♪ glad to have you with us on this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm raja pradhan with the news from tokyo. we begin in qatar with the men's soccer world cup. japan has stunned 2010 champion spain. the surprise victory sees the samurai blue through to the last 16. spain was in control in the beginning with alvaro morada scoring in the 11th minute. the kickoff at 4:00 a.m. japan time didn't dissuade hardcore

fans from tuning in for what most may have assumed was the team's last game. japan only really came into the reckoning after two attacking substitutions at halftime. it took just three minutes for doan ritsu to find the back of the net and tie things up. the controversial winner came when mitoma kaoru cut back a ball that looked to have gone out for tanaka ao to finish. a video review concluded after two minutes, the whole ball had not gone out of play. japan held on for a shock 2-1 win and its second giant-killing of this world cup. last week, japan came from behind to defeat germany. the samurai blue have advanced to the knockout stages for the second consecutive tournament.

>> in the other group "e" match, germany was trailing costa rica 1-2 at one point. but the four-time champion came

from behind to score three goals in a row, clinching victory. germany still failed to advance to the knockout stage for the second straight tournament. here are the final results of group "e." japan is at top with six points. spain is tied with germany on points, but it took second place due to goal difference. japan will meet the last tournament's runner-up, croatia, on monday. spain will play morocco on tuesday. history was made on thursday when a female referee took charge of a men's world cup match for the first time. frenchwoman stephanie frappart oversaw the game between germany and costa rica. the 38-year-old also had two other female officials on her team. neuza back of brazil and karen diaz of mexico were the assistant referees. the focus now is on future opportunities for female match officials. >> they could encourage women to do it more often, and after four years and the next one, they

could make it -- they could have half the matches should be done by men and half should be done by women. >> frappart was also the first woman to referee in the french ligue 1 and the uefa champions league. earlier, tashiro spoke with nhk's soccer correspondent about the transformation so far at this world cup. >> chiaki, what a huge and unexpected win for japan today. how did they pull this off? >> yes, kyoko, that was a big win for japan, actually. japan's victory against germany was a shock, but beating spain was an eruption. this was a powerhouse that beat japan on its own soil in the tokyo olympics semifinal. the win felt like a retaliation. the samurai blue is an unexpected rising team. it drew on a well-organized mix of new players and veterans.

doan and mitoma are young players on teams in europe. let's take doan. he picked up two goals in three games. the league is part of the bundesliga club. mitoma is so skilled with the ball, spanish players could barely keep up. those skills he brought to premier league club brighton and further developed. so it's a much different team since 1998 when japan played in a first of seven back-to-back world cups. at that time, no one played outside the domestic league from the j-league. >> and how did that change happen? >> japan's soccer association has put a lot of focus on raising this new generation. the j-league has a program that connects its players with school-age athletes. it is nurturing fresh talent and attracting more kids into the sport. some teams are selecting as many

as 1% of these kids to join one of their branches. so in japan, it's also becoming more influential across asia. as top japanese talent moves to europe, the league is creating a new path for players from thailand, vietnam, and indonesia. >> and that's definitely all good news for us, the fans here. now, what can they expect from the rest of the tournament? >> oh, yes. they have high expectations. some fans are even convinced the samurai blue could win the whole thing. japan next faces croatia, and it's a finalist in the last world cup. the match will be tough without a doubt, but fans hope to see the japanese squad manage another upset. coach moriyasu hajime says the latest win proves his team has the grit and determination to take a history-making trip to the quarterfinals.

