NHK WORLD News 🇯🇵

⁣Malaysia's former PM Najib granted house arrest Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak will be allowed to serve the rest of his prison term in house arrest if he pays a fine. He was convicted of corruption regarding the 1MDB state fund. A board chaired by the country's king granted the pardon. Najib has been in prison since 2022. He was found guilty of charges including graft and money laundering as part of a financial scandal involving billions of dollars. The pardon allows him to stay under house arrest until August 23, 2028, if he pays a fine of about 12 million dollars. Najib was also sentenced to 15 years in a separate 1MDB case. That term is set to start after the current one ends, but he is appealing that case. Najib has consistently denied any wrongdoing, but did apologize for his handling of the scandal. Read Full Article HERE #Asia @NHKworld

⁣NBC: Pentagon weighing drastic troop drawdown in Europe The US Defense Department is reportedly considering withdrawing tens of thousands of troops from Europe. US-based NBC News carried the report on Thursday, citing current and former US and other Western officials. It said the cuts could reach 25,000, or roughly one-third of the total, or even up to 40,000, or half. NBC said Germany, Italy and Spain are among the countries that would likely be affected, adding that the leaders of all three nations have clashed with President Donald Trump over the US military operation against Iran. NBC says the prospect of a dramatic US troop reduction has alarmed both parties in the US Congress and European governments. It says opponents of the plan believe the cuts will "invite Russian aggression, sow doubts among US partners in other parts of the world and deprive the American military of logistical hubs that enable the United States to move its forces quickly to the Middle East or Africa." The Trump administration has been pressing other NATO members to play a bigger role in their own defense. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a six-month review of the US military presence in Europe at a meeting of NATO defense ministers in June. A Pentagon official told NHK that the department is engaging extensively with the State Department, Congress, NATO and US allies as part of the review. The official added that "the review is still ongoing." Read Full Article HERE #World @NHKworld

⁣Dujuan may approach Tokyo's Ogasawara Islands Severe Tropical Storm Dujuan is expected to come near Tokyo's Ogasawara Islands in the Pacific through Saturday. Weather officials are calling on people to be on the alert for storm-related incidents, such as high waves, strong winds and landslides. The Japan Meteorological Agency says the storm was moving west-north-west over waters south-east of Chichijima Island as of 9 a.m. on Friday at a speed of about 40 kilometers per hour. The storm has a central atmospheric pressure of 975 hectopascals. It has maximum sustained winds of 108 kilometers per hour near its center and maximum gusts of 162 kilometers per hour. Violent winds of more than 90 kilometers per hour are blowing within a 110-kilometer radius of its center. The agency says the storm is expected to approach the islands with a maximum wind speed of 83 kilometers per hour and a maximum instantaneous wind speed of 126 kilometers per hour. Rough seas are expected with waves of 7 meters. Heavy rain with thunder is also forecast. Up to 150 millimeters of rain could fall on the islands in the 24 hours to Saturday morning. People are advised to also be on the alert for lightning strikes and gusty winds. The storm is expected to move north to come near the Izu Islands on Sunday, and then approach the Pacific coast of eastern Japan, including the Kanto region, through around Monday. In the 24 hours through Sunday morning, 120 millimeters of rain is expected for Izu, 100 millimeters for Ogasawara, and 80 millimeters for Kanto. Up to 200 millimeters of rain may fall in Kanto and Izu in the 24 hours through Monday morning. The agency says rain clouds will spread to the north of the storm, and people in Pacific coastal areas of the Tokai to Tohoku regions should watch out for possible alert-level heavy rain from Sunday through around Monday, even before the storm approaches. The weather may affect traffic during the upcoming consecutive holidays. People are advised to check the latest weather information. Read Full Article HERE #Japan @NHKworld

⁣Japan arranging Takaichi-Trump summit Arrangements are underway for Japan's Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae to hold talks with US President Donald Trump next week in the United States on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Takaichi is due to travel to New York to deliver a speech during the General Debate at the UN headquarters. She is expected to outline how Japan plans to contribute internationally in light of the situation in the Middle East. If a summit with Trump goes ahead, the two leaders will likely discuss cooperation in a wide range of areas, including national and economic security, and reaffirm the importance of the bilateral alliance. Takaichi is also expected to reiterate Japan's stance on its strained relations with China and seek to align views with Trump ahead of his planned summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping next week. Read Full Article HERE #Japan @NHKworld

