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00:00Welcome to New Zealand Tokyo. I'm Yamasawa Rina and I'm Yamaguchi Hiroaki. Here are the headlines.
00:18Two days after a massive blaze tore through Hong Kong Tower blocks, the death toll climbs past 120.
00:25Tokyo police probed the operator of a minpak firm as complaints grow over these private lodging businesses.
00:34And Russia's president says fighting in Ukraine won't end until Ukrainian forces withdraw from what he called the territories they occupy.
00:45The death toll from fire at a high-rise residential complex in Hong Kong has risen to at least 128.
00:55More than 70 people have been injured, and around 200 are unaccounted for.
01:00This video was taken soon after the fire started.
01:14Flames can be seen licking around the foot of the building, which is covered with green netting.
01:21The flames soon spread to the upper floors. The netting and scaffolding caught fire.
01:30Local media say the fire was largely extinguished by Friday morning, two days after it broke out in the northern district of Taipo.
01:40Flames had engulfed seven apartment blocks at the site. Each of the buildings is more than 30 stories tall.
01:47I can't get in contact with my friend. I really hope my friend will be found alive.
01:55the Hong Kong government has announced the measures to support affected residents
02:00including financial aid to help them with urgent needs the cause of the fire remains unknown but
02:09local media say the fire spread along bamboo scaffolding put up for repair work fire authorities
02:16say protective nets used for the work may not have met fire safety standards and they've not ruled
02:23out the possibility that the full material used in the buildings contributed to the spread of the
02:29flames police have arrested three people from a construction company overseeing the repair
02:36project including senior officials on suspicion of manslaughter for more we are now joined by NHK
02:45Wells Yoshida my you at the site of the fire so my you what is the situation right now that
02:51rena behind me are the high-rise residential buildings where the fire broke out it is now
03:01two days since the blade started fire trucks and ambulances are still lined up here but no active
03:07fire fighting is underway from where we are there's no longer any visible smoke smoke or flames but the
03:16smell of burning still hangs in the air my you have you been able to speak with any affected residents
03:23I've spoken to people mourning friends and family members who lost their lives in the place others
03:34are voicing anxiety about what comes next as they now have nowhere to live I've also seen people laying
03:41flowers around the buildings and praying for the victims evacuation centers have been set up near the site
03:48and many displaced residents are taking shelter there volunteers have also gathered to bring food clothes and
03:56drinks many people here still have family members or friends who are who remain missing they say they're
04:03hoping to see progress in the rescue operations the cause of the fire remains unknown but three
04:10people have been arrested are there any clues about how the fire was able to spread so widely and quickly
04:17fire authorities held a press conference this afternoon the director said type referral foam attached to the
04:26windows was highly flammable and may have caused the rapid spread of the fire he also
04:33pointed out fire alarms that the complex didn't work out properly they also suspect that protective nets
04:41and sheets used during construction didn't meet fire safety standards an expert also points to the
04:48building structures as a building a possible factor in each case spoke to the head of the Japan
04:54Association of Fire Protection Engineers he says there are many indentations in the outer walls and that the
05:02floor plan is extremely jacked these depressions from vertical cavities similar to chimneys which may have accelerated
05:10the upward flow of the air local media report that Hong Kong authorities have launched in the investigation into
05:18possible negligence linked to the large-scale repair project officials say they will carry out a detailed investigation
05:25once conditions allow yes and hopefully the people affected by this will get some answers soon thanks for this my
05:33there's been a shake-up in Japanese politics a trio of independent lower house lawmakers has agreed to work with the Liberal Democratic Party group
05:50the move delivers the lower house majority to the ruling coalition of the LDP and its partner the Japan Innovation Party
05:59the three are other hero key Saiki Takashi and Morishima Tadashi they conveyed to senior LDP officials on Friday that they will join the LDP group as the party had requested
06:13the three were expelled from the Japan Innovation Party in September they formed a three-man block and backed
06:21Takaichi Sanae for prime minister in the lower house vote held last month before Friday the LDP's lower house group had 196 members
06:31that number is now up by three meanwhile the group of the Japan Innovation Party has 34 members together the ruling coalition has now secured two hundred
06:43thirty-thirty-thirty-three delegates that's enough for the first lower house majority for the ruling coalition since the LDP was defeated in the election
06:53in October last year however in the upper house the ruling coalition remains in the minority the LDP group has 100 members and the JIP group 19
07:07there are six delegates short of dominating the chamber the LDP plans to continue seeking consensus with opposition parties over a supplementary budget and other issues
