It's 6 p.m. on a Thursday here in Japan.
I'm James Tengan in Tokyo. This is NHK Newsline.
Takaichi, Modi Pledge Stronger Ties, Economic Cooperation
Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae has wrapped up summit talks with her Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi.
She announced around $12 billion in investments to launch new businesses in India.
00:00:30 話者 12/Takaichi Sanae
Japan and India will leverage each other's strengths to become both strong and prosperous.
Given the volatile international situation, it is increasingly important to build this kind of mutual complementary cooperation.
Today, Prime Minister Modi and I had various discussions from this point of view.
I reaffirmed that we share many goals.
00:00:57 話者 1
Takaichi talked about their economic relationship.
She said firms from both countries exchanged about 120 cooperation documents.
She also said they discussed cooperating on maritime and economic security.
An economic forum will be held in India Thursday evening.
Representatives from more than 150 Japanese companies will participate.
Earthquakes in Venezuela
Death Toll Tops 2,000 After Week, 3‑Year‑Old Rescued
The death toll has surpassed 2,000 one week after a massive earthquake struck Venezuela.
But there were signs of hope as a small child was found alive.
As of Wednesday, the number of deaths reached 2,295.
Rescue operations have been underway since two quakes with magnitudes over seven occurred on June 24.
The Venezuelan government has announced a seven-day period of national mourning.
Venezuela's Ministry of Communication and Information says a three-year-old boy was rescued. Video shows the boy's hand moving.
He was pulled from the wreckage to applause and shouts of joy from people around.
Jordanian relief workers reportedly extracted him after six days under the rubble.
The ministry called his rescue the Miracle in La Guaira, one of the hardest-hit areas.
A UN agency says survivors face growing shortages of necessities.
Providing food, water and shelter to them remains a key challenge.
Expert Warns of Quake Risk Following June 25 Iwate Jolt
An expert says a magnitude 7.2 quake that struck off the coast of Iwate prefecture last month may have been caused by slow-slip seismic activity.
He warns that this could make the region more vulnerable to additional quakes.
00:02:47 話者 21/Uchida Naoki/Professor, University of Tokyo
I think this red zone is where slow slips are occurring.
00:02:52 話者 1
Professor Uchida Naoki of the University of Tokyo's Earthquake Research Institute believes that the June 25 quake was influenced by slow slip events.
They occur when the boundary between continental and oceanic plates gradually shifts.
His analysis also found that the earthquake that hit off the Sanriku region in April
activated slow-slip events.
Such activity is said to cause strain to accumulate at nearby plate boundaries.
Uchida says this series of events may have contributed to last week's jolt.
The expert also noted that the slow-slip event area may be expanding off the Tohoku region. He expressed concern about the possible impact.
Uchida believes there's a risk of a jolt of an equal or larger scale.
He said the region is prone to quakes and needs to be prepared.
Torrential Rains Bring Flooding, Landslides to Western Japan
Torrential rains have caused flooding and landslides in Japan's southwestern and western regions.
Weather officials are calling on people to be on alert as there is a risk of ground loosening and rivers are swelling in some areas.
The Japan Meteorological Agency says rain clouds that formed in northern Kyushu brought downpours in and around the region through Thursday morning.
There was flooding from the Chikugo River in and around Oguni Town in Kumamoto Prefecture. Landslides have been reported in multiple locations.
Weather officials say people should be on alert for landslides, overflowing rivers, lightning, and strong winds.
Business
Now for the latest on the business and financial fronts with Yuko Fukushima.
00:04:44 話者 3/Yuko Fukushima
Thanks, James.
Nikkei 225 Retreats to End 3‑Day Winning Streak
Japan's Nikkei 225 stock index fell on Thursday as traders took profits.
The negative result ended a three-day winning streak.
The Tokyo benchmark finished at 68,733, down nearly 2.5%.
Investors unloaded AI and chip-related issues.
In contrast, the broader topics rose almost a tenth of a percent to 4,014.
Analysts say about 80 percent of shares on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's prime market posted gains. The Nikkei has been volatile recently.
It jumped to a record closing high one week ago, pushing above 72,000.
That was followed by its third biggest drop of 3,000 points the very next day.
The index then reversed course again, climbing steadily until Wednesday.
Japan Paid ¥290 Bil. in Fuel Subsidies in May
Japan's government says it spent about 290 billion yen, or about $1.8 billion, in fuel subsidies in May to cap a surge in prices due to the Iran conflict.
