hello and welcome to this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm raja pradhan with the news from tokyo. we start here in japan with the operator of the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant has begun releasing treated and tiluted water from the facility into the ocean. japan's government says the necessary step to decommission the plant more than 12 years after it was devastated by an earthquake and tsunami. before the release tokyo electric power company or tepco

confirmed the water's dilution had been carried out as planned. tepco analyzed the concentration of tritium, which is measured in units. it found the diluted water contained between 43 and 63 beckerals per liter. that's far below japan's release standards of 60,000 per liter. fukushima daiichi suffered a triple melt down in 2011. since then water used to cool molten fuel at the plant is mixing with rain and ground water seeping into the damaged reactor buildings. the volume has been accumulating. it's being treated to remove most radioactive substances but still contains tritium. before the elise the operator is diluting the treated water to reduce treated levels to about one seventh of the world health organization's guidelines for drinking water. the water will then be moved through a tunnel under the seabed and discharged one

kilometer off the coast. the first round of the process will take around 17 days and involves the release of about 7,800 tons of treated water. the full process is expected to take at least 30 years. members of local industries have voiced concern over how the release will impact their business. the government has promised to work hard and prevent any reputational damage. and ahead of the water release, people around japan expressed mixed feelings. >> translator: if the safety standards are solid and there's no risk, i think we have no choice. >> translator: i think people won't feel safe unless monitoring happens after the release. >> translator: it doesn't really matter to me. i will continue to eat fish caught off the coast of fukushima. >> translator: there is no alternative. an international organization says it's okay, so i think it's okay. >> translator: i don't know a lot about what's happening, so i hope i can receive an easy to

understand explanation about the plant's safety. >> now, people in the local fishing industry have been vocal in their opposition to the plan. earlier nhk world reported on their concerns from fukushima. >> reporter: i'm about 7 kilometers southwest of the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant. this area is designated as a return zone. we needed government permission to enter this area. you can see the plant behind me. those tanks are where the treated water is stored. you can't see the actual release site from here. it is about 1 kilometer offshore. local residents have a number of concerns. a local restaurant owner who serves fish from fukushima told me he is worried fishermen might

reduce their catch for fear of not being able to sell their fish due to reputation. but fishermen tell me their actual livelihoods are at stake. work starts before the break of dawn at this fukushima boat. he's been fishing off the coast here for over 15 years. he says the area has been prime catch. >> translator: the sea around here is sandy and shallow. theide is quick, so i think that's why the fish caught here are delicious compared to fish anywhere else in the world. >> reporter: but this town shinchi is only 50 kilometers from the plant. after the disaster the price of fish in the area dropped. today authorities still check their radioactive levels of the

fish to make sure it's safe. over time prices returned to normal. their flounder is worth 100 times more times now compared to after the incident. but ono is worried the water release will undo all that. >> translator: it took 12 years for the stigma to go away before, and it could be longer this time. >> reporter: tepco has pledged to compensate industries in the area. but some businesses are taking matters into their own hands. >> this restaurant in tokyo is choosing to use ingredients from fukushima to support the area. fish caught off the fukushima coast are famous for its amazing

taste. shipments were suspended after the nuclear accident. the restaurant was only able to start buying it again five years ago. >> translator: i want people to try it not only because it's safe. it's also really good. >> reporter: but the restaurant understands that some people may have concerns. it started handing out leaflets explaining that the fish and the treated water are safe. >> translator: there haven't been any cancellations or a decrease in reservations so far, so i'm not worried. i'll be happy if people can see that officials and celebrities eat it and think it tastes good. >> reporter: but for ono, the

fishermen, his biggest concern isn't what's happening now but in the future. >> translator: if the real damage happens 100 or 200 years from now the politicians who decided to release the water will be long gone. i don't want to cause them trouble. our ancestors have always protected the sea. >> reporter: now that the release of the water has begun residents hope officials will keep explaining fukushima is safe both at home and abroad. >> some neighboring countries have raised their concerns over the release. china is one of the plant's loudest critics. cu >> so genta, how is china reacting to his release? >> well, the start of the release was breaking news across

china. generally media here have been criticizing japan saying it ignored international concerns and released what beijing's calling nuclear contaminated water. just after the release began, the chinese foreign ministry issued a statement strongly condemning japan, saying the discharge is extremely selfish and irresponsible. given beijing's position it's perhaps not separating that most people we talked to were against the release. >> translator: i feel really angry. i don't understand why the japanese government would do this. >> translator: i'm going to avoid eating japanese seafood and using their cosmetics as much as possible. >> so, genta, the chinese government has repeatedly said it will take counter measures. what do you expect there?

