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00:00Welcome to New Zealand Tokyo. I'm Yamaguchi Hiroaki and I'm Yamaguchi Hiroaki.
00:16Here are the headlines.
00:18Two of Japan's opposition parties agreed to form a new party in the lower house
00:23as they prepare for a possible snap election next month.
00:27The U.S. says it has launched the second phase of its plant and the conflict in Gaza.
00:33We'll be talking to an expert about what to expect.
00:37As Myanmar holds its first general election since the military seized power,
00:42the international community is condemning the vote as a sham.
00:47As Japan gears up for a possible snap election next month,
00:52two of the country's opposition parties have agreed to form a new party in the lower house.
00:58The move comes after Prime Minister Takahichi Sanae conveyed her plans to dissolve the lower house
01:03during the upcoming diet session, which starts next week.
01:09The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, or CDP, reached the agreement with Komeito,
01:16which until last October was partnered with the Liberal Democratic Party and its ruling coalition.
01:22CDP President Noda Yoshihiko and Komeito Chief Representative Saito Tetsuo say they are seeking to rally forces that support centrist policies.
01:36This is a chance for centrist forces to become centered in politics.
01:40We need to consolidate our power to put forward pragmatic policies that are grounded in people's daily lives
01:46and can raise them up, instead of a style of politics that is based on fiery rhetoric.
01:51In the midst of division and conflict around the world, as well as the rise of the ultra-right and extreme left,
02:02it's important to unite those who stand in the middle.
02:05In Japan, we are also seeing signs that politics is leaning to the right.
02:10Their decision comes after Takahichi met on Wednesday with her party's secretary-general
02:18and the leader of junior coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party.
02:23The coalition formed last year after the LDP parted ways with Komeito,
02:28and Takahichi told them she's seeking a public mandate for it.
02:32Members of the coalition are making preparations on the assumption
02:36that official campaigning will start on January 27th.
02:40Voting will likely take place on February 8th.
02:44We now turn to the latest in the Tokyo massage parlor case,
02:49in which a 12-year-old tiger was allegedly forced to provide sexual services to male customers.
02:56Police in Tokyo have arrested a woman who they believe recruited workers for their parlor.
03:0238-year-old Punshiripanya Pakapon is suspected of having violated the Child Welfare Act.
03:11The police believe she served as a broker and worked with a parlor owner
03:16to force the girl to provide sexual services.
03:19They say she has denied the allegations.
03:22The owner, Hosono Masayuki, has been arrested for allegedly violating
03:27the Labor Standards Act and other offenses.
03:32The police have quoted Punshiripanya as saying she introduced people to Hosono until last summer.
03:39But she said she no longer has any relationship with the parlor as she quit.
03:45Investigators believe Punshiripanya may have arranged to have 30 to 40 people,
03:51including the 12-year-old girl, work there.
03:54She currently runs another business in Tokyo.
03:59The girl's mother worked at the parlor from May to June of last year.
04:03She quit, then reportedly sent a message to Punshiripanya saying she hoped to return.
04:10She reportedly said another person wanted to work too.
04:15The mother and girl arrived in Japan late last June before the mother allegedly left the girl at the parlor.
04:23Thai police have arrested the mother.
04:26She's suspected of engaging in human trafficking, among other charges.
04:31Police in Tokyo plan to continue their investigation while working with their Thai counterparts.
04:37The United States has announced it is launching the second phase of its plan to end the conflict in Gaza.
04:56Israel and the Islamic group Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in the first phase of the plan in October.
05:02Phase two calls for the disarmament of Hamas and the deployment of an international security force.
05:09U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said in a social media post that the second phase involves moving from ceasefire to demilitarization,
05:18technocratic governance and reconstruction.
05:21Witkoff called on Hamas to fully comply with its obligations, including immediately returning the remains of the last hostage.
05:29He said failure to do so would have serious consequences.
05:33But prospects for the plan remain unclear.
05:36Hamas has so far refused to disarm, while it is still not known which countries would take part in the proposed security force.
05:45For more on this, we are now joined by Higashi Daisaku, a professor at Sofia University.
05:52He's an expert on mediation and peace building and has conducted field research in Gaza, Afghanistan, Iraq and South Sudan.
06:01So, Professor, thank you very much for joining us.
06:03Thank you very much for inviting me.
