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00:00Welcome to Museum Tokyo. I'm Yamasawa Rina.
00:13And I'm Raja Prada. Here are the headlines.
00:16An advisory for a potential mega quake in Japan has ended,
00:20but officials say people should remain cautious.
00:24We look at how municipalities in Tokyo are making neighborhoods
00:28more fire resistant in preparation for the next major disaster.
00:33And Japan's upper house enacts a supplementary budget bill
00:37to fund a new economic stimulus package.
00:41A Japanese government advisory that a mega quake is possible
00:45in northern and eastern parts of the country has ended.
00:48It was issued following the magnitude 7.5 quake
00:52that struck the region on December 8th.
00:56At a news conference Tuesday, the Cabinet Office and Japan Meteorological Agency
01:01reminded people to remain cautious.
01:05The possibility of a major earthquake occurring has not disappeared.
01:10It is essential to be prepared for earthquakes on a daily basis.
01:15The advisory covered 182 municipalities spanning from Hokkaido to Chiba Prefecture.
01:22It warned there was a relatively high possibility a strong tremor could occur along either the Japan Trench or the Chishima Trench.
01:31A JMA official said seismic activity off the eastern coast of Aomori Prefecture has been gradually decreasing.
01:38But tremors are still occurring more frequently than before December 8th.
01:42He added people carrying out repair work should bear this in mind while also keeping an eye on the winter weather conditions.
01:50There have been cases where massive quakes have hit more than a week after an initial tremor.
01:55In July, a magnitude 7.5 quake struck near Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula followed by a magnitude 8.8 quake ten days later.
02:07We can't stop earthquakes from happening, but we can minimize the damage.
02:12And we've learned from past disasters like the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake that tremors and tsunami are the only things to worry about.
02:22Fires often break out after a quake and can result in serious damage and loss of life.
02:27NHK World's Yoshikawa Ryuichi is here to talk about this issue.
02:30Ryuichi, thanks for joining us.
02:32What are some of the efforts that are being made?
02:35Right.
02:36The threat of fires during a quake should never be ruled out.
02:39And we should note that even without natural disasters, the number of fires peaks nationwide during this time of year.
02:47And one reason why we have to be careful, extra careful in Japan, is because we live in a country of wood.
02:54According to the forestry agency, more than 90% of houses that began construction last year were made of wood.
03:03Right. And not just housing, though.
03:06It's the primary material for many temples and shrines and traditional homes.
03:11Right. So wooden structures aren't necessarily a major fire risk.
03:15But the danger increases when they are packed tightly together.
03:20I visited one such district in Tokyo to find out how the municipality is designing neighborhoods to make them safer.
03:30It's very, very narrowly, very narrow.
03:38Oh yeah.
03:39An official from Sumida Ward in eastern Tokyo shows me around a typical residential area.
03:46So look how narrow this street is. And these houses are so close to each other.
03:53The roofs of these wooden houses are almost touching.
03:58It's too narrow for large vehicles like fire engines to get through.
04:03Tightly packed districts like this can be found in many cities around Japan.
04:18And if a fire breaks out, it can quickly spread.
04:23That's what happened just last month in Oita City in southwestern Japan.
04:27A massive blaze destroyed more than 180 buildings, many of them made of wood.
04:35Sumida Ward officials are working to minimize the risk of something similar happening here.
04:46The ward has been buying land from residents and offering compensation
04:52so people can renovate their homes or choose to move elsewhere.
04:57The project started 40 years ago.
05:00Since then, 6 of 17 designated roads have been expanded,
05:05making them easier for vehicles and people to pass along.
05:12The ward has also been converting some of the land into parks.
05:17These can act as buffer zones to prevent the flames from spreading
05:21and as a base for firefighting.
05:27Officials are also asking residents to play their part.
05:31They just have to lift the seat of this bench and take up this bag.
05:36There's a horse.
05:37So all you have to do is just turn this thing around a little bit
05:48and the water comes out.
05:49So it's easy for anyone to use.
05:51The water has enough pressure to reach the second floor of a building.
06:01Officials say residents making this initial attempt to put out a fire
06:05is crucial to keep it from spreading.
06:09And the locals say they have their own reasons for wanting to protect their hometown.
06:14I prefer wooden buildings.
06:20They feel a lot warmer in comparison to steel and concrete.
06:26We want to preserve what makes this area special
06:30while ramping up our firefighting measures.
06:32We haven't been able to expand all the roads we want to
06:39and we still don't have enough of these kinds of spaces.
06:43We need residents' support if we are to keep making progress.
