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00:14I'm Roger Prada. Here's what's making the headlines.
00:18Switzerland says the next phase of negotiations between the United States and Iran has been
00:22postponed. As the U.S. dials back its involvement in NATO, other members of the bloc vow to
00:29step up their defense capabilities. And people in Hong Kong hope Japan's soccer team goes
00:35all the way in the World Cup.
00:39The next phase of negotiations between the United States and Iran has been postponed.
00:43The Swiss foreign ministry said the talks will not go ahead as planned. A memorandum of understanding
00:49was signed between the two presidents on Wednesday. Both sides now have a 60-day window to reach
00:55a final agreement aimed at ending their war. The U.S. had earlier said the talks would
01:01start Friday in Switzerland. But the White House said Thursday, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance,
01:07who was to lead the delegation, was delaying his trip. It said plans for the upcoming negotiations
01:13have not been finalized. Meanwhile, the U.S. says it's lifted the blockade on all maritime
01:19traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas as of Thursday. Iran maintains
01:26that under the MOU, commercial vessels seeking transit through the strait must submit their
01:32requests to the Persian Gulf Strait Authority. Iran set up the body to manage traffic through
01:38the strait. It added no fees or charges will be levied on applicants for a period of 60 days.
01:44The MOU states military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon, will be immediately and
01:51permanently terminated. But fighting has continued in Lebanon between Israeli forces and the Iran-backed
01:57Shia Muslim group Hezbollah. With the situation in Lebanon still uncertain, attention has shifted to
02:04whether technical talks between the U.S. and Iran will start in accordance with the MOU.
02:10The U.S. remains deeply involved in the Middle East, but it's been scaling back its engagement
02:15in Europe. NATO's other member countries have confirmed plans to fill this gap by boosting their
02:21own defense capabilities. NATO defense chiefs met at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels.
02:28Secretary-General Mark Rutte said it was a landmark moment of change for NATO.
02:35This alliance is going through a massive transformation, probably the biggest transformation
02:40in its history, to build this NATO 3.0. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth welcomed the decision.
02:50We're not going to allow freeloading anymore. Excuses don't count anymore. Our dues,
02:56our NATO dues, are contingent upon other countries stepping up. This is not a one-way street.
03:02Hegseth added the U.S. will review its troop deployments in Europe.
03:06A meeting on military aid for Ukraine was also held, attended by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
03:14The first is the number of unmanned ground vehicles. The second is long-range artillery,
03:21ammunition. Right now, there is not enough of either. We need both urgently.
03:27Germany, the Netherlands and eight other nations pledged financial support for a framework to
03:32purchase U.S.-made weapons and other equipment for Ukraine. Britain announced plans to provide
03:38air defense missiles, radars and other assets. China says one of its ships has conducted an
03:45environmental survey in waters east of Taiwan. It's latest in a string of maritime operations by
03:52Beijing aimed at asserting its jurisdiction over the waters. China's Ministry of Natural Resources
03:58says the survey lasted three days through Thursday. It adds the goal was to understand the ecological
04:05conditions of waters under Chinese jurisdiction. China has repeatedly carried out activities in the
04:11waters since early this month. They include patrols by Coast Guard and Transport Ministry vessels.
04:16Beijing says it was responding to a decision by Japan and the Philippines to negotiate a maritime
04:23boundary in an area including these waters. But its announcement of the Marine Survey did not
04:28refer to this. Taiwan's administration, led by the Democratic Progressive Party,
04:33has criticized the Chinese maritime activities as illegal.
04:38In other news, 11 people, including eight children, were hospitalized after a fire broke out at an
04:45elementary school in Tokyo's Kita Ward. Tokyo police and fire authorities received a report about the
04:52blaze shortly before 11 a.m. Friday. They say smoke was coming from near a music room on the fourth
04:58floor.
04:59About 350 students and teachers were at the school when the fire started.
05:04This video was recorded at around 11.30 a.m. by a man living in an apartment nearby.
