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00:11Hello, and thank you for joining us on Newsroom Tokyo.
00:14I'm Raja Paran.
00:15Here are the headlines.
00:17Iran seizes two ships in the Strait of Hormuz
00:20as questions swirl about how much longer
00:22its ceasefire with the United States will hold.
00:25What prompted NATO to send an unprecedented delegation
00:28of ambassadors to Japan last week?
00:30We find out.
00:32And we have a report from Afghanistan
00:34on how the Taliban are pushing women to join religious schools.
00:40Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says
00:43it seized two vessels near the Strait of Hormuz.
00:46It claims they were operating without the required authorization
00:49and tampering with their navigation systems.
00:52Reuters says it's the first time Iran has seized ships
00:55since the conflict with the U.S. and Israel began.
00:59This footage was aired on Iranian state TV early Thursday morning.
01:04The BBC says one of the vessels is a Greek-owned cargo ship
01:08and suffered extensive damage after coming under Iranian fire.
01:12It reports the IRGS said the ships were headed toward the Iranian coast.
01:17White House spokesperson Caroline Levitt said in a Fox News interview Wednesday
01:22that as the vessels weren't U.S. or Israeli ships,
01:26their seizure did not violate the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran.
01:30Meanwhile, the United States is continuing its blockade of Iran.
01:34U.S. Central Command announced Wednesday
01:3731 vessels have been turned back so far.
01:40It says the measures have been implemented not only in the Middle East
01:44but other regions as well,
01:45and most of the vessels were oil tankers.
01:49U.S. President Donald Trump announced Tuesday
01:52he was extending the original two-week ceasefire agreed with Iran.
01:56Now he's told the New York Post
01:58a second round of peace talks could begin as early as Friday.
02:02But Iranian leaders appear to be rejecting that idea,
02:05raising questions about how long the ceasefire will hold.
02:09Officials in Pakistan have been mediating the negotiations.
02:13The newspaper cites sources in Islamabad as saying
02:16there have been positive efforts with Iran
02:19and more talks could happen in the next 36 to 72 hours.
02:24Trump told the paper the timeline was possible.
02:27But Iran's Tasneem News Agency wrote on social media
02:31Trump had lied again.
02:33It says officials have not decided to join any talks on Friday.
02:37Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohamed Bagheer Galibaf
02:41posted his own comment.
02:42He says the ceasefire is meaningful
02:45only if it's not violated by the U.S. blockade.
02:48U.S. news site Axios quoted a source as saying
02:52Trump is willing to wait another three to five days,
02:55but it says the extension will not be open-ended.
02:59However, White House spokesperson Levitt
03:01denied a timeline even exists.
03:04She says Trump hasn't set a firm deadline
03:06and the Iranians are in disarray.
03:10There's obviously a lot of internal division.
03:12This is a battle between the pragmatists and the hardliners in Iran right now,
03:16and the president wants a unified response.
03:19CNN has reported more details on why Trump may have extended the ceasefire.
03:24It says he huddled with top officials at the White House on Tuesday as the deadline approached,
03:29and Vice President J.D. Vance was ready to depart for Pakistan.
03:33The U.S. side reportedly sent Tehran a list of points for an agreement,
03:38but received no reply.
03:40Officials pressed Pakistan's army chief to get some kind of response
03:44before Vance boarded his plane.
03:46But hours went by with no answer.
03:49The report says the deadline was extended to give Iranian officials more time.
03:56The U.S. Defense Department says Navy Secretary John Phelan is stepping down.
04:01His departure follows multiple other replacements of senior military officers,
04:06including the Army chief of staff.
04:09A post from a Defense Department spokesperson
04:11says Phelan is leaving the administration effective immediately.
04:16A senior administration official told NHK President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
04:22had agreed the Navy needed new leadership.
04:25The Wall Street Journal quoted two informed sources as saying Hegseth fired Phelan
04:30because he and the Deputy Defense Secretary felt Phelan wasn't moving quickly enough
04:35on President Trump's shipbuilding priorities.
