00:00:12 話者 1/Kanako Sachno
Welcome back to NHK Newsline. I'm Kanako Sachno.
IRAN CONFLICT
HEGSETH: US HAS ENOUGH WEAPONS FOR PROLONGED OPERATION
It's been nearly a week since the US and Israel launched their attacks on Iran.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says Washington is prepared for an extended conflict.
He says the US weapons stockpile is enough to sustain a prolonged operation.
Hegseth held a news conference at the US Central Command headquarters in Florida on Thursday.
00:00:38 話者 2/Pete Hegseth
We've got no shortage of munitions.
Our stockpiles of defensive and offensive weapons
Allow us to sustain this campaign as long as we need to.
00:00:48 話者 1
He added that combining the US and Israel's forces would further expand military capabilities.
Hegseth also said Iran is dragging neighboring countries that wanted to stay out of the conflict into the American orbit.
Central Command Chief Admiral Brad Cooper said US forces have destroyed more than 30 Iranian vessels, including a drone carrier ship.
He also said the US had hit nearly 200 targets deep inside Iran within a 72-hour period.
He said B-2 bombers had targeted ballistic missile launchers buried deep underground.
Cooper said US President Donald Trump had given the military the task to erase or level Iran's ballistic missile industrial base.
00:01:33 話者 2
So we're not just hitting what they have, we're destroying their ability to rebuild.
And so as we transition to the next phase of this operation.
IRAN CONFLICT
REPORT: US, ISRAEL SPLITTING STRIKE TARGETS
00:01:42 話者 1
A media outlet says US and Israeli forces are dividing up operational areas for the strikes.
More than 1,200 people have reportedly been killed.
Israeli media quotes military officials as saying their forces are operating in western and central Iran.
They're targeting missile launchers and government facilities in the capital.
The US military is said to be striking missile launch systems in the south and targets linked to the Iranian navy.
The Red Crescent Society says 174 cities have been hit, damaging homes and medical buildings in wide areas, and it says its own facilities have been struck.
Iran has repeatedly fired missiles toward Israel, but no major damage has been reported.
Iranian media quotes the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as saying their Navy fighters have hit an American tanker.
A British maritime agency says it's confirmed a large explosion off the coast of Kuwait.
It says there are no reports of fire and all crew members are safe, but oil is leaking into the sea.
And Reuters reports the operator of the tanker says it was approached by a small vessel and a loud bang followed.
The ship is registered in the Bahamas and owned by a company based in the US.
Iran's clerics are weighing candidates to succeed their supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He was killed last week in the joint military operation by the US and Israel.
IRAN CONFLICT
MEDIA: TRUMP WANTS TO BE INVOLVED IN PICKING NEW LEADER
US President Trump reportedly says he wants to be involved in deciding who takes on the role.
Reuters and US news website Axios say Trump has acknowledged the possibility that Khamenei's son is likely the top choice, and Axios says he calls this unacceptable.
Mushtabah Khamenei is a secretive figure.
He was born in 1969 and has never served in public office.
He's said to have close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Basij volunteer militia.
The New York Times reports his father told followers that he didn't want the post to be hereditary.
The Wall Street Journal says the men rumoured as possible successors are the head of the judiciary, Gholam Hussein Moseni Adjayi.
The paper says he advocates the death penalty for protesters.
The deputy chairman of the Assembly of Experts, Ali Reza Arafi.
It says Arafi has stayed above politics and could appeal to both hardliners and more moderate forces.
There's also Hassan Khomeini. He's a grandson of the founder of the Islamic Republic.
The paper notes Khomeini was barred from the Assembly of Experts for lacking religious knowledge.
Trump tells Axios he refuses to accept a new Iranian leader who continues Khamenei's policies. He says that would force the US back to war in five years.
IRAN CONFLICT
TEHRAN REJECTS OUTSIDE INVOLVEMENT TO CHOOSE LEADER
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqji has decisively ruled out any involvement from Trump in choosing Khamenei's successor.
Araqji says the process is absolutely the business of Iranian people and nobody can interfere.
