hello and welcome to this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm raja pradhan with the news from tokyo. we begin in north korea where the sister of the leader says pyeongyang will launch another military reconnaissance satellite soon. she issued the statement a day after to launch the spy

satellite. it crashed into the yellow sea west of the korean peninsula. pyeongyang later confirmed it lost thrust due a problem with the second stage engine. state run media reported the leaders sister and senior official in the ruling workers party said leaders are afraid of pyeongyang having access to modern reconnaissance. she said she's certain the satellite will be in modern orbit in the near future. a u.s. research group also says the satellite image taken four hours after the failed liftoff suggests another launch is coming. researchers with 38 north say the photos show a significant level of activity on a launchpad that was not used on wednesday. that includes a truck with a long trailer possibly carrying rocket fuel. pyeongyang had already said it was taking steps to address serious defects with the rocket. south korean intelligence suggests it could take several weeks to inspect the engine.

and in wake of the north korean launch, the japanese prime minister and the u.s. defense secretary say they'll further strengthen the japan-u.s. alliance in terms of deterrence. kishida fumio told lloyd austin the security situation in the region is increasingly severe because of north korea's nuclear and missile programs. >> translator: we want to work with the united states to secure peace and stability in the region by strengthening the deterrence and response capabilities of the japan-u.s. alliance. such efforts include fundamental strengthening of japan's defenses. >> austin noted the g7 leaders had expressed a shared commitment to strengthening the rules-based international water at its summit in hiroshima. he said the updating of its defense strategies is an important step toward that goal and also said some of the japanese decisions will bolster

deterrence across the region. >> the government has decided to increase defense spending to 2% of the gdp by 2027. that will clearly strengthen deterrence. also you've made a decision to invest in counter strike capabilities and that will lead to deterrence as well. >> austin said the u.s. will fully support japan's efforts. earlier in the day austin met his japanese counterpart. they agreed to continue discussing the roles of the japan/u.s. alliance and the division of responsibilities in order to effectively operate japan's counter strike capabilities. >> we affirmed we'll work together even closely to take prompt and unified action against north korea's acts of provocation. >> the defense chiefs also discussed extended deterrence and the united states would

defend japan using conventional and nuclear weapons. officials in kyiv say a russian missile attack early on thursday killed three people including two children. ukraine says russia has recently stepped up its attacks in both frequency and scale. city officials said on social media that air defense units appear to have detected and intercepted the missiles but falling debris falled deaths and injuries. kyiv mayor said the debris-damaged building including a medical facility east of the dnipro river. dash cam video captured the moment part of a missile nearly hit a car driving on a busy street in kyiv. ukraine says it was one of 11 ballistic and cruise missiles it

shot down on monday. a nasa panel studying ufos said it's received more than 800 reports of what are described as anomalous sightings, but researchers say they need better data for a proper analysis. >> the current data collection efforts regarding uaps are unsystematic and pragmented across various agencies often using instruments uncalibrated for scientific data collection. >> the agency launched a panel last year to investigate what it calls unidentified aerial phenomena or aw ap. the panel held its first meeting on wednesday and plans to issue a report as soon as late july. one participant showed a video taken last year from an aircraft in the middle east. the researchers said many of the reported objects were spherical with white or silver colors. the panel also introduced a video showing what looked like ufos flying in formation. they explained the objects were

actually aircraft, and the effect was created by the shaking of the recording equipment. in other news, the u.s. house of representatives has passed a bill for spending what's known as the debt ceiling. it dictates how much money the federal government can borrow, and without it officials say washington could default on its loans next week spelling catastrophe for the u.s. and global economies. >> the nays are 117. the bill is passed. >> republicans control the house, but speaker kevin mccarthy still had an uphill battle convincing some members of his party to support the bill. they argued it does not include enough spending cuts, but mccarthy says those who voted yea made the right choice. >> tonight we made all made history because this is the biggest cut in savings this congress has ever voted for.

>> u.s. president joe biden tweeted praise for bipartisan compromise in the house toward protecting the u.s. economy. he's urged the senate to vote on the bill as soon as possible. a turkish court has acquitted three people of helping former nissan motor chair carlos ghosn flee japan. the ruling came from a retrial after two pilots and a jet company executive appealed their 2021 conviction. they were accused of smuggling ghosn out of the country on a private plane while he was awaiting trial for alleged financial misconduct in 2019. the former auto industry titan has been reportedly living in lebanon as a fugitive ever since. the pilots and jet company officials argued they were unaware ghosn was onboard but were unable to convince the court in istanbul two years ago, but their lawyer said the case was sent back, and they were found not guilty in late april.

officers in sudan's army have suspended talks with their paramilitary rivals over a cease-fire. they say they'll fight to the last soldier. the military said on wednesday the rapid support forces or rsf, has broken their truce agreement. the rsf said it wants to continue negotiation. clashes between the two sides broke out in april. they signed a seven-day cease-fire that took effect may 22nd after a series of temporary truces failed. the warring parties have been holding talks mediated by saudi arabia and the united states. they agreed on monday to extend the cease-fire for another five days. the fighting has left at least 730 people dead in sudan and about 1.4 million people displaced in and outside the

country. food warehouse have been looted and the humanitarian situation happening worsening. and the crisis has pushed many to flee into neighboring chad where aid workers say supplies are stretched thin. >> reporter: it's a landlocked country in central africa. this is located near its border with sudan. so many people have relocated from sudan are living in informal settlements made of wood. according to the united nations around 90,000 people have fled sudan for chad. many are women and children. this 25-year-old woman it took two days to walk here with her newborn baby and five children.

