This page is the news announced by NHK, a representative TV station in Japan.

Main news(2024/12/02)


Kyoto   Hakone

COP16 kicks off: focus on agreement among countries on desertification measures, funding, etc.

2024-12-02 22:32:00
The United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP16), which discusses measures to combat desertification, which is spreading around the world due to climate change, opened in Saudi Arabia on the 2nd. The focus is on whether countries can agree on measures and financial contributions.

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Swedish military research institute signs agreement with Nagasaki University for academic exchange

2024-12-02 21:55:00
The director of a Swedish research institute that analyzes the global military situation and warns of the threat of nuclear weapons visited Nagasaki University and signed an agreement to promote academic exchange.

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LDP Vice President Suga to visit South Korea from 15th, arranging meeting with President Yoon

2024-12-02 21:38:00
Suga, the vice president of the Liberal Democratic Party and chairman of the Japan-Korea Parliamentary Friendship League, is scheduled to visit South Korea for two days from December 15th, and is arranging a meeting with President Yoon Seok-yeol. Given that next year will mark the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and South Korea, he hopes to confirm the cooperative relationship between the two countries.

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58-year-old man arrested in Saitama for firing air gun at elementary school student from roof of house, denies charges

2024-12-02 20:59:00
A 58-year-old suspect was arrested in Hidaka City, Saitama Prefecture on the 1st for firing an air gun at elementary school students from the roof of his house. He has denied the charges during questioning.

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Kyoto Sake Brewers Association: Hokuriku Shinkansen extension to a route that will not affect groundwater

2024-12-02 20:08:00
Regarding the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Shin-Osaka, a union made up of sake brewers in Kyoto Prefecture has called on the city of Kyoto and others to choose a route that will not affect the groundwater used in sake brewing.

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Representative question session at the House of Representatives plenary session: First full-scale debate since the Lower House election begins

2024-12-02 19:56:00
In the Diet, the representatives of each party asked questions at the plenary session of the House of Representatives, marking the first full-scale debate since the House of Representatives election. Regarding the issue of politics and money, Constitutional Democratic Party leader Noda called for the realization of fundamental political reform, such as a ban on corporate and group donations. Prime Minister Ishiba, on the other hand, stated that he did not believe that corporate and group donations themselves were inappropriate, but emphasized his intention to aim for legal reform, including a further revision of the Political Funds Control Law, such as the abolition of policy activity expenses.

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Huge "One Piece" illustration unveiled at Kumamoto Airport to help with earthquake recovery

2024-12-02 19:38:00
As part of a recovery project following the Kumamoto earthquake, a giant illustration by Eiichiro Oda, the creator of the popular manga "One Piece" and a native of Kumamoto City, was installed at Kumamoto Airport, and an unveiling ceremony was held on the 2nd.

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Measures to deal with aging tunnels and bridges: Nearly 90% of local governments are considering removing them

2024-12-02 19:29:00
Two days ago, it was 12 years since the collapse of the ceiling panels in the Sasago Tunnel on the Chuo Expressway in Yamanashi Prefecture. As measures to prevent deterioration of tunnels and bridges nationwide are being implemented following the accident, a survey by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism revealed that nearly 90% of local governments are considering removing infrastructure facilities.

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Syrian and Russian forces continue airstrikes on rebel forces, fears of intensifying fighting

2024-12-02 19:28:00
In Syria, a Middle Eastern country where a civil war continues, anti-government forces have taken control of most of the major cities in the north that had been under government control, and are now stepping up their offensive, taking control of some of the key transport hubs in the center. Meanwhile, the Syrian army, supported by the Russian military, is reportedly continuing its airstrikes against the anti-government forces, raising concerns about an intensification of fighting.

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Volkswagen strikes in Germany over factory closures

2024-12-02 19:17:00
The labor union representing employees of German automobile giant Volkswagen has been negotiating with the company over factory closures and other issues, but as the company has not shown any signs of concession, it announced on the 2nd that it had begun a time-limited strike across Germany.

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Japan-China Opinion Survey: Chinese people have a "bad impression" of Japan, up sharply to over 87%

2024-12-02 18:39:00
The results of a public opinion poll conducted in Japan and China have been made public, showing that the percentage of Chinese people who said they had an unfavorable impression of Japan has increased significantly to just over 87%, the second highest on record.

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Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations to attend Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony to "communicate the reality of the atomic bombing"

2024-12-02 17:41:00
The Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, which will be attending the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony to be held in Norway next week, held a press conference on the 2nd. Representative committee member Hiromi Tanaka, who will be giving a speech on site, said, "We want to convey the kind of damage that the atomic bomb causes," and expressed his desire to convey the reality of the bombing to people around the world.

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JR companies to end sales of round-trip and consecutive tickets in March of next year

2024-12-02 17:35:00
JR companies have announced that they will end sales of "round-trip tickets," paper tickets that offer discounted fares for long-distance travel on the same route, in March of next year.