They include subsidies paid to oil wholesalers for regular gasoline.
The aim is to keep the nationwide average price at the pump at around 170 yen, or just over a dollar per liter.
Similar financial assistance is also allocated to diesel, heavy oil and kerosene, and the government is subsidizing jet fuel at 40% of the rate for gasoline.
The equivalent of about $7.1 billion was available to fund payouts when the conflict started. The balance had fallen to around $2.3 billion by the end of June.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry says it would have to use a reserve fund included in this fiscal year's supplementary budget if the fuel subsidy allocation needs replenishing.
UN Panel Warns Against Concentration of AI Ownership
A United Nations panel on artificial intelligence is warning of grave risks posed by the rapidly advancing technology.
One area of concern is the concentration of AI capabilities in too few hands.
The panel of 40 experts released its first report on Wednesday.
It was launched to assess the benefits and risks of AI based on a General Assembly resolution.
The report notes AI's contributions is improving science and medicine, citing the development of pharmaceuticals and vaccines.
But it says AI could also be misused for cyberattacks and spreading false information.
The panel also warns against allowing a small number of firms and countries to monopolize the technology.
It says the result could be more authoritarian rule and weaken democracy.
And the risks don't stop there.
The panel points to the danger of widening inequality and workers losing their jobs.
It says realizing the full benefits of AI while minimizing its risks requires good governance.
US Secretary-General Antonio Guterres underscored the need for international rules.
00:07:36 話者 4/Antonio Guterres
The more AI advances without shared rules, the less, say, governments and people will have in the outcome.
00:07:45 話者 3
Guterres added his message to governments is simple. Do not wait.
Eurozone Inflation Slows as Energy Prices Stabilize
Inflation in the eurozone cooled down in June as energy prices began to stabilize.
Crude oil futures fell after the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the fighting. The data comes from the European Union Statistics Office.
They show the consumer price index for the 21-nation single currency bloc rising 2.8 percent from a year earlier. That's down for a tenth of a point from May.
The pace of increase for energy dropped to almost 9 percent.
Food, alcohol and tobacco stood at 1.6 percent, while services came in around 3 percent.
All were slower than May.
Inflation slowed down in Germany, Europe's largest economy.
The June figure was 2.4 percent. The pace also cooled in France and Italy.
The European Central Bank raised its key interest rate last month for the first time in almost three years, thanks largely to the global oil shock.
But while energy prices have started to stabilize, inflation still outpaces the ECB's target of 2 percent.
Market players speculate that the central bank will raise its rate again this year.
Japan Helps African Farmers to Boost Coffee Supply
Coffee beans have not escaped the global surge in farming costs and product prices.
That's adding to challenges Japan faces to ensure stable supplies.
In response, an international project is underway to support small-scale farms in a developing nation.
NHK World's Mitsunari So has the story.
00:09:22 話者 5/Mitsunari So
These growers in Tanzania, Eastern Africa, produce coffee beans with a distinctive fruity and sour flavor. It's their village's specialty.
In May, a team of experts from Japan offered some tips on production.
A major Japanese coffee maker is part of the global project to help bean farmers in the country.
00:09:52 話者 36
It's ideal to harvest only the red ones. Please make sure you pick them.
00:09:59 話者 5
The UN's International Fund for Agricultural Development, Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and private businesses are collaborating to help more than 1,300 farmers. The project aims to double their crop yields in three years.
Concern is growing that securing coffee beans may become more difficult.
The UN agency aims to stabilize farmers' income.
Japan's agriculture ministry is focused on enhancing food security, and companies are getting involved to strengthen their supply chains.
00:10:42 話者 37/Samora Mnyaonga/Executive Secretary, Cafe Africa Tanzania
These companies are coming directly to train the farmers.
They are assured also to market their coffee. The farmers are happy in the future to make more money if they prepare good quality coffee.
00:10:58 話者 5
Officials from the Japanese coffee company say the project also helps them by making more high-quality and specialty coffee beans available for them to sell.
00:11:11 話者 37/Nakahira Naomi/General Manager, Agri Research Center, UCC Japan
We see a very high potential. Crop yields can be substantially increased with a comprehensive approach of improving soil and species, as well as plant maintenance.
Hello.
00:11:26 話者 38/Alvaro Lario/International Fund for Agricultural Development President
Hello. Very good to meet you.
00:11:28 話者 5
IFAD present, Alvaro Lario points to the growing importance of the project amid concerns over the Iran conflict.