05:10It shows children evacuating from a top-floor classroom. They can be seen climbing out of
05:16windows with the help of adults. Another video filmed by an area resident shows children waiting
05:22for firefighters with ladders to rescue them.
05:27The flames grew bigger and bigger and the smoke started to get worse.
05:31Then the fire kept growing until I couldn't even see the music room at all.
05:36I heard a bang and when I turned around, it was a fire. I was scared there was a lot
05:42of smoke.
05:44Tokyo police say among the 11 people taken to hospital, one child broke an arm during the evacuation.
05:51Another child and a teacher were also badly hurt.
05:55Authorities say everyone was evacuated from the school building.
05:58About 75 fire engines and other vehicles were mobilized.
06:02Authorities say it took about three hours to put out the fire.
06:14In the Men's Soccer World Cup, Japan came from behind twice to earn a 2-2 draw against the Netherlands
06:21in their opening match on Monday Japan time. Japanese fans were thrilled to see their team
06:25hold the Dutch, ranked 8th in the world. The performance by Moriyahe Hajime's squad was good
06:31enough to win admirers overseas.
06:37People in Hong Kong were impressed by the way Japan battled.
06:44They really played as a team. They don't have superstar players, but they showed their team
06:49spirit. So I'm very satisfied. If Japan maintains this will to win, I think they'll go far.
06:57They'll definitely get a better result than they did last time.
07:00In downtown Hong Kong, Japan jerseys are a common sight.
07:10This fan was wearing the jersey of Japan midfielder Kamada Daichi.
07:16In the match against the Netherlands, a teammate's header took a deflection off Kamada
07:21and found the net for a dramatic equalizer.
07:27I wear this when I go to work. I put my work uniform over it, but when I head home,
07:32I'm still
07:33wearing it.
07:35Another fan was sporting Japan's away kit.
07:41I chose this one because it has a vintage look and it's easy to pair with everyday clothes.
07:47For many fans, Japan shirts have become fashion statements as well.
07:54At a specialty soccer apparel store in Hong Kong, rows of Japan national team shirts lie in the
08:01shelves. The store carries around a dozen Japan shirts, ranging from 1990s classics to the current
08:08World Cup edition. England remains the most popular national team strip here, partly due to Hong Kong's
08:16history under British rule. But Japan ranks second among the store's best-selling national teams.
08:24Hong Kong has long had a strong interest in international soccer. As more Japanese players
08:30have found success overseas, support for Japan has grown among local fans who see them as fellow
08:37Asians succeeding on the global stage.
08:40We've already sold more than 100 Japan jerseys. My generation grew up admiring players like
08:45Ura Kazuyoshi, Nakata Hidetoshi and Nakamura Shunsuke. Today, Japan has many stars playing overseas and they're
08:53popular with younger fans as well. They're popular with people of all ages." Supporters are eagerly awaiting
09:00Japan's remaining matches in this tournament. A Hong Kong fan community dedicated to Japan's national team
09:07has around 10,000 social media followers. At a recent get-together, fans proudly showed off their Japan
09:15memorabilia and shared stories about their favorite players. Some even brought illustrations they had drawn
09:23themselves. Among them was Lee Kanfai. Watching the anime Captain Tsubasa as a child sparked his interest in
09:33Japanese soccer. He has followed Japan's national team for 40 years, collected 38 different Japan jerseys,
09:41and checks player news every day.
09:46I could go on forever about what makes Japan special. Many Japanese players compete in major
09:53leagues around the world. They're constantly improving, and they can now go toe-to-toe with the
09:59strongest teams on the planet." His passion has even taken him to Japan to watch matches in person.
10:14Sometimes, Japanese supporters see my replica World Cup and ask to take photos. Even though we don't
10:20speak the same language, soccer connects us. Four years on from Japan's round of 16 run at the last World
10:32Cup,
10:33Lee and fellow supporters believe the team is stronger than ever.
10:42First, I want them to reach the round of 16, then the semi-finals, and winning the World Cup would
10:50be even better.
11:00Yes, an avid fan there with his longtime collection of Team Japan jerseys.
