welcome to nhk "newsline." japan's prime minister will visit pearl harbor late this month. shinzo abe will join president barack obama on december 26th and 27th to pay tribute to victims of the attack. we'll bring you more details as they come in. >>> defense officials in seoul say they're closely monitoring north korea for possible provocative acts following the adoption of fresh yooup sanks against pyongyang. >>> slapping stricter sanctions on pyongyang. the move came in response to the north's latest nuclear test in september. they have also announced their new measures. state-run media has been reported on kim jung un's units. officials in seoul are on the alert saying there could be another provocation from the reclusive nation. >> north korea may consider sanctions and a good opportunity to engage in provocation. >> the spokesperson issued a warning of retaliation. acts that sharply raise tensions would result in the north's leadership. >>> north korea will mark several five-year anniversaries this month, including the death of former leader kim jung il on the 17th an

>>> hello there, welcome to nhk "newsline." it's friday december 9, 10:00 a.m. in tokyo. lawmakers are expected to vote on a motion friday afternoon to impeach president park. the motion was submitted by three opposition parties and fights to influence the fraud scandal. it says park disrupted the market system by forcing companies to donate funds to park and others. the ones who are either opposed to or have kept political distance from park. the opposition needs 28 of them to support the motion to pass. the leader of the main opposition parties joined lawmakers and supporters in an overnight sit in at the entrance to parliament. they expressed determination to ensure the motion passes. people demanding park's impeachment or resignation also held a rally nearby. if impeached, prime minister park will retire from her duties. >> radiation levels have remained high since the 2011 nuclear disaster. the plant's operator is currently paying for the cleanup. but it won't ask tepco furnish any money. the cleanup is part of the government's effort to eventually rebuild so people

>>> welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm mickey yam y >>> japanese prime minister shinzo abe has visited pearl harbor with u.s. president barack obama. the first time both have stood together at the uss arizona memorial. they honored the victims of the surprise attack by japan in 1941 that drew the u.s. in world war i. we'll bring you what the leaders had to say, but first, here's the ceremony with japanese commentary. >> translator: right now, for a minister, defense minister are both waiting for the two leaders. this arizona memorial, deep inside, there's a place to console for the victims. >> translator: yes, if you go more inside, there will be a space to console the victims. and in the nearby, there's a ceremonial well and from there, you can see deep inside the sea. and it's directly connected and there's a hole in the floor so from the top of the memorial, you can see deep down the ocean. >> translator: yes, there is two -- the president and the prime minister just arrived at the arizona >> translator: in hawaii,

>>> hello there and welcome to nhk "newsline." it is friday december 2nd, 10:00 a.m. i'm katherine kobayashi in tokyo. thailand has a new king. crown prince maha vajiralongkorn who succeeds his father who reigned for 7 decades. he was crowned in a formal ceremony in bangkok. the new king is 64 years old. he's the only son of the late king adulyadej who died in october. his coronation will not happen until late next year after the late king's --. people at a temple in bangkok gathered to watch the televised announcements. >> translator: i trust the new king. i believe that he will put us in a better direction. >> translator: i hope the new king will follow in his father's footsteps. >> the late king was widely seen as a pillar of stability during times of political turmoil. the nation is now facing the challenge of returning to civilian rule from a military-led interim government. >>> north korea has warned of a tough response to stronger sanctions by the u.n. security council. the unsc's resolutions is is to punish pyongyang for its fifth nuclear test in september. it

>>> glad to have you with us on this it edition of "nhk newsline." the emperor spoke to the media and thanked the people for considering his wish to advocate. looking back at the past year, he recalled his visit to the philippines in january with the em press. during the trip they paid tribute to japanese who died this world war ii. >> the cup the also visited the prefecture which were hit hard by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. >> and the emperor expressed sympathy for those affected by a series of disasters. among them were strong earthquakes that devastated the southwestern prefecture from april. >> the emperor referred to his august message to the nation where he indicated his message toed a so indicate. it may be difficult to carry out duties as his condition declines. >> the emperor and other members of the imperial family are scheduled to appear at the imperial palace in tokyo three times on friday morning to greet well wishers. >>> japanese emergency crews have brought one of the country's biggest ever fires under control. flames swept throu

