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00:00Welcome to Newsroom Tokyo, I'm Yamasawa Rina, and I'm Yamaguchi Hiroaki.
00:16Here are the headlines.
00:19As the row between Japan and China continues, a scheduled summit in January is under threat.
00:25The Ukrainian simul wrestler Aonishiki is climbing the ranks after fleeing his home country only three years ago.
00:33A new approach to peace education out of Okinawa is drawing attention to World War II history.
00:40We check in with the group that's spearheading it.
00:43We begin with breaking news.
00:45At least four people have reportedly died after a massive fire engulfed multiple high-rise towers in Hong Kong.
00:52As you can see, black smoke is billowing from multiple apartment buildings.
00:59According to Reuters, Wangfuk Court is a housing complex made up of eight blocks with close to 2,000 residential units.
01:08Hong Kong's transport department says that due to the fire, an entire section of the Taipong Road has been closed.
01:15The thoroughfare is one of Hong Kong's two main highways.
01:18Observers expect the current row between Japan and China will drag on.
01:27Beijing continues to urge Japanese Prime Minister Takai-chi Sanae to retract her recent remarks about Taiwan.
01:35Takai-chi spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump on the phone Tuesday.
01:39Trump explained the latest on the state of U.S.-China relations, including an earlier call he had with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
01:51I believe we could affirm close cooperation between Japan and the U.S.
01:57Tokyo thinks the talks were significant as they were held at the request of the U.S.
02:02and demonstrate the strength of the Japan-U.S. alliance.
02:07Meanwhile, Japan's Vice Foreign Minister, Funakoshi Takehiro, met with Chinese ambassador to Japan, Wu Jianghao.
02:16Funakoshi is believed to have reported on that conversation at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
02:22The Cabinet affirmed the government's conventional view on the circumstances constituting a survival-threatening situation.
02:29A trilateral summit in Japan with China and South Korea scheduled for January seems unlikely to take place.
02:40Beijing said this week that conditions for holding the summit are not right at the moment.
02:46Tokyo intends to maintain communication with China on many different levels,
02:51but officials are likely to face difficulty in finding a compromise acceptable to both sides.
03:00Following his phone talks with the Japanese and Chinese leaders,
03:04President Trump spoke positively about the situation in East Asia,
03:08but he did not go into specifics.
03:10Trump said he spoke with Xi mostly about trade.
03:30He said he asked China to buy more U.S. farm products and to speed up its purchases.
03:36He added that Xi more or less agreed to do that.
03:39Trump also said he expects to be pleasantly surprised by Xi's actions.
03:45He stressed that he has a good relationship with the Chinese leader.
03:49Japan's prime minister also faces challenges at home.
04:04Among them is the rising cost of living.
04:07For more, we bring in Yanaka Murray from our business desk.
04:10Mari, Japan has been trying to raise real wages,
04:13but pay hikes haven't kept up with inflation, which is now at 3 percent.
04:17So how does Takaichi plan to tackle this?
04:20Well, salary increases have more or less centered on big firms,
04:24so she's pushing to change that.
04:27Prime Minister Takaichi wants the wage hike trend at corporate giants
04:32to spill over to small and medium-sized firms.
04:36She explained her policies to business and union leaders on Tuesday.
04:40It was her first meeting bringing together representatives of government, business and labor.
04:48We sincerely ask for cooperation to realize an increase in base pay
04:52that will not be eroded by price hikes.
04:55Needless to say, the government will also work hard on this issue.
04:59Takaichi said the government plans to provide support worth around 1 trillion yen,
05:04or about 6.4 billion dollars to help smaller firms make investments that drive growth.
05:11She added that she plans to use government subsidies for municipalities
05:14to make it easier for such companies to raise pay.
05:18The head of the Japanese Trade Union Confederation said after the meeting,
05:23she hopes pay trends will continue in a positive direction.