11:05Well, don't forget, Japan faces Tunisia this weekend in its second group game,
11:09and anticipation is definitely building among fans at home and abroad.
11:23A historic American manufacturing base is set to get a major facelift from its Japanese owner.
11:29Yuko Fukushima from our business has the details on that. Yuko.
11:31Thanks, Raja. Nippon Steel's multi-billion-dollar acquisition of U.S. Steel last year was a major
11:37industry consolidation that reshaped the market. The Japanese firm is now set to spend about
11:4211 billion dollars through 2028 to upgrade mills across America. Nippon Steel bought its U.S. rival
11:50last June for about 2 trillion yen, or more than 12 billion dollars. It's since sent about 100 employees
11:57to U.S. plants to help boost efficiency and output. One of those plants is Big River Steel in Arkansas.
12:03A secondment of Nippon Steel employees is sharing technical expertise with the local workers.
12:09The Japanese side is helping to maximize production of electrical steel used in EVs and hybrids.
12:19We pay close attention to even the smallest details in the manufacturing process.
12:24Now we need to bring that approach to this mill. Not only the technology, but also how to successfully
12:29blend the cultures. I believe this mill has the potential to become the strongest in the world.
12:37There's a lot of value in what Nippon has brought, and it's opened up just a lot of new doors
12:42and a
12:42new life for U.S. Steel with things that we wouldn't have done for quite some time. We were getting
12:46past ramp
12:47up stages, now into stages where we're operating the lines 100%, at least trying to get there from a
12:52productivity standpoint. And they've been very instrumental in all that capacity along the way
12:57with us. But revamping aging facilities remains a costly challenge for the Japanese steel maker.
13:04The company's projection for work needed on just one plant in Pennsylvania has risen to two and a half
13:10billion dollars. That's more than double the initial estimate. Tokyo's Shibuya Award is a major draw for
13:17tourists coming to Japan. Well, one unwelcome result of its popularity is litter. And now,
13:23ward officials are working on a plan to keep the streets a little cleaner with so-called smart trash
13:28cans. The ward recently started imposing fines of 2,000 yen or around 12 dollars for littering.
13:35It also requires downtown restaurants and other businesses with takeout food to have their own
13:40garbage cans. And now, it's going a step further with a plan to install smart trash cans near the
13:47main station. The move is a response to complaints there aren't enough places in that area to dispose
13:52of litter. The high-tech bins allow garbage collectors to remotely check how full they are,
13:58and they automatically compress their contents to a fifth of their original size, two functions that are
14:04expected to help trim collection costs. Ward officials aim to install the trash cans this fiscal year,
14:10which ends next March. Now, it's become an almost routine story for us here on the BizDesk. Tokyo's
14:17benchmark stock index has hit yet another fresh closing high, extending its latest record-breaking
14:22run to five days. Now, hopes for an end to the conflict in the Middle East and the normalization
14:28of oil shipments continue to drive the Nikkei to do five higher. The index finished Friday at 71,250,
14:35up nearly three-tenths of a percent, led by AI and semiconductor-related shares. Earlier, it hit an
14:41all-time intraday high of 71,952, before briefly falling back into negative territory. Analysts say
14:50the bullish mood eased slightly after the U.S. said there's no decision yet on a plan for talks with
14:56Iran in Switzerland. In currency news, the Japanese yen fell to its lowest level against the dollar in
15:03nearly two years, a result of mounting speculation about rate rises in the U.S. The yen traded in the
15:11161 range in Tokyo on Friday. The U.S. Federal Reserve kept the key rate steady at its latest meeting,
15:17but some policymakers projected there could be rises within the year. Now, traders took the cue
15:23and sold the yen, pushing the dollar to the upper 161 level in New York overnight. That's the weakest
15:29the Japanese currency has been since July 2024. Traders aren't expecting the gap between the benchmark
15:36rates in the two countries to narrow anytime soon, but analysts say Japanese authorities could intervene
15:41to stem a further fall in the yen. Now, where is inflation headed in Japan and what's driving it?
15:49Let's go to Jin Otani with BizPix for that.
