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00:00Welcome to Newsroom Tokyo I'm Yamasawa Rina and I'm Raja Prada. We start by looking at
00:14the vast damage triggered by torrential rains across South and Southeast Asia. Lives have
00:20been upended in flooding and landslides that have killed at least 1,400 people in Indonesia,
00:25Sri Lanka and Thailand. Cholopasa Nehru at our Bureau in Bangkok has more on that. Cholopasa.
00:30Disaster management officials in Indonesia say more than 800 have died and about 500 remain missing.
00:38Some areas are still isolated in Sumatra after roads and bridges were cut off. People are suffering
00:45from shortages of basic necessities.
00:55Officials at an air base in the city of Medan are rushing to deliver supplies to areas inaccessible
01:04by land. Planes and helicopters are being dispatched with supplies to badly hit areas in North Sumatra
01:11and Aceh. For areas without landing strips, boxes are being dropped in by parachute. Officials
01:17are concerned unstable weather may hinder their operations. Air operations are highly dependent
01:25on the weather. We're trying to deliver the supplies as quickly as possible using very heavy rain has also
01:32pummeled Sri Lanka and Thailand. In Sri Lanka, more than 700, more than 470 people have been confirmed dead
01:39in Thailand and at least 170 in Thailand. Communities in flooded areas are facing huge economic losses.
01:47Many residences and commercial centres were washed away by heavy rain that has pounded southern
01:52Thailand since November. The Thai government says damage caused by the disaster is estimated
01:58at 500 billion baht or about $15.7 billion. Turning now to an update on the case involving a Thai girl who
02:07was sexually exploited in Japan. Thai police believe the alleged network behind the case was operated
02:13by individuals with a history of working illegally abroad. The girl arrived in Japan in June with her
02:21mother who took her to a massage parlour in Tokyo. Japanese police say the mother ordered her to provide
02:27sexual services there, then left the country. The mother has since been detained in Taiwan and is expected
02:33to be extradited to either Japan or Thailand within this month. On Thursday, the senior officer leading
02:39the investigation spoke to NHK. He said there is no suggestion that the alleged smuggling ring is a criminal
02:46organisation.
02:46It is more characteristic of a group of people who experienced working abroad illegally
02:57and returned to recruit people to do the same, citing high returns.
03:05The police say the mother herself travelled to several countries to work illegally.
03:13Because she used to work in massage businesses, she might view it as normal, and so she took her child
03:20to go to the land.
03:21He pointed out that the transnational illegal labour brokerage likely extends across multiple
03:32countries.
03:33As conflicts rage around the world, a weapon that many countries had consigned to history has been
03:56making an unwelcome comeback.
03:58This week, international representatives have been meeting in Geneva, Switzerland to discuss landmines.
04:04And we're joining us by NHK World's Yoshikawa Ayano, who's been covering this issue.
04:09So first, Ayano, could you explain a little bit more to us about this meeting?
04:13Yes, it is the annual meeting of state parties to the Anti-Personal Mine Bank Convention, also known
04:20as the Ottawa Treaty. The convention was signed in 1997 and prohibited the use,
04:26production, stockpiling and transfer of anti-personal landmines.
04:32Representatives gathered to review the global situation.
04:35How many landmines remain in stockpiles? Where are they still being used? And how
04:41clearance efforts are progressing? Just to give you a sense of the scale of the problem,
04:47according to the international campaign to ban landmines, a Nobel Prize-winning NGO,
04:54last year alone, landmines and unexploded ordnance killed or injured over 6,200 people.
05:02Anti-personal mines don't discriminate between soldiers and civilians. And once planted,
05:09they remain a threat indefinitely until someone triggers them. In former conflicts worldwide,
05:18landmines continue to kill and main people decades after the fighting ended.
05:25This autumn, I visited Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of the world's most heavily mined countries.
05:32An estimated 3 million diverses were laid during the civil war more than 30 years ago.
05:38Today, approximately 180,000 remain, mostly in the countryside. And they're still claiming new victims.
05:48In August, 19-year-old Mehmed became one such casualty.
05:54This is where Mehmed was killed. Mehmed died just 50 meters from his home while looking after his
06:07family's goats. He knew there were landmines in the area, but one of the animals triggered one,
06:13and he was scared by shrapnel from the explosion.
06:19It is tragic that 30 years after the war, we are still losing children. How much longer are we
06:27going to keep living in fear? Efforts are underway to clear landmines across the country,
06:34but it is painstaking work. Located mining professionals told me it can take a whole day to clear just 10 square meters of land.
06:45In mountainous regions, civilians sometimes do the clearance work themselves.
06:50Visiting the country helped me grasp the true horror of landmines.
