-- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com welcome to nhk world "newsline." i'm gene otani in tokyo. we start with breaking news this hour. meteorological officials in taiwan say a 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit the island's east coast. we don't know if there has been damage or casualties. taiwan's central weather bureau says the earthquake hit the eastern county of qu uh alen an hour ago around 9:00 p.m. local

time. a worker at a hotel said he felt a big tremor. he said 300 guests were evacuated. he says no one was injured. the tremor was felt about 100 kilometers southeast of the epicenter. we'll bring you more information as details come in. china's foreign ministry says it suspects a connection between monday's deadly tiananmen square car crash and the east turkestan islamic movement. they are fighting for freedom for the region. beijing call it is movement a terrorist organization. authorities are expected to step up restrictions on ethnic wiegers in the name of fighting terrorism. with a ch hua chunying spoke.

>> investigators detained five suspects since the crash which they are calling an organize oh niezed end to planned terrorist acts. the five suspects and the three killed in the vehicle are believed to be huigars. they received the news with growing anxiety. here's more. many armed policemen are patrolling. the authorities will tighten control over them, huigars fear. >> i'm worried it could affect my business and we could be subjected to further discrimination. >> reporter: the huigars are a separate group from the chinese that make up the majority of china's population. nearly all of them are muslims.

many are economically and politically disadvantaged compared to the majority. dissatisfaction among them has erupted into violence. the protests four years ago escalated into deadly riots. the chinese government said about 200 people died. rebiya kadeer, a leader of a group of exiles issued a statement expressing the fear that the chinese authorities intensified their crack down on the pretext of fighting terrorism. the administration of ping will mark the one-year anniversary in november. the top leaders of the chinese communist party will hold a key policy meeting within two weeks in beijing. some experts say the

administration is trying to prevent ethnic unrest from spreading. nhk world. the united states faces growing criticism in europe for the national security agency's alleged eavesdropping on german chancellor angela merkel. the "washington post" says that the nsa has also broken into major communications links used by google and yahoo! data centers worldwide. "the post" reported the infiltration on wednesday based on documents obtained by former nsa contractor edward snowden. the reports say by tapping into the links, the nsa has positioned itself to collect at will data from hundreds of millions of users' accounts, this would include emails sent and received, as well as content such as texts, audio and video. the "post" says during the 30-day period up to january 9th

of this year, the nsa used the links to collect more than 180 million new records. google said it is outraged at the lengths to which the government seems to have gone to intercept data from the firm's private fiber network. the nsa chief general keith alexander has denied the allegations. he said the report is incorrect and that his organization obtains court orders before collecting necessary information. google and yahoo! user accounts through a court-approved process. the post's report suggesting other means could intensify criticism of the u.s. government. once again officials in taiwan say a magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit the island's east coast. we don't know whether there has been damage the or casualties. taiwan's central weather bureau says the earthquake hit the eastern county about an hour ago

around 9:00 p.m. local time. a worker told nhk he felt a tremor. he said 300 guests were evacuated but no one was injured. the tremor was felt 100 kilometers southeast of the epicenter. we'll bring you information as details come in. the european union has reported that the jobless rate for the single currency bloc stayed at a record high in september. the e.u. statistics office said unemployment in the 17-member zone stood at 12.2%, unchanged from the previous month. spain posted the highest rate among the member nations at 26.6%, followed by cyprus at 17.1%, and portugal at 16.3%. for greece, the latest data were

available, only up to july. the jobless rate in that month was 27.6%. that's 0.1% higher than in june. bank of japan policymakers have unanimously decided to maintain their monetary current easing measures introduced in april in an effort to pull japan out of deflation. the central bank held its policy board meeting on thursday. the policymakers discussed economic conditions at home and abroad and price trends. the japanese economy has been showing positive signs. they include a rise in corporate production and an improvement in employment. the policymakers decided to keep the monetary easing measures in place, considering uncertainty such as a slowdown in emerging economies. they discussed the price outlook between now and 2015. they say consumer prices will rise 1.9% by fiscal 2015. they kept their inflation

forecast the same as three months ago. >> we have been seeing positive developments across broad areas in the economy, the financial markets. people's sentiment, and expectations. the economy is on a path to achieve the 2% inflation target. >> he also expressed hope that employers would pay higher wages on the prospect of higher corporate earnings. policymakers revised down the gdp projections for this fiscal year ending 2014. uncertainties remain regarding overseas economies. they say japan's economy will grow 2.7% this fiscal year down .1% from the previous forecast. the policy makers say the consumption tax hikes scheduled for april will not deal a serious blow to the economy. japanese companies are

reporting strong earnings for the april to september period as a weaker yen is boosting their profitability. the earnings season has peaked, nearly 20% of those listed on the main board of the tokyo stock exchange reported on thursday. a survey shows the total ordinary profit of the companies that reported earnings by wednesday rose 45% in yen terms compared to a year ago. 29% of those companies have revised upward their full-year profit projections through march 2014. struggling electric appliance companies are also making a sharp comeback. panasonic reported a net profit of $1.7 billion for the april-to-september period. that's a record high for mid-year earnings. the company sustained a loss of nearly $7 billion in the same period last year. meanwhile, sharp's operating profit rose to nearly $350 million, that is a huge improvement from a loss of $1.7 million posted a year ago.