>>> hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm kiko kitagawa in tokyo. the united states says it will punish russia for what it calls a cyber attack. president barack obama has sanctioned nine russian diplomats for hacking to influence the american election. these include two intelligence services four intelligence officers and three companies that supported the operations. the white house has also ordered 35 russian government officials including diplomats to leave the u.s. within 72 hours. they say it's in reaction to diplomatic harassment in russia. in october the u.s. announced that russian authorities tried to influence the election through a cyber attack. the hacking in june led to officials of democratic party being leaked. russian-u.s. relations were already poor following the u.s. announcement of sanctions against russia over the conflict in syria and ukraine. russian officials have reacted sharply for the new u.s. sanctions. moscow considers the measures unjustified and illegal under international law. he said that president vladimir putin will

>>> hello and welcome back to nhk "newsline". i'm raja pradhan with the news from tokyo. >>> the national assembly is expected to vote friday. they met on friday to discuss their plan. they have the signatures of more than half of the lawmakers. that's enough to go ahead, so they handed the motion to the assembly. two-thirds of lawmakers must back the impeachment for it to succeed. at least 28 members of the ruling party must come on board. if they do, park's presidency would be suspended immediately. the prime minister would then take over her duties. the last and only south korean president to be impeached was in 2004. >>> thailand's new king has given its people the first glimpse of him presiding over royal duties as their monarch. our team in bangkok has the details. >> his father king bhumibol died in october and was revered as a unified figure through seven turbulent decades. here's the report on the mood in the capital one day after the historic moment. >> reporter: the 64-year-old new king led a buddhist prayer ritual to

>>> welcome back to nhk "newsline." i'm kanako sachno. there's been angry reaction to the japanese defene minister's visit to a shrine . it was her first official visit since assuming the defense portfolio and it came a day after she accompanied the prime minister on his trip to pearl harbor. >> traranslator: u.s. president barack obama visited the atomic bomb city of hiroshima earlier thisis year and the jajapanese e minister has paid tribute to the war dead in n waii's peaearl harbor. i visit here looking to the future with hopes of building peace for japan and the world. >> visits to the shrine by japanese officials spark criticism from neighboring countries. south korea's government was quick to react. >> translator: seoul cannot condone the visit by a japanese politician in a responsible position to the shrine. it glorifies japan's colonel rule and war of aggression. >> he says japan can only win the trust of its neighbors by facing its history. she was asked ahead of time about expected a angry reaction by south korea and china. she

>>> welcome back to nhk "newsline." i'm kanako sachno. managed to extingish a blaze 30 hours after it broke out. they are assessing the scene of the fire to determine how it started. the blaze broke out in a chinese restaurant in niigata city on thursday morning. it eventually destroyed about 150 buildings, including houses and shshops. two residents and eight firefighters suffered injuries. city officials sayay the fire raged througugh an area and 744 opople and 3 363 households hahe been advdvised not to return to ththeir homes just yet. the restaurant owner says he discovered the fire had broken out after he returned from a short absence. residents say the blaze was at first restricted to the area around the restaurant. but after about 90 minutes, strong winds sent sparks into the air and helped fan the flames. >> translator: sparks flew all over the place, and the fire roared up. the flames suddenly spread as far as the shore. >> firefighters say the narrow streets in the neighborhood made it difficult to fight the blaze and keep it f

this is nhk "newsline." i'm keiko kitagawa in tokyo. >>> nhk has learned that the u.s. military has told japan's government it wants to resume midair refueling training in early january. the drills were suspended after a crash landing in southern japan involving a u.s. osprey aircraft earlier this month. the tilt-rotor aircraft was badly damaged in shallow waters off the coast of okinawa prefecture. on december 13th. the military says the crash landing was caused by a hose from an air tanker hitting one of the osprey's propellers during an aerial refueling drill. it restarted frights of ospreys six days later, saying the aircraft, itself, had no problem. the u.s. military had told the japanese government it would resume refueling training after completing re-education of osprey pilots, checking training procedures, and conducting flight simulation exercises. the government had asked the u.s. side to provide information on safety measures to prevent a recurrence of similar incidents before restarting aerial refueling. >>> a strong earthquake hit ibaraki prefecture north

>>> welcome back to nhk "newsline. i'm kanako sachno. japan's prime minister abe has visited pearl harbor with barack obama. shinzo abe became the first japanese leader to stand with an american president at the site of the surprise japanese attack 75 years ago. the two honored the victims and others who died in war at the uss arizona memorial. they later underscored the reconciliation between their two countries. >> translalator: we must neveve repeat the horrors of war again. we, the people of japan, will continue to o uphold this unwavering principle, while harboring quiet pride in the path we've walked as a peace-loving nation over the past 70 years since the war ended. >> abe said the countries that were once enemies are now working together for world peace and stability. >> translator: japan and the united states, which have eradicated hatred and cultivated friendship a and trust on the basis of common values, are now, and especially now, taking responsibility for appealing to the world about the importance of tolerance and the pow

