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00:00Welcome to Newsroom Tokyo, I'm Yamasawa Rina and I'm Raja Prada.
00:16Here are the headlines.
00:17The leaders of Japan's political parties make their pitch to voters
00:21as campaigning starts for the snap lower house election.
00:25Myanmar's controversial election is over but economic sanctions look likely to remain
00:31which is causing concern for Japanese companies operating there.
00:35And wage negotiations get underway here in Japan as workers fight for raises that outpace inflation.
00:43We start here in Japan where campaigning has kicked off for the lower house election.
00:48It's Takahichi Sanae's first general election as prime minister.
00:52Her coalition is aiming to secure a majority as the opposition tries to gain more seats.
00:59This is also the first lower house election since late 2024.
01:03Here's a taste of what the various party leaders are pitching to voters.
01:07We are calling for a strong and prosperous Japanese archipelago.
01:14No matter where you live, you should be able to live safely.
01:19You should be able to receive the proper medical care and welfare you need.
01:24In order to build such a Japanese archipelago, we need economic growth right now more than anything.
01:33The Takahichi Cabinet's policies have changed completely from those of its predecessor.
01:39The core of these policies is responsible for active fiscal policy.
01:44This includes crisis management investment and growth investment.
01:49Our key policies and the framework for the administration have changed.
01:53We would first like to seek your mandate.
01:56Please provide me your support.
01:58Will you choose those that put people's lives on the back burner?
02:05Or will you support us as we, the Centrist Reform Alliance, put forward policies based on putting people first?
02:14The best way is to lower the consumption tax rate.
02:18Our plan is to get it done by this autumn, with a clear explanation of the finances behind the measure.
02:25Komeito ended the coalition with the LDP because the ruling party had problems with money in politics.
02:34And because it did not reflect on the issue.
02:38Does the LDP think the matter is settled? Isn't that wrong?
02:43Reforms have not much progressed under the LDP.
02:47We will step in, take on the role of the accelerator and move Japan's politics forward.
02:52We must aim at national security, economic security and economic growth.
02:57Prices are rising now.
02:59We should at least do something about the consumption tax on food items for all of you.
03:03Let's make it zero.
03:05Together with Prime Minister Tokaichi, in a coalition of the LDP and the Japan Innovation Party,
03:10let's make Japan's politics take one more step forward.
03:14We must shift toward new politics that prioritizes policies, people's lives and the economy,
03:23not the old style that prioritizes political maneuvering and elections.
03:27We need to increase people's take-home pay.
03:31We will ensure that everyone's annual take-home pay rises by 60,000 yen this year.
03:36We will fight not for the stability of the ruling parties, but for the stability of people's lives.
03:43One key focus of this election is on how we can protect people's lives from rising prices.
03:53Profits are flowing only to major shareholders and large companies and being held.
03:58We will definitely change such politics into one that puts people's lives first.
04:03We will work to improve people's lives, for peace, for human rights and for the public,
04:09without wavering, and change LDP politics.
04:14Rising prices need to be addressed urgently.
04:17People's lives have been devastated.
04:19Abolish the consumption tax.
04:21Immediately provide a stopgap cash payment of 100,000 yen
04:24and lower social insurance premiums using national funds.
04:27Prompt action is also needed to address the declining birth rate and aging population.
04:32Do not take part in the war business.
04:34I want to work with the people to build such a country.
04:38Japan's independence, Japan's revival and Japan's salvation.
04:43The people are getting poorer and poorer.
04:45Pensions are being cut, salaries are going down.
04:48And why?
04:49Because Japan's politics are flawed, right?
04:51As for the consumption tax, the only choice is to completely abolish it.
04:56Just bringing the food tax down to zero won't change anything.
04:59When the economy isn't functioning, the answer is tax cuts.
05:02The consumption tax should be abolished soon.
05:05We strongly oppose accepting excessive immigrants.
05:08We must set limits on how many come in.
05:11Each one of us is Japan.
05:13Unless we create a system to support this country together,
05:16Japan won't recover from its current stagnation.