and sony saw a jump in operating profit by 40%. helped on by strong sales of smartphones and the yen's weakness. an analyst we spoke to pointed out some uncertainties, though. >> translator: if companies don't spend their higher profits for capital investment and increased wages, they won't be able to bring about a positive cycle for economic growth. >> oto also says companies with significant exposure to india and indonesia are still concerned about the slowdown in those economies. the uptick of japan's economy is pushing up property prices and foreign investors are scrambling to get into the market. for many the timing couldn't be better. here's more. >> reporter: this real estate agent deals with taiwanese investors. many find it easier to do

business in japan because it's nearby. but the agent has seen a surge in clients since the beginning of the year. >> translator: i'm attracted by prime minister shinzo abe's policies and the exchange rate. many taiwanese people are starting to realize a change in taking place. >> translator: real estate is peaking in taiwan and the u.s. i believe japan is the next promising property market. it's time for it to start going up. >> reporter: the agent closed 70% more deals by september than during the whole of last year. prime minister shinzo abe's fiscal policies known as ergonomics are behind the boost. land prices rose around urban areas for the first time in five

years. investors expect ergonomics to maintain the rising trend. foreigners are also attracted to the cheaper yen. the japanese currency has dropped against the u.s. dollar by 25% in one year. and they're inspired by olympic games as well. tokyo will host the event in 2020, meaning properties could rise in value. >> translator: considering relatively low prices, japan being the third largest economy and the upcoming olympic games, i don't think the current market boom is a bubble. >> reporter: in addition to individual investors, overseas and france are also getting into the japanese property market. this singaporan investment market has specific functions. they expect demand into crease

as the economic industry expands. this is one of their portfolios. delivery trucks can save clients' time by driving up the ramp to a specific floor. people using the warehouse can also enjoy better security. sensors read the license plates, meaning unauthorized cars can't get in. the investment managers can ask for more rent at this complex because of the added services. they plan to stay competitive by buying more facilities. they believe ergonomics will cause the market to expand. >> there's still lack -- fundamentally lack of the large, modern rental wear house in

japan. so as a glp group, we see this as a very good market, a growing market. >> reporter: one real estate expert says japan's investment boom is founded on external factors. >> translator: the european debt problem seems not to be solved yet. economic growth in emerging countries is slowing down. from this viewpoint japan seems a good market to invest in. >> reporter: foreign investors are looking to the japanese property market. they want long-term improvements if they're going to stick around. keiko aso, nhk world, tokyo. >> here are the latest market figures.

le. >> military leaders in taiwan have seen the navy step up activities in nearby waters. they want to keep a closer eye on mainland submarines and prepare against them. so they have began to patrol new aircraft. the p 3 c will replace older planes and is expected to significantly boost the island's ability to the track chinese submarines. leaders ordered a dozen from the united stat united states. the president spoke at a ceremony to mark the first delivery. he's seen relations improve since he took office. still has concerns.

>> translator: china's military strategy against taiwan has not changed at all. taiwan needs to be fully prepared to defend itself. >> taiwan officials say they may use the new aircraft near taiping in the south china sea. china controls taiping, and china and southeast asian nations also claim it. unesco says all six of syria's heritage sites are in danger. a symposium to protect it was held in tokyo. these are images were shown.

syrian affairs experts expressed concerns about the country's cultural assets. director of the national museum of aleppo said damage was caused not only by fighting but looters with worldwide links. he emphasized it as the identify of the syrian people. >> i think it's extremely sad that all the heritages are being destroyed. >> recovering cultural properties is a key to rebuilding society after the fighting. we believe it is necessary to formulate a reconstruction plan for syria's heritage sites. >> researchers say they want to strengthen the network among japanese researchers and the local syrian people. south koreans have seen a stream of people from north korea cross their shared border over the years. more than 25,000 people who

defected from the north are living in the south. over the last ten years police arrested 49 people who they say were working as spies. 21 of them had been disguising themselves as defectors. more and more north koreans started to flee in the 1990s. up until now, the south korean government has admitted all those claiming to be defectors, and has helped them adapt. those from the north grow up in a different system with different rules. still, government leaders in seoul look upon them as fellow koreans. they've set up programs to help the new arrivals adjust in a