>> translator: it was hard to flee with the baby. i'm worried about raising children in an unfamiliar place. >> reporter: many who live here are from the region of western sudan. widespread ethnic conflict broke out in the same region 20 years ago killing about 300,000 people. it was regarded as one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. now conflict between the nation's military and the paramilitary group has again spread forcing residents to flee. this 18-year-old said that an armed group came to her village and started a shoot-out. >> translator: soldiers came in the middle of the night, set homes on fire, and started shooting. i was very scared. i was about to be killed, so i

fled. >> reporter: at the refugee camp temperatures soar about 20 degrees celsius. there's just enough food to keep hunger at bay. >> translator: i need to make do with the food here. the village i lived in was taken over by an armed group. i don't know what to do. >> reporter: the united nations is providing aid including food distribution. however, as refugee numbers continue to rise, u.n. operations are running out of pots. >> those people were already facing a lot of issues, humanitarian issues were extremely high, and we didn't have enough resources for those people. now it's going to be terrible if we don't assist them. >> reporter: with no end in sight to the conflict the

humanitarian challenge of helping the displaced is more urgent than ever. kobayashi yu, nhk world. now u.n. data shows more than 100 million people were forced to leave their homes last year due to conflict, disasters and other factors. a senior official of the u.n. refugee agency says a unified response to the problem is needed if the world hopes to stay on a path of sustainable development. >> so it really is a whole of society approach that's necessary. it can't be just a government. it can't be civil society alone. it can't be organizations like ours. we need all of us together including the private sector, and this is where i think in terms of solutions when you see it all coming together including very importantly refugees at the center -- >> clemons spoke to nhk on wednesday. she also says she expects japan to play a leadership role.

>> i would say obviously we encourage japan to welcome more people who are fleeing war and persecution than they have to date. >> japan chaired the latest group of seven summit and will cochair a global refugee forum towards the end of this year. in major league baseball, japanese sensation ohtani shohei of the los angeles angels has homered in consecutive at bats for the first time this season. ohtani was the designated hitter in wednesday's game against the chicago white sox. he smacked a two-run home run in the third inning. >> oh, man, this one is going a long way.

sh shohei with his second today, a rocket. >> otaun ae dealt it out another two run homer in his fourth inning. it was the longest of the season reaching 140 meters. his total of 15 puts him second in the american league after aaron judge of the new york yankees. the angels beat the white sox 12-5. >> translator: i could hit hard. i was able to see the ball well. that helped me get the last walk, too. next in weather people in southern parts of japan including okinawa prefecture are

bracing for a powerful storm set to impact the region meteorolog explains the situation in our world weather report. >> hello. we continue to keep an eye on this storm that is weakening but nevertheless is actually creating a little more concern when it comes to the rain, strong winds, and high waves because of the proximity of the system to okinawa and also amami. take a look at this video coming out from the region. mawar has brought stormy weather to okinawa and amami with gusts over 18 kilometers an hour observed in several places and some stores were closing. the system is expected to come closest to the island of okinawa between thursday night and friday, and officials are urging residents in western japan to stay on high alert for riviolent winds, heavy rain. the storm will continue to weaken over the next few days but nevertheless moving towards the north and east. and you may have noticed right

there the intensification of the rain with the rainy season, and the japan meteorological agency announced be on the lookout because we could be having some of those intense heavy rain bands develop as we go through overnight especially through the day on friday. so you want to keep an eye and ear tuned in. on the fact the storm is pushing up that rain fraunt, we're also seeing the heat associated with it. the high top up 29.2 degrees, and because of that there was a school with about 30 elementary school students who were practicing outdoors, and in the process about 20 of them -- a little over 20 of them had to be sent to the hospital because they were really feeling unwell. make sure you take it easy. with the moisture that combination does not work out well. we'll see that rain chance especially high fukuoka and down

towards naha, and eventually the system is will be clearing out and by the latter part of the weekend dry conditions from tokyo back towards south and west. hope you have a good day wherever you are. and that wraps up this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm raja pradhan in tokyo. coming up next is "newsline biz"

with ramin mellegard, so don't go away. this is "newsline biz." i'm ramin mellegard. now the latest book by the author -- has racked up the highest sales for any category of book in the past six months. "the city and its uncertain walls," his first novel in six years has climbed to the top of the best-seller list for the period despite only being published in april.