06:55So I know that's what makes the Ottawa Treaty so important, right? But recently, things seem to have
07:02moving backwards with some countries withdrawing from the treaty. So what's going on?
07:08Yes, the Baltic states, Poland and Finland have all announced their withdrawal from the treaty.
07:15Each of these countries shares a land border with Russia or its ally Belarus.
07:21They all share a history of being invaded by the former Soviet Union. And in the case of the Baltic states,
07:29are next. With Russia's invasion of Ukraine still ongoing, they fear that they may be next in line.
07:37In Poland, tensions were even higher in September when Russian drones violated airspace near the capital, Warsaw.
07:45During October, visit to the area bordering the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad,
07:51I observed loads of anti-tank barriers. Poland also plans to lay mine fairs there.
07:58By building this type of infrastructure, we show that we are ready for the challenges of modern
08:07contemporary conflicts. We learned from Ukraine that this is necessary. We don't want any foreign
08:15soldiers here in our country.
08:21So I know, after decades of progress towards banning landmines, there must be alarm bells ringing now.
08:28Yeah, absolutely. The meeting's final reporter is likely to express concern about the success of
08:33withdrawals. And the international campaign to ban landmines shared their sentiment.
08:39Every country has the right to self-defense. But they should choose very carefully and very
08:46strategically the methods that they're using for their self-defense in order to ensure the long-term
08:51security of their own population. A public opinion survey in Poland found that more than half of
09:00respondents opposed weighing landmines along the border. The country faces a real threat and an ethical
09:07dilemma. So what will it take to rid the world of landmines? The situation is extremely difficult.
09:16Following Russia's invasion, Ukraine has also signaled it may withdraw from the Ottawa Treaty,
09:22arguing it needs landmines for self-defense. Every country has a right to protect itself,
09:29a right that's hard to dispute. But landmines place a terrible burden on civilians.
09:36In Japanese, they are known as the devil's weapon. To prevent a snowball effect, countries need to
09:43reaffirm their commitment to a world without landmines. And ultimately, that won't happen until
09:50Russia's aggression is brought to an end. Thank you for your insight. Ayano.
10:04Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are in the
10:34spotlight again. And price action is not the only reason. Japan's financial services agency is
10:41moving to reclassify crypto assets as financial products, putting them on par with stocks and
10:47bonds. Yuko Fukushima from our business desk joins us now for more on what this means for the industry
10:52and investors. Yuko. Yes, if this move by officials play out, it would mean tighter rules and lower taxes for
10:59trading cryptocurrencies. The agency plans to submit a draft bill to the Diet next year to revise the law.
11:05More people in Japan are dabbling in digital currencies. There are over 13 million accounts
11:12registered in the country. Many of these holders regard their crypto portfolios as investments.
11:18The planned revisions would introduce strict insider trading rules, just like for stocks. They will also
11:25require more information disclosure when new cryptocurrencies are issued to raise funds.
11:31Currently, taxes on crypto profits can reach as high as 55 percent, depending on income. After the change,
11:38gains will likely be taxed at a flat 20 percent, the same level as trading stocks or bonds.
11:44Crypto trading could be accessible to almost anyone if the law passes in Japan. But this asset is known for its
11:51volatile movements, something clearly seen in the recent price action of Bitcoin, one of the most traded digital currencies.
11:58Bitcoin touched a record high in the beginning of October, topping $126,000 for the first time.
12:05But just one month later, it had tanked to $80,000, a slump of more than 35 percent.
12:11I talked to Matsuda Yasuo, a crypto analyst at Rakuten Wallet. He says the market tumbled in November because
12:18traders who bought Bitcoin also had other assets in their portfolios, like stocks and bonds.
12:27What these traders are most afraid of at the moment is the bursting of the AI bubble.
12:34The first thing investors do when they encounter risk events like the outbreak of war, for example,
12:40is to become defensive about their portfolios.
12:43The way these defensive fund managers do that is to reduce their exposure to risk.
12:50And the easiest way for them to cut back on risk is to sell the asset in their portfolio
12:56that goes up and down the most. That means Bitcoin will most likely be the first asset to be sold.
13:03So why was Bitcoin running so hot in the first place? To explain this,
13:11Matsuda says we need to go back to the coronavirus pandemic. At that time, governments around the
13:17world expanded fiscal policy and took monetary easing measures to support their people. In other words,
13:22they printed large amounts of cash. But these same governments ran into trouble when they tried to
13:28rewind that policy after the pandemic. Matsuda says people said no to tighter finances and voted for
13:35new administrations. What is happening in 2025 is that governments around the world are implementing tax
13:45cuts or expanding fiscal policy. Officials across the globe are following this trend. When that happens,
13:53the value of legal tender like the Japanese yen and the US dollar falls and the value of other assets rise.
