Thank you for joining us. From our studio here in Tokyo, this is NHK Newsline.
TRUMP SAYS NO HELP NEEDED SECURING STRAIT OF HORMUZ
US President Donald Trump says his country does not need help from other NATO members or US allies for the military operation against Iran.
He had been calling on other countries to send ships to the region amid Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump made a remark in a social media post on Tuesday where he explicitly named Japan, Australia and South Korea as countries whose help isn't needed.
Later that day, he reiterated frustration with what he called NATO's unwillingness to get involved.
00:00:54 話者 10/Donald Trump
I think NATO's making a very foolish mistake and I've long said that I wonder whether or not NATO would ever be there for us.
So this was a great test because we don't need them, but they should have been there.
00:01:08 話者 1
Japan's chief cabinet secretary said the US side has not made any specific requests to dispatch ships.
He said Japan recognizes the global importance of maintaining safety of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
00:01:26 話者 3/Kihara Minoru/Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary
In order to bring the situation under control as soon as possible, Japan will continue to take various opportunities to closely communicate with relevant countries, including the US, and make every diplomatic effort.
00:01:40 話者 1
Meanwhile, a top US counterterrorism official has announced his resignation, saying he oes not support the operation.
Joe Kent wrote on social media on Tuesday that, "Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby."
US media outlets says Kent is the first senior member of the Trump administration to quit over the Iran conflict.
MORE THAN 1,400 REPORTED DEAD IN IRAN
Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera says more than 1,400 people have been killed in Iran since the start of the US-Israeli attacks.
The Iranian Red Crescent Society says airstrikes have damaged or destroyed more than 67,000 civilian sites.
It says nearly 500 schools have been damaged, in addition to medical facilities.
ISRAEL EXPANDS MILITARY OPERATION IN LEBANON
Israeli forces have also been stepping up attacks on Lebanon.
They're targeting the Iran-backed group Hezbollah.
And they say they've launched ground operations in the south of the country.
UN humanitarian officials warn the conflict continues to cause large-scale displacement.
The Israeli military says troops located and dismantled a facility where Shia Muslim militants were storing weapons.
And they also carried out airstrikes on the outskirts of Beirut and other areas.
Defense Minister Israel Kotz says the ground operations are targeted at removing threats and protecting residents in northern Israel.
Lebanon's state-run media says more than 900 people have been killed since March 2.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says more than 830,000 people in the country have been displaced. That's around 14 percent of the population.
Qatz says it could be a long campaign.
00:03:48 話者 3/Israel Katz/Israeli Defense Minister
Hundreds of thousands of Shiite residents in southern Lebanon who have evacuated or are evacuating their homes in southern Lebanon and Beirut will not return to areas south of the Litani Line until the safety of northern residents is ensured.
00:04:04 話者 1
Hezbollah has also continued to attack Israel. Drone and rocket strikes on a northern Israeli town on Monday reportedly injured multiple people.
The hostilities were sparked after Hezbollah attacked Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
France and other countries released a statement on the escalating conflict, saying they are gravely concerned. They called for both sides to negotiate a sustainable political solution.
RUSSIA MOCKS EUROPE'S REFUSAL TO HELP TRUMP SECURE HORMUZ
A special envoy for Russian President Vladimir Putin has taken aim at Europe's rejection of Trump's calls to send naval ships to the Strait of Hormuz.
In a social media post on Tuesday, Kirill Dimitriev wrote, The masks are off.
He called the UK and EU warmongers, saying they're showing how deeply anti-Trump they really are. And that Trump will remember.
Germany and France are among the European countries that have signaled they will not respond to Trump's calls to help secure the vital shipping lane.
Dmitriev's comments apparently aim to drive a deeper wedge between the US and Europe, which have already displayed differences over Ukraine.
GUARDIAN: UK OFFICIAL CITES IRAN PEACE OFFER DAYS BEFORE ATTACK
A British newspaper has cited a U.K. official saying that Iran made a viable peace offer two days before the US-Israeli attack.
The Guardian on Tuesday reported that Britain's national security adviser Jonathan Powell took part in the talks with Iranian officials in Geneva on February 26.
Powell judged that an offer made by Tehran was significant enough to prevent a rush to war.
The Guardian cited sources close to the matter, who explained that Iran agreed to having no stockpiles of highly enriched uranium built up in the future.
Nearly 80 percent of the economic sanctions on Iran would have been lifted under the proposed deal.
The paper reported that U.K. officials explained they were impressed that Iran proposed a permanent agreement.
The paper said Powell believed the path remained open to a negotiated solution.
Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi of Oman, which mediated US-Iran talks, also noted that progress was made in the talks. He has been calling for a diplomatic solution.
The Guardian quoted one Gulf diplomat with knowledge of the talks, saying, We regarded US special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner as Israeli assets that dragged the president into a war he wants to get out of.
