Welcome to NHK Newsline. I'm Ramin Mellegard in Tokyo.
JAPAN, CANADA AGREE TO LAUNCH ECONOMIC SECURITY DIALOGUE
Japan and Canada have agreed to launch a bilateral economic security dialogue, partly to strengthen supply chains for critical minerals.
The agreement came at a meeting on Friday in Tokyo between Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae and her visiting Canadian counterpart Mark Carney.
At the beginning of their talks, Takaichi said the two nations share fundamental values such as freedom, democracy and the rule of law.
00:00:48 話者 2/Takaichi Sanae
In light of the current international situation, the importance of the relationship between Japan and Canada has never been greater.
I look forward to discussing a wide range of issues, including the direction of further development of our relations, the current situation in the Indo-Pacific, and the international situation, including Iran.
00:01:11 話者 3/Mark Carney
We both know, as you just mentioned, the importance of economic security for the security of our peoples, because the world is at a turning point.
We see the manifestations in the Middle East.
00:01:28 (Ramin Mellegard)
The leader said in a joint statement their two countries will establish a comprehensive strategic partnership.
They also said a new economic security dialogue will cover topics such as artificial intelligence and quantum technology, as well as supply chains for critical minerals.
Takaichi and Carney discussed the situation in the Middle East, including Iran, at a working dinner.
They confirmed they will continue to communicate closely with a view to de-escalating the situation at an early date.
JAPAN ASKS US TO SPARE TOKYO HARM UNDER NEW TARIFFS
Japan's trade minister says he has sought reassurance that Washington's new tariff measures will not put Tokyo at a disadvantage compared with their bilateral trade agreement.
Akazawa Ryosei met with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in Washington on Friday.
Last month, the Trump administration imposed a new 10% tariff on most countries, including Japan, for 150 days under Section 122 of the Trade Act.
The measure uses a different law as authority than that applied to earlier measures Trump calls reciprocal tariffs, after the US Supreme Court ruled they are illegal.
Akazawa spoke to reporters after meeting Lutnik.
00:02:47 話者 4/Akazawa Ryosei
I reiterated Japan's request, first and foremost, that regarding tariffs under Section 122 of the Trade Act, Japan will not be treated less favorably than under the agreement reached between Japan and the United States last year.
00:03:02 (Ramin Mellegard)
Akazawa said he also asked Lutnik not to apply the planned increase in the tariff rate to 15% to Japan.
Prime Minister Takaichi and US President Donald Trump are scheduled to meet later this month.
In bilateral trade talks last year, Japan agreed to invest $550 billion in the United States.
Akazawa said he and Lutnik discussed candidate projects to follow the first projects that were selected last month.
IDF: TEHRAN BUNKER DESTROYED
Israeli military commanders say they've achieved one of their goals in the fight against Iran.
They say they've destroyed an underground bunker in Tehran that was used by top officials.
They say Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was intending to go there before he was killed in the initial strikes.
The Israel Defense Forces say the attack involved about 50 fighter jets.
They say senior officials continued to use the bunker after Khamenei was killed.
But Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is striking a defiant tone.
It says it will fight until there's no sedition.
It says it's used missiles and drones to carry out more than 20 waves of attacks.
A spokesperson for the Iranian government has commented about the casualties from the US and Israeli strikes. She says about a third of those killed were children.
And Al-Jazeera quotes the Red Crescent as saying more than 1,300 people in total have been killed.
President Donald Trump posted about the fighting on social media.
He called for Iran's unconditional surrender and says whoever succeeds Khamenei must be acceptable to his country.
The White House says it expects the fighting to last about four to six weeks.
Trump has reportedly spoken with the leaders of armed Kurdish groups that oppose the Iranian regime.
An expert tells NHK what may be the reason.
00:05:07 話者 5/Tanaka Koichiro/Professor, Keio University
The US Is trying to shake up Iran's regime from the inside by supporting the Kurdish groups. This means that the military attacks have not triggered the kind of demonstrations and the kind of unrest in Iran that Trump had expected.
00:05:28 (Ramin Mellegard)
But local media say a senior Iranian defense official has issued a warning.
He says all facilities in the Kurdish region of Iraq will be targeted if the groups approach Iran's borders.
US MILITARY 'LIKELY' BEHIND SCHOOL STRIKE
Media reports say the US military was likely responsible for a strike on an elementary school in southern Iran.
The attack has drawn wide condemnation over the killing of civilians.
The strike happened on the first day of US and Israeli operations.
It reportedly killed more than 170 children and teachers.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has acknowledged that the military is conducting an investigation.
Reuters says it's spoken with two officials who say the probe is ongoing and no conclusions have been reached.
An analysis by New York Times backs up the Reuters report.
It says videos and satellite images show that the schools located next to a military facility, both are believed to have been destroyed in the attack.
The Times suggests the US was most likely behind the strike because the military has admitted its forces were engaged in operations in the area.
The UN Cultural and Education Agency says it's deeply alarmed at the situation.
It condemned the killings as a grave violation of international humanitarian law.
TOKYO TO START EVACUATING JAPANESE FROM THE MIDDLE EAST
And Japan is making moves to help its citizens leave the Middle East.
The government will provide ground transportation to Japanese who want to leave Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
Buses will take them to Oman or Saudi Arabia.
They will leave those two countries on chartered flights on Sunday and Monday, respectively, at the earliest.
00:07:21 話者 7/Motegi Toshimitsu/Japanese Foreign Minister
We will ensure a thorough evacuation, with priorities based on people's needs and circumstances, including the elderly, pregnant women, and those with small children.
00:07:38 (Ramin Mellegard)
Government officials are considering additional evacuations, as it is believed more people want to leave the region than they first thought.
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MILANO CORTINA WINTER PARALYMPICS OPEN AMID WORLD TENSION
The Milano-Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games have opened in the middle of rising tensions around the world.
The opening ceremony was held on Friday in the Verona Arena, the location of the Olympics closing ceremony.
Only two athletes from each nation were able to take part on site from Japan.
44 athletes are set to take part, the most for any Winter Olympics held outside Japan.
Athletes from Russia and its ally, Belarus, were allowed to compete representing their countries, even as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues.
They marched with their national flags in the parade of nations.
But athletes from Ukraine and six other nations boycotted the opening ceremony as a result.
Athletes from Iran were unable to take part due to the conflict in the Middle East.
The Paralympics run through March 15th, featuring 79 medal events across six sports.
And those were the top stories for this hour.
WEATHER
♫～ 3-DAY FORECAST ～♫
And that's a wrap for this edition of NHK Newsline.
I'm Ramin Mellegard. Thank you very much for joining us.
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