⁣UN finds 'reasonable grounds' for US war crime in Iran A UN human rights mission says there are reasonable grounds to believe the United States committed a war crime by launching a fatal missile attack on a school in southern Iran earlier this year. A Human Rights Council fact-finding mission on Iran released a report on Thursday. The mission investigated a strike on an elementary school in Minab, Hormozgan province, in February that left at least 160 people dead, including children. The New York Times had reported that the US military mistakenly set its target based on outdated data. The UN investigative team noted that the elementary school had been operating in converted structures of Iran's elite military unit, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. It said the US "failed in its obligation to do everything feasible to verify that it was a military objective" and launched the airstrike "while being aware of a substantial risk of striking a civilian object." The mission said it found reasonable grounds to believe that the US committed the war crime of launching indiscriminate attacks resulting in the loss of life or injury to civilians or damage to civilian objects. The report also covered attacks on a gymnasium and an elementary school in the southern Iranian town of Lamerd in February. At least 20 people were killed. It said the US military fired a missile that scattered small metal pellets in residential areas. It said that strike too could amount to a war crime. A US State Department official commented on the report. The official said the Trump administration formally withdrew from the UN Human Rights Council as it pushes anti-American rhetoric and antisemitism. The official added that the US does not give credibility to the findings of the UN report, and that the protection of civilians is of the utmost importance to the US. Read Full Article HERE #World @NHKworld

⁣Bullet train service fully resumes after Kumamoto quake The Kyushu Shinkansen bullet train has fully resumed operations after a strong earthquake struck southwestern Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture in July. Restoration work was completed between Kumamoto and Shin-Minamata stations, the last section of the line that was suspended. Service resumed on Friday morning on the entire Kyushu Shinkansen line for the first time in 52 days. The Kyushu Shinkansen suspended all service after the July 28 quake. It resumed operations between Hakata and Kumamoto stations by the end of July, and between Shin-Minamata and Kagoshima-Chuo stations on August 7. But service remained suspended between Kumamoto and Shin-Minamata stations as damage was found in over 1,000 locations, including tracks and facilities. Kyushu Railway Company says bullet trains connecting directly to the Sanyo Shinkansen line will operate at around 90 percent capacity compared to before the quake, as the trains need to slow down near Shin-Yatsushiro Station, where quake damage was severe. In Kumamoto Prefecture, the JR Kagoshima Main Line is still suspended between Uto and Yatsushiro stations. The local Hisatsu Orange Railway is also suspended between Yatsushiro and Higotanoura stations. The operators say they aim to fully resume operations around mid-October. Read Full Article HERE #Japan @NHKworld

⁣Japan arranging Takaichi-Trump summit Arrangements are underway for Japan's Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae to hold talks with US President Donald Trump next week in the United States on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Takaichi is due to travel to New York to deliver a speech during the General Debate at the UN headquarters. She is expected to outline how Japan plans to contribute internationally in light of the situation in the Middle East. If a summit with Trump goes ahead, the two leaders will likely discuss cooperation in a wide range of areas, including national and economic security, and reaffirm the importance of the bilateral alliance. Takaichi is also expected to reiterate Japan's stance on its strained relations with China and seek to align views with Trump ahead of his planned summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping next week. Read Full Article HERE #Japan @NHKworld

⁣Bullet train service fully resumes after Kumamoto quake The Kyushu Shinkansen bullet train has fully resumed operations after a strong earthquake struck southwestern Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture in July. Restoration work was completed between Kumamoto and Shin-Minamata stations, the last section of the line that was suspended. Service resumed on Friday morning on the entire Kyushu Shinkansen line for the first time in 52 days. The Kyushu Shinkansen suspended all service after the July 28 quake. It resumed operations between Hakata and Kumamoto stations by the end of July, and between Shin-Minamata and Kagoshima-Chuo stations on August 7. But service remained suspended between Kumamoto and Shin-Minamata stations as damage was found in over 1,000 locations, including tracks and facilities. Kyushu Railway Company says bullet trains connecting directly to the Sanyo Shinkansen line will operate at around 90 percent capacity compared to before the quake, as the trains need to slow down near Shin-Yatsushiro Station, where quake damage was severe. In Kumamoto Prefecture, the JR Kagoshima Main Line is still suspended between Uto and Yatsushiro stations. The local Hisatsu Orange Railway is also suspended between Yatsushiro and Higotanoura stations. The operators say they aim to fully resume operations around mid-October. Read Full Article HERE #Japan @NHKworld

