0:09

Welcome back to NHK Newsline, I'm

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Kanako Saknow. U.S. Defense

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Secretary Lloyd Austin says Washington will provide

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Ukraine with additional military aid worth up

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to $6 billion. He

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described the package as the largest to date.

0:25

If Putin prevails in Ukraine,

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the security consequences will be grave and global.

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Europe would face a security threat that it hasn't

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seen in our lifetimes. Austin

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made the announcement on Friday after attending

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a virtual meeting of countries to discuss

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military support for Kyiv amid Russia's ongoing

0:44

invasion. The Defense

0:46

Department says the aid includes ammunition, which

0:48

is in short supply on the front

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lines, and munitions for Patriot Air Defense

0:53

systems. The move

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comes after President Joe Biden signed

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into law on Wednesday, an emergency

1:00

budget bill including aid to Ukraine.

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The bill passed following months of

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bipartisan division in Congress. This

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is the second time this week that the

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White House has said it will send more

1:11

military aid to Ukraine following a package announced

1:13

Wednesday worth an estimated $1 billion.

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President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that

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returning the Zaporizha nuclear power plant

1:22

to Ukraine is the only way

1:24

to prevent another catastrophe. He made

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the comment on the 38th anniversary

1:28

of the Chernobyl nuclear accident. Participants

1:33

at a ceremony marking the Chernobyl disaster

1:35

laid flowers at a Cenotaph. The

1:37

chairman of Ukraine's Environmental Policy Committee praised

1:39

those who put out the fire at

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the stricken plant. The

1:47

heroes saved the world

1:49

from radiation contamination.

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Zelensky posted a message on social

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media warning that it's the entire

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world's responsibility to put pressure on

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Russia to ensure the Zaporija plant

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is liberated and all Ukrainian nuclear

2:05

facilities are protected. In

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early April, the Zaporija plant was attacked for

2:10

three days in a row. Russia

2:12

says the attacks were carried out by

2:14

Ukrainian forces using drones. But Ukraine says

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Russia staged a false flag operation in

2:19

order to make it seem as if

2:21

Ukraine was responsible. The

2:24

defense ministers of Russia and China have

2:27

expressed their intention to step up military

2:29

cooperation in an apparent bid to counter

2:31

Europe and the United States. Sergei

2:35

Shoigu and Don Zheng held talks

2:37

on Friday in the capital of

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Kazakhstan, Astana. They met

2:41

on the sidelines of a regional security

2:43

meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. That

2:46

body is led by Russia and China. Russia

2:52

and China are broadly in agreement

2:54

on the fundamental issues of the

2:56

current world order and pressing international

2:58

problems. Don

3:01

reportedly said it's particularly important that

3:03

relations between the two nation's armed

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forces maintain a high dynamic in

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a volatile international environment. He also

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stressed the importance of bilateral interaction.

3:14

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday

3:17

that he plans to visit China next

3:19

month. He's expected to meet

3:21

with Chinese President Xi Jinping. North

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Korea says it will continue with

3:34

what it calls its important duty

3:36

to enhance its space-recoercive capabilities.

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Pyongyang says it will monitor the

3:40

military maneuvers of the United States

3:42

and other hostile forces. The

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North has already revealed plans to launch

3:48

three more military spy satellites this

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year. Following what it claims was

3:52

a successful launch last November of

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its first military satellite, the Malig

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Yong-wan. The

3:58

pledge to continue space development came in

4:00

a statement published on Saturday by the

4:03

state-run Korean Central News Agency. It

4:05

was attributed to the country's National

4:08

Aerospace Technology Administration, which is responsible

4:10

for launching military spy satellites. The

4:13

administration said the space development

4:16

project, including military satellite launches,

4:18

is a strategic choice indispensable

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for guaranteeing the country's security,

4:22

interests and right to existence.

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Meanwhile, a U.S. think tank says

4:28

satellite images of North Korea's Sohe

4:30

satellite launching station in the country's

4:32

northwest show that preparations are underway

4:34

for another spy satellite launch in

4:36

the near future. Japanese

4:39

Prime Minister Kshira Fumio will visit

4:42

Brazil next week. He'll hold talks

4:44

with Brazilian President Luis Inacional Lula

4:46

da Silva aimed at establishing a

4:48

new bilateral framework for decarbonization. The

4:52

new framework would utilize Brazil's

4:54

rich resources, including biofuels, and

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Japan's expertise in technologies such

4:59

as hybrid engines. The

5:01

plan is expected to see the public and

5:03

private sectors of the two nations increasingly work

5:06

together. Brazil is scheduled

5:08

to host the annual United Nations Conference

5:10

on Climate Change next year. Lula

5:13

will also chair this year's Group of 20

5:15

summit in Rio de Janeiro. During

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his visit, Kishida is scheduled to deliver

5:21

a speech on Japan's foreign policy toward

5:23

Latin America and the Caribbean. Spring

5:27

holidays have begun in Japan. The break comes as

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the yen briefly weakened to the 158 range against

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the dollar in New York,

5:34

marking a fresh 34-year low. The

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feeble Japanese currency is proving a boon

5:40

for many foreign visitors who've been flocking

5:42

to tourist spots. The

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historic townscape of Kawagoya City is

5:47

located about an hour from central

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Tokyo. The traditional warehouse-style

5:51

residences are a major draw. Now

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the yen's depreciation is giving inbound

5:56

tourists more reasons to enjoy their

5:58

time in Japan. It

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makes it easier for us on our

6:04

side to go shopping and

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visit the rest of Japan. While

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foreigners that travel as a smiling, Japanese visitors

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are finding it hard to share the sentiment.

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I wanted to travel overseas,

6:20

but the yen is too weak right

6:22

now. We got married this year.

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I really want to travel overseas, but

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it's not that easy now. This

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couple from Japan is visiting Hawaii for

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a week. They've been shocked by the

6:38

cost of activities like dining. This

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lunch they had cost $18 each. At

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158 yen to the dollar, the meal for

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two comes to 5,600 yen. We

6:50

sometimes get breakfast and just have brunch

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to save on dining costs. And

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sometimes our breakfast is instant food we've

6:56

got from Japan. If

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the exchange rate gets even a little better,

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our trip would be much easier.

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The week yen is driving a change

7:12

among holidaymakers heading overseas. It

7:14

prompted this man to choose neighboring South

7:16

Korea for his vacation. I

7:19

normally travel to Europe or Australia around this

7:21

time, but not this year since the yen

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is so weak. A

7:26

survey by major travel agency JTB showed

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more than 70% of

7:31

respondents saying they won't be going on

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overnight trips. It says more

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people are citing economic challenges compared to

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last year. Among

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the people traveling domestically during this year's

7:42

spring holidays are volunteer workers, a number

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of whom are heading for Ishikawa Prefecture,

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which is still recovering from the New

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Year's Day earthquake. Lesser

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volunteers arrived in Susa City on

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Saturday. They're tasked with helping clean

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out homes hit by the Quatyn

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tsunami, sorting out waste and carry

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out other chores. I

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wanted to make use of myself even if

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it's just a little during the holidays. I'm

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grateful to the many people who've come to help.

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I hope the cleanup work will progress and we

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can take a step forward in rebuilding our lives.

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The prefecture expects an average of 340 volunteers a day in the 10

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days through May That's

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about 40% more than during the 10-day period

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through April 22. Check

8:54

out your 3-day world weather forecast. That

9:41

wraps up this edition of NHK Newsline. I'm Kaniko

9:43

Sattling, and I'm here to help you. Thanks

9:45

very much for joining us.