hello and welcome to this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm raja pradhan with the news from tokyo. north korea says it test fired an intercontinental ballistic missile on wednesday, one that's broken records. the thorkt state run korean central television broadcast footage of what it says was a --

the newly developed missile uses solid fuel. that makes it quicker to launch than liquid fuel variants and harder to detect and intercept. the korean central news agency says it flew higher and further than any of pyeongyang's previous launches. it spent 75 minutes in the air, traveled 1,000 kilometers, and reached an altitude of 6,600 kilometers. north korean leader kim jong-un observed the test. pyeongyang claimed the launch was a response to growing cooperation between the united states, south korea, and japan. japan's defense ministry said the missile could have enough range to hit anywhere in the u.s. mainland. and for more insight kawasaki rika spoke to a professor in seoul. he's an expert on international relations and security. >> what do you think is the significance of the timing of this latest launch?

>> the excuse that north korea came up with was that u.s. surveillance aircraft flying over the exclusive economic zone, they pledge they'll take very strong military action until the u.s. abandons hostile policy against north korea. but more importantly in my personal opinion i think that the testing was timed to coincide with the nato summit where president yun and prime minister kishida were invited. there is a tendency for nato allies and asia pacific alliances to cooperate more closely on many global issues, and those issues include north korea's nuclear weapons and missile threats. and north korea is not very happy about nato summit, and also the first ncg -- ncg stands for nuclear consultation group meeting that is going to take place on the 8th of this month

between south korea and the united states. so the missile testing was to send this message that north korea is not very happy about the nato summit and also nuclear consultation group meeting between south korea and the united states. >> well, you mentioned sending a message to the leaders who gathered at the summit. north korea says it set a new record for the missile in terms of maximum speed and flight distance. what do you make of the technical purpose of the launch? >> the missile flew over 1,000 kilometers, and the maximum altitude was around 6,000 kilometers. the last time they test fired it was april this year, exactly three months ago. the missile flew over the same 1,000 kilometers, but the

maximum altitude was only 3,000 kilometers. that's why the flying time was longer this time. and if you fire this on a normal trajectory it is estimated to flyover 150,000 kilometer, and this is enough distance to cover the entire american territory. that's why north korea is saying they made big progress in terms of missile technology. >> and what do you think about the prospect of north korea's military action in the future? >> i think they have rather extensive menu to choose from. i think testing nuclear weapons for the seventh time is one option. but given negative consequences and repercussions of another nuclear weapons testing i think even china is not going to be happy about a seventh nuclear weapons testing. so in my personal opinion testing nuclear weapons for the

seventh time is not going to happen in any near future. i think testing surveillance satellite is another option, but this testing failed completely last month when they tried. and it is going to be very difficult for them to acquire proper satellite technology, so i don't think satellite testing is going to happen in the near future as well. so i think the only menu, the only option they are going to take is to launch similar missile tests. they are going to repeat missile tests to prove to the united states and also japan and south korea that they are making a big progress in terms of missile technology. people in central japan are enduring record breaking heavy rain. weather officials are urging people to stay on the alert in

case of landslides and flooding. rain clouds are building in the central region of hokuriku. the meteorological agency says thursday brought 110 millimeters per hour to the city of wozu in toyama prefecture. torrential rain has also been reported in some parts of the shujoku region. flooding has impacted houses and roads. in the city in toyama prefecture a city council member died in a landslide. he's believed to have been urging residents to evacuate when the disaster happened. a landslide alert had been issued. localized downpours with thunder are expected in the region through friday. temperatures will top 30 degrees celsius in many areas including tokyo. officials are urging people to use air-conditioners and stay hydrated to avoid heatstroke. japanese prime minister kishida fumio is in belgium

meeting with the leaders of the european union. it's a chance to keep a conversation on closer ties going after he attended this week's nato summit. kishida is expected to urge the heads of the european council and european commission to end import controls on some japanese products. the eu tightened rules after the 2011 triple melt down at the fooum nuclear plant. certain items produced across ten prefectures require extra screening for radioactive contamination. they include some seafood and edible wild plants. tokyo said the products are safe and has urged the eu to move ahead with the proposal to lift the restrictions. thursday's talks could help that effort along. kishida and eu leaders are also expected to discuss closer security cooperation with eyes on china's growing assertiveness in the indo-pacific. the two sides are expected to reach a deal to enhance cooperation on cyber security and satellite surveillance.

