Welcome back to NHK Newsline. I'm Kanako Sachno.
Criminal Complaint Filed After Okinawa Boat Accident
The Japanese government has filed a criminal complaint against the captain of a boat that capsized off the coast of Okinawa earlier this year.
The complaint alleges the captain was operating the vessel illegally.
The accident resulted in his death and the death of a teenage passenger.
The Okinawa General Bureau of the Cabinet Office filed the complaint with the Japan Coast Guard on Friday afternoon.
The 71-year-old captain and a 17-year-old high school student died in the accident in March when the boat capsized off the coast of Nago City.
Most of the passengers were students at a school in Kyoto.
The law requires operators to register the passenger capacity of their boats.
But the ministry says the late captain hadn't done that.
00:01:01 話者 2/Kaneko Yasushi/Japanese Transport Minister
As part of efforts to prevent a recurrence, the ministry will set up reporting desks at its regional transport bureaus and intensify efforts to gather information about suspected illegal operations.
00:01:15 話者 1
The transport ministry says it confirmed the captain made six other unregistered trips dating back to 2023.
It said they were made at the request of the school and the captain was paid for them.
Bear Filmed Resting on Shed in Northeastern Japan
Parts of northeastern Japan are on high alert following recent deadly bear attacks.
Now, new video shows just how close they're coming to residential areas.
A wild bear wandered into a neighborhood in Iwate Prefecture's Kuji City on Thursday.
It was seen settling down on a shed shortly before 7pm.
A resident alerted police, but officers were unable to chase the animal away.
The bear stayed there through the night, but no one was injured.
The bear eventually climbed down from the shed early Friday morning and headed to the mountains.
A woman who lives in the house said she'd never seen or heard of bears in the neighborhood before.
00:02:10 話者 3
The bear just stayed there, turning its head as if to check the surroundings.
I couldn't believe it came to this area. It was really scary.
00:02:19 話者 1
She says she fears the bear will come back and is unsure what to do if it does.
Police officers remained on alert on Friday morning, patrolling the area as children headed to school.
Japan's Environment Ministry says 13 people were killed in bear attacks in fiscal 2025 throughout Japan, with hundreds more injured.
Employment Rate for New Graduates Hits 98%
A Japanese government survey shows this year's employment rate for university graduates has remained at 98.0%. It's the second highest on record.
The survey covers university graduates as of April 1.
This year's rate remains unchanged from the previous year.
It's just behind 2024's rate of 98.1%, the highest since the annual survey began in 1997.
By gender, 98.7% of female university graduates found jobs, up 0.2 points from last year.
For males, the rate was 97.5%, down 0.1 points.
Labour Minister Ueno Kenichiro told reporters many companies are still aggressively hiring.
He also said he foresees a continuation of a so-called seller's market in which there are more positions available than there are graduates.
Taiwan on Edge After US–China Summit
The world is still waiting to see what, if anything, will change after the recent US-China summit, and that's especially true for Taiwan.
It came up during the talks, with Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly calling it a top issue. For more on this, I spoke earlier with NHK's Taipei bureau chief, Matsuda Tomoki.
So how did people there react to the news coming out of the summit?
00:04:09 話者 4/Matsuda Tomoki
There was shock and surprise here.
Remember, Chinese state-run media reported on the meeting before the American side did. Beijing was seemingly trying to get its word out first.
It says, If not handled properly, China and the US will have clashes and even conflicts over Taiwan.
Taiwanese President Reitinger's administration has been trying to calm people down.
For the most part, it seems to be working.
And several Taiwanese experts say it's too soon to be alarmed.
Washington and Beijing are expected to hold three more summits this year.
So they say people shouldn't be rattled by a single meeting and should instead be thinking long term.
00:05:00 話者 1
Right, but there are also some concerning signs coming from President Trump, right?
Can you tell us more about that?
