glad to have you with us on this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm raja pradhan with the news from tokyo. the head of the international atomic energy agency is set to visit japan next week. grossi will discuss the country's plan to release treated and diluted water from the crippled fukushima daiichi nuclear plant into the ocean. japan's foreign minister announced the iaea director

visit starting on tuesday. >> translator: the government hopes to discuss inspections by the nuclear regulation authority, and the issue of a comprehensive report. we will be keeping a close eye on the plans from now on. >> government sources say arrangements are also being made for grossi to meet with prime minister kishida fumio on the first day of his visit. they say kishida is expected to receive the iaea's comprehensive safety report for the water release plan. japan's nuclear regulators have just carried out their final safety checks on the newly completed system. water used to cool molten nuclear fuel at the plant has been building up in storage tanks. it's been filtered to remove most radioactive material, but it still contains tritium. the government plans to release the water after it's been diluted with seawater to well within japan's safety limits. officials say it'll even clear

the world health organization's suggested levels for drinking water. the government says it wants to start the release some time this summer. prime minister kishida is expected to make a final decision after taking a close look at the reports. now, japan's plan to release the treated water is drawing concerns in south korea. a recent poll shows nearly 80% of those surveyed are worried about its impacts on marine life and seafood. the poll was conducted by gallop korea. around 1,000 people responded. 62% said they were very worried about the potential impact. 16% somewhat worried. the rest said they were not too concerned. it's also becoming a polarizing issue in south korean politics. the largest opposition democratic party submitted a draftrieslution to the national assembly calling for japan's plan to be withdrawn. it also calls for a complaint to be filed to the international tribunal for the law of the sea.

in response the ruling people power party has accused the opposition of stoking fear and sensationalizing the issue with terms like nuclear terrorism. the european union is moving towards lifting food import restrictions on some japanese products. the measures have been in place since the 2011 fukushima daiichi nuclear accident. >> you notice there's a positive move in the eu toward the lifting, and we welcome this. >> the eu requires certificates of radiation inspection for some marine products, edible wild plants, and other items imported from ten prefectures including fukushima. hayashi expressed hope the eu would scrap the measures and give a big boost to disaster affected regions. staying in japan, torrential rain is pounding the southwestern region of kyushu. the potentially dangerous deluge

is expected to continue across the nation through saturday. evacuation orders have been issued in a number of areas throughout kyushu. land slide orders are in effect. bands of heavy rain clouds could accumulate in kyushu and neighboring yom gucci prefecture. that could increase the risk of disasters. the kyushu and kansai regions could see as much as 100 millimeters of rain through saturday. emergency officials are also warning of the possibility of flooding rivers. they're also asking people to pay close attention to weather information. concern continues to grow in hong kong over the government's tightening grip on freedom of

speech. friday marks three years since china's national security law for hong kong came into effect. it was designed to crack down on dissent. widespread protests erupted in the territory in 2019. the legislation came a year later. under it pro-democracy politicians and activists have been arrested and anti-government rallies and demonstrations have been suppressed. people have been charged if their speech including online posts is deemed to undermine the government's authority or i instigate independence for hong kong. the government calls on residents to report any possible violation to the law. police say they've received more than half a million tips from the public. >> translator: there are still hidden threats everywhere in society which endanger national security. we should prepare for these

risks. >> debbie chen owns a grocery store. she was a pro-democracy district counselor elected in 2019. she says she recently came under the surveillance of authorities after she handed out candles to customers. a large scale candlelight vigil used to be held in hong kong every june 4th. it was to remember the victims of the 1989 tiananmen square. police questioned her about the illustration of a candle she posted on social media suspecting it may be intended for instigation. >> the problem is that it's unclear where the red line is. authorities aim to intimidate people so that they sensesure their own actions combat, anywhere. >> the crack down on free speech is believe to have contributed

to the exodus of people. citizens left for reasons including immigration, work, and study overseas last year alone. in other news, the u.s. government has approved arms and logistics sales worth about $440 million to taiwan, which is facing increasing military pressure from china. the government said on thursday it notified congress of the decision to sell taiwan 30 millimeters and other rounds of ammunition. the ammunition is believed today be for canons mounted on armored vehicles. u.s. officials say the ammunition deal will help sustain taiwan's locally developed armored vehicles and enhance taiwan's ability to meet current and future threats. observers say taiwan could face difficulties in sourcing ammunition and other supplies from outside if chinese forces impose an air and sea blockade. the taiwanese defense ministry

said the ammunition is necessary for a contingency stockpile and would help maintain regional stability. china reacted sharply to the move accusing the united states of creating new factors that raise tensions in the taiwan strait to undermine peace and stability. chinese foreign ministry spokesperson mau ming said the u.s. should strictly adhere to the principle and stop selling weapons to taiwan. south korea has picked a new government minister in charge of handling relations with north korea. the political science professor is reportedly known for his hard line stance for pyeongyang. >> translator: i will do my best to resolve north korea's nuclear issue with a principled approach and a foundation to improve inter-korean relations. >> he was the presidential secretary of unification affairs in the administration of former

president -- he also headed an advisory panel to the unification ministry in the current administration. south korea media say kim is a vocal critic of north korean leader kim jong-un. they say nominating him as unification minister suggests the administration will maintain its tough stance toward the north. islamic countries have reacted sharply after a man in sweden burned the quaran. the turkish president erdogan said in a tv address said those who commit this crime who allow it under the guise of freedom of thought will not achieve their goal. sweden has applied to join nato, but turkey has yet to approve its membership.