04:39Axios says Phelan and President Trump are said to have a good relationship,
04:43but Hegseth felt Phelan had bypassed the chain of command too much by talking directly to Trump.
04:58Facing a barrage of criticism by President Trump,
05:01NATO has been turning to Japan for tips.
05:04Last week, ambassadors and representatives from 30 NATO member states visited the country,
05:09the largest ever delegation of its kind.
05:11They were looking to discuss cooperation and mutual interests,
05:15but also to learn about how Tokyo approaches its relationship with the U.S.
05:20The NATO delegation's busy schedule included talks with several Japanese ministers.
05:27In a meeting with Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu,
05:31they exchanged opinions on support for Ukraine and the situation in Iran.
05:35In this security environment, it is important to cooperate more closely
05:41with like-minded and capable partners, such as Japan.
05:46Defense Minister Koizumi Shinjiro brought them up to speed
05:51on how Japan is responding to China's growing military power.
05:56It is essential that Japan and its allies and like-minded partners work in close coordination.
06:03NATO is keen to promote defence cooperation with Japan.
06:08Under pressure from the United States,
06:11NATO member countries have decided to raise their defence budgets
06:15to 5% of GDP by 2035.
06:19But Europe's defence production capacity remains limited.
06:24That's why the delegation also met with representatives from Japanese start-ups.
06:29The firms manufacture crucial products such as batteries for drones
06:34and engines for small satellites.
06:38For us, the European market is quite important.
06:41And also we are looking for some partners to deploy our technologies.
06:45The ambassadors agreed with the Japanese side to work together,
06:49both on developing technology and securing supply networks.
06:55I think the main takeaway is that both NATO and both Japan
06:59want to increase our cooperation and to deepen our partnership.
07:04I think now it's time to move a step further away, further in.
07:10The delegation had another important mission.
07:14They were looking for pointers on how to engage with the United States.
07:19President Trump has repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with NATO,
07:24but Europe knows it needs to keep the US involved in the region's defence.
07:30A visit to the US Navy Yokosuka Naval Base gave insights into how the US and Japan
07:37are working together on security.
07:40When we're out to sea, this is one of the busiest airports in terms of traffic rate.
07:46We've got a team of about 650 sailors, all very highly trained,
07:51who manage all of the functions on the flight deck.
07:55Many of the ambassadors said the visit to Japan had provided valuable food for thought.
08:02Yes, sir. Great question.
08:03We can see how much you concretely do together with the US
08:08and how important that is for them.
08:11I think we, different allies of the US and like-minded countries,
08:17we can learn from each other.
08:20And we're joined now by NHK Brussels Bureau Chief Sugita Satchio,
08:24who covered this story.
08:25Satchio, we just heard this was the largest ever NATO delegation to visit Japan.
08:29So can you tell us why now?
08:33There are a few reasons why NATO's ambassadors descended in force on Tokyo last week.
08:41One is that their meetings with high-level officials
08:44offered a chance to push for continued support for Ukraine.
08:48But there was also eager to learn how Japan is dealing with China's military buildup,
08:55especially while the country remains an important economic partner.
08:59This could help NATO member states navigate their relationship with Russia
09:04when the Ukraine conflict finally comes to an end.
09:07Right.
09:09Then, as you said in your report,
09:10they were also interested in Japan's relationship with the United States, right?
09:17Absolutely, yeah.
09:18The Japan-U.S. summit last month seems to have made an impression on other NATO member states.
09:25Many had speculated that President Trump's demands would put Japan in a tough spot.
09:31But in the end, the meeting seemed to go off without a hitch.
09:35The delegation wanted to hear directly if there was any secret involved in this.
09:41I think that seeing how Japan-U.S. alliance works in practice
09:45also shed light on their own country's relationship with Washington.
09:50After visiting the U.S. Navy Yokosuka base,
09:55one ambassador told me he thought Europe needs to work faster
09:59to meet the challenge set by Trump,
10:01which is increasing defense spending and contributing more to its own security.
