Welcome back to NHK Newsline. I'm Kanako Sachno.
SERIOUS DAMAGE TO MIDDLE EAST ENERGY FACILITIES
It's been almost five weeks since the United States and Israel launched their military operation against Iran.
The conflict has led to severe damage to oil and natural gas facilities throughout the region.
NHK has analysed reports about attacks on energy facilities since the conflict began on February 28. It has plotted the sites on a map.
As of Friday, at least 26 major facilities have reportedly been affected.
These sites have either suffered damage from attacks and suspended operations, or scaled back production due to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has reportedly launched attacks on facilities in Gulf nations, including the Sitra refinery in Bahrain and the Ruwais refinery in the United Arab Emirates.
Oman was thought to be less susceptible to the effects of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz because of its location.
But a fuel tank and other facilities at a port in the country's south were reportedly attacked last month.
Meanwhile, in Iran, refineries and other facilities in the Tehran area have reportedly been hit by Israeli strikes.
An energy research firm estimates that the total cost of rebuilding damaged energy facilities throughout the region will be at least $25 billion.
TRUMP, IRAN TRADE THREATS ABOUT STRONG ATTACKS
US President Donald Trump says American forces are nearing completion of their objectives in Iran, but Tehran is warning the US to prepare for broader and more destructive attacks.
This footage was posted by Trump on social media on Thursday.
He claimed it was Iran's biggest bridge, saying it is never to be used again.
He told Tehran to make a deal before there is nothing left.
The Post didn't say where or when the bridge collapsed, but Iranian media reported that an attack on a bridge in Karaj near Tehran killed eight and wounded 95 others.
00:02:13 話者 10/Donald Trump
We're going to bring them back to the stone ages where they belong.
00:02:19 話者 1
That speech triggered sharp words from the commander-in-chief of the Iranian army.
According to state-run media, he warned the US against any ground operations.
He said if the enemy attempts one, there will be no survivors.
Turning to Israel, the military there says it's intercepted 4 waves of Iranian missiles.
It said the attack took place around the time of Trump's speech.
Israeli media said four people near Tel Aviv were injured and that cluster munitions may have been used.
The Israeli military said it's conducted large-scale strikes on Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps bases and ballistic missile storage facilities in Tehran.
CNN: ABOUT HALF OF IRAN'S MISSILE LAUNCHERS STILL INTACT
As for Iran's missile launchers, CNN says roughly half of them are still intact, and it says thousands of one-way attack drones are still in Tehran's arsenal.
CNN reported on the numbers Thursday.
Its sources say they're from recent US intelligence assessments.
The documents allegedly suggest many of Iran's coastal defence cruise missiles are also intact. It's a stark contrast to President Trump's recent claims.
In his address on Wednesday, he said the Iranian Navy and Air Force had suffered significant losses.
In the past, he's even claimed they knocked out about 90% of its missiles and launchers.
NHK reached out to US defence officials for comment.
Spokesperson Sean Parnell claims CNN sources are completely wrong. He went on to describe the operation as a resounding success and called the report shameful.
UK HOSTS TALKS ON STRAIT OF HORMUZ
Britain hosted a meeting to discuss how to secure the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
Representatives from more than 40 countries, including Japan, attended the virtual event.
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper hosted the gathering.
She says Iran's blockage of the waterway holds the global economy hostage.
00:04:24 話者 12/Yvette Cooper
We've come together as foreign ministers and officials from across the world today.
So those who joined in the leader's statement on restoring safe passage through the strait and more, and many more, coming together in our collective determination to secure freedom of navigation and to reopen the strait.
00:04:43 話者 1
A Japanese Foreign Ministry official says the participants continued to criticize Iran's effective closure of the strait.
And Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu called on other countries to make efforts to ensure a stable global energy supply.
The British government released a statement after the meeting.
It says they discussed boosting diplomatic pressure on Iran over the issue, and they rejected the use of tolls.
They also addressed possible sanctions, and they talked about working with the International Maritime Organisation on releasing the thousands of ships and sailors trapped in the strait.
The meeting came after Trump lashed out at other countries on Wednesday for not doing enough to secure the strait.
He said European and Asian nations get a lot of oil from the strait.
He named France, Japan, South Korea, and China, and he said, let them do it.
BUSINESS
Now for more business stories, here's Ramin Mellegard.
00:05:43 話者 3/Ramin Mellegard
Thank you very much indeed.
TRUMP IMPOSES 100% TARIFFS ON IMPORTED PATENTED DRUGS
Now US President Donald Trump is imposing an additional tariff of 100% on non-generic drugs entering the country.
Trump on Thursday signed the executive order for the levy based on Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act.
However, the US will honor lower drug tariffs agreed in deals with trade partners, including 15% for Japan and the European Union.
The tariff will be applied to patented pharmaceuticals and associated ingredients.