05:19First of all, there is no time to wait for tax cuts.
05:25I think the biggest issue is immigration.
05:27If Japanese society is completely transformed by immigrants,
05:31Japan will never again return to what we are.
05:34Let's stop for now.
05:36Your taxes are for you.
05:41Zero consumption tax.
05:43Let's do whatever it takes to fight against politics that destroy peace and people's lives,
05:49and create a big wave.
05:51Team Mirai is not calling for cutting the consumption tax.
05:57This is because we believe we should prioritize reducing social insurance premiums,
06:02which are a huge burden on the current generation of workers.
06:06All 465 seats in the lower house are up for grabs.
06:12289 of them will be from single-seat constituencies.
06:18The remaining 176 will be elected through a system of proportional representation.
06:23Some candidates will run under both systems.
06:26That means even if they lose in their constituency,
06:29they may still win a seat through proportional representation.
06:33233 seats are needed for a majority.
06:38The election is expected to focus on the current administration's policies.
06:42On the domestic front, candidates will likely campaign on measures to tackle rising prices,
06:47including potential changes to the consumption tax.
06:50The declining birth rate and social security issues are also key topics for voters.
06:56Money in politics and policies for foreign nationals will likely come up in the campaign.
07:02Foreign and security policies will also be a major talking point.
07:07The official campaign runs for 12 days.
07:10Voting will be held on February 8th.
07:14Earlier, our colleague Yoko Nishimura spoke with NHK World's political correspondent Igarashi Jun.
07:21He helped us understand what to keep an eye on during this campaign.
07:25It's been less than a year and a half since the last lower house election.
07:32Why the timing now?
07:35Takaichi has triggered a snap election because the ruling coalition wants to secure a certain majority.
07:42You need 233 seats out of 465 to control the lower house.
07:49Before the chamber was dissolved, the ruling LDP and its new coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party,
07:57needed support from several independents to make it work.
08:01They were able to clinch a somewhat unstable majority, but it's not as solid as they like.
08:10What's more, Takaichi says her economic and fiscal policies are very different from the last administration's.
08:18So she says she wants the people of Japan to judge those differences for themselves.
08:24Takaichi says the ruling coalition is looking for stronger support and even says she will put her position as prime minister on the line.
08:34This is her first test in office and the first time she's sought a public mandate to lead Japan.
08:41And what are we hearing from the opposition parties about this election call since it's so soon after the last election?
08:49They're being quite critical.
08:51Some leaders say that we don't need an election right now.
08:55Instead of making campaign speeches, they say they should be debating policies in the chamber.
09:02There have been major movements within the opposition lately.
09:06Until recently, the largest opposition party was the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan.
09:13But earlier this month, it joined forces with Komeito.
09:17Komeito, of course, had partnered with the LDP for over two decades, but left the ruling coalition last October.
09:26Those two opposition parties then formed a new party in the lower house.
09:31That party is called the Centrist Reform Alliance, or CRA.
09:36No Da Yoshihiko is the party's co-president.
09:40He says this election can reshape Japan's political landscape and allow the country to form a new government.
09:49There are 289 single-seat constituencies across Japan.
09:54The CRA will have candidates in more than 200 of those districts, while the ruling coalition will be fielding candidates in almost all of them.
10:05So does that mean voters essentially have to choose between the ruling coalition and the CRA?
10:11Well, those aren't their only options.
10:15In recent years, we've been seeing a greater multi-party influence in Japanese politics.
10:21The Democratic Party for the People and Sanseito gained seats in last year's national election.
10:28This time, they've doubled the number of candidates running in single-seat districts compared to the last lower house election.
10:37So, there are quite a few major changes for this election to keep an eye on.
10:43And we'll be watching them closely over the next 12 days of this campaign.
10:48So, to explain how this election is affecting day-to-day life across the country,
10:54NHK World's Takao Minori is here with us in the studio.
10:58So, Minori, it's only been a little over a week since this election was announced.
11:03So, the whole thing seems very rushed.
11:06Indeed.