15:58Let's take a look at the key business and economic stories for the week ahead.
16:03Germany's business climate index for June is due out Wednesday. The index fell in March and April,
16:10but showed signs of recovery in May. The U.S. releases its May personal consumption expenditures
16:17index on Thursday. In April, prices were 3.8 percent higher than a year earlier. Japan announces
16:25Tokyo's consumer price index for June on Friday. Price trends in the capital are viewed as an early
16:33indicator of inflation nationwide. The Tokyo CPI has been rising at a slower pace,
16:40and coming in at 2 percent or lower every month this year through May. That's despite higher crude oil
16:48prices following the start of the Middle East conflict in February. Government subsidies for utility bills and
16:55gasoline have helped keep a lid on consumer prices. Nakamura Kanako is an economist at the Daiwa Institute of Research.
17:04She expects the figure for June to increase by about half a percentage point to 1.7 or 1.8
17:11percent.
17:13The main driver is higher energy prices. The rise in crude oil prices has been passed through to gasoline as
17:23well
17:23as to electricity and gas bills. In June, government subsidies for electricity and gas are no longer in
17:32place, so the increase in energy prices is likely to be deflected directly in the CPI. Nakamura adds that high
17:43oil prices
17:43will also affect non-energy items as raw material and transportation costs rise. The ripple effect is
17:50expected to become fully evident in consumer prices from the second half of 2026 through 2027, with
17:58inflation likely moving above 2 percent. In an effort to slow inflation, the Bank of Japan raised its key
18:05interest rate to around 1 percent on Tuesday. That's the highest level in 31 years.
18:11The rate hike to 1 percent will help to cool prices, but its effect is likely to be limited. First,
18:21strong cost-push pressure stemming from the situation in the Middle East. Second, continued yen depreciation.
18:31Nakamura points out that this rate hike has already been largely priced in by the financial markets.
18:37As a result, it has not triggered a rebound in the yen. She says in order to stabilize prices,
18:44the yen's depreciation needs to be curbed, and she emphasizes that the BOJ must clearly signal its
18:51commitment to a sustained path of rate hikes rather than a one-off move.
18:57Now, the dollar-yen rate rises above 165. Upward pressure on prices tend to increase further,
19:07and we are now approaching that level.
19:12A memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran to end the conflict has been signed.
19:18The next question will be whether transit through the Strait of Hormuz is normalized and crude prices
19:24decline. I'm Gene Otani, and that's this week's Biz Picks.
19:31And that wraps it up for Biz for this week.
19:34Thank you very much, Yuko. Now, let's turn to Thra Tirako-san at our bureau in Bangkok for more
19:39stories making headlines across the Asia-Pacific. Thra.
19:45Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi turned 81 on Friday.
19:50The military-backed government says that she is under house arrest, but her location has not been
19:56disclosed and calls for her unconditional release are growing.
20:02Aung San Suu Kyi has been under detention since a coup in 2021. She was convicted in corruption and
20:09other charges in a trial held under military rule. There are growing concerns about her health.
20:16Her second son, Kim Aris, lives in Britain. He said in a video message that he doesn't know where
20:23his mother is, nor if she is well. If you could see us today, I know you would be deeply
20:31humbled
20:33by the immense global support, the flood of well wishes for your 81st birthday,
20:38and the echoing calls for your unconditional release.
20:44Aung San Suu Kyi's transition to house arrest was announced in April by the military-backed
20:49government. It was inaugurated after an election between December and January.
20:56Western countries and the United Nations have cast doubt on the vote's legitimacy,
21:01as it excluded pro-democracy candidates. Indonesia's central bank has hiked its key interest rate again
21:10in a bid to deal with the depreciating rupiah. The currency has plunged amid the situation in the
21:17Middle East. The Bank Indonesia made the decision on Thursday. It raised the policy rate by a quarter of
21:26a percentage point to 5.75 percent. In May, the bank sharply increased the rate by 0.5 points.