06:51Japan's wooden architecture has a long history
06:53and as we just saw in a report
06:56that people often have an emotional attachment to it as well, right?
07:01And Yuichi, I guess it's about finding a balance
07:04between preserving traditions and protecting lives.
07:08Yes, Rina, that's right.
07:09The Tokyo Metropolitan Government
07:11has been speeding up efforts to reduce the density
07:14of areas with wooden houses since 2012
07:19and this was in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake
07:22and tsunami the previous year.
07:25And here's how things looked in 2010
07:28before the initiative got underway.
07:31The highlighted areas are residential neighborhoods
07:34densely packed with wooden buildings.
07:37Fast forward to 2025
07:39and the total amount has fallen to less than half.
07:44Quite a change there.
07:46So, Ryuichi, is Tokyo ready for a major quake then?
07:49I put that question to an expert on urban disaster prevention.
07:54He acknowledged that Tokyo's efforts are paying off
07:57but he also says we're not done
08:00and then drawing an analogy to the human body.
08:03If you think of roads as arteries,
08:09these efforts have spread to tackle the main arteries
08:11but they haven't reached the smaller blood vessels
08:14and expanding those blood vessels
08:17is just as important
08:19as making buildings resilient to earthquakes.
08:23He also notes that individual houses
08:26can pose a risk to the surrounding neighborhoods.
08:31There are earthquake-resistant buildings
08:34and older ones that are prone to collapse.
08:37The city is a mosaic crammed with buildings
08:40that could easily go up in flames.
08:42And when a structure like that
08:44catches fire and burns down,
08:46the fire ends up spreading.
08:48So, the Sumida World officials
08:53are trying to solve this dilemma
08:55by offering subsidies to residents
08:58so they can rebuild their homes
08:59using material that's, you know, less flammable.
09:03And this doesn't rule out wood.
09:05And there are ways of using it
09:07that reduce the risk of fire.
09:10And when we think about, you know,
09:11earthquake preparation in general,
09:13we often focus on things like
09:15checking for hazards in the home
09:17and knowing our evacuation routes.
09:19But, you know, making our neighborhoods
09:21more fireproof is just as important.
09:25Yes, and it's never too soon to start, Yuichi.
09:27Right.
09:28Thank you very much for joining us.
09:42Lawmakers in Japan want to give the economy
09:45a timely shot in the arm.
09:47They've enacted the supplementary budget bill
09:49worth 18.3 trillion yen,
09:53or about 118 billion dollars.
09:57The Diet's upper house debated the package
10:00at a plenary session on Tuesday.
10:03It passed the lower house last week.
10:05Members of the opposition camp
10:07opposed the bill.
10:08Many of the measures are irrelevant
10:13for supporting people's livelihoods.
10:15The emphasis is on size,
10:17and I cannot say that's what we need right now.
10:20This supplementary budget is irresponsible
10:22and totally unacceptable.
10:28Members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party
10:31insisted the package is fit for purpose.
10:34This budget bill responds to the challenges
10:39facing our country
10:41and aims to realize strong growth,
10:43and it puts top priority on protecting people's livelihoods.
10:48The LDP and coalition partner,
10:52the Japan Innovation Party,
10:54voted in favor of the bill.
10:56And from the opposition,
10:58so did the Democratic Party for the People,
11:01Komei-Toh and Team Mirai.
11:02The supplementary budget is mainly aimed
11:06at cushioning the impact of rising prices.
11:11Measures include subsidies for energy bills
11:13and more funding for local governments
11:16to tackle the higher cost of food.
11:19It also includes support for the shipbuilding industry
11:22and the development of artificial intelligence.
11:26Next, as Ukraine peace talks continue,
11:29European leaders have proposed
11:31creating a multinational force
11:33to guarantee the country's security
11:35once a ceasefire with Russia is in place.
11:38The leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron
11:41and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz,
11:43released a joint statement in Berlin on Monday.
11:46It says the multinational force
11:48would be launched with contributions
11:50from countries in the so-called
11:51coalition of the willing.
11:53Europe would lead the force
11:55with support from the United States.
11:57The statement calls for a legally binding commitment
11:59to take measures to restore security
12:02in case of a future attack.
12:03It also asks for a U.S.-led mechanism
12:06to monitor the ceasefire.
12:09Ukraine would also receive support
12:10to sustain its own armed forces
12:12at a peacetime level of 800,000 troops
12:15to deter aggression and defend its territory.
12:18The statement says decisions about that territory
12:21should be left to Ukraine's people
12:23once robust security guarantees are in place.