11:07Well, it is in fact the quickest lower house election to be called since World War II.
11:12What that means is Prime Minister Takaichi dissolved the lower house last Friday
11:16and has set ballot counting for just 16 days later on February 8th.
11:21Now, this unusually tight schedule is impacting preparation efforts.
11:26Businesses and municipalities are scrambling to make things happen in time.
11:30Take, for example, this printing company.
11:32The head of the company says they are struggling to get a hold of this special paper that they use for printing campaign posters.
11:40He says they've had to turn down multiple orders.
11:43And municipality officials are rushing to send out voter cards for entering polling stations.
11:50One city in Tokyo has decided to use envelopes that it had already prepared for another local election scheduled for next month.
11:58Staff are putting extra hours into placing stickers on them so that residents know they are for the lower house election.
12:06Now, some municipalities say they won't be able to send the cards in time and could even be as late as next week, although early voting begins Wednesday.
12:16They say that people can still come directly to the designated sites and vote as long as their identities can be confirmed in the list of registered voters.
12:25And another challenge is securing venues.
12:28One city in Hokkaido used this facility for ballot counting in the previous lower house election.
12:34But at this time of year, it's turned into an ice skating rink.
12:38So, officials have settled on a different location, but it's smaller, and they say that fewer staff will be able to fit inside.
12:45That could delay vote counting by a few hours.
12:49Right, Minori.
12:50We've seen a huge amount of snowfall over the past few days, and especially in northern parts of Japan, right?
12:55So, what are the challenges of holding this election midwinter?
12:58Well, officials in many areas say that they are having to clear away the snow before they can even put up the bulletin boards where candidates put up their campaign posters.
13:08Sapporo has decided to reduce the number of these boards by more than half compared to the most recent national election they held last summer.
13:16Another concern this time of year in Japan is school entrance exams.
13:21Juken season, as it's called in Japan, peaks from January through March.
13:27It's an intense period for students and educators.
13:30Some worry that the tests might be disrupted by the sounds of loudspeakers used for campaigning.
13:37And certain places have even been asking candidates to avoid holding events nearby.
13:42One governor is also concerned that some students aged 18 or older might not vote because of their exams.
13:50Now, he's encouraging them to make use of early voting so that they can exercise their fundamental right to have a say in their country's future.
13:59And there are a lot of factors that could influence that future.
14:03The things that I've just mentioned may seem trivial, but they might end up swaying the outcome of this snap election.
14:10Thank you very much for that update, Minori.
14:13Now, as Minori just mentioned, early voting starts from Wednesday.
14:17And on February 8th, the ballots will be counted to find out who voters have chosen to represent them in the lower house.
14:24Now, let's turn to Cholopansa Narula at our bureau in Bangkok for stories making headlines across the Asia Pacific.
14:30Cholopansa.
14:33For 80 years, Rosalina Kamba and others like her in the Philippines have been living in limbo.
14:39Born to Filipino mothers and Japanese fathers, they were deemed Japanese citizens at the time of their birth.
14:45But when the fathers disappeared in their chaotic conclusion to World War II, along with documents proving the link, that connection was lost.
14:54Now 95, Kamba is visiting Japan for the first time with support from the government.
14:59She's one of about 50 people in the Philippines still fighting to be recognized as Japanese citizens.
15:06My mother has always wanted to visit her father's hometown in Japan.
15:14At last, the day has come.
15:17We are very excited but also nervous.
15:21Kamba's father worked as a farmer on Mindanao Island.
15:28She says he was mostly absent from her life as far back as she can remember.
15:33But she recalls meeting him once when she was around 10.
15:36Kamba plans to travel to Totori Prefecture to visit her father's grave on Friday.
15:42Last Sunday saw the conclusion of Myanmar's month-long general election run by the ruling military junta.
15:49The poor is not expected to receive international recognition, meaning economic sanctions are likely to remain in place.
15:56And that's forcing some difficult choices on Japanese companies operating in the country.
16:02NJK World's Kitai Genki has more.