06:04So, the U.S. says the Gaza peace plan has moved to the second phase, but there appear to be many challenges and Hamas is still refusing to disarm.
06:16And Israel doesn't seem to prepare to fully withdraw its army inside Gaza.
06:22Is it really possible to move forward under these circumstances?
06:27Yeah, there are four key aspects of this second stage.
06:32First one is to, as you mentioned, the withdrawal of Israel forces from Gaza even gradually.
06:39The second is to disarm Hamas.
06:41The third is to create kind of a Palestinian technological committee which will govern daily life in Gaza.
06:48And also creating an international board of peace which will, you know, kind of govern the technical committee.
06:57And the forces create international stabilization forces to monitor the ceasefire in Gaza.
07:02And I argue that, you know, disarmning Hamas and also, you know, withdrawing the Israel forces from Gaza will be very gradual.
07:11So, maybe it takes time.
07:13So, I believe that creating international stabilization forces and creating some kind of Palestinian technological committee is very crucial to sustain the peace in Gaza so that other key component can be implemented even by step by step.
07:31So, in order to have this process to succeed, it's going to need international community's contribution is very important, I think.
07:44Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu was just visiting Middle East and he said Japan will take an active role in rebuilding Gaza.
07:54What could that mean, do you think?
07:56I personally propose that Japan should take some initiative to create international trust fund under some UN agencies, maybe like UNDP, to support international stabilization force financially.
08:11Because under current arrangement, there's no financial mechanism to support ISF.
08:17But if Japan can take initiative to create this trust fund and call for entire country who are hoping for the ceasefire or sustainable ceasefire engatherers, I assess that maybe this trust fund can get a lot of funds from all over the world,
08:33including maybe some rich countries in the Middle East, so that it becomes possible for ISF or some countries like Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh or Egypt to dispatch some forces to participate in international stabilization forces.
08:51And I think this should be critical to sustain the peace in Gaza.
08:56Yeah.
08:57President Trump started the year by deposing Venezuela's president.
09:01And he's also openly talking about reviving the Monroe Doctrine, which views all of North and South America as part of the US sphere of interest.
09:11Could this lead to Trump becoming less involved in the Gaza peace process?
09:18So it's kind of, I think, a very typical phenomenon of the Trump administration that their diplomatic focus tends to be changed very quickly, almost every day.
09:30So we are not quite sure to what kind of attention now President Trump actually has on the peace and ceasefire in Gaza.
09:37But because of that, I believe, I argue that if Japan can take some initiative to create this kind of trust fund and gather a lot of the money from all over the world to support international stabilization forces,
09:50it might actually create more interest or attention for the president Trump to take some actions, even to convince the Israel to withdraw the forces from Gaza, even gradually,
10:03and advance another peace process. So I think this kind of action by Japan actually can have a huge impact on international action on this particular ceasefire,
10:15but also some impact on the behavior or policy of the United States.
10:21So there's a role that Japan could play?
10:23I think, I believe so, yeah.
10:25All right. Thank you very much for your insights, Professor.
10:32Yeah!
10:59U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed so-called reciprocal tariffs on a wide range of goods targeting trading partners across the globe, including Japan.
11:13The legal basis for these import duties is now being challenged in the U.S. Supreme Court.
11:19Yuko Fukushima from our business desk has the details.
11:22Yes.
11:23Well, some companies in the U.S. have filed lawsuits arguing that tariffs are illegal.
11:27If the top court rules against the government, the case could have major implications for its trade policy.
11:33The Trump administration unleashed a barrage of tariffs last year.
11:37These import duties were imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, known as IEPA.
11:44At the heart of the case is whether the president exceeded the authority granting him under IEPA.
11:50The law was enacted in 1977.
11:53Since then, the U.S. Congressional Research Service says it has primarily been used to freeze financial assets.
12:00Before Trump, the institute says it had never been used to impose tariffs.
12:05U.S. Customs and Border Protection collects tariff revenue.
12:09Well, it says between January 20th and December 15th, 2025, so that's after Trump took office, this revenue exceeded $200 billion.
12:19And about half of that total is believed to have been generated under IEPA.
12:24U.S. retailer Costco is one of the companies taking legal action.
12:29Other plaintiffs include Japan's Sumitomo Chemical and RICO through their U.S. subsidiaries.
12:34If the government loses, it could be required to refund massive amounts of money to businesses.
12:41I think it would be devastating for our country, but I also think that we'll have to develop a game-two plan.
