Thank you for joining us. From our studio here in Tokyo, this is NHK Newsline.
Head of Unification Church Gets 2-Year Sentence
A South Korean court has sentenced the leader of the religious group widely known as the Unification Church to two years in prison. The Seoul Central District Court handed down the sentence to Han Kak-ja on Monday.
The criminal charges included violating the political funds law. Han's defense team had pleaded not guilty. A special counsel team had been seeking a 13-year prison term for her, arguing she committed the crime to expand the group's interests and influence.
Xi, Putin Expected to Affirm Ties at SCO Summit
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, led by China and Russia, is opening a summit meeting on Monday.
The SCO is an international framework designed to discuss a wide range of issues, including security and economic cooperation. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to hold face-to-face talks during the summit in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. The Russian presidential office said the leaders of about 20 countries will attend the two-day summit.
SCO member states include India, Iran and other Central Asian countries. Observers say China wants to use a series of meetings at the summit as an opportunity to reconfirm cooperation with Russia, Iran and other countries. Xi is apparently hoping to underscore China's diplomatic influence ahead of a summit with US President Donald Trump scheduled in September.
Observers also say that Russia will try to create the impression that Moscow is not without allies despite deepening hostilities with Western countries.
US and Iran Exchange First Direct Attacks Since July
US forces have struck two Iranian rocket launchers on an island in the Strait of Hormuz. And Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it has attacked US military bases in Jordan in retaliation.
A US official told NHK that the US attack was carried out on Sunday, targeting the launchers on Larak Island. The official said IRGC forces were observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the waterway. The US Central Command stated on social media that US forces targeted an IRGC mine-laying force that posed an imminent threat in the strait.
Last Thursday, US CENTCOM chief Admiral Brad Cooper announced that US troops had cleared sea mines laid by the IRGC in the Straits' international shipping lanes. After the US attack, the IRGC released a statement saying it attacked two US military bases in Jordan in retaliation. It claimed that the US strike killed or wounded several Iranian soldiers and citizens.
This is the first exchange of direct attacks between the two countries since July 29.
Nepal-China Flood Toll Tops 900, Thousands Missing
Following the devastating flash floods that struck areas along the Nepal-China border, 919 people have been confirmed dead. Thousands more remain missing.
and rescue teams are racing to find survivors. Authorities in Nepal say 903 people have been killed and more than 4,200 are unaccounted for. On the Chinese side, local authorities say 16 people have died and more than 540 people remain unaccounted for.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Prescent Societies estimate that at least 93-thousand 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 are ongoing, but the work is difficult as roads are cut off and there is a risk of secondary disasters.
Rescuers Free Girl After 55 Hours Under Rubble
Now, more than 55 hours after the disaster struck,... Nepali rescuers freed a six-year-old girl who was trapped under rubble. Who's armed police force said the girl was found in a town about three kilometers downstream from a border crossing that was engulfed by the mudflow.
Personnel heard the girl's cries and rescued her on Friday evening. APF said the girl sustained injuries to her face and back, but they are not life-threatening. She's been treated at a hospital in the capital, Kathmandu.
Japanese Survivor Recounts Horror
A Japanese researcher who narrowly escaped the flash flood has shared the horror of what she witnessed.
Hoshi Izumi spoke to NHK on Sunday. She's a professor at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies and a scholar of Tibetan languages and cultures. Hoshi said the massive mudslide took place on Wednesday morning while she was traveling by vehicle from a town about 70 kilometers from the border region.
00:06:00 話者 2
I heard a big roaring sound, like the rumbling of the ground, and saw enormous clouds of spray rising. The torrent was gushing down with a level of force that I had never seen. I felt a tremendous disaster had occurred.
00:06:14 話者 1
Hoshi said the flood washed away a bridge. The vehicle she was in had just crossed. But she was safe because she was on higher ground.
00:06:26 話者 2
I could have died if our departure had been delayed.
00:06:30 話者 1
Hoshi said the Nepali driver, who doubled as a guide, could not reach his family by phone.
00:06:40 話者 2
He called many people by phone over and over and cried out like no one answers. I'm still overwhelmed by that scene.