The foreign minister spoke with NBC News and Tom Yamas on Thursday.
Arakji said despite rumors, the assembly of experts has yet to choose a new supreme leader.
♪
TRUMP HINTS OF ACTION TOWARD CUBA AFTER IRAN OPERATIONS
US President Trump has hinted that his administration may take steps on Cuba after military operations in Iran end.
00:05:18 話者 2/Trump
We want to finish this one first, but that will be just a question of time before you.
And a lot of unbelievable people are going to be going back to Cuba.
00:05:29 話者 1
Trump told participants at a White House event that Cuba badly wants to make a deal.
The president previously raised the possibility of what he called a friendly takeover of the Caribbean island country.
The Trump administration has been stepping up pressure on Cuba by cutting oil supplies and tightening economic sanctions.
US military actions against countries hostile to the US have become a theme under Trump.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was captured in a US military raid in early January.
Venezuela's oil supply to Cuba has since been significantly disrupted.
FINLAND PROPOSES EASING NUCLEAR DEVICES IMPORT BAN
Finland's government says it has proposed changing legislation that bans importing nuclear weapons into the country.
It cited fundamental changes in its security environment as a reason.
It said Thursday the change would allow the import of nuclear devices or their transport, supply or possession if they're linked to homeland defence, NATO's collective defence, or defence cooperation.
The government says the move does not mean Finland wants to have nuclear weapons on its territory.
Defence Minister Antti Haakonen said amendments are necessary and the government wants them to enter into force as soon as possible.
The minister says they'll enable Finland to take full advantage of NATO's deterrence and collective defence.
Finland shares a border with Russia and joined NATO in 2023.
US nuclear weapons have been deployed in several NATO member states in Europe for the purpose of deterrence.
On Monday, France said it would increase its number of nuclear warheads in response to rising security threats.
TRUMP TO REPLACE HOMELAND SECURITY HEAD NOEM
Trump says he will replace his homeland security secretary.
Kristi Noem led the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, also known as ICE, during its controversial crackdown on undocumented immigrants.
Republican Senator Mark Wayne Mullen is Trump's pick to become the new secretary at the end of this month.
The president thanked Noem for her service at the department.
He says she'll get a new role leading a security initiative focused on the Western Hemisphere.
US media report that Trump had expressed frustration over Noem's handling of ICE's enforcement operations.
In January, federal agents fatally shot two people during the crackdown.
News outlets say that Noem's testimony this week at a Senate hearing about an expensive ad campaign for the crackdown upset Trump.
She reportedly told senators at the hearing that Trump had signed off on the campaign.
Noem is the first cabinet secretary to be dismissed in Trump's second term.
NEPAL AWAITS RESULTS IN FIRST ELECTION SINCE GEN-Z PROTESTS
Vote counting is underway in Nepal in the first general election since youth-led protests toppled the government in September.
NHK World's Dhra Dhirakaosal in Kathmandu has more.
00:08:32 話者 3/Dhra Dhirakaosal
I'm here in front of the parliament building that was set on fire during the protests.
This place has become a symbolic venue because this is where the clashes turned violent and many were killed. On the front gate, there are many photos of those who died.
This election represents the sacrifices made by Gen. Z protesters who demanded an end to corruption, necrotism, and inequality.
Although there were some concerns of disruptions beforehand, the voting took place mostly in a peaceful manner.
Overall results are still being determined, but local media are reporting the Rashtriya Swatantra Party, or RSP, is leading in several constituencies with the support of young voters.
The party's prime ministerial candidate is the former mayor of Kathmandu and also a famous rapper.
NEPAL ELECTION OVERSHADOWED BY RURAL CRISIS
The Gen. Z protests were centered mainly in urban areas, but most of the people in this Himalayan nation live in the countryside, and the reality is often quite different from the city folk.
NHK World's Takaoka Chikashi has more.
00:09:40 話者 4/Takaoka Chikashi
Several hours of driving over steep and rocky roads from Kathmandu brings you to this community nestled in the mountains.
For generations, People here have been growing rice, millet, and other crops on terraced fields carved into the hillsides.
