# NHK WORLD RADIO JAPAN - English News at 03:00 (JST), October 09

- Show: English News - NHK WORLD RADIO JAPAN
- Published: 2026-10-09
- Canonical: https://podc.club/en/episode/141016660_a92e6dc9d00d.html
- Audio: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20261009030000_english_1.mp3
- Source: Edited from a machine transcript of the first 30 minutes of the episode. Not an official summary.

Canadian author Anne Carson, 76, has been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature for creating bold new forms of contemporary literature through playful dialogue with classical tradition. In Japan, a ransomware attack on a SoftBank-affiliated cloud services company has disrupted 495 firms and organizations, affecting logistics and government services. With less than a month until U.S. midterm elections, even Texas — long a Republican stronghold — is seeing tight races amid a backlash against immigration enforcement.

## What this episode answers

### Who won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature, and what was cited as the reason for the award?

Canadian author Anne Carson, 76, won the prize. She was recognized for creating bold, original new forms of contemporary literature through a playful dialogue with classical tradition, fusing poetry, classical scholarship, and literary criticism — most notably in her 1998 verse novel Autobiography of Red. She is the second Canadian woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature.

### What was the scale and real-world impact of the ransomware attack that struck Japan?

A ransomware attack on IDC Frontier, a SoftBank-affiliated cloud services company, affected 495 firms and organizations. A logistics subsidiary of Nissui had all 17 of its nationwide distribution centers unable to receive or dispatch shipments, and websites of local governments and a prefectural police headquarters in Ibaraki Prefecture also went offline.

### Why is the Republican Party struggling even in its traditional stronghold of Texas ahead of the midterm elections?

Backlash against immigration enforcement is intensifying among Hispanic residents, who make up roughly 40% of Texas's population. Workers with valid work permits are staying home out of fear of arrest, stretching construction timelines to roughly twice their normal length.

### What political developments are unfolding in Israel around the third anniversary of the Hamas attack?

A report released last month alleged that the UAE president had warned Prime Minister Netanyahu about the attack roughly a week beforehand, emboldening the opposition. A poll now shows the opposition led by former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot ahead of Netanyahu's ruling party ahead of the October 27 general election.

### What did former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen advocate during her U.S. visit, and what meetings did she hold?

Former President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) spoke at an event in California, arguing that deeper U.S.-Taiwan cooperation promotes stability in the Indo-Pacific and the resilience of the democratic community. She met with former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, making this her first visit to the United States since leaving office.

## Article

## 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature: Canada's Anne Carson Wins

The Swedish Academy has announced that the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature will be awarded to Canadian author Anne Carson, 76. The Academy cited her work for "creating bold and original new forms of contemporary literature through a playful dialogue with the classical tradition."

Born in Toronto, Carson earned a doctorate in classical literature from the University of Toronto and has taught at universities across North America. She has long been celebrated for a distinctive style that fuses poetry, classical history, and literary criticism. Her best-known work is Autobiography of Red (1998), a verse novel featuring a character drawn from Greek mythology that is acclaimed for its unique combination of poetry and prose. Carson becomes the second Canadian woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature.

## Cyberattack Hits Japan: 495 Firms and Organizations Affected

IDC Frontier, a cloud services company affiliated with SoftBank, was struck by a ransomware attack on Wednesday, affecting 495 client firms and organizations that rely on its cloud platform.

A logistics subsidiary of major seafood company Nissui was unable to receive or dispatch shipments at all 17 of its distribution centers nationwide. Websites belonging to a local municipality and a prefectural police headquarters in Ibaraki Prefecture also became inaccessible, disrupting public services. Auto Server, a Tokyo-based online used-car trading platform, received more than 200 inquiries from customers unable to log in. The company says it does not store customer data on its site and sees no risk of data leakage, but is working urgently to restore services from backup data. IDC Frontier has taken its systems offline to contain the damage and is investigating whether any information was leaked.