00:05:08 話者 4
While Taiwan purchases weapons from the United States, in December, the Trump administration approved a major arms package for Taipei.
But in an interview after the summit, Trump called the arms sales a very good negotiating chip when it comes to China.
The fact that it's even on the table in his mind has some people concerned.
They feel Trump is seriously considering China's position, or that he wouldn't help Taiwan in an emergency.
It's worth noting that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio insists nothing's changed, and the White House's fact sheets after the summit didn't mention Taiwan at all.
00:05:56 話者 1
But I get the sense Taipei is taking it seriously.
00:06:00 話者 4
Yes, Lai said Wednesday he would be happy to speak with Trump.
For context, the US and Taiwan presidents have reportedly not spoken directly since 1979.
That's when the US officially savored diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favor of Beijing.
So a talk between Trump and Lai would be unprecedented.
China has already come out to say they oppose any such exchanges.
Even so, it's a step Taiwan seems willing to take.
Taipei considers these US weapons essential to keeping China in check, especially since Beijing seems to be stepping up military pressure.
And it is worth remembering that Taiwan's relationship with the US goes beyond the presidency.
A cross-party group of US lawmakers and state governors have kept relations strong.
I expect Taiwan will try to leverage those connections to keep these arms sales going.
00:07:05 話者 1
You mentioned increasing military pressure from Beijing.
China is also trying to spread its influence.
It just held a summit with Russia, for example.
Considering all of that, what is Taiwan doing to prepare?
00:07:19 話者 4
Well, the Lai administration is increasing Taiwan's defense spending.
It accounted for over 2% of its GDP last year, but they are planning to bring that up to 5% by 2030. It has also cultivated a homegrown defense industry.
Domestic companies now develop drones and unmanned vessels, which are both low-cost and flexible.
But that doesn't mean Taiwan wants a fight. In fact, public polling showed that about 85% of people here want to maintain the status quo, not unification nor independence.
The question now is if Beijing will allow things to stay as they are.
In the meantime, Taiwan says it will make sure it's prepared.
BUSINESS
00:08:24 話者 1
Now for more business stories, here's Yuko Fukushima.
00:08:28 話者 3
Yeah, thanks Kanako.
Nikkei 225 Sets All-Time Closing High
Japan's Nikkei 225 stock index finished the week with a record closing high.
Investors placed buy orders on the view that negotiations to end the Iran conflict have made progress.
The benchmark rose sharply for a second straight session on Friday to close at 63,339, up nearly 2.7%. Artificial intelligence and semiconductor related shares led the way.
The index gained 3.1% on Thursday, a day after it finished below 60,000 for the first time since May 1. The benchmark set its previous closing record on Wednesday last week.
Japan Inflation Slows in April
Japan's inflation slowed in April, mainly due to government programs to ease the economic burden on households.
The Internal Affairs Ministry says the consumer price index rose 1.4% from a year earlier.
The CPI excludes fresh food, which fluctuates based on weather.
The April figure was lower than the 1.8% rise in March, and inflation has now remained below 2% for three months in a row.
Major factors include the start of government programs to reduce education costs, such as tuition and school lunch fees.
Lower gasoline prices backed by government subsidies were another reason.
Food remains a major driver of higher prices.
Overall, food prices, excluding fresh items, rose 4.1 percent.
Coffee beans surged nearly 47 percent and chocolate jumped about 22 percent.
Looking ahead, the focus is on whether more companies will pass on rising costs to customers.
This comes as the producer price index, a gauge of prices of goods traded between firms, climbed 4.9 percent in April amid the Iran conflict.
UAE Crude Oil Tanker Arrives in Japan
A tanker carrying crude oil from the United Arab Emirates has arrived in Japan to refill a joint stockpile it holds with other oil-producing nations.
Japan's government says this is the first replenishment since it started releasing oil from the reserves amid the worsening situation in the Middle East.
The tanker reached the NLS Kide base in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan on Friday morning. The UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are allowed to store crude oil in Japan.