The ongoing turmoil is disrupting food supply chains by raising growers' costs.
00:11:44 話者 38
A lot of the farmers actually right now have to pay much higher fertilizers.
They have to decide whether they're going to plant and they're going to get the income in the future or whether they cannot even afford right now to plant.
It's true that when many of these companies have more resilient and more sustainable supply chains over time, the quality and the farming practices are there, so in the medium term, they will benefit. It's the future of development cooperation.
00:12:10 話者 5
The project is designed to boost Japan's food supply chains and to ease poverty in developing countries, benefiting both sides.
The endeavor could even help build long-term trust between suppliers and importers.
Mitsunari So, NHK World.
Markets
00:12:31 話者 3
And now let's get you a check on the latest in currencies and stocks.
♪
And that's it for this hour.
♪
From Tokyo Latest News Across Japan Across Region
Companies Struggling to Meet Disability Employment Quotas
00:13:42 話者 1
The Japanese government has raised the legally required ratio of employees with disabilities in the private sector to 2.7% starting on Wednesday.
But fewer than half of companies the rule applies to have been able to meet even the previous target of 2.5%.
The increase has workplaces exploring new ways of meeting the quota and creating more job opportunities for people with disabilities.
00:14:09 話者 9/Narrator: Yoshino Mika/Reporter: Kawamura Naohiro
Sun Staff is a staffing agency in the central prefecture of Aichi with about 1,100 employees.
Between 2016 and 2019, the company failed to meet its disability employment quota four years in a row.
The firm says it's not easy to hire more people with disabilities, because many of its employees are dispatched to client companies.
00:14:35 話者 49/Fujiwara Narumi/Sun Staff
There was discussion within the company that it might be impossible for us to meet the requirement entirely on our own.
00:14:42 話者 9
Employers must pay levies if they don't meet the quota, and can apply for benefits if they exceed it.
Sun's staff decided to use a disability employment service to get its numbers across the line.
Companies pay these services several thousand dollars per person to introduce people with disabilities for them to hire.
The services also operate workplaces, such as farms, where those employees with disabilities can work.
It's a rapidly spreading service because it helps employers meet their quotas without creating jobs themselves.
This farm is operated by one such service.
The service connected Sun's staff with three people with disabilities.
They work at the service's farm, but since Sun's staff pays their wages, they can't towards the company's disability employment quota.
(Japanese)
00:15:50 話者 9
This strategy is how Sunstaff was able to finally meet its quota in 2020, but it presents challenges of its own.
Agriculture is not their core business, and they can't sell any of the produce.
The harvested vegetables are either given as gifts or taken home by employees.
The nature of the arrangement can also impact morale and job satisfaction.
(Japanese)
00:16:16 話者 9
In a government study group, some participants described it as segregation of employees with disabilities from the rest of the company.
This man, in his 40s, with an intellectual disability, once worked for a different company at a farm in the Kanto region.
00:16:54 話者 10
They say we are on-site for seven hours, but we only actually work for two or three hours.
You don't really develop job skills like that.
There was also no interaction between workers with disabilities and other employees.
In the end, it felt like employees are employees.
People with disabilities are people with disabilities. It felt like there was separation.
00:17:17 話者 9
To address these issues, Sans Staff has started a new approach that does not rely on a disability employment service.
It expanded its existing green space management contracting operations and began hiring people with disabilities to produce and sell flower seedlings in-house.
(Japanese)
But the approach requires large capital investments, and the company says it is difficult for them to hire more.
00:17:53 話者 49
We strongly believe that we must fulfill our social responsibility as a company.
But I can't deny that building additional flower farms would really place a very heavy burden on us.
00:18:10 話者 9
NHK spoke with one expert who says challenges like this could be alleviated with more support from the government.
But until that changes, companies like Sunstaff will need to continue to find creative solutions to meet their targets and fulfill their obligations.
♪
China Repeats Demand Japan Halt Survey in Japan's EEZ
00:18:47 話者 1
China has again demanded Japan stop conducting a survey taking place in Japan's own exclusive economic zone off the southwestern prefecture of Okinawa.
This comes a day after China made a similar demand to a different Japanese vessel.
The Japan Coast Guard said one of its ships was carrying out a survey at around 4:20 p.m. on Wednesday.
The survey vessel Koyo was about 80 kilometers north-northwest of Uotsuri Island in the Senkaku Islands.
Japanese officials say a Chinese coast guard ship demanded by radio that the Koyo stop the survey and immediately leave the area.
