Latest from NHK
NHK
an hour ago
- General
- NHK
Japan's Emperor and Empress visit 2014 Hiroshima mudslide disaster site
Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako have visited an area in the city of Hiroshima that was devastated by a rain-triggered disaster 11 years ago. Localized downpours in August 2014 caused mudslides and landslides at a total of 166 locations in the city. Currents of mud and debris struck residential communities at the foot of the hills, resulting in 77 fatalities, including those who died later due to related causes. The couple visited the Yagi district in Asaminami Ward on Friday. The area suffered great losses of life from the disaster. Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko visited the district as reigning emperor and empress in 2014, four months after the catastrophe. Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako were briefed by land ministry officials on the sand-control dam built at the site where houses had been swept away. The couple bowed in the direction of where 23 lives were lost. They went on to visit the Hiroshima City Torrential Rain Disaster Memorial Center, which exhibits the testimonies of survivors and documents rebuilding efforts based on the lessons learned from the disaster. The center was built in 2023. The Empress asked the director of the facility, who is a survivor himself, if his house had been completely destroyed. The Emperor asked how the survivors' accounts were collected. The couple also met with people who were affected by the disaster. The Emperor offered encouraging words to a survivor who lost his mother and his house in a mudslide.
NHK
an hour ago
- Politics
- NHK
Netanyahu: Israel can destroy all of Iran's nuclear sites without US help
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his country is capable of attacking all of Iran's nuclear facilities without US support. Netanyahu was interviewed by an Israeli TV station on Thursday. Asked whether a uranium enrichment plant in Fordow could be attacked with or without US involvement, Netanyahu said, "We have the power to remove all our targets, all their nuclear facilities." The Fordow complex reportedly lies about 80 meters underground in a mountainous area of central Iran. The administration of US President Donald Trump is reportedly considering military intervention upon Israel's request, and the use of so-called bunker-buster bombs to destroy the Fordow facility. US news site Axios on Wednesday quoted Israeli government sources as saying Israel alone could cause huge damage to the Fordow complex. The sources said Israel made a surprise attack against an underground missile plant in Syria last September. They said Israel may not have to rely on the "bunker buster." Trump issued a message on Thursday saying he will decide within two weeks whether to take military action against Iran.
NHK
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- NHK
Japanese TV personality Kokubun Taichi to be removed from popular weekly program
Tokyo-based commercial broadcaster Nippon TV says personality Kokubun Taichi will be removed from a popular weekly program due to multiple compliance-related problems. Kokubun is the keyboard player for the pop group TOKIO. He is a regular member of NTV's weekly variety show "THE TETSUWAN DASH," or " The Iron Dash." NTV President Fukuda Hiroyuki held a news conference from 1 p.m. on Friday. Fukuda said NTV had confirmed that Kokubun engaged in multiple problematic acts and decided it would be inappropriate for him to continue appearing on the program. NTV said it cannot reveal any details of the incidents that occurred from the viewpoint of protecting privacy. The TV station says it does not intend to file a criminal complaint.
NHK
2 hours ago
- Business
- NHK
Japan plans fuel subsidies amid Israel-Iran oil supply threat
Japan's government says it will introduce fuel subsidies to counter possible spikes in prices, should the fighting between Israel and Iran disrupt crude oil supply. The government says it will subsidize oil wholesalers to keep the pump price of regular gasoline around 175 yen, or 1.2 dollars, a liter, even if crude prices jump. It will provide the same level of subsidy for light oil. The support for kerosene and heavy oil will be roughly half of the gasoline subsidy, while aviation fuel will be about 40 percent. The government says the program will kick in on June 26 and last for some two months. It will be funded from the existing budget. The support comes on top of a fixed subsidy to oil wholesalers already in place. That program began last month to stem rising gasoline prices and the subsidy has gradually increased to 10 yen per liter. Japan's Industry Minister Muto Yoji stressed the subsidies will be temporary. "Considering decarbonization efforts, this support program for fuel is not something that can continue indefinitely," he said. Muto said the subsidies are to help support the daily lives of citizens through July and August, when gasoline demand typically increases.
NHK
3 hours ago
- Politics
- NHK
Putin pressures Ukraine to accept memorandum for peace treaty
Russia's President Vladimir Putin has pressured Ukraine to promptly accept Moscow's memorandum on a potential peace treaty. Putin spoke to media representatives in St. Petersburg on Thursday. He referred to the direct negotiations with Ukraine that took place in May and June in Istanbul. Putin said: "If they don't reach an agreement, the situation may change for the worse for them. There is no need to drag it out." The two countries exchanged memorandums during the negotiations. Russia is seeking the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the four regions in Ukraine's east and south that Moscow claims it annexed. Russia is also calling for Ukraine's neutrality. Ukraine has dismissed the proposals, saying Russia only repeated its previous assertions. Russia's defense ministry said on Thursday that Russian troops had "liberated" a village in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk. Russia forces have repeatedly launched large-scale drone and missile attacks on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, while trying to expand the areas under their control in Ukraine's east and south.