The joint stockpiling program gives Japanese companies preferential purchasing rights for the oil in times of emergency.
Japan has been dipping into these reserves since late March. The industry ministry says this has reduced the stockpile from six days worth of consumption to one.
The ministry says an additional day's worth of consumption is being brought in for the replenishment.
But it says it has not decided when and under what conditions it will release the oil.
Japan has also been tapping into national oil reserves and private sector stockpiles.
Japan Govt. Proposes Countermeasures to AI Risks
Concerns are rising about the risks that misuse of AI model cloud mythos may pose to financial institutions.
Japan's Financial Services Agency proposed on Friday a set of measures to counter the threat.
The US company Anthropic's high performance AI models is said to be capable of detecting vulnerabilities in operating systems in a short period of time.
The government warns against the many flaws that could be found.
It urges banks to identify systems they should prioritize in such a situation.
00:11:58 話者 5/Katayama Satsuki/Japanese Financial Services Minister
The financial services agency will continue calling for swift measures in the sector against threats and changes brought about by frontier AI models.
00:12:08 話者 3
Other measures include securing additional staff to protect systems against attacks.
The proposal also recommends system suspensions as an option when an incident seems likely even with these measures in place.
BIZ PICKS
And next, NHK World's Gene Otani is here with BizPicks.
Hormuz Shock Pressures Japanese Factories
00:12:33 話者 6/Gene Otani
Here's a look at the key business and economic stories in the week ahead.
Key inflation data on the US and Japan comes out toward the end of next week.
The focus is on how the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is affecting prices in both countries.
And on Friday, Japan's industry ministry will release its industrial production data for April.
Output for March fell by half a percent from the month before.
That marks two consecutive months of declines.
The slowdown in chemicals and machinery contributed to that drop, along with fewer petroleum and coal products.
We spoke with Miyamae Koya. What to expect for April?
He's a senior economist at SMBC Nikko Securities.
Myamai says industrial output likely fell for the third month in a row.
He cites significant declines in crude oil and naphtha imports from the Middle East.
He has forced manufacturers to adopt defensive measures.
00:13:35 話者 7/Miyamae Koya
Some manufacturers cut production in March as a precaution.
And there's a high chance that more firms began trimming output in April, in anticipation of raw material shortages.
Most chemical plants operate on the assumption of continuous production.
Therefore, to avoid having to shut down operations completely, they'll start reducing output now, so that their raw material inventory lasts as long as possible.
00:14:02 話者 6
Miyamae believes Iran is using the closure of the Hormuz shipping route as a strategic weapon and says the strait may remain blocked for some time.
00:14:14 話者 7
If the blockage of the strait drags on, we would likely see a wider disruption of supply chains this year due to the shortage of petrochemical products.
00:14:24 話者 6
Miyanmae adds that supply chain disruptions are not restricted to firms that directly rely on petrochemicals.
Shortages of parts and materials like aluminum and nitrogen could also put downward pressure on manufacturing in a broad range of industries.
00:14:44 話者 7
Even if a part or raw material in short supply is relatively minor in value terms, that can still force companies further downstream to completely halt production.
And the financial impact could balloon, becoming tens or even hundreds of times bigger.
00:15:02 話者 6
Miyamae projects that if such a downturn happens, it could lead to a contraction in Japan's gross domestic product for fiscal 2026.
I'm Gene Otani, and that's this week's Biz Picks.
MARKETS
00:15:16 話者 3
And now the latest on the market figures.
♪
And that's the business for this hour.
NPT Review Conference Faces Uncertain Approval
00:15:50 話者 1
An international meeting on nuclear disarmament enters its final day on Friday.
After four weeks of negotiations, it's still unclear whether a final document will be adopted.
The Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons opened at UN headquarters in New York on April 27.
The draft for a final document has been through three revisions.
Many parts have been dropped after delegates raised objections.