>> china just announced it will temporarily suspend imports of japanese marine products as of thursday. fishery products from parts of japan have been banned since the nuclear accident in 2011. last month beijing suggested imports from across japan would be subject to stricter inspections. and imports of japanese marine products were already down 30% in july compared to last year. obviously we can't expect japan to feel the impact of this move from china. >> and tokyo says beijing's reaction is not based on science. if that's the case, why is china so against this release? >> well, i believe this isn't a scientific issue but a political one. beijing's goal is probably to put pressure on tokyo. japan has been strengthening its ties with both the u.s. and

south korea in defense and economic security. that's something beijing doesn't want. china may see the water release as japan's achilles' heel, hoping it can drive a wedge between tokyo and other countries like south korea. but china is also struggling with a struggling economy, so some experts say beijing might want to shore up economic ties with tokyo. the question now is to what extent will beijing take action against japan? and will it use the water release as a bargaining chip for an economic deal? north korea has announced through state run media its second launch of a military

reconnaissance satellite failed early thursday. pyeongyang said it'll look into the cause and try again in october. the korean central news agency reported the country launched the satellite at dawn. it was aboard a new type rocket launched from the satellite launching ground in the country's north west. the media says there was an error in the emergency blasting system during the third stage of the flight. nhk reporters in a town in north eastern china on the north korean border captured footage of a light rising into the sky. japan's defense ministry says it believes the projectile broke into several parts, some of which flew between okinawa's main island and fell into the pacific ocean. now, over in south korea u.s. and south korean militaries have been conducting joint drills. the 11-day freedom shield exercises are aimed at enhancing exercising threats to north

korea. the president visited a joint command center and stressed the importance of a 70-year bilateral alliance. north korea has condemned the joint exercise calling it a preparation for an invasion. it's warned of counter measures that could include the launch of an icbm or other type of missile. as for the satellite launch, north korea's aero space administration said it'll carry out another attempt. we spoke to former seoul bureau chief. >> north korean officials are saying flights of the first and second stages of the rocket were normal, but the launch failed due to an error in the emergency blasting system during the third stage flight. also mentioned the cause of the accident was not a major issue, but considering that all three parts of the rocket fell in waters missing the targeted area

previously announced by the north, it suggests that the rocket may have encountered multiple issues. another noteworthy aspect of north korea's statement is that their announcement of a new launch in october even before thoroughly investigating today's failure. this rush might be a link to a desire to succeed by october 10th, the day of the founding of the korean workers party. the timing of today's launch is also seen as an effort to showcase their capabilities ahead of their upcoming national foundation day on september 9th. it may also have been a protest against joint military exercises between the u.s. and south korea. it's quite possible that the failure to commemorate the september anniversary has left kim jong-un greatly disappointed, which could explain the swift mention of a launch in october. this all shows that north korea prioritizes symbolism over

scientific success in its pursuit of launching a spy satellite. next in weather some areas of southern europe have seen the mercury jump to record highs. our meteorologist has more on the sweltering conditions in our world weather report. >> many cities in southern europe were over 40 on wednesday. 44 in spain and 44.2 in france. this is not only causing problems of heatstrokes but are also connected to wildfires.

we have some video. the heat wave in southern europe is now at its peak. officials and would call it the highest temperatures ever on wednesday. more than 350 wildfires had broken out since friday with about 200 new blazes in the last 48 hours alone. severe hot weather is still a concern on thursday. almost 40 again. so talking about the heat wave, people in the part of the united states are also struggling with unusual temperatures. a huge heat dome is dominating much of the midwest into the deep south. 41 in houston, even in chicago you will see a high of 39.

so please stay hydrated and inside as much as you can. however, down through -- landfall in the dominican republic on wednesday. this storm killed at least one person and caused major disruptions including closure of businesses and schools. even though the system started moving away from the country, it still has power to bring additional rainfall that could cause isolated flash flooding on thursday. that's all for me. stay safe.

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, trade and investment ministers from the g20 economies have started discussions on strengthening supply chains on semiconductors and other products. the g20 trade and investment ministerial meeting is being held in northern india. the participants will discuss among other things ways to strengthen supply chains covering semiconductors and food

products. as china's economic influence grows, concerns have been increasing over so-called economic coercion such as tariff increases and export controls against its trade partners. >> translator: we believe it is more important than ever to maintain a rules-based, free, fair and open multi-lateral trade system for the sake of global growth and prosperity. >> recently the g20 has failed to adopt joint statements at the end of a meetings mainly due to a rift between moscow and the west due to russia's invasion of ukraine. now, the bank of japan governor ueda kazuo will attend the symposium in wyoming. analysts are watching whether he'll give an indication of the boj's policy direction given the falling value of the yen. the central bank says ueda will take part in the annual three-day gathering from thursday. the symposium has long been seen