12:26U.S. President Donald Trump has signed
12:31an executive order designating illicit fentanyl
12:34as a weapon of mass destruction.
12:37The move expands the government's authority
12:39to use military force to combat trafficking of the drug.
12:45Fentanyl is a painkiller used for cancer treatment
12:48and other medical purposes.
12:50But in recent years,
12:53cheaper versions of the drug smuggled into the U.S.
12:56have led to rampant abuse.
12:59No bomb does what this is doing.
13:02200,000 to 300,000 people die every year
13:05that we know of.
13:08So we're formally classifying fentanyl
13:10as a weapon of mass destruction.
13:14The order says illicit fentanyl threatens national security
13:19and fuels lawlessness at U.S. borders.
13:23It also claims that foreign terrorist organizations
13:27and cartels fund their operations
13:29through the production and sale of the drug.
13:33The administration has been conducting repeated strikes
13:36in the Caribbean and the Pacific
13:38on boards from Venezuela it claims are trafficking drugs.
13:42The new order reportedly gives it
13:45additional legal justification to use military force.
13:59Japan's economy is drawing an increasing share
14:01of foreign talent and money.
14:03Yanaka Marie from our business team joins us now
14:05to explain how the country is working
14:07to balance openness with security.
14:09Marie.
14:11Thanks, Raja.
14:11One issue that has entered the national conversation
14:15is workers from abroad.
14:17And Japan's biggest business lobby
14:19has some ideas on this.
14:21The organization is urging the government
14:23to take a more strategic approach
14:25on how it attracts and nurtures foreign talent.
14:30The Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren,
14:33has presented its thoughts on how the government
14:35should handle non-Japanese workers.
14:37The group says Japan's policy is at a turning point
14:41and urges that guidelines be set
14:44on what types of foreign talent should be targeted.
14:47It also calls for sufficient controls
14:49on the number and quality of foreign workers.
14:53Keidanren's proposal envisions closer cooperation
14:57between government and business
14:58to create a support system for workers coming from abroad.
15:02The aim is to help foreign staff
15:04better understand Japan's culture and customs,
15:07as well as enable mutual respect
15:09for diverse ways of thinking.
15:12Keidanren says this is imperative
15:14to ensure workers from abroad
15:15can continue to work in the country
15:17for the medium to long term.
15:19Another issue is land acquisition.
15:24Japan is moving to monitor more tightly
15:26real estate purchases by non-residents.
15:29The decision reflects concern
15:31some buyers are acquiring property
15:33for investment purposes
15:34rather than for living in the country.
15:39Under the current rules,
15:41the government only requires overseas buyers
15:43making purchases for investment
15:45to file a report.
15:47We will expand the requirement
15:49to include property purchased
15:51for residential purposes.
15:53Currently, those rules require
15:55that real estate buyers overseas
15:57report purchases to the government
15:59within 20 days,
16:01only if the purpose is investment.
16:03However, the government plans
16:04to expand the coverage
16:06given that many homebuyers
16:07end up not living in their properties
16:09as intended.
16:11The finance ministry aims to revise
16:13the law by April
16:14to include residential purchases.
16:17The new reporting requirement
16:18would also apply
16:19to Japanese citizens living abroad.
16:23Some land purchases
16:24may have bigger implications
16:26than others.
16:27A government survey
16:28shows foreign nationals
16:30accounted for over 3 percent
16:31of acquisitions near places
16:33deemed important
16:34for national security.
16:37Japan designates land
16:39close to facilities
16:40such as self-defense forces bases
16:41and nuclear power plants
16:43as monitored areas
16:45and special monitored areas.
16:47Remote territorial islands
16:48are also on the list.
16:50The government says
16:51in the fiscal year
16:52that ended in March 2025,
16:55nearly 114,000 plots of land
16:57and other real estate
16:58were acquired in such zones.
17:01Officials say almost 3,500
17:04of the transactions,
17:05or 3.1 percent,
17:07were by foreign buyers.
17:09Nearly half,
17:10or close to 1,700,
17:12involved Chinese citizens
17:14and companies.
17:16The next most numerous
17:17were Taiwanese,
17:18followed by South Koreans.
17:21The government can issue orders
17:23or recommendations
17:24to stop the use
17:25of land or property
17:26if found to hinder
17:27the functions
17:28of a key facility.
17:29But officials say
17:31they saw no such cases
17:32this time.
17:34Now,
17:35from foreign presence
17:36to foreign influence.
17:39Black Friday,
17:39the sales day bonanza
17:40born in the USA,
17:42has taken root in Japan.
17:44That's proving a boon
17:45for retailers,
17:46yet a source of stress
17:48for trucking companies.
