Welcome to NHK Newsline. I'm Ramin Mellegard in Tokyo.
THAI, CAMBODIAN DEFENSE CHIEFS AGREE TO IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE
Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to an immediate ceasefire following a renewed outbreak of military clashes between the two countries this month.
Defense ministers of the two countries joined ceasefire talks on Saturday.
They said the ceasefire would start at noon, local time.
The joint statement says the ceasefire cover all attacks, including those on civilians and military targets.
It also says the two sides will work to remove landmines near the border and that Thailand will release Cambodian soldiers if the ceasefire is maintained beyond 72 hours.
Cross-border fighting erupted again this month, despite a peace agreement reached in October.
In recent developments, Cambodian officials said on Friday that Thai fighters' jets had dropped as many as 40 bombs, destroying civilian homes and public infrastructure.
Thai officials also announced that a number of soldiers had been killed in a Cambodian attack. Fighting this month has left more than 50 people dead and over 700,000 others displaced on both sides.
KIM JONG UN STRESSES UNITY WITH RUSSIA IN MESSAGE TO PUTIN
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sent a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that their alliance today is a precious common asset to be carried forward forever.
North Korea's ruling Workers' Party newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, reported on Saturday that Kim sent Putin best wishes for the new year.
He said he called 2025 a really meaningful year for relations between their countries.
He added that North Korea and Russia have been further consolidated into the sincerest alliance of sharing blood, life and death in the same trench.
North Korea has sent troops to the western Russian region of Kursk to join a military operation against Ukraine.
North Korean media reported on Thursday that Putin sent a message to Kim saying the heroic involvement of Korean People's Army and his soldiers' activity provides proof of the invincible friendship between the nations.
It has been reported that Russia gave North Korea technical support to build a vessel that Pyongyang unveiled as an under-construction nuclear-powered submarine.
CHINA HITS US WITH SANCTIONS OVER TAIWAN ARMS SALES
China has announced sanctions against US companies and individuals over Washington's plan for massive arms sales to Taiwan.
The Chinese foreign ministry said on Friday the sanctions target 20 military-related firms and 10 senior executives.
It said the penalties include freezing their assets in China and banning them from doing business with people and organizations in the country.
The US Trump administration last week approved an arms sale package valued at more than $11 billion.
The weapons include high mobility artillery rocket systems known as HIMARS.
A Chinese ministry spokesperson issued a statement saying that in relations with the US, the Taiwan question is at the very core of Beijing's interests.
It called this the first red line that must not be crossed.
A spokesperson for the US State Department told NHK, We strongly object to Beijing's efforts to retaliate against US companies.
The person added that US policy toward Taiwan has remained consistent across nine different administrations, and this contributes to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
The official went out to say Washington urges Beijing to seize its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure on Taiwan and engage in meaningful dialogue instead.
CHINA TO SEVERELY LIMIT JAPAN-BOUND TOURIST NUMBERS
NHK has learned that the Chinese government has instructed travel agencies to hold down the number of Japan-bound tourists to less than 60 percent of previous levels.
Sources say Chinese authorities sent the directive to multiple firms this month.
In November, authorities urged Chinese nationals to refrain from visiting Japan in response to a comment Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae made in the Diet over a possible Taiwan emergency.
The directive on limiting tourists is seen as a way to increase pressure on Japan.
Major Chinese airlines have announced that they will process cancellations at no charge for flights scheduled until late March to and from Japan.
Chinese media reported that as of Monday, more than 2,000 January flights to and from Japan had been canceled.
Reports say that's about 40% of the total.
ZELENSKYY SAYS HE WILL MEET TRUMP ON SUNDAY
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he will meet US President Donald Trump on Sunday in Florida.
They are expected to discuss the key points of a peace plan aimed at ending Russia's invasion, including security guarantees and territory.
Zelenskyy told reporters on Friday that the plan Kyiv has been working on with Washington is 90% ready.
The United States is also negotiating with Russia.
On Friday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said presidential aide Yuri Ushakov had spoken by phone with the US side and agreed to continue dialogue.
Peskov refused to disclose Russia's assessment of the peace plan, citing the risk of negatively impacting the negotiations.
Russian newspaper Komersant said earlier this week that President Vladimir Putin demands the entire and eastern Donbas region, but may be open to concessions in other areas.
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YEAR-END TRAVEL RUSH STARTS IN JAPAN
Train stations, airports, and expressways around Japan are crowded with year-end travelers on Saturday as vacations start and people head for their hometowns.
Japan Railway Group company says almost all seats are booked on Shinkansen bullet trains out of Tokyo on the Tokaido, Sanyo, Joetsu, Hokuriku, Tohoku, Akita and Yamagata Lines on Saturday. Outbound routes are expected to remain congested through Tuesday.
(Japanese)
00:07:00(Ramin Mellegard)
A tailback of more than 20 kilometers is expected on the outbound lanes of the Tomei Expressway near the Ayase Smart interchange in Kanagawa Prefecture through Wednesday.
Now, All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines say domestic flights departing from Tokyo and Osaka are near full capacity through Tuesday.
A group on a trip to India expressed their excitement at getting away.
MULTI-VEHICLE CRASH IN GUNMA PREF. LEAVES 2 DEAD
Now, police in Japan say two people have died following a huge traffic accident north of Tokyo. Another 26 people were injured. Five of them are in serious condition.
Police received a call on Friday night about a collision between two trucks on a highway in Gunma Prefecture.
They say the crash led to a pile-up of more than 60 vehicles and 20 of them caught fire.
It took over seven hours to extinguish the flames.
A heavy snow warning was in effect at the time.
Police believe the conditions may have been a factor.
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And those are the top stories for this hour.
♫～ 3-DAY FORECAST ～♫
00:09:44(Ramin Mellegard)
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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