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00:00welcome to newsroom tokyo i'm yamasama arena and i'm rajah prada we start by looking at the vast
00:19damage triggered by torrential rains across south and southeast asia lives have been upended in
00:26flooding and landslides that have killed at least 1400 people in indonesia sri lanka and thailand
00:32chalapasa narula our bureau in bangkok has more on that chalapasa
00:37disaster management officials in indonesia say more than 800 have died and about 500 remain missing
00:44some areas are still isolated in sumatra after roads and bridges were cut off
00:49people are suffering from shortages of basic necessities
00:56kain ando popo susu bai officials at an air base in the city of medan are rushing to deliver supplies
01:08to areas inaccessible by land planes and helicopters are being dispatched with supplies to badly hit
01:14areas in north sumatra and archie for areas without landing strips boxes are being dropped in by
01:20parachute officials are concerned unstable weather may hinder their operations
01:28air operations are highly dependent on the weather we're trying to deliver the supplies as quickly as
01:34possible using very heavy rain has also pummeled sri lanka and thailand in sri lanka more than 700
01:41more than 470 people have been confirmed dead and at least 170 in thailand communities in flooded areas
01:49are facing huge economic losses many residences and commercial centers were washed away by heavy rain
01:56that has pounded southern thailand since november the thai government says damage caused by the disaster
02:01is estimated at 500 billion baht or about 15.7 billion dollars turning now to an update on the case
02:11involving a thai girl who was sexually exploited in japan thai police believe the alleged network behind
02:17the case was operated by individuals with a history of working illegally abroad the girl arrived in japan
02:25in june with her mother who took her to a massage parlor in tokyo japanese police say the mother ordered
02:31her to provide sexual services there then left the country the mother has since been detained in taiwan
02:37and is expected to be extradited to either japan or thailand within this month
02:42on thursday the senior officer leading the investigation spoke to nhk he said there is no
02:48suggestion that the alleged smuggling ring is a criminal organization
02:56it is more characteristic of a group of people who experienced working abroad illegally
03:02and returned to recruit people to do the same citing high returns
03:07the police say the mother herself traveled to several countries to work illegally
03:18because she used to work in massage businesses
03:22she might view it as normal and so she took her child along
03:26she pointed out that the transnational illegal labor brokerage likely extends across multiple countries
03:37and arab sabah bulletin and chola pansan ruler in bangkok
03:54as conflicts rage around the world a weapon that many countries had consigned to history
04:00has been making an unwelcome comeback this week international representatives have been meeting in geneva
04:06switzerland to discuss land mines and uh we have joined uh we're joining us by nhk world's yoshikawa
04:12ayano who's been covering this issue uh so first i know could you explain a little bit more to us about
04:17this meeting yes it is the annual meeting of states parties to the anti-personal mine ban convention
04:24also known as the ottawa treaty the convention was signed in 1997 and prohibit the use production stockpiling
04:33and transfer of anti-personal land mines representatives gathered to review the global situation how many
04:41landmines remain in stockpiles where they are still being used and how clearance efforts are progressing
04:49just to give you a sense of the scale of the problem according to the international
04:54campaign to ban landmines a nobel prize-winning ngo last year alone landmines and unexplored
05:02ordinance killed or injured over 6200 people anti-personal mines don't discriminate between
05:11soldiers and civilians and once planted they remain a threat i didn't indefinitely until someone triggers
05:19them in former conflict zones worldwide landmines continue to kill and main people decades after the
05:28fighting ended this autumn i visited bosnia and had the governor one of the world's most heavily mined
05:36countries an estimated three million diverses were laid during the civil war more than 30 years ago
05:44today approximately 180 000 remain mostly in the countryside and they're still claiming new victims
05:54in august 19 year old mehmed became one such casualty this is where mehmed was killed
