welcome to nhk newsline. china is prepping ahead with military exercises around taiwan. taiwan's defense ministry says chinese air and naval forces across the so-called media line dividing the taiwan strait. military officials in taipei are condemning the move as

highly procative. chinese forces began the exercises on thursday, following this week's visit to taiwan by u.s. house speaker, nancy pelosi. the taiwan defense ministry says they have nfirmed the median line crossing on friday morning. taiwan's armed forces responded with broadcast alerts as well as aircraft and naval patrols. ministering officials in taipei say they seek neither escalation nor conflict but they are committed to protecting their land and citizens. the median line is an unofficial buffer to help prevent accidental crashes between chinese and taiwan forces. chinese authorities have been asserting that they do not recognize the line. chinese fighter jets crossed the line earlier this week. on thursday the chinese military also launched multiple

llistic missiles as part of the drills. the japanese government said five of them fell inside japan's exclusive economic zone. they landed in waters near the southern prefecture of okinawa. this has caused concern at a local fishery cooperative. the organization on friday called on its members to refrain from fishing off of the coast >> it is frustrating that we have to stop fishing during this busy summer season. >> the okinawa governor says that the incident is extremely regrettable. he urged the de-escalation of current tensions. >> diplomacy should be conducted with commitment to building a relationship of trust from dialogue and on the premise that it will not cause anxiety for local residents.

>> the governor said he will ask the central government to urge beijing to refrain from such ballistic missile launches. meanwhile, the former japanese fleet manager shows anger with washington over pelosi's visit. he also pointed out that china appears to have shown consideration as it does not want to provoke the u.s. too much. a retired vice admiral and maritime -- said it is unusual to fire 10 missiles in the concentrated fashion even among current tensions. he said that kind of action could be taken as an act of war by the opposite side. what i can say is china has taken tough military measures. this was an opportunity to

convey beijing's position and ger to theunited states. i think it was expected in the s. fully unrstands that. >> missiles appear to be from --. the same type of missile that was fired during what is known as the taiwan strait crisis of 1996. >> it has been in use for a long time. its accuracy of hitting targets is well knn. it rarely lands in an unintended location and this suggests beijing carry out the latest launches with safety precautions in mind . activities but it is unlikely that it will fire ballistic missiles towar japan or u.s. bases in the country. japan's defense ministry said two chinese military drones flew between two japanese islands on thursday. it considers this to be part of

the chinese military drills. the ministry says the aircraft flew over waters between okinawa's main island and -- island. they later headed to chinese designated training zones to the east and south of taiwan where they remained for some time. later they flew between the two japanese islands and headed towards china. japan's air force has confirmed the drones did not enter airspace. >> we will take all possible measures with international law and self defense law based on protecting the country's land, territorial waters and airspace. >> the government will continue to closely monitor china's military activities.

now to nancy pelosi's visit to tokyo. u.s. house speaker met with the japanese prime minister at the top of the agenda was the heightened tension between china and the u.s. pelosi posed for the media at the prime minister's office. they discuss the situation with taiwan along with their country shared abilities and -- indo pacific. >> we confirm that japan and the u.s. will continue to work together closely to maintain peace and stability in the taiwan strait. >> this week, pelosi became the first u.s. house speaker to visit taiwan in 25 years ago she helped to -- on wednesday. the visit ignited anger on china that claims taiwan as an

inherent part of the territory. >> later on friday, pelosi held a news conference at the american embassy. she said the u.s. will not allow china to affect its relationship with taiwan. >> they will not isolate taan by preventing us to travel there. we have had high-level visiting senators in the spring and we will not allow them to isolate taiwan. they are not doing our travel schedule. >> pelosi said her trip was not about changing the status quo in taiwan or the region. >> as hong kong works 25 years of -- from britain. many are considering their futures. some have moved to europe and

others to north america. meanwhile, a meta-project in integrating the economies of hong kong and china as a whole is drawing growing numbers to the mainland in search of new opportunities there. >> this 55 kilometers sea bridge connects hong kong with -- province. a high-speed ain links ng kong and -- in 47 minutes ago those are part of an economic initiative. beijing is promoting the development of the so-called greater bay area. it aims to integrate the financial and trade hub of hong kong with nine cities in guangdong province. it will add casinos and tourist attractions to the mix and is home to about 86 million people. the regions combined gdp was

around $1.8 trillion. that is roughly the same as south korea or canada. one of the nine cities has been attracting hong kong businesses since the greater bay area plan was announced. this startup was launched in 2019. the founder and many of its employees are from hong kong. the company is now working on its own virtual-reality projec the major region reasons for setting up -- and beijing pushed for imports because the industry is estimated to be worth around $38 billion. local governments are also supporting startups. >> people from hong kong can receive a subsidy of up to $3500. measures include reductions or