10:07European countries know that the continued presence of U.S. troops
10:11and nuclear weapons on the continent is critical for their security.
10:16And there's a growing awareness that keeping Trump happy
10:20may be the best way to keep the alliance together.
10:24Otherwise, this Japan visit may have ended up being more like a graduation trip.
10:31Sachio, thank you very much for all your insights.
10:33NHK Brussels Bureau Chief Sugita Sachio.
10:47Next, an expert says the strong earthquake off the coast of northeastern Japan on Monday
10:52may have occurred in an area known for what are called slow-slip events.
10:57And he says this seismic phenomenon could be expanding.
11:01The government's Earthquake Research Committee says the magnitude 7.7 quake
11:06could have occurred at the boundary between the landward tectonic plate
11:10and the Pacific plate that's subducting beneath it.
11:13Scientists have observed slow-slip events at this boundary before.
11:17These gradual, silent movements of tectonic plates do not cause noticeable tremors,
11:22but they may trigger earthquakes nearby.
11:25The red dots on this map here show the area where large slow-slip events have occurred
11:31off the coast of Tōhoku since the beginning of this year.
11:34It also shows significant earthquakes that have taken place in the same area since 2025.
11:40Monday's earthquake occurred around the red dots as well.
11:45Uchida Naoki of the University of Tokyo says the effects of the slow-slip events
11:49may be extending to the north side of the epicenter of Monday's quake.
11:53There was a major quake in the same area about 30 years ago.
11:59We expect this area to have a big slide at some point,
12:02and that will cause a major earthquake.
12:05Slow-slip events don't end quickly and can last for a long period.
12:09We need to pay attention to seismic activities around this area.
12:17The Japan Meteorological Agency has issued an alert
12:20for a potential mega-quake in northeastern Japan.
12:23The alert covers 182 municipalities in coastal areas of the prefectures of
12:29Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, Ibaraki, and Chiba.
12:35People in those areas should follow the advisory until next Monday.
12:40It does not call for advance evacuation.
12:44Two wildfires have broken out in Iwate Prefecture in northeastern Japan
12:49and are continuing to spread.
12:53To ensure the safety of our residents,
12:55we are working closely with disaster prevention agencies
12:58to extinguish the fires as quickly as possible.
13:03One of the blazes started Wednesday in Kozuchi,
13:06a mountainous area of Otsuchi Town.
13:09Fire authorities said they received a report shortly before 2 p.m.
13:13When they reached the scene,
13:14there were also seven buildings burning, including one home.
13:19Authorities said another wildfire was confirmed
13:21in the Kirikiri area of the same town on Wednesday evening.
13:25They said it was dangerously close to homes.
13:29Teams of firefighters are working to contain both blazes,
13:32but town officials report as of 6 a.m. on Thursday,
13:35about 200 hectares had burned.
13:38The town has issued an evacuation order for more than 2,500 residents.
13:44I could see the smoke from my house.
13:47I fled.
13:48Our house was not affected by the tsunami
13:51in the Great East Japan earthquake in 2011,
13:53but it caught fire and was completely destroyed.
13:57It hasn't been that long since we rebuilt it.
13:59And now, another fire?
14:03Town authorities say there have been no reports so far
14:06of anyone unable to evacuate safely,
14:08but one woman was injured in a fall at an evacuation center.
14:13The Japanese government on Thursday morning
14:15set up an information liaison at the crisis management center
14:18in the prime minister's office.
14:20Staff there are working to gather information
14:22and confirm the extent of the damage.
14:26As Japan faces an ongoing labor shortage,
14:30an NHK survey has found nearly half the country's 47 prefectures
14:34have memorandums with foreign governments to secure workers.
14:39NHK learned 20 prefectures have signed such memorandums.
14:43Their partners include administrative authorities in Vietnam,
14:47Indonesia, India, and Nepal.