>>> hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm keiko kitagawa in tokyo. when the leaders of japan and russia meet next week, they're expected to discuss joint economic activity on four disputed islands controlled by russia. japan claims that it calls them northern territories and maintains they're an inherent part of its territory. it says the islands were illegally occupied after world war ii. >>> shinzo abe and vladimir putin discussed the matter in peru next month. next week's meetings will take place in western japan and tokyo. the leaders plan to reaffirm agreements on an economic cooperation proposal presented by japan earlier this year, including joint ventures and freedom of movement. >> translator: the japanese government is sticking to its position that the joint economic activity should be conducted on the premise that it will not infringe on japan's legal position. >> russia had previously proposed economic cooperation but it didn't materialize because of those concerns. >>> germany's top court has ordered the government to pay compensation to

>>> glad to have you with us on this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm raja pradhan in tokyo. the leaders of japan and russia have witnessed the conclusion of $2.5 billion worth of deals between their governments and businesses. prime minister shinzo abe said they've also agreed to start talks on joint economic activities on four russian-controlled islands claimed by japan. the territorial dispute is the reason the two countries never signed a peace treaty after world war ii. >> translator: we have to put an end to this abnormal situation in our generation. vladimir and i have confirmed our strong determination to do that and express our commitment in a statement. we have agreed to begin talks on a special system for joint economic activities on the four islands. this is an important step toward the conclusion of a peace treaty. >> translator: prime minister abe proposed setting up a special mechanism for joint economic activities on the islands. it's important to use the mechanism as a basis to move closer to a final resolution of the peace treaty problem. if someone says rus

>>> you're watching nhk "newsline." . i'm kanako tokyo is seeking to lay the groundwork before this week's japan/russia summit. >>> new responsibilities. members of japan's self-defense forces in south sudan can now use weapons. >>> and a surprising statement. president-elect donald trump says the united states is not necessarily bound by the one china policy. >>> there's been more developments ahead of the key summit between the members of the leaders of japan and russia this week. holding vice minserial talks beforehand as they try to move ahead with discussions on a long-standing territorial issue. if the deputy foreign ministers meet a key topic is economic cooperation on russian-controlled islands. in japan they're known as the northern territories. japan claims them. its government maintain an ininherent part of its territor and says they were illegally occupied after world war ii. the two countries didn't sign a peace treaty after the war because of the dispute. russian officials have been urging japan to take part

>>> live from our studios here in tokyo, this is nhk "newsline" i'm james tengan. we start out with some of the quick stories we're following this hour. >>> searching for survivors. rescue work is under way in indonesia's aceh province after a powerful earthquake rocked the region. >> i just want to thank you very much. thank you very much. >>> making deals. the head of a japanese telecom and internet giant meets with president-elect donald trump. and promises billions of dollars in investments. >>> global test results. while japanese students are doing well in mathematics and science, they dropped in reading >>> setting sail around the globe. auat a yachtman in japan becomes the latest in a race. >>> 52 people have been killed and hundreds of others injured. the u.s. geological survey say the magnitude 6.5 quake struck around 5:00 wednesday morning. strong jolts went on for 15 seconds. they destroyed dozens of buildings near pidie near the epicenter. >> translator: i received reports about the quake this morning and have instructed agencies to take action accordin

>>> hello, welcome back to nhk "newsline." i'm raja pradhan. >>> south korea's president has been stripped of her duties. after the news broke, park geun-hye appeared at a cabinet memeeting to apologize. >> translator: i am so sorry to all the people that i created such chaos with my carelessness. when our country is facing challenges i in its security an econonomy. >> park asked her ministers to make sure people's lives will not be affected. the impeachment motion submitted by three opposition parties but some ruling parties supported it. 56 lawmakers voted against. park is suspended from office and the prime minister temporarily takes over the duties. they have to rule on the legality of the impeachment. the process could take up to six months. park has been dogged for a weeks by an influence peddling scandal involving her long time friend and former presidential aide. opposition lawmakers say she leaked state secrets to her friend through her aides. they say she is not fit as the head of state. park is the second south kore

