welg come welcome to "newsline." i'm catherine kobyoshi in tokyo. record amounts of rain in hiroshima sent landslides thundering into residential

areas. 39 people were killed, 7 others are missing. nhk world's takafumi terui has more from hiroshima. >> reporter: huge amounts of debris, including piles of lumber from crushed houses are covering the whole area that i can see. the torrential rains started in the early hours of the morning and it just kept coming.

>> can you hear me? rr i'm surrounded by mud pools of water and debris. the mud here is sticky. and people have seen landslides before. still, many are shocked by what they've seen come down from above. some have had their water and power cut off. but more help is on the way. about 2,500 police officers, firefighters and safety personnel joined those already here. they're searching for the missing here and in other areas, as well. >> thanks very much. we'll have more on this later on in the program.

south korean and japanese government officials have argued of late over the views of territory and history. south korea's next ambassador has promised to improve relations. he's scheduled to leave for tokyo on saturday. he spent his childhood in kyoto and studied for a year there in the university. he served as secretary journal for the parliamentarians union. during that time, he built up a ja japanese exchange program including the father of mine minister shnzo abe. >> relations between south korea and japan are at their worst ever. but they'll get better. as the saying goes, after the storm, comes the calm. >> yu said he wants to play a role in establishing relations

that are oriented toward the future. and he said he wants to develop a fraternal relationship between the two countries. his government will do whatever it can. monogol yan officials have hosted talks between japanese and north korean officials several times. in march, they provided a venue for a meeting between the parents of one of the abductees and their granddaughter who was 977. in north korea.

her parents don't know what became of her. the man tasked with leading the u.n.'s response to the ebola outbreak has been discussing the challenges ahead of him. david nava rurks ro was recorded senior coordinator last week. he says the disease isn't just a humanitarian problem. he says it's impacting politics and economies and may have security ramifications. >> a really comprehensive support operation is necessary. it involves all the different assets, tools, necessities in our united nation's system.

the ebola outbreak is one of the largest ever. they say it's claimed the lives of an estimated 1200 people. has the federal reserve given any clues about its policy going forward? >> yeah, catherine, a lot of people -- we've covered this -- a lot of people are focused on when the federal reserve may end its zero interest rate policy, especially since there's already been talk that policymakers plan to end the bond-buying program as early as october. now, fed board members have hinted that a strong recovery in the job market could lead them to end the zero interest rate policy earlier than expected. the fed has made public in late july. the minutes show that many of the policy committee members support a view that the labor market is improving faster than they had expected.

so it may be sooner than they currently anticipated. they identify pointed out that the labor force is not being sufficiently utilized. most agree that the decision to raise interest rates should come after making sure that the economy and the labor market are improving. the central bank has stuck to a zero interest rate policy since the lehmaf brothers collapsed in 20089. many market obama receiverers have been expecting a rise in interest rates in the first half of last year.

>> volume was a little bit light on wall street. a lot of investors waiting to see what comes out of the economic symposium this weekend. the nikkei actually closed in positive on wednesday for the eighth day in a row. and that's the best run since december. analysts say the wraekenning yen will probably make investors to look at japanese exporters to their portfolio. >> rerks amine tell us more

about the dollar? >> let's have a look at the dollar-yen pair. we have seen a big jump in that figure right now. 103.69-74. the dollar jury romped after th federal reserve release. it may be a five-month high against the yen. including the euro, the single currency fell overnight to near one year low against the dollar. right now, 1.3258-3260. however, investors will scrutinize very closely, for further hints on the timing. i also want to focus on japanese component makers for apple products. especially investors looking forward to the release of the latest iphone, which many analysts which part may be

launched in september. and apple shares closed at a record high in the u.s. on wednesday. it's up around 25% so far this year. many japanese components go into making a lot of the apple products and some of the suppliers including toshiba, foster e lech trick will be closely watched among many others. so i'll keep a very close eye on that sector. also, let's not forget, asian investors may also want to wait for the flash reading of china. so i'm get a reaction relating to apple, as well. >> all right, ramin, thanks a lot for that. the number of foreign visitors to japan has hit a record, monthly high. some have been attracted by a weaker yen.