14:00Among those assets, people favor ones that have the most volatility like Bitcoin. That's why the
14:07cryptocurrency is so popular. Analyzing the price outlook for Bitcoin in the long term,
14:13Matsuda is convinced the king of crypto will go up again.
14:17The price of Bitcoin fluctuates wildly. It moves up and down quite a lot. But in the long term,
14:29I think it will follow an upward trend. As I mentioned before, governments are expanding spending,
14:36and I don't think this is a temporary measure that will end this year.
14:40Matsuda says to understand Bitcoin moves, you need to understand how other currencies work.
14:49Bitcoin prices move like foreign exchange rates, for example, Bitcoin versus the US dollar or Bitcoin
14:55versus the yen. And these quasi-foreign exchange movements are determined not by Bitcoin factors,
15:02but factors moving the dollar or the yen. So if governments keep issuing dollars and yen,
15:08the value of these currencies will fall. And that means on the opposite side of the foreign exchange,
15:15Bitcoin's value will rise. This is the easiest way to explain the movements of Bitcoin.
15:22With Japan's government now recognizing cryptocurrencies as financial products,
15:26more investors could enter the market. Although Matsuda expects the price to gradually climb,
15:31he warns Bitcoin is still one of the riskier assets. And now to Thursday's stock market.
15:37The benchmark Nikkei added 2.3 percent. A weaker than expected U.S. jobs report announced on Wednesday
15:43now has many convinced that the Federal Reserve will decide to cut its policy rate at its meeting
15:48next week. The index rose about 51-thousand for the first time in three weeks. And to the rest of the
15:54region. In China, the Shanghai Composite was a little changed as traders wait to hear what the
15:59government plans to do to prop up the economy. A high-level government meeting to be held later
16:04this month might provide answers. In South Korea, the cost beat up almost two-tenths of a percent
16:09as investors sold index heavyweights like Samsung and SK Hynix and concerns about an AI stock bubble.
16:18And that's the biz for this Thursday. Thank you very much for that, Yuko.
16:22Next, cancellations have been surging at hot spring resorts in Japan's northeastern
16:26prefecture of Akita following repeated sightings of wild bears. At one inn in Oodate City, more than
16:34300 bookings have been withdrawn since mid-October. The establishment, over a century old, is famous
16:40for its open-air baths. The wave of cancellations started after a fatal bear attack at a hot spring
16:46inn in neighboring Iwate Prefecture. To keep the animals away, the Oodate property cut down
16:52chestnut trees and cleared undergrowth. But the inn's president says revenue in October still plunged
16:58by around 30 percent compared to last year. They're now taking additional measures. One is installing
17:05fences to protect guests and staff. This was no easy decision as the inn is known for its stunning views.
17:11Barriers have also been placed along the outdoor corridor leading to the baths.
17:22Firecrackers are set off twice a day, right before check-in time and right after checkout.
17:28The price tag for all these measures has come to over 1 million yen, around 6,500 dollars.
17:34It was finally a time when the impact of the coronavirus pandemic had ended. So the rise in
17:43cancellations was a great shock, coming right in the middle of the peak season.
17:49Ishikawa says the inn will keep taking steps to deter bears so guests can enjoy themselves free of worry.
17:55Japan is seeing a spike in bear sightings at tourist spots. A Spanish tourist was attacked by a bear
18:07and injured near a World Heritage Site in Gifu Prefecture. What can we do to protect ourselves?
18:17Keep updated on bear sighting information provided by authorities.
18:21Take bear spray or bells and travel in groups. If you inadvertently encounter a bear,
18:34do not turn your back and run away. That could make the bear aggressive.
18:41Slowly step backwards while facing the bear.
18:44If an attack is imminent, lie face down on the ground and cover your head. Stay safe.
19:04One of Tokyo's leading universities is planning to increase tuition fees for overseas students,
19:10citing rising costs. Wasada University's plan is in line with practices at many academic institutions
19:15in other countries, which charge higher fees for international students.
19:20As of May last year, Wasada had more than 5,500 overseas students, the highest of any
19:26educational institution in Japan. Currently, non-Japanese students pay the same fees as locals,
19:32even though university officials say they receive a variety of support services that add to costs.
19:38The officials say the size of the fee increase and when it will be introduced are still being considered.
19:45Wasada will not be the first in Japan to adopt a two-tier tuition structure. Earlier this year,
19:50Tohoku University said fees for international students will increase to 70 percent more than
19:56Japanese students. Hiroshima University has also said it will increase tuition costs.
20:02Education ministry officials said tuition fees at Japanese universities are relatively low
20:07compared to overseas. The UK's University of Oxford charges foreign students about three times more than
20:14domestic ones and they pay about 3.4 times more at the University of California.
