As it prepares for an offensive. In the west bank city of bethlehem, people protested against israeli air strikes in the gaza strip and the worsening humanitarian situation. We cannot turn away anymore. The invasion of Israeli Forces and bombing on gaza is not accepted. In a televised speech wednesday israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu repeated his warning to gaza residents to evacuate. Translator weve already killed thousands of terrorists, and this is only the beginning. I call again for the noninvolved population in gaza to evacuate to the south strip. Netanyahu says preparations for a ground assault are still under way. He did not say when it would begin. The wall street journal quoted officials from the u. S. And Israeli Governments as saying that israel has agreed to delay its gaza incursion at washingtons request. The newspaper says the u. S. Asked for time to complete it deployment of air Defense Systems stationed in the region. The journal says the deployment is due to finish as early as the latter half of this week. Nearly 8,000 are said to have been killed since the hamas attack on october 7th. Health authorities in gaza say that includes more than 6,500 people in the palestinian enclave while israel says at least 1,400 on its side have been killed. A newspaper in israel is reporting a significant number of hostages could be released from hamas captivity within a few days. The major israeli the major israeli paper published a story on wednesday citing israeli and foreign sources familiar with negotiations on the matter. It said the number of hostages hamas will release and their identity are not yet known, but the report said the deal could be finalized within two days maybe even less depending on progress in the negotiations. The Israeli Government says 135 people out of the estimated 220 hostages still held by hamas have foreign passports from 25 different countries. They include 54 thai nationals, 15 argentineans, 12 americans, and 12 germans. Some are believed to have dual nationality. Israeli Prime Minister netanyahu said on wednesday his government will do Everything Possible to bring the hostages back home. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has denounced russia for allegedly targeting a Nuclear Power plant in western ukraine. In a video message wednesday zelenskyy said buildings in the compound were damaged by russian drones. He also said the drones were shot down, but about 20 local residents were injured. Zelenskyy reiterated the need to strengthen ukraines air defense. Meanwhile, Russias Defense Ministry said its forces shot down two u. S. Supplied longrange missiles over ukraine. It made no mention of the attack near the nuclear plant. The kremlin also announced that Russian Forces have test launched Nuclear Capable missiles. Several missile types including ones from longrange strategic bombers were all launched as planned. The house of the Russian Parliament also passed a bill wednesday to withdraw from a global Treaty Banning Nuclear weapons test. Russia will formally withdraw when president Vladimir Putin si signs the bill. U. S. Media outlets are reporting at least 22 people have been killed and Dozens Injured in shootings in the eastern state of maine. The shooter reportedly remains at large. The shootings happened in the city of lewiston wednesday evening at separate locations including a Bowling Alley and a bar. Police have released this image of a man with an automatic rifle. Police are currently searching for robert r. Card. Hes considered armed and dangerous, a person of interest, and thats what well label him at moving forward until that changes. If people see him, they should not approach card or make contact with him in any way. Several u. S. Media say card is a military trained firearms instructor. Residents have been told to stay inside with their doors locked. U. S. President joe biden offered the full support of the government. South Koreas Supreme Court has ordered a retrial for a professor found guilty of defaming people referred to as comfort women. It was over what she wrote in a book. The court sent the case against the University Professor back to a high court thursday. It says what she wrote should be viewed as an academic argument. Translator this has been going on for nearly ten years. There were many people who were interested in this case, understood my intentions, and supported me throughout that time. I would like to express my gratitude to those people. Prosecutors indicted park in 2015 for defaming the women in her book comfort women of the empire, which was published in 2013. In it she writes that the relationship between some women and Imperial Japanese forces was akin to that of comrades and some of them voluntarily became comfort women. A District Court acquitted her in 2017 saying the expression comrades is abstract and figurative and merely presents an opinion. But a high court found her guilty and order her to pay a fine. It said her writing was incorrect and different from objective facts. Both the prosecutors and pak appealed. The Supreme Court said thursday its reasonable to assess the expressions in the book as stating the authors academic claims and opinions. Meantime, the same court put an end to another legal battle. It ruled that a stolen buddhist statue belongs to a japanese temple. In 2012 thieves stole the relic from a temple in nagasaki prefecture. It was later found in south korea and is now being held by the government there. The temple in south korea says the figure had been stolen by japanese pirates in medieval times. The temple filed a lawsuit in april 2016 demanding the Government Hand it over. The Supreme Court ruled that the temple is the owner of the statue according to japanese civil law. In 2017 a District Court had ruled in favor of the temple, but a high court stated that the statue belongs to the japanese temple. Officials in tokyo plan to call on their counter parts in seoul to return the statue as early as possible. China has sent three astronauts to its space station to replace the current crew. It blasted off from North Western china. Its set to dock at the space station. The new crew are scheduled to stay at the station for about six months and do experiments but also