05:26Companies have been able to raise wages by more than 5 percent for two years in a row.
05:34Now we aim to continue that for the third straight year in next spring's wage negotiations.
05:40Takaichi's new economic measures are included in the supplementary budget for the current fiscal year.
05:46It's expected to gain cabinet approval on Friday.
05:51Now it's not just inflation that's up in Japan, but home prices too.
05:55The land ministry's first-ever survey of new condominium purchases
05:59showed foreign ownership is also on the rise.
06:03Their share in Tokyo has doubled since 2024 to reach 3 percent.
06:09The survey covered sales in the first half of the year across three metropolitan areas
06:14as well as four major cities.
06:17The ratio of foreign owners is higher in central areas,
06:20hitting 3.5 percent in Tokyo's 23 wards.
06:25When looking at only six of those wards considered the inner core of the capital,
06:29the figure jumps up to 7.5 percent.
06:33The highest is in Shinjuku Ward at 14.6 percent.
06:39The largest numbers of buyers in the 23 wards were from Taiwan,
06:43followed by those from China.
06:45Looking at regional cities,
06:48over 4 percent of new apartments in Osaka were acquired by people based abroad.
06:53In Kyoto, it was 2.5 percent, and in Sapporo, 2 percent.
06:59The survey also looked at resale trends unrelated to where the owners were based.
07:04It found that 8.5 percent of condos that were new in the first six months of 2024 in Tokyo
07:10were resold within one year of the initial purchase.
07:15That was a jump of 3.3 percentage points from a year earlier.
07:19The ministry plans to analyze the results and discuss if measures are needed against speculative transactions.
07:26People from overseas aren't just buying homes in Japan's capital,
07:31they're booking rooms.
07:33And in the future, they might pay more.
07:36The Tokyo metropolitan government plans to revise a tax on hotel stays.
07:40The amount is fixed at virtually pocket change now.
07:45Tokyo introduced the tax in 2002.
07:48Guests at a hotel or inn are currently charged 100 yen per night
07:52if their room rate is at least 10,000 yen or about $64.
07:57For pricier rooms, it goes up to 200 yen.
08:01The plan is to change it to 3 percent for rooms above 13,000 yen.
08:07The Tokyo government also plans to extend the tax to cover short stays at rented private lodgings
08:13that are currently excluded.
08:15Officials have been reviewing the rules as the growing number of visitors
08:19has driven up administrative costs.
08:23The draft proposal was announced on Wednesday.
08:25Officials plan to seek opinions from the public
08:28with a view to enact the new ordinance after April 2027.
08:33Let's finish with a check on the markets.
08:36Stocks in the Asia-Pacific followed Wall Street higher
08:39as optimism grew about the U.S. economy.
08:42Investors priced in a rate cut from the central bank
08:46after data on consumer confidence and retail sales suggested cooling demand.
08:51Reports that the frontrunner for the next central bank chief
08:54is someone seen as pro-easing added to the mood.
08:57Tokyo's Nikkei average jumped 1.9 percent
09:00and Seoul's Kospi surged 2.7 percent.
09:04China's Shanghai Composite bucked the trend
09:07after bonds of a state-backed real estate developer tumbled,
09:11reigniting concerns about the property market.
09:14And that's the biz for this Wednesday.
09:17Thank you very much for that, Marie.
09:19Now let's go to Rosalind Devavalia in our Bangkok studio
09:22for stories making headlines across the Asia-Pacific.
09:26People in southern Thailand are struggling with widespread flooding
09:32following several days of record rains.
09:34Authorities say 33 people have died
09:37with more than 2.5 million affected.
09:40Roads and buildings in the southern provinces,
09:43including Songkla and Nakhansi Tamarat,
09:45have been inundated with water.
09:47Many people have been trapped in their houses
09:49and are being rescued by boats.
09:52Weather authorities warn of more rain
09:54and are urging people to stay alert
09:56for flash floods and landslides.
