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Newsroom Tokyo 2026 03 12
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00:12Welcome to Newsroom Tokyo, I'm Yamasawa Rina and I'm Raja Prada.
00:16Here are the headlines.
00:17A tanker goes up in flames after being attacked in the Persian Gulf as the conflict in the Middle East
00:23continues to widen.
00:25Countries around the Asia Pacific are feeling the effects of the disruption to global oil supplies as they struggle to
00:33mitigate the impact of soaring fuel prices.
00:36And 15 years after the devastating tsunami that struck northeastern Japan, a mother and father refused to give up hope
00:43of finding their missing child.
00:47American and Israeli forces are continuing their attacks on Iran and Iranian forces are fighting back.
00:54Now, more commercial ships in the Persian Gulf have been attacked in what may have been Iranian retaliation.
01:01A British marine organization says two tankers were attacked Wednesday off southern Iraq.
01:07Reuters news agency reports the attack killed one crew member.
01:11It says an investigation by Iraqi authorities found the ships had been hit by small boats laden with explosives.
01:18Sources say the boats appeared to be Iranian.
01:22Japanese shipping company Mitsui OSK Lines says one of its container ships has also been damaged.
01:28It says crew members on the ONE Majesty heard an impact Wednesday then found two holes at the stern.
01:36The ship was about 110 kilometers from the Strait of Hormuz.
01:40It can sail on its own but cannot currently leave the Persian Gulf.
01:45No injuries have been reported.
01:47The crew are all safe.
01:48The company says it's investigating whether the ship was attacked.
01:53France says the G7 leaders are considering providing escorts for ships in the Middle East.
02:00Yuko Fukushima from our business team joins us now.
02:03Yes, France released a statement after the G7 leaders held an online summit meeting on Wednesday.
02:09The country currently serves as chair of the Group of Seven Nations.
02:13The statement says the leaders agreed to coordinate efforts to bring about the restoration of freedom of navigation in the
02:20region.
02:20It goes on to say work is underway to explore the possibility of escorting ships once security conditions are met.
02:28It adds that the G7 encourages energy production in countries that can replace block capacity.
02:34It also stresses that the leaders reaffirmed their determination to maintain sanctions against Russia.
02:41In a related move, the International Energy Agency is planning the largest ever release of oil from its strategic reserves.
02:49It's an attempt to stabilize global prices which have surged in recent weeks following U.S. and Israeli strikes on
02:56Iran.
02:56The IEA is made up of 32 members including Japan, the U.S. and a number of European countries.
03:03They say they'll release 400 million barrels.
03:06The last time they tapped into their reserves was following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
03:12The IEA says oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz have plunged more than 90% since the attacks began.
03:21The most important thing for a return to stable flows of oil and gas is the resumption of transit through
03:30the state of Hormuz.
03:32The agency says it's watching developments closely.
03:36Well, the conflict in the Middle East has been shaking up businesses around the world.
03:40But even before it began, global trade had been seriously disrupted.
03:46Middle powers like Japan and those in Europe have had to rethink their roles in an environment that has changed
03:52dramatically.
03:53Right since he returned to power last year, Donald Trump has been imposing tariffs on goods from around the world.
04:00Japan, for its part, agreed to invest heavily in the U.S. in exchange for lower levies.
04:06And the U.S. is not alone in changing the rules.
04:09Just last month, China said it will ban the export of items with both civilian and military applications to 20
04:16Japanese businesses and groups.
04:18I had a talk with Adam Ward, a leading expert on geoeconomics.
04:22He began by explaining how middle-sized countries and their companies are rethinking their trade relationships with the big powers.
04:31Well, to a large degree, they'll have to take their cue from their respective governments.
04:36There is a debate going on in the EU as well as in Japan about what kind of balances to
04:41strike in trade relationships between the U.S. and China.
04:44I think speaking from a European perspective, there's much greater attention given to the need to de-risk both of
04:52those trade relationships
04:53and a greater sensitivity to over-dependence and over-reliance in critical sectors, in technology, in AI and computing, that
05:02there's a desire to ameliorate.
05:05The European Union is thinking very much of trying to sustain trade relations on a cooperative basis, but not to
05:12expose themselves to vulnerabilities.
05:14German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited China last month and met with President Xi Jinping.
05:21They pledged to strengthen their economic cooperation.
05:24British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited Beijing in January to firm up ties, including trade.
05:30Ward says it's not just about governments.
05:33Multinational companies need to do a lot more than just manufacture things and sell them to foreign markets.
05:41Companies, I think, need to equip themselves as best they can with an awareness, a situational awareness of what is
05:47going on in the world
05:48and to be conscious of the fact that there are often transmission effects from the geopolitical to the economic that
05:56previously would not have been anticipated.