TAKAICHI TO VISIT US FOR SUMMIT WITH TRUMP
Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae is set to travel to the US for talks with President Trump on Thursday. Takaichi will depart Japan for Washington on Wednesday evening.
It will be her first trip to the US since she took office.
00:07:29 話者 4/Takaichi Sanae
I will meet President Trump as the situation changes every day and US messages change.
I will focus on maximizing Japan's national interests and protecting the lives of our people.
I'd like to hold thorough discussions on national security as well as economic issues, including economic security.
00:07:58 話者 1
Attention is focused on how she will respond to the situation in the Middle East.
As for the potential demand to send ships to help secure the Strait of Hormuz,
Takaichi had this to say:.
00:08:10 話者 4
I intend to make it clear that, under Japanese law, what can be done will be done, but what cannot be done will not be done.
00:08:20 話者 1
The prime minister also plans to reaffirm the importance of the Japan-US alliance.
She hopes to strengthen cooperation in a wide range of fields.
ALASKAN OIL LIKELY ON JAPAN-US SUMMIT AGENDA
Takaichi is also expected to tell the US president that Tokyo intends to cooperate on crude oil production in Alaska.
Sources say the Japanese government will use the upcoming summit to express its intention to help boost oil output in the northernmost US state.
Japan will also ask that the increased production be exported to Japan.
Japan seeks to diversify oil supplies amid growing concern that escalating conflict in Iran poses a threat to oil flows. The country relies heavily on the Middle East for crude oil.
JAPAN DEAL WITH US MAY INCLUDE NUCLEAR REACTORS
Separately, Tokyo and Washington have been discussing a second round of investments under an agreement last year to plough 550 billion dollars into the US.
The projects currently under discussion are worth up to 73 billion dollars.
Sources say a joint statement, including three candidate plans, will be released to coincide with the summit meeting.
Natural gas power generation plants in Pennsylvania and Texas are expected to be on the list of possible investments.
Another project is likely to involve small modular nuclear reactors in Tennessee and elsewhere.
ANALYSIS: WHAT'S NEXT IN THE IRAN CONFLICT?
So more than two weeks have passed since the United States and Israel began their attacks on Iran.
How does US President Donald Trump intend to bring this military campaign to an end?
And how is Iran likely to respond going forward?
NHK World's Takemura Tomomasa spoke with experts on both sides to assess the outlook.
00:10:13 話者 5/Takemura Tomomasa
Former US Marine Mark Cancian is a senior advisor at the US think tank CSIS, the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
He points out that there were two developments in this conflict that came as a surprise for the United States.
00:10:31 話者 12/Mark Cancian
On the military side is that the Iranians have been able to shut the Straits of Hormuz.
The United States did not expect that. On a political side, I think that the resilience of the Iranian regime has been a surprise after so much of the leadership was killed.
The United States expected that they might be more flexible on negotiations.
So far, that's not the case.
00:11:01 話者 5
Meanwhile, President Trump has changed his stance when it comes to requesting help.
He says he no longer needs other nations to send vessels to the Strait of Hormuz.
Cancian points out that there were two main reasons he originally asked for this.
First, these countries could provide additional power and possess highly advanced mine-sweeping expertise.
Second, having many nations participate in the operation helps frame it not as unilateral action by the United States. but as an international effort to secure the strait.
Against this backdrop, Japan-US summit talks are scheduled to begin Thursday, US time.
Cancian says any US request to help secure the strait would pose extremely difficult challenges for Japan.
00:11:56 話者 12
Although escorting ships is defensive, inevitably there will be an offensive element that is the ships will be shooting back at Iranian forces, maybe shooting at forces on the mainland, at least shooting at drones and naval vessels.
So Japan or any other coalition partner would become a participant in the war.
00:12:31 話者 5
So does the United States have an exit strategy to bring the conflict to an end?
And how long could that take?
00:12:40 話者 12
I would say that at the end of three weeks, we will be in a different position and maybe the war will end.
And when I say a different position, the Marines will be there and maybe the streets will be open, maybe the Marines will have seized an island, but we will be in a different position.
00:13:00 話者 5
Meanwhile, Iranian affairs expert Saito Masamichi says the timing of when Iran chooses to pivot toward ending the conflict will be crucial.
00:13:17 話者 3/Saito Masamichi
Iran is now using ballistic missiles, but it appears to be saving some.
Before the war, it was estimated that the country possessed about 80,000 drones.
Iran has effectively used the cheap drones to attack Gulf nations and Israel.
On the other hand, the burden is heavy for Iran.
If this situation continues, military personnel and senior officials who support the Iranian regime may break away from the current regime.
They will monitor the situation and try to find a move toward a ceasefire at some point while keeping an eye on the actions of the US.