21:35It hiked it an additional 0.25 points earlier this month. Policymakers said the latest hike is meant
21:43to strengthen the rupiah amid global uncertainty. They also said it's a preemptive measure to maintain
21:51target inflation. The rupiah fell to its lowest level against the dollar earlier this month,
21:57at the 18,000 level. The second rate hike boosted the currency, but it remains weak. Investors point
22:05the finger at surging crude oil prices due to the situation in the Middle East. They also cite
22:12President Prabowo Subianto's economic policy, which has spending levels that have strained the country's
22:20finances. The Prabowo administration decided on Thursday to reduce the budget for its landmark
22:27free meal program to cut government spending. It says the move can save more than 3 trillion rupiahs
22:34or over 168 million dollars. Thailand is aiming to become a premier destination for health and wellness.
22:44Major hospital groups in the country are spending big to combine health care services with tourism
22:51in a bid to draw foreign visitors.
22:55Bangkok Duseet Medical Services revealed a plan on Friday to invest about 900 million dollars
23:02in a new flagship complex in central Bangkok. Completion is targeted by 2030.
23:08It will feature medical clinics, residential units designed for seniors, luxury hotels,
23:16and restaurants serving health conscious meals. Wellness tourists typically stay longer and spend more,
23:23raising expectations for the sector. Thailand wants to capitalize on its ability to provide
23:30advanced medical services at lower costs than in Europe and the U.S.
23:34Similar developments are underway on the resort island of Phuket. Bambungrat International Hospital
23:42is building a new facility for wellness tourism with a 130 million dollar investment.
23:50And that wraps up our bulletin. I'm Tra Tira Kausan in Bangkok.
24:05People here in Tokyo saw the mercury climb on Friday, but it looks like showers are on the menu
24:09or for the weekend. Our meteorologist Yumi Hirano has the forecast for here and elsewhere in our world
24:15weather report. The high in Tokyo exceeded 30 degrees on Friday, the first time since June 1st.
24:23But rain is expected to cool down temperatures over the weekend.
24:27One location in Kagoshima Prefecture already had over 200 millimeters of rain in just one day.
24:34More downpours are still likely in Kyushu on Friday, and the heavy rain will expand into
24:41Chukoku, Shikoku, and Hokuriku over the weekend. In the bigger picture across Asia, the same system
24:49is stretching along eastern and southern China, bringing downpours. And we have to monitor one
24:55more system. A tropical depression is expected to intensify into a tropical storm and then a typhoon
25:02over the Pacific. The storm is likely to approach Taiwan and Japan's Okinawa by Wednesday. A combination of
25:10tropical moisture and a rainy season front could bring downpours to Japan's main island of Honshu,
25:17so please keep an eye on that. Finally across Europe, an intense heat dome is dominating the west.
25:25It's only June, but one location in France already experienced over 40 degrees.
25:33A record heat wave is hitting western and southern Europe this week. In Paris, temperatures reached
25:40about 37 degrees on Thursday, and the locals gathered along a popular canal to cool down.
25:48Tourists in Rome also tried to escape the heat as temperatures soared to 35 degrees on Thursday.
25:56According to Reuters, exports say heat waves will become more frequent in the coming year.
26:04The heat will continue or intensify further on Friday. The high in Paris will be 39.
26:12That's all for now. Stay safe.
26:15Moved back.
26:27Moved back.
26:55Here's one last story before we go.
26:56The taste of summer has arrived in western Japan, and the fish are biting.
27:03Beware of the teeth. These are pike conger eels, or hamo.
27:07Workers at the port of Motonei were busy sorting the catch on Thursday.
27:11The largest one stretched about one meter long and weighed around two kilograms.
27:16Locals say hamo meat becomes fatter and sweeter in summer.
27:21They recommend cooking them as tempura or quick boiling.
27:24This year's haul is reported to be smaller than usual, hit by soaring fuel costs and labor shortages.
27:33All right, and that's all for this edition of Newsroom Tokyo.
27:36Be sure to catch the latest news on the NHK World Japan website.
27:40I'm Raja Pradaan, and from all of us here, thanks for watching.
27:55Newsroom México.
27:58Newsroom Tokyo.
27:59D
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