south korea says the north korean military has moved a midrange missile into position. the north is threatening to launch a nuclear strike against the united states. bank of japan policymakers decide to pump more money into the system. they're trying to pull the country out of deflation. welcome to nhk world "newsline." north korean military commanders seem to be raising the stakes. south korea's defense minister

says they appear to have put a medium range ballistic missile into position. it's their latest threat in response to ongoing u.s./south korean military drills. defense minister kim kwan-jin spoke at parliamentary committee meeting. >> translator: it's not a long-range missile but it has considerable range. it could be for test firing or for drills. >> a recent u.s. intelligence image shows what looks like a ballistic missile being moved by train to east coast of north korea. the location of a launch site. kim's description matches that of a midrange missile known as musdun. the north koreans unveiled it in 2010 during a military parade. its estimated range of 3,000 to 5,000 kilometers puts it in striking distance of japan and a u.s. base on the pacific island of guam. south korean officials say they cannot rule out the possibility

that authorities in pyongyang will fire the missile. they say they're closely monitoring activity in the north and are in contact with the u.s. and japan. north korean authorities are making move on another front. they barred south korean workers from entering a jointly run complex. now they're threatening to shut down the zone entirely. a government announcement on state-run media says the closure of the kaesong complex is imnt. it says the south is using the area as a venue for confrontation. the state warns authorities in pyongyang will not hesitate to pull out the roughly 50,000 north koreans who work there for south korean firms. the complex is located in north korea, close to the border that divides the peninsula. in 2009, north korean officials banned south korean workers from entering the complex for five days. they were protesting against u.s./south korea joint military exercises. they've never stopped operations

at kaesong. it's a source of much-needed foreign currency for the north. u.s. defense secretary chuck hagel says he's heard more and more dangerous rhetoric from north korea and he hopes the leadership there will turn the volume down. the north koreans have stated they will attack u.s. targets and those of its allies. >> they have nuclear capacity now. they have missile delivery capacity now. and some of the actions they've taken over the last few weeks present a real and clear danger and threat to the interests, certainly, of our allies. >> commanders at the pentagon say they'll deploy a missile defense system to the u.s. specific territory of guam. they say they need to increase their defenses against a possible attack. state media in north korea broadcast another threat soon after hagel spoke.

a spokesperson for north korea's army said they would inform the u.s. government that they have a possible nuclear strike. the statement said america's hostile policy would be smashed. experts on security studies and international relations say the u.s. don't think the north korean leaders will go to war. here's from the national defense academy of japan. >> the united states has come to see the threat of north korea more seriously than ever now. there are two types of deterrences. one is what people usually think as deterrence. that is, if you do something which is not desirable for me, i will punish you. that's one type of deterrence. but there's another type of deterrence, that if you try to do something very undesirable to me, you will not succeed. and the deployment of the missile system to guam is that type of deterrence for strength and that type of deterrence for the united states against north

korea increasing threat of missiles. and north korea's provocation did not start recently. they have been provocative for many years, and u.s. officials knows about it. they see north korea as a kind of unpredictable, very provocative country. on the other hand, the united states is quite sure about the effectiveness of their deterrence capability against north korea. if you look back more than 60 years of the history of north korea, that country has never taken any suicidal option, which can lead to the devastation of their country. so, if u.s. continues to deter

north korea by its force together with cooperation from its allies, north korea will not take a really, really stupid behavior. that's, i think, the conviction of the united states and that's behind the recent announcement that they will deploy missile defense system to guam. i do not believe that the united states, people in washington, believe that there's a real danger of an immediate clash between the two countries. so i think as long as the united states, together with south korea, japan, other countries in the region, maintains the effective deterrence against pyongyang, they will be deterred. >> japan's defense minister has told his staff to work more closely with their partners i>> chinese to press the north koreans to show restraint.

they're not threatening to attack the united states. -- not only completeenning to attack the united states, they also say they're going to restart their nuclear complex to produce plutonium for weapons. he said leaders of other countries should deal with the north koreans calmly. they think the chinese are worried any overreaction could provoke the north koreans and destabilize the situation. japan's prime minister told his staff to work more closely with partners in the united states and to collect more information on the north koreans. he reassured citizens his staff was on the job. >> translator: we at the defense ministry will gather intelligence so we will know how to respond appropriately. >> itsunori said they will be ready to respond to any contingency.

a people tested by politicking and history. innovators who spread around the world. these are the faces of south korea. nhk world updates you on what's happening across the peninsula. wednesday and thursday here on "newsline". health officials in china are mobilizing to fight a new strain of bird flu. they reported the 11th case of human infection and the 4th death. the officials say they're fighting the h7n9 strain of the virus. people got infected in shanghai all in the east. chinese have just begun three days of national holidays. many are going on outings. government officials are urging them to try to protect themselves. they've told people in shanghai to keep away from chickens and stay home.