16:05I'm here at the Tiraoa Special Economic Zone near Yangon.
16:10This is an industrial area developed with joint efforts from Japanese public and private sectors.
16:18Prior to the 2021 coup, rapid foreign investment in what was being called Asia's last frontier confirmed Myanmar's appeal to international businesses.
16:29Over 400 Japanese companies entered the member market, but the military takeover dampened enthusiasm and put a break on the economy.
16:39Now, a growing number of firms have decided to withdraw.
16:44But one of those choosing to stay is Oshima Noki, an agricultural machinery manufacturer from Niigata Prefecture.
16:53It's set up in this special economic zone in 2018, making machines to dry rice for the Myanmar market.
17:01At its peak, the company employed more than 30 people, but that's down to around 20 on the back of a sharp fall in orders.
17:14After the coup, the areas where we could try to make sales became extremely limited.
17:20Sometimes we couldn't even reach our destinations, and in other places, fighting was breaking out.
17:27To protect the safety of our employees, we had no choice but to stop sales operations.
17:38The company is now hunting out new opportunities, both for its original products and also by developing entirely new ones.
17:47We have technical know-how that other factories don't.
17:57For example, we are good at producing simple shelving and other sheet metal products.
18:05So we hope to win orders for that kind of work as well.
18:09Some companies are hoping that the election results help stabilize politics and improve the business environment.
18:22But an expert says the chances are slim.
18:26For companies, the greatest concern has been the risk of being criticized for their ties to the military regime, or for conducting a business that benefits it.
18:39That has been a major risk up to now, and I expect it will continue.
18:45Once a company withdraws, reinvesting and re-entering the market is very difficult.
18:50However, if a firm continues to operate in the red, the question becomes whether there is any real value in staying.
18:58I think the answer is probably no.
19:03For a country that was once seen as a final frontier, Myanmar's future appeal to international businesses is now far from certain.
19:13It's the season for annual wage negotiations here in Japan.
19:34Yanaka Marie from our business team is here to break down what's on the table at this year's talks.
19:40So, as always, the key question is whether pay increases will outpace inflation.
19:44So, Marie, can you tell us how things are shaping up?
19:47Certainly. The bottom line is that workers are pushing for wage hikes of at least 5%, after inflation topped 3% last year.
19:55Both businesses and labor face the challenge of delivering real wages that aren't quickly swallowed by higher living costs.
20:05The heads of the Japan Business Federation and the Japanese Trade Union Confederation met on Tuesday.
20:11The public attention to wage hikes is growing amid rising prices and labor shortages.
20:23An increase in base pay will be the primary topic for the talks.
20:29We are calling on all companies to hold active discussions.
20:33The labor group wants an average increase of at least 5% to stay ahead of inflation.
20:43For smaller businesses, the goal is 6%.
20:46Negotiating pay raises of at least 5% for the third straight year is a minimum target.
20:58It needs to be achieved not just at large companies, but also at smaller ones.
21:05But there may be some stumbling blocks.
21:08Corporate profits are under threat from the tariff policies of U.S. President Trump.
21:13And smaller firms may say they just can't afford to raise pay that much.
21:18Negotiations get into full swing next month when labor unions at major firms put in their requests.
21:24Next, the latest tariff threat from U.S. President Trump.
21:29He's warning that South Korea faces a big jump in duties, and the country's lawmakers are to blame.
21:37Trump wrote on social media on Monday that he's increasing tariffs on autos, lumber, pharmaceuticals, and other areas from 15% to 25%.
21:48He said the reason was the Korean legislature had not enacted the historic trade agreement between the two countries.
21:56Trump pointed out the deal had been reached last July and reaffirmed with South Korea's president in October.
22:04He went on to ask, why hasn't the Korean legislature approved it?
22:08Under the deal, Seoul pledged to invest $350 billion in the U.S.
22:16South Korea's presidential office said on Tuesday it had not received any official notification or explanation.
22:24It's planning an interagency meeting to discuss how to respond.
22:27The office added that a cabinet minister would be sent to Washington for talks with Commerce Secretary Howard Butnick.