07:19Japan has seen a surge in tourists in recent years with many opting for private lodgings known as mean park while these help ease pressure on hotel capacity
07:33they've also triggered complaints over litter and noise Tokyo police are investigating a company in Shinjuku Ward that runs a mean park business they suspect it has been renting out properties illegally on weekdays to protect residents living environment mean park operators are allowed to rent out properties for only up to 180 days a year
07:59world ordinances also restrict rental hours the company under investigation had previously been warned to properly report its rental activity but failed to comply
08:12you don't talk directly with people we just send a message to check in and that's it the number of homes registered for mean park lodging is rising nationwide now topping 36 thousand as of November
08:28more than 640 thousand people stayed in them in August and September this year up 140 thousand from the same period last year foreign visitors made up nearly half the total but authorities across Japan have been tightening rules on mean park operations following complaints about poor manners by some guests including late night noise and improper garbage disposal
08:55U.S. President Donald Trump says one of two National Guard members shot in Washington DC on Wednesday has died
09:02he said the deceased is a 20 year old woman the 24 year old male guard member who was with her remains in critical condition
09:09U.S. officials say the two had volunteered for the National Guard deployment that Trump ordered in August to boost security in the capital
09:16U.S. officials say the two had volunteered for the National Guard deployment that Trump ordered in August to boost security in the capital
09:33the deployment that Trump ordered in August to boost security in the capital
09:39meanwhile investigators have identified the suspect who was detained in the
09:45shooting they say he's a 29 year old Afghan national who entered the US under
09:52a program that accepts people who helped the American military in Afghanistan the
09:58shooting took place about 400 meters from the White House the Afghan man is said to
10:04have driven to the capital from the western state of Washington where he
10:08lived with his wife and children investigative authorities said they will
10:14search his home and conduct interviews to determine a motive Russian president
10:21Vladimir Putin says the fighting in Ukraine will stop only when Ukrainian
10:25troops withdraw from in his words the territories they occupy he added that if
10:31they do not leave Russia will remove them by military force Putin's remarks came at a
10:39news conference in Kyrgyzstan as he was commenting on a peace plan discussed by
10:43US and Ukrainian officials in Geneva on Sunday Putin said the plan could form the
10:49basis for future agreements he added that Russia sees that Washington is taking
10:54Moscow's position into account in some areas in an apparent reference to the
10:59fact that Ukraine did not hold the presidential election set for last year
11:03Putin said Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has lost legitimacy
11:09Putin added that signing documents with the Ukrainian leadership is pointless as
11:15fighting in Ukraine drags on French president Emmanuel Macron has unveiled a plan to
11:21boost his country's armed forces he's creating a voluntary military service program for
11:27young adults Macron gave details at a military base on Thursday he says France must reinforce its defense
11:36capabilities in this uncertain world where might triumphs over law war is a
11:47present-day reality our nation cannot afford fear panic or lack of preparedness
11:54the president said the ten-month-long program will begin next year mostly aimed at recruits aged 18 and
12:0619 the volunteers will only be deployed inside France macron says he expects the program to reach 50
12:14thousand annual participants by the year 2035 the announcement came as the country's military launched large-scale
12:26exercises media were invited to watch French forces practice attacking vehicle convoys using reconnaissance drones and
12:34artillery France is not the only European nation bolstering defenses earlier this year Germany approved a draft bill that could lead to conscription if recruitment targets are not met
12:47Croatia has also decided to reinstate compulsory military service starting next year the Louvre museum in Paris is set to become more expensive for many foreign visitors
13:01officials say they will hike admission fees by 45 percent for most non-europeans from next year
13:08the entry fee will increase from 22 to 32 euros or about 37 dollars on January 14 visitors from the EU Iceland
13:22Lichtenstein and Norway will be exempt the Louvre drew nearly 9 million people last year a French media outlet says the price increase is expected to boost annual revenue by over 20 million dollars
13:37last month thieves broke into the museum and store jewels worth more than 100 million dollars French media say the fee increase will be used to bolster security
13:49it will also go towards restoration and other costs some have criticized the price increase as discriminatory
13:56the yen has been getting steadily weaker against the dollar that has big implications for the economy businesses and households that's right and households are especially feeling the pinch as the weaker yen means higher prices for all sorts of imported goods from
14:25groceries to gasoline Yuko Fukushima from our business desk joins us now to examine what's behind the weak yen what could happen next