05:58So the corporate strategy function has become more important.
06:02The legal function in terms of compliance risks, in terms of sensitivity to abrupt changes in regulation, awareness of that
06:10needs to grow.
06:11And corporate leaderships, CEOs, no matter how big or small the company, really need to develop a kind of an
06:18international perspective and to be conscious of their potential vulnerabilities.
06:23So how do you envision this new global trade system to be like?
06:30Well, I think it might almost be too much to describe it as a system.
06:34You know, in the international sphere, we've moved from a rules based international order to a deals based international disorder.
06:43And those deals are often very transient and temporary.
06:47So I think we have to brace ourselves for a continued period of turbulence in terms of trade relations as
06:54well as geopolitical relations.
06:56There's no way around that. Companies can't control what happens in the world outside, but they have to think hard
07:03about resilience, risk mitigation and other strategies such as that.
07:08Is there any possibility that this free trade, you know, agreements or system could be built away from the US
07:17or China, you know, among European and Japanese and Japan?
07:22I think there's an appetite among different countries that are like minded, have similar economic models, similar political models to
07:29explore that to the greatest degree possible.
07:32The European Union is looking to diversify its trade relationships in Latin America with Mercosur, in the Asia Pacific region
07:40with India and with others.
07:43And they're trying to reshape the trading system in that sense. At the same time, it has to be admitted
07:49that the institutions underpinning the trading order, like the World Trade Organization, are still in a state of paralysis.
07:57They are not decisive in terms of dispute arbitration or management or prevention.
08:02And in rule setting even, it's difficult to arrive at a new consensus.
08:09That is not going to change quickly.
08:11But it is possible for countries who think alike to act alike in terms of trade policy.
08:18Ward says the middle powers may be able to unite to create a new trade order, but it will take
08:24a great deal of time and effort, no matter what path they follow.
08:28And now to the markets. Well, currency traders were busy as the yen weakened against the dollar to a level
08:34not seen in one and a half months.
08:35That was when the Japanese and U.S. authorities were seen to have conducted what are known as rate checks
08:40to calm the rapid slide of the yen.
08:43Investors are worried the conflict in Iran will not end anytime soon.
08:47And here's how the pair is trading now.
08:49And to stocks. Well, the key benchmark in Tokyo, the Nikita 2-5, fell more than one percent.
08:55Traders sold as they worried the oil supply will not be enough.
09:00That was even as the IEA announced a major release of reserves.
09:03And the sentiment was shared by the rest of Asia.
09:07Some are concerned higher oil prices will stoke inflation.
09:10This comes as the WTI Global Oil Index again jumped above $100 a barrel.
09:16The Hansen in Hong Kong has slipped seven-tenths of a percent.
09:20And the Sunsaks in India was down more than one percent.
09:24And that's the news for this Thursday.
09:28The New York Times reports the U.S. military was at fault in a deadly strike on a school in
09:35southern Iran.
09:36It says a military investigation indicates the school was targeted based on outdated information.
09:44Iranian officials say the February 28th strike on an elementary school in Homosgan province killed more than 160 people, mostly
09:54children.
09:55The report on Wednesday said preliminary findings suggest it was the result of a targeting mistake by the U.S.
10:04military.
10:06President Trump initially claimed the attack was carried out by Iran.
10:12A new report says the military investigation has found it was the United States that struck the school.
10:17I don't know, though.
10:21The report says the U.S. military was conducting strikes on an Iranian military base adjacent to the school.
10:28But it says officers at U.S. Central Command created coordinates using outdated data provided by the Defense Intelligence Agency.
10:39In response to an inquiry by NHK, a central command official said it would be inappropriate to comment while the
10:48incident is under investigation.
10:52The repercussions from the conflict in the Middle East are increasingly being felt around the world.
10:58Rosalind Devavalia in our Bangkok studio tells us about the impact the conflict is having on the Asia-Pacific region.
11:08A Thai-flagged cargo ship was attacked on Wednesday near the Strait of Hormuz, sparking a rescue operation.
11:15Twenty of the 23 Thai crew members on board the vessel Mayuri Nari were rescued, but three remain missing.
11:23The Tasnim News Agency, which has links to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said the ship was attacked as it
11:30tried to pass through the strait in defiance of warnings by the IRGC.
11:34The Thai Navy says it's working with its Omami counterpart in the rescue operation and the repatriation of the Thai
11:42crew members.
11:46The three are engineers responsible for the machinery.
11:52Today, the Navy will expedite coordination to bring them safely back.
12:00Thailand's foreign ministry says it's requested a clarification from Iran's ambassador in Bangkok.
12:07The ministry says Thailand's foreign minister will join a special ASEAN video conference on Friday to discuss the situation in
12:15the Middle East.