22:36Staying with U.S. trade policy, the government is boosting its holdings in the mining industry.
22:43It's part of an effort to reduce reliance on China for rare earths and other critical minerals.
22:48The Trump administration is offering a $1.6 billion package to a domestic firm.
22:56The agreement was announced on Monday by Oklahoma-based USA Rare Earth.
23:02The company says the investment comes from the Commerce Department and includes a loan.
23:07The government will also take an equity stake in the firm.
23:09The company aims to set up one of the country's largest production bases for rare earths and other critical minerals by 2030.
23:19The statement quoted Commerce Secretary Lutnick, who described the project as essential to restoring U.S. critical mineral independence.
23:28China dominates the global supply chain for these resources, from mining to processing and manufacturing.
23:35Last year, the Trump administration invested in MP Materials, another major rare earths company.
23:42The government took the unusual step of guaranteeing a 10-year price floor to protect the firm from market downturns.
23:50Last to check on the markets.
23:53Seoul's Kospi surged 2.7% to a record high despite the renewed tariff jitters.
23:58The index was pushed up by heavyweight SK Hynix after local media reported it will be the exclusive supplier of Microsoft's latest AI chip.
24:09Buying of chip-related firms was prevalent throughout the Asia-Pacific.
24:13Tokyo's Nikkei rose 9 tenths of a percent and the Shanghai Composite added 2 tenths of a percent.
24:20India's Sensex was up 4 tenths of a percent after the country announced a landmark trade deal with the EU.
24:25And that's the biz for this Tuesday.
24:28It's time for a check on the weather.
24:42Snow might be slowing down in northern Japan, but it's still slowing, slow going for people in Hokkaido.
24:48Our meteorologist Jonathan Ohr has the details.
24:53Hello. We've been talking about how the snow intensity has been waiting a bit for those located in the northern and northeastern portions of Japan.
25:02But there's still a lot of snow on the ground. That's causing some problems.
25:06Take a look at this video. We're gonna go to Sapporo where snow may be easing in the region, but it was still slow going for those trying to get around Tuesday.
25:13JR Hokkaido said about 330,000 people were impacted by delays and cancellations of their trains Monday and Tuesday.
25:21The snow depth for Sapporo remained close to a meter.
25:24That's causing problems for drivers on the roadways.
25:26Now, as transportation issues are expected to continue, officials are asking people to check the latest information before attempting to head out just to save themselves some time, especially when it comes to the trains by checking out the websites and things like that.
25:40We are looking at the snow to kick back up as we go in the next couple of days.
25:45We'll have a little break in Sapporo as we go into Wednesday. Then we'll see the snow picking back up down toward the south, relatively dry.
25:52And we're seeing temperatures hovering around 9, 10 degrees in places like Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka as we go through the rest of this week.
26:00Snow, again, continuing to be in the picture as we go through the rest of this week in Sapporo.
26:04We brought out the view back toward the west and other portions of East Asia. High pressure is the controlling factor.
26:12Chile from Ulaanbaatar at 15 below zero, Beijing at one.
26:16Seoul, we're looking at sunny skies, but minus two for the high as we go through Wednesday.
26:21It's been freezing cold across a good portion of North America, especially even into the deep south, seeing that frigid temperatures and some of the hardest temperatures, the coldest temperatures going through Tuesday morning before we see the rebound.
26:34And looking at more snow coming into the picture as another low crosses over the Great Lakes here.
26:39So places like New York and Toronto looking at some snow, temperatures staying well below freezing, minus six in New York, minus eight in Toronto, minus ten in Chicago.
26:47And Oklahoma City staying below freezing throughout the day as we go through Tuesday.
26:51Hope you stay warm and hope you have a good day wherever you are.
27:04Have a good day.
27:22Have a great day.
27:24that concludes this edition of newsroom tokyo don't forget you can always catch our program
27:39on our website too i'm rajah prada and i'm yamasawa rina thank you very much for watching
27:44please join us again tomorrow
27:54you
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