next year.
00:09:42 話者 1
The mask is now designated by local officials as a tangible cultural asset.
More to come here on NHK World Japan, so stay with us.
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