ankara claims sweden, the turmoil occurred between negotiations between the two countries. talks are scheduled for next week. sweden hopes to join the nato military alliance before its next summit scheduled to start on july 7th, but the latest developments have made the situation more difficult for the nordic nation. next year marks 70 years since the largest u.s. nuclear test in the marshall islands. residents of the pacific nation say they're still dealing with the consequences. and as nhk world's yoshida mayu reports, they're now facing a new threat. >> reporter: this blast is one of 60 sites they designated. for years washington used the pacific island nation as its nuclear testing ground. students of the island are working to keep the memory of those tests alive. they're working with artificial intelligence to colorize the pictures from that time.

>> i think you can feel emotions easier with a picture and color in black and white. >> professor watanabe is one of the researchers behind the project. >> we collected a lot of material and wanted to share it in a way that is easy to understand, so we put it all together on a digital map. >> reporter: he's worked on similar projects for hiroshima and nagasaki. he said considering the russian invasion of ukraine, it's important to document what happened on the island. >> translator: i believe it is important for us to learn about the world and nuclear testing of the past. i want people to think what they can do to prevent such tragedies from happening again. >> reporter: the u.s. conducted its largest test.

many residents were forced to leave their homes but were still exposed to the fallout. nuclear burns and cancers were common after the test. environmental elements were also permanently changed. now nature here is facing a new threat, climate change. a world bank report found that 96% of the capital city is at risk of flooding. citizens have been pushing for action. a poet from marshall island spoke at the united nations. >> no one moving, no one's losing their homeland, no one's becoming a climate change refugee. >> reporter: speaking to nhk world she says the residents know what climate change will do to their home. >> the thing is we won't lose

islands in the future. we have already lost islands. we've lost islands through the nuclear legacy, and so we know the pain of losing islands. >> reporter: but she says very little has changed. between the nuclear era and today. she said their voices still aren't being heard. >> the same thing is happening with climate change where people are telling us, well, you just have to move or they'll just have to leave or they'll just have to lose their lind because our lives are once again seen as disposable. >> reporter: today the people of the marshall islands are struggling with two tragedies, the nuclear testing in the past and the climate disaster they say is still coming. yoshida mayu, nhk world.

as we've been reporting residents of western japan and other areas have been dealing with downpours covering the region. our meteorologist has a forecast into the weekend in our world weather report. >> hi there. before i tell you about the weekend that's coming up, take a look at the numbers we've been seeing across much of western japan such as kumamoto, fukuoka been affected by a serious amount of rainfall in a very short period of time, some of it breaking the record for the month of june, just around 86 meters. there is a lot coming up. we still have that rainy season front from china and through parts of korea and into western japan, and that's not the only places that are going to be affected. if you're going to be across central japan as far north as

people of hokkaido should expect heavy rain in certain parts. it is to the southwest that will come with flooding rain, paults of thunder showers coming your way there. you can see the red shaded areas here indicating up to 300 meters. so areas like your basement could be flooded. there will be definitely roads turned almost into rivers because some rivers might break their banks, some little smaller streams that are prone to overflowing. and when that happens could lead to situations such as landslides you could see along slopy areas. we've already seen when that amount of rainfall comes your way and it gets quite intense. river flooding also a big concern. temperatures-wise it's going to be a warm one for tokyo at 30 degrees, sendai at 31, and sticking with the same theme of heavy rainfall, take a look at this video what's been happening in india as monsoonal rains have

brought severe flooding to the state. victims are struggling to survive as homes remain submerged and their crops are washed away, so far at least seven people have been reported dead from the floods. so the situation is quite intense. these are normal monsoonal rains, but a lot of it in a short period could lead to disasters. please make sure you stay safe and get your necessary precautions ready like flashlights and also a first-aid kit in case you are stranded. that's all for the weather. stay safe.

and that concludes this

edition edition of nhk "newsline." coming up next is "newsline biz" with ramin mellegard, so stay right there. ♪ this is "newsline biz"mism i'm ramin mellegard. now, japan's industrial production fell in may for the first time in four months. fewer passenger cars were made as the industry struggles with a shortage of semiconductors. the latest government data shows a 1.6% drop in the index from the previous month, but the industry ministry is maintaining its assessment saying there are

signs that production is increasing at a moderate pace. ministry officials say they see overall domestic output on a recovery trend even though chip shortages may continue to cause problems for some manufacturers as late as autumn. and a key index for manufacturing china's come in under the line separating contraction and growth. fewer orders from other countries have kept it below the threshold for three months. china's statistics bureau said the purchasing index rose in may but remains at 49. anything below 50 points indicates a contraction. the pmi is based on a survey of 3,200 manufacturersch domestic demand has been slowing down dow due to the slowing real estate industry and concerns about employment. the reading for non-manufacturers including those in the service sector was at 53.2, but it dropped in june by 1.3 points.