now, after nato talks in lithuania kishida and alliance leaders vowed they'll work closer than ever on defense cooperation. but a liaison office in japan may have been a step too far. that proposal was left out of the summit's joint communique. nato's secretary-general jens stoltenberg revealed in may the alliance had been holding talks with the japanese government on setting up an office citing the need to boost ties with indo-pacific countries. but french president emmanuel macron is opposed to the plan. >> translator: whichever way you look at it, geography can be stubborn. the indo-pacific is not the north atlantic, therefore we must not give the impression that nato is somehow looking to build up legitimacy or presence geographically in other regions. >> macron said it's necessary to coordinate and remain in close contact with japan but to not expand the potential area of conflict. he said it's possible to maintain partnerships with

countries in the indo-pacific without having offices in the region. for his part stoltenberg said the issue is still on the table and will be further considered in the future. in other news, thailand's foreign minister said he held talks with myanmar's ousted de facto leader aung san suu kyi over the weekend. this is the first time a senior foreign official has met her since the military coup in 2021. he brought up sunday's visit while at a meeting with his counter parts at the association of southeast asian nations. myanmar was high on the agenda. >> this is an approach of the commitment we would like to see a peaceful settlement. >> he said aung san suu kyi was in good health. she's being detained in myanmar's capital. a spokesperson with thailand's

foreign ministry says aung san suu kyi has expressed concern about the toll the situation has had on the people of myanmar. senior officials from malaysia and the philippines have taken a rigid stance against myanmar's military. they've told nhk they believe thailand's unilateral move undermines asean's unity. u.s. entrepreneur elon musk has announced the debut of artificial intelligence startup xai in an apparent attempt to compete with open a.i. which is the developer of chatgpt. he revealed it on wednesday. he said his goal is to understand the true nature of the universe. the firm's development team consists of 11 people including researchers who previously worked for google deep mind and open a.i. musk was one of the cofounders of open a.i., but he later left the startup. in an interview with fox news aired in april musk claimed

chatgpt had a liberal bias and said he was planning another a.i. development as an alternative. musk also signed an open letter in march calling for a minimum six-month pause in the development of a.i. chatbot citing concerns about escalating rates in a.i. lapse. musk and his team will share more information in a live chat on friday. next, july 27th will mark 70 years since the korean war, but even seven decades after the armistice, the two koreas remain deeply at odds. as a gessure of peace two hikers have chosen to mark the day with a symbolic trek along the border. >> reporter: this is part of north korea. beyond the militarized zone or dmz. it divides north and south

koreas and is one of the most heavily fortified areas in the world. >> translator: i take the oath as a participant of the 2023 dmz freedom peace trek. >> reporter: about 16 people from all over south korea have gathered here to talk part in the dmz freedom peace trek. hiking trails connect ten cities and provinces among a route that spans 540 kilometers. among the participants is former air force pilot -- he's now in his 70s, but he says he couldn't pass up the opportunity. >> it's nice to see and feel the reality of the divide first-hand so that we can encourage more interest in the idea of unification. >> reporter: according to the ministry of unification, the

goal of the event is to highlight peace and unification, ideas that have not been realized 70 years after the agreement that concluded the korean war. >> translator: first, i hope this will be a time for you to see the reality of division. and second, i hope this will be an opportunity to think once again about unification. >> reporter: the expedition is set to take 13 days, and along the way hikers are connecting with nature, culture, and memorials that highlight key moments in the war. >> translator: it was a place where one of the fiercest battles over the korean war took place. >> reporter: the most memorable

was at the site of a brutal ten-day battle that saw over 17,000 casualties. >> translator: i wanted to pay my respects to the members of the armed forces who sacrificed themselves to secure every inch of this land. >> reporter: yu says he wants to walk this road again someday with his grandchildren and talk about after the armistice. >> translator: it is my hope the next generations will live in a comfortable, stable, and beautiful korean peninsula. >> reporter: the dmz peace trail is set to officially open in september. the government plans to make this expedition on annual event and eventually transform it into

a global attraction. nhk world. all right, shifting now to the weather people in and around tokyo saw skies overcast on thursday, and that made it feel much cooler. our meteorologist jonathan oh explains the forecast in a our world weather report. hello, we got to see some cloud cover as we went through thursday, and that helped to bring the temperatures down just a bit, taking off the edge of the heat we saw on wednesday when highs were in the mid to upper 30s in some locations especially around the canto koshu region. we're still looking at heavy rain concerns as we go into friday. we still have the rainy season front still in place, still a big part of the story part of the reason why we're seeing some of the cloud cover as well. but because we have so much of a juicy atmosphere, we're looking at the possibility of seeing very quick downpours as we go throughout the day on friday.

we'll see all this moisture pushing eastward and see the clouds and rain, tokyo looking at some rain as well. but then after that the heat does return. we're expecting temperatures to start spiking back up as we head into the weekend, and so make sure that you take it easy outdoors especially this weekend as we're looking at temperatures to be popping up. forecasts on friday looking at 34 degrees and looking at sunny skies and looking at the clouds to be a part of the story as we saw the proximity of the rainy season front in place. rain possibilities in tokyo with a high of 31 degrees. we are looking at heavy rain taking place down towards the philippines and watching this low that's been in the area that's been lingering and bringing plenty of wet weather, and looking at plenty of it coming up for the next few days. we'll have a southwesterly flow in place, so rain will be heavy at times. looking at the possibility of some flash flooding from time to time, so make sure you are aware of your weather situation because that possibility does exist. looking at the forecast for north america, it's hot

especially for the southern areas of the united states. we're talking about highs in places like phoenix into the 40s as you go through the next few days. looking at mid to upper 40s in phoenix, so take it easy if you're going to be outdoors. also looking at highs in the 40s into dallas over the next few day. stay cool and hope you have a good day whehehererevever r yoyr 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. and other countries in asia. >> the driving force of a