06:07mehmed died just 50 meters from his home while looking after his family's goats he knew there were landmines
06:15in the area but one the animals triggered one and he was scared by shrapnel from the explosion
06:24it is tragic that 30 years after the war we are still losing children how much longer are we
06:32going to keep living in fear efforts are underway to clear landmines across the country but it is
06:40painstaking work locally demanding professionals told me it can take a whole day to clear just 10 square
06:48meters of land in mountainous regions civilians sometimes do the clearance work themselves visiting
06:56the country helped me grasp the true horror of landmines so i know that's what makes the ottawa treaty
07:03so important right but recently things seem to have moved moving backwards with some countries withdrawing
07:10from the treaty so what's going on yes the baltic states poland and finland have all announced their
07:18withdrawal from the treaty each of these countries shares a land border with russia or its ally belarus
07:25they all share a history of being invaded by the former soviet union and in the case of the baltic
07:33states are next with versus invasion of ukraine still ongoing they fear that they may be next in line
07:42important tensions was even higher in september when russian drones violated airspace near the capital
07:49warsaw warsaw during october visit to the area bordering the russian enclave of kaliningrad i observed
07:57loads of ant ant tank barriers poland also plans to lay mine fairs there by building this type of
08:08infrastructure we show that we are ready for the challenges of modern contemporary conflicts
08:13we learned from ukraine that this is necessary we don't want any foreign soldiers here in our country
08:27so i know after decades of progress towards uh banning landmines there must be alarm bells ringing now
08:33yeah absolutely the meeting's final report is likely to express concern about the success of
08:38withdrawals and the international campaign to ban landmines shared the sentiment every country has
08:46the right to self-defense but they should choose very carefully and very strategically the methods that
08:53they're using for their self-defense in order to ensure the long-term security of their own population
09:00a public opinion survey in poland found that more than half of the response respondents opposed
09:06weighing landmines along the border the country's faces a real threat and an ethical dilemma so what
09:14will it take to rid the world of landmines i don't know the situation is extremely difficult following
09:21russia's invasion ukraine has also signaled it may withdraw from the ottawa treaty arguing it needs
09:29landmines for self-defense every country has a right to protect itself a light that's hard to
09:36dispute but landmines place a terrible burden on civilians in japanese they are known as the devil's weapon
09:45to prevent a snowball effect countries need to reaffirm their commitment to a world without landmines
09:52and ultimately that won't happen until russia's aggression is brought to an end thank you for insight i know
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14:16price outlook for Bitcoin. In the long term, Matsuda is convinced the king of crypto will go up again.
14:26The price of Bitcoin fluctuates wildly. It moves up and down quite a lot. But in the long term,
14:34I think it will follow an upward trend. As I mentioned before, governments are expanding
14:40spending. And I don't think this is a temporary measure that will end this year. Matsuda says
14:48to understand Bitcoin moves, you need to understand how other currencies work.
14:54Bitcoin prices move like foreign exchange rates, for example, Bitcoin versus the U.S. dollar or
14:59Bitcoin versus the yen. And these quasi-foreign exchange movements are determined not by Bitcoin
15:06factors, but factors moving the dollar or the yen. So if governments keep issuing dollars and yen,
15:13the value of these currencies will fall. And that means on the opposite side of the foreign exchange,
15:20Bitcoin's value will rise. This is the easiest way to explain the movements of Bitcoin.
15:26With Japan's government now recognizing cryptocurrencies as financial products,
15:31more investors could enter the market. Although Matsuda expects the price to gradually climb,
15:36he warns Bitcoin is still one of the riskier assets. And now to Thursday's stock market.
15:42The benchmark Nikkei added 2.3 percent, a weaker-than-expected U.S. jobs report announced on Wednesday now has
15:49many convinced that the Federal Reserve will decide to cut its policy rate at its meeting next week.
15:54The index rose about 51-thousand for the first time in three weeks.