But behind this seemingly timeless landscape lies another reality.
When I walk around this mountainous area, I often find this kind of farmlands covered with bushes.
This area used to be active in agriculture, but what I see now is these barren fields.
Residents say many parts of the fields have not been taken care of for more than a decade.
More than 30 percent of Nepal's farmlands are estimated to have been abandoned, resulting in a significant loss in productivity.
Jit Bahadur Tamang and his family grow corn and millet, but many of his fields have been left untended.
00:10:42 話者 5/Jit Bahadur Tamang
These fields were productive until a few years ago. But since so many people have moved abroad for work, there is nobody to take care of them anymore.
00:10:53 話者 4
Like many other villagers, two of his five children are now working overseas in the UAE and Japan.
This outflow of people has resulted in a rural labor shortage, leading to abandoned farmlands and underdevelopment.
00:11:12 話者 5
I wish nobody had to go abroad for work and that there were more employment opportunities in Nepal. It'd be better if families could stick together.
00:11:24 話者 4
Despite recent positive economic growth, 20 percent of Nepalese, many in rural areas, still live below the country's poverty line.
In the March 5th election, Major parties fielded candidates for this provincial constituency.
They laid out their pledges in a bid to win over voters before they went to the polls.
00:11:50 話者 15/Bansha Lal Tamang/Nepali Congress Party candidate
We want to modernize and commercialize the agriculture sector and provide employment so that young people can stay in their own villages.
00:12:02 話者 4
But many people remain skeptical.
They say politicians have made similar promises in the past and little has changed.
00:12:12 話者 16
Candidates come to us during election campaigns and assure us that they will address our concerns, but after they win the election, we never see them again.
00:12:23 話者 17
I believe they've learned from the Gen. Z movement in September.
They know what can happen when frustration grows in the minds of the people.
00:12:35 話者 4
An expert says it's important that politicians draw up policies on the country's development that address the gap between urban and rural Nepal.
00:12:45 話者 18/Ganesh Gurung/Social scientist
Concentrating in urban area means we are not producing anything from our land, so that we need to revitalize this rural areas. It has to be a balance in both sides.
If we need to make rural areas of Nepal livable, we should provide some opportunities for livelihoods so that they can remain there.
00:13:14 話者 4
Nepal appears to be moving closer to being removed from the United Nations' list of least developed countries.
But the rural crisis continues to cast a shadow over the country's future.
Takaoka Chikashi, NHK World, Kathmandu.
NEPAL AWAITS RESULTS IN FIRST ELECTION SINCE GEN-Z PROTESTS
00:13:34 話者 3
One of the frustrations of Nepal's Gen. Z is there are not enough jobs in the country.
Many of them have no choice but to go overseas for work.
That's a structural challenge both in rural parts of Nepal and in cities like Kathmandu here.
Wherever they are, people across the nation are hoping to see a government that will work to improve their lives in a fair and transparent way.
As officials have to collect ballots from mountainous and hilly areas in the country.
It is expected to take several days for the election results to be finalized.
BUSINESS
00:14:09 話者 1
Now let's see what's happening in the world of business.
Here's Ramin Mellegard from the BizDesk.
00:14:14 話者 2/Ramin Mellegard
Thank you very much indeed.
JAPAN, UAE END TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH BROAD AGREEMENT
Now, the Japanese government says it has concluded negotiations with the United Arab Emirates on a bilateral economic partnership agreement.
It says the elimination of tariffs on a wide range of items under the EPA is expected to boost Japanese exports to the Middle East nation.
Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu and the UAE's Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Sultan Al-Jaber, met in Tokyo on Thursday.
They confirmed the broad agreement on the EPA, which the two countries began negotiating in 2024.
The UAE currently imposes a 5% tariff on many goods imported from Japan.
Under the EPA, the UAE will remove tariffs on some passenger cars, trucks and buses within seven years.
It will abolish them for tires, engines, and other automotive parts within 10 years.
Amid rising exports of popular Japanese food products, the UAE will also eliminate tariffs on green tea and other soft drinks within three to 10 years and on miso paste and soy sauce within five to seven years.
