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00:00Welcome to News in Tokyo. I'm Yama-san Wa Rina and I'm Raja Prada. Here are the headlines.
00:19China suspends imports of Japanese seafood just days after they resumed. Officials cite concerns
00:26about safety. Oyster farmers in western Japan are on their knees after a catastrophic harvest.
00:33The government vows to act. And a massive fire in Oita Prefecture burns more than 170 buildings.
00:42One person is dead. First, Japanese seafood. China has only just resumed imports after a two-year
00:50suspension. But officials are taking it off the menu once again. Sources in Tokyo say Beijing's
00:56notification does not refer to an ongoing diplomatic fallout between the two sides.
01:03But it does reportedly cite concerns about treated and diluted water released from the crippled
01:09Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan. The facility suffered a triple meltdown
01:15during the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Water used to cool molten fuel has been mixing with
01:21rain and groundwater. Workers are treating it to remove most radioactive substances, but tritium
01:28remains. They also dilute the treated water before releasing it into the ocean. Tritium levels are
01:34reduced to about one-seventh of the World Health Organization's guidance for drinking water.
01:40Chinese officials suspended imports of Japanese marine products when the release began in August
01:452023. But in June this year, they said they would lift the measure, accept products from 10
01:51prefectures. Marine shipments from Japan to China resumed earlier this month.
01:57Beijing's sudden decision to halt imports in comments by Japanese Prime Minister
02:01Takaichi Sanae. She told lawmakers a military emergency involving Taiwan could be considered a threat to
02:08Japan's survival. Beijing demanded a retraction. Senior Japanese and Chinese diplomats met Tuesday
02:17in an attempt to ease this simmering situation. They made little headway.
02:23Japanese Foreign Ministry official Kanai Masaaki traveled to Beijing to meet his Chinese counterpart,
02:30Liu Jinson. Kanai rejected China's decision to issue travel advisories for its citizens in the wake of
02:38Takaichi's comments, and he denied that Chinese nationals in Japan are facing an increased risk to their safety.
02:47Kanai also protested a social media post by the Chinese consul general in Osaka.
02:56After the meeting, Liu offered a rare response to reporters.
03:00Japan's education ministry has warned its citizens attending schools in China to take safety measures.
03:18It urges them to respect local customs and to be careful about their behavior when interacting with locals.
03:26Japan's seafood industry is suffering in more ways than China's halt to import.
03:34Yes, many oyster and scallop farmers are reeling after a scorching summer, and they say most of their produce is dead.
03:43Oyster harvests were delayed after record-breaking temperatures slowed their growth,
03:48and farmers say huge numbers have died, severely impacting yields.
03:51Fisheries minister Suzuki Norikazu inspected the damage on Wednesday in Hiroshima prefecture.
03:58Some farmers say they lost as much as 90 percent of their harvest.
04:03They include Nabara Daisuke in Kure City.
04:07The mouth is open. There's nothing inside. They're all empty.
04:14A typical year, we'll see him harvest about 200 kilograms of shucked oysters per day.
04:23But on this day, he had just 30 kilograms.
04:28This is the worst. 90 percent are dead, and those that survived are poor in color.
04:35No, I honestly don't think anything can be done. We're dealing with nature, after all.
04:50Suzuki met Hiroshima governor Yuzaki Hidehiko and officials from a local fishing cooperative.
04:58They formally asked the government to find out why their prized oysters are dying.
05:02I'm well aware of the extreme severity of this situation.
05:08I think we need to find out what's causing this damage by conducting thorough research and launching an investigation.
05:16Suzuki also said he'll work with local authorities on providing financial assistance to farmers.
05:22Now, other types of shellfish are faring no better.
05:26Mutsu Bay in Aomori Prefecture is famed for scallops.
05:29But a new survey shows more than 90 percent of those born this year have already died.
05:38The industry is on the brink.
05:40The scallops aren't just dying.
05:42They're not even growing.
05:44This is unprecedented.
05:49Prefectural authorities are now looking at ways to protect this local delicacy from ruin.
05:54For more, I spoke to Hayatake Tadatoshi from the Japan Fisheries Association.
06:05There could be multiple factors behind the dead oysters.
06:08In addition to global warming, there has been little rain, which means the water's salt level is higher.
06:13This could have impacted their health.
06:14Fish that feel hot in Japan will move north, to somewhere the water temperature feels appropriate.
06:22But oysters are fixed in one place.
06:31Hayatake says poor harvests are occurring on a much larger scale than before.
06:36The situation with the scallops has continued for several years, and for oysters, too.
06:46Before, I heard about damage in certain areas.
06:48But this time, it's broader, covering the three prefectures of Hyogo, Hiroshima, and Okayama.