others from southeast asia are finding it easier to get visas. the number of visitors from mainland clooi that and indonesia more than doubled. last year, the number exceeded 10 million for the first time. more cruise ships are docking at japanese ports. and people in the tourism industry are seeing another banner year. more headlines for you in business next hour. here's another check on markets.

officials overseeing the damaged fukushima daiichi power plant in northeastern japan are putting their hopes in a new water treatment system. workers for tokyo electric power company have started testing the system to remove radioactive materials in contaminated ground water. if successful, the treated water would then be released into the ocean. the test began after about 500 tons of radioactive ground water was pumped up from drainage wells around the reactor buildings. the workers then ran about 290 tons of water through the system to see how effective it is in removing radioactive materials.

tepco officials say if successful, the system would reduce the density of radioactive substances in the water substantially. the goal is to prevent tainted ground water flowing from the plant into the ocean. the officials also hope to reduce the daily flow of ground water into the reactor buildings, currently about 400 tons, by half. they say they'll release treated water into the ocean only if local residents and municipalities agreed. tepco officials are planning to meet with fishermen to explain the test results. the fishers have expressed concern that discharging even treated water may damage the industry's reputation. japan's nuclear regulators plan to revise the safety guidelines concerning accidents. they want to study ways of dealing with incidents of radioactive materials spreading from nuclear plants beyond current recommended evacuation zones. the guidelines were changed after the 2011 fukushima daiichi meltdown. they recommend people within 30 kilometers of a nuclear plant evacuate or stay indoors in the case of an accident.

earlier guidelines set the radius at 10 kilometers. experts point out the possibility of residents suffering from internal radiation exposure from plumes that spread beyond 30 kilometers. authority officials decided to study a wider zone. they'll look into which areas should be issued warnings or follow safety measures. the officials also decide to set similar zones for nuclear fuel recycling facilities on a case by case basis. police in thailand are a step closer to understanding a complex case. they suspected a japanese man fathered at least 12 babies with surrogate mothers. preliminary dna tests confirmed their suspicions. police found nine babies earlier this month in the man's apartment on the outskirts of bangkok. the man claims he fathered all

of them. authorities have taken 12 children into protective custody. police say preliminary results show dna matched those of the children. they're working with several samples and expect the final results in about a month. the surrogate case is one of two in thailand drawing international attention. an australian couple is accused of abandoning a child with down syndrome born to a surrogate mother. thai health authorities are allowing them to stay as surrogates if they're related to a parent. an estimated 200 paid surrogate births take place every year. more from nhk world now. >> reporter: this mother tells us being a surrogate mother is

part of a deal offered by a broker. >> translator: i was contacted by a person who was looking for a surrogate mother. i was told i could receive money if i gave birth. my family is poor, so i wanted money. >> reporter: the woman is from a farming village in northeastern thailand. she grew up in a poor family. she quit junior high school and left the village to find work. the woman's aunt says her niece accepted the broker's proposal to pay back her family's debts. >> translator: my niece wanted to help her mother. she thought she'd be able to make herself useful if couples looking for surrogate mothers couldn't have babies on their own. >> reporter: the royal thai college of obstetricians and

gynecologists authorizes 45 hospitals to conduct surrogacy treatment. however, the thai medical consul's internal code bans paid surrogacy in principle. it also prohibits anyone other than the relatives of couples seeking surrogacy from becoming surrogate mothers. but the code isn't legally binding. many hospitals conducting surrogate births are not authorized. this is raising concerns. some people point out surrogacy is spreading while experts and authorities have yet to hold sufficient discussion. the issues include ensuring surrogate mothers' physical and ment al health and protection of the children's human rights. following a string of scandals. the ministry government has decided to regulate the practice. >> translator: thailand is seen as a hub for the surrogacy business. this will tarnish our country's image. we must take legislative measures and punish violators.