>>> welcome back to nhk "newsline." i'm minori takao with the latest at this hour. japanese prime minister shinzo abe is in hawaii to remember some of the victims of japan's surprise attack on pearl harbor. the strike on a u.s. naval base 75 years ago pulled the americans into the second world war. shinzo abe paid tribute monday to american war dead at the national memorial cemetery of the pacific. several japanese prime ministers have visited the site since world war ii. abe then visited the u.s. marine corps air station. he paid tribute to a fighter pilolot of the former japapanes imperial navy, who died there during the attack on pearl harbor. abe also visited a memorial to a japanese fishery training vessel that sank off hawaii in 2001. it was accidently hit by a u.s. submarine. nine people died, including high school students. on tuesday, abe and the u.s. president will hold their last meeting before barack obama's term ends. they will also offer flowers and deliver remarks a at the site oa sunken u.s. battleship. the uss arizona is where nearly half of all pea

>>> hello, welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm miki yamamoto in tokyo. >>> japan's prime minister has started a three-day visit to hawaii. he will remember the victims of japan's surprise attack on pearl harbor 75 years ago error the strike on the u.s. naval base pulled the americans into the second world war. shinzo abe is paying tribute to american war dead at the national memorial cemetery of the pacific. about 50,000 people are buried at the cemetery, including u.s. military personnel who died in the pacific and vietnam wars. several japanese prime ministers have visited the site since world war ii. abe has also visited a memorial to a japanese fishery training vessel that sank off hawaii in 2001. it was hit accidentally by a u.s. submarine, killing nine people, including high school students. on tuesday, abe is scheduled to hold his last meeting with barack obama. the president's term ends next month. the leaders will also visit the "uss arizona" memorial where they will offer flowers and deliver remarks. ahead of the vis

>>> thank you for joining us on this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm raja pradhan in tokyo. a memorial service has been held at pearl harbor that pulled the united states into world war ii. [ bell tolling ] ♪ >> around 3,800 american veterans and their relatives gathered on a pier overlooking pearl harbor on wednesday. the attack on december 7, 1941, killed more than 2,400 people. at the memorial the head of the u.s. pacific command spoke to the crowd about moving past old battles. >> today, we work with allies and partners across the globe to protect those hard-won freedoms including our staunch ally japan. reconciliation turned once-bitter enemies into the closest of friends. >> u.s. president barack obama underlined that, saying in a statement he looks forward to meeting japan's prime minister at pearl harbor later this month. obama also said he and his wife michelle joined the american people in remembering those who gave their lives on that day. president-elect donald trump also expressed his condolences. in a statement he says the sacrifice of victims reminds americans

welcome to nhk "newsline." >>> japanese officials are busy preparing for a summit between the leaders of japan and russia this week. japan's foreign minister says negotiations on a longstanding territorial dispute over four russian-controlled islands will continue until the last-minute. fumio kishida says it is not a challenge that can be solved through one meeting, but he says the government will try to make progress step by step. japan maintains the islands are an inherent part of its territory. it says they were illegally occupied after world war ii. moscow says the islands became part of russian territory as a result of the war. the dispute is the reason why the two cocountries haven't sigd a peace treaty. prime minister shinzo abe and russian presesident vladimir pun will told talks in western japan and tokyo on thursday and friday. they'll discuss the territorial issue and an economic cooperation plan proposed by japan. >>> on another matter, kishida says japan is postponing a three-way summit with china and south korea until next year. the decision comes after south korea decid

. >>> and you're watching nhk newsline. tokyo had a considerably warm day today. highs in the mid-teen celsius or around 60 degrees fahrenheit. here with this weather wrap up is jonathan oh. >> if you like warm weather and you classify that as nice, yes, we will continue to see some of that nice, warm conditions as we go forward in time. albeit as we go towards late wednesday and thursday, you'll need the umbrella here in central portions of japan as we see moisture heading in our didirection. we saw some temperatures that we haven't seseen, npding on where you are anywhere six days to almost two weeks in terms of seeing these temperatures return back into the picture. i mean, look at some of these highs as we went throughout the day on monday. a hihigh of 17.6 degrgrees and in tokyo, we saw recorded high of 15.7 degrees. we haven't seen that temperature in about a week or so. and i think we're going to see these warm conditions continue forward because we have a high pressure system that is nearby and as the southerly flow associated with this system continues, t