One of the omitted sections expressed deep regrets over the expiration of a nuclear disarmament pact between the United States and Russia in February.
Regarding the issue of Iran, the latest draft makes no specific mention of attacks on its nuclear facilities by US and other forces, but it says Iran can never seek, develop or acquire any nuclear weapons. Iran is expected to push back on the final day.
The two previous review conferences failed to adopt a final document.
Russia Moves Nuclear Munitions to Belarus
The Russian defence ministry says it has delivered nuclear munitions to neighboring Belarus as part of drills involving nuclear forces.
They were sent to an area where a missile brigade is deployed.
The move could prompt backlash from Ukraine and European countries.
The ministry said on social media on Thursday that the Belarusian brigade is loading special munitions onto launchers for Iskander-M short-range ballistic missile systems.
It added that the drills also involve covert movement to a designated area.
The Ministry had earlier announced plans for a three-day exercise through Thursday related to the preparation and use of nuclear forces.
It said more than 64,000 personnel would take part.
The Belarusian Defence Ministry had also revealed it would work with Russia to conduct training involving procedures for transporting and using nuclear warheads.
In December, Belarus said the Russian-developed Oreshnik had been deployed in the country.
The intermediate-range ballistic missile is said to be capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
Iran Conflict: Rubio Sees Good Signs for Peace Deal
Tehran is reportedly mulling over a new peace proposal from Washington and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says there have been some good signs.
00:18:11 話者 8/Marco Rubio
If we can get a good deal done, that would be great.
I'm not here to tell you that it's going to happen for sure, but I'm here to tell you that we're going to do everything we can to see if we can get one.
00:18:19 話者 1
Rubio says that he doesn't want to be overly optimistic, but he'll keep an eye on what happens in the coming days.
Reuters cites a senior Iranian source as saying that a deal has not been reached but that gaps have been narrowed.
The report says the two sides remain at odds over Tehran's enriched uranium stockpile.
Trump has vowed to seize it.
00:18:42 話者 8/Donald Trump
We get the highly enriched. We will get it. We don't need it. We don't want it.
We'll probably destroy it after we get it, but we're not going to let them have it.
00:18:52 話者 1
But Iran continues to push back on the issue.
Iranian sources told Reuters that Supreme Leader Molshtaba Khamenei has issued a directive on the matter, and it says that the uranium should not be sent abroad.
Pakistani mediators are stepping up their efforts to revive the peace negotiations, and the interior minister held a series of talks in Iran.
He met with President Masoud Pazeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqji.
Pakistan's army chief reportedly may also visit Tehran.
China is also part of the diplomatic action.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson says Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will visit the country later this week.
00:19:38 話者 4/Guo Jiakun/Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson
During the visit, President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang will meet and hold talks with him respectively.
They will have in-depth exchanges on China-Pakistan relations and issues of mutual interest.
00:19:51 話者 1
He says Beijing supports Pakistan's fair and balanced role as a mediator in promoting peace in the Middle East.
Rural China Turns to Tourism for Growth
People living in rural China have seen significant increases in their incomes in the past 10 years, but there's still a gap compared to urban areas.
In a bid to correct the imbalance, residents and officials are turning to tourism to develop local economies.
00:20:17 話者 9
Decorated with stylish furnishings and illuminated with inset lighting.
The room also offers bucolic views.
This inn is located in a village about a two-hour drive from the southern city of Guangzhou in Guangdong Province.
The building, once used by nearby farmers, has been renovated and given a second life.
Since opening two years ago, some 80,000 people, many of them from the cities, have spent time here.
Visitors are able to sample rural life, such as learning embroidery techniques from ethnic minorities.
00:21:07 話者 19/Tourist
I was drawn to the unique culture of the ethnic minorities.
I think this facility will encourage more city dwellers to visit the outlying areas.
Rural development in this area is being prompted through a joint public-private effort.
