- 2 days ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00Welcome to New Zealand Tokyo, I'm Yamasawa Rina and I'm Raja Prada. Here are the headlines.
00:14More than 1,400 lives have been lost in floods and mudslides caused by torrential rain in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
00:21A week on since a massive place ripped through a residential complex in Hong Kong, 159 people have been confirmed dead, with 30 still missing.
00:39And Russian President Vladimir Putin had talks with the U.S. special envoy on Ukraine. We have an analysis on what to expect next.
00:46We start with a severe flooding across South and Southeast Asia.
00:54In Indonesia, days of torrential rain have triggered deadly floods and mudslides, leaving 770 people dead and more than 400 missing.
01:05More than half a million people have been displaced in North Sumatra province amid widespread flooding.
01:10At one evacuation center, heavy rain on Tuesday night flooded a tent, forcing evacuees to take shelter in a roofed parking area.
01:24This is the worst damage I've ever experienced. My house was flooded after an embankment collapsed.
01:31I need materials to rebuild, and basic daily necessities.
01:38Some residents who have returned home are cleaning up.
01:42One man says he has been unable to work and has lost his income.
01:47He says it is now harder to secure food and daily necessities than at the evacuation centers.
01:54Meanwhile, Japan's foreign ministry says the last of the eight Japanese nationals stranded in Achei province,
02:03a person who had chosen to remain, was rescued by Indonesian authorities on Tuesday afternoon.
02:11Heavy rain has also hit Sri Lanka and Thailand.
02:14Across the three countries, more than 1,400 people have been confirmed dead,
02:21and about 800 remain unaccounted for in Indonesia and Sri Lanka.
02:27Next, search crews are still at work in Hong Kong, one week after a massive fire engulfed the high-rise residential complex.
02:36The death toll has risen to 159. About 30 people remain missing.
02:44The blaze erupted on November 26th, tearing through seven of the eight skyscrapers in the complex.
02:52More than 2,000 people have been displaced.
02:55Residents of the single structure that escaped the fire were temporarily allowed to enter it on Wednesday to retrieve their belongings.
03:02Search operations have continued through the buildings, including the one where the fire is believed to have broken out.
03:10The search of the seven buildings has been completed.
03:14But, unfortunately, we still have not been able to make contact with 31 people.
03:24Mourners continue to visit the area amid deepening public sorrow.
03:28People are asking how the blaze turned so catastrophic.
03:35Residents must be wanting to know the truth.
03:38Why the fire spread so quickly to so many buildings.
03:41Officials have revealed protective mesh around the building's scaffolding did not meet fireproofing standards.
03:52Flammable polystyrene foam was also being used in renovation work.
03:57The government has said it will set up an independent panel to investigate the cause of the blaze,
04:01issues around safety compliance, and how the project was supervised.
04:05It's been a couple of years since China's economy lost steam, and it still hasn't bounced back.
04:21Hugo Fukushima from our business desk is here to look into what the latest data are telling us about what's happening with China's economy right now.
04:28Hugo.
04:29Right.
04:29Well, as you indicated, the economy has not been doing well, and companies across the board are struggling.
04:36At the beginning of the month, we found out how managers are feeling.
04:40This is called the Purchasing Managers Index, or PMI.
04:45Many managers in the manufacturing sector see business as pretty bleak.
04:50Any figure below 50 points to an economic contraction.
04:54The November index for this group was 49.2, below 50 for the eighth straight month.
05:01New orders for these firms were slow, even as the U.S. cut back some of its tariffs on Chinese imports.
05:07The survey covered 3,200 manufacturers.
05:12The readings for large, midsize, and small companies all came in below 50.
05:17The service sector seemed to be doing a bit better, but not great.
05:22Its index was at 49.5.
05:25It was the first time the figure for non-manufacturers fell below 50 since December 2022 in the midst of the pandemic.
05:33I talked to a prominent China economist about how she sees the current state of affairs.
05:41Tamae Yoshino says the roads in various sectors all stem from a weak property market, which has been soft since 2020.
05:49She says it still hasn't bottomed out.
05:52The amount of floor space sold in October was half what it was in the same period in 2021.
06:03We calculated how much unsold housing there was compared to how much was actually sold each year.
06:10In September, there was five times more in stock than that sold.
06:13That means it will take at least two years for the market to get back to where it was before the bubble burst in 2019.
06:25Tamae notes that the government has rolled out various measures to get the property sector moving.
06:31Some have included local governments buying up unsold apartments and converting them into housing for low-income families.