recovery in external demand is weak in the short-term. economies remain high and geopolitical tensions are ongoing. china's trade is facing relatively large pressures. >> officials say exports of cellphones, perm computers, clothing, and steel materials all declined. overall imports last month fell 6.8% year on year. in contrast china's trade with russia remained brisk. the value of exports to there in june jumped by about 90% annually while imports were up roughly 15%. >> reporter: now, a survey by japan's central bank shows a record of over 95% of people say prices have risen from a year ago, but a growing number also feel that economic conditions are improving. the bank of japan conducted the quarterly survey from may to june targeting 2,100 people from across the country age 20 or older. a total of 95% say prices have

risen either significantly or slightly. that's up 1 point from the previous survey conducted from february to march and the highest since comparable data became available in september 2006. over 86% expect prices to be higher in a year. now, the figure rose 0.6 points from the previous poll. meanwhile, nearly 14% said economic conditions have improve from a year ago, than the yeas of therely 7 points and the highest figure on record. still nearly 50% said otherwise. doj officials say as prices increase, more people will feel the economy's recovering if wages rise. another survey this time by a private research firm show food and beverage items affected by price hikes this year have topped 30,000. the data bank expects by the end of the year about 35,000 food and beverage items will be priced higher.

that's about 10,000 more than last year. the figure includes items that cost the same but have a reduced volume. the firm anticipates price increases slow after peaking in october as costs for some materials have stabilized. but it's analysts note that potential factors driving the price hikes remain including surging power bills and a weak yen. they added the increases will continue intermittently into next year. a non-profit group working with children is calling for donations to help kids from low income families better enjoy their summer break. >> translator: we want to start helping both children who'd like to go somewhere during the summer vacation and parents who want their kids to have new learning experiences. >> the group survey found family varied financial situations can result in wide gaps in children's opportunities for out

of school experiences. they point to sports, music lessons and travel as an example. the tokyo based organization says differences are even more visible during the vacation. that led it to offer special programs to children from 1,000 struggling households as well as single parents. it has partnered with eight different businesses to offer learning and activity programs. the group aims to raise 10 million yen or about $72,000 from the project. it is asking individuals and companies for donations on its website and accepting applications to take part. now, elementary school kids in japan are about to get a dedicated artificial intelligence tool to help them with their summer homework. major education service provider corporation will launch the free generative a.i. service on july 25th and teaches a virtual character who can suggest project themes and ideas in response to questions.

and it says if children need guardian approval to use the a.i. which also displays alerts if they put anything unsuitable. the number of daily queries is limited to stop students from erelying too much on the tech. there have been concerns about using a.i. in education. preliminary guidelines released this month say children should not submit book reports or other papers created by generative a.i. as their own work. it says its service is in line with the guidelines as it only provides suggestions. company officials say the service has been developed to help children enhance their intellectual curiosity and interests in the name of a better education. and advances in generative a.i. speed ahead and nations face the challenge of managing the risks. europe in particular is drawing up strict regulations. nhk world's maria peterson

reports. >> reporter: people have gathered at a cafe to participate in a seminar on how to use chatgpt. the participants are learning what generative a.i. can do and how to ask questions that will generate useful answers. >> translator: i came to learn the basics of the new technology. >> reporter: in france, chatgpt inspire more positive than negative ratings. a private research company found 53% of respondents are interested and want to try it. at the same time 71% stated that a.i. regulations should be tightened in order to protect citizens. some participants in the seminar are also cautious.

>> translator: it's extremely dangerous. i think it should be regulated immediately. >> translator: i think regulation is necessary, but it's really difficult to do. >> reporter: it's a full running a.i. regulation. in march it prohibited its employees from engaging in chatgpt at work and also recommended citizens refrain for using it for a while. the city government formed a committee compizing experts to discuss what health regulations may be necessary. >> translator: i think that protecting personal information is the first priority in france and in europe. that's essential. in this digital era we cannot

expose our personal lives unreservedly on the internet. >> reporter: european lawmakers are responding to a.i. as well. in june the european parliament agreed to revise a draft law on a.i. the amendment requires systems like chatgpt to disclose where the content was generated by a.i. the european parliament and eu member nations are aiming to pass a final version of the law by the end of the year. >> there is one thing we will not compromise on, anytime technology advances it must go hand in hand with our fundamental rights and democratic values. >> reporter: as europe tightens a.i. regulations, attention is focused on how this will affect the development and adoption of generated a.i. maria peterson, nhk world. okay, let's get a check on the markets.

and that's it for "newsline biz" from tokyo. i'm ramin mellegard. thank you very much for watching.

lara: this is “focus on europe.” i'm lara babalola. welcome. summer is upon us and europe is facing another drought. there are fears that the next ecological disaster is just around the corner, like the one on the oder river last summer. millions of dead fish were found floating on the border river between germany and poland. tons of carcasses were retrieved from the water. the high temperatures and low water levels caused an explosion of golden algae which is toxic for freshwater fish. and once again, dead fish are