14:49The prefectures have pledged to develop suitable work environments
14:52and living arrangements for foreign workers
14:55in fields such as agriculture, tourism, and nursing care.
14:58They've also agreed to other measures,
15:01including regular information exchanges.
15:03As of the end of last October,
15:05the number of foreign workers here in Japan
15:07had reached a record 2.57 million,
15:11but about 40 percent of them are concentrated in Tokyo
15:14and its three neighboring prefectures.
15:16One expert says local governments
15:18are increasingly taking the initiative to attract foreign workers.
15:24When it comes to reliably securing foreign labor,
15:27there are suboptimal disparities
15:29in the level of support provided by local governments.
15:32I believe the central government should give more guidance
15:35on how to support foreign workers.
15:39Manjome says foreign workers who start out in rural areas
15:42often relocate to bigger cities.
15:45He says if local governments gave them support
15:47to learn Japanese and integrate with Japanese residents,
15:50they might not be so inclined to move away.
16:02Now let's see how markets have reacted
16:04to the latest developments in the Middle East.
16:07Yuko Fukushima joins us from the business desk for that.
16:09Yuko, what was the mood among Japan's stock investors?
16:12Right, it was volatile, Raja.
16:14Tokyo's benchmark Naked 225 stock index
16:16crossed the 60,000 level on Thursday.
16:19That's a record intraday high.
16:21Then the sell-off began
16:22and the index ended the day lower than it started.
16:25Buy orders led the way soon after the opening
16:28with strong interest shown for AI
16:30and semiconductor-related shares.
16:32That pushed the Nikkei above the 60,000 level
16:35for the first time.
16:36But later, many investors locked in profits.
16:39Selling caused the index
16:40to finish three-quarters of a percent lower
16:42at 59,140, ending its three-day winning streak.
16:47The intraday record followed the announcement
16:49of an Iran ceasefire extension
16:51by U.S. President Donald Trump.
16:54Investigators have been reacting...
16:56investors have been reacting sharply
16:59to the U.S.-Iran move,
17:00spying on growing expectations
17:02for an end to the conflict.
17:04The Nikkei fell significantly in March,
17:06but the trend turned upward
17:08at the beginning of this month.
17:11Japanese officials are trying to learn more
17:13about a potential threat to banking security.
17:16Their concerns are focused
17:18on a groundbreaking new AI model,
17:20and they've called for a meeting
17:21with leading financial institutions.
17:23The model is called Cloud Mythos,
17:26developed by U.S.-based startup Anthropic.
17:29This cutting-edge AI is said to be exceptional
17:32at identifying vulnerabilities
17:34in operating systems and web browsers.
17:37There's growing concern
17:38that this capability could be exploited by hackers.
17:41Financial Services Minister Katayama Satsuki said
17:45her agency wants to hear
17:47what Japan's financial institutions have to say.
17:50A meeting could happen as early as Friday.
17:54First, we'd like to review the status
17:56and exchange ideas.
17:58We want to discuss issues
17:59that are beginning to be pointed out
18:01in various places
18:03in the international financial community.
18:06Among those taking part
18:08will be the Bank of Japan,
18:09three megabanks,
18:10and the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
18:13The European Commission
18:14is scrambling to ensure
18:16member nations have enough jet fuel.
18:18Its latest measures
18:20are part of a broader effort
18:21to deal with energy shortages
18:23triggered by the Iran conflict.
18:25The coming months
18:27will be filled with uncertainties.
18:30The crisis will hit
18:31different member states
18:33in different ways.
18:35As we cannot predict everything,
18:37we must be prepared for anything.
18:41Jorgensen's comment
18:42follows a series of proposals
18:44published by the Commission on Wednesday.
18:46The aim is to coordinate
18:48the region's response
18:49to the global energy shock.
18:51The European Union's executive body
18:53says it will establish a system
18:54to track levels of transport fuel
18:57in the EU.
18:58It says this will enable
18:59swift identification
19:00of potential shortages
19:02and help in releasing
19:03emergency stocks.