06:39Local governments have also been supporting property developers financially so they can finish their projects and hand the apartments over to buyers who have already paid for them.
06:50But Tamae says these initiatives are progressing slowly because local governments are in charge.
06:57Local governments sell the rights to use the land to housing developers.
07:06The money they get from selling land or from usage rights, along with taxes from the sector, make up about 30 percent of the government's finances.
07:15If the property market isn't doing well, coffers come under strain,
07:20and the authorities can't actively press ahead with measures like buying up housing from developers.
07:25Tamae says there are some similarities to when Japan's bubble burst in the early 1990s.
07:34But there are important differences too.
07:41In Japan, the collapse of the property bubble led to the collapse of financial institutions,
07:46which in turn led to a prolonged economic slowdown.
07:49But in China at the moment, we are not seeing the downturn in the property market triggering a shake-up in the whole financial system.
07:57The ratio of bad debt held by banks is only about 1 percent.
08:02She also points to how the situation among households is quite different between Japan and China.
08:08Per capita GDP in China right now is about $13,000.
08:17When the bubble burst in Japan, the income level was already pretty high, around $30,000 to $40,000 per person.
08:25That means about three times that of China now.
08:29So, we can say China still has room to grow.
08:36Tamae says there's much unmet demand in China's economy,
08:40especially in rural areas where living standards can improve.
08:43She says it's going to be up to the government to come up with policies
08:47to channel that demand in ways that get the economy moving again.
08:51And now to the markets.
08:53Well, in Tokyo and South Korea, the main stock index both rose more than 1 percent following the rally on Wall Street overnight.
09:01Investors expect President Trump to soon nominate a candidate who banks for their rate cuts to be the next Federal Reserve chair.
09:08Index in the Philippines dipped almost 1.5 percent as the head of the central bank said economic growth this year could be lower than expected.
09:16And that's the biz for this Wednesday.
09:21Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff for talks on ending the fighting in Ukraine.
09:34It's unclear if any breakthrough was reached.
09:38Witkoff was joined by President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.
09:43They met with Putin and his foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, as well as Special Representative Kirill Dmitriev.
09:53It's likely the two sides had a discussion based on the U.S.-drafted peace proposal.
09:59They have not disclosed the plan's details.
10:03Putin demanded last month that Crimea and two eastern regions be officially recognized as Russian territory.
10:11But Ukraine has not shown a willingness to make concessions.
10:17The Kremlin said on Monday its forces have captured the strategic city of Pokorovsk in the eastern region of Donetsk.
10:28From this springboard, from this sector, the Russian army can easily advance in any direction deemed most promising by the general staff.
10:39Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he's waiting for the results of the discussion in Moscow
10:48and that he's prepared to receive all signals.
10:53It is important that all this is fair and open, so that there is no game behind Ukraine's back,
10:59so that nothing is decided without Ukraine, about us, about our future.
11:03Zelensky added that he's ready to hold talks with Trump.
11:09For more on this, we are now joined by former NHK Moscow bureau chief, Anma Hideo.
11:15So, Hideo, Russian officials said they couldn't find points to compromise on.
11:20So, can you give us the background on this?
11:22Well, let's look at the original peace proposal drafted by the Trump administration.
11:28It reportedly included 28 points, many of them seeing as favourable to Russia.
11:34But after strong objections from Ukraine and several European countries was revised down to 19 points,
11:43and this change appeared to have displeased Moscow.
11:48I think the core sticking points are clear.
11:53The status of Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia
11:58and security guarantees for Ukraine, including possible NATO membership.
12:03Ukrainian President Zelensky said on Monday that the most critical issue is the territorial question.
12:14This, of course, concerns Crimea annexed unilaterally by Russia,
12:18as well as territories Russia occupies in the eastern and southern region of Ukraine.
12:25Russia insists these areas must be recognised as its treaties,
12:32while Ukraine sees them as essential to its sovereignty and cannot accept such demands.
12:39On security guarantees, Russia demands a permanent pledge that Ukraine will never join NATO.
12:48Ukraine argues that such commitment is impossible.
12:54So, realistically, NATO membership for Ukraine remains elusive.
12:59So, Ukraine is instead seeking robust security assurances from western countries.
13:07And, Hideo, the head of Ukraine's presidential office was just fired over a major corruption scandal, right?
13:13How do you think this could impact the Zelensky administration?
13:16Well, it's an extremely serious development coming at a sensitive time.
13:21This is a fallout from a major scandal in November,
13:26when ministers resigned after siphoning off roughly $100 million from the state-owned nuclear energy company.
