Hello, welcome back to NHK Newsline. I'm Maria Sato in Tokyo.
JAPAN, S.KOREA: NORTH LAUNCHED BALLISTIC MISSILES
Japanese defense ministry officials say North Korea launched several ballistic missiles early Saturday afternoon.
The South Korean military says more than 10 missiles were launched.
Japan's defense ministry says Pyongyang fired ballistic missiles from the western part of the country in a northeasterly direction at 1:24 p.m.
Officials estimate they flew about 340 kilometers at a maximum altitude of 80 kilometers before falling in waters outside Japan's exclusive economic zone.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff says over ten ballistic missiles were fired from the Sunan area near Pyongyang around 1:20 p.m.
Japanese Defense Minister Koizumi Shinjiro says there are no reports of damage to vessels in the area.
00:01:11 話者 2/Koizumi Shinjiro
I've told officials to make the utmost effort to gather and analyze information while working closely with the US, South Korea and other countries.
I've also told them to be on alert and monitor the situation in case of unexpected developments.
00:01:26 (Maria Sato)
This comes as South Korea and the US continue a joint military exercise that began on Monday. The drill simulates an emergency on the Korean Peninsula.
The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Tuesday denounced the exercise.
Kim Yo-jong described it as a rehearsal for a provocative and aggressive war.
Kim Jong-un announced a new five-year defense plan at the ruling Workers' Party Congress last month.
He reiterated his intention to accelerate nuclear and missile development.
HEGSETH: SUPREME LEADER 'LIKELY DISFIGURED'
Officials in Washington say they're launching yet another large-scale strike in Iranian airspace.
That operation comes nearly two weeks after the US and Israel began their attacks.
And the top official at the Pentagon says Iran's new supreme leader is wounded and likely disfigured.
00:02:21 話者 3/Pete Hegseth/US Secretary of Defense
Iran's leadership is in no better shape.
Desperate and hiding, they've gone underground, cowering.
00:02:30 (Maria Sato)
Hegseth says they believe top officials are moving into civilian areas.
He says US forces have wiped out Iran's ability to produce any ballistic missiles and that its entire defense industry will be destroyed very soon.
He added they have no clear evidence that Iran has laid mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
President Donald Trump told Fox News Radio the military campaign will not take long.
He says it will be over when he feels it in his bones.
The Israel Defense Forces say they've carried out more than 7,600 strikes since the operation began.
And they say more than 60 percent were aimed at Tehran's missile programs.
The Iranian side announced on Friday that it carried out more than 40 waves of attacks against US and Israeli targets.
A senior official of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says that the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control. It says it won't allow dominance from world powers.
The secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council joined a rally in Tehran.
Ali Larijani told local media that President Trump underestimates the Iranian people.
00:03:50 話者 4/Ali Larijani/Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary
The problem with Trump is that he's not intelligent enough to understand that Iranians are a mature and strong and determined nation.
The more pressure he applies, the stronger the will of the people becomes.
00:04:03 (Maria Sato)
President Masoud Pezeshkian issued a statement saying the top priority is preparing the military for defense and stabilization.
He called on the people to give their cooperation and show their unity.
US MEDIA: JAPAN-BASED US SHIP, MARINE UNIT BEING SENT TO MIDDLE EAST
US media say the Pentagon is sending a US amphibious assault ship and a marine expeditionary unit based in Japan to the Middle East.
The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that the US Defense Department is deploying additional marines and warships as Iran is stepping up attacks on the Strait of Hormuz.
It says Defense Secretary Hegseth approved the move at the request of the US Central Command.
The report quoted US officials as saying that the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli is now headed for the Middle East.
The Tripoli is stationed in Sasebo City, Nagasaki Prefecture in southwestern Japan.
Meanwhile, ABC News has said the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is deployed in Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan, has been ordered to head to the Middle East.
The unit is expected to be on board the Tripoli.
The unit's mission includes using its squadron of F-35 fighter jets, as well as protecting US
expatriates.
The ABC report said the unit's deployment does not mean that it's going to be used as a ground force in Iran.
It says it offers land, amphibious and aviation assets that can be available to military commanders if needed.
MIDDLE EAST EVACUEES FLOWN TO JAPAN REACH 1,104
Another chartered flight evacuating people from the Middle East has arrived at an airport near Tokyo. It was the sixth such plane chartered to bring home Japanese nationals.
The evacuation was arranged by the government, which says it currently has no other plans to charter more planes.
The sixth plane landed at Narita Airport on Saturday from Saudi Arabia.
Two of the 222 passengers were Taiwanese who were offered help by Japan.
00:06:19 話者 5
I heard the sound of missiles a lot, and I am relieved to be away from that.
00:06:25 話者 6
I became separated from my dad, and I wanted him to come home with me.
00:06:31 (Maria Sato)
The total number of people who were evacuated under the program comes to 1,104.
TAKAICHI TO MEET TRUMP IN US NEXT WEEK
Japan's Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae is preparing for a four-day visit to the United States.
She's expected to hold summit talks with Trump on Thursday.
00:06:58 話者 7/Takaichi Sanae
I will convey Japan's stance and views and deepen discussions with President Trump in light of increasing global tensions.
00:07:08 (Maria Sato)
Takaichi is scheduled to leave Japan on Wednesday for what will be her first visit to Washington since taking office last year.
She plans to reaffirm the importance of the Japan-US alliance.
The two leaders are also expected to discuss East Asia and the Middle East, including Iran.
Takaichi aims to strengthen cooperation in a wide range of fields, including economic security, and she wants to discuss plans to invest in the United States based on a bilateral trade agreement.
China's growing economic and military clout is also expected to be high on their agenda.
The Japanese government's stance is that it will be difficult to make a legal assessment of the US-Israeli military operation in Iran, while calling for de-escalation as soon as possible.
TEPCO HALTS POWER GENERATION AT NIIGATA NUCLEAR PLANT
Officials at a nuclear plant in Japan's Niigata Prefecture have suffered a setback.
They were planning to put the facility back in commercial use for the first time in years.
But they say an alarm went off indicating that electricity had leaked from a generator.
Tokyo Electric Power Company says it has suspended power generation and transmission at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant's No. 6 reactor from Saturday.
Officials say the alarm went off on Thursday.
They inspected the equipment around the generator, but were unable to resolve the issue.
They plan to investigate further. The officials say there are no abnormalities with the reactor, which will be kept running with reduced output.
They also say there are no safety issues.
The reactor is the company's first to be brought back online since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant suffered a triple meltdown in March 2011.
TEPCO's plan to resume commercial operations at the Niigata plant on March 18 will now likely be reviewed.
Those were the headlines for this hour.
♫～ 3-DAY FORECAST ～♫
And that's all for this hour on NHK Newsline.
I'm Maria Sato in Tokyo. Do stay with us on NHK World Japan.
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