月: 2025年1月

1. Some Western countries have begun reacting cautiously to DeepSeek, a China-based developer of the generative AI model of the same name, out of privacy concerns.
2. Federal investigators in the United States are trying to determine the cause of a deadly plane crash over Washington DD. Officials have reportedly recovered the plane’s black boxes, which may offer some clues. The black boxes are to be analyzed at the National Transportation Safety Board lab.
3. Rescue officials have started laying a slope into an expanding sinkhole north of Tokyo as they prepare to launch a full-fledged search for a truck driver. The 74-year-old driver remains unaccounted for after his truck plunged into a hole.

1. NBC News reports that 64 people were on board a plane that crashed into the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan National Airport on the outskirts of the US capital Washington after colliding midair with a US military helicopter.
2. US President Donald Trump has announced a plan to prepare a facility to accommodate 30,000 undocumented immigrants at a US base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as part of measures to combat illegal immigration.
3. A Shinto shrine in Japan’s western prefecture of Fukuoka has held a traditional ritual of collecting seaweed from the ocean and offering it before an altar to pray for navigational safety and a large catch.

1. The United Nations says the United States has notified UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of its withdrawal from the Paris Agreement – an international framework to fight global warming. 2. Members of a US nonprofit group warn that humanity is edging closer to catastrophe from dangers that include nuclear weapons and climate change. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists told reporters in Washington on Tuesday that its Doomsday Clock was set at 89 seconds to midnight, one second forward from the previous two years and the closest it has ever been to catastrophe. The group has been using the clock since 1947 to symbolize how close the world is to destruction.
3. The head of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs has expressed a strong sense of crisis over US President Donald Trump’s “America First” policy and similar moves spreading across the globe. UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Nakamitsu Izumi made the remarks in an interview with NHK in Tokyo on Tuesday. She expressed concern that such a trend could result in the collapse of the international order.

1. US electric-vehicle giant Tesla is challenging additional European Union tariffs of up to 35.3 percent on EVs produced in China. Tesla has filed a lawsuit against the European Commission at the Court of Justice of the European Union, s these levies also apply to EVs built in China by Western automakers and shipped to the EU.
2. US President Donald Trump has moved quickly to crack down on what he calls “illegal immigration” since taking office, and the ripples of his policy are being felt in Mexico. 3. Japan’s sumo world will have its first new Yokozuna grand champion in three and a half years. Ozeki Champion Hoshoryu has been recommended for promotion to sumo’s top rank after winning its second grand tournament title in a three-way playoff on Sunday.

1. Fuji TV has announced the resignations of President Minato Koichi and Chairman Kanoh Shuji. The Japanese broadcaster has been implicated in a major scandal involving TV personality Nakai Masahiro. The scandal surfaced last month when weekly magazines reported that a Fuji TV employee was involved in trouble that occurred between Nakai and a woman. Nakai was a member of the now-disbanded pop idol group SMAP.
2. Japan department store sales exceeded pre-pandemic levels for the first time last year, helped by demand from a surge in overseas visitors. The Japan Department Stores Association says total sales for 2024 came in at more than 5.7 trillion yen, or about 37 billion dollars. That’s up 6.8 percent from the previous year in yen terms. It also exceeds the pre-COVID 2019 level by 3.6 percent.
3. An NHK survey shows a majority of major companies in Japan expect moderate growth in the economy in 2025. They cite a likely recovery in consumer spending on the back of wage increases. NHK conducted the survey of 100 businesses in December and January, with 95 responding. Most of those expecting growth pint to spending by individuals. This is based on the belief that spring wage talks between unions and companies will result in higher salaries, as they did last year.

1. US media outlet Fox News says more than 460 individuals have been arrested in a nationwide federal operation targeting undocumented immigrants with criminal records since the inauguration of Donald Trump as president on Monday.
2. US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to promote the use of cryptocurrencies and other digital assets. The order states that the digital asset industry plays a crucial role in innovation and economic development in the United States. 3. The Bank of Japan has decided to raise its benchmark interest rate to around 0.5 percent from 0.25 percent. The hike in the short-term rate was the first since July last year. It is now at its highest level since October 2008. Financial markets have had a generally positive reaction to Trump’s inauguration.

1. An NHK survey shows that 30 percent of major Japanese companies expect the new US administration’s policies will negatively affect their business. Many cited President Donald Trump’s planned tariff hikes.
2. An NHK survey released to coincide with the start of annual wage negotiations in Japan, shows that over 90 percent of companies are ready to raise pay this year. NHK conducted the survey of 100 major companies from December 13 through January 15. 3. Japanese television personality Nakai Masahiro has announced he is retiring from show business in the wake of a scandal involving a woman. He said he is retiring as of this day, but does not believe he has fulfilled all his responsibilities.

1. US President Donald Trump says he has asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to play a role in resolving Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. On Tuesday, Trump was asked by a reporter whether he had discussed the war in Ukraine with Xi, who has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
2. US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he is considering imposing an additional 10 percent tariff on imports from China starting on February 1. That is the same date on which he is mulling slapping 25-percent tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada. 3. US President Donald Trump has announced the launch of a joint venture dubbed Stargate that will invest hundreds of billions of dollars to build artificial intelligence infrastructure in the US. Trump said “A new American company that will invest 500 billion dollars at least in AI infrastructure in the United States, and very quickly moving, very rapidly, creating over 100,000 American jobs almost immediately.”

1. The yen saw a sharp price swing against the dollar on Tuesday following the latest tariff remarks by US President Donald Trump. During Tokyo trading, the Japanese currency briefly fell after Trump said he’s considering a 25-percent levy on imports from Canada and Mexico. He said he could introduce the change from February 1.
2. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has congratulated US President Donald Trump, saying he is sure “the best days of our alliance are yet to come.” Netanyahu thanked Trump for his efforts in helping free Israeli hostages in Gaza. Three hostages were released by Hamas a day earlier, under a six-week ceasefire deal brokered by the US and others. 3. The mother of a Japanese woman who was abducted by North Korea says she hopes new US President Donald Trump will rescue her daughter and other abductees from North Korea. Yokota Sakie, who is 88 years old, issued a statement after Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on Monday.

1. Israeli and Hamas leaders have marked the start of a six-week ceasefire in Gaza by releasing prisoners and hostages. Hamas returned three Israeli hostages and Israeli authorities freed 90 Palestinian prisoners. Hamas is expected to release 33 of the roughly 100 hostages held in Gaza. Israel is scheduled to release Palestinian prisoners and pull its forces from highly populated areas during the ceasefire.
2. South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol has again refused to appear for questioning, despite a request by a joint team of investigators on Monday. The investigation team notified Yoon that he would be questioned at 10 a.m., but he refused. The president was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of orchestrating an insurrection by declaring martial law last month. 3. Foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have discussed the situation in Myanmar where fighting continues after a military coup erupted four years ago. The ASEAN plans to send a special envoy to Myanmar to call for the immediate cessation of violence. The ministers exchanged views over ongoing fighting between Myanmar’s military and prodemocracy forces.