welcome to nhk world "newsline." an explosion at moscow's domodedovo airport killed at least 30a 35 people on monday afternoon. investigative authorities suspect it was a suicide bombing. the blast occurred in an crowded international arrival hall near the baggageanin ar. russia's emergency ministry says at least 35 people are dead and more than 160 people, including foreign nationals, are injured.

>> a spokesperson for the investigative committee, vladimir markin, talked to nhk and other reporters. >> president dmitry medvedev convened an emergency meeting and vowed a thorough investigation. >> more than 22 million people used domodedovo airport last year. the hub is located about 20 kilometers south of moscow. 's russia's largest international airport, serving 77 carriers. u.s. president barack obama

and u.n. secretary-general ban ki moon both condemned the bombing. white house press secretary robert gibbs read obama's statement at a press conference on monday. >> i strongly condemn this outrageous attack of terrorism against the russian people. we share your sorrow and a resolve to stand with you in our common fight against those who use terrorism for their political goals. >> ban ki-moon also issued a statement. he called the attack a deplorable and unjustifiable act of violence against innocents. he conveyed his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and solidarity with the government and its citizens. french president nicolas sarkozy says rising food prices and international currency reforms will be discussed at the g-20 summit in november. france is chairing the meeting this year. sarkozy announced the agenda at a news conference at his elysees

palace on monday. >> sarkozy says the agenda would also include measures to stabilize prices of food and natural resources. the measures would restrict speculative trading and reform the global currency system, which is now based on the u.s. dollar. food prices worldwide have risen to levels not seen since three years ago. he warned that poorer countries may suffer riots if the problem is not addressed. sarkozy also proposed a financial transaction tax to secure funds to help developing countries. the french presidential office announced the g-8 summit will be held in the northern resort of deauville in may. the g-20 summit will take place in the southern city of cannes in november. a new united nations agency

established last year to promote women's rights around the world has laid out its first global action plan. representatives from 41 nations participated in the first board meeting of the group, u.n. women, at the united nations headquarters in new york on mond. u.n. women was established through the merger of four former u.n. agencies and offices that had worked for the empowerment of women. >> i am determined that u.n. women will be a catalyst for change offering new energy, drawing on long-standing ideas and values and bringing together men and women from different countries, societies and communities in a shared endeavor. >> the board members under the executive director michel bachelet, a former president of chile, agreed to focus on five key issues. they include how to end violence against women, how tone hans women's economic empowerment, and how to protect women in conflict areas. bachelet told participants the agency needs to focus on these

areas to achieve tangible results while having ambitious goals. she also called for increased efforts to prevent hiv infections and promote health services for pregnant women. japanese firms are taking part for the first time in a major medical fair held in dubai, the united arab emirates. demand for medical equipment is growing in the region as rising crude oil revenue funds new hospitals. the facilities are also needed to cater a booming population. 2,600 companies from 60 countries are taking part in the four-day event, one of the largest of its kind in the middle east, which started on monday. chinese firms, the largest group of foreign exhibitors, are displaying low-priced products such as instruments for blood tests. german companies are offering ct scans and other high-performance medical equipment. from japan 11 firms joined the event. products on show include ultrafine needles designed to reduce pain and a special bed made from tiny beads that allows patients with burns to lie down

with less discomfort. japanese medical equipment manufacturers are keen to explore overseas markets to offset sluggish demand in the domestic market. palestinian president mahmoud abbas has criticized al jazeera for leaking secret documents purported to be the minutes of the middle east peace negotiations between israelis and palestinians. the qatar-based satellite tv network said it obtained the papers over the past 11 years through 2010. al jazeera began publishing them on sunday. it reported they reveal the palestinian authority's proposed major concessions to the israeli government on settlements and other issues. on monday abbas told reporters in egypt the report is intended to confuse the positions of both sides. a senior member of the palestinian liberation organization said it will set up a panel to investigate whether the documents are authentic. a cold snap in south korea has prompted the government to

impose heating restrictions as electricity consumption soars. the south korean government on monday set a limit of 20 degrees celsius on room temperatures in 441 major complexes such as hotels and department stores for the next two weeks. an 18 degree limit has already been imposed on public facilities. government officials visited department stores and other buildings in seoul on monday to check the restrictions are being observed. violators face fines of up to $2,700. >> translator: we have to accept it to save electricity. >> translator: it's rather cold, although better than outdoors. >> the restrictions come amid the coldest weather to hit the country in 30 years, with only two days when temperatures rose above 0 degrees celsius in the capital, seoul. electricity consumption has hit a new high three times this

month. looking at biz news, japanese top textile maker toray industries is to launch a joint venture with german automaker daimler. they plan to produce carbon fiber-based auto parts that will lighten the weight of vehicles. toray announced a joint news conference on monday. it has reached an agreement with daimler to set up a company in germany that will manufacture and celt parts for use in vehicles. carbon-based -- carbon fiber-based parts are highly durable, get much lighter than steel, and are expected to make cars more energy efficient. however, they are expensive to make. so to achieve widespread use the problem of cost must be solved. the two firms say they have succeeded in finding ways to cut production costs by about 80%. toray and daimler are to begin mass production of