00:14:26 話者 5
If the conflict drags on, there could be major repercussions for the global economy.
The critical question is how to find a political exit strategy, not just a military one.
The situation has now reached a decisive and highly consequential phase.
Takemura Tomomasa, NHK World.
BUSINESS
00:14:50 話者 1
And now let's look at what's happening in the world of business.
Here's our Ramin Mellegard from our business desk.
00:14:57 話者 6/Ramin Mellegard
Thank you very much indeed.
JAPAN'S AVERAGE GASOLINE PRICE HITS RECORD HIGH
Now, gasoline prices at the pump in Japan have hit a record high amid the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East.
The Oil Information Center says as of Monday, a liter of regular gasoline averaged 190.8 yen or $1.20 per liter.
That was up 18% from a week earlier and the fifth straight week of increase.
It is also the highest price since 1990 when the survey began in its current four.
A government initiative to keep the retail price of gasoline at around 170 yen per liter will start with fuel to be shipped out on Thursday.
The effect is expected to be reflected at the pump in one to two weeks.
JAPAN'S TRUCKING FIRMS FACE TIGHT FUEL SUPPLIES
Japanese trucking firms are now feeling the pinch at the pump as the escalating Iran conflict is restricting fuel supplies.
Trucking firm Toshin Sangyo, based in Kobe, western Japan, buys wholesale diesel fuel and fills the tanks of its roughly 200 trucks on its premises.
But the bill from the wholesaler has no deliveries listed for the next few weeks.
00:16:13 話者 24/Yoshioka Satoshi/Toshin Sangyo
We order the same amount for every week, but blanks in the bill mean that orders can't be placed. Cancellation would require us to refuel our vehicles at regular gas stations outside.
00:16:27 話者 6
The company executive says the firm is now looking at a nearly 40 percent rise in its monthly fuel bill.
Higher diesel fuel prices also raise the cost.
Transport Minister Kanako Yasushi says he aims to address such cases and draft appropriate measures.
00:16:47 話者 26/Kaneko Yasushi/Japanese Transport Minister
I heard that some oil wholesalers are halting or limiting diesel fuel deliveries to large-volume clients making it hard for these buyers to obtain the fuel.
00:17:00 話者 6
The transport minister also points out that the maritime shipping sector is facing similar sales restrictions for heavy oil.
JAPAN'S EXPORTS TO US FALL FOR 3RD STRAIGHT MONTH
And Japan's exports to the United States fell in February for the third straight month.
It was a sign of the ongoing impact of tariffs imposed by the administration of Donald Trump.
The finance ministry says shipments bound for the US stood at 1.75 trillion yen, or $11 billion. That was down 8% from a year earlier.
Autos declined nearly 15%, while auto parts dropped almost 16%.
Pharmaceuticals tumbled a hefty 58%.
Now, meanwhile, imports from China grew by more than 35%, the seventh straight month of gains.
Overall, Japan managed to post a trade surplus of $360 million, but that was down almost 90% in yen terms from February last year.
BOJ LIKELY TO HOLD RATES STEADY AS IRAN CONFLICT DRAGS ON
Policymakers at the Bank of Japan will likely keep interest rates unchanged at a two-day meeting starting on Wednesday.
They will be focused on the economic impact of the worsening situation with Iran.
The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz is fueling worries about rising crude oil prices and stable supply. Prices of NAFTA are also going up as it is derived from oil.
Some BOJ officials have expressed concern the high prices of oil products could push up other prices and hurt the economy.
Financial markets have also been showing instability.
The Japanese yen has been weakening, with traders selling in favor of dollars.
Given the circumstances, Japanese central bankers are likely to keep their current monetary policy unchanged while taking stock of the effects of their previous rate increase. They last raised the policy rate three months ago to around 0.75%.
Policymakers have indicated plans to raise rates gradually, but that could be called into question as the Iran conflict raises various uncertainties.
NVIDIA TO DEVELOP CHIPS FOR AI INFERENCE
US semiconductor giant Nvidia has unveiled plans to develop chips that improve AI inference capabilities. The company will begin shipments in the latter half of the year.
CEO Jensen Hong made the announcement at a developer's event.
Inference describes the process in which AI decides on its next action based on what it has previously learned.
It is said to be crucial to the development of AI agents that can operate independently in place of humans.
00:19:49 話者 36/Jensen Huang/CEO, Nvidia
Finally, AI is able to do productive work, and therefore, the inflection point of inference has arrived.
AI now has to think. In order to think, it has to inference.
00:20:06 話者 6
Huang says rapid AI development is driving strong semiconductor demand. He says he expects sales of the most advanced chips to total at least $1 trillion by the end of 2027.
MARKERS
Okay, let's get a check on the markets.
♪
And that is it for business news.