if they get sick. >> translator: i was planning to take my child to the zoo. i changed my mind because i heard it's dangerous to be near wild birds. >> health officials in hong kong are on guard in case the virus leaves the mainland. they sent a team of experts to shanghai to collect information and they asked airlines using hong kong's international airport to urge passengers to come forward if they feel sick. the spread of bird flu in china has prompted health authorities across asia to take precautions. the outbreak is reminding vietnamese of a dark period in their recent history. patchari raksawong is following this. >> people in vietnam know the deadly and damaging impact of bird flu so government officials are taking no chances. nhk world's ichihara in hanoi show us how they're staying on guard. in the wednesday evening news,

the country put vietnam on high alert. as a measure, the ministry of agricultural and rural development expand import of birds and poultry from china. customs officials, police, and other authorities are working together to strength then controls along the border with china. vietnam has bitter memories of deadly outbreaks of avian flu. in 2004 the h5n1 strain spread across the country. 40 million chickens suspected of infection were killed. authorities also imposed an out right ban on moving or selling

chickens. the epidemic not only effected the domestic economy and people's daily lives, it also led to a decline in the number of tourists. tourism is a key source of currency revenue for vietnam. state-run television is broadcasting the results of the government crackdown. on thursday, they reported that authorities had arrested a smuggler trying to bring a car parked with chickens in from china. the vietnamese government is instructing organizations to disclose information about the h7n9 virus. the authorities want to stop fear among the public as well as prevent an epidemic. nhk world, hanoi. asean member countries are also watching the strain of

avian flu. here in tile land, they are not confirmed any human cases however the public health ministry has ordered hospitals nationwide to closely monitor patients with severe respiratory problems. pakistan is headed for general elections in may. young people in the country are looking ahead and what they see is not rosy. an overwhelming majority of them have a pessimistic view of the future according to the latest survey. around 94% of pakistanis between the ages of 18 and 29 believe the country is headed in the wrong direction. that is one of the findings of the new study conducted by the british council. the figure has gone up 8% in the last four years. the report also reveals that only one in five respondents expect their economic situation

to improve over the next year. >> translator: i don't believe things are going to improve. the country is mired in foreign debt. the economic situation is very severe. it won't be easy to make new economic policies. >> translator: our family has never had any worries over money, food, or anything else. but in the past five years, things have gotten so bad we can't even pay the rent of our house. the past five years have ruined us. >> the report analyzes factors behind the bleak outlook, including the deadly islamist insurgency, a weak economy, high inflation, and chronic energy shortages. around 38% of respondents say islamic law is better suited to the country than democracy. 32% say they favor military rule. almost a third of registered voters in the country are under

30 years old and could play a big part in the may elections. and that will wrap up our bulletin. i'm patchari raksawong in bangkok. emerging economic powers still struggling with poverty. citizens still demanding democracy. the push for peace, the shadow of conflict. get news and insight every weekday live from bangkok on nhk "newsline". policymakers at the bank of japan announcing they will enter a new phase of quantitative and qualitative monetary easing. the drastic move is to achieve the target of a 2% consumer price increase within about two years. they made the decision after their first two-day meeting under the new governor haruhiko kuroda. policymakers decided unanimously

to double the outstanding monetary base in two years through an asset purchase program. the monetary base is the total cash in banking reserves that the central bank provides to the markets. in more detail, the bank will expand the buying of long-term japanese government bonds and increase the average remaining maturity of the bonds from the current period of less than three years to seven years. it also plans to more than double the purchase of exchange traded funds in two years. that's an increase of about $10.5 billion a year in terms of their amounts outstanding. the policy board members decided to change more important frameworks for asset purchasing. they will integrate two separate bond buying programs to give greater transparency. currently, one supplies necessary funds to the market and the other is for the purpose of monetary easing. in addition, they have decided to suspend a self-imposed rule of limiting sovereign debt purchases for the time being. the rule has been in place to cap the central bank's bond holdings to below the value of bank notes in circulation.

after the meeting, kuroda said achieving the 2% inflation target in two years is not going to be easy through conventional monetary easing measures. >> translator: measures the central bank announced has a different level of monetary easing, both in quantity and quality. we included all necessary measures at this time. instead of implementing measures one by one, as we have always done. >> kuroda was asked about a possible negative impact of the central bank's massive bond purchases on the economy. he largely dismissed the concerns, saying he's not worried about the possibility of soaring long-term bond yields or an asset bubble. investors seem to be cheering the latest move by the central bank. nhk world's sakurai has more on the action and reaction. >> reporter: kuroda's biggest challenge since he took over as boj gornor has been convincing people the central bank will carry through with his promises.