carbon-based -- carbon fiber-based, that is, parts next year, which will be used in daimler's luxury vehicles first. in the long run the new company plans to supply parts to other auto manufacturers. major japanese brewer kirin holdings has agreed to set up a joint venture with a leading chinese food company to expand beverage sales in china. kirin says it will obtain a 40% stake in the venture with china resources enterprise, based in hong kong. the two companies would jointly produce and sell various non-alcoholic drinks. the tie-up is expected to boost the sales of soft drinks such as cann canned coffee and tea products. the competition in the rapidly growing chinese beverage market is intensifying. suntory holdings has been working with pepsico since 2009 to sell beverages in china. japanese automaker mazda will launch its first electric

car next year in a bid to expand its customer base. this comes as more carmakers in japan are offering electric vehicles for the ecoconscious. mazda is currently developing the vehicle using its mainstay subcompact model as a base. the car will have a driving range of about 200 kilometers per charge on high-performance lithium ion batteries. initially the automaker will lease the new vehicle to businesses and local governments for driving short distances. mazda has been focusing on fuel-efficient vehicles. amid fast-growing sales of hybrid cars, the company aims to capture a larger market share among growing environment-conscious consumers. among domestic makers, automakers, mitsubishi motors and nissan are already selling electric cars for consumers. toyota and honda are also planning to follow suit next year. here are the latest market figures. ♪

♪ japan is facing a serious problem, one the world has never experienced before. an unprecedented decline in its working population. this is destabilizing social security and shrinking the economy, setting up a vicious cycle that could lead to the collapse of society. we call this problem the japan syndrome. nhk world will bring you a series of reports about this in the coming months and the efforts being made to find a solution. people aged between 15 and 64 account for a major part of

economic activity such as consumption and production. japan's productive population probably began to shrink in the mid 1990s, a decline of more than 40% is expected by the year 2050. japan's rate of decrease is the biggest in the world. many other countries, including germany and south korea, are also expecting declines in their productive populations but at a much slower rate than japan. currently, symptoms of the japan syndrome are cropping up across the country. but they're most apparent in the nation's smaller cities. nhk world's atsushi watanaanabe reports. >> reporter: tokyo bureau chief of a british magazine "the economist." he travels around japan to cover the impact of japan syndrome. last month he visited the southwestern city of nagasaki. the city's population is about 440,000. but nagasaki's working population is declining every year, and it is estimated the

city will lose more than 100,000 people of working age over the next 20 years. about ten minutes from the city center he was surprised by what he saw in this residential area. trix saw many empty houses and obvious signs of population decline. >> do you know what the average age of the people who live here? >> 90%. >> 90%? >> reporter: one of the typical symptoms of the japan syndrome is a shrinking economy. sales at this major department store in the city have halved from their peak. the store used to sell men's clothes and household items on the fourth and fifth floors but

closed these sections two years ago. it has also stopped selling children's clothes. the store has decided to focus on ordinary customers and improve its services for them. it has set up a rest area where customers can have a complimentary cup of tea and take a break from their shopping. >> translator: in order to be successful, we have to focus on what our customers want. otherwise, we will be left behind amid the declining and aging population. >> reporter: a declining population makes the economy shrink and disaffects young people's lives. 28-year-old dashi tanaka works for a consumer cooperative as a contract worker. he wants to become a regular

employee, but the co-op cannot afford to hire full-time staff. his monthly income is barely enough for him and his partner, who also works, to get by. they are thinking about getting married but feel they won't be able to afford to have children. >> translator: we will be able to get by if we marry as long as we have two incomes. but if we have a child and my partner cannot work, it would be hard to support the family on my salary alone. >> reporter: tricks met local experts to see how they view the problem. >> is there anything that nagasaki can do, should be doing to reverse this decline?

>> reporter: they told him that they think the public and private sectors should work together to solve this problem. >> having been a very fast-growing, very dynamic economy, it's now gone through 20 years of stagnant economic growth and quite a lot of deflation. the demographic problem in japan is possibly the root cause of a lot of these other problems like stagnation, deflation, and a big public sector debt. >> reporter: japan's economy had been the second largest in the world for decades. but china now seems to have overtaken japan. atsushi watanabe, nhk world, nagasaki. >> earlier my colleague hideshi hara spoke to nhk world's yoshiuki nagasaki.

>> are the situations only serious in cities like nagasaki? >> in fact, no. there are signs of the japan syndrome in bigger cities where population decline has not started yet. our team also visited the northern city of sendai. the city's population of more than 1 million is likely to begin declining within four years. sendai has decided to review its plans to contract roads and upgrade the water supply because it predicts a lot of revenue. nearly all local governments will have to find ways to deal with population and revenue declines. >> now, why is the world paying attention to the japan syndrome? >> because many nations will face the same problem sooner or later. the german government has set up a research center in tojo. researchers are investigating the economic and social impacts of japan's population change.