as an opportunity for central bank governors to present their policy directions. u.s. federal chair jerome powell will speak on friday. it decided last month to allow long prm interest rates to rise higher than previously tolerated. the boj had said its decisions were to enhance sustainability of yield curve control, the key elements of the policy. last year's symposium powell stressed tightening must continue until the job is done. his job highlighted the difference between the fed and boj which has stuck to monetary easing calling the yen to plunge in value against the dollar. now, the cost of living here in japan has been steadily on the rise for a couple of years now. however, the bank of japan is determined to stick with its ultraeasing monetary policy.

that's left experts guided how the boj should move forward. >> reporter: july's price index excluding fresh food and energy rose over 4% from the previous year. that's well above the boj target of 2%. but the bank has kept its key interest rate below zero, only tweaking yield curve control policy to keep long-term interest rates low. japan's rising inflation was initially due to higher prices of imported goods, but morita of nomura security says it's clear that service prices are now also heading north. >> translator: i think the main factor leading inflation will change from the price of goods to prices of services, which tend to reflect wage hikes and potential growth of inbound tourism. that means inflation is likely to become more sustainable even if the rate declines.

>> reporter: morita also expects wages to the yeas which may persuade boj officials to believe that a sustainable inflation target is achievable. if that happens, it'll finally be time for them to change their monetary policy. >> translator: as japan's economic recovery continues, we expect base wages could be raised by 1.8% at annual negotiations next year. we forecast the boj could scrap its yield curve control policy. in the period of october to december in 2024. >> reporter: meanwhile at the japan research institute thinks increasing service prices not enough to push up wages yet. he says current hikes simply a result of costs passed through on higher import prices, and that means any boj rate hikes won't happen until fiscal 2025.

>> translator: i think it's still only limited items in service sectors where prices are rising. the restaurant and housing sectors are seeing increases, but, for example, prices in education-related areas and entertainment are not. the movement to add labor cost increases to service prices have yet to reach every sector. >> reporter: he also says there's a worst-case scenario in which consumer spending drops off. gdp numbers released last week show that domestic consumption fell in the april, june period suggesting that the worry of inflation has had more influence on consumers than expected. he says the situation will only worsen if wages continue to rise more slowly than price growth. >> translator: if there is a risk of an economic downturn,

consumption won't be stimulated, so companies will be hesitant to pass on higher prices, and the momentum for wage hikes will wane. if that happens, there's a risk that prices and wages will not rise as they did before the pandemic and the economy will stagnate. >> reporter: ultimately if japan's inflation rate stays higher than the boj's forecast, the bank will have no choice but to move toward tighter measures regardless of plans, and that would be bad news for both the decision makers and ordinary people trying to make ends meet. sales at major supermarkets across japan rose for the fifth straight month in july. that's partly due to the higher price of food products and strong clothing sales.

the japan chain stores association says total sales stood at 1.16 tri$1.16 trillion about # billion. that's up 1.9% from a year earlier. clothing led due to the long hot days while food products were up 4.8%. the association says sales continue to rise, but the number of actual items sold are still lower year on year, and concerns over consumption remain in light of rising prices. and japan's first pilot project of electrical bicycles powered by fuel cells has gotten under way in yamanashi prefecture west of tokyo. a fleet of bikes equipped with hydrogen tanks will be lent out free of charge until 2026. the goal is to collect data on hydrogen consumption and see whether the vehicles are suitable for practical use. it's part of a joint project involving a local university in

a bid on the benefits. >> translator: we hope people will come and try the bikes so we can iron out any problems after the two-year trial period. >> it's thought the fuel cell powered bicycles will be able to travel about double the distance compared to conventional lithium ion battery bicycles on a single charge. and workers at a winery in western japan have started producing this year's village of wines made from premium grapes. the wineries in okayama prefecture, the workers stored about 3,400 kilograms of locally harvested white grapes known of muscat of alexandria into a

machine. okayama produces about 90% of the grape variety in japan. it says this year's crop has enjoyed favorable weather conditions and expects the latest line of muscat of alexandria wines to have a fragrant and refreshing flavor. >> translator: we aim to produce wine that makes fuel use of the fresh flavors of the ingredients so it takes like the fruit itself. >> the winery plans to use a total of 10 tons of the grapes and begin shipping the wines from around march. 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. >> what went wrong wita

25? the russian spacecraft crashed instead of making a soft landing at the lunar south pole. what lessons are learned from the failure? this is inside story. laura: welcome to the program. it was a mission to elevate russ