19:05The commission is also looking
19:07into alternative jet fuel supplies
19:09to optimize distribution.
19:11It notes that imports
19:12account for about 40 percent
19:14of jet fuel consumption
19:15in the European Union,
19:16half of which pass
19:17through the Strait of Hormuz.
19:20And that's it is
19:21for this Thursday.
19:22Thank you very much, Yuko.
19:24Now, let's go to
19:25Thra Thirakosan
19:26at our bureau in Bangkok
19:26for stories making headlines
19:28across the Asia-Pacific region.
19:30Thra.
19:32Foreign and defense ministers
19:34of Cambodia and China
19:35have held so-called
19:37two-plus-two talks
19:38for the first time
19:39in Phnom Penh.
19:41They agreed to boost security
19:42and other bilateral cooperation.
19:47Cambodia's top diplomat
19:48and defense chief
19:50Tse Ha sat down
19:52with Chinese counterparts
19:53Wang Yi and Dongjun
19:55on Wednesday.
19:56A Cambodian defense ministry
19:58official says
19:59the meeting will further advance
20:01building community
20:02with a shared future
20:03in the new era.
20:05On the Chinese side,
20:07Wang noted Beijing
20:08is willing to continue
20:09offering humanitarian aid
20:11for Cambodian border
20:12resident resettlement,
20:14with last year's conflict
20:15between Cambodia
20:17and Thailand in mind.
20:19Amid the ongoing tense
20:21relations with Thailand,
20:23Cambodia appears
20:24to be strengthening ties
20:25with China.
20:26Under their existing
20:28defense cooperation,
20:30Cambodia earlier this month
20:31received a Chinese-built
20:33corvette warship
20:34at Riem Naval Base.
20:36The facility has undergone
20:38expansion with financial support
20:40from China.
20:42The UN Refugee Agency
20:44reports that around
20:45900 Rohingya refugees
20:47went missing or died
20:49last year during sea crossings
20:51in the Andaman Sea
20:52and Bay of Bengal.
20:54It says this was
20:56the deadliest year
20:57on record for maritime
20:58movements in South
21:00and Southeast Asia.
21:03Rohingya Muslims
21:04are a minority group
21:06facing persecution
21:07in Myanmar.
21:08Many have fled
21:09by crossing the border
21:11into neighboring Bangladesh.
21:12But facing harsh conditions,
21:14some are trying
21:16to get to countries
21:17such as Malaysia
21:18and Indonesia,
21:19where many fellow
21:20Muslims also live.
21:23The UN agency
21:25said last Friday
21:26that more than 6,500
21:28Rohingya refugees
21:29attempted perilous
21:31sea crossings last year.
21:34This sad trend
21:36and tragic trend
21:38continues.
21:39There's a sense
21:39of desperation
21:40in the Rohingya.
21:41A crowded boat
21:42that left Bangladesh
21:43last month
21:44is believed to have
21:45capsized,
21:46leaving an estimated
21:47250 people missing.
21:50Nine people
21:51were later rescued.
21:54Why would I go to Malaysia
21:56if food and medical
21:57treatment were available
21:58here in the camp?
21:59My parents do not
22:00have enough for themselves.
22:02Who would feed me
22:03if I lived with them?
22:04It has become
22:05very difficult for them.
22:09The agency says
22:10severe funding shortages
22:12have sharply reduced
22:13humanitarian aid
22:14in Bangladesh.
22:16In refugee camps,
22:17deteriorating security
22:18as well as
22:19limited education
22:21and work opportunities
22:22are pushing refugees
22:24into more dangerous
22:25onward movement.
22:28Since regaining power
22:29in Afghanistan
22:30in 2021,
22:32the Taliban
22:32have prohibited
22:33girls and women
22:34from receiving education
22:36beyond elementary school level.
22:38The group has instead
22:40been pushing them
22:41to join madrasas
22:43or religious schools
22:44focused solely
22:45on Islamic teachings.
22:46NHK World's
22:48Otak Yusuke reports.
