マイあさ! 午前5時のNHKニュース 2026年10月24日
Typhoon No. 30, a large and powerful storm, stalled over the Sakishima Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, battering Iriomote Island with gusts exceeding 50 m/s and driving 48-hour rainfall totals to nearly 400 mm — the highest for October on record. The typhoon is expected to track northeast and approach Kyushu around Monday, prompting heavy-rain warnings across western and eastern Japan. On the domestic front, the Diet began substantive deliberations on a food-consumption-tax-cut bill, and KDDI released details of how a subsidiary's vehicles triggered a wildfire in a Mongolian nature reserve.
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What this episode answers
Where was Typhoon No. 30 and how strong was it as of 5:00 a.m. on October 24, 2026?
At 5:00 a.m. on October 24, the typhoon was nearly stationary about 60 km west-northwest of Yonaguni Island, with a central pressure of 955 hPa, maximum sustained winds of 40 m/s, and gusts of up to 60 m/s; all of the Sakishima Islands were within the storm's gale-force wind zone, and 48-hour rainfall had already approached 400 mm, a record high for October.
What is the current status of Diet deliberations on the food-consumption-tax-cut bill?
The House of Representatives Finance Committee began substantive debate on October 23; Komeito's Tax Research Council chairman Akaba (赤羽) pressed Finance Minister Katayama (片山) to disclose the full details of an employment-burden-relief benefit before any vote, while Minshu-Kaikaku no Kai leader Ogawa (小川) said he does not see conditions forming for the opposition to support the bill, with expert testimony and a joint committee session with the Agriculture Committee scheduled for next week.
How did the wildfire in a Mongolian nature reserve involving a KDDI subsidiary unfold?
Between October 6 and 8, Mobicom CEO Ochi Yasuhiro (オチ・ヤスヒロ) and other Mobicom executives attended a network-opening ceremony inside the nature reserve and then traveled through it with Mongolian government vehicles to check signal quality; when they stopped to remove dry grass caught under one vehicle, that vehicle caught fire and burned out of control despite suppression efforts, and KDDI has pledged full cooperation with the authorities' investigation while issuing an apology.
What is the content of the Comprehensive Population Strategy the government plans to finalize by year-end?
Prime Minister Takaichi (高市), who has described Japan's population decline as a 'silently advancing national crisis,' plans to finalize a Comprehensive Population Strategy by year-end; a ministerial council led by Growth Strategy Minister Kiuchi (木内) will hold its first meeting as early as next week, aiming to reverse the declining birthrate while sustaining economic and social vitality, with simulations of AI's impact on the workforce and a separate expert panel of more than ten members including former Internal Affairs Minister Masuda Hiroya (増田寛也) also planned.
How much rainfall is forecast for the Japanese mainland as the typhoon moves north?
As the typhoon pushes north and activates a front, Kumano City in Mie Prefecture recorded 36.5 mm in a single hour before 4:00 a.m.; forecast 24-hour totals reach 250 mm for northern Kyushu and 100 mm for the Kinki and Chugoku regions, with a further 200 mm for northern Kyushu and 120 mm for Hokuriku and Chugoku through the following day, and cumulative totals may continue rising through Tuesday, October 27.
Typhoon No. 30: Gales and Record Rainfall Over the Sakishima Islands; Kyushu Approach Expected Monday
As of 5:00 a.m. on October 24, Typhoon No. 30 — a large, powerful storm — was nearly stationary roughly 60 km west-northwest of Yonaguni Island in Okinawa Prefecture. Central pressure stood at 955 hPa, with maximum sustained winds of 40 m/s and gusts of 60 m/s. The storm's gale-force wind radius extended 220 km to the northeast and 165 km to the southwest, placing the entire Sakishima Islands chain inside the danger zone.
In the three hours up to 4:00 a.m., peak gusts of 31.7 m/s were recorded at Tonosiro in Ishigaki City and 31.5 m/s on Hateruma Island. Weather reports also noted gusts exceeding 50 m/s on Iriomote Island on the previous day. Forty-eight-hour cumulative rainfall had already approached 400 mm, breaking the all-time October record. As of 4:30 a.m., parts of Okinawa Prefecture remained under Level 4 sediment-disaster hazard warnings.
The typhoon is forecast to curve gradually from a northward track to a northeastward one, approaching Kyushu around Monday, October 26, before transitioning into an extratropical cyclone. Linear precipitation bands may develop over the Sakishima Islands through daybreak, and 24-hour forecast rainfall for the islands reaches 150 mm in the heaviest-hit areas. The Japan Meteorological Agency is urging strict vigilance against violent winds, high waves, storm surge, landslides, flooding, and river overflow.