expected to do some due maintenance outside for the first time. China completed the space station last year. It plans to launch two crewed spacecraft per year. The Chinese Space agency has invited astronauts from other countries to take part in the missions, but observers say chinas goal is to surpass the United States in space development. In a landmark ruling, japans Supreme Court says its unconstitutional to require a surgery to officially change a gender. This comes after the court officially upheld surgery requirement just four years ago. Translator its hard to live with this gender on my family registry. The petitioner who was recorded as male at birth now lives as a woman. She asked a family court to allow a gender change without the surgery claiming it violated the constitution. Under current japanese law a persons registered gender can only be changed under certain conditions. One requirement states the individual can no longer have the reproductive functions he or she was born with, effectively requiring a surgery. The petitioner says she had considered having the surgery but decided against it. She also cited the cost of the procedure. But that meant her gender on the registry didnt match her gender in real life. She says she has been forced to repeatedly explain the difference to government officials. She said she is also constantly worried about being outed at work. Translator i understand certain standards and regulations are necessary. I only hope to lead my life comfortably by changing my official gender to female. The Supreme Court heard the arguments at a hearing in september. The petitioner also testified directly in a closed session. The ruling says the constitution grants people the freedom to not be hurt against their will and found a surgery requirement limited that freedom. It says there is fnow a wider public understanding for transgender persons making the requirement unnecessary. The court noted that over 10,000 people have officially changed their genders since the rules first came into effect. However, the Supreme Court also ordered a high court to reexamine the original petition, saying another requirement was not given enough consideration. It stipulates a person must have genitals matching those of their desired gender. A lawyer representing the peti petitioner read out a statement on her behalf. Translator it is very regrettable that the grand bench of the Supreme Court stopped short of a decision on whether or not i can change my registered gender, but i hope this ruling can lead to a good end result. One group which advocates for the surgery requirement, spoke ahead of the Supreme Courts decision. It said it was necessary to avoid causing women concern and said it could cause legal exper will make it easier for people to live as the gender of their choice. Translator it is necessary to ease the way for those who want to change their gender so they can be allowed to live as they wish. One international lgbtq Organization Says at least 18 countries including japan have a gender surgery requirement. At least 17 others do not require a procedure such as sterilization to change ones legal gender. This is the 12th time since 1945 that the japanese Supreme Court has found a clause in a law to be unconstitutional. The decision will force the diet to revise the law. Its time for a check on the weather with our meteorologist jonathan oh. A powerful cyclone slammed into parts of south asia. Jonathan has the latest on the situation. Hello, on wednesday we had a cyclone that made landfall in bangladesh and brought some powerful stormy conditions into the area. Take a look at this video coming from the region as the cyclone made landfall in south eastern bangladesh early wednesday. Heavy rain and strong winds impacted the coastal city and destroyed hundreds of homes. Trees and power lines were down leaving residents without Internet Connection or leck trissy wednesday afternoon. The storm had at least three fatalities. It looks like bangladesh might be done with the moisture, but other areas towards places like china and far eastern areas like india will continue to see the moisture into the area. Thats something to look out for as we go into friday. Were looking at dry weather into places like cal cutta and down to the south were looking at thunderstorms as we go into the last part of the workweek. Down through southern areas of china with moisture as well. Were looking at chances of rain and thunderstorms charging down south hong kong and taipei as we go into friday. Temperatures ranging. Dryer up to shanghai, and tokyo looking at partly cloudy skies and a high of 23 as we go through the day on friday. Meanwhile, in europe its a bit of a messy setup here. Weve got a couple low pressure systems that made its way across the continent, bringing snow possibly into Western Areas of russia. But a couple more systems coming into the west, and thatll bring wet weather with stronger winds. And so coming up on thursday well see some rain and thunderstorms extending from london to paris, 18 in madrid and 24 in istanbul and athens, topping off at 27 degrees for thursday. Thats a look at your forecast. Hope you have a good day wherever you are. Thats all for this edition of nhk newsline. Im yoshi ogasawara in tokyo. Thanks for watching and do stay with us for more. This is newsline biz. Im ramin mellegard. The number of shops and staff at japans narita airport has taken a big hit since the start of the pandemic. Now, the slump comes at a difficult time for the transport hub, which is facing a resurgence in tourists and other travelers. A survey by the airport operator in february showed there were 619 shops, restaurants, and other businesses at narita near tokyo. That was a decline of 8 from 2017. Now, the number of workers was down by about 7,000 to around 36,300, a 16 drop. The fall poses a major headache for the operator, the is seeing a healthy recovery in traffic. Compounding the problem is the fact that naritas third runway due for completion in six years time meaning visitor tuesday the airport will only increase. The operator expects itll need roughly 70,000 people to staff businesses at the airport by that time. And israels National Airline will suspend regular flights between japan