In a bid to revitalize the economy, the local government is offering a 40% income tax exemption to newly registered corporations.
The inn hires local residents. About half of the staff are from around the area.
The operator plans to more than double the number of rooms in the future and further increase employment opportunities.
00:21:48 話者 17/Liu Jianyu/Co-owner, Inn
City dwellers want to experience rural life, while rural residents want to make their hometowns more attractive. We are confident that our business will expand.
00:22:01 話者 9
Other initiatives to boost local economies that are generating excitement offer a simulated experience.
This mural in a village in Shanxi Province in inland China depicted Beijing's iconic Tiananmen Square, one of the country's most popular tourist attractions.
Visitors enjoyed a virtual experience of traveling to Beijing without even leaving the countryside.
00:22:31 話者 18/Tourist
I was excited to see Tiananmen Square so near my house. I took lots of photos.
00:22:38 話者 9
In another inland region, the walls of the village in Hunan Province were adorned with an image such as the Great Wall.
With visitors posting images of the site on social media, word was spreading and the area was gaining a reputation as a must-see attraction.
A selection of stalls lined the streets, providing a new source of income for local people.
00:23:15 話者 16/Street vendor owner
No matter what kind of store I open, people buy from me, so I make money.
Tourism policies are being introduced that have potential to serve as a catalyst for rural revitalization. These innovative initiatives are breathing new life into China's countryside.
Weather Updates Across Japan and Asia
00:23:36 話者 1
It's time now for a check on the weather. Here in Tokyo, we're having a chilly rainy Friday.
Our meteorologist Yumi Hirano has the latest forecast for the weekend.
00:23:46 話者 25/Yumi Hirano
The high in Tokyo was only 15 degrees on Friday, which is as chilly as March.
Lower than usual temperatures expected to continue in Tokyo, with a high of 20 on Saturday, but it's expected to jump to 24 on Sunday and 28 on Monday.
Osaka and Fukuoka may see 30, so the heat will come back next week.
In the bigger picture across Asia, an active front will stay from parts of China to Japan's Okinawa and Amami.
Intense rain is expected, and the same front will also bring downpours to China's Hujian, Jiangxi and Hunan provinces with up to 200 millimeters by Saturday afternoon.
There may be an increased risk of flash flooding.
Showers are also likely in Shanghai, but sunny skies may return to Hong Kong with a high of 32.
Finally across the United States, moisture from the Gulf of Mexico is intensifying thunderstorms across the Deep South, causing disruptions in Atlanta.
Intense rains in parts of Georgia caused major disruptions on Wednesday.
Many crew workers could be seen working hard to clear blocked storm drains to reduce flooding.
traffic was almost brought to a standstill on a highway in Atlanta police were deployed to help direct motorists to navigate on affected roads and avoid getting stuck.
Unfortunately the conditions will continue into Friday so isolated thunderstorms and strong winds are possible from the deep south to the southern plains.
That's all for now stay safe.
♫～ 3-DAY FORECAST ～♫
Bonsai Exhibition Offers Colorful Spring Treat
00:26:50 話者 1
One last story before we go.
Bonsai fans in Hiroshima Prefecture are getting a late spring treat.
There's a display of the miniature works of art that are made with Satsuki Azaleas.
About 30 Satsuki bonsai of all sizes are being exhibited in the city of Higashi Hiroshima.
This specimen with pink blossoms is about 50 years old.
Its trunk has been shaped to make it appear as though it's weathering strong winds.
Another bonsai has been designed to resemble a firework exploding in the sky.
Its slender trunk shoots upward with its leaves and flowers forming a burst of color.
00:27:30 話者 41
Each bonsai has its own character. I love to see the flowers in full bloom this time of year.
00:27:38 話者 1
The exhibition runs through Monday.
And that wraps up this edition of NHK Newsline.
I'm Kanako Sachno in Tokyo. Thanks very much for watching.
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NHK World
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