♪ >>> welcome to nhk "newsline," it's wednesday, december 21st, 10:00 a.m., i'm catherine kobayashi inokyo. >>> a huge explosion has ripped through a fireworks market in mexico. there are reports that 27 people have died and dozens more are injured. the blast occurred at an open air market north of mexico city, sending people fleeing and plumes of smoke high into the air. firefighters and rescue workers are now combing through the rubble and ashes. details of the cause are not yet known, but the same market was ungulfed by fire in 2005. many in mexico celebrate christmas with fireworks. it's a major industry there. >>> the evacuation of the syrian city of aleppo could be completed on wednesday. the international committee of the red cross says about 25,000 people have already left. civilians trapped in battle areas are evacuating, and insurgents are withdrawing after the opposition forlss agreed to given up the remains areas under their control. the syrian observatory for human rights said the number of people waiting to evacuate had dropped to around 3,000 as of tuesday afternoon. rus

>>> hello there, welcome to nhk "newsline." it is thursday, december 1st, 10:00 a.m. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. >>> the u.n. security council has adopted a resolution to impose fresh sanctions against north korea. the new measures are the latest response to pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs. the resolution was adopted unanimously. it sets a ceiling on north korea's coal exports at 7.5 million tons, or $400 million, whichever is lower. that means a 38% cut in coal exports. china is a major buyer. the resolution also bans the north from exporting copper, nickel, silver and other minerals. the assets of north korea's ambassador to egypt have been frozen in response to alleged involvement in illegal commercial activities to earn foreign currency. the resolution also calls on member states to reduce the number of north korean diplomats staying in their countries. diplomatic sources say once fully implemented, the new sanctions will likely cut north korea's trade revenue by $800 million or nearly 25%. the question remains just how much impact these steps will

>>> hello, welcome to nhk "newsline." it is thursday, december 22nd, 10:00 a.m. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. >>> first a milestone in the decades-long alliance between japan and the united states on okinawa. the u.s. on thursday returned to japan about 4,000 hectares or more than half of the northern training area. it is largest ever parcel of land to be returned since okinawa's reversion since u.s. administration in 197 2. it is the largest u.s. military training site in the southern prefecture. the governments of japan and the united states agreed on the return in 1996. it came after the construction of six new helipads were finished. the new helipads are racing safety concerns among nearby residents as the u.s. military is planning to use them for flight training for osprey tilt rotor transport aircraft. an osprey ditched in shallow water off the coach of the prefecture, nago city, on december 13th. the government says the return will reduce the prefecture's burden of hosting u.s. military bases. it will hold a ceremony in nago on thursday to commemorate

>>> welcome back to nhk "newsline." i'm minori takao in with the latest in this hour. >>> in the philippines, a powerful storm has made landfall. typhoon nock-ten forcing about 400,000 people to evacuate from their homes. they have been taking refuge in schools and churches. three people have e been killed. hundreds of flights are grounded and seaports are closed. let's get more detailsls from o meteorologist sayaka mori. what areas have been affected? and what should people be bracing for? >> the typhoon affect the the northern areas of the philippines. the typhoons are not too rare but it was the strongest typhoon on record to hit the philippines on record. but it moved over the south of luzon on christmas day as a very strong tide, the second high highest category on a typhoon scale. the system moved toward the west, and it was near manila today. it has weakened slightly packing winds of 180 kilometers per hour. the good news is the system is starting to pull away from the country but still strong winds are blowing o

>>> hello, welcome to nhk "newsline." it is tuesday, december 6th, 10:00 a.m. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. >>> shinzo abe will soon become the first sitting japanese prime minister to visit pearl harbor. he'll honor victims of a deadly attack in world war ii that prompted the united states to join the war. he'll arrive in hawaii on december 26th and be joined by u.s. president barack obama on the following day in honolulu. abe will offer flowers at the "uss arizona" memorial. he'll also hold talks with obama. >> translator: i want to reaffirm with president obama what we have done over the past four years. i also want to use the opportunity to convey to the world the significance of further strengthening our alliance. the ravages of war should never be repeated. i want to express my resolve toward the future. >> in december 1941, the now-defunct japanese imperial navy attacked u.s. military bases in hawaii. abe says his visit will symbolize the reconciliation between the two countries. >>> thailand's new king has led a ceremony observing the birthday of hi

welcome to nhk "newsline," it is thursday december 125th, 10:00 a.m. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. japanese prime minister shinzo abe and russia's president are about to start a two-day leader summit in japan. abe wants to push forward with discussions on a longstanding territorial dispute over four russian-controlled islands but vladimir putin is expected to prioritize cooperation in areas like the economy to build up mutual trust. japan maintains the islands are an inherent part of its territory and were illegally occupied after world war ii. the dispute is the main reason why the two countries haven't signed a peace treaty. abe has met with putin over a dozen times. he wants to form a political consensus with the russian president. his goal is to reach a deal that has eluded their predecessors for more than. 0 years. he has proposed taking a new approach to break the impasse on peace treaty negotiations. he pitched an eight-point economic cooperation plan back in may. >> translator: i have gained a sense i will be able to break the impasse on pe