>> population decline, which has set in in japan in 2005, in the absence of war, epidemics, or famine is unheard of. it has never happened in history. and therefore, it is a topic of extreme interest. >> asian countries are not free from this problem, either. for example, china. china has been developing its economy thanks to its large working population. but it will lose the benefit of the large working population in the near future. >> nhk world's yoshiyuki yam sacci. thank you very much. and next in our series on japan syndrome we will be looking at how social relationships affect

the way japanese elderly spend their money. this month marks the first anniversary of the earthquake that devastated haiti. the disaster killed more than 200,000 people. many who survived lost an arm or a leg. this makes it difficult for them to find jobs and rebuild their lives. but as nhk world's yaso taguchi roar, one man is helping people regain their mobility. >> reporter: nauki yao makes artificial limbs for earthquake victims in the haiti capital, part ow prins. yao volunteers for a japanese aid organization. he's worked here for about six months. every day he sees people with severe injuries. >> translator: he was able to run after only a day.

>> reporter: 4,000 people lost arms and legs in the earthquake. many are poor and can't afford to buy prosthetic limbs. when the earthquake struck, he was stationed next to haiti in the dominican republic. he's a member of the japan overseas cooperation of volunteers. he went to haiti to help earthquake victims. >> translator: as i was in the dominican republic, i felt like it was fate, or my mission, to help victims in haiti. i wanted to go there and use my skills, to do everything i could for those people. >> reporter: yao walked through refugee camps looking for people

who needed artificial limbs. because people in these camps were poor, they couldn't afford to go to the hospital. and aid organizations had overlooked many of them. yao tried to give as many amputees as he could artificial limbs. >> translator: this was a small camp. but three people immediately approached me. it made me realize that many residents at this camp are in need. >> reporter: yao gets many parts of the artificial limbs from japan. he calls japanese hospitals and asks them to donate used parts. he has been able to give more than 40 people new limbs. free of charge.

blan antonice visits yao. today she will try out an artificial leg ordered three months ago. >> translator: it will be really easy for me to get around now. >> reporter: antonise lives in a refugee camp with her older brother and uncle. since losing her right leg in the earthquake, she hasn't been able to find a job. she's only supported by her uncle's small salary. >> translator: i couldn't work after i lost my leg. and i went through all of my money. now that i have this leg, i'm really hoping to return to work. >> translator: my goal is to help reintegrate these people

into society. and help them rebuild their country. if the goal is accomplished, i will be satisfied. >> reporter: after six months of aid work in haiti, yao has returned to japan. but he hopes to get back to haiti to offer his help again. yasuo taguchi, nhk world, haiti. hello, and welcome back to your world weather update. well, a winter storm intensifies again for japan. that's going to be producing plenty of heavy snow all along the western side of the country. up in hokkaido too looking at heavy snow. up to 40 centimeters is possible in the next 24 hours. meanwhile, the pacific edge of the country stays dry and settled, but we do have very strong northerly winds in the works that will make it feel

very cool today. across the korean peninsula frigid weather continues to dominate the region. high pressure system in control for much of china keeping things calm and settled. there will be some light showers working their way across the southwestern corner here. more unsettled weather for the philippines i'm afraid, especially toward the south looking at isolated heavy rain. manila is going to be 30 degrees and warm again today. 33 in bangkok. 5 in shanghai. 8 degrees in chongqing and bitterly cold. once again in seoul minus 5. now over toward the americas showers and thunderstorms popping up along the gulf coast. that is going to be bringing welcome rain to some of these areas. over toward the northwest a winter storm is going to be dropping into the northern rockies, and that's going to be producing ample amounts of snow during the overnight hours all the way from montana into the northern end of the four corners. another snowy area we're looking at is this here that's moving across the great lakes region.

it is going to be weakening gradually, but dumping heavy snow for a southeastern corner of ontario during the overnight hours. it's actually helping to push that very cold air we were looking at yesterday out of the northeastern corner here. in fact, we've got some pictures coming in from the northeastern u.s. let's take a look now. the area experienced well below freezing temperatures yesterday. new york city recorded minus 14.4 on monday. that's about ten degrees below the seasonal average. two people have died as a result. meanwhile, in washington, d.c. water pipes burst due to the freezing temperatures and thor ju the water just started to cover a major highway. schools closed and also a train stopped running as well. the good news is temperatures are going to be recovering nicely. we've got 3 degrees in new york city today, 7 in washington, d.c. but still wind chill warnings

remain in place for southern quebec, new brunswick, as well as maine in the u.s. as for europe, well, lots of scattered snow once again for central and eastern areas all the way up into finland. still looking at some snow down toward the southeastern corner of the balkans as well. but as we enter that milder air, it is going to be producing rain and thunderstorms for western turkey as well as greece. showers also moving into the british isles as well. winds on the strong side here. pretty chilly down toward spain and portugal with wet and windy weather. still working its way across the southwestern tip of the peninsula. seven degrees in madrid today. 10 in rome. a touch milder in vienna. light rain for vienna as well as berlin today. and then still looking very frigid in moscow. all right. here's your extended forecast now. ♪

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we'll be back with more news in 30 minutes. i'm gene otani. jj