the ranking was compiled by publication distribution company nipan. based on a survey of book sales from november 2 tndnd to the 22. tariffs in japan will soar by as much as 30% from thursday as power companies pass on their higher costs. seven of the nation's ten major utility companies raised their rates following government approval. tokyo electric power company is now charging over 15% more while tariffs in toque gnaw waw have surged almost 37%. but the biggest increase came along the sea of japan coast at 39.7%. not every household will have to pay the full increase because the government has softened the blow with subsidies. now, the power companies say

their financial health is worsening due to surging prices of natural gas and other fuel. there's more bad news for consumers in japan as the prices of thousands of food and drink items also go up in june. a survey by a research firm data bank that shows that 135 producers plan to raise prices of more than 3,500 items this month. more hikes are more likely to come in july because prices of products such as imported wheat and fresh milk are continuing to rise. the data bank forecasts that by july prices would have risen for 30,000 items surpassing the total figure for the whole of last year. and the operator of narita airport is to raise service fees for international travelers taking off from japan's main gateway from september. the increase is to cover rising energy and labor costs. adult passengers on international flights at

terminals one and two currently pay about $19 in person for facility and security services fees. the amount will rise by 13%. the charges will also be increased for transit passengers and those departing from terminal three on low cost carriers. it's the first time the fees have ever been raised other than when the consumption tax went up. the airport operator says it's no longer possible to offset rising costs through efficiency savings alone. and toyota motors says it'll invest an additional $2.1 billion in a battery factory for electric vehicles in the u.s. state of north carolina. this brings the total amount of the car maker's investment in the plant to $5.9 billion. it is currently under construction and will begin operation in 2025. toyota plans to use the batteries for what it calls its first u.s. assembled fleet row

suv. toyota's rivals are also stepping up ev manufacturing at u.s. factories. nissan motors plant is in the state of tennessee. honda motor will start selling evs jointly developed with general motors in the u.s. next year. it'll start making its own models in the state of ohio in 2025. the japanese car makers hope their expanded u.s. production will make them qualify for tax credits from the u.s. government. a program introduced in april gives buyers up to $7,500 per ev purchase. now, to be eligible the vehicles must undergo final assembly in north america and run on batteries made with key minerals from certain locations. and capital investment by japanese businesses rose 11% year on year in the january to march quarter. much of the increase was due to companies gearing up amid a shift to electric vehicles.

the finding comes from the responses of more than 22,000 businesses to a finance ministry surveyed. the company spent a total of more than 16.5 trillion yen or about $118 billion in the period. it was the eighth straight quarter of growth in investment. capital expenditure by manufacturers grew 11.3%. investment by non-manufacturers grew 10.8% led by spending on property development projects. the combined pre-tax profits of companies surveyed rose 4.3% to about $170 billion, and that was the first increase in two quarters. ministry officials say the figures indicate that a moderate recovery is continuing. now, tokyo is home to the most michelin star restaurants

in the world, attracting food connoisseurs from all over. but what are the roots of this? the evolution exploreathize cuisine that developed when the capital was called edo. that means sushi, tempura, soba, and unagi eel that has been appreciated beyond japan's borders? >> reporter: five top chefs who opened restaurants in tokyo will unveil their cutting edge cuisine. the chef of the winner of the best restaurant in asia in 2022 and other top tokyo chefs are working in an open kitchen that brings to mind edo-era street food style. through the influences from all over the world are the guests. they present dishes that maintain tradition while using cutting edge cooking methods and

ingredients. the restaurant has been awarded a michelin star for 13 consecutive years. here he mixes batter with liquid nitrogen at minus 196 degrees celsius. >> translator: when you add liquid nitrogen to butter, it turns silky. >> reporter: the final particles make it possible to cover ingredients with an ultrathin batter. this tempura is topped with cold sea urchin. the dish is made possible by the fact the batter remains firm even when the temperature drops. this fourth-generation chef is trying to preserve a traditional dish by shifting to farm raised eels. eel is said to be an endangered species in the wild.

>> wow. wow. >> reporter: to lower the barriers to japanese cuisine then chef hasagawe presented chicken stuffed with seasonal ingredients, a play on the well-known fried chicken brand. >> the best. thank you, chef. thank you. >> translator: i think it's important to pursue what current customers are looking for, and i think we can make japanese food more enjoyable for foreign people rather than serving them something they might not understand right from the start. then they can appreciate the cuisine even more. >> reporter: according to a survey by the japan tourism agency when tourists were asked before visiting japan what they wanted to do most to each japanese food ranked first. food influencers talked about the appeal of japanese food.

>> i think that overseas you don't get anything like that in japan -- like the food we have in japan and the attention to detail and so much love from chefs. >> translator: when i i go out to eat it always has to be both fascinating and excellent. this is most important. i'm not really intrigued by food that is only interesting. >> reporter: the event organizers say that for high end japanese restaurants deliciousness is of course key, but evolution is just as important and the food should be created to reflect the perspectives of other cultures. if you have a chance please come and enjoy tokyo's superb and always innovative cuisine. hatory naoto, nhk world, tokyo.

okay, let's get a check on the markets. and that is all for business news.

>> a new president for nigeria after an election with a turnout of only 27%. many in the country face poverty and hunger. so, what are bola tinubu's key policies? this is "inside story." ♪ welcome to the program. nigeria has a new president, bola