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NHK WORLD RADIO JAPAN - English News at 04:30 (JST), October 18
Japan's Air Self-Defense Force has recovered the fuselage of a Global Hawk unmanned reconnaissance drone from the Sea of Japan seabed and is preparing to analyze the cause of the crash. Travel booking site SkyTicket has confirmed a data breach exposing credit card information for up to 6,140 users, reversing an earlier assurance that no such data had leaked. In the United States, President Trump's approval rating has fallen sharply ahead of midterm elections, and his White House press secretary is set to resign after just five days on the job.
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What this episode answers
Where and how was the Global Hawk recovered?
The fuselage was found on the seabed approximately 50 kilometers off the coast of Tottori City at a depth of 200–300 meters, where it had lain since the drone lost contact on September 15. The ASDF worked with a private salvage company to retrieve it and plans to transport the wreckage to Misawa Air Base in Aomori Prefecture for analysis.
Why did the SkyTicket data breach only come to light now?
The company had initially announced this month that although unauthorized access had occurred, no card data had leaked; it later discovered that historical data remaining on an internal server had in fact been compromised. The breach affects up to 6,140 members who paid membership fees by card between February 2017 and June 2018, with names, card numbers, and expiration dates exposed.
Why was consular access to the Hokkaido Shimbun journalist detained in Russia denied?
Staff from the Japanese Embassy in Russia visited Lefortovo Prison in eastern Moscow after coordinating with Russian authorities in advance, but the visit did not result in a meeting. The embassy has not disclosed the reason access was denied and says it will continue pressing Russia for a meeting as soon as possible.
By how much has President Trump's approval rating fallen, and how is it affecting the midterm elections?
According to RealClearPolitics, Trump's average approval rating stood at 38.7% on Friday, down sharply from more than 50% just after his inauguration in January 2025. Democrats are pressing into traditionally safe Republican seats by capitalizing on economic anxiety following the Iran war, and Republicans are spending heavily to defend districts once considered secure.
Why is White House Press Secretary Katie Zakaria resigning after just five days in the role?
Trump had introduced her as a lawyer, but it subsequently emerged that she had not passed the bar exam; her first press briefing lasted only 15 minutes and took questions from just three reporters, drawing media criticism. Trump himself told reporters he had asked her to reconsider, and the White House informed NHK that she plans to resign.
ASDF Recovers Global Hawk Wreckage from Sea of Japan
Japan's Air Self-Defense Force announced that it has raised the fuselage of a Global Hawk unmanned reconnaissance drone from the floor of the Sea of Japan. The aircraft, based at Misawa Air Base in Aomori Prefecture, lost contact over the open sea on September 15. The fuselage was located approximately 50 kilometers off the coast of Tottori City at a depth of 200 to 300 meters. Working alongside a private salvage company, the ASDF recovered the wreckage and plans to transport it to Misawa for analysis to determine the precise cause of the crash. A search for remaining components will continue beyond Sunday. A single Global Hawk is valued at approximately 17 billion yen, or around 107 million dollars.
SkyTicket Data Breach: 6,140 Members' Card Details Exposed
Adventure Inc., the operator of travel booking site SkyTicket (スカイチケット), has disclosed that unauthorized external access led to the leak of credit card information belonging to up to 6,140 members. Those affected are members who paid membership fees by card between February 2017 and June 2018; the data exposed includes names, card numbers, and expiration dates. Earlier this month the company had announced that while unauthorized access had taken place, no card data had been leaked. It has since emerged that historical data retained on internal servers was in fact compromised, reversing that earlier statement. The company has asked card issuers to monitor for fraudulent use and is urging affected customers to review their statements and contact their card companies if they notice any suspicious charges.
Hokkaido Shimbun Reporter Detained in Russia; Consular Visit Fails
Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Tuesday that it had detained a reporter from the Hokkaido Shimbun (北海道新聞) on suspicion of espionage in the Far Eastern Sakhalin region. The journalist was subsequently transferred to Moscow. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara (木原稔) said on Friday that Japan had received consular notification from Russia. Staff from the Japanese Embassy visited Lefortovo Prison in eastern Moscow after coordinating with Russian authorities in advance, but were unable to meet with the journalist. The embassy has not made public the reason access was denied and says it will continue to press Russia for a meeting at the earliest opportunity.
US Midterms: Trump's Slipping Poll Numbers and a Press Secretary's Exit
President Trump is campaigning across the country in support of Republican candidates ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. Speaking in Georgia on Friday, he claimed that the Biden administration had caused the highest inflation in American history. According to political data site RealClearPolitics, Trump's average approval rating stood at 38.7% on Friday, a steep drop from the more than 50% he recorded immediately after taking office in January 2025. The Wall Street Journal reported that Democrats are pressing into traditionally safe Republican territory by riding economic anxieties in the wake of the Iran war, while Republicans are pouring substantial funds into defending seats once considered safe.
U.S. media reported Friday that White House Press Secretary Katie Zakaria is expected to leave the post after just five days on the job. Trump had introduced her as a lawyer, but it later came to light that she had not passed the bar exam. Her first press briefing lasted only 15 minutes and took questions from just three reporters, drawing sharp media criticism. Trump himself told reporters he had asked her to reconsider. No formal resignation announcement has been made, but the White House told NHK she plans to step down.
Ukraine Developments and Tesla's Flying Car Debut
President Putin visited a Russian military command center on Friday and announced that Russia had taken control of approximately 6,500 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory this year. Meeting with Chief of the General Staff Gerasimov and other military leaders, he stated that 310 settlements had been "liberated." The move is seen in part as an effort to signal battlefield dominance to President Trump. Separately, Russian strikes on Ukraine's southern Odesa region triggered large fires at residential buildings and energy facilities, injuring four people.
Tesla unveiled a prototype flying car equipped with a jet propulsion system at an event in Texas on Thursday. The company says the propulsion mechanism can accelerate the vehicle from zero to 96 kilometers per hour in under one second; for safety reasons, no driver was aboard during the demonstration. The vehicle draws on technology from Elon Musk's rocket company SpaceX. Musk has claimed mass production could begin in 2028, though the announcement has been delayed multiple times and some media outlets have questioned whether that target is achievable.
Takeaways
- Japan's ASDF has retrieved the fuselage of a downed Global Hawk drone from 200–300 meters beneath the Sea of Japan and will analyze it at Misawa Air Base.
- SkyTicket operator Adventure Inc. reversed its earlier claim that no data had leaked, confirming that card details for up to 6,140 users were exposed due to historical data left on internal servers.
- President Trump's approval rating has slipped to 38.7%, and his administration faces fresh turbulence ahead of the midterms as his White House press secretary prepares to resign after just five days in the role.
This article is edited from a machine transcript of the first 30 minutes of the episode. It is not an official summary — please listen to the episode itself.