00:06:54 話者 1
Hoshi said she has been sad to learn that so many people have lost their lives in the disaster. She expressed her intention to provide support for survivors.
Media: 7 Dead, Over 20 Missing After Cyprus Ferry Capsizes
A ferry carrying more than 260 people has capsized off the coast of Cyprus in the Mediterranean. According to local media, seven people have died and over 20 others are unaccounted for.
Reports say the ferry left the port of Kyrenia in northern Cyprus, heading for Turkey on the opposite shore. It capsized on Sunday afternoon. Footage distributed by Reuters news agency shows many people stranded on the overturned vessel waiting to be rescued. Authorities say so far, seven people have been confirmed dead and 23 others remain unaccounted for.
The vessel reportedly began taking on water shortly after departing from the port. Local authorities are investigating the cause.
Business
Now let's see what's happening in the world of business. Here's Ramin Mellegard from our biz desk.
00:08:24 話者 3/Ramin Mellegard
Thank you very much indeed.
Japan-US Talks Expected as G20 Finance Leaders Meet
Group of 20 finance ministers and central bank governors are set to gather in the United States on Monday. Expectations are that the Japanese and US finance chiefs will meet on the sidelines to discuss currency rates and other topics. The focus of the two-day meeting in Asheville, North Carolina will likely be the economic impact of the Iran conflict and fresh US sanctions on Tehran.
Japanese Finance Minister Katayama Satsuki is trying to arrange talks with US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant. If that happens, it would be their first face-to-face meeting since the two countries jointly intervened in the currency market in late July to halt the yen's sharp slide.
Reuters: Bessent Expects BOJ to 'Do the Right Thing'
Now, Bessant has already made some comments about Japan's monetary policy ahead of the G20 meeting. He told Reuters in an interview on Sunday he expects the Bank of Japan to do the right thing when it comes to its next decision.
Besant was asked whether the BOJ should consider consecutive rate hikes to stem the yen's decline. He noted, I'm not going to tell them what to do. But he also said he expects Governor Ueda Kazo to do the right thing on monetary policy with the backing of Prime Minister Takeichi Sanae.
The consensus in financial markets is this means Besant thinks a rate hike is desirable. Besant is expected to meet Ueda on the sidelines of the G20 gathering.
Now, regarding Iran, the Treasury secretary said new economic sanctions are likely to be unveiled weekly to pressure Tehran. We're starting with the banks, and we're telling the banks it's not OK to have Iranian money and to aid the regime. Last Friday, the US Treasury Department announced penalties against branches of Egypt's state-run bank in the United Arab Emirates over their alleged links to Iran. The branches would be blocked
From engaging in dollar-based transactions with US financial institutions.
Thailand Launches Free AI Access for 5 Mil. Citizens
Thailand on Monday kicked off a project to boost the use of AI, offering as many as 5 million citizens a year.
free access to artificial intelligence models. The government has allocated about $48 million for the THAI passport project. It is open to citizens aged 15 and older. About 30 AI models from 14 companies are available, most of them US and Chinese. The government says about 1.3 million people pre-registered for the service.
It hopes the project will convince more citizens to use AI. According to data from Microsoft AI Economy Institute, use of the new technology in Thailand trails a global average. The institute surveyed more than 140 countries and regions on generative AI users in the 15 to 64 age group.
The report says Thailand's AI usage rate had risen to 12.4% in January to March, but remained lower than the global average of 17.8%. The United Arab Emirates had the world's highest level of AI use at 70%, followed by Singapore with about 63%. Norway came in third at more than 48%.
Hokkaido Town Bets on Wind Power to Manage Depopulation
The depopulation of cities and towns in Japan presents many economic, social, and strategic challenges. A town in Hokkaido has adopted its own strategy to face these problems.
00:12:15 話者 4
The town of Matsumae sits on the southern tip of Hokkaido in an area known for consistent winds. A wind farm already exists on the coast operated by real estate firm Tokyu Land.
But Matsumae decided to establish a company of its own with Tokyu to build turbines and provide low-cost electricity directly to the town. Local officials took this approach amid real concerns the town could one day disappear. 20,000 people used to live here, but that has fallen more than 70% to just 5,500.
The town now has just a little over 100 elementary students.