On the other hand, Japan will maintain tariffs on imports from the UAE of goods including rice, dairy products, and beef to avoid any negative impact on domestic farming.
The Japanese government expects the EPA to help expand the country's exports to the UAE.
They mainly consist of automobiles and auto parts, which account for almost 60% of exports via value.
Motegi expressed Japan's intention to cooperate with the UAE to ensure stable energy supplies.
PENTAGON DESIGNATES ANTHROPIC A 'SUPPLY CHAIN RISK'
US AI startup Anthropic says it has been officially designated a supply chain risk.
to America's national security by the Defense Department.
Local media say it's the first time the designation has been applied to a US company.
It's historically been used for foreign adversaries.
Anthropic CEO Dari Amadei said in a statement on Thursday that his company was notified in a letter from the Pentagon the day before.
Amadej said the company does not believe the move is legally sound and sees no choice but to mount a legal challenge.
Media reports say the designation requires defense vendors and contractors to certify they don't use Anthropics products.
The firm had insisted the Pentagon should not use its Claude AI model for fully autonomous weapons, and amassed surveillance of American citizens.
The Trump administration had demanded the technology be made available for all lawful purposes.
Multiple media outlets say Claude was used in the US military operations against Venezuela and Iran.
BIZ PICKS
Next, NHK World's Yanaka Marie is here with Biz Picks.
00:17:12 話者 6/Yanaka Marie
Let's take a look at key business and economic stories in the week ahead.
On Monday, Japan releases inflation-adjusted wages for January.
The backdrop is annual real pay fell for four straight years through 2025.
That's as price rises outpaced pay hikes.
CHINA'S ECONOMY NEEDS REAL ESTATE REVIVAL TO BEAT DEFLATION
On the same day, China announces consumer and producer prices for February.
Staying with China, the government unveiled an inflation target of around 2% at the National People's Congress, now in session in Beijing.
That comes as the monthly Consumer Price Index has been stuck below 1% for three years. The Producer Price Index presents a more worrying picture.
It's been in negative territory for more than three years.
Miura Yusuke, a senior economist at NLI Research Institute, says China is effectively in deflation. He adds that's mainly due to the prolonged slump in the property market.
00:18:17 話者 7/Miura Yusuke
Previously, rising house prices contributed to the wealth effect that stimulated consumption. But that has now reversed.
Falling asset prices have created a negative wealth effect and dampened consumer confidence.
The real estate sector was driving China's growth, but that bubble has burst, and the industry is rapidly shrinking.
Real estate sales are declining at the same time as wages are stagnating.
00:18:45 話者 6
Miuta says that when demand weakens, supply also generally declines.
But this isn't happening in China.
00:18:56 話者 7
Excessive domestic competition is serious, and China is now in the state of oversupply.
Since this is happening while demand is already weak, producer prices cannot find a way out of negative territory.
On top of this is pressure to meet Beijing's economic growth targets.
So, companies maintain production despite little demand.
In these circumstances, supply remains strong.
00:19:22 話者 6
Miura thinks the real estate slump will need to end for China to escape deflation.
00:19:31 話者 7
I think the property recession will end around 2027 or 2028.
After that, China's challenge is to avoid the decades of deflation that we saw in Japan.
I think there is potential for China to achieve this, but the first focus is whether the real estate slump will come to an end in the latter part of this decade.
00:19:54 話者 6
China also announced an economic growth target of 4.5 to 5 percent for this year at the congress.
Economists say Beijing's leadership will face another year of trying to revive the property market and domestic consumption.
I'm Yanaka Marie, and that wraps it up for this week's Biz Picks.
MARKETS
00:20:17 話者 2
Okay, let's get a check on the markets.
♪
And that is it for business news.
I'm going to hand it back to you.
00:20:50 話者 1
Thanks, Ramin.
EXPERT: CHINA'S NPC REFLECTS XI'S POWER
One of China's biggest political events kicked off in Beijing on Thursday, the National People's Congress.
In the opening session, Premier Li Chiang presented the annual government work report and laid out the country's policies for the future.