>> so in those moments, moriyasu was thinking of a game he played right there in qatar. japan narrowly missed a chance to qualify for the 1994 world cup in a game remembered as the agony of doha. so 29 years later, there's a hope that agony will transform into the joy of doha. >> and expectations are definitely in the air. thank you for your insight. >> my pleasure. japan, south korea, and the united states have imposed new sanctions on a number of north korean officials and organizations. many are connected to the country's missile program. japan added three entities and one person to its list.

that includes the lazarus group, a north korean hacker group suspected of carrying out cyber attacks. >> translator: japan urges north korea to take concrete steps to resolve pending issues, including japanese abductees as well as its nuclear and missile programs. >> south korea imposed sanctions on eight individuals connected to pyongyang's missile development, as well as seven groups. washington also added the names of three people to its sanctions list. it comes roughly two weeks after north korea carried out its latest icbm missile launch. it was believed to have enough range to hit the u.s. mainland. next, ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy has appealed for his country to stand united. he was marking december 1st, the anniversary of the 1989

referendum to leave the soviet union. >> translator: ukraians will never again be the gears of some empire. we have already gained full independce, and we will ensure our state remains thatay. >> zelenskyy called on ukrainians to commemorate the historic event as his country remains onigh alert. ukraine's military says russia could launch fresh missile strikes against critical infrastructure at any time. last week, a wave of attacks knocked out power to millions of ukrainians. the united states and other partners have promised to help ukraine its energy supply issues, but the country is bracing for more blackouts as winter sets in. u.s. president joe biden says he's open to talks with russia's president but only if vladimir putin is open to peace. biden spoke at a joint news conference thursday in washington with french president >> i'm prepared to speak with

mr. putin if, in fact, there is an interest in him deciding he's looking for a way to end the war. >> he says talks with putin would done in consultation with other nato members. but the u.s. president says his russian counterpart has not yet suggested he's open to peace negotiations. biden also condemned moscow for bombing civilians and says his country must continue supporting the ukrainian people. the president of moldova is visiting japan this week. she says continuing solidarity with her country's neighbor, ukraine, is crucial to limiting russia's power. sandu has been in japan since thursday. she said russia's energy resources are being weaponized against those who don't support the country's invasion. >> we still have a conflict but

they decided unilaterally to cut by half the gas supply. we are buying gas on the market. for moldova, this meant increasing the energy price seven times in the last 12 months. >> sandu said she's called on japan's government for financial support. she also said she'll explore possibilities to cooperate with japanese investors to find alternative and renewable energies. the eu granted moldova and ukraine candidate status for membership in june. the president said to protect her country's democracy and freedom, she hopes to join the union as soon as possible. >> we believe that once we become part of the eu, we're going to feel much safer in the family of the eu states and are going to have great opportunities to develop economically, but also we will feel safer, a small and

vulnerable country. >> sandu stressed ukraine is fighting to defend not only its own freedom but also moldova's, and the country will continue to support its neighbor. state-run media in china says the ruling communist party will hold a memorial service early next week for former president jiang zemin. he died wednesday at the age of 96. jiang's body was transferred from shanghai to beijing on a special flight on thursday. chinese president xi jinping and other leaders were at the airport for an arrival ceremony. media reports say the memorial service ll take place tuesday at the great hall of the people in beijing. a funeral has t been scheduled. the event will be televised, and some public activities will be suspended. people around the country will be asked to observe a three-minute silence. meanwhile, there's concern about the timing of the meeting, which comes amid growing protests against china's zero-covid policy. analysts say chinese leaders are

worried it could lead to more demonstrations critical of the government. those protests were discussed during a meeting between xi and european council president charles michel. they have agreed to resume dialogue on human rights. the two met thursday for about three hours in beijing. protesters across china are fed up with strict anti-coronavirus measures, including restrictions on people's movement. the country has been trying to crack down on the demonstrations. china has not disclosed how xi referred to the issue during the talks. but after the meeting, michel made his views clear. >> t right of assembly is an important fundamental right guarante by international instruments and also by national constitutions. >> a spokesperson for michel says the leader also called on china to help end russia's invasion of ukraine.