06:53It really is unprecedented.
06:55He also says there won't be an easy fix, and shellfish-hungry consumers may have to fork out much more than they're used to.
07:15Producing and shipping oysters is a one- or two-year process, but scallops can take up to 10 years.
07:20If you harvest them too early, they'll be too small.
07:25And if you don't let them grow for four, five, or six years, they won't be big enough for sashimi.
07:33But they're not growing now, and this problem won't go away anytime soon.
07:47Scallops for sashimi might become unaffordable.
07:49I really think this might happen.
07:54So what sort of countermeasures are feasible?
07:58Hayatake says the nation's fishing industry needs a multi-pronged approach.
08:08You could try to breed oysters that are more resistant to heat,
08:12but we must look at the causes of the problem.
08:14Is it because of a lack of oxygen, or high temperatures and salt levels?
08:21What can actually be done to solve any of these issues?
08:23We move now to southwestern Japan.
08:34Firefighters are battling a massive fire in Oita prefecture.
08:39Ground self-defense force personnel are helping to bring the blaze under control.
08:44One person has been found dead.
08:46Local officials say more than 170 buildings, including houses, have been burned.
08:53A man in his 70s is unaccounted for.
08:56Police are yet to identify a body found in his home.
08:59I thought the scenery of the place where I grew up would change drastically.
09:07So I came here to see what's going on.
09:09Firefighters received an emergency call before 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
09:21The fire engulfed the residential area and surrounding woodland.
09:25Officials say 175 people were sheltering at a community center at one point on Tuesday night.
09:31There was a pillar of fire that rose.
09:36The sky turned red and the wind was strong.
09:40I didn't expect it to spread so much.
09:44The residential area is surrounded by mountains and lies about 25 kilometers east of central Oita City.
09:52Officials say the fire spans 49,000 square meters.
10:01The annual United Nations Climate Summit, known as COP30, is taking place in the northern Brazilian city of Belém.
10:16But this year, U.S. President Donald Trump has sent no high-ranking officials.
10:21His country is the second largest emitter of carbon dioxide.
10:24Yuko Fukushima joins us now for how businesses are proceeding on this and other environmental issues.
10:30Yuko.
10:30Yes, the Trump administration, under the Trump administration, the policy on climate change has shifted.
10:36There's a sense the private sector will get less support to pursue greenhouse gas emission measures.
10:41But there are still firms promoting technologies to combat global warming at COP30.
10:47Japan is among the countries and international organizations actively participating at the conference.
10:52The country's pavilion hosted a seminar introducing a method to rejuvenate barren farmland and pastures with fertilizer and other materials.
11:02This is expected to prevent the unnecessary clearing of forests.
11:06A total of nine firms are on hand.
11:08One showed a material that lowers room temperatures by redirecting sunlight and blocking heat.
11:14As global temperatures rise, all countries are facing the same problem of people fueling the heat.
11:25Demand for these cooling technologies will grow.
11:28Another company unveiled a system that uses satellite data and ground-based sensors to detect wildfire risk.
11:38But while some firms remain on board with the fight against climate change, others are walking away.
11:43One example is the Net Zero Banking Alliance.
11:48The group ceased operations last month after a number of financial institutions exited in the wake of Trump's return to office.
11:55The alliance was established in 2021 and had aimed to get private sector banks to achieve net zero across their lending and investment portfolios by 2050.
12:07I talked to Sueyoshi Takejiro, a special advisor to the U.N. Environment Programme Finance Initiative.
12:12He also heads a network of companies and organizations seeking climate change solutions in Japan.
12:18He says most firms are still committed to taking on climate change.
12:26Some of the executives told me they just took their names off the alliance because they don't want to be mixed up in any trouble.
12:34They seem to be waiting for the storm to pass with their heads down.
12:37Honestly, I think their measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are already deeply rooted in their operations.
12:45So even if they've erased their names from the list, nothing has changed for them in terms of tackling the climate issue.
12:51Sueyoshi says one reason the Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015 was businesses recognize the risk of climate change.
13:04The treaty aims to limit global warming to less than one and a half degrees above pre-industrial levels.
13:10So there was a change in the mindsets of company executives.
13:15Now they think that if they don't solve the problem of climate change, their businesses will cease to exist.
13:21I think this kind of shift in their way of thinking was one reason that pushed the Paris Agreement to be concluded.
13:27That way of thinking has stuck with the executives.
13:29Sueyoshi says for some companies, reducing emissions is necessary to maintain global competitiveness.
13:38He cites Apple suppliers.
13:39They're required to comply with the iPhone maker's goal of achieving net zero by 2050.
13:45Another consideration is a change to EU trade policy that starts next year.