A Microsoft report covering July 2025 through June 2026 recorded more than 8,500 ransomware attacks globally — down roughly 3% year on year — while Japan saw approximately 100 cases, a 67% increase from the previous year. Japan ranked eighth globally in cyberattack volume from January through June, accounting for 2.5% of all incidents. Microsoft noted that Japan is a frequent target because it holds core technologies in global supply chains, adding that vulnerabilities are often exploited within 24 hours of discovery, and that anomaly detection-based defenses are more critical than increasing system complexity.

## U.S. Midterms: Cracks Appearing in Republican Texas

With less than a month until the U.S. midterm elections, Texas — long considered a solidly Republican state — is seeing unexpectedly close contests. President Trump held a campaign rally in the state, touting that he had reduced illegal border crossings to zero over 17 months.

The driving force behind the shift is a backlash against immigration enforcement. Hispanic residents, who make up roughly 40% of Texas's population, are increasingly critical of what they see as overreach. In September, footage emerged of a Venezuelan man being shot from behind after immigration authorities ordered him out of a vehicle; in July, a Mexican man died following contact with immigration authorities. Residents have spoken out, saying they are being targeted based on the color of their skin and that they must carry their passports at all times to prove their U.S. citizenship.

The construction industry has been hit hard as well. Workers with valid work permits are staying away from job sites out of fear of arrest, stretching housing development timelines to roughly twice their normal length. Site manager Mario Guerrero said, "ICE enforcement is hurting the construction industry. I voted for Trump, but I won't vote for his administration again." This trend is not confined to Texas — the Democratic Party is gaining ground in several states that were once reliably Republican.

## Israel: Third Anniversary of Hamas Attack and October 27 Election

Three years have passed since Hamas launched its surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Approximately 370 people were killed at an outdoor music festival alone, and around 1,200 Israelis died in total. A memorial ceremony was held at the site on Wednesday, where bereaved families observed a moment of silence. One woman who lost her son said, "In my dreams, my son smiles at me. In those moments, I can be his mother again." More than 74,000 people have been killed in Gaza since fighting began, with over 1,400 deaths recorded in the year since a ceasefire took effect.

The political situation is growing tense ahead of Israel's October 27 general election. A report published last month alleged that the president of the United Arab Emirates had warned Prime Minister Netanyahu approximately a week before the attack, prompting a stronger offensive from the opposition. The opposition led by former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot has now overtaken Netanyahu's ruling party in opinion polls. Even if Eisenkot becomes prime minister, he has stated that "there can be no success without the complete military and political destruction of Hamas," meaning no major shift in security policy is expected — though a departure from the isolationist foreign policy Netanyahu has pursued remains possible.

## Former Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen Visits U.S., Calls for Stronger Ties

Former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen attended an event in California and argued that stronger U.S.-Taiwan cooperation contributes to regional stability. She pointed to regular operations by Chinese military aircraft and vessels around Taiwan, cyberattacks, and economic coercion, and explained that Taiwan is strengthening its military capabilities. "Deeper engagement with Taiwan enhances stability across the Indo-Pacific and the resilience of the democratic community as a whole," she said.

On Tuesday, she met with former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who posted on social media that "the bond between the U.S. and Taiwan is strong, and Congress's commitment to Taiwan is unwavering." According to Taiwanese media, this is Tsai's first visit to the United States since leaving office.

Also on Wednesday, the twentieth anniversary was marked of the murder of Anna Politkovskaya, the Russian journalist who became a symbol of opposition to the Putin regime. Flowers were laid outside her apartment building in Moscow.

## Takeaways

- Canadian poet and author Anne Carson, 76, won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature for her original fusion of poetry and classical literature.
- A ransomware attack on a SoftBank-affiliated company disrupted 495 Japanese firms and organizations, as Japan's ransomware incidents surged 67% year on year.
- With the U.S. midterms less than a month away, backlash against immigration enforcement is producing competitive races even in traditionally Republican strongholds like Texas.