00:13:10 話者 5
There are few cars and bicycles passing by. No jobs here.
00:13:18 話者 4
So no young generation either.
The town's strategy is based on facing the reality of the population decline continuing and adapting accordingly.
00:13:33 話者 6
We can't avoid depopulation anymore, so we have to adjust the system of the town to the small population.
00:13:43 話者 4
The town set the minimum population required to sustain the local economy at about 2,800 people or half its current level.
It sees wind power generation as the key to keep the town alive. By generating its own electricity, the town expects to save money and provide lower priced power to local businesses and other users.
00:14:11 話者 6
Not just shrinking, but shrinking smartly. Not just getting smaller, but remaking our town to earn money.
00:14:21 話者 4
Matsuma's real estate partner sees renewable energy business opportunities in the deal, as well as a potential model of sustainability for others.
shrinking communities in Japan.
00:14:36 話者 7
The problems that Matsumaya town is facing now are the issues that other areas will experience in the near future. We think we can develop renewable energy businesses and help revitalize local towns at the same time.
00:14:56 話者 6
We want our residents to feel happy in this town.
We have to focus on what we can do more of instead of being stuck in what we are losing.
00:15:07 話者 4
Matsumaya's strategy seems like a new approach. The key is to face the reality of population decline and then develop the appropriate and practical policies that are needed.
Japan's 10-Year Bond Yield Hits Highest in 29 Years
00:15:22 話者 3
The yield on Japan's benchmark government bond hit the highest in 29 years amid growing concern about the country's finances and rising long-term rates in the US. The 10-year bond yield briefly hit 2.95% on Monday. Brokerage firm Japan Bond Trading says the last time it reached that level was in October 1996.
Analysts point out the total amount of budget requests by Japanese ministries and agencies for fiscal 2027 is expected to hit a record. This has sparked selling of government bonds. Meanwhile, US long-term rates climbed after Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh spoke at a meeting in Jackson Hole on Friday. Investors viewed his comments as signaling an early rate hike by the Fed.
Markets
Okay, let's get a check on the markets.
♪
And that's it for Business News.
00:16:48 話者 1
Thanks for that, Ramin.
Japan Govt. Asks for New Nuclear Waste Disposal Survey
Japan's industry ministry is continuing its search for a final disposal site for radioactive material.
It's asked the city in Ibaraki Prefecture for permission to conduct a literature survey to find a suitable location.
00:17:08 話者 5
Personally, I feel very positive about the acceptance of this survey. However, under Japan's dual representation system, I will make a final decision after listening to city council members.
00:17:30 話者 1
It would be the first step of a three-part process. Similar surveys are already underway in four other municipalities. The chosen site will receive high-level radioactive waste generated by nuclear power plants. Forests account for about 60 percent of Hitachi-omiya... and its 35-thousand-person population is sharply declining.
The ministry created this map, showing the geological conditions across the country. It shows Hitachi Omiya is likely a favorable site. The southeast, in particular, seems ideal for the safe transportation of waste. This is the only second time the ministry has tapped a municipality for a survey. It's unclear if Hitachi Omiya will approve the request.
If it does, it will receive up to 2 billion yen, or about 12-point-5 million dollars in government grants.
In Focus
Words for a Divided World: Nagasaki's Peace Declaration
81 years after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As global affairs drift away from the Hibakusha's long-standing call for a nuclear-free world,
Nagasaki's mayor used his annual peace declaration to highlight the lifelong philosophy of a single survivor. These words were spoken by the late hibakusha, or nuclear bomb survivor, Yoshida Katsuji. So why did the mayor choose to center his declaration around them?
We take a closer look in this next report.
00:19:21 話者 7
Earlier this year, Mayor Suzuki Shiro traveled to New York to attend a conference related to the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Representing his atomic bomb city, Suzuki met directly with delegates from nuclear-armed nations, including Russia, the US, the UK, and France.
He pressed for immediate concrete steps toward disarmament, yet found virtually no momentum for change. Suzuki is a second generation Hibakusha.
Both of his parents survived the bombing of Nagasaki.
Facing a world of deepening mistrust and division, the mayor searched for words that could reach across political divides.
That search led him to the story of Yoshida Katsuji.