>>> hello, welcome to nhk "newsline." it is tuesday, december 20th, 10:00 a.m. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. >>> police in berlin suspect it was a deliberate attack after a truck driver plowed through a busy christmas market. at least nine people are dead and many more are injured. it happened monday night in the center of the german capital. this man was part of the crowd who gathered for food and christmas goods and describes his close call. >> it went just past me, past my girlfriend. i think it missed me by three meters, missed her by five. it came in through the entrance, hit the sides of the barriers, then carried on past us. >> police have arrested a suspect they say was driving the truck. another suspect reportedly died at the scene. german news agency dpa say police believe terrorists were involved. authorities are urging people to stay home and remain alert. a similar attack happened in july in the french city of nice. a truck driver killed more than 80 people who had gathered for a celebration. >>> the leaders of russia and turkey say they'll step

>>> hello there, glad to have you with us on this edition of nhk "newsline." it's wednesday, december 14th, 10:00 a.m. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. an emergency water landing of a u.s. osprey aircraft has japanese officials asking questions about safety. five crew members were rescued on tuesday night after the osprey ditched off the coast of okinawa. an nhk cameraman sent this video from the site of the incident on wednesday morning. >> reporter: from the air, i can see that the osprey is broken apart. most of the debris can be seen just under the surface of the shallow water. i can even see the cockpit. further away, i can see more debris and the wing of the aircraft. >> the character belongs to the futenma air station. japan defense minister is calling for u.s. forces in the country to suspend operations of the aircraft. >> reporter: the accident was very disappointing as the japanese people have been concerned about the safety of the osprey. >> prime minister shinzo abe also commented. >> translator: i think the first priority is ensuring the safety o

this is nhk "newsline." i'm keiko kitagawa in tokyo. >>> nhk has learned that the u.s. military has told japan's government it wants to resume midair refueling training in early january. the drills were suspended after a crash landing in southern japan involving a u.s. osprey aircraft earlier this month. the tilt-rotor aircraft was badly damaged in shallow waters off the coast of okinawa prefecture. on december 13th. the military says the crash landing was caused by a hose from an air tanker hitting one of the osprey's propellers during an aerial refueling drill. it restarted frights of ospreys six days later, saying the

>>> nhk "newsline" comes to you live from our studios here in tokyo. >>> police in berlin say terrorism was probably behind monday night's truck attack, which claimed at least 12 lives. the truck rammed into people gathered around wooden huts serving wine and sausages. at least 48 people were injured. some of the christmas shoppers narrowly escaped the incident. >> it went just past me, past my girlfriend. i think it missed me by three meters, missed her by five. came into the entrance, hit the sides of the barriers and then carried on past us. >> translator: when we arrived at the scene, the whole situation was shocking, even for our people. it was very hard, because everyone needed help. >> police have arrested a suspect they believe was the driver. another man was found dead in the truck. >> translator: we're now investigating why the truck was driven into this christmas market. how could this have happened? in this context, one suspect is being interrogated who is likely the truck driver. >> the police say the truck belonged to a polish transport company. the firm had lost contact w

>>> hello, welcome to nhk "newsline." it is tuesday, december 13th, 10:00 a.m. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. >>> syrian government forces say they've seized near-total control of the northern city of aleppo. syria's russia-backed military stepped up its offensive to retake the city from opposition forces in november. the syrian observatory for human rights says some 97% of areas once held by opposition forces have been seized. a resident of a besieged area told nhk via online message that government forces are closing in on his neighborhood. >> russian defense officials say more than 2,200 opposition fighters have laid down their arms. the fight for aleppo appears to be in its final stages. the u.s. has strongly condemned russia, which backs the regime of president bashar al assad. >> despite our best diplomatic efforts to reduce the violence and increase the flow of humanitarian assistance, the assad government, backed by the russians, continues to try to bomb innocent civilians. >> he emphasized the u.s. will continue to make diplomatic efforts but added h