china's central bank cut its key interest rate on june 20th for the first time in ten months to give the economy a boost. and japan's consumers have long taken for granted that eggs are inexpensive and their prices stable. but that assumption was shattered in recent months as feed shortages sent costs soaring. now, some farmers are looking locally for ways to keep the eggs rolling. ukraine used to be a major corn exporter, but russia's invasion triggered a massive drop in production. other producers are expected to raise output this year, but the supply outlook is still uncertain. but it's aunlikely to resolve the global supply problem anytime soon. one farm in saitama prefecture keeps about 270,000 hens. the owners plan to start using domestic feed this year. they say japan-grown corn is more expensive, but there's an up side, the eggs come out

sweeter and richer. the farm plans to make the hook of a new brand. new, the average wholesale price of medium sized eggs was 349 yen or about $2.50 per kilo in june. it's almost the same price as may but a whopping 64% higher than june last year. and prices in tokyo are soaring again with the headline inflation figure in the capital accelerating for the second time in three months. and it's fueling speculation the bank of japan may dial back its massive stimulus measures. the internal affairs ministry said the consumer price index for the city's central 23 wards in june was up 3.2% year on year. the index excludes the volatile prices of fresh food which fluctuate based on the weather. prices of other food shot up by 8.9%. that's the highest rate in 47 years. energy prices actually dropped,

but ministry officials say that's because of government subsidies and gas bills were down by about 3%. officials say without the energy subsidies the inflation rate would have been around 4.2%. the bank of japan has been targeting 2% nationwide. and softbank has announced a project that will develop its own generative artificial intelligence. the japanese telecom giant will invest about $138 million. softbank launched a new company in march as part of an a.i. project. it will develop a super computer that should be ready by march next year. it has also formed a business alliance with u.s.-based nvidia despite a highpismance of semiconductors. softbank claims the super computers will be one of the most powerful in japan. the group chairman and ceo told general shareholders meeting in june that he will accelerate the

development and use of a.i. soft bank group company line and japan based cyber agent are also developing their own generative a.i. now, bolivia signed agreements with chinese and russian companies to develop its lithium deposits. the south american country is believed to have the world's largest reserves of the metal using batteries for electric vehicles and smart phones. the government signed the contracts on thursday with china's group and a subsidiary of a russian state-run nuclear firm. the two companies will invest a total of $1.4 billion under the agreement. they aim to produce a total of 50,000 tons of lithium carbonite in salt flats starting in 2025. bolivia, argentina and chile are dubbed the lithium triangle as they have 60% of the estimated

deposits. competition for the metal is intensifying as countries shift to carbon neutrality. next, nhk world's john ladue's here with biz picks. >> every friday webri you the latest in business with biz picks. let's go straight to the numbers for this friday, june 30th. the nikkei 225 fell 0.4% to 43,089. now, investors have been closely watching the yen which fell to 145 yen against the dollar, at one point, a fresh seventh month low. the index kicked off the week subdued but got a boost on wednesday due in part to that weaker yen rising 2%. but for the week the index rose about 1.25%. looking at the upcoming week a

slew of data to keep a lookout for. australia's key interest rate is going to be released on tuesday. that an 11-year high since last month. but our focus today is the upcoming bank of japan's results for its quarterly tancan survey set to come out next monday. for insight on what to expect for next week's we spoke to an economist of the research institute. >> translator: in a rather sluggish manufacturing industry i believe we are seeing signs of a rebound, but in nonmanufacturing industries such as restaurants and hotels as well as personal services, you can look forward to great benefits from the normalization of overall economic activity. i expect to see improvement in business conditions. >> now, even with the weaker yen

many believe that it would still take time for japan's manufacturing exports to pick back up. that was due in part to slowing overseas economies. but he explains why he believes we may see recovery much sooner than expected. >> the automobile industry is what i am most focused on. until now the semiconductor shortage was hindering production in the industry. with the upcoming report we should see an easing of the problem leading to overall improved conditions in the automotive sector. since it is such a broad industry, this will have a positive effect on related industries. the slowing down of economy is a negative factor here, but even if other exports do not perform well recovery in automobiles will likely have a stronger overall impact. >> kugo says he believes various

industries forced to decrease production due to the pandemic will see increases in the upcoming report. >> orders from retailers have increased on the materials industry seems headed toward reco recovery. it feels like the economy has finally returned to normal. >> though investors will still have to closely watch markets abroad for signs of slow downs if kugo's predictions are correct, it sounds as if there are positive signs on the horizon for the country's manufacturing industries. i'm john ladue, and that was this week's biz picks. okay, let's get a check on the markets.

this is "newsline biz" from

♪ folly: donald trump is heard on tape discussing classified documents. it's a crucial piece of evidence in a federal investigation into his handling of sensitive documents. so, how will this affect the case and the republican race for the white house? this is "inside story." ♪ hello and welcome to the program. i'm folly bah thibault. it's a 2-minute recording that could prove devastating for donald trump.