free and competitive society. the news that there were spies among the defectors has come as a shock to many. the agents took advantage of south korea's policies in dealing with defectors. some say it's clear those policies present a security risk. professor kim tejun studies the issue of defectors and intelligence-gathering on the korean peninsula. he's a specialist in international relations at a university in seoul. we spoke with dr. kim. >> when north korean defectors or refugees i should say, enter south korea, they go through extensive and intensive interrogation process up to 180 days. and int, most of the captured spies were agents captured during those interrogation process. but still, some of highly trained spies might evade the process. you know, intelligence experts are also counterintelligence experts as well. throughout history, north korea has sent spies and agents from various sources through various routes. some were from the intelligence agency, some from the military. and some from the workers party. and each has developed various routes of infiltration, for

example disguised tourists with fake i.d. and use of submarines and boats. so a mass influx of north koreans via refugees may have provided them another route to take advantage of it. according to media reports, ten of those 21 defector disguised spies are from national security agency which is primarily responsible for capturing defectors. so probably they were captured and returned some important defectors and by doing so, prevent or deter future defectors. or maybe to get information

about existing defectors for future operations. or as it turned out, a few tried to assassinate high-profile defectors. if they are successful in those assassination, it may create additional effect of deterring future potential defectors through intimidation. but still, spies are spies. so they may engage in searching for and gathering intelligence. maybe engaging in subversive activities by agitating public opinion or using the internet these days. the fact that north korea is using those policies is another route for spy inlet is indeed disturbing to me and to south korea. so if south korean people begin to think that north koreans that they are meeting or they're working with may be north korean spies, they will not be able and willing to work with north korean defectors in the same way as they did in the past. so why maintain such policy? i would urge our government to tighten the rope. when they investigate incomers to prevent further instances.

a typhoon hit the philippines. rachel ferguson has been closely monitoring the situation for us. give us an up the date, rachel. >> we were talking about a strong typhoon actually that's been affecting northern parts of the philippines. luzon is experiencing strong winds, destructive winds sustained at 126 kilometers per hour. gusts up to 180 kilometers per hour. right now it's traveling west. it's headed toward the south china sea. it is likely to come close to hainan island. maybe into the beginning of next week towards vietnam. we are concerned with luzon. heavy rain up to 200 millimeters in 72 hours is likely. waves up to five meters. that's the storm surge to contend with as well. that spells a good chance of flooding. up towards okinawa and taiwan we have a surge of moisture.

it will be wet for the next couple of days. elsewhere in the region is quiet. generally high pressure and dry across the north. i will give you a quick update on temperatures as we head into our friday. tokyo 20 degrees staying dry. 18 in seoul with bright sunshine and showers in beijing. taipei warming up to 28 degrees. we go into the americas. out west is going to be fairly dry. we have snow in the mountains and showers coming to the pacific northwest. it's really out to the east that we want to talk b about. we have a well developed low and the cold front bringing heavy rain. eastern portions of texas are reporting some severe flooding. heavy rain impacting arkansas and louisiana. severe thunderstorms expected right up towards east of the great lakes. so it will be a day of thunderstorms. a good day to stay indoors.

unform that's not what many of you have planned. it's better to be safe than sorry. large hail up to ping-pong ball sized. tornadoes not out of the question. we have watches and warnings toward the south. temperaturewise, let's see what's going on. mid teens in toronto. denver, 13. warming in winnipeg to 7 degrees. it's been a chilly week for you. down in the south in the mid to upper 20s in atlanta, houston, los angeles as well. into europe, things are looking calm for eastern and central locations after a stormy week. out west the storm is moving this in. this well developed atlantic low coming in across scandinavia and the british isles. winds won't be as bad as the last fatal storm that swept through europe. we are talking upwards of 70 kilometers per hour with with short-term heavy rain that could result in flooding.

it means the wet and windy conditions will be prolonged over pretty much the same place. in paris, vienna, kiev. a cool sunny day in moscow. here is the extended forecast.

here's the lead story we have been looking at. a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck the island's east coast on thursday night. there have been no reports as

yet of damage and casualties. taiwan's central weather bureau say it is earthquake hit the eastern county of qualien at 9:00 p.m. local time the. the u.s. geological survey said the quake was me shurd at a 6.6 with a depth of 9.3 kilometers. a hotel worker said 300 guests were evacuated and no one was injured. it was felt in taipei as well. taiwan lies on the ring of fire in fafk and experiences frequent earthquakes. in june a 6.3 earthquake hit the central part of nanto killing two people and injuring more than 20 the others. a magnitude 6.1 quake shook the same region in march leaving one

person dead and a hundred injured. we'll bring you more information as details come in. that's "newsline" for this hour. i'm gene otani in tokyo.

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♪ one japanese architect has been traveling to crisis zones around the world. shigeru ban. >> this is what we are building. this is made of recycled paper. >> as a volunteer, he creates paper architecture in post disaster areas. in september, he completed the christchurch cardboard cathedral.