13:36And the top officials leaving their post now includes Zelensky's closest aide,
13:42presidential office head, Anri Yeomak, resigned due to the scandal.
13:48He was a top negotiator in the peace talks.
13:52In short, this scandal strikes at the very heart of the administration.
13:58Until now, Zelensky has maintained strong public support,
14:02but this incident is deepening public distrust and could have significant consequences for his own political future.
14:12Hideo, we are also seeing signs of a U.S.-Russia rapprochement.
14:15How could this influence the toll?
14:18Well, any rapprochement may face challenges by the clear differences within the Trump administration over policy toward Russia.
14:27Figures such as Vice President Burns and Witkoff are pushing for swift ceasefire,
14:34advocating a pragmatic approach that accepts certain concessions to Russia.
14:42In contrast, Secretary of State Rubio warns against being exploited by Moscow
14:50and stresses the need to defend Ukraine's 70.
14:55But President Trump still appears to favor Witkoff's approach,
15:01driven by his desire to secure deal quickly.
15:05This has raised concern in Congress that the president may lean too far toward accommodating Russia.
15:14Putin, on his part, shows no sign of compromising.
15:17He has not moderated his stance recently, seizing Pokrovsk, a key transportation hub.
15:27Ukraine's peace talks are caught between principles on one hand and harsh strategic reality on the other.
15:35At the same time, there is a corruption scandal.
15:38A meeting between Trump and Zelensky will likely occur sooner or later.
15:45But depending on how the situation evolves,
15:50Zelensky may be pressed into making extremely difficult decisions.
15:57This is a critical juncture for Ukraine's leadership.
16:00Right. Thank you very much, Hideo, for all your insight.
16:03That was NHK World's Amma Hideo.
16:17And now let's go to Choropan Sanarula in our Bangkok studio
16:21for stories making headlines across the Asia-Pacific.
16:24NHK spoke with Connie Wigner-Rajah, director of the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific
16:31at the United Nations Development Programme.
16:34She's now in Sri Lanka, where she says the flooding is beyond anything she has seen before.
16:40Wigner-Rajah calls the destruction devastating,
16:43with heavy loss of life and widespread damage to infrastructure.
16:47She says insufficient preparedness contributed to the severity of the disaster.
16:51Look at flood management systems and infrastructure.
16:57These have to be done with materials and with design and technology
17:03that can withstand much, much harsher climate action.
17:09Sri Lanka, like many other countries, needs to strengthen its infrastructure
17:13to prepare for increasingly severe disasters.
17:16But official development assistance is shrinking.
17:19Vigner-Rajah says stronger regional cooperation is essential
17:22to reduce inequalities and to strengthen public goods locally and globally.
17:28Pakistan has been facing a serious challenge to deal with unlicensed doctors.
17:33Authorities estimate more than 600,000 have been examining patients
17:36and prescribing medication.
17:39The underlying causes for why patients visit them include
17:42widespread poverty and harsh economic conditions.
17:45NHK World's Saeed Mudabir-Rizvi has a story.
17:48Pakistan's largest city, Karachi, is said to have about 80,000 fake doctors,
17:57the highest number in the country.
18:01Patients complaining of pain and sexual dysfunction
18:04arrived one after another at this room in a mixed-use building.
18:10The room was filled with various medicines.
18:20This 42-year-old man says he has been performing medical procedures for 25 years.
18:28He claims he sees nearly 30 patients a day.
18:32Patients with sexual, orthopedic and other diseases come daily.
18:42Patients with sexual, orthopedic and other diseases come daily.