It will take effect in 120 days for large companies and 180 days for smaller ones.
The rate will be reduced to 20% for four years for firms that have plans to produce these items in the US.
Now, companies that agree to lower prices for the US will be exempt from the tariff until January 2029.
MICROSOFT TO INVEST $10 BIL. IN JAPAN'S AI INDUSTRY
And Microsoft has unveiled its plan to invest $10 billion by 2029 to improve the artificial intelligence environment in Japan.
Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith met Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae in Tokyo on Friday and explained the objectives.
Takaichi said she was very happy with the plan and said her administration is following a responsible, proactive fiscal policy.
The aim is to raise growth potential by boosting domestic investment while raising companies' predictability.
00:07:20 話者 30/Takaichi Sanae
We welcome the plan, because it will raise. Japan's growth potential, deal with the issue of data sovereignty, and boost human resources.
00:07:36 話者 3
The $10 billion will cover improving the data centers necessary for AI development and fostering specialists.
The tech giant plans to establish an environment in which advanced AI technology can be developed while managing data in Japan.
Japanese telecom giant SoftBank and data center operator Sakura Internet will be co-participants.
Microsoft also aims to cultivate 1 million engineers and other human resources by 2030 in the country by working with NTT Data Japan and electronics firm NEC.
00:08:13 話者 21/Brad Smith/Vice Chair and President, Microsoft
We also shared and discussed with the Prime Minister the work that we're doing to strengthen the cybersecurity protection of the nation and to provide skilling to enable more opportunities by people across Japan.
00:08:26 話者 3
Meanwhile, the number of businesses and municipalities that fall victim to cyber attacks has been on the rise.
Microsoft aims to bolster measures against such attacks in cooperation with the Japanese government's National Cyber Security Office and the National Police Agency.
The government plans to proceed with the secure domestic development of AI amid heated global competition.
BIZ PICKS
Okay, next, NHK World's Gene Otani is here with Bizpicks.
00:09:03 話者 4/Gene Otani
Here's a look at key business and economic stories in the week ahead.
Two major Japanese retailers released earnings reports on Thursday.
And on Friday, the US Labor Department will report the latest Consumer Price Index.
ANALYST: OIL PRICE SURGE MAY REIGNITE US INFLATION
American CPI rose 2.4% from a year earlier in the first two months of the year.
Market participants are concerned the impact of the Middle East conflict may accelerate inflation. We talked to an expert for his insight.
A senior researcher at Daiwa Institute of Research, Yasaku Daisuke, estimates the index increase to 3% in March.
00:09:40 話者 24/Yasaku Daisuke/Senior Researcher, Daiwa Institute of Research
Higher crude oil prices due to the Middle East situation are the reason.
They started to rise at the end of February and continued through March.
I expect that pushed up the entire CPI.
Meanwhile, the index excluding energy is believed to have risen at roughly the same pace as in February.
So I think oil prices drove up the overall rate by around 0.6 percentage points.
It explains the uptick from February.
00:10:11 話者 4
Oil moved significantly after the start of US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
The benchmark WTI crude futures were trading around the $67 per barrel level on February 27, but they spiked all the way up to the $119 level.
Prices retreated somewhat, but they remained above $100 toward the end of March.
Yasaku says a sustained period of high crude oil prices could have a serious impact on the American economy.
00:10:42 話者 24
Looking at past trends in crude oil prices, when WTI rose more than 50% year-on-year for about eight straight months, that significantly pushed down the overall economy.
So in the current situation, if high crude oil prices continue until around October of this year, I think that could have a major negative impact for the US.
00:11:09 話者 4
Inflation pressure from the situation in the Middle East is also affecting monetary policy decisions by the US Federal Reserve.
00:11:19 話者 24
I think the US economy is slowing down or advancing only at a moderate pace.
High Kudola prices have the potential to stoke inflation, making it difficult to cut interest rates. On top of that, if energy prices rise, companies will have to cut costs.
So the employment picture would probably worsen along with that.
00:11:44 話者 4
Uncertainty about the job situation and rising inflation are likely to complicate the Fed's next policy decision.
I'm Gene Otani, and that's this week's Biz Picks.
00:11:57 話者 3
Thank you very much for that, Gene.
JAPAN SETS 10-YEAR BOND COUPON AT 2.4%, HIGHEST SINCE 1997
Now, Japan's finance ministry has raised the coupon rate on newly issued 10-year government bonds to 2.4%, the highest in nearly 29 years.
The move comes as the conflict in Iran has driven crude oil prices markedly higher, which could accelerate inflation.
The coupon, or the interest rate, paid to bondholders will increase to 0.3 percentage points from the 10-year debt issued in March.
This brings the rate to a level not seen since July 1997.
Bond market yields have been rising.