14:32yes traders investors money managers are all watching the currency market closely as they see the end getting close to the level where the government and the Bank of Japan intervened last year to prop it up the
14:47the end bull to a low not seen in 10 months last week there are worries that the economic package rolled out by Prime Minister
14:54Takaichi Sanae will lead to a worsening of Japan's finances
14:58one currency expert Yoshida Hissashi at the next says the end is not the only thing under pressure
15:04Japanese government bonds are being sold off as well causing their rates to rise
15:09the movements of long-term rates of Japanese government bonds explain how the dollar yen has been moving over the past several months
15:20this is rather odd isn't it if rates rise you would think people would buy the yen to get better returns from higher rates
15:27but rates are climbing and the currency is falling when we overlay the charts of long-term rates and the yen we see they are moving in correlation
15:36what we can deduce is that funds are moving out of Japan this is why rates are rising
15:43and yet Japanese stocks had recently been scaling record highs just last month the benchmark Nikkei index surpassed 52,000 for the first time
15:53Yoshida notes the trend has gone into reverse in November
15:58I think Japanese stocks surged so much not because investors evaluated the government's new economic policy highly
16:08I think stocks went up because stocks around the world climbed
16:12so when prices of global stocks slipped back Japanese stocks came down as well
16:17when Japanese stocks sell off you see all three of Japan's main asset classes the currency bonds and stocks being sold
16:26I think that points to an outflow of money from Japan
16:30some investors anticipate the government will soon intervene as the yen nears where it was last year
16:36when the authorities massively stepped in to prop it up
16:39the government and the central bank intervened that July for two days in a row
16:44the dollar had been hovering around 161 yen
16:47but the massive yen buying triggered others to follow suit
16:51the currency recovered to the 139 level in September
16:55but Yoshida says this time is different
16:58he says last year it was speculative traders who were the main sellers
17:02speculative traders are those who buy and sell in short periods of time
17:09they could lead yen selling in the market
17:12but when a government intervenes with huge trading and the yen selling stops
17:16these speculative traders turn to buying
17:19that's why last year the yen weakened to 161 to the dollar
17:23but after the speculative traders bought the yen back
17:26the currency strengthened by 20 yen to the dollar
17:29which traded close to 140 yen within a short period of time less than a month
17:34Yoshida says the data show it is not speculative hedge fund traders who are now selling
17:40such traders had a massive position in July last year but not this time around
17:46Yoshida says it's not too difficult for the authorities to stop the yen from falling when speculators are involved
17:52but that is not the case right now
17:55if huge amounts of funds are flowing out of Japan
18:01it will be difficult to buy up the yen to stop the flow through government intervention
18:05I think that if the government does intervene it will be further into the future
18:10for example when the pair gets to around 165 yen to the dollar
18:15but even when officials intervene I think it will be difficult to change the currency market trend
18:21Yoshida says there is an alternative possibility that the yen could actually strengthen going forward
18:33there are doubts that the current surge in global stock prices will continue
18:38we are hearing people from various fields warning that stocks are overpriced
18:42the professionals call excessive overpricing a stock market bubble
18:47if the bubble bursts there could be an outflow of funds from the US
18:51the amount of money flowing out of the US could be much bigger than the outflow we are now seeing from Japan
18:57when that happens we could see a halt in the ends weakening
19:00and there is a fair possibility the dollar will weaken further
19:04the result would be the yen strengthening from where we are now
19:07Yoshida says it is very difficult to know when a bubble will burst
19:13it could be tomorrow or several years from now
19:16so it could be some time before the yen strengthens significantly from where it is now
19:21and now to the stock markets in Togo the Nikkei added about two tenths of a percent
19:26the index ended the week at fifty thousand two hundred fifty three
19:30trading was thin as some investors from the US were off for a holiday there
19:34others are looking for clues in the comments of the heads of the Japanese and US central banks next week
19:40and to the rest of the region in China the China composite rose about a third of a percent
19:46investors bought AI related shares on the other hand traders in South Korea's Kospi
19:51seem worried about overvaluation of AI stocks chipmaker and index heavy a Samson
19:57weighed the index down the benchmark slip one and a half percent and that's it is for this week
20:04Torrential downpours are battering countries across South and Southeast Asia
20:12let's go to Tirantia Khosan in our Bangkok studio for the latest
20:15the death toll is climbing across nations pummeled by heavy rains over the past week
20:22a cyclone swept across Sri Lanka forcing the country to grapple with one of its worst weather disasters in recent years
20:33disaster management officials said Friday morning that at least 56 people were killed in landslides and flooding