Yoshida was 13 when the bomb exploded.
He survived, but major burns left severe scarring across his face.
People stared.
On trains, other passengers avoided sitting beside him.
There were times he completely withdrew from society.
His suffering was not only physical, it was also the pain of discrimination, isolation, and lost dignity.
To learn more about Yoshida, Suzuki went to meet his son, Naoji.
Naoji remembers his father not as a man crushed by suffering, but as someone bright and joyous.
That helped him captivate his audience at school speaking events.
Yoshida's message extended beyond nuclear weapons.
It was about recognizing the suffering of others.
Though he carried the scars of the atomic bomb for the rest of his life, he called not for anger, but for compassion and understanding.
00:22:30 話者 8
It's not the right thing to do.
I'm not the right thing to do.
I'm not the right thing.
I'm not the right thing to do.
00:22:41 話者 7
Suzuki decided to include in his peace declaration the need to find empathy with others and strive to understand them, even if they hold opposing views.
He felt that perhaps peace at its core is built upon the accumulation of these small, everyday acts.
00:23:10 話者 8
The colony made the iterate...
00:23:25 話者 7
Addressing representatives from nearly a hundred nations, Suzuki delivered his message to the world, with Yoshida still on his mind.
00:23:34 話者 8
Hey, I'm again, I don't know.
Iteno Tachibaya Kurishimini, Kokoro Yosei, Wakaria Oto, Doroku Sugotoa, Taiichiya, Shototo Sakirutameno, Daijina, Ippoto Narimasu.
Soriga, Hitoto Hito, Kunitokuni, Sorezor no Bamende, Shindayo Habukumi, Yuko Kankyo Kizuku, Isuzueni Naruno desu.
00:24:16 話者 7
Today, Yoshida Katsuji's message continues to echo, asking a vital question from Nagasaki both to the rest of the world and the future.
World Weather
00:24:57 話者 1
And now turning to world weather.
It looks like we still need to keep an eye out for heavy rain in parts of Japan, while also watching for developing tropical systems in other parts of Asia.
Our meteorologist Jonathan Oh has the details.
00:25:10 話者 9
Hello.
We are keeping an eye out on the stationary frontal boundary that seems to be lingering around Japan and extending over into the Korean Peninsula.
This
set up has had a history of producing some significant rainfall over the weekend.
We were reporting to you about the situation over in a place like Fukui Prefecture.
And now as we went through the day on Monday, a lot of that rainfall shifted over toward North and South Korea.
We'll have to keep an eye on it as we go forward into the day on Tuesday and Wednesday because the front is still kind of lingering over into portions of Japan.
Now down toward the south, we have a couple of tropical systems.
One was what was Saldel and it's kind of
trying to get itself back together, moving back across back toward the east.
And so we had to keep an eye out on seeing if it actually redevelops into a storm.
And east of there, another tropical system trying to get itself together and likely going to be setting aside toward Okinawa.
Even if it doesn't intensify into a powerful storm, all that rain and momentum will be moving toward the north end, even setting aside toward a place like Kyushu.
So we have to keep an eye out over the next few days as that pattern unfolds.
Coming up on Tuesday, Tokyo looking at 31 with cloudy skies, rain
towards Shanghai, thunderstorms to Taipei with a high of 33.
Looking at what's happening across South Asia, we've been keeping an eye out on the southwest monsoon, especially toward the Nepal-China border with the flash flood that took place last week.
It still looks like even though the bulk of the rain may be more toward the south and to eastern portions of India, that chance of rain and thunderstorms still continues into place like Nepal as we go into the day on Tuesday.
So that's something that we have to continue to monitor as we go forward in time.
In Europe, we had a lot of heavy rain in the portions of France and the central portions of Europe.
Looks like we're seeing more rain in the forecast for Monday in Paris with a high of 25.
Heat though down towards the south.
Hot weather into places like Rome with a high of 36.
Speaking of hot weather, eastern areas of the United States really picking up on the heat coming up as we go throughout the day on Monday.
Hope you have a good day wherever you are.
00:27:40 話者 1
And that's all for this edition of NATA Newsline.
Thank you for watching and hope you'll join us again.
NHK World
00:28:01 話者 5
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