he made a successful debut by deciding on unprecedented measures in his first policy meeting. investors were surprised the boj decided to double its monetary base. the central bank is planning to buy bonds that mature in up to seven years. many analysts predicted the upper limit would be five years. the question now is, will these measures actually boost the japanese economy? the boj expects a trickle down effect. the thinking goes, if consumers anticipate prices will rise in the near future, they'll spend more now instead of saving. but that depends on whether people also believe the prospects of the economy getting better are real. kuroda is facing another hurdle, overcoming concerns that the central bank could be adding to japan's debt as it buys up more government bonds. the boj under kuroda is working

hand-in-hand with the government on an economic revival. they're expected to make decisions on monetary policy. but many will be watching to make sure kuroda protects the central bank's independence moving forward. >> the reaction from business leaders about the boj's decision is quite positive. japan business federation chairman gave his strong support for the move. >> translator: policymakers at the bank of japan decided to take bold measures for monetary easing in both quality and quantity. i give my full support. >> chairman of the -- meanwhile, the chairman of the japan chamber of commerce and industry said it was a very drastic decision.

>> translator: the decision is sending a strong message to people in the financial markets. we fully endorse it. >> investors and economists are analyzing another major monetary policy decision. european central bank board members say they will keep their benchmark interest rate at a record low. it's been sitting at 0.75% since last july. ecb policymakers say the bank needs to leave it there to support the region's sluggish economy. the eurozone is reeling from a recent setback. the multibillion dollar bailout for cyprus. and the block is at a record high 12%. here are the latest market figures.

south korean auto maker hyundai and chi ya motors are recalling about 1.8 million vehicles in the united states. they have faulty brake light switches. it's bigger than the total number of cars they sold in the u.s. last year. company officials said on wednesday their recalling the elantra made between 2007 and 2013, and the santa fe made between 2007 and 2011. the optima, sorento, are also subject to recall.

they say no serious accidents have been reported so far. south korean automakers are saying they had brisk sales, but they are now losing momentum. bp is pulling out of the wind power business in the united states. they say they want to focus on oil and natural gas. they say the firm is selling it's holdings and withdrawing from wind energy in nine states. they estimate the value of the holdings at about $1.5 billion. but the firm began streamlining the business two years ago to manage the costs of a major oil spill in the gulf of mexico in 2010. the company also crew from wind

generation. >> the future as an alternative energy resources is uncertain with the increasing use of shale gas. beautiful weather in tokyo today, but a spring storm is coming to japan. rachel ferguson has more. >> yes, another spring storm is on it's way. it's going to be coming across from china where heavy rain has been impacting the south for the last several days. now that storm is going to be bringing quite a punch. with the rain there will be very strong winds as i was just mentioning there. it could be capable of producing some structural damage. and it's going to be arriving by saturday, sunday morning. so we still do have another day or two in that central northern location of good weather. after the system passes, it is going to be bringing

temperatures down quite considerably in the korean peninsula and japan as well. into the next 72 hours, 180 millimeters or so of rain is likely in southern portions of china. as for japan, they can expect up to 100 millimeters of rain. that's for the next three days. for temperatures, 18 in shanghai, pretty avenue for this time of year, and bangkok is sizzling at 36. it is the dry season now. and much of the china peninsula is experiencing these temperatures in the upper 30s. >> into the americas and the pacific northwest that is coming in from dc down through california. you'll be seeing wet weather. of course rain, temperatures around the mid teens at the moment up toward the northwest. in the mountains you will be seeing snow. a few centimeters, anyway.

pretty quiet in the center of the continent, and then we move into this very slow system that is continuing to push out toward the atlantic coast. so places like the carolinas, florida, and georgia, you will see storms from this system. you're likely to see strong gusts as well, large hail, damaging winds, and potential for tornadoes as well on your thursday before the system finally starts to move out. behind it though, temperatures are recovering, oklahoma city, 15 degrees, that will improve on friday. 19 degrees in denver, cooler in seattle, 15 degrees with that storm coming in. on we go to europe, and it's still looking like winter across much of the continent. i wanted to start off showing you video out of the czech republic. there was snow and horrible conditions that caused a

multicar pile up. two trucks hit each other due to the slick roads, and it was followed by a chain reaction that spiralled out of control very quickly indeed. so it's not just that it's not very nice to have these kind of wintery conditions, but is continues to be a danger in terms of travel. further toward the north, a few centimeters of snow, towards the east as well, it is falling as a few good centimeters of snow. it's still very, very chilly here across much of the continent. i'll leave you now with your extended forecast.

thousands of people have been following in the footsteps of emperors, they're visiting the imperial palace in kyoto. it opens for five days in the spring and fall. more than 5,000 people streamed in in the first hour. visitors can see a folding screen with paintings. the art collection is also on display, it includes a face modelled after a 15th century chinese copper wearer. >> the painting was beautiful. >> it impresses me every time i visit here. >> the former official residence, 24,000 people visited by the end of the day. it opens until monday. that's "newsline" for this hour. i'm gene otani in tokyo.

thank you for joining us, have a great day where ever you are.