18:42the man admitted after more questioning that he had no qualifications but he claimed
19:05that because he had many years of experience he could perform medical procedures properly
19:12even without them but some people have suffered serious health damage from being treated by
19:21people like him a 50 year old man living in Karachi went for a medical consultation three years ago
19:31due to an infectious disease and sexual dysfunction after taking the prescribed
19:39medication for about a year the color of his urine gradually became abnormal symptoms such as pain
19:47and inflammation also started appearing a specialist told him his kidneys had been seriously affected
19:56his monthly income is about 100 dollars so he ended up seeing a fake doctor as it cost about
20:06one-third of what a real doctor would charge including a prescription
20:11hundreds of thousands of people visit them because of inflation and poverty and everyone
20:21thinks it's cheap government officials should do something about these fake doctors
20:27sinh province health authorities have shut down over 11,000 clinics run by unlicensed doctors
20:41in over seven years up to early november but eliminating them is hard as new clinics quickly
20:51spring up unless we hit the root causes of the quackery we will not be able to finish or eliminate
21:01quackery just by closing down the outlets the health authorities say they aim to toughen measures against fake doctors
21:10ensuring that patients can access safe and proper medical care will require sustained long-term efforts from all
21:21parts of society say in the words we NHK were Karachi that wraps up a bulletin I'm sure
21:30Lophan Sanavula in Bangkok we now look out to what might become a breakthrough therapy for people
21:37worldwide if you suffer from a rare genetic disorder a university hospital in Tochigi prefecture north of
21:45Tokyo opened a gene therapy clinical trial for patients born with an intractable disease that causes seizures now this case is gaining
21:54attention as research into gene therapy in Japan is seen to be lagging behind the United States and other Western countries
22:00NHK World's Hirama Kazaki has the story
22:05Kanemaru Yuya is a 27 year old man who's been suffering a rare genetic neurological disorder called GLUT1 or glucose transporter one deficiency syndrome
22:15it's a condition that's left him with physical and mental disabilities he also suffers from frequent seizures there's no easy treatment but now Kanemaru is undergoing gene therapy clinical trial
22:19you're on a night to send talk show saying no to a clinical trial was not an option I'd always hoped there would be an opportunity to undergo such therapy
22:26glute one deficiency patients suffer a lack of energy due to insufficient glucose in the brain
22:34mostly resulting from gene abnormalities in the gene therapy in the gene therapy a special virus that's produced artificially is injected into the brain the virus is expected to urge the im
22:49resulting from gene abnormalities.
22:52In the gene therapy, a special virus that's produced artificially is injected into the brain.
22:58The virus is expected to urge the impaired gene to function properly and improve of patient symptoms.
23:08Two months after the injection, a team of doctors discuss Kanemaru's progress.
23:14He's one of six patients in the clinical trial.
23:24We don't see any changes in his bouts of seizures,
23:28but we do see improvement in his physical and emotional condition.
23:32We will make an official evaluation six months post-injection.
23:37GLUT-1 patients are hopeful about the future use of genetic treatment.
23:45There are believed to be about 100 patients across the country,
23:49and severity of the symptoms varies depending on the individual.
23:54Furuta Minori and her mother Tomoko are also watching closely to see if there's a breakthrough in the trial.
24:00Minori is on a dietary therapy, the only symptomatic treatment for GLUT-1.
24:09It consists of a high-fat and low-carbohydrate intake.
24:14This helps create an alternative source of energy.
24:18Minori's mother uses special milk with a high-fat content to cook steamed bread.
24:24It's Minori's stable food, rather than rice.
24:28She adds cooking oil into the soup.
24:36In this way, Minori can more efficiently absorb high-fat content.
24:43Minori has been on this diet for 17 years since she was five,
24:48and will continue into the foreseeable future.
24:52Her dessert was only half a potato chip.
24:56Chips are too high in carbohydrates.
25:02I wish I could have more, but I can't.
25:08The Furuta's are hoping Minori can be released from diet therapy
25:12if genetic treatment is put into practical use.
25:16I can't do anything to make it delicious.
25:25I can't add sweet things.
25:29I think doctors have come up with the gene therapy
25:31because they are now aware that dietary therapy is tough on patients.
25:38Pediatricians at Jiichi Medical University Hospital
25:48are also conducting research on genetic treatment for other intractable diseases.
25:54There are about 340 children such illnesses recognized as such by the government.
26:00Doctors say many of them have genetic issues.
26:04But pharmaceutical makers are reluctant to produce what they consider to be unprofitable medicines
26:10because the number of patients is relatively small.
26:14It's frustrating.
26:18We have the methods to produce the drugs, but can't implement treatments.
26:25Doctors have started making demands to the government.
26:29At this forum, where doctors discussed how to advance gene therapy,
26:32a government official at Tenigat thought understanding of the time it takes
26:37to ensure safety before practical use.
26:42The new treatment may not come tomorrow or next year or even the year after,
26:46but the government is providing support, including basic research.
26:51Doctors also highlight the need to nurture personnel and venture capital.
26:59We should all be determined to work together.
27:02The government and medical staff to make Japan-made medicines available worldwide.
27:13Patients and their loved ones are waiting for the day.
27:16The gene therapy's safety and efficacy are fully assessed,
27:19and the treatment becomes available.
27:22Hirama Kazuaki, NHK World.
27:26And that concludes this edition of Newsroom Tokyo.
27:29Make sure you catch our program on our website as well.
27:32I'm Raja Prada.
27:33And I'm Yamasawa Rina.
27:35Thank you very much for watching.
27:37Please join us again tomorrow.
27:38for the show.
Be the first to comment