09:59Prime Minister Anutin Chan-were-kun on Wednesday
10:01traveled to Songkla province
10:03where he instructed officials and military personnel
10:06to beef up rescue and aid efforts.
10:10The monsoon rains have also flooded areas
10:12in neighboring Malaysia.
10:14Disaster management officials say
10:15more than 24,000 people,
10:18many in the northern states,
10:19have been forced to flee their homes.
10:22Experts in both countries
10:23point to climate change
10:25as the driver behind the increased severity
10:28and frequency of extreme weather-related disasters.
10:33Afghanistan's Taliban authorities say
10:35airstrikes by Pakistani forces
10:37in three eastern provinces bordering Pakistan
10:40have left 10 people dead,
10:42most of them children.
10:44Pakistan's military has rejected the claim.
10:47A spokesperson for Afghanistan's interim Taliban government
10:51said in a social media post
10:53that Pakistani forces bombed a house
10:55in Khost province on Monday night,
10:58killing nine children and one woman.
11:01He said airstrikes also hit targets
11:03in the provinces of Qunar and Paktika,
11:06injuring four people.
11:08He said a necessary response
11:09would be taken at the proper time.
11:12According to local media,
11:13a Pakistani military spokesperson
11:15denied the attacks occurred,
11:17saying Pakistan does not target civilians nor kill them.
11:22Pakistan initially backed the interim Taliban government,
11:25but ties began to fray over Pakistani extremists,
11:29using Afghanistan's border areas to set up bases.
11:33Relations between the two sides
11:35are now said to be at the worst ever,
11:37with repeated military clashes.
11:39In October, Afghanistan's interim government
11:42and Pakistan agreed on an immediate ceasefire,
11:46but negotiations on a lasting peace ended in failure.
11:51As tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan mount,
11:55people living along the border between the two countries
11:57are expressing increasing concerns about their future.
12:02NHK World's Nazarul Islam reports.
12:04Nazmeen and his family live in a village
12:09near the Pakistan border.
12:14That place was hit by a shell.
12:17My son was sleeping there.
12:20Nazmeen says his home was shelled
12:23by the Pakistani military in October.
12:26His 18-year-old son Dawood was killed.
12:31Dawood studied hard,
12:32hoping to become a doctor or engineer.
12:37Nazmeen worries the conflict may resume
12:39and he fears for his family's safety.
12:45We are scared the shelling may start again.
12:50I demand that they stop shelling and bombing us.
12:57In the border area on the Pakistan side,
13:00local businesses are suffering.
13:04The closure on the outskirts of Peshawar
13:06has created a long line of trucks
13:08bringing logistics to a standstill.
13:14Our truck has been stuck here for almost a month.
13:18We aren't getting any money while we sit idle.
13:23Afghan fruits and vegetables
13:25once filled the markets,
13:27but now they are empty.
13:31The border closure has also sent produce prices soaring.
13:39Tomatoes have jumped from 20 cents a kilogram
13:41to over a dollar.
13:44Onions now cost eight times more than before.
13:48The conflict is hitting Afghan refugees in Pakistan hard.
13:54The Pakistani government has tightened residency rules
13:57and stepped up crackdowns on refugees
14:00under the pretext of counter-terrorism measures.
14:05The refugee issue has a long history.
14:08In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan.
14:13After the 9-11 attacks,
14:15U.S.-led forces carried out military operations in the country.
14:19As a result,
14:20more than 2.3 million Afghans are still in Pakistan.
14:24One refugee, Ruhullah,
14:28lives with his family in the outskirts of Peshawar.
14:32He fled to Pakistan 45 years ago.
14:36Now Islamabad has ordered him and his family to leave.
14:40A stream of trucks loaded with refugees' belongings
14:58trundled toward the border with Afghanistan.
15:03Despite calls for a diplomatic solution
15:06between Kabul and Islamabad,
15:07no resolution is in sight.