china's foreign ministry says president xi responded that his country will remain on the side of peace and continue to play a constructive role in its own way. michel says they agreed russia's nuclear threats are irresponsible and highly dangerous. ♪ ♪ switching gears now to the weather. some residents of bolivia are dealing with a series of wildfires along with bad air quality. our meteorologist jonathan oh has details in our world weather report. >> hello. we've been talking in brazil we've been talking about heavy rainfall.

but to the west in bolivia, we're talking about a drier pattern that's leading to wildfires. here's a look at some video coming out of the country, as forest fires have blanketed the skies of la paz with dense clouds of smoke. authorities have urged residents to use face masks to avoid respiratory infections. the concentration of accumulate matter in the area increased seven to ten times. there are dozens of wildfires currently burning in the country, and meteorologists say the fires were caused by extreme drought, delayed rainfa,nd deforestation of farmland. it looks like we might have a chance for rain in la paz and northern areas of bolivia, but still, you need a lot of rain to really douse those flames. but that's going to maybe just be enough to help slow things down but not put an end to things. 17 the high and thunderstorms in la paz as we go through the day friday. storms from the rockies pushing into the upper midwest.

down toward the eastern seaboard, we're looking at some drier and warm conditions as high pressure is bringing some pleasant weather into the region. but we'll look at more heavier snow extending across the dakotas, into the great lakes, as we go through the day friday. winnipeg, minus 10 for the high with snowy weather and looking at a high of 16 in atlanta, 19 in oklahoma city. much warmer as we go into the day on friday. across japan, plenty of snow across the northern areas of the country. high pressure is really the dominant force that's helping to keep things on the cooler side. snow continuing as we go into the weekend. tokyo at 14, staying dry into sunday. osaka will see some rain coming up as we head into sunday. here's a quick look at the doha forecast for the world cup as we go throughout the next days. dry with highs in the upper 20s. hope you have a good day wherever you are.

and that concludes this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm raja pradhan in tokyo. coming up next is "newsline busy" with ramin mellegard, so don't go away.

♪ ♪ this is "newsline biz." i'm ramin mellegard. tokyo stocks fell sharply friday on growing concern over a further u.s. economic slowdown. that was after a key gauge of of american manufacturing activity was worse than expected, causing the yen to surge against the dollar. the nikkei average ended the day at 27,777, down 448 points or 1.6% from thursday's close. the index briefly dropped more than 550 points. the nikkei 225 retreated again

after its first advance in five trading days on thursday. investors unloaded shares across the board. export-related stocks were sold off after the yen strengthened. now, japanese government survey shows consumers were less optimistic for a third consecutive month in november due to the impact of rising commodity prices. the consumer confidence index of households is down 1.3 points from october. the cabinet office asked 8,400 households nationwide how they see their spending habits over the next six months, including car purchases. officials say the mood may be being weighed down by recent price hikes for daily necessities, leaving less money for buying new appliances and other goods. they say an increase in the number of coronavirus cases may have been a factor. the cabinet office revised

downward its basic assessment of consumer sentiment for the second straight month, describing it as weakening. that word was used for the first time since october 2019. now more than 60% of the respondents said they think prices will be at least 5% higher after one year. the figure is the highest since comparable data became available in april 2013. japan's largest railway operator is experimenting with a system that it hopes will lead to the introduction of driverless trains. the technology is designed to detect obstacles on train tracks. east japan railway invited the media to a demonstration on friday. a video camera in the driver's compartment captures scenes on the track if an object appears, the system analyzes images to determine whether a threat exists. the company plans to install the system in trains in service from

next fiscal year. it will collect data under various conditions such as wet weather and nighttime. >> translator: we will gather more data so that we can understand the system's accuracy and performance. >> in the future, jr east plans to operate driverless trains staffed by a single crew member. now, people and businesses in most of japan are bracing for a harsh winter. but the government is asking them to conserve their energy use in light of a tight power supply situation, as electricity demand is expected to rise. now, the request is the first of its type in seven years. unstable procurement of liquefied natural gas due to the conflict in ukraine is also a concern. the government is not setting a numerical target. instead, it is asking households and companies to make a reasonable effort to save electricity. some people are already getting