12:51I talked to Kasetsu, an expert on global trade laws.
12:54He says if the court rules against the Trump administration, well, anything could happen.
13:01President Trump might simply ignore the ruling.
13:04He has repeatedly shown a willingness to disregard international law, including the action toward Venezuela.
13:11In an interview with the New York Times, he explicitly stated that the international law is unnecessary for the United States.
13:21Another possibility, Kasetsu says President Trump could base his tariff on another trade laws.
13:28He says Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 is the likely option.
13:34So Section 122 is intended to deal with a large and serious deficit in U.S. balance of payments.
13:41It allows the president to impose tariffs of not more than 15 percent for 150 days.
13:47To extend that timeframe, he would need permission from Congress.
13:50But Kasetsu says there are problems using Section 122.
13:55The trading partners such as India and Brazil, where country-specific rates of the 40 or even 50 percent have already been imposed.
14:06The administration would either have to lower these rates or conduct separate the investigation.
14:15Second, any tariff increase under this authority is limited to 150 days.
14:26Extending the measure beyond that period would require an act of Congress.
14:33President Trump would therefore need to secure the congressional approval for the extension before the midterm election.
14:44Kasetsu says midterm elections could be another complication, making it harder for the president to extend the tariffs if the Republicans lose their two-house majority.
14:55If this court ruling goes against the Trump administration, the trade agreement between Japan and the U.S. has been based on those tariffs.
15:04Do you think anything would change the trade agreement between Japan and the U.S.?
15:09I don't think so.
15:10Even if the reciprocal tariffs were averaged, Japan would be unlikely to abandon the dry U.S.-Japan agreement, given the importance of the maintenance, stable bilateral relations and concerns that closer U.S.-China relations could emerge following the U.S.-China summit in April.
15:36Kasetsu says at the moment, it seems the Japanese government is prioritizing national security over trade and economy.
15:43Even so, he says experts are still very eager to see how the court rules and how the Trump administration reacts.
15:51Now to the markets.
15:52On the token, the Nikkei slipped from its record high mark on Wednesday to close four-tenth of a percent.
15:59Lower sellers unloaded firms in the chip sector, attracting their peers on Wall Street overnight.
16:04The strong yen also dampened sentiment.
16:06The government warned of excessive currency movements.
16:09In China, the Shanghai composite fell about a third of a percent, some sold-on reports.
16:14Authorities are taking measures to cool the market.
16:16Stocks have been running hot since the new year.
16:19In South Korea, the cost fee added almost 1.6 percent.
16:22That was despite the central bank keeping its rates unchanged, signaling an end to its easing cycle.
16:29The decision had been widely expected by the economists.
16:32And that's this for this Thursday.
16:42Media outlets say the U.S. is evacuating some of its personnel from an airbase in Qatar.
16:49The move comes as President Trump heads at military action against Iran in response to the killing of anti-government protesters.
17:00The U.N. Security Council is scheduled to meet on Thursday to discuss the situation in the country at the request of the U.S.
17:09Reports say personnel are leaving Al-Udeid Air Base, one of the largest U.S. installations in the Middle East.
17:16The Qatari government says the departures are a response to tensions in the region.
17:21In June last year, personnel were reportedly evacuated from the same base before the U.S. attacked Iran.
17:28Tehran responded to those strikes by launching missiles at Al-Udeid.
17:33Meanwhile, an Iranian official said countries in the region are concerned and don't want their territory to be used to attack another country.
17:42The New York Times reports around 3-thousand people, including security personnel, have died in the nationwide protest in Iran.
17:50But an Iranian official wouldn't confirm the number of casualties, saying it takes time to identify the dead.
17:57An official also told NHK the situation is under control as there were no demonstrations on Monday and Tuesday.
18:06The protests and riots started late last month amid soaring prices, fueled largely by economic sanctions imposed by Western countries.
18:16Now we have the latest developments from a deadly crane collapse in Thailand.
18:23Let's go to Tira Tira Kaosai in our Bangkok studio for the details.
18:29Thailand's prime minister has pledged a thorough investigation into Wednesday's construction accident in which a crane crashed onto a passenger train.
18:39At least 32 people were killed and more than 60 injured.
18:43Anutin Chan-Wirakun visited the scene in the northeastern province of Nakhon Rajasima on Wednesday.
18:52He called for accountability from those involved in the high-speed railway project operating the crane.
