hello and welcome to this edition of nhk nine. i'm raja pradhan in toque quo with the latest at this hour. a russian newspaper says a senior general with the country's military has been arrested in connection to the rebellion carried out by the wagner group. he's the deputy commander of russia's military operations in

ukraine. the moscow times cited sources close to the defense ministry in its report monday. it says he reportedly chose to side with prigozhin during the up rising. the two are said to be close. there's been questions about huhis whereabouts since the mutiny. one russian journalist said he'd not been in contact with his family for three days. meanwhile "the new york times" reported he knew about prigozhin's plans in advance. the celllen officials denied the report and called it speculation. hinting they could have had help. >> that's difficult to understand if there was no support for prigozhin within the russian military and security services. >> sullivan also commented on the possibility of russian president vladimir putin may

lose power. >> it's somewhat more likely now than it was a week ago just because this mutiny by prigozhin has revealed actual weakness in president putin. so it could happen, but i'm not predicting it. >> after the short-lived mutiny carried out by wagner mercenaries, prigozhin is reportedly now in belarus. the country's president alexander lukashenko confirmed his arrival on tuesday and revealed details of the negotiations that ultimately quelleded the rebellion. >> translator: lukashenko says he first spoke on the phone with his russian counterpart vladimir putin saturday morning. >> translator: i advised president putin not to rush, but he dismissed it as futile because prigozhin would not even answer the phone. lukashenko said he managed to get prigozhin's contact information and spoke with him over the phone later that

morning. >> translator: the initial discussion lasted about 30 minutes, and prigozhin kept uttering profanities. he used swear words probably ten times more than usual. prigozhin reportedly wanted to speak with putin. he also demanded to be handed over russia's defense minister and the chief of the general staff. lukashenko told him none of those requests would be accepted. >> translator: prigozhin said, we want justice, we will march on moscow. i warned him he would be crushed like a bug. >> lukashenko eventually convinced prigozhin to scrap the mutiny. he said he proposed to accept prigozhin and his troops into belarus and ensure their safety. >> and for more kawasaki rico spoke to a senior commentator for nhk and an expert on russian

politics. >> so lukashenko really stepped into the spotlight during all this. why do you think he got involved? >> lukashenko played on both sides here. remember before he got involved putin and prigozhin -- so this is convenient for putin because he could expel prigozhin. he avoided large scale battle but also got the mastermind out of russia. for lukashenko, he was able to show and russian conflict putin himself couldn't. >> but now how do you think putin plans to tackle the problem? >> in his speech putin repeated,

he wants to show he is fearless. but he's making it clear that he doesn't blame wagner fighters. he thanked them for not continuing their advance on moscow. i think he doesn't want to make all of wagner his enemy. he's signaling pregoshen out. >> although he thanked the fighters there were casualties for russian military. how did he deal with that? >> putin gave a speech on tuesday and officially helicopter pilots were killed. but all this leaves putin in a difficult position. he's maintained that the u.s. and nato are moscow's biggest enemy where, but this time the conflict came from inside russia. it cast doubt on the stability that putin promised since taking

office. russia, a nuclear power faced this kind of internal crisis. >> and how will all this affect further invasion situation in ukraine? >> ukrainian president zelenskyy says he is not worried. troops are pushing back in ukraine eastern and southern regions. now ukrainian forces will need to keep an eye. it is said russian tactical nuclear weapons are also being transferred to belarus. we'll have to see what he does now that prigozhin is in the country.

u.s. president joe biden has walked back his claim he convinced japanese prime minister kishida fumio to increase his nation's defense budget. biden was speaking at a campaign reception tuesday in maryland. he said kishida did not need his convincing as he'd already decided. the president said comments he made earlier were misleading. biden was referring to a campaign event on june 20th where he claimed he convinced kishida to increase japan's defense spending when they met previously. three days later the chief cabinet secretary said the japanese government told the u.s. side japan had decided on its own to boost defense spending and biden's remark could be misleading. new legislation in china asserts the ruling communist party's control over foreign relations. it implies the country's diplomacy will reflect the tensions of president xi jinping. the standing committee of the national people's congress

adopted the law on foreign relations on wednesday. the legislation states it aims to safeguard china's sovereignty, national security, and development interests and realize the great rejuvenation of the nation. it makes clear the conduct of china's foreign relations is under the centralized and overall leadership of the communist party. the legislature comes as beijing faces growing geopolitical tensions with the united states and its allies. the law says the country will take necessary measures to protect the safety, security, and legitimate rights and interests of chinese citizens and organizations overseas. it adds foreign nationals and foreign organizations in the territory of china must abide by its laws and not endanger national security. the law kicks in on saturday. beijing is also expanding its counter espionage law with revisions taking place the same day. the current law has already led