starting next month due to the ongoing clashes between israel and hamas. The airline offers two round trips a week linking tel aviv and japans narita. But the carrier plans to Halt Services after its final round trip in october 31st. The suspension will continue until march. It had originally planned today pause flights on this route when passenger numbers typically drop. The plan was brought forward because the ongoing fighting has already discouraged travelers. Now, a major trade fair that showcases jpop and anime themed music to overseas bars kicked off in tokyo on thursday. The 20th edition of the Tokyo International music market is taking place in person for the first time in four years. The last three events were online due to the pandemic. Now, Major Record Companies are among 25 outfoots with booths at the venue. Theyre pitching music to roughly 200 buyers from around the world. Translator i hope they can promote the best aspects of japanese music to the world. The twoday fair is expected to attract around 5,000 visitors. The japanese government is aiming to help businesses gain a foothold in developing and emerging economies known as the global south. Now, nhk has learned that officials are planning 140 billion yen or over 930 million in support for companies entering the markets. Japans Economy Ministry has put together the measures to help strengthen ties with the nations. The global south is gaining prominence amid growing uncertainty including friction between the u. S. And china and russias invasion of ukraine. The ministry aims to provide subsidies to firms that can increase japans exports or strengthen the supply chain for important items. Officials plan to include the necessary funds for the measures in this fiscal years supplementary budget. Now, japans biggest motor show is back after a fouryear hiatus, and it looks different. At the newly branded japan mobility show, Auto Industry leaders have teamed up with players in the tech world to explore the future of transportation. And it comes at a crucial time. Japanese auto makers have to catch up to their competitors in a fast changing industry. Our Business Reporter gene otani went to the show to check it out. Reporter this is the first japan mobility show. Its not just a regular auto show as weve seen in the past. Ive seen more electric vehicles this time and less gasoline powered ones. Behind me are flying electric taxis we can see there along with a show thats going on. Exhibitors want us to experience mobility outside of just cars. And a Global Electronics auto parts maker, look what they made. Its a swing but not just a swing. This is a swing that produces hydrogen. Look above me the digits, thats the amount of hydrogen its producing right now. Look to my right. The bubbles you see there is the hydrogen thats actually being produced, hydrogen, a form of energy. They are focusing on right now. Ive experienced several other exhibits as well. Lets take a look. This sofa is filled with air, and it is developed by an online flea market. The firm says the body is so soft that it avoids serious damage if it hits something by accident while driving. Also you can transport it easily if you just take the air out. This delivery robot coming my way is serving as a capsule toy vending machine today, but it can also be converted into a food serving robot as well. And, of course, it can become a security robot. This is the latest robot suit. It weighs about 10 kilograms, and it moves the way my arms move but with an extension. Its used now mainly for entertainment, but the venture firm envisions it could be useful during a disaster for clearing debris and even aiding with evacuations. Japans Auto Industry may be feeling a sense of crisis, and a drastic reform may be whats going to be needed. Auto needs to be hitech. It needs to be electric, and it needs to embrace a. I. In the Global Market new Tech Companies are joining the Auto Industry, chinas ev manufacturer byd, is taking part for the first time this year and setup a huge exhibit to attract visitors. I asked auto motive analyst Christopher Richter at csa about the challenges japan is facing with the new competition. I think the most difficult thing for them is learning how to play the game differently because youve got people, you know, like tesla that are playing by the old rules, that have new concepts about how to introduce and renew cars. Those might work, might not work. They have different ideas how to make cars. That creates the risk of a lot of Capital Spending for japanese auto makers to stay up with them, so theres all sorts of theres all sorts of challenge from new players and being nimble enough to reinvent their game. Were seeing some good moves from toyota by doing some of this. Well see how that plays out. We get the feeling that the japanese auto motive industry is late in the ev game, and that may be why theyre collaborating with various types of industries and corporations working with Cutting Edge Technology and trying to stay in the race. The japan mobility show open tuesday the public this saturday. Im gene otani, nhk world. Citrus farmers in western japan are gearing up for their busy season. Theyve started harvesting tokushima prefectures famed yuzu fruit which has been gaining popularity overseas. One Company Grows in the temperature range and lots of rainfall which provide ideal conditions. Precipitation has been lower this year meaning smaller, but the grower still expects to ship 150 to 200 tons of fruit for the year. Translator the best thing about our yuzu is its strong and sour flavor. We hope kurps will enjoy its robust taste. The fruit appears to be gaining traction overseas with orders tripling this year compared to last year. Okay, lets get a check on the markets. Thats it for newsline biz from tokyo. Im ramin mellegard. Thank you very much for watching. What is the extent of u. S. Military aid to israel for gaza . Washington has been sending military assets to the region, saying they are for deterrence purposes. But are they really . And could it trigger a wider conflict in the middle east . This is inside story. Hello again. I am james bays. Refugee camps, hospitals, apartment blocks, know where in gaza is safe from israels bombardment of the besieged territory