They say the Chinese ship repeated the demand four times before midnight.
The Japanese vessel responded that it was conducting legitimate research in accordance with international law.
The Japanese government launched a protest through diplomatic channels.
Officials noted that the survey is being conducted within Japan's EEZ.
The government added that China's demand that the survey be halted is unacceptable.
Japan controls the islands. The Japanese government maintains the islands are an inherent part of Japan's territory. China and Taiwan claim them.
The Coast Guard plans to continue the survey until the end of July as scheduled.
Iran Conflict: Two Sides Hold Indirect Talks in Qatar
Negotiators from the US and Iran have been engaging in separate meetings with mediators. US President Donald Trump is praising the talks held in Qatar.
He says they're making progress and getting along very well.
00:20:26 話者 56/Donald Trump
As far as things are going, the denuclearization of Iran is moving along well.
They've had very good meetings, and we'll see.
00:20:38 話者 1
Trump's comment came as US officials met with Qatar's prime minister in Doha.
Vice President JD Vance says they discussed the Strait of Hormuz.
00:20:50 話者 57/JD Vance
It's already started in an amazing direction.
We've got now oil at $68. We've got gas prices starting to come down.
We're really just ensuring that we continue to make the progress on that.
And that's what they're focused on.
00:21:03 話者 1
Iran's state-run media says Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi has met with Qatar leaders.
It says they reviewed the implementation of the ceasefire memorandum.
And it says Iran, Qatar, and Pakistan took part in a trilateral meeting.
But no direct talks were held with the US.
Gharibabadi later told reporters that negotiations on a final agreement have not yet started. And he says they've still coordinating the timing and venue.
War in Ukraine: Russia Facing Fuel Shortages
Ukraine continues to strike energy infrastructure deep inside Russia, and this has been leading to fuel shortages.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his country has struck another oil refinery.
Zelenskyy says they hit a facility in the city of Ufa.
It's located more than 1,300 kilometers from the front line.
He says this is a fully justified response to everything that Russia is doing against Ukraine.
Last month, Ukraine struck oil refineries in Moscow as well as an oil depot in Crimea.
Russia unilaterally annexed the region in 2014.
Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the fuel issue on state-run TV on Sunday.
He acknowledged the shortages, but insisted they were not critical.
The largest Crimean city of Sevastopol has restricted gas sales and prices have surged.
In Russia's Far East, local officials have set limits on diesel for large trucks.
00:22:43 話者 62
I filled up gas at one place and go to the other place. That's how it is.
I'm wasting a lot of time. I have to drive around to all the gas stations.
00:22:50 話者 1
Analysts say Ukraine is targeting energy infrastructure in a bid to turn the Russian people against the conflict.
♪
Weather
It's time now to check out the weather.
As we've been reporting, parts of Japan have been battered by torrential rain.
Our meteorologist, Yumi Hirano, has the latest forecast.
00:24:08 話者 73/Yumi Hirano
Almost 200 millimeters of rain was reported in parts of Kyushu in just half a day.
The peak of the rain has already passed, but another round is expected from Friday night to Sunday in Kyushu, so people should watch out for more flooding.
In the bigger picture across Asia, a frontal system is stretching from Japan to parts of China, bringing downpours. And we have to monitor two tropical systems.
One is near southern China, and another is moving toward the Mariana Islands.
This storm is expected to intensify into a very strong typhoon and affect the Mariana starting this weekend.
The other system is likely to make landfall in Hainan on Friday.
Over 200 millimeters of rain is possible from Friday to Saturday, leading to potential flash flooding.
Finally, in Europe, intense heat has been the biggest news for a while, but severe weather is also a major issue.
The recent high temperatures in Europe have caused very unstable weather in the region.
One such event was a rare water spout that developed over a lake in Germany on Wednesday.
Similarly, in Romania, a powerful storm brought damaging winds and floods to the capital city.
Officials said that crew members were deployed to help victims in flooded homes and to clear debris.
A cold front is swinging over the Balkans, bringing isolated thundershowers on Thursday.
For the West, a strong high-pressure system is affecting Portugal and Spain.
So sunny skies and also intense heat are expected. The high in Lisbon will hit 41 degrees.
That's it for now. Stay safe.
♫～ 3-DAY FORECAST ～♫
00:27:40 話者 1
And with that, we conclude this edition of NHK Newsline.
More to come here on NHK World Japan, so stay with us.
checked.
NHK World
00:28:01 話者 99
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