13:50The carbon border adjustment mechanism, or a C-bomb, will tax goods imported to the EU that are seen as emission-intensive during production.
13:59But he says there's more.
14:05A huge amount of investment has been poured into renewable energy, so technological advances have occurred.
14:12It's going to be the cheapest energy source and the easiest to obtain for some countries in terms of security.
14:17Non-oil-producing nations can generate renewable energy on their own at home.
14:23Many company executives are also starting to think this way.
14:29Sueyoshi says it's imperative for companies to switch to renewables if they want to stay competitive.
14:39If companies and countries cannot shift to decarbonization methods, they will not be able to join the competition.
14:45And even if they could somehow participate, they would lose out.
14:51In a world that continues to suffer from climate change, governments and businesses must pursue decarbonization quickly, intensively, and extensively.
15:01This is the way to get ahead and win in the global market.
15:04So even if COP30 has shown cracks in the commitment of some governments to tackle climate change, it seems many in the world of business continue to push ahead.
15:18And over to the markets.
15:19Well, in Tokyo, the mint cake slipped about a third of a percent as some investors again began to think AI-related stocks were overpriced.
15:25Others are concerned how China's announcement on Japanese seafood imports will affect relations between the nations and the stock market.
15:35And to the rest of the region, it was quite uneventful for many indexes as traders wait for NVIDIA's earnings due out later in the day in the U.S.
15:44AI chip giant has been at the center of the recent stock boom.
15:47Many managers are focusing on how it sees the sector going forward.
15:52In Indonesia, it's Jakarta composite at about half a percent after the central bank kept its rate on hold as widely expected.
16:00And that's the biz for this Wednesday.
16:03Thank you very much for that, Yuko.
16:04Now, let's go to Rosalind Devavalia in our Bangkok studio for stories making headlines in the Asia-Pacific.
16:13Public anger is on the rise in the Philippines over allegations of large-scale corruption in the government's flood control projects.
16:22Two ministers have resigned over the matter.
16:25Tens of thousands of people rallied in Manila on Sunday and Monday, calling for transparency and accountability in government.
16:32On Monday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. accepted the resignations of Executive Secretary Lucas Bursamin and Budget Secretary Amena Pangandaman.
16:43Both their offices have been cited in connection with flood control irregularities.
16:49Both officials respectfully offered and tendered their resignations out of delicadeza.
16:55After their departments were mentioned in allegations related to the flood control anomaly currently under investigation.
17:05A spokesperson for the president called on other officials who might be involved to consider stepping down.
17:12The government is investigating whether the projects were carried out appropriately.
17:16Some public officials, lawmakers and private contractors are alleged to have pocketed hefty kickbacks.
17:22The government estimates economic losses due to corruption in the projects may have reached $2 billion just since 2023.
17:32Japan's Princess Aiko, daughter of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, continued with her official visit to Laos on Wednesday.
17:40She visited a school where local children learned Japan's language and culture.
17:46Japanese teachers have been dispatched to the school in the capital, Vientiane, for the past 10 years.
17:51The princess asked students in a language class questions such as what sparked your interest in Japan and how do you study outside of class.
18:01In a lesson on Japanese culture, children played the traditional game fukuwari.
18:07Blindfolded players try to place features on a paper face in the correct positions.
18:11I was deeply honored and delighted to meet Princess Aiko in person.
18:19I was able to speak only a little Japanese this time, so I want to study harder to improve and be able to talk more.
18:26The princess then went to inspect a facility exhibiting information on unexploded ordnance left over from the Vietnam War era of the 1960s and 70s.
18:37During the war, the U.S. military dropped large quantities of cluster bombs and other munition on Laos.
18:45Japan's foreign ministry estimates approximately 80 million Dutch shells remain in Laos.
18:51The princess received an explanation from staff on Japan's financial and technical support for the disposal efforts.
18:58Studies suggest that by 2050, climate change may slash by half the amount of land suitable for growing Arabica coffee,
19:08the species that ends up in around 60 percent of the world's cups of joe.
19:12As part of efforts to reduce CO2 emissions, brew fans in Laos are working on a new, cleaner way of roasting the sweet, tasty beans.
19:22NHK World's Arie Pung Chan reports.
19:24On the Bolawen Pato, in southern Laos, the coffee cherries are ready for harvest.
19:33At over 1,000 meters above sea level, coffee grown here benefits from moderate temperature differences between day and night, as well as a mineral-rich soil.
19:46But to achieve commercial success, the area still needs to raise its international profile.
19:55Nichio Ryutaro is from a Japanese company that engages in environmental projects in Southeast Asia.
20:05He hopes to help tackle the challenge.
20:08Working with local producers and the Laos government, he aims to use the novel technique of hydrogen roasting to give the region an edge.