15:11People caught in the crisis continue to long
15:13for peace and stability.
15:16Natural Islam, NHK World, Islamabad.
15:21And that wraps up our bulletin.
15:23I'm Rosalind Abavalia in Bangkok.
15:34Ukrainian simo wrestler Aonishiki
15:36has reached a new milestone
15:38in its lightning-fast rise in Japan's national sport.
15:41The 21-year-old who fled his war-torn country
15:44just three years ago
15:45has been promoted to Oazeki,
15:47simo's second-highest rank.
15:49Two messengers from the Japan Simo Association
16:09delivered the news to Aonishiki
16:10and his Ajigawa stable master on Wednesday.
16:13The association decided on the promotion
16:16at an extraordinary meeting of his board of directors
16:19earlier in the day.
16:21Aonishiki earned his first grand sumo tournament title
16:24in the Kyushu tourney that ended last weekend.
16:27He has notched 34 wins over the past three tournaments
16:31and achieved his new rank in just 14.
16:34Aonishiki left Ukraine in 2022
16:38to escape the Russian invasion.
16:41He moved to Japan to pursue his passion for sumo,
16:44training first at Kansai University
16:46before joining the professional stable.
16:49He made his ground sumo debut in September 2023
16:52and has rocketed through the ranks.
16:54Aonishiki is now just one step below Yokozuna
16:58and the first person from his country
17:00to climb so high.
17:04Major League Baseball superstar
17:06Ootani Shohei said he's looking forward
17:09to playing for Japan for the second time
17:11at the World Baseball Classic.
17:13I played in the previous competition
17:18for the first time
17:19and thought it was great.
17:22I think next year's WBC
17:24will be even more wonderful.
17:27I'm honored to be selected as a member
17:29so I'm looking forward to the competition.
17:33Ootani had earlier announced on social media
17:36his plans to take part in the WBC next year.
17:40He spoke at an online news conference
17:42for Japanese media on Wednesday.
17:48There are many great players
17:50and teams from around the world,
17:52not just from Major League Baseball.
17:56Representing Japan will be a different experience
18:00from playing in the MLB.
18:04Ootani was asked whether he will both pitch and hit
18:07as a two-way player during the games
18:10and if he will join Japan's team for training.
18:14He responded he hasn't yet decided
18:17and he would discuss it with Dodgers staff members.
18:21Ootani said he would prepare for multiple scenarios
18:24regardless of whether or not he pitches.
18:2680 years after the end of World War II,
18:40few who actually have experienced the war
18:43are still alive to share their memories
18:45directly with the younger generations.
18:47But a theater project started in Okinawa,
18:51the site of one of the fiercest battles
18:53of the Pacific War has a fresh approach
18:55to peace education.
18:57NHK World's Yotsumoto Juen has more.
18:59The Battle of Okinawa claimed more than 200,000 lives
19:12as Japanese and American forces clashed
19:15and civilians were caught in the crossfire.
19:19Young actors from Okinawa bring to life
19:22this dark chapter of the war
19:24through what they call peace theater.
19:26Their performance is more than just a play.
19:30What makes it unique is the learning that comes with it.
19:35Schools across the country are hosting performances
19:38as a potential new model for peace education.
19:43Because the play comes after students learn the background,
19:47they can understand it better.
19:49It's far more effective
19:50than just showing them the play without context.
19:53For years, the core of peace education in Japan
19:58has been school trips to places like Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Okinawa.
20:04But travel agencies organizing those programs
20:08increasingly struggle to find survivors
20:11to share their memories,
20:13longer key component of the experience.
20:15A school asked to hear testimony
20:19from an atomic bomb survivor living in Nagasaki,
20:23but no one was available.
20:26This agency is changing the structure
20:29of peace education in school trips.
20:32Starting from December,
20:33they will trial a new immersive experience
20:36with peace theater at its center.