12:16Countries around the Asia-Pacific are struggling to mitigate the impact of soaring fuel prices amid the conflict in the
12:24Middle East.
12:24The Philippine government has announced a fuel subsidy for public transportation drivers starting next week.
12:31The drivers of tricycle taxis in Metro Manila can expect to receive 5,000 pesos or 84 US dollars.
12:39The government plans to later expand the subsidy program nationwide and to include other vehicles such as jeepney buses.
12:51I used to earn 1,000 pesos but now it's only 500. I'm really feeling it.
12:57Thailand is also bracing for an oil shortage.
13:00The country's Jula Long Kong University has announced energy-saving measures that include setting the temperature of air conditioners in
13:08its facilities at no lower than 26 degrees Celsius and encouraging people to use the stairs instead of elevators to
13:16move between floors.
13:18It's also considering having staff work remotely.
13:24There are some measures that we'll have to adjust to, things we've never done before.
13:28So at first I was a little surprised.
13:30To cool down in Thailand, the easiest thing is to have a cold drink.
13:35For their part, airlines around the region have announced fare hikes and the suspension of flights.
13:41Australia's Qantas Airways says it'll increase the price of international tickets starting this week.
13:47Air New Zealand has announced it'll cancel about 1,100 domestic and international flights, roughly 5% of its total
13:56from next Monday to May.
13:59Thai Airways also plans to raise fares by 10 to 15%, while Air India is increasing its fuel surcharges.
14:08And that wraps up our bulletin.
14:10I'm Rosalind de Bovalia in Bangkok.
14:12Alright, thank you very much for that, Rosalind.
14:14Next, Wednesday marked 15 years since a devastating earthquake and tsunami struck the northeastern coast of Japan.
14:21The confirmed death toll from the Great East Japan earthquake stands at 19,711, including those who died from complications
14:31caused by the disaster.
14:33Another 2,519 people are still missing.
14:38Tonight, we meet a mother and father who refused to give up hope of finding their child.
14:44NHK World's Takaya Natsuko has the story.
14:51Every year, on March 11th, Suzuki Miho prepares her two children's favorite foods.
15:13This day 15 years ago, Miho and her husband, Yoshiaki, said goodbye to their children as they left for school.
15:22school. Kento was twelve. Hana was nine. They never came home.
15:35When the earthquake struck, Kento and Hana were at ÅŒkawa Elementary School, about four
15:41kilometres inland. Around fifty minutes later, a tsunami engulfed the school. Seventy-four
15:49students and ten teachers were killed. Kento's body was soon recovered, but Hana is one of
15:56four children still missing. Ever since, her parents have returned to the area again and
16:04again to search for her.
16:23In the months after the disaster, Miho wrote letters to her missing daughter.
16:30Hana, I want to hear your voice again. I want to see your smile. I miss you. Hana, I'm sorry.
16:42I haven't been able to find you. There have been small breakthroughs. A year after the
16:51tsunami, Miho found a torn jacket. Kento had been wearing it that day. In 2019, she discovered
16:59the missing piece at another location. But Hana still hasn't been found.
17:09When I came to my father, it was about 2 metres. I couldn't find it.
17:22For years, police and local authorities joined the search. But now, those efforts have been
17:29scaled back.
17:32I don't know if I can find it, but I don't know if I can find it.
17:37I don't know if I can find it. I don't know if I can find it.
17:49My daughter was finally identified and returned. The news strengthened Miho's resolve.
17:58I'm proud of my husband. I'm proud of my husband. I want to tell her to come back.
18:11I don't think it's true, but I think it's true, isn't it?
18:26Hana-san! Hana!
18:31Hana-san, I love you.
18:34Wow, it's delicious!
18:35It's delicious, Hana-san!
18:40It's a good idea.
18:42It's a good idea.
18:44It's a good idea.
18:45Hana-san, Hana-san, Hana-san, Hana-san.
18:47Hana-san, Hana-san, Hana-san, Hana-san, you can eat it.
18:49It's like everyone's talking about Hana-san.
18:52Hana-san, I'm going to go out there.
18:57Hana-san, I don't want to go out there.
19:05Hana-san, I could have a little bit.
19:08Hana-san, I'm going to have to go out there.
19:17Hana-san, I don't want to go out there.