20:24I think it can become globally competitive.
20:28For one thing, it's very tasty.
20:30And with the added value of our hydrogen roasting, we can compete on the world stage.
20:36A roasting plant near the farm began trial production in the fall.
20:45Burning hydrogen at 200 degrees Celsius is a crucial step in roasting that brings out the coffee's aroma and flavor.
20:56Roasters normally run on natural gas, but using hydrogen eliminates carbon dioxide emissions.
21:08And that means the coffee can be marketed as environmentally friendly.
21:14But there's a cost barrier, as hydrogen is generally more expensive than natural gas.
21:24And that pushes up the final price.
21:28The key to solving this problem is hydroelectric power, something that's abundant in mountainous Laos.
21:36Electricity rates in Laos, which exports power to its neighbors, are about one-third of countries like Japan.
21:49Using this cheap power to produce hydrogen could also keep coffee prices low.
21:56The new facility will produce both hydrogen and roast beans.
22:09Its target capacity of 5,000 tons a year will make it one of the largest in the country.
22:18With full-scale production, schedule 4-2027.
22:22The hydrogen is produced locally and used locally.
22:30We also source the beans here, which allows us to offer competitive prices.
22:35We would like to create a brand where hydrogen-roasted coffee equals Laos.
22:41That will raise awareness of Laotian coffee around the world.
22:45If all goes to plan, the power of eco-friendly beans could put Laotian hydrogen-roasted coffee on the map.
22:57Ari Pumchan in HK World, Laos.
23:01And that wraps up our bulletin.
23:03I'm Rosalind Abavalia in Bangkok.
23:06All right, thank you very much for that, Rosalind.
23:08Next, a Canadian naval patrol ship has made a port call far from home.
23:13It's at a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force base south of Tokyo.
23:17The countries may be separated by an ocean, but as NHK World's Ishizaka Sae Christine Ho explains, their ties are growing closer.
23:26HMCS Max Barneys arrived here at Yokosuka base on Monday.
23:33The crew had recently conducted monitoring and surveillance activities in waters surrounding Japan.
23:39The Royal Canadian Navy says the sailors had their eyes peeled for illicit maritime activities.
23:47Those include ship-to-ship transfers with North Korean-flagged vessels prohibited by UN Security Council resolutions.
23:55Commander Nadia Shields took reporters on a tour of the Arctic and offshore patrol vessel.
24:01She says it can sail to a variety of areas.
24:04As for operating in vicinity of friendly and not-so-friendly countries, that's something that Japan is well-versed in, given your geographic location.
24:17And it's something that Canada can learn from as we operate in the Arctic.
24:21And we have to share those waters with other countries as well.
24:27The Navy says the deployment shows Canada's commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.
24:33A region the country sees as critical to its future.
24:40A strong Indo-Pacific makes a strong Japan, which makes a strong Canada.
24:45As one of our major training partners and the gateway to the Arctic, it's very important that we be able to work together in peacetime
24:53so that we can stand together in the event of any conflicts or anything that changes within the global system.
25:00The visit also included joint exercises with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
25:06The MSDF says it will continue to pursue opportunities for training with Canada.
25:13Japanese Prime Minister Takai-chi Sanae recently met with her Canadian counterpart.
25:19She calls his country an extremely important partner.
25:23The leaders also reaffirmed their intention to advance cooperation in a variety of fields.
25:28That includes security.
25:32In fact, Canada says Japan has become an anchor for Canada's regional military presence.
25:38Ishizaka Tsai, Christine Hall, NHK World.
25:44The sea bream has long been a symbol of good fortune in Japan.
25:49Now workers are busy preparing the fish to be sold as year-end gifts for the New Year holidays.
25:57At a local fish processing firm in central Japan's Miei Prefecture, the fish are gutted and soaked in salt overnight.
26:06Their bellies are stuffed with wakame seaweed through the gills to make them look plump and boost their flavor.
26:12Sea bream are symbols of good luck in Japan, and stuffing them this way preserves their integrity.
26:21They are then sprinkled with salt and roasted whole for about 30 minutes.
26:27The processing firm says the sea bream this year are rich in fat and well-shaped with a vibrant color.
26:37They turned out delicious.
26:39I hope everyone enjoys them during the New Year holidays.
26:42And now let's take a look at weather forecast for cities around the world.
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27:19A waterfall
27:19With a shakespeare
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27:23With a livingSure
27:24With a living overflow
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27:25With a living agency
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27:26With a living
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27:27Living
27:27and that concludes this edition of newsroom tokyo be sure you catch our program on our website as
27:39well i'm raja padan and i'm yamasawa arena thank you very much for watching please join us again
27:45tomorrow
27:57you
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