15:58And to the rest of the region. In China, the Shanghai composite was a little changed as traders wait
16:03to hear what the government plans to do to prop up the economy. A high-level government meeting to be
16:09held later this month might provide answers. In South Korea, the cost speed up almost two-tenths of a
16:14percent as investors sold index heavyweights like Samsung and SK Hynix and concerns about an AI stock
16:22bubble. And that's the biz for this Thursday. Thank you very much for that, Yuko. Next,
16:27cancellations have been surging at hot spring resorts in Japan's northeastern prefecture of Akita
16:32following repeated sightings of wild bears. At one inn in Odate City, more than 300 bookings
16:40have been withdrawn since mid-October. The establishment, over a century old, is famous for its open-air baths.
16:47The wave of cancellations started after a fatal bear attack at a hot spring inn in neighboring Iwate
16:53prefecture. To keep the animals away, the Odate property cut down chestnut trees and cleared
16:58undergrowth. But the inn's president says revenue in October still plunged by around 30 percent compared
17:05to last year. They're now taking additional measures. One is installing fences to protect guests
17:12and staff. This was no easy decision as the inn is known for its stunning views. Barriers have also
17:18been placed along the outdoor corridor leading to the baths. Firecrackers are set off twice a day,
17:29right before check-in time and right after checkout. The price tag for all these measures has come to
17:35over 1 million yen, around 6,500 dollars. It was finally a time when the impact of the
17:45coronavirus pandemic had ended. So the rise in cancellations was a great shock, coming right
17:51in the middle of the peak season. Ishikawa says the inn will keep taking steps to deter bears
17:57so guests can enjoy themselves free of worry. Japan is seeing a spike in bear sightings at tourist
18:08spots. A Spanish tourist was attacked by a bear and injured near a World Heritage Site in Gifu
18:15Prefecture. What can we do to protect ourselves? Keep updated on bear sighting information provided
18:25by authorities. Take bear spray or bells and travel in groups. If you inadvertently encounter a bear,
18:39do not turn your back and run away. That could make the bear aggressive. Slowly step backwards while facing
18:48the bear. If an attack is imminent, lie face down on the ground and cover your head. Stay safe.
19:09One of Tokyo's leading universities is planning to increase tuition fees for overseas students,
19:14citing rising costs. Wasada University's plan is in line with practices at many academic institutions
19:20in other countries, which charge higher fees for international students. As of May last year,
19:27Wasada had more than 5,500 overseas students, the highest of any educational institution in Japan.
19:34Currently, non-Japanese students pay the same fees as locals, even though university officials say they
19:39receive a variety of support services that add to costs. The officials say the size of the fee increase
19:46and when it will be introduced are still being considered. Wasada will not be the first in Japan
19:51to adopt a two-tier tuition structure. Earlier this year, Tohoku University said fees for international
19:58students will increase to 70 percent more than Japanese students. Hiroshima University has also said
20:04it'll increase tuition costs. Education ministry officials said tuition fees at Japanese universities
20:11are relatively low compared to overseas. The UK's University of Oxford charges foreign students
20:17about three times more than domestic ones, and they pay about 3.4 times more at the University of California.
20:26Two people are missing after a Japanese fishing boat capsized in the Pacific
20:32off the coast of Miyakojima, a southern island in Okinawa Prefecture.
20:38The Japan Coast Guard says it received a call around 4 a.m. on Thursday from the prefecture's
20:45fishery radio association. The fishing boat's operator had reportedly informed another vessel
20:51that his craft was in danger of sinking. At around 7.30 a.m., the Coast Guard spotted a capsized boat
21:01about 115 kilometers south of Miyakojima Island. The Japanese captain and an Indonesian national
21:09were known to be on board before the accident. They remain unaccounted for. The local fisheries
21:16cooperative identified the capsized vessel as the Daihachi Miyatake Maru. The boat reportedly left port
21:25on November 30th to fish for diamond squid. U.S. President Donald Trump has again warned of possible
21:33military strikes on drug manufacturing bases and other targets in Venezuela. Since September,
21:39his administration has attacked several boats it alleges were transporting drugs and waters off the
21:44country's coast. Very soon we're going to start doing it on land too because we know every route,
21:50we know every house. Trump added the U.S. knows where the drugs are manufactured. Washington asserts
21:58smuggling large quantities of drugs amounts to an act of terrorism. In a related move, the U.S.