20:39It feels as if you're right there,
20:45experiencing the raw human reality,
20:48the emotions and the tension.
20:50It feels as if you're right there,
20:51experiencing the raw human reality,
20:52the emotions and the tension.
20:54Okinawa native Nagata Kensaku created the play.
21:03Nagata says he used to think the battle of Okinawa
21:06was just a sad piece of history.
21:09But an encounter with an energetic 87-year-old survivor
21:13changed that.
21:14She shared her philosophy with him.
21:17I lost so many classmates, friends and family
21:25during the battle of Okinawa.
21:27If I stop speaking,
21:28the proof that they once lived
21:31will also disappear.
21:34That's why I can't die easily.
21:37I have a mission.
21:39Nagata feels he must continue that mission.
21:52The former actor chose to bring war memories to life
21:56through the power of theater.
21:58He has collected stories from 14 war survivors.
22:03One of them, 92-year-old Ooshiro Yuichi,
22:06was just 11 years old.
22:09The play draws on what happened
22:11when his family took shelter in a cave.
22:15A Japanese soldier hiding there
22:17threatened them if they tried to surrender.
22:22You Okinawans are all spies.
22:25I will throw a grenade from behind
22:27and kill you.
22:29Don't you forget it.
22:36Soldiers had been trained
22:37that suicide was more honorable
22:39than surrender.
22:41Ooshiro told Nagata
22:42that the soldier in the cave
22:44expected them to die too.
22:47Nagata inserted Ooshiro's vivid memory
22:50into the play,
22:51word for word.
22:52To bring more realism
23:09to the play,
23:10Nagata wanted to see the cave
23:12where Ooshiro took refuge
23:13before surrendering.
23:1480 years ago,
23:18the terrain was bare and rocky.
23:21Now,
23:21it is thick with vegetation.
23:24Nagata is unable to find the cave.
23:27But coming here brings home to him
23:29that this island paradise
23:31was once a living hell.
23:33Nagata knows that memories must be shared
23:42or they will be forgotten.
23:44It's a mission he feels compelled to continue,
24:02despite the emotional toll.
24:04After the play,
24:21Nagata also speaks
24:22with the students.
24:26Peace isn't something
24:28that simply exists
24:30like water or air.
24:31It's something that countless people
24:34whose faces and names
24:35we'll never know
24:36have worked together
24:38to protect.
24:40That's what peace truly is.
24:44It was so powerful.
24:46It really hit me in a way
24:48that what we learn in class
24:49never could.
24:52When we go out into society,
24:54we should have a strong will
24:56to get rid of war.
24:58And from now on,
24:59I want to work hard
25:00and study to get involved
25:02in making that happen.
25:05Nagata says
25:05he took the baton
25:06from war survivors
25:08and through peace theater
25:10is passing it
25:11to children
25:12to do the same.
25:14Educators and businesses
25:15with the same goal
25:16are joining in,
25:18exploring new approaches
25:19to keep war
25:21from ever happening again.
25:23Yotsumoto Jun,
25:24NHK World.
25:25The peace theater program
25:29consists of
25:30pre-study,
25:31the play itself
25:32and workshops
25:33after the play
25:34providing inquiry-based
25:36peace education.
25:38Students interact
25:39with the content
25:40to develop empathy
25:41and determine
25:42what peace means to them.
25:45Amid efforts
25:46to pass on
25:47the lessons of war
25:48from AI to gaming,
25:50eyes are on
25:51how this Okinawa-born theater
25:52will impact peace education.
26:22Now, let's take a look
26:35at weather forecast
26:36for cities around the world.
26:37We'll see you next time.
27:07We'll see you next time.
27:37from Tokyo.
27:38You can catch this program
27:39on our website.
27:41I'm Yanaguchi Hiroaki.
27:42And I'm Yamasawa Arena.
27:43Thank you very much
27:44for watching.
27:45Please join us again
27:46tomorrow.
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