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

Main news(2025/01/18)


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Russian government announces end of memorandum of understanding to operate Japan Center in the country

2025-01-18 22:05:00
The Russian government has announced that it will terminate the memorandum of understanding between the two countries regarding the operation of six Japanese centers established by the Japanese government in Russia. The Japanese side has stated that it will consider its future response, stating that "a unilateral suspension of activities is unacceptable."

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National men's relay race between prefectures opens in Hiroshima, sash passes in 7th section

2025-01-18 20:40:00
An opening ceremony was held in Hiroshima City ahead of the National Men's Ekiden, which will be held on the 19th in winter in Hiroshima, where runners from junior high school students to working adults will pass the sash to each other in a prefectural competition.

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Foreigners who continued to record the damage caused by the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake to help prepare their home countries for earthquakes

2025-01-18 20:04:00
Thirty years have passed since the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake occurred on the 17th, and many foreigners were affected at the time. One of them was Iranian Nemat Hasani, who studied earthquake engineering at Kobe University Graduate School as an international student. He has used his experience from 30 years ago in his home country of Iran, where earthquakes are frequent, to realize measures to prepare for the destruction of infrastructure.

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Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance “Banned from airing its own commercials on Fuji TV”

2025-01-18 19:04:00
Following a weekly magazine report alleging that Fuji TV employees were involved in a dispute between entertainer Nakai Masahiro and a woman, Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance announced that it would suspend its commercials from airing on Fuji TV. Nippon Life Insurance has also decided to suspend the airing of its commercials, and the focus is on whether this trend will spread among other companies.

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Mizuho Bank halts new applications for safe deposit boxes in principle

2025-01-18 17:03:00
Mizuho Bank has in principle suspended the acceptance of new applications for its safe deposit box service, which it operates nationwide. Following the arrest of a former Mitsubishi UFJ Bank employee on suspicion of stealing gold bars from a safe deposit box, industry groups have called for stronger management systems, and it is expected that there will be a growing movement to reconsider the nature of the service.

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Former Japan national soccer team player Kakitani retires as announced by J2 Vortis

2025-01-18 17:00:00
Yoichiro Kakitani, a former member of the Japanese national soccer team who played in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil and played for J-League club Cerezo Osaka, has decided to retire from active play.

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The ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will begin at 3:30 pm on the 19th, Japan time. Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs

2025-01-18 16:55:00
A spokesman for the Qatari Foreign Ministry announced on the 18th that a six-week ceasefire in the Gaza Strip agreed upon between Israel and the Islamic organization Hamas will begin at 8:30 a.m. on the 19th, 3:30 p.m. Japan time. Under the agreement between the two sides, Hamas will release 33 hostages during the ceasefire period, while Israel will release Palestinians held in prisons and other facilities, and withdraw its troops from densely populated areas of the Gaza Strip.

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President-elect Trump's inauguration to be held indoors for the first time in 40 years due to extreme cold

2025-01-18 14:12:00
The next president of the United States, Donald Trump, posted on social media that the inauguration ceremony, which was scheduled to be held outdoors in front of the US Capitol on the 20th of this month, will be held inside the Capitol building. Due to the severe cold weather expected on the day, this will be the first time in 40 years that the US presidential inauguration will be held indoors.

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US Treasury Department to implement special financing measures from the 21st to avoid default

2025-01-18 12:30:00
The U.S. Treasury Department has announced that it will take special measures to raise funds from the 21st of this month, as the government's debt and borrowings are in danger of exceeding the legal limit. Although this measure will postpone the situation where the U.S. government bonds go into default, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has urged Congress to expedite the response to the debt problem.

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Free telephone consultation for part-time jobs, spot work, problems and questions

2025-01-18 12:08:00
Free telephone consultations are being held by lawyers specializing in labor issues regarding issues and questions surrounding new working styles that utilize free time, known as "part-time jobs" or "spot work."

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First day of the Common University Entrance Examination begins, with reorganization of test subjects and subjects

2025-01-18 11:45:00
The Common University Entrance Examination, for which over 490,000 people are applying, began on the 18th. This is the first test to comply with the new curriculum guidelines, and the subjects and topics tested have been reorganized.

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Three men break into a house in Isesaki, Gunma, steal cash and other items, then flee

2025-01-18 11:39:00
On the early morning of the 18th, a group of three men broke into a house in Isesaki City, Gunma Prefecture, tied the hands and feet of the couple in their 70s who lived there, threatened them with what appeared to be a knife, stole their cash and other items, and fled. The police are investigating the incident as a robbery.

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South Korea's Yonhap News Agency: "President Yoon attends arrest warrant review"

2025-01-18 11:10:00
South Korean news agency Yonhap News reported that President Yoon Song-ryul will attend a court hearing at 2 p.m. on the 18th to determine whether to issue an arrest warrant.