to the detention of a number of foreign business people. in other news, human remains appear to have been recovered from a submersible in the north atlantic. u.s. coast guard officials said on wednesday fragments of the ocean gate expedition vessel were salvaged from the ocean floor. they say the wreckage contained presumed human remains. the submersible was on a dive to explore the wreckage of the titanic on the seabed of the atlantic ocean. contact with the sub was lost on june 18th. four days later, recovery crews discovered debris from the vessel. the u.s. coast guard said the debris indicates the pressure chamber had imploded suggesting all five onboard died immediately. investigative authorities from relevant countries are working out how they'll conduct a detailed analysis of the debris to determine what caused the

accident. south korea celebrated a major holiday this month with festivals highlighting ancient traditions. nhk world was at the largest and oldest one in the country and actually explains it may feel like a blast from the past, but the future is the priority. >> reporter: this ceremony the shaman is looking to reach an audience here. her role is to convey prayers to the gods. >> translator: i wished for better health for my 89-year-old mother so we can be together for the next. >> translator: i had only known about his ritual through stories and videos, but seeing it in

person it was both scary and fascinating. >> reporter: the holiday falls on the fifth day of the sixth and lunar month. it comes after the busy planting season. people pray for a good harvest while taking a break to relax, play, enjoy some rice cakes. >> translator: it's delicious. >> reporter: traditional liquor is also on the menu. but not this concoction. temple water is infused with -- >> translator: it feels really good, doesn't it? >> reporter: believers say it helps prevent bad luck and helps drive away evil spirits. >> translator: it feels really refreshing. i'm going to buy lottery tickets

today. >> reporter: the festival dates back more than 1,000 years. the basics have remained the same though things are evolving. this special expedition hall is new this year. it was setup to not only highlight traditional performances but also traditional craftsmanship. >> he makes handmade cut laer by grinding and forging. it took many years to learn. he's one of only two people in the country with these skills though maybe not for long. he is teaching others the craft. >> translator: i thought intangible cultural assets would be boring because they're so old, but i found them to be fun by learning how to make them.

>> reporter: he says he'll continue to try to pass on his skills for as long as he can. >> translator: we artisans are a kind of messenger that connects the past to the future. i hope there'll be more opportunities like this where we can relitraditional art. >> reporter: just like the crops they pray for, the aim is for this festival to plant seeds that grow these traditions for generations to come. all right, next in weather, people in some portions of japan dealt with stormy conditions on thursday. our meteorologist explains the forecast going into the weekend in our world weather report. >> hi there. we're going to have a bit of a continuation in terms of this unsettled weather conditions, and on wednesday and thursday we started seeing some heavy

reports of rainfall especially across gifu and parts of fukuoka prefecture. we're in a period of three hours and another period of 12 hours we saw record breaking rainfall for the month of june. now, that could continue yet again. we'll be seeing this frontal system along with a low pressure system slowly moving into the sea of japan causing some seriously disrupting weather. take a look at this video just to give you an indication of what happened yesterday as we saw flying debris and heavy showers hilting parts of the region on wednesday. a structure collapsed but fortunately no one was injured. heavy downpours caused at least two land slides and traffic delays. unfortunately, this could continue and see a lot because of the amount of rainfall across parts of southwestern japan and central regions expect about 150 to maybe even 200 millimeters of

more rain, and that could lead to localized flooding and possibly traffic jams in certain parts. the temperatures are also quite warm. 34 tokyo, and it is this kind of heating that happens during the daytime that leads to the unstable weather conditions. moving on towards europe seeing a bit of a frontal system spreading from scandinavia going all the way down into northern parts of france. it's going to be bringing some showers for people in germany and berlin reaches a maximum of 26. it's going to be quite hot with temperatures going above that 35-degree mark. and across the african continent something to look out for in south africa there were reports of a tornado and now there's also snowfall expected to continue in the eastern cape province. conditions getting better there. the province has a slot of slopy regions that could be very slippery, so make sure you drive

safe along those parts. that's it for the weather. bye for now.

one more story to share with you before we go. about 2,000 wind bells have been hung up outside a buddhist temple in western japan. the bells call furin are a long-standing symbol of summer here. the colorful display can be seen at the temple in shiga prefecture. it's common this time of year for visitors to stroll outside and take in the gentle sounds. >> translator: when this season comes i bring my dogs. i'm lucky to be able to come to such a soothing place. >> the bells are considered auspicious and are said to bring good fortune and ward off disaster. the temple display will be on until september 18th. 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"mism i'm ramin mellegard. major japanese i.t. firm says it has started a service using generative artificial intelligence for businesses. the system can help enterprises improve efficiency and develop new projects. the product combines chatgpt with epty data zone a.i. to