exemptions on -- and rentals. >> the generous support measures appeared to be working. the number of hong kong businesses opting for -- has risen fourfold over the past four years. -- runs a support center from fellow hong kong nurse. -- started a business in mainland china. >> we set up a team specializing in financial matters because handling that on the mainline is difficult for hong kong companies. >> currently they help 120 firms investing in office- based. he believes relations between hong kong and mainland china will only strengthen. beijing is apparently came to capitalize on hong kong's edge to ensure stable growth in stark contrast to the political growth of the territory, the chinese government seems to be

treading carefully on economic matters. some experts say from a long- term perspective, if the economy has become to closely integrated, hong kong could have no choice but to fully jump the mainline system and practices. that may lead it to lose that edge. china's next step in the greater bay area will be closely watched. the united states and iran have resumed indirect talks to revive the 2015 deal limiting turnarounds to iran's nuclear program. leaders are gathering in vienna. the talks kicked off in the austin capital thursday. both sides are discussing a new proposal proposed by the you. know details of the plan have

been disclosed. the u.s. envoy says his country welcomes the eu efforts and are prepared for good faith attempts to reach a deal. iranian deputy foreign minister insisted that progress would depend on washington saying that the ball is in their court. the landmark 2015 agreement between iran and world powers aimed to curb tehran's nuclear program and nuclear sanctions. but former u.s. president donald trump, pulled washington out of the deal in 2018. negotiations to resume the agreement began in april of last year but the sides have been at an impasse since the previous rounds of talks in june . >> russian defense officials say their forces are hammering targets in eastern and southern

ukraine. they say missile attacks have killed enemy troops. ukrainian authorities say the strikes are hitting civilian targets. the governor of don't ask says russian shells hit a public transportation stop. eight people were killed four wounded including children. he said the russians are targeting citizens on a daily basis. ukrainian forces have launched their own offenses himself. british officials say their troops are using missile and artillery -- the strikes are hampering russian efforts to fortify the supply lines. leaders in the region and beyond are working to ensure that shipments of grain can be leave ports in southern ukraine program the first ship departed

monday and on its way to lebanon. turkeys defense minister said three others are getting ready to set sail and more cargo will be inspected in in stemple and cargo. kraine to load more russian president vladimir putin and -- want to discuss the issue face-to-face because they are scheduled to hold talks in russia on it is now time for the weather. heavy rain is impacting areas of japan. >> record-breaking heavy rainfall has hit the -- of the

nation. the third day in a row. the worst hit areas are --. 211 millimeters of rain fell in the space of six hours ago that is much more than the monthly rainfall for august and it is the all-time record. other areas saw 100 millimeters in the space of one hour. it called for ample moisture and cool air. there is a risk for landslides especially in the --. additional rain is definitely expected. we will continue to see unstable conditions as we go into saturday with thunderstorms and heavy rain possible and western and central japan. the aware of more flooding as well as landslides. -- has been dealing with the aftermath of record-breaking heavy rainfall will see sunny weather on saturday but rain

will likely return saturday. sunny weather on saturday but temperatures will be dangerously hot, so be careful of heatstroke workup tokyo will see cool conditions. today's morning low was the coolest in a month but he will likely return next week. heavy rain is hitting the southwestern areas of the united states and floods have taken place in reno as well as phoenix. we have video coming out of there. heavy downpours caused flooding in parts of arizona and nevada wednesday and thursday. 40 milliliters of rain fell in one hour. fire crews rescued at least four people trapped in their vehicles. more rain is expected in nevada and temperatures will be hot and humid in the plains on friday.

that's all for this edition of nhk newsline.

thank you for watching and stay with us for more. japan's exports of farm items have hit a record for the first half of the year. the figure top %650 billion or about $4.9 billion amid rising global demand. the ministry of agriculture forestry and fishery set exports reached that amount in the january to june period that

is up 15% from the same period last year. ministry officials say the games were due to eating out more in europe and the u.s. as economic activity recovers from the peak of the pandemic. brisk online sales and the weakening of the yen were also factors. exports have jumped 60% in shipments of yellowtail rose 65%. japanese sake increased 34%. china was the top importer followed by the u.s. and hong kong. >> i believe this would not have been possible without the hard work of exporters amid a harsh environment including decreased shipping in materials cost. >> the japanese government aims to raise the value of food exports to $15 billion by 2025. >> japan's economy minister is urging -- to consider keeping

stakes in the energy project in russia's far east. -- was responding to moscow's decision to establish a new company to operate and liquefy natural gas project. >> the government and private sector can cooperate to protect the interest of japanese firms and a stable supply. >> russia launched a new firm and told companies they have one month to decide if they would like similar stakes in the project. he asked that the firm consider staying involved. officials say they plan to respond appropriately with the government.. >> -- says detailed conditions for investments have not been confirmed pick up the government would need to work together with the companies if the conditions are difficult.