19:23words when I think about all that the Suzuki's have gone through over the past
19:2815 years so you were with them when they offered the lunch boxes to the sea for
19:33their children right is there anything you can share about how it felt at that
19:39moment yes the beach is a place where many memories come back for the family
19:46it was where they used to enjoy picnics together when Miho and Yoshiaki called
19:52out to their children's they didn't look sad in fact they had smiles on their
19:58faces yeah hearing Kento and Hana's stories might you know as a parent myself
20:04you know left me speechless too at the same time but uh so Miho and Yoshiaki
20:09they've been searching for their missing daughter for 15 years now you talk to
20:13them directly um could you tell me what they were what's kept them going yeah
20:17after the disaster Miho quit her job so she could focus full time on looking for Hana
20:24and they did not just rely on searches conducted by the police and coast guard
20:30and local government they have spent every spare moment combing the areas
20:35around the school as well as the river banks and the coastlines where the tsunami
20:41might have carried her body they continued even after the authorities
20:45decided to dial back searches and in recent years a specialist in a ground
20:52penetrating later joined the search along with many volunteers so the support
20:57circle has gotten bigger and the searches have become more sophisticated but
21:04still they have found no trace of Hana then came the news of the girl whose
21:10remained were returned to her family finally 14 years and seven months
21:14after disaster for Miho and Yoshiaki that was a lay of hope and Miho told me how
21:21excited she felt when she heard the news so now they have a hope but all the
21:27same it must take an enormous toll on them both to keep searching for their
21:32daughter for so long right yeah yeah exactly they told me that they live in the
21:37constant knowledge that their children will never come back 15 years have been
21:44past now and Miho and Yoshiaki are now older now and the town has changed as well but
21:51in photos the children have remained the same never easing frozen time they said
21:57not a day goes by that they don't remember just painful fact at this site at the same
22:04time they keep asking if their children's deaths could have been prevented yes
22:10experts have said what happened at Okawa elementary school you know was
22:15avoidable so that's cool many lives could have been saved right they had
22:18evacuated the students yeah in 2019 the Supreme Court upheld a ruling that
22:25ordered the local governments to compensate families of the children who died the
22:30ruling say that school had failed to prepare enough before the disaster it
22:36sent a strong message to educators across the country but the Suzuki's still
22:43wonder whether schools today would be able to keep students safe if the same
22:49thing happened again that's why they continue to speak out to make sure their
22:55children did not die in vain and their fight for accountability and change can be
23:01heartbreaking but they say they will never give up thank you very much for
23:07this story let's go thank you so much now a group of people in Indonesia's
23:13Achi province has attended a ceremony to remember the victims of Japan's 2011
23:17disaster Achi suffered the brunt of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and people at
23:24the memorial pledged to pass on memories of the two disasters to future
23:29generations about 70 people took part in the event including university students
23:35and Japanese officials Tommy Mulya Hassan has been involved in relief and
23:40reconstruction efforts in both countries he emphasized the importance of sharing the
23:44lessons from the two catastrophes if we don't pass down the memory of these
23:52disasters future generations will grow up without knowing the true danger of
23:58tsunamis the participants then wrote messages in Japanese on paper cranes made by
24:05local students in a show of solidarity with people in Japan
24:10I hope the survivors wounds will heal soon it's important to remember what
24:16happened in the past so as to know how to respond in the future the 2004 Indian
24:23Ocean tsunami left more than 160,000 people in Indonesia dead or missing
24:28communities in both countries that have experienced similar disasters have been
24:33helping each other to better prepare for any future tragedies
24:47we shift gears now to a check on the world weather string storms including tornadoes are hitting
24:52parts of the United States and our meteorologist Yumi Hirano has the details in our world weather report
24:59powerful storms swept from the deep south to the northeast bringing wind gusts and tornadoes
25:06people in parts of Indiana have been experiencing disruptions
25:14violent storms spawned deadly tornadoes across Indiana on Wednesday the twisters damaged many homes and
25:23businesses a local resident who endured the storms said that they took cover in the bathtub several power
25:31lines were damaged leaving more than 20,000 people without electricity the system is expected to stretch
25:40along the east coast on Thursday there is a risk of thundershowers dusty winds and tornadoes
25:46especially from Florida to North Carolina on the other side of the continent moisture from the pacific is
25:54bringing a heavy rain to the north to the northwest with possible flooding heavy snow is also likely in higher
26:01elevations
26:03showers expected in Seattle and Vancouver the temperature in New York will be 18 but temperatures
26:10will drop down in the afternoon with some snow expected later in the day sunny skies are likely
26:16in LA with a high of 34 a heat advisory is in effect through Friday now moving to Japan a
26:25slow moving low pressure
26:27system is bringing snowfall to parts of Hokkaido on Thursday wet and heavy snow could lead to a risk of
26:35avalanches
26:36another storm is bringing intense rain showers to southern Kyushu but it's expected to move away from the
26:43mainland on Friday so cloudy weather is likely in Tokyo with a high of only 11 but warm spring conditions
26:51that's all expected to come back over the weekend that's it for now have a nice day
26:56go
27:35and that's all for this edition of newsroom tokyo don't forget you can
27:38always catch our program on our website as well and rajah pradhan and i'm yamasawa
27:43arena thank you very much for watching please join us again tomorrow
27:56you
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