That's on speculation the Bank of Japan could raise its policy rate earlier than expected to deal with the impact of the prolonged Iran conflict.
The benchmark 10-year yield briefly hit 2.395% on Friday, the highest in 27 years.
The ministry has earmarked a record 13 trillion yen, or around $81 billion, for interest payments on government bonds in the fiscal 2026 budget.
It set the amount assuming a long-term interest rate of 3%.
MARKETS
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.
00:13:42 話者 1
Thanks, Ramin.
MYANMAR'S FORMER JUNTA CHIEF ELECTED PRESIDENT
Myanmar's parliament has elected former junta chief Min Aung Hlaing as the country's president.
He's set to launch an administration that's expected to be heavily influenced by the military.
Lawmakers of both houses voted on Friday to choose the president from among three candidates.
Min Aung Hlaing received 429 out of 584 votes.
He'd headed the junta since leading the 2021 coup that ousted the elected government.
Min Aung Hlaing stepped down as commander-in-chief of the armed forces on Monday as he was nominated for the presidency.
Pro-military camps hold more than 80% of Myanmar's parliamentary seats.
That's after a recent controversial general election that excluded pro-democracy parties.
The military has claimed the country is returning to civilian rule, but it's expected to effectively maintain a grip on power.
Fighting with pro-democracy forces and armed ethnic minorities continues with no end in sight.
ARTEMIS II MISSION CAPSULE EXITS EARTH ORBIT, HEADS TO MOON
A spacecraft carrying four astronauts has successfully left Earth's orbit to begin its historic journey toward the moon.
The rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft for the Artemis II mission lifted off on Wednesday evening.
The capsule spent about a day orbiting Earth, testing, docking and other operations.
00:15:08 話者 35/Reid Wiseman / Commander of NASA's Artemis II mission
The views of planet Earth, we've circled it completely and we forgot how beautiful it is to look down on Earth.
00:15:16 話者 1
On Thursday night, the spacecraft executed a thruster firing that placed it on a pathway to the moon.
00:15:23 話者 36/Lori Glaze/NASA Deputy Associate Administrator
I am so, so excited to be able to tell you that for the first time since 1972, during Apollo 17, human beings have left Earth orbit.
00:15:35 話者 1
The US-led international mission will last for about 10 days.
The capsule is scheduled to enter the moon's gravitational sphere in about 3 days and circle the moon before returning to Earth.
The Artemis program, under US space agency NASA, aims to land astronauts on the moon in 2028.
US ATTORNEY GENERAL TO EXIT POST AFTER EPSTEIN PROBE FALLOUT
US President Donald Trump has announced that Attorney General Pam Bondi is leaving her post. The president is said to be frustrated over her job performance.
Trump made the announcement in a social media post on Thursday.
He said Bondi will be transitioning to a much-needed and important new job in the private sector. He did not specify what her new role would be or why she's exiting.
Trump did note that Bondi had served faithfully.
He named Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche as acting attorney general.
US media say a major issue was her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein file.
The financier died after being indicted on sex abuse charges.
Trump was also allegedly discontent with how few successful cases were mounted against his political enemies.
Bondi is the second federal department chief to be replaced under the current Trump administration.
In March, Kristi Noem was removed as Secretary of Homeland Security.
On the same day, US Defense Department officials confirmed Army Chief of Staff General Randy George would step down and retire.
CBS News said this was at the request of Defense Secretary Pete Hexeth.
US media describe it as an extraordinary step coming in the midst of the ongoing military campaign against Iran.
CHINESE SHIP LEAVES JAPAN'S EEZ AROUND SENKAKU ISLANDS
The Japan Coast Guard says a Chinese ship has left Japan's exclusive economic zone around the Senkaku Islands.
Officials suspect the vessel was conducting a maritime survey.
Japan controls the islands in the East China Sea. China and Taiwan claim them.
The Coast Guard says the ship was seen extending what appeared to be a pipe and wire into waters within Japan's EEZ at around 1.30pm on Monday.
It says the area was about 69 kilometres west-northwest of Uotsuri Island in the Senkaku Islands.
The Coast Guard says it repeatedly told the vessel by radio to halt the operation, as surveys in the waters were unacceptable without permission from Japan.
But the ship did not respond. The vessel sailed away after 4 p.m. on Thursday.
The Coast Guard says this is the first time since last October that a Chinese marine research vessel has been confirmed to have operated in Japan's EEZ.
The Japanese government maintains the Senkaku Islands are an inherent part of Japan's territory in terms of history and international law.
It says there is no issue of sovereignty to be resolved over them.
JAPAN-UK-ITALY FIGHTER JET PROGRAM INKS FIRST UNIFIED DEAL
The organisation formed by Japan, Britain and Italy to build the next generation of fighter aircraft has signed its first unified contract with an industrial joint venture.