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Prime Minister Ishiba appeals on social media to "use the freelance consultation hotline"

2024-12-02 17:17:00
A law to protect "freelance" workers came into force in November, and Prime Minister Ishiba said he would support the government in ensuring that everyone is able to work in the way they wish, and called on people on social media to use a dedicated consultation hotline if they ran into any problems.

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59-year-old part-time employee arrested for road rage on national highway in Ome, Tokyo

2024-12-02 17:02:00
In March of this year, a 59-year-old part-time employee was arrested by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department for aggressive driving, including repeatedly swerving close to other vehicles, on a national highway in Ome City, Tokyo.

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Two people indicted in separate cases in Tokyo's Kokubunji robbery and assault case re-arrested; perpetrators?

2024-12-02 16:53:00
In connection with a robbery and assault case in September this year at a home in Kokubunji City, Tokyo, in which a female resident was assaulted and had her cash and other items stolen, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department re-arrested two suspects on the 2nd on suspicion of being involved in the assault and robbery. These suspects were previously arrested and indicted in a separate robbery and assault case that occurred in Saitama Prefecture.

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Japan Men's Volleyball Team's New Coach Tille: "Podium at the Los Angeles Olympics"

2024-12-02 15:59:00
Laurent Tilley, the new head coach of the Japanese men's national volleyball team, held a press conference and expressed his enthusiasm, saying, "I believe that by combining my experience so far, we can make even greater strides. I would like to aim for the podium at the Los Angeles Olympics."

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Takuya Onishi to become third Japanese to serve as commander of the International Space Station

2024-12-02 15:55:00
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has announced that astronaut Takuya Onishi, who will be on a long-term stay at the International Space Station next year, will become the commander during his stay. He will be the third Japanese to serve as the commander of the International Space Station, following Koichi Wakata and Akihiko Hoshide.

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CDP plans to submit opposition proposal for political reform to the Diet within this week

2024-12-02 15:15:00
Regarding political reform, Constitutional Democratic Party Deputy Leader Ogushi expressed his intention to quickly compile opposition proposals for each specific item, such as the abolition of policy activity expenses, and to submit those that can be agreed upon to the Diet within this week.

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Couple arrested for stealing driver's license at gym, creating fraudulent credit card, buying whiskey

2024-12-02 15:11:00
A couple in their 30s was arrested for stealing someone's driver's license in a sports gym locker room and using that information to buy 2.9 million yen worth of luxury whiskey with a fraudulently created credit card. It is believed that they made more than 70 cards using licenses and other documents left behind in a copy machine at a convenience store, and the Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the case, estimating that the total amount of damages could be as much as 95 million yen.

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Developing land-based aquaculture system using cutting-edge technology to sell to external businesses

2024-12-02 14:54:00
As more and more companies move into land-based fish farming, a system that uses cutting-edge technology to make it relatively easy to check information such as water temperature and to farm fish on smaller areas of land than before has been developed jointly by a major telecommunications company and aquaculture operators. The system will be sold to external businesses in the future.

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"Futehodo" Wins Annual Grand Prize Announced for 2024 New Words and Popular Phrase Awards

2024-12-02 14:01:00
The 2024 New Words and Buzzwords Awards were announced on the 2nd, with the annual grand prize going to "Futehodo," a reference to the commercial television drama "Futekigen mo Hodo ga Aru!", a comical depiction of a protagonist who travels back in time from the Showa era to the Reiwa era and struggles despite being confused by the differences in values.

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The government will submit the supplementary budget to the Diet on the 9th.

2024-12-02 13:06:00
At a board meeting of the House of Representatives Rules and Administration Committee on the 2nd, the government announced that this year's supplementary budget bill, which will support the new economic measures, will be submitted to the Diet on the 9th of next week.

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Miyagi Shiogama Shrine installs large votive plaques depicting next year's zodiac sign on the approach to the shrine

2024-12-02 12:52:00
With just one month left until the new year, a large votive plaque depicting next year's zodiac sign, a snake, has been set up at Shiogama Shrine in Shiogama City, Miyagi Prefecture.

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Lawyer and university professor file complaint against Governor Saito's campaign over social media use in Hyogo gubernatorial election

2024-12-02 12:02:00
Regarding the social media activities of Governor Saito, who was re-elected in the Hyogo Prefectural gubernatorial election, a lawyer and a university professor have mailed a complaint against the governor and his representative to the Kobe District Public Prosecutors Office and other organizations, citing suspicions that the contents of an article posted on a website by the representative of a PR company may have violated the Public Offices Election Act. The governor's side has so far stated that they do not believe they have violated the law.

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Memorial ceremony held 12 years after Sasago Tunnel ceiling collapse in Yamanashi

2024-12-02 11:20:00
December 2nd marks 12 years since the accident in which a ceiling panel collapsed in the Sasago Tunnel on the Chuo Expressway in Yamanashi Prefecture, killing nine people. A memorial service was held near the scene, where bereaved families mourned the victims.