20:22Two people are missing after a Japanese fishing boat capsized in the Pacific off the coast of Miyakojima,
20:29a southern island in Okinawa prefecture. The Japan Coast Guard says it received a call around 4 a.m.
20:37on Thursday from the prefecture's fishery radio association. The fishing boat's operator had reportedly informed
20:46another vessel that his craft was in danger of sinking. At around 7.30 a.m., the coast guard spotted a capsized boat about 115 kilometers south of Miyakojima island.
21:01The Japanese captain and an Indonesian national were known to be on board before the accident.
21:07They remain unaccounted for. The local fisheries cooperative identified the capsized vessel as the
21:15Daihachi Miyatake Maru. The boat reportedly left port on November 30th to fish for diamond squid.
21:25U.S. President Donald Trump has again warned of possible military strikes on drug manufacturing bases and other targets in Venezuela.
21:33Since September, his administration has attacked several boats it alleges were transporting drugs
21:38and waters off the country's coast.
21:41Very soon we're going to start doing it on land too, because we know every route, we know every house.
21:48Trump added the U.S. knows where the drugs are manufactured.
21:51Washington asserts smuggling large quantities of drugs amounts to an act of terrorism.
21:57In a related move, the U.S. Treasury Department announced on Wednesday
22:01it's sanctioning individuals and groups that support a Venezuelan drug cartel.
22:06Separately, the U.S. State Department is offering up to $5 million for information
22:11that could lead to the arrest of the cartel's leader.
22:16Over in Thailand, a spectacular show of sound and light is paying tribute to the people who died
22:23building the Thai Burma Railway in World War II.
22:27It earned the name Death Railway for the sheer human cost involved in its construction.
22:34The event is held annually along a waterway in the western province of Kanchanaburi,
22:40made famous by the Oscar-winning film The Bridge on the River Kwai.
22:44In 1942, the Imperial Japanese Army began work on the railroad, mobilizing prisoners of war from Britain
22:54and other allied powers and workers from Asia.
22:59Local actors and volunteers performed a play depicting the hardship endured by these wartime victims.
23:06Tens of thousands are believed to have died due to disease and harsh working conditions.
23:20The steam locomotive crossing the River Kwai Bridge symbolizes the completion of the railway in 1943.
23:28My grandmother used to tell me about this time, but I couldn't grasp or picture it fully until I came here.
23:37I'm glad I could see this show.
23:39That's history. You can't hide it. People need to learn about it. And what you learn is not to go back there again.
23:50The tracks originally stretched 414 kilometers, but the boost was dismantled after the war. The event runs through Sunday.
24:00And it's time for a look at world weather with our meteorologist, Yumi Hirano.
24:19Strong cold air has moved in and the first snow of the season has been reported at 19 locations across Japan.
24:27Not only Hokuliku, but also Chugoku and Shikoku saw some snowfall.
24:33In Shizuoka, the snow has arrived more than a month earlier than average.
24:38Some areas in the country even saw heavy snowfall.
24:44In Nikko, a famous tourist city in Tochigi Prefecture, up to 30 centimeters of snow covered the area, including its historic temples and shrines.
24:54Commuters drove slowly on the national highway, and the temple staff cleared snow to welcome visiting school children.
25:03Even in western Japan, Shobara City in Hiroshima Prefecture saw 10 centimeters of snowfall in 12 hours by Thursday.
25:12Train services were canceled throughout the day.
25:15The snow has already eased on the Pacific side, but another round of winter weather is arriving in Tōhoku and Hokuriku as a low pressure system approaches.
25:27Up to 50 centimeters of snow is possible by Friday noon.
25:31The system is likely to bring heavy snowfall not only in the mountains, but also in low-lying areas.
25:37Snow is likely in Niigata and Sapporo, but sunny skies are expected on the Pacific side, including Tokyo, with a high of 13.
25:48Now 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.
25:58So snow is expected in New York and Toronto.
26:02The temperature in Chicago will be minus 8 despite sunny skies.
26:06That's all for now. Have a nice day, and stay warm.
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26:52takayama city got hands-on with a local expert tuesday red and white rice cakes are sliced into
26:59strips and wrapped around branches like flowers it's a traditional new year's ornament in the
27:05region these cakes were made using rice the students planted themselves with help from
27:11local farmers i wasn't able to do it very well but it's fun to make it with everyone
27:18the students will take some of the hana mochi home the rest will be given to the farmers who help them
27:26or gifted to nearby welfare facilities glad they can take some of that home very beautiful
27:33and that's all for this edition of newsroom tokyo make sure you catch our program on our website
27:37as well i'm raja paran and i'm yamasawa rina thank you very much for watching please join us again
27:43tomorrow
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