>> reporter: the government is expected to submit a bill to parliament soon that would ban paid surrogacy and brokerage. but some doctors say laws aren't enough. they say it's also necessary to change the mind-set of doctors and surrogacy seekers. >> translator: legislative measures cannot catch up with the advancement of medical technology. there won't be any problems if doctors and the seekers have morals. >> reporter: thai authorities in the past turned a blind eye to the surrogacy business. but now the issue is clearly in the spotlight. shoko matsumoto, nhk world, bangkok. a japanese man living in tokyo has a reason to celebrate. he's officially being certified as the oldest man in the world. japan can now boast of having

the world's oldest man and arita ware for almost 70 years. he's recognized as a living national treasure. this is one of his master works. he has developed beautiful new forms in pure white porcelain. his works are characterized by their smooth, curving lines. >> translator: if a piece of pottery is the perfect shape, there's no need to add any decoration. it's like the most beautiful woman who doesn't need to wear makeup.

there's no need to add color. that's the fundamental philosophy of white porcelain. >> reporter: porcelain is made in southwestern japan. in 1616, a korean potter discovered in local mountains the clay stones that have been used ever since for making arita ware. he became the first to create pure porcelain in japan. over four centuries, it's developed its own distinctive style, thanks to the transparency of the material and the brilliant color of the decorative gaze, it has fans all around the world. this year, he marked his 85th birthday by starting work on a major project. looking ahead to the 400th anniversary of arita ware in 2016, he plans to complete 400

new works in white porcelain he believes will express the essence of arita ware. each of the work also be unique. the aim of the project is to convey the striking beauty of arita ware. he likes to go for walks in the countryside. the changing seasons, even the changes from hour to hour, all inspire creativity. >> translator: nature changes with each season. looking at the changing seasons, i get all kinds of inspiration on my walks. >> reporter: it's all very important for him to interact with a lot of people. when he turned 70, he started offering free pottery classes. his students are allowed to use any of his tools. tay come from a variety of backgrounds, some are

housewives, others are office workers. and they come from far afield. he says he's struck by the enthusiasm with which they approach the creative process. >> translator: to create porcelain, you need more than just technique. my students are all amateurs, but i always learn a lot from their passion and their attitude. they inspire me and they keep me going. >> reporter: this is one of his works. the motif for this piece is flower pedals. >> translator: arita is a small town. but in terms of international recognition, it's a major town. the process that brought this about is all contained in our history. >> reporter: evoking a sense of

beauty and elegance, he is creating new forms and a new future for arita ware. time now for a check of the weather. rescue workers in hiroshima are scrambling to find people missing in landslides. mai shoji joins us. good morning. the pictures show how several hillsides suddenly gave way. >> right, catherine. 100 meters of rainfall fell over the course of an hour. it's record breaking amounts. in the three hour span, you can see this red area, is hitting the same locations. if you can recall, continuous rainfall fell over several weeks in this area, so the land was saturated. hiroshima is known for the most hazardous area for landslides, because of the geological features. so any kind of water could make it muddy. so it's already very muddy and the sudden burst of showers came on top of the slippery slopes

that were already in place. so there was no resistance and the land gave away that's why the slide has occurred due to gravity. thankfully, the heavy peak of the rainfall has departed the area. but another area we'll be finding lots of rain is northern keyushu. another area in tohoku, more rain will be pounding here and landslides could consider across these locations in northern japan. western and central locations, you may see some afternoon and evening lightning, as well as tornadoes cannot be ruled out. very heavy rain to south korea,

about 200 millimeters of additional rainfall could be possible. yet again, it's pounding southern locations of eastern china. take a look at the video coming out from here. out of season heavy rainfall has impacted hundreds of thousands of people in eastern china. the floods are up to two meters high. 400 residents were taken to safety from one community. more rain is going to be happening. the peak will be pulling away, but as you can see, we still have the frontal system that will be lingering where that video came from. the rain will be starting but on sunday, likely to see another round of thunderstorms. so a very short break. we really want that rainfall out towards the northern location where is a drought is happening and it's quite hot.

beijing hitting 33. these are the areas where we need that rainfall. we're not going to be receiving that in the next coming days. in europe, similar conditions, thunderstorms rattling across the southern locations. we have a report of four centimeters in diameter in hail reported in hungary. that's likely to be pulling away a little towards the east, but similar conditions again towards the south. towards the north, things are very cool. i'll leave you now with your extended forecast.

that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in

tokyo. thanks for joining us.

three years ago a massive earthquake struck northeastern japan. over 18,000 deaths and missing people were recorded in the tsunami, quake and fires. survivors who escaped the tsunami and living in evacuation shelters were confronted with another imminent threat. an outbreak of pneumonia. >> translator: we all prayed no one else would get pneumonia and everyone else would safely make