17:51Supermarket chain
17:52Eon Retail
17:53says Black Friday
17:54helped boost
17:55total sales in November
17:57by 7.5 percent on year.
18:00That's the sharpest increase
18:01for the month
18:01in 13 years.
18:04And parcel delivery companies
18:05are struggling
18:06to keep up.
18:08One of the biggest,
18:09Sagawa Express,
18:10announced nationwide
18:11delivery delays
18:12and suspended
18:13some services
18:14early this month.
18:16Sagawa says
18:17it faces capacity overload
18:19as Black Friday deliveries
18:21overlap with the year-end
18:22gift-giving season.
18:24However,
18:25a logistics expert
18:26says the bigger problem
18:28is a labor shortage
18:29and rules introduced
18:30last year
18:31that restrict overtime
18:32for drivers.
18:33If demand continues
18:38to increase
18:38amid the severe
18:39labor shortage
18:40at delivery companies,
18:41the risk of
18:42temporary suspensions
18:43or delays
18:44will continue.
18:47The expert points out
18:49that logistics companies
18:50need to look at
18:51improving efficiency
18:52and upgrading benefits
18:54for drivers.
18:55He adds that
18:56consumers may also
18:57need to shoulder
18:58a larger part
18:59of delivery costs.
19:00Now to the markets.
19:03Major stock benchmarks
19:04in the Asia-Pacific
19:05followed Wall Street
19:06lower for the second
19:07day this week
19:08on worries
19:09of an AI bubble.
19:10The tech-heavy
19:11Kospi in Seoul
19:12was the worst performer,
19:13losing 2.25%.
19:15Tokyo's Nikkei average
19:17and Hong Kong's
19:18Hang Seng
19:18shed 1.5%.
19:20Investors were also
19:22wary ahead of
19:23U.S. jobs data.
19:25And that's the biz
19:26for this Tuesday.
19:27Thank you very much
19:28for that, Marie.
19:30Now to the latest
19:31on the mass shooting
19:32at Australia's
19:33Bondi Beach
19:34on Sunday night.
19:36Charapan Sanaluna
19:36in our Bangkok studio
19:38has a story.
19:41Australian police say
19:42the two gunmen
19:43traveled to the Philippines
19:44just weeks before
19:45the shooting rampage.
19:47The country's south
19:48is known as a base
19:49for Islamic extremist networks.
19:51The father and son
19:53opened fire
19:53on a crowd
19:54of Jewish people
19:55who had gathered
19:56at the famous
19:57Sydney beach
19:57for the start
19:58of the Hanukkah festival.
20:00They killed 15
20:01and injured more than 40.
20:03The father died
20:04after being shot
20:04by police
20:05and the 24-year-old son
20:07is being treated
20:08in hospital.
20:09Philippines officials
20:10say the two
20:11traveled to the country's
20:12Mindana Island
20:13last month.
20:14Australian public
20:15broadcaster
20:15the ABC
20:16and other media
20:17report the pair
20:18received military-style
20:20training.
20:21Police are investigating
20:21any links
20:22the men may have had
20:23with Islamic militants.
20:25Jewish communities
20:26across Australia
20:27have tightened
20:28their security
20:28following the attack.
20:31It's madness
20:32that this is where
20:33we are now
20:33where to be a Jew
20:35visibly in public
20:36with other Jews
20:37means you need
20:38to have war-like
20:40military-level security
20:42just to protect
20:42your way of life
20:43and get home safely.
20:45Police have increased
20:47their presence
20:47outside Jewish schools
20:49and synagogues
20:50but Jewish communities
20:51say they feel compelled
20:52to provide their own
20:53security teams
20:54to ensure safety.
20:57Thailand is set
20:57to hold a general
20:58election on February 8th
21:00following the dissolution
21:01of the parliament
21:01last week.
21:03The announcement
21:03comes amid
21:04continuing border clashes
21:05with Cambodia
21:06and other pressing
21:07challenges.
21:09Thailand's election
21:10commission set the date
21:11for the ballot
21:12on Monday.
21:13Candidates will be
21:14allowed to register
21:15from December 27th
21:16to 31st.
21:17Prime Minister
21:18Anuthin Chan-Mirukun
21:20dissolved the parliament
21:21after falling out
21:22with opposition lawmakers
21:23over differences
21:24in policies
21:25on constitutional reform.
21:27The key players
21:28in the February vote
21:29are expected to be
21:31Anuthin's royalist
21:32Pumjaitai Party
21:33and the reformist
21:34People's Party
21:35led by
21:36Natapong
21:37Reng Panjiawut.