22:52A new school year
22:54has begun
22:54in Afghanistan.
22:56Taliban officials
22:57welcomed students
22:58with an ornate
22:59opening ceremony.
23:01Absent from the occasion
23:03were girls.
23:05The UN says
23:06the number of women
23:07in Afghanistan
23:08unable to get
23:09secondary education
23:11or higher
23:11stands at
23:12about 2.2 million.
23:16Meanwhile,
23:17the Taliban
23:18have been
23:18on a madrasa
23:19building spree
23:20putting up
23:21the religious school
23:22across the country.
23:24The number
23:25operating nationwide
23:26has surged
23:27to more than
23:2820,000.
23:31We obtained
23:33special permission
23:34to film
23:35inside one.
23:36This madrasa
23:37was established
23:38three years ago
23:39in Herald province
23:41in western Afghanistan.
23:43About 300 females
23:45aged 12 to 18
23:47study here.
23:54The students
23:56are learning
23:56how to read
23:57the Quran.
23:58They are trained
23:59intensively
24:00until they can
24:01recite it
24:02from memory
24:02with proper
24:03pronunciation.
24:06Madrasas
24:07are Islamic
24:08educational institutions.
24:10They traditionally
24:11train religious
24:12figures
24:13teaching them
24:14the Quran
24:15and the Islamic law.
24:17In some countries,
24:18they also
24:19offer subjects
24:20such as
24:21mathematics.
24:24But not
24:24madrasas
24:25operated by
24:26the Taliban.
24:27They are
24:28limited to
24:28Quran recitation
24:30and lessons
24:30based on
24:31the group's
24:32own interpretation
24:33of Islamic law.
24:38We are Muslims
24:40and we must
24:40learn the Holy Quran.
24:42Women should
24:42come here
24:43and continue
24:43to know
24:44their beliefs
24:45and religious rules.
24:51In practice,
24:53enrollment
24:53can be more
24:54than just a
24:55suggestion.
24:57with Afghanistan
24:58in economic
24:59crisis,
25:00the Taliban
25:01have been
25:02providing aid
25:03to impoverished
25:04families.
25:05But receiving
25:06it is often
25:07conditional
25:08on children
25:09attending
25:09madrasas.
25:1215-year-old
25:14Arzu Muhammad
25:15started going
25:16to one
25:17seven months ago.
25:24Arzu's father
25:25died of illness.
25:26Her mother
25:27is a bird
25:27from working
25:28under Taliban
25:29restrictions.
25:31The family
25:32now relies
25:32on food aid
25:34such as
25:34wheat and
25:35rice
25:36given by
25:36the group.
25:38Arzu
25:39had a dream
25:39of learning
25:40medicine
25:40and contributing
25:42to society.
25:43But she
25:44is being forced
25:45to abandon it.
25:50When I was
25:51studying,
25:52I wanted
25:52to become
25:52a doctor.
25:53But now
25:54that schools
25:54are off limits,
25:55the only path
25:56left is
25:57to become
25:58a professional
25:58reciter
25:59of the
25:59Koran.
26:03Despite
26:03the rise
26:04of madrasas,
26:05the Taliban's
26:06strict
26:06education
26:07bans
26:08continue
26:08to cast
26:08a long
26:09shadow
26:10over the
26:10future
26:11of Afghan
26:11women
26:12and the
26:12country
26:13itself.
26:14Ota Yusuke
26:15NHK World.
26:19And that
26:19wraps up
26:20our bulletin.
26:20I'm
26:21Krat Yirakao-san
26:22in Bangkok.
26:32And now
26:33here's a
26:333-day outlook
26:34on the
26:34weather
26:34for selected
26:35cities
26:35around the
26:36globe.
26:36and
26:38to
26:39the
26:39And that
27:05might be
27:32And that concludes this edition of Newsroom Tokyo
27:35Make sure you catch our program on our website as well
27:38I'm Roger Prada and from all of us at NHK World Japan
27:41Thanks for watching
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