generate sentences based on accurate information. the use of generative a.i. is spreading fast among companies, but the output it generates is not always correct and that has become an issue. the data system allows users to identify data that will be used as reference for answers. >> translator: users can refer to the information the system used to get the answer. this can reduce risk and improve convenience at the same time. >> japanese rivals have also started similar projects. internet services provider line and major i.t. firm cyber agent are generating their own a.i. the.s. fedal aation bad vyaveicaon c sta ora king its prototype into the

skies. e firms desning taxis that nhuttle peoe aroun cities witht creatin nse llution. toyotanvested aund $400 millio in thproject januy 2020 enterin an coetitions takingoff. additio to theinancing the two compani rently sned an reementor the long-term supply of power tins and other components. now, coming under central pressure and central bankers reaffirm their policy divergence. now, there the bank of japan governor reiterated wednesday he will live ultra-monetary policy unchanged while u.s. federal jerome powell and the ecb president said they expect more interest rate hikes. the dollar hit a seven month high against the yen moving in the 144 range. investors are eyeing the 140

threshold for possible intervention by the japanese government. that as officials have reiterated they will respond appropriately to excessive currency moves. last year japan stepped into the market to boost the yen when it weakened 175. we asked the head of japan markets research with jp morgan chase bank in tokyo with about the current climate. he doesn't think the warnings from japanese officials can do much to stop the yen's weakening. >> recently depreciation was because of the divergence between boj and other central banks. and then probably the ministry of finance and the boj may intervene in the market if the yen just continue to go higher about 145 and then try to reach

into the 150. but i think the impact will be limited so value may come down again to the 141, 142, but it will rebound very shortly. >> sasaki says he expects the currency will hit the 150 level by year end. he says that's because the yen's drop is based on fundamentals that seem unlikely to change. >> recently be revised up our year end forecast from 142, 152. the boj maintained super accommodating monetary policy, easing japan's inflation rate is getting higher. now, japan's core inflation rate which excludes food and energy is reaching to 4%. at the same time policy rate remains 0.1%. the real rate in japan is so

negative japanese households starts shifting their yen denominated cash to assets. and also yen's fundamental is continuing to deteriorate. japan's trade balance and service balance continue to be deaf deficit. now the work from home culture that spread during the pandemic is lingering in the u.s. the impact can be seen in the increasing vacancy rates for commercial real estate. that's meant a steep drop in the earnings of property managers and has in turn put the regional banks that finance them at risk.

nhk world has more. >> reporter: the executive office of the president isn't the only office in the u.s. capitol. anthony lanier is a real estate developer who's familiar with that. focused heavily on downtown washington, lanier says his company, east bank, owns about $3 billion worth of assets. that includes high end offices, hotels, and apartments. >> every office you see, every desk you see is vacant. so there were 630 people working here, and they're all gone. this used to have every office of a famous name of a famous lawyer that we see on television. >> reporter: the pandemic has normalized remote work. in march a large law firm moved out. rental income for the building has dropped to zero. we were shown the surroundings from the building's balcony.

>> this is the world bank. this is the world bank, and the world bank goes for three blocks in this direction. and this here is the imf. so we're sitting in the middle of the international finance hub. >> reporter: just blocks away from the white house the assessed value of the building dropped more than 30% over a year from around $250 million in 2021 to $166 million in 2022. on the front of the building lanier put up what he claims to be the largest ad in d.c. aimed at attracting potential tenants. the billboard touts flexibility offering month to month contracts and rent nearly half of what it once was. despite the efforts, he hasn't found a tenant. the trend extends across the country. it's perhaps most serious in san francisco with its concentration of i.t. companies.

from january to march of this year the office vacancy rate rose to a record high 29.4%, well above the 2010 level and the economic recession following the global financial crisis. it's not only the shift to remote working that's to blame. layoffs at i.t. companies have been gathering pace since last november. that's driving workers away from the city and is seen as causing some retail stores in the area to curtail hours or close. according to commercial real estate data and analysis firm, trep, a fall in earnings stemming from a decrease in rental income has meant more real estate developers have been unable to repay their bank loans. nationwide rose from 2.7% in april. >> i think we're going to see an increase in office delinquency. small community bank space has seen a significant increase in commercial real estate lending, and we're starting to see the effects of the higher interest

rate environment really impact property performance. i think we're just on the front edge of the distress in the marketplace. >> reporter: the knock on effect remote work has had on commercial real estate looms on small and even localized problems at smaller lenders can trigger financial instability. nhk world, washington. okay, let's get a check on the markets.

that's it for "newsline biz" from tokyo. i'm ramin mellegard. thank you very m itics and power,

on al jazeera. sohail: as russia recovers from what it calls wagner's rebellion, there is a new focus on private armies. they are used in many conflicts around the world, but how much of a threat are they to the global order, and can they be stopped? this is "inside story." ♪ hello. welcome to the program. i'm sohail rahman. the mutiny by russia's wagner mercenary group has shined a light on the shadowy world of