The Trilateral Global Combat Air Program, or GCAP, was launched in 2022.
Its executive body is known as the GCAP International Government Organization, or GIGO.
On Thursday, GIGO announced the deal worth 686 million pounds, or around $907 million.
It was awarded to Edgewing, a joint venture comprised of companies from each of the three countries, for key design and engineering activities.
GCAP aims to develop fighters that can collaborate with drones and perform better than the current state-of-the-art models. It has set the goal of 2035 for delivering aircraft.
Jaigo Chief Executive Oka Masami is a former Japanese Vice Minister of Defense for International Affairs. He called the New Deal an important moment for GCAP.
He also said activities previously conducted under contracts from each nation will now be carried out as part of a fully-fledged international programme.
SPILLING THE BEANS ON A COFFEE ALTERNATIVE
For many people, mornings aren't complete without that first cup of coffee, so it may come as a jolt that the coffee belt, a critical growing region around the equator, could shrink significantly due to climate change.
With global supplies at risk, Japan, the world's fourth largest coffee consumer, is getting a head start brewing up a homegrown alternative.
BEANS AND BEYOND
00:20:07 話者 5
Yamagata's Shonai Plain is one of the main rice-producing regions in Japan.
Yet here, one company has decided to use high-quality local rice to create a very unique product, a coffee alternative. Today, they're working with Tsuyahime,
Premium varieties celebrated for its perfectly balanced flavor.
Just like coffee beans, the unpolished rice grains are roasted.
But because they're so much smaller, they can burn in the blink of an eye if left unattended.
(Japanese)
After countless trials, they discovered the secret.
They had to take a much different approach to coffee roasting.
They developed a slow roasting method that takes over 3 hours, nearly 10 times the duration required for beans.
00:21:12 話者 46/Ozawa Naohiro/Managing Director, MNH
The important thing is to ensure the heat penetrates all the way to the core of the rice.
If you rush the roasting, the center will remain undercooked, while the outside becomes charred. So recognizing that critical point right before it burns is the real challenge.
The roaster needs to spot the exact fleeting moment and remove the rice.
00:21:32 話者 5
Ozawa Naohiro employs a drip brewing method to extract the flavor from the roasted rice.
Because it's naturally caffeine-free, it can be enjoyed by a wide range of people.
He's taken his coffee alternative concept even further by offering 12 distinct types, including one made from Kame Nol, another famous variety of local rice.
00:22:00 話者 46
You get a sense of joy from being able to choose the origin and variety of the roast.
I think that's what gives such depth to coffee culture.
Since that's where the real intrigue lies, I want to pay respect to and follow that approach by applying it to rice.
00:22:18 話者 5
His products are now available in local retail shops and online.
He's also expanding his sales channels overseas with a strong focus on the Asian market.
Currently, he's converting an old irrigation facility into a new production plant, aiming to scale his operations even further.
00:22:45 話者 46
Japan has a tradition of making sake with our delicious rice, but never a coffee alternative.
I hope our rice brew will be yet another way of sharing Japan's glorious grains with the rest of the world.
♫～
WEATHER
00:23:44 話者 1
Now it's time for a look at the world weather.
The Mediterranean has been affected by a storm.
Our meteorologist Yumi Hirano has the details.
00:24:09 話者 7/Yumi Hirano
A slow-moving storm has been bringing thunder showers to Italy and the Balkans this week.
People in Athens saw over 130 millimeters of rainfall in just one day, which is more than four times the monthly average.
The downpours caused severe flooding in southern Greece.
The storm hit Greece in the middle of the week.
The Attica region was the hardest hit, with firefighters there receiving over 750 emergency calls.
They pumped water out of homes, rescued people, and cleared roads of fallen trees.
According to Reuters, police say the one victim died after he was swept away and trapped under a car.
The storm is expected to weaken gradually. However, more rain is still possible, so people there should watch out for additional flooding.
Another system is developing near the UK, bringing stormy conditions.
Gusts of up to 145 kilometers per hour are possible, potentially affecting traffic and transportation over the Easter holiday weekend.
With weather will continue in Athens and Istanbul.
The high in Berlin will be only 9, but will jump to 15 on Saturday and almost 20 on Sunday.
Moving to Japan, a high-pressure system is bringing calm and dry conditions on Friday, but the next storm is approaching.
Intense rain is expected in western and eastern Japan on Saturday.
In addition, Kyushu may see gusts of over 120 kilometers per hour.
Wet weather is likely in many cities on Saturday, but sunny skies are expected to return on Sunday. After the rain, the high in Tokyo will jump to 24.
That's it for now. Have a nice weekend.
♫～ 3-DAY FORECAST ～♫
00:27:35 話者 1
That wraps up this edition of NHK Newsline.
I'm Kanako Sachno in Tokyo. Thanks very much for joining us.
NHK World
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