20:41the cyclone system is expected to maintain strength over the weekend moving north along the country's eastern coast
20:49Indonesia has also been battered by heavy rains intensified by a separate storm
20:54the cyclone caused severe damage to the archipelago's western island of Sumatra
21:00officials said at least 174 people have been killed as of Friday evening and dozens remain missing
21:08and in southern Thailand extensive damage from recent flooding is becoming more visible
21:14as the water starts to recede in areas including the worst hit city of Hatayai
21:21roads and buildings are seen covered in mud and debris with many vehicles washed up on the main street
21:27authorities are stepping up relief and recovery efforts
21:31the death toll reached 145 on Friday
21:36a major motor show kicks off on Saturday near Bangkok
21:41Japan's top automakers long dominant in the Thai market and their rising Chinese counterparts
21:46will showcase their latest vehicles and technologies
21:53Thailand International Motor Expo brings together 42 global automakers
21:58Japan's giant Toyota is showcasing the first full remodel in 10 years of its best-selling pickup truck in Thailand
22:05visitors can see both its EV and diesel engine models
22:11Toyota plans to manufacture the trucks in Thailand for export in Southeast Asia and Australia
22:18China's Chang'an automobile unveils its lineup of new EVs developed in collaboration with other companies
22:26including telecom equipment maker Huawei
22:30some Chinese makers are appealing to Thai consumers with attractive campaigns
22:35leading Chinese EV maker BYD is temporarily reducing prices of its major models by up to about $6,200
22:45Japanese automakers grip on the Thai market is slipping
22:50five years ago it had a nearly 90% share of the market
22:54but with the emergence of Chinese makers it has dipped to under 70%
23:01now to Myanmar where the ruling military is gearing up for general elections next month
23:07many civilians have reportedly been arrested as the junta ramps up its crackdown on critics
23:12voting is set to start on December 28th
23:19most of the participating parties share close ties with the military while pro-democracy groups are excluded
23:27the junta says it will prevent obstruction and disruption of the process under a law enacted in July
23:33tightening control over speech about the poll
23:38a local human rights group says 86 people have been arrested so far
23:43an independent media outlet says three people were sentenced from 42 to 49 years in prison
23:50for violating the new law including displaying anti-election posters
23:55the military seized power in a coup in 2021 claiming that there had been fraud in previous general elections
24:04that led pro-democratic party NLD and its leader Aung San Suu Kyi to a landslide victory
24:11since then the military has been fighting with pro-democracy forces and armed ethnic minority groups
24:18voting is suspended in some areas under fierce fighting
24:23junta leaders claim the upcoming polls are part of the process for shifting to civilian rule
24:30but pro-democracy camps are calling on the international community
24:34not to recognize its results
24:37and that wraps up our bulletin
24:40I'm trying to track our sun in Bangkok
24:53now let's check the world weather
24:55as we've been reporting in Southeast Asia
24:58the tropical storm season is still ongoing
25:01posing a continued risk of heavy rain
25:04meteorologist Yumi Hirano has the details
25:07storm Koto is slowly moving away from the Philippines
25:12but parts of the country are still dealing with severe flooding
25:19wide split flooding was seen in a town just outside Manila on Thursday
25:24drone footage shows a flooded town with houses underwater
25:29and vehicles driving through inundated roads
25:32ordinary people students business people
25:36regular citizens all kinds were affected by the floods
25:40many businesses were forced to close and classes were held online
25:46so even as the system moves away
25:49moisture flow will continue for a while
25:51bringing more downpours
25:53so people there should watch out for further flooding
25:56the storm is now expected to move toward Vietnam over the weekend
26:01heavy rain high waves are possible in central Vietnam
26:05and we have to monitor one more system
26:08a tropical depression near Malaysia
26:11is expected to intensify into a tropical storm in the next 24 hours
26:15so please keep your eye on it
26:17for the north low pressure systems are bringing stormy conditions to northern Japan
26:24while a high pressure system will cover the other parts of the country
26:28and the Korean Peninsula
26:30so sunny skies are likely in Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing
26:35Hong Kong will continue to have dry and windy conditions
26:38thundershowers are still possible in Manila with a high of 29
26:45finally in South Asia
26:47a cyclonic storm made landfall in eastern Sri Lanka on Thursday
26:51the system really damped heavy rain on the earlier
26:54and is expected to move northward along southeastern India over the weekend
26:59more than 200 millimeters rains possible with a risk of flash flooding
27:05that's all for now
27:06stay safe
27:29and that's it for this edition of newsroom Tokyo
27:38you can catch this program on our website
27:40I'm Yamaguchi Hiroaki
27:41and I'm Yamasawa Rina
27:43thank you very much for watching
27:44have a nice weekend
27:59thank you very much for coming
28:04to visit
28:06this program
28:08if you just talk about that
28:09the 나라라
28:12will be able to visit
28:14this program
28:15as well
28:17as well
28:18as well
28:19as well
28:21we are
28:23at that
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