21:39The party is the
21:39largest opposition group.
21:41The Puh Thai Party
21:42which led the previous
21:43government
21:43will also be in the mix.
21:45The timing of the poll
21:47creates a precarious
21:48situation for Thailand
21:49which has been involved
21:50in fresh clashes
21:51with neighbouring Cambodia
21:52since last week.
21:54The two sides
21:55are blaming each other
21:56for reigniting the violence.
21:58Foreign ministers
21:59from Asian member states
22:00are set to hold
22:01a special meeting
22:02next week
22:03to address the conflict.
22:06In India
22:07the popularity of anime
22:08is booming
22:09including Japanese productions
22:10with a fan base
22:11estimated at around
22:1253 million
22:13second only
22:14to the United States.
22:16But widespread use
22:17of pirate websites
22:18to watch anime
22:19in the country
22:20remains a significant challenge.
22:22NJK World's
22:23Matsumoto Yuzuru reports.
22:28At this packed theatre
22:30in New Delhi
22:31fans are excited
22:32to be among the first
22:34to see the latest
22:35anime film
22:36set in India
22:37starring the popular
22:38character
22:39Shin-chan.
22:40Japanese productions
22:45are fueling
22:46the local animation market
22:48which is expected
22:49to grow
22:50to 5 billion dollars
22:51by 2032
22:53about 2.7 times
22:56in size last year.
22:58Fans in New Delhi
23:00have a lively community.
23:02On this day
23:02young people
23:04gather at the city's
23:05Japan cultural center.
23:08They bring
23:08anime related items
23:10including figures
23:12and posters.
23:14Across India
23:14members of clubs
23:16like this one
23:16gather to watch
23:17shows
23:18and organize
23:19events.
23:19We know anime!
23:36However,
23:37India is said to be
23:39among the top countries
23:41in the world
23:41for traffic to illegal websites
23:44and has a large market
23:46for pirated videos
23:47and other
23:48unauthorized products.
23:52To change this situation
23:53local Japanese
23:55enthusiasts
23:56took the lead
23:57in creating
23:57an anime festival
23:59under the concept
24:00a place to experience
24:02the real thing.
24:06This singer
24:07has performed
24:08a number of
24:09popular anime
24:10theme songs.
24:13All the items
24:14at the venue
24:15are authentic.
24:16among the attendees
24:18are many anime
24:19industry professionals
24:20from Japan.
24:24Yamanaka Takayuki
24:25helped organize
24:26the event.
24:28He says
24:28the aim
24:29is to showcase
24:30the true charm
24:31of Japan's anime
24:32and encourage fans
24:33to choose
24:34official merchandise.
24:38It's a great way
24:40to show
24:40all these authentic works
24:42by us Japanese.
24:43so that people
24:46can enjoy
24:47the real thing
24:48not imitations.
24:52Fans also
24:53get a chance
24:54to meet
24:55the Shinchan
24:56film's director.
24:58Since I was
24:59nine years old
25:00I've been watching
25:00Shinchan
25:01and now I'm
25:0227
25:03so it's about
25:0418 years.
25:04Do you have
25:08a favorite
25:08character
25:09from the
25:09Shinchan series?
25:12As a director
25:13it's difficult
25:14to say
25:15that I like
25:15a particular
25:16character
25:17so I always
25:18say
25:18I like them all.
25:22The two-day event
25:24attracted
25:24over 60,000
25:26visitors
25:27from across
25:28India.
25:28It seems like
25:33anime has become
25:34practically
25:35synonymous
25:36with Japan.
25:38Seeing
25:38licensed
25:39copyrighted
25:39products
25:40on store
25:41shelves
25:41would be
25:42a sign
25:42that
25:43starting
25:43the festival
25:44was worthwhile.
25:45Yamanaka says
25:49he feels
25:50he has taken
25:51a step
25:51towards
25:52spreading
25:52real Japanese
25:53anime culture
25:54and hopes
25:55its appeal
25:56will expand
25:57further
25:57in the
25:58Indian market.
25:59Matsumoto Yuzuru
26:00NHK World
26:02New Delhi.
26:04And that wraps up
26:05our bulletin.
26:05I'm Chola Pansana
26:06ruler in Bangkok.
26:15And now here's
26:40a three-day
26:40weather outlook
26:41for selected cities
26:42around the globe.
26:45To be continued...
27:15and that concludes this edition of newsroom tokyo don't forget you can always catch our program on
27:40our website as well I'm Roger Prada and I'm Yamasawa Arena thank you very much for watching please join us again tomorrow
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