22:04Treasury Department announced on Wednesday it's sanctioning individuals and groups that support
22:09a Venezuelan drug cartel. Separately, the U.S. State Department is offering up to $5 million for
22:15information that could lead to the arrest of the cartel's leader. Over in Thailand, a spectacular
22:24show of sound and light is paying tribute to the people who died building the Thai-Burma Railway in
22:30World War II. It earned the name Death Railway for the sheer human cost involved in its construction.
22:39The event is held annually along a waterway in the western province of Kanchanaburi,
22:45made famous by the Oscar-winning film The Bridge on the River Kwai.
22:51In 1942, the Imperial Japanese Army began work on the railroad, mobilizing prisoners of war from Britain
22:59and other allied powers and workers from Asia. Local actors and volunteers performed the play
23:08depicting the hardship endured by these wartime victims. Tens of thousands are believed to have
23:14died due to disease and harsh working conditions.
23:18The steam locomotive crossing the River Kwai Bridge symbolizes the completion of the railway in 1943.
23:36My grandmother used to tell me about this time, but I couldn't grasp or picture it fully until I came here.
23:41I'm glad I could see this show.
23:46That's history. You can't hide it. People need to learn about it. And what you learn is not to go back there again.
23:56The tracks originally stretched 414 kilometres, but the most was dismantled after the war. The event runs through Sunday.
24:11And it's time for a look at world weather with our meteorologist, Yumi Hirano.
24:24Strong cold air has moved in and the first snow of the season has been reported at 19 locations across Japan.
24:33Not only Hokuriku, but also Chugoku and Shikoku saw some snowfall.
24:38In Shizuoka, the snow has arrived more than a month earlier than average. Some areas in the country even saw heavy snowfall.
24:46In Nikko, a famous tourist city in Tochigi Prefecture, up to 30 centimetres of snow covered the area, including its historic temples and shrines.
25:00Commuters drove slowly on the national highway and the temple staff cleared snow to welcome visiting school children.
25:08Even in western Japan, Shobara City in Hiroshima Prefecture saw 10 centimetres of snowfall in 12 hours by Thursday.
25:17Train services were cancelled throughout the day.
25:21The snow has already eased on the Pacific side, but another round of winter weather is arriving in Tohoku and Hokuriku as a low pressure system approaches.
25:32Up to 50 centimetres of snow is possible by Friday noon.
25:36The system is likely to bring heavy snowfall not only in the mountains, but also in low-lying areas.
25:42Snow is likely in Niigata and Sapporo, but sunny skies are expected on the Pacific side, including Tokyo, with a high of 13.
25:53Now moving to the United States, the northeast has experienced heavy snow this week, and the next round of snow is arriving as a cold front moves in.
26:03The snow is expected in New York and Toronto.
26:07The temperature in Chicago will be minus 8 despite sunny skies.
26:11That's it for now.
26:12Have a nice day and stay warm.
26:33And before we go, elementary students in central Japan are helping to bring a little spring spirit to the new year.
26:49They are learning how to make花 mochi, a traditional rice cake flower.
26:535th graders in Takayama City got hands-on with a local expert Tuesday.
27:01Red and white rice cakes are sliced into strips and wrapped around branches like flowers.
27:08It's a traditional New Year's ornament in the region.
27:12These cakes were made using rice the students planted themselves with help from local farmers.
27:17I wasn't able to do it very well, but it's fun to make it with everyone.
27:24The students will take some of the花 mochi home.
27:28The rest will be given to the farmers who help them or gift it to nearby welfare facilities.
27:35Glad they can take some of that home. Very beautiful.
27:38And that's all for this edition of Newsroom Tokyo.
27:40Make sure you catch our program on our website as well.
27:43I'm Raja Faran.
27:44And I'm Yamasa Marina.
27:45Thank you very much for watching.
27:46Please join us again tomorrow.
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