Hello, welcome back to NHK Newsline. I'm Maria Sato in Tokyo.
Heavy Rain Warnings In Place For Central Japan
We begin with torrential rain in central Japan.
The meteorological agency temporarily issued level 5 emergency warnings for heavy rain.
It has since changed those to level four urgent warnings.
Officials are still urging people to remain on high alert to the risk of landslides, flooding in low-lying areas and swollen rivers. The warnings are on a scale of one to five.
Urgent warnings for heavy rain are in place for the cities of Fukui, Ono and Katsuyama in Fukui Prefecture.
Record amounts of rain fell in the cities of Fukui, Ono, Katsuyama and Sakai in Fukui Prefecture from Saturday through Sunday morning.
The figures far exceeded the average rainfall for August and are the highest since data recording began.
Video footage taken in the Minori of Fukui City at around 7:30 a.m. shows a flooded underpass.
Kinki Regional Development Bureau says road flooding had been confirmed in at least 10 locations as of 8 a.m.
The bureau is urging people to put safety first and avoid traveling by car, saying that entering flooded roads can be life-threatening.
Fukui Prefecture says nine rivers across the prefecture had overflowed by 7 a.m.
A level four urgent warning for landslides is in place for parts of the prefecture.
Heavy downpours accompanied by lightning are likely through late afternoon on Sunday in parts of the Hokuriku region.
Weather authorities are urging people to be on high alert for flooding in low-lying areas, overflowing rivers and landslides.
Torrential Rain Floods Roads In Fukui, Ono Cities
Video footage taken at around 4 a.m. on Sunday in Fukui City's Omiacho area shows a flooded road with brown murky water violently flowing over it.
The man in his 50s who shot the video said the road was flooded up to his knees and that the water gave off a muddy snow.
He also said a pump for pumping up groundwater broke down, cutting off water supply.
He said the water was now just starting to recede, but added he had been scared that his house might be flooded above floor level.
Footage from Shimoyoro, Ono City, filmed shortly before 6 a.m. on Sunday, shows water flowing violently over a road that runs between houses.
The man in his 60s who shot the video said he heard a roaring sound from inside a house, went outside and saw the road submerged in brown murky water about 20 to 30 centimeters high. He said it seemed no one was able to walk through it.
He added that he thought the situation came about after water overflowed from a small river near his house.
Nepal-China Flood Toll Tops 750, Thousands Missing
Following the devastating flash floods that struck areas along the Nepal-China border, 750 people have been confirmed dead.
Thousands more remain missing and rescue teams are racing to find survivors.
Authorities in Nepal say 734 people have been killed and more than 2,400 are unaccounted for.
On the Chinese side, state-run media say 16 people have died and more than 540 people remain unaccounted for.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies estimate that at least 93,000 people have been affected by the floods.
The Nepal Red Cross Society dispatched staff to the disaster-hit regions almost as soon as the flooding began.
Search and rescue operations for missing people are ongoing.
But the work is difficult as roads are cut off and there is a risk of secondary disasters.
Expert: Climate Change To Melt More Glaciers, Increase Disasters
And in the aftermath of the flooding, a local researcher is expressing concern that global climate change will melt more glaciers and increase disasters.
Kathmandu University professor Rijan Bhakta Kayastha studies glaciology and climate change.
In an interview with NHK on Saturday, he said changes have been taking place in the Himalayan region, such as the melting of snow and glaciers due to global warming.
He emphasized the importance of urgent measures to reduce any further damage.
00:05:04 話者 12/Rijan Bhakta Kayastha
Government should install water level sensors and other early warning sensors, so that we can warn the people in the downstream.
There are many such rivers which are flowing from the Himalayas.
So those all are now posing a great threat due to the climate change.
00:05:27 (Maria Sato)
The professor also warned there could be a risk of more danger next year and beyond as well.
00:05:34 話者 12
If we have a high temperature, more snow and ice will melt, and those melt waters can produce or trigger ice avalanche, snow avalanche, and glacial lake outrage flood also.
So next year and after that also, we may have a big such event.
Iran Conflict Report: US Concerned About Depleting Munition Supplies
00:05:55 (Maria Sato)
A US newspaper reports American officials are concerned deploying too many munitions to attack Iran could diminish US defense capabilities against China and Russia.
The US military is known to have used a large number of missiles against Iran.
A report in the Wall Street Journal on Friday said US officials implied Russian weapons to the Middle East has left deep cuts in the US munition stockpile around the world.
The officials reportedly said refilling weapons stocks could take years in countries like Japan, South Korea and Germany.
Some officials said US inventories in Europe of weapons such as PAC-3 interceptor missiles are deemed to be beyond critical.
The report said shrinking inventories have increasingly led administration officials to assess America might not be able to fully execute contingency plans to defend Taiwan if a Chinese invasion occurred in the near term.
US President Donald Trump said on August 6 that supplies of some munitions are virtually unlimited, although stockpiles of certain types are tight.
18,000 Fireworks Light Up The Sky Over Northern Japan
Nearly 20,000 fireworks illuminated the sky over Daisen City in northern Japan's Akita Prefecture on Saturday.
The 98th Omagari Fireworks Competition is one of the largest of its kind.
It showcased 28 pyrotechnic firms from across the country.
They launched about 18,000 individual fireworks.
The main event was based on the theme Eko en Osanka, which means Hymn to Glory in English.
Around 2,300 fireworks were set off in tribute to athletes who delivered impressive performances in sporting events this year, including the Winter Olympics and the Men's Soccer World Cup.
00:08:18 話者 23
It was big and powerful.
00:08:20 話者 24
The fireworks were on a huge scale. They were incredibly impressive.
00:08:34 (Maria Sato)
A night to remember.
Those are the headlines for this hour. This is NHK Newsline.
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And that's the latest we have for you at this hour on NHK Newsline.
I'm Maria Sato in Tokyo. Do stay with us for more on NHK World Japan.
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