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Fire breaks out in a room of a tower apartment in Tennoji Ward, Osaka; a couple in their 70s dies

2025-01-18 10:58:00
Earlier on the 18th, a fire broke out in a room in a tower apartment in Tennoji Ward, Osaka, killing a couple in their 70s who lived in the room. The area around the washing machine in the dressing room was heavily burned, and police are investigating the cause of the fire.

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National survey: Areas heading in a "bad direction" Prices and the economy are at the top, while disaster prevention is on the rise

2025-01-18 10:22:00
In a Cabinet Office opinion poll, when people were asked about the areas in Japan that are currently heading in a bad direction, answers related to the economy, such as "prices" and "the economy," ranked high, just as they did last year. Meanwhile, "disaster prevention" increased three-fold, and the Cabinet Office believes this may be due to the succession of disasters, such as the Noto Peninsula earthquake.

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[Breaking News] Gaza ceasefire agreement officially approved by Israeli government

2025-01-18 09:07:00
On the 18th, the Israeli government announced that it had formally approved a six-week ceasefire in the Gaza Strip starting from the 19th of this month, and a framework for the release of hostages, which had been agreed upon with the Islamic organization Hamas. The Israeli Netanyahu administration held a cabinet meeting on the 17th, and the Prime Minister's Office issued a statement saying, "The framework for the hostage release has been approved. The hostages will be released starting from the 19th of this month."

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[Breaking News] Roki Sasaki signs contract with the Dodgers, joining the ranks of Ohtani and Yamamoto

2025-01-18 09:03:00
Pitcher Roki Sasaki, who was aiming to transfer to the major leagues from the professional baseball team Lotte using the posting system, announced on his social media that he had agreed to sign with the Dodgers. Sasaki will be teammates with Shohei Otani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who played with him in the World Baseball Classic last year.

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Forest fire at JMSDF firing range in Etajima, Hiroshima continues to burn overnight

2025-01-18 08:20:00
A fire broke out on the 17th in a mountain forest on the grounds of a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force shooting range in Etajima City, Hiroshima Prefecture. Although the fire has weakened, it continues to spread more than 20 hours later, and firefighters and the Self-Defense Forces are rushing to extinguish the fire.

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The US Supreme Court rejects TikTok's lawsuit, effectively banning the app

2025-01-18 07:01:00
On the 17th, the US Supreme Court rejected a request from TikTok for a temporary injunction over a law that would essentially ban the Chinese video-sharing app in the US.

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30 years since the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake: Keiko Takeshita recites poems to pass on memory in Kobe

2025-01-18 06:38:00
On the 17th, which marked the 30th anniversary of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, a reading event was held in Kobe where actress Takeshita Keiko read poems submitted by citizens on the theme of the earthquake.

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Taiwan President Lai meets with former US Vice President Pence to warn China

2025-01-18 06:28:00
Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te met with former US Vice President Pence, who was visiting Taiwan, on the 17th. It is believed that President Lai aims to further strengthen cooperation with the US through meetings with important figures.

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Gaza ceasefire agreement: Hamas official stresses intention to release hostages in accordance with agreement

2025-01-18 06:14:00
Regarding the agreement between Israel and the Islamic organization Hamas for a six-week ceasefire starting on the 19th of this month and the release of the hostages, a Hamas official said, "We are ready to comply," emphasizing their intention to steadily implement the agreement and release the hostages. Meanwhile, in the Gaza Strip, attacks by the Israeli military have continued even after the announcement of the agreement, with 116 people killed so far, and the toll continues to rise.

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Fuji TV to set up third-party investigative committee to examine whether response was appropriate

2025-01-18 05:50:00
Following a weekly magazine report alleging that Fuji TV employees were involved in trouble between entertainer Nakai Masahiro and a woman, Fuji TV held its first press conference since the issue was brought to light on the 17th, announcing its intention to set up an investigative committee led by a third-party lawyer. The committee will investigate the facts surrounding the trouble, as well as whether the company's response was appropriate.

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Bank of Japan to consider interest rate hike at monetary policy meeting as many say "environment is ripe for rate hike"

2025-01-18 05:33:00
The Bank of Japan will hold a meeting to decide on monetary policy on the 23rd and 24th of next week to discuss immediate policy. There is a growing opinion within the Bank of Japan that the environment is now ripe for additional interest rate hikes, given the current economic and price situation and the moves by companies to raise wages, and this is expected to be considered at the meeting.

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The "1.06 million yen barrier" - company size requirements for joining the Employees' Pension Insurance to be phased out

2025-01-18 05:19:00
Regarding pension system reform, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has begun making adjustments to relax the company size requirement for part-time and other workers to join the Employees' Pension Insurance from the current 51 or more employees to 21 or more in October two years from now, and to abolish it in October four years from now.

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More than 490,000 people nationwide are scheduled to take the university entrance common test starting today

2025-01-18 04:49:00
The Common University Entrance Examination, for which over 490,000 people have applied, will begin on the 18th. This is the first test to comply with the new curriculum guidelines, and the subjects and topics tested have been reorganized.

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