⁣Taiwan donates over US$9 mil. for Kumamoto quake recovery Taiwan has gifted Japan with more than 9 million dollars in donations to support areas affected by the powerful earthquake that struck the southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto in July. Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung handed a deed of the donations to Katayama Kazuyuki, who heads the Taipei office of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, during a ceremony at Taiwan's foreign ministry on Thursday. The ministry said it had raised 300 million New Taiwan dollars, or over 9.4 million US dollars, by accepting donations from businesses and individuals through a newly opened bank account. Lin said he hopes Taiwan and Japan will join hands and deepen cooperation in disaster prevention and mitigation so that both can protect each other into the future. The minister added that he believes the people of Taiwan will visit Kumamoto again and offer whatever support they can. Donations to Japan are expected to grow as other municipalities of Taiwan, including the cities of Kaohsiung and Tainan, appeal for contributions. Companies and other entities have also expressed their intentions to donate. Taiwan has previously sent large donations to Japan following natural disasters, such as after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami and the major quake that jolted the Noto Peninsula in 2024. Read Full Article HERE #Asia @NHKworld

⁣Two years since pupil of Japanese school stabbed in China Friday marks two years since the fatal stabbing of a 10-year-old boy on his way to a Japanese school in southern China. The security of students commuting to these schools in China has tightened since the attack in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, in September 2024. Japan's education ministry says student numbers at these schools in China have been declining. They have fallen from 3,761 in 2024 to 2,982 in April this year. That is a drop of about 20 percent since the year of the attack. In a separate incident, a Japanese national in China was injured after being beaten with a stone-like object in July last year. She was with her child when the attack happened in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. It remains unclear whether she was targeted because she was Japanese. In July 2026, the head of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China, Homma Tetsuro, said that Japanese nationals in China still feel wary of their safety. He called on Chinese authorities to ensure a safe environment. Friday also commemorates 95 years since an incident that led to the Manchurian incident. The Japanese Embassy in China says the day is likely to draw anti-Japan sentiment. It is urging Japanese nationals to stay vigilant. Read Full Article HERE #Asia @NHKworld

⁣BOJ raises key interest rate to 1.25% The Bank of Japan has decided to raise its key interest rate by a quarter percentage point to around 1.25 percent. That's the highest level in about 31 years. The central bank announced the increase on Friday as it wrapped up its two-day monetary policy meeting. It's the first increase in three months and marks an accelerating pace for rate hikes. The BOJ had been raising rates roughly every six months. This rate hike was expected as the bank had signaled it would deal with the risk of sharp price increases. Governor Ueda Kazuo will give a news conference later in the day to explain the move and take questions. Read Full Article HERE #Biz_Tech,#Japan @NHKworld

⁣UN chief seeks international regulation on AI development UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for international regulation on the race to develop artificial intelligence, warning that the competition could lead to a global catastrophe. Guterres told reporters on Wednesday that global coordination is indispensable because AI and its risks do not stop at borders. He said, "Voluntary pauses that are isolated, unverifiable and unevenly applied will not address the problem." Guterres drew parallels with the nuclear arms race between the United States and the former Soviet Union during the Cold War, as well as nuclear disarmament talks. He urged countries with the highest AI capacity to "establish mechanisms of contact, of exchange of information, and some common guardrails in order to avoid this race to the bottom that could lead one day to a gigantic disaster at the global level." Guterres said international cooperation is more necessary than ever in the face of "three existential threats -- runaway artificial intelligence, the climate crisis and the intolerable deepening of inequalities." World leaders, including US President Donald Trump, are expected to speak at the UN General Debate, which begins on Tuesday. All eyes will be on the positions countries take on issues including the establishment of international rules for AI. Read Full Article HERE #World @NHKworld