Heavy Rain Risk Spreads to Western and Eastern Japan as Typhoon Moves North
The typhoon's northward advance has energized a stationary front, generating intense rain clouds from the Tokai region through Kinki. Kumano City in Mie Prefecture received 36.5 mm in one hour before 4:00 a.m., and Owase City recorded 32.5 mm in the same period.
Rain is expected to spread from Kyushu to Tohoku throughout October 24, with locally very heavy downpours. Twenty-four-hour forecast totals reach 250 mm for northern Kyushu and 100 mm for the Kinki and Chugoku regions. Through the 24 hours ending at midnight on October 25, northern Kyushu is forecast to receive 200 mm and Hokuriku and Chugoku 120 mm. Cumulative totals could climb further through Tuesday, October 27, and authorities are warning western and eastern Japan to guard against landslides, lowland flooding, and rising rivers.
Forecast high temperatures for major cities: Naha and Kagoshima 29°C, Fukuoka 27°C, Kochi 28°C, Osaka 27°C, Nagoya 21°C, Tokyo 18°C, Sapporo 19°C, Kushiro 16°C. Hokkaido will see mostly sunny skies but with a chance of evening showers.
Food Consumption Tax Cut Bill: Komeito and Opposition Demand Details on Support Benefit
The food-consumption-tax-cut bill — the biggest legislative issue of the current Diet session — entered substantive committee debate in the House of Representatives Finance Committee on October 23.
Komeito Tax Research Council chairman Akaba pressed the government hard on the 'employment-burden-relief support benefit' that would be introduced alongside the tax cut, warning that the party cannot decide how to vote without full details of who qualifies and that those details must be provided before any vote is called. Finance Minister Katayama responded only that the government intends to consult with each party and caucus while incorporating the latest household-expenditure surveys and wage data.
Next week's schedule includes expert testimony and a joint review session with the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Committee. The ruling coalition's lead committee member, LDP Acting Secretary-General Inoue (井上), said the government wants to earn public understanding through careful deliberation. Ogawa, leader of the main opposition bloc Minshu-Kaikaku no Kai (民主改革の会), countered that explanations remain insufficient and that he does not see the ground being laid for a favorable vote, signaling that debate will continue into next week.
KDDI's Mongolian Subsidiary Releases Account of Nature Reserve Fire
KDDI has disclosed the sequence of events leading to the large wildfire that broke out on October 8 in a nature reserve in eastern Mongolia, a fire linked to its local subsidiary and telecom operator Mobicom.
From October 6 to 8, Mobicom CEO Ochi Yasuhiro and other senior executives attended a network-opening ceremony inside the nature reserve and subsequently traveled through it alongside Mongolian government vehicles to verify signal quality. While the convoy was stopped to remove dry grass that had accumulated under one of the vehicles, smoke began rising from that vehicle. The crew attempted to extinguish the fire but could not prevent it from spreading.
KDDI stated that 'the cause of the fire's spread is under investigation by the relevant authorities' and pledged full cooperation as Mobicom's parent company. The company expressed deep regret for the 'considerable inconvenience and worry caused to the people of Mongolia and all parties concerned.'
Government Establishes Panel to Draft Comprehensive Population Strategy
The government plans to finalize a 'Comprehensive Population Strategy' by year-end to address Japan's population decline, which Prime Minister Takaichi has called a 'silently advancing national crisis.'
A ministerial council led by Growth Strategy Minister Kiuchi, together with vice-ministers from relevant agencies, is being organized and is expected to hold its inaugural meeting as early as next week. The strategy's core philosophy is to pursue a reversal of the declining birthrate while maintaining economic and social vitality even as the overall population falls. The council will also run simulations on how AI adoption may affect the employed workforce. A separate expert advisory panel of more than ten members — including former Internal Affairs Minister Masuda Hiroya and university professors — will be formed to bring outside expertise into the strategy.
Foreign Exchange and Stock Markets
The yen was trading at ¥156.83–85 per dollar and ¥175.56–57 per euro. On the New York Stock Exchange, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 652.82 points from the previous day to 52,215.16, while the Nasdaq Composite declined 53.518 points to 25,955.342.
Takeaways
- Typhoon No. 30 stalled over the Sakishima Islands, producing nearly 400 mm of rain in 48 hours — a record for October — and is forecast to approach Kyushu around Monday, October 26.
- The Diet's Finance Committee opened substantive debate on the food-consumption-tax-cut bill, but both coalition partner Komeito and the main opposition are withholding support until the government spells out who qualifies for the accompanying employment-relief benefit.
- KDDI disclosed that dry grass caught under a Mobicom company vehicle sparked the October 8 wildfire in a Mongolian nature reserve, and the government launched a new ministerial panel targeting a year-end Comprehensive Population Strategy to counter Japan's demographic decline.
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.