RUBIO: CUBA NEEDS 'NEW PEOPLE IN CHARGE'
00:21:05 話者 1
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Cuba's economy is non-functional and that the country has to change dramatically.
00:21:15 話者 43/Marco Rubio
Cuba has an economy that doesn't work and a political and governmental system that can't fix it.
The people in charge, they don't know how to fix it, so they have to get new people in charge. That's what has to happen.
00:21:25 話者 1
His remarks came after the Cuban government said it would allow nationals living abroad to invest in the island's infrastructure in energy and other sectors.
But Rubio said that announcement was not dramatic enough and was not going to fix the situation.
The Caribbean socialist nation has been facing serious fuel shortages and regular blackouts as the United States has stepped up pressure.
This includes cutting off financial flows as well as oil supplies from Venezuela.
US President Donald Trump has indicated that his administration may take action against Cuba after military operations in Iran come to an end.
Trump said on Monday he could free it, take it, or do anything he wants with Cuba.
He has repeatedly called for more steps, while hinting at the use of military force.
RUSSIA: JETS WITH HYPERSONIC MISSILES FLEW OVER SEA OF JAPAN
Russia's defense ministry says Russian fighter jets carrying Kinzhal missiles flew over international waters in the Sea of Japan.
Moscow says the Kinzhal is a hypersonic weapon.
The ministry said on Tuesday that MiG-31 aircraft armed with the missiles conducted a planned flight. It's unusual for Russia to make such an announcement.
This video shows an aerial refueling tanker connecting a fuel hose to a fighter jet.
The defense ministry says the flights were carried out in strict accordance with international law.
The Kinzhal missile is one of six new weapons announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2018. Russia says it has a maximum speed of Mach 10.
Russian forces have said they used Kinzhal missiles to strike a Ukrainian military facility in March 2022 and have since used it frequently to attack Ukraine.
Observers believe Russia is showing off the cutting-edge combat weapon to keep Japan and the US in check.
♪
WEATHER
Now let's check on the world weather with our meteorologist, Sayaka Mori.
So, Sayaka, spring around Japan means Sakura season.
How are things looking right now?
00:24:06 話者 7/Sayaka Mori
Hello there. The cherry blossom season is underway in Japan.
We are here with parts of the first bloom in parts of western and central Japan.
So the question is, who will be the next? It's likely to be Tokyo.
We are expecting the first bloom on Thursday in Tokyo.
By the way, the first bloom means more than five flowers are open on a sample tree.
And as of 2 p.m. on Wednesday, there are a couple.
So the sakura season is just around the corner for Tokyo.
And we are seeing some rain developing as well across parts of Japan.
below and the attached front. This is a relatively fast mover.
It's moving at a speed of 45 kilometers per hour, so rain will likely affect Tokyo, but that should taper off by tomorrow morning.
Now another storm will produce some snowfall across portions of Hokkaido and Sapporo could see snow on Friday.
And Tokyo will see unusually warm conditions on Thursday, 21 for the high, about 5 degrees higher than normal.
And look at this, Taipei is cooler than Tokyo with a high of 19 degrees with rain in the forecast for this area.
Now, I want to draw your attention to the Mediterranean. You can see the spinning clouds.
This is often called the Medicane, so Mediterranean hurricane, but it's not a hurricane.
It's the hybrid system.
We have a cold air a lot and it's cut off from the jet stream, so it's moving quite slowly.
We are hearing reports of strong winds over Tunisia, as well as heavy rainfall in the south of Italy. More than 100 millimeters of rain fell in just five hours.
The system will continue to spin over the Mediterranean, so severe weather conditions will continue across this area. And then we have another system to talk about.
This is Teresa, a low pressure system that is affecting the Iberian Peninsula that will bring strong winds, damaging winds, heavy rainfall and thunderstorms for low-lying areas and mountain areas could see snowfall.
Elsewhere, a couple of highs will bring sunny and warm conditions.
Whether it's going to be May-like in Paris as well as London on Wednesday.
That's it for me. Stay safe.
♫～ 3-DAY FORECAST ～♫
ROBOT SOCCER TOURNAMENT HELD IN CENTRAL JAPAN
00:26:35 話者 1
And before we go, Palais, Maradona, and now Cristiano Roboto.
Engineering students from across Japan have gathered for a unique soccer tournament featuring mechanical players.
The event in Susono City, Shizuoku Prefecture, was organized by a robotics company and other organizations.
It featured robots designed to support people with disabilities that make it hard for them to go outside.
The robots were equipped with cameras and microphones, and were controlled remotely by tablet devices.
Students from the National Institute of Technology, Numazu College, played against a team that included a housebound person who joined from home.
00:27:24 話者 3
It was a good time. I want to help people with disabilities in the future.
00:27:35 話者 1
And that concludes this edition of NHK Newsline.
Thank you very much for watching and hope you join us again.
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