18:59We have always been concerned about safety, but I think we have to investigate whether they have done this in accordance with the design and methods of construction or not.
19:16The train departed from Bangkok. About 170 people were on board at the time of the accident.
19:24The health ministry initially said no foreigners were killed, but it now says a German national and another from South Korea are among the dead.
19:33A separate construction crane also fell from an elevated highway near Bangkok on Thursday morning.
19:39It crushed vehicles on the road below.
19:42Officials say at least two people were killed.
19:45Local media say deadly construction mishaps have repeatedly occurred on the same road project in recent years.
19:54The prime minister said the same contractor was involved in both crane incidents as well as in a fatal high-rise building collapse during a major earthquake in March.
20:07A Japanese city suffering from labor shortage has held a job fair in New Delhi.
20:14Companies hope to recruit talented workers from India whose population of over 1.4 billion is the world's largest.
20:22Hamatsu city in central Japan's Shizuoka prefecture held Wednesday's event with the Indian government's cooperation.
20:33Participants included five manufacturing and logistics companies based in the city.
20:39The job fair attracted about 60 Indian nationals in their 20s and 30s.
20:44They heard details about each business and asked questions such as how fluently they needed to speak the language and whether they would have to work overtime.
20:54One man in his 20s spoke Japanese to express his satisfaction.
20:59I enjoyed today's event a lot.
21:03I want to go to Japan and work various jobs.
21:09India is estimated to have more than 300 million people in their 20s and early 30s.
21:15Many of them have difficulty finding employment.
21:18Hamamatsu city hopes businesses can tap these human resources for their mutual benefit.
21:24Myanmar is holding its first general election since the military seized power in a 2021 coup.
21:33The vote is taking place as the country remains locked in fighting between the military and pro-democracy and ethnic armed groups.
21:42The military-backed party has already secured a commanding lead, but the international community has widely condemned the vote as a sham.
21:50NHK World's Aoyama Satoru reports.
22:00The junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party, or USTP, held a campaign rally in Myanmar's largest city, Yangon.
22:12Candidates pledged loyalty to the ruling military.
22:16The military plays a key role in advancing the peace process.
22:21Most campaign signs belong to parties aligned with the military.
22:27Many pro-democracy parties were forced to disband after the coup, leaving them excluded from the election.
22:37One candidate has drawn criticism from pro-democracy activists for choosing to participate in the vote.
22:46Koko Zi, founder of the People's Party, once worked closely with Aung San Suu Kyi.
22:54He was imprisoned for nearly 20 years for opposing military rule, but now rarely criticizes the junta.
23:03Our party is negotiating realistically with the military.
23:09We have reached a certain level of agreement on democratic reforms.
23:13In July, the military enacted a law to crack down on speech and actions critical of the election.
23:28State media say more than 200 people have been prosecuted.
23:34As the election approached, the military intensified operations against resistant forces.
23:43Analysts say the offensive is aimed at expanding territory and the junta control,
23:50and boosting voter turnout to reinforce claims of legitimacy.
23:56We are not concerned with whether the international community approves.
24:03This election is for our people.
24:07Myanmar's pro-democracy shadow government says the results must not be recognized.
24:14This election is a complete sham.
24:19We call on the international community to reject the illegal vote being carried out by the military.
24:25This illusionment is also growing among those who have fled the country.
24:34This medical facility in the Thai border town of Mesut treats people injured in the ongoing fighting.
24:44A former resistance fighter lost his left arm and suffered spinal injuries in a military airstrike four years ago.
24:54He now uses a wheelchair but says his resolve has not changed.
25:01Democracy cannot be achieved through the election under military rule.
25:06As long as the dictatorship continues, we have no choice but to keep fighting.
25:10Election results are expected this month.
25:15But with the vote rejected by resistance forces and much of the opposition excluded,
25:22there is little chance the situation will improve.
25:26Aoyama Satoru, NHK World, Yangon.
25:31And that wraps up our bulletin. I'm Tha Atira Kausan in Bangkok.
25:40Now we'reTwo are controered by the
26:08I have no idea how to find a house.
26:20I have to find a new home.
26:27I would like to find a happy home.
26:34Now, let's take a look at weather forecasts for cities around the world.
27:04We'll see you next time.
27:34And 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 Arena.
27:43Thank you very much for watching.
27:45Please join us again tomorrow.
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