involved. officials at the arakawa amusement park in tokyo say they're going to do their part by keeping some lights off at their facilities. the facility normally keeps illuminations turned on every night this time of year. now it will only be on weekends and national holidays. a park official says visitors will have fewer chances to see the lights but asked for their understanding, as it is part of a nationwide power-saving effort. >> translator: if amusement parks like this are going to save electricity, then it makes us want to do the same. >> the government is also encourage is people to bundle up by wearing extra layers of clothes while at home and not setting thermostats too high. many retailers are pitching in to help people deal with the cold. the campaign runs nationwide through march 31st. meanwhile, japan's largest power generation company, jera,

is to restart aging thermal plants to government instructions to meet winter electricity demand. they're currently suspended. anagasaki thermal power station unit five in chiba prefecture near tokyo will resume generating in january. the unit had been restarted twice, in january and june this year. the unit was originally shut down in april last year and slated for decommissioning after more than 45 years of operation. but jera restarted it because of the tight power supply situation. companies also decided to resume generating at the plant's unit six in february. unit six was first fired up more than 40 years ago. units five and six can generate a combined 1.2 million kilowatts of electricity, enough for about 400,000 households.

okay, now let's take a look at what's happening in the week ahead. we'll have data tracking inflation in several countries, starting with turkey where prices have been surging. now on monday, the turkish statistical institute will release the consumer price index for november. the cpi surpassed 85% in october from a year earlier. the country's central bank last week lowered its policy rate for the fourth consecutive time. the decision ran counter to efforts by other major countries to curb inflation by raising interest rates. but the bank also said policymakers decided to end the rate-cutting cycle that started in august. now on wednesday, the german statistical office will announce industrial production for october. output rose by 0.6% month on

month in september. production of consumer goods and capital goods increased. in contrast, the most energy-intensive industries posted a decline. the office said enterprises had difficulty completing orders as supply chains were interrupted due to the war in ukraine and lingering distortions caused by the covid-19 crisis. on thursday, japan's finance ministry will release the current account balance for october. the figure is a measure of the country's trade and investment with the rest of the world. the surplus shrank in september due to the growing trade deficit. soaring crude oil and other energy prices, as well as the yen's rapid depreciation, boosted the value of imports. friday we'll get gauges of inflation from the united states and china. the impact of rising prices seems to be starting to weaken in the world's two biggest economies. the u.s. bureau of labor statistics will release the producer price index for

november. the pace of wholesale price increases slowed in october for the fourth consecutive month even though the level was still high. consumer inflation cooled as well. investors are hoping that will persuade the federal reserve did pause its rate hikes. the fed is scheduled to hold its next monster policy meeting in the middle of this month. china's national bureau of statistics will release the producer price index and consumer price index for november. the ppi fell 1.3% from a year earlier in october, the first decline since december 2020. economists say domestic consumption and manufacturing activity was hurt by china's zero-covid policy and the turmoil in the real estate industry. meanwhile, october's cpi increased by 2.1% on year on year. the pace slowed down from 2.8% in september. prices for food, tobacco, and alcohol increased. the price of pork surged by

nearly 52%. okay, let's get a check on the market is.

that's it for "newsline" busy from tokyo. i'm ramin mellegard. thank you very much for watching. ■■■■■q■q■ she is remembs

one-of-a-kind and talented beyond measure. ♪ time for a quick check of the headlines, democrats in the u.s. house of representatives have chosen akeem jeffries as the new party leader. the congressman from new york will succeed nancy pelosi in january. he is the first black person to lead a major party in congress. the u.s. military has confirmed the leader of isil has been killed in an operation carried out by the free syrian army in october. he is the second isil leader to be killed this year. here's more from washington dc. >>