japanese clothing retailer united arrows is joining a global movement to end the use of cotton allegedly made forced labor. the company said they would stop getting the material from the chinese autonomous region. >> -- >> announcer: cotton in the region would not be used starting with all of next year's autumn and winter products. they offer a range of clothing from several brands, some will stop using cotton as early as this coming autumn winter season. the retailer established guidelines in march that band forced labor and has been working with suppliers. the firm plans to inspect their factories to make sure they do not use materials related to forced labor. japanese apparel firm have already decided to ban the use of cotton goods print produced

in --. in the essential bank has used its key interest rate by half a percentage point. it is a bit to tackle the depreciation of -- against the dollar and high inflation. >> the reserve bank of india that the policy rate at 5.4% on friday. this is the third consecutive rate hike since may when the rate went up for the first time in three years ago the indian -- has weaken against the dollar. in mid july it hit its weakest level that is due to the u.s. central bank's aggressive rate hikes. india's annual inflation remained above 7% in june forgot that tops the upper tolerance level of 6%. rbi government says surging food and energy prices are destabilizing people lives in emerging countries. the bank will focus on bringing the inflation rate on his

target. a similar move took place in britain. the bank of england raised their key interest rate in 27 years ago the rate was raised on thursday to 1.75%. it is the sixth consecutive rate hike since last december. soaring energy prices pushed up the consumer inflation to 9.4%. that is the highest level in four decades. >> let's take a look at what is coming up in the next two weeks. indicators in inflation in the world's two largest economies, the u.s. and china, will be released. american authorities will come out with their consumer price index for july on august 10th. cpi jumped 9.1% in june from a year earlier. that was the biggest increase in more than four decades, soaring energy prices and labor

shortage are leading to higher prices. the labor department said that it was broad-based with the largest contributors being gasoline, homes and food. the federal reserve raised its key interest rate in july by three quarters of a percentage point. that was the fourth increase in five months. the aim is to get inflation under control. some experts say the sharp increase is beginning to affect consumer spending and other economic activities. we will also get the latest inflation data from china. the national bureau of statistics will release both the producer and consumer price indices for july. the ppi rose 6% from last year. it is the smallest jump in 15 months ago the company continues to buck the trend of accelerating prices for go the rise was due to the exemption of --, stable supply chains in keory sects and government

policies to stabilize commodity prices. the cpi for june increased 2.5% from a year earlier. that was the biggest rise in nearly two years although it remained low the country's target of 3%. in the following weeks japan will disclose its gross domestic product for the april to june period on april 15. summit the gdp shrank a rate of 0.5% in the january to march period. the decline was the first negative growth in two quarters. the pandemic has hit the services sector and was also a downturn in capital spending. analyst expect japan's economy to rebound in the coming quarters with a pickup in consumer spending. the cabinet office slashed its forecast from 3% to about 2% for this fiscal year, largely due to slowing overseas demand

for go it says the effect of russia's war in ukraine and china's strict lockdowns are affecting growth. >> japan's consumer price index will be released on the 19. inflation client 2.2% from last year. this is mainly due to higher energy costs and food prices. the bank of japan has set an inflation target of -- in a bid to pull the country out of inflation. the cpi has exceeded the rate for three consecutive months. officials say they will press ahead with their ultra monetary easing. they argue the current price rises are not sustainable or accompanied by higher wages or demand. >> finally, new zealand's bank will announce their position on key interest rates on the 17. they raise the official cash rate by 50 basis points to 2.5% in july making it the sixth interest rate hike.

it has been a front runner in withdrawing pandemic eras tumulus and has taken moves to curb inflation. consumer price increase 7.3% from a year earlier. that is the biggest jump in three decades. many economists expect the bank to raise rates by 50 basis points. the hotter than expected inflation has -- 75 basis point rate hike. the bank has plans to increase to 4% by the middle of 2023. let's take a look at the markets.

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♪ >> headlands on how to zero. iraq's influential share leader located outside or, is demanding an early election as the dialogue with the government is proven to be futile. he urged his supporters to continue with their sit in at the government building until their demands are met. there has been a political deadlock since last year's election. >> mof