We spoke about it with Amako Satoshi, Professor Emeritus at Waseda University, who's an expert on Chinese politics and society.
EXPERT: CHINA NATIONAL PEOPLE'S CONGRESS REFLECTS XI'S POWER
00:21:14 話者 5
Amako says his impression of the government work report was that it is wide-ranging but lacks substance.
00:21:24 話者 8/Amako Satoshi
To be honest, I was hoping China would take a more realistic view of the domestic and international challenges it is facing at the moment, and determine a policy course based on that. But unfortunately, it didn't turn out to be that kind of report.
00:21:45 話者 5
On the domestic front, China faces issues such as sluggish demand due to a prolonged real estate slump and high youth unemployment.
Amako says the fact Premier Li was unable to come up with concrete policies in response may be due to a concentration of power with Xi Jinping.
00:22:05 話者 8
I think Premier Li doesn't have much authority.
The reality is that power is concentrated with Xi Jinping, and if Li does anything that puts his own mark on policies, even if only a little, he might be slapped down.
00:22:24 話者 5
On foreign policy, the premier said China will engage in independent diplomacy.
00:22:31 話者 7/Li Qiang/Chinese Premier
We will stay committed to peaceful development and uphold international fairness and justice.
00:22:38 話者 5
The government work report also expresses opposition to hegemony and power politics, a veiled reference to the US and its ongoing conflict with Iran.
But Li didn't read out this part.
Amako says Beijing may have been looking to avoid provoking the US before the upcoming summit between Xi and President Donald Trump.
00:23:01 話者 8
In the government work report, China holds its tongue and doesn't provoke the US
But at the upcoming summit, the Chinese side is going to raise the Taiwan issue.
And I think the question for Xi is whether he can give a performance that shows China is a great country that can compete with the US.
I think he is calculating that if all goes well, China will take a few steps forward as a world leader.
00:23:32 話者 5
Xi is said to be seeking a fourth term at the Communist Party Congress due to be held next year. Amako notes that there is no potential successor waiting in the wings at this National People's Congress. Xi seems to be the only choice.
00:23:53 話者 8
Of course, Xi is aiming for a fourth term and has removed various rivals with that in mind.
He says he will make China an advanced country by 2035 and that it will eventually stand shoulder to shoulder with the US.
It isn't clear at the moment whether that can be done, but he will do his best to make it happen.
WEATHER
00:24:20 話者 1
Now let's take a look at the weather. Although it's March, northern Japan is still facing winter storms. Our meteorologist Yumi Hirano has the details.
00:24:36 話者 9/Yumi Hirano
Active low pressure and the frontal systems are bringing intense rain to western Japan on Friday. The storm is also likely to damp heavy snow on northern Japan, leading to additional avalanches.
On top of that, strong winds are expected, so people in Hokkaido and Tohoku should watch out for blizzard and whiteout conditions.
Sapporo may also see snowfall from Saturday to Sunday, but it's expected to ease on Monday.
Tokyo is likely to see some showers from Friday night to Saturday morning.
After the rain, the temperature will jump to 18 on Saturday, but will drop to 14 on Sunday, and finally only 12 on Monday, so please prepare for the big temperature change.
Now moving to Europe, warm air is dominating the west.
One location in London experienced a high of 19.2 degrees on Thursday, the warmest this year in the UK. It's not only people but animals having feeling the arrival of spring.
Many zoogoers were delighted to see brown bears come out to play after their hibernation period on Wednesday.
The bears were playing and roaring in the glass at the largest zoo in the UK.
Zookeepers try to keep their habitat as close as possible to their natural environment and encourage them to rest in winter.
The high in London will drop to 14 on Friday due to wet weather, but warmer-than-usual conditions are also expected in many other cities.
Stockholm will see double digits for their first time of this year.
The highs will be 17 in Berlin and 20 in Paris.
That's it for now. Have a nice weekend.
♫～ 3-DAY FORECAST ～♫
00:27:43 話者 1
That wraps up this edition of NHK Newsline.
I'm Kanako Sachno in Tokyo. Thanks very much for joining us.
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