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DMM Bitcoin to transfer customer assets following illegal leak by March next year

2024-12-02 11:02:00
Regarding the cryptocurrency exchange DMM Bitcoin, which was hit by the illegal leak of 48 billion yen worth of Bitcoin, it has been learned that an exchange under SBI Holdings will take over customer accounts and assets around March of next year.

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Former Big Motor surviving company BALM to apply for civil rehabilitation to district court

2024-12-02 11:01:00
BALM, the surviving company in charge of handling damages and other matters related to the fraudulent insurance claims by the former Big Motor, announced on the 2nd that it would apply for civil rehabilitation to the Tokyo District Court. The purpose of this is to make early repayments to creditors, such as customers whose cars were improperly repaired, with the involvement of the court.

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President Biden issues pardon to son Hunter Biden

2024-12-02 10:41:00
US President Biden announced on the 1st that he had signed a document granting a pardon to his son, Hunter Biden, who is facing charges including illegally purchasing guns.

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Trump to appoint daughter's father-in-law as senior adviser on Arab and Middle East affairs

2024-12-02 10:20:00
The next US president, Donald Trump, has announced that he will appoint businessman Boulos as his senior adviser for Arab and Middle Eastern affairs. Boulos is his daughter's father-in-law and is reportedly a confidant of the Palestinian side, and it is believed that he is planning to promote stability in the Middle East by appointing someone close to him.

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Domestic companies' operating profits for July to September fell 3.3% year-on-year

2024-12-02 09:00:00
According to the Ministry of Finance's Corporate Enterprise Statistics Survey, the operating profits of domestic companies from July to September this year were down 3.3% compared to the same period last year. Of this, manufacturing companies saw a 15.1% decrease, while non-manufacturing companies saw a 4.6% increase. In addition, capital investment by domestic companies increased 8.1% compared to the same period last year.

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Bear caught in a trap set up at a supermarket in Akita

2024-12-02 08:57:00
Regarding the bear that attacked a male employee at a supermarket in Akita City on the 30th and has remained inside the store since then, police confirmed that it was in a box trap set up inside the store at around 8:00 a.m. on the 2nd. Going forward, Akita City will consult with the prefecture and other parties to remove the captured bear from the store.

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President Zelensky: "Ceasefire negotiations are conditional on sufficient security guarantees"

2024-12-02 06:40:00
Regarding the possibility of starting ceasefire negotiations with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, "We can set the agenda after Ukraine's position has been strengthened," indicating his recognition that a condition for considering negotiations is that sufficient security guarantees are given, including the start of the formal process of joining NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization).

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Food prices to rise by April next year: At least 3,900 items

2024-12-02 06:31:00
A private research company has found that at least 3,900 food items are scheduled to undergo price hikes between January and April next year, with the number exceeding 1,000 in January for the first time in three months. The research company predicts that prices will continue to rise throughout 2025.

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International plastics treaty reaches consensus, gaps between nations remain unbridged

2024-12-02 06:21:00
The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, which was held in Busan, South Korea, to compile the first international treaty to prevent environmental pollution by plastics, reached its final day on the 1st, but the gap in opinions among the countries on the focal point of whether to set a global reduction target for plastic production could not be bridged, and an agreement was postponed in this negotiation. In the future, a new meeting will be held, and discussions will resume to compile a draft article based on the contents of this negotiation.

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Humanitarian situation in Gaza could worsen as Israel continues attacks

2024-12-02 05:57:00
As the Israeli military continues its fierce attacks on the Gaza Strip, NGOs and other organizations that have been providing food assistance to residents have been forced to suspend their activities, raising fears that the humanitarian situation will deteriorate further.

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New issuance of health insurance cards to be suspended from today to promote use of My Number health insurance cards

2024-12-02 04:43:00
In order to promote the use of the "My Number Health Insurance Card," which combines the My Number card and health insurance card, the government will stop issuing new insurance cards from the 2nd. People will be able to continue using their current health insurance cards for up to one year, and those who do not have My Number health insurance cards will be sent a replacement "Qualification Confirmation Letter," and the government has decided to strengthen public relations and awareness.

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The challenge is whether the new leader of the Ishin Party, Yoshimura, can restore the party's strength under the new system.

2024-12-02 04:10:00
Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura was elected as the new leader of the Japan Restoration Party in the party leadership election held on the 1st. Yoshimura plans to decide on key executive personnel changes within the next 2 days, including appointing Seiji Maehara as co-leader, and the issue is whether the party can regain its strength under the new structure.

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Parliament: From today, party leaders will be able to ask questions to the Prime Minister's policy speech

2024-12-02 04:08:00
In the Diet, the representatives of each party will begin questioning Prime Minister Ishiba's policy speech on the 2nd. The Liberal Democratic Party will ask for an explanation of specific measures to combat rising prices and raise wages, while the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan plans to press for the realization of fundamental political reforms, such as a ban on corporate and organizational donations.

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