hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." it's friday, august 22nd. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. emergency crews in hiroshima have been knocked back in their efforts to find people missing after landslides. rain has forced them to put the operation on hold. at least 39 people were killed when landslides hit the city on wednesday. at least 43 people are missing. police have been unable to track down eight others. thousands of police officers, firefighters and self-defense force personnel have joined the operation. they fear even light rain could trigger more landslides. and intermittent rain overnight forced them to stop their work.

they're watching the weather to see when they can head back out. authorities say the landslides destroyed or damaged 46 houses and flooded 140 more. the disaster cut off water to more than 1,000 households. and they say they still don't know the full extent of the damage. now, the rain hasn't let up. in fact, it's getting worse. we have the latest on the conditions in western japan. what can you tell us? >> i can't really give you good news, catherine, unfortunately. we have been seeing hiroshima getting pounded with another shot of extreme amounts of rainfall as we speak. take a look at a picture coming out from from western japan this morning. not only the rain but you can see the frequent lightning as well. a low-pressure system area is doing its part to draw moisture, ushering in another round of rough weather on friday morning. at this time over 100,000 people

and 40,000 households have been advised to evacuate due to with rising floodwaters where about 100 millimeters, if you take back, i can show you from this radar that 100 millimeters of rainfall fell over a course of one hour. this is the official number. but this radar actually tells you a little bit more than that. so extreme amounts of rainfall is now moving into eastern parts of hiroshima. this is the rainfall reported for the past three hours. extreme amounts yet again on the very loose soil. it could certainly result in further landslides. and this is why the operation is on hold. we're likely to see about 80 millimeters of rainfall in an hour. and then in hiroshima possibly about 80 millimeters of additional rainfall throughout the day today. but not only that, this system is also moving in. this is another area we have landslide warnings in place. so lots of things happening here. and i'll give you more details on that in the latter half. >> thanks very much, mai.

researchers have not bandage able to develop a vaccine. w.h.o. officials will begin next month to discuss treatments. they say it's ethical to experiment under certain conditions. they'll have to fwig your out which patients will be given priority. ukraine's government says its troops have seized control over large parts of the pro-russian stronghold of lieu hansing.

it's a strategic stronghold between the battle of pro and anti-russian forces. the sporks person made the announcement on wednesday. the government forces have intensified their offensive against a pro-russian separatist and surrounded the city of lieu hansing. it's just 20 miles from the russian border. pro-russian militants fight back. russia's interfax news agency says more than two-thirds of rez dentss have been forced to leave the city amid shortages of dr k drinking water and food. battles have also broken out in a town near donesk. at least 34 residents have been killed there in the past few days. food prices in russia have been rising since a country opposed a

ban from western nations earlier this month. mos you has prohiblted imports for one year. retailers have raised the prices of chicken, cheese and other products. one store hiked the cost of chicken more than 50%. recently, i feel meat prices are really high. >> they will strictly monitor prices to stop stores as using a preterks to gouge customers. they'll set up a special phoneline to collect information directly from consumers. russian authorities have ordered the temporary closure of four mcdonalds rest rabtss in moscow.

russia's food safety watchdogs have found numerous san sar violations. mcdomgds says it's closely studying documents from the regulator and hopes to reopen the restaurants as soon as possible. >> translator: political motives can be ruled out because the entire production cycle is in russia. only the brand is american. >> translator: u.s. sanctions are shameless. we should refuse to eat any american food. >> the shuttered outlets include the first mcdonald's in the country. the restaurant opened in 1990 in the final days of the soviet union. mcdonald's operates more than 400 branches in russia.

>> catherine, investors august over the world are feeling pretty confident about the u.s. economy. data out on thursday confirmed just that. and that triggered another round of stock buying. the dow jones industrial average ended higher for a fourth day in a row, closing above 17,000 for the first time in moral than a month. the broader s&p 500 has risen every day this week and climbed to another record high. wlet's get the latest from ramin. >> let's get a check on how the markets are opening here on friday.

august 22nd. 15,673 624. up a quarter% for the nikkei. the broader topics, higher. it has been boosted by speculation that the u.s. interest rates may rise sooner than expected. and that may widen the ten-year government security interest rate gap between japanese government bonds and u.s. government bonds. that's very closely watched right now. and that, in turn, of course, is pushing up the dollar. so that's helped a lot of japanese exporters.

still, there is a little bit of caution in the markets ahead of that economic symposium in wyoming later today, which is also this weekend and federal chief chair, janet yellen as well european president will p giving speeches later today. >> and where do some of the major currency pairs come this morning? >> let's look at the dollar yen. right now, single currency dipped below 1.33 dollars for the first time in a year. investors are waiting for the speech to see whether he drops any hints about helping to support euro zone's fragile growth rate, 147.91-9 6 right now. the first reading of fact ri activity in august came out on

thursday and that was weaker than market forecast. china related shares are heavily weighted on nikkei and heavily depen dent on emerging economies. those include the construction, machinery sector and a lot of retail shares, as well. i'll keep a check on all of those and how that may affect japanese shares. but, for now, we're in line for a tent day of gains for the nikkei. we'll see how that develops, thank you. the lead eres 06 china and minnesota gol owe have agreed to deepen ties. the move suggests china is strengthening influence on its neighbor. talks with the president chinese media say the two signed an accord strengthening cooperation in trade, resources development,

infrastructure projects and other areas. china is monogol owe's largest exporter and wants to secure energy resources by helping to improve monogol owe's infrastructure. monogol owe has been building ties with japan calling it mongol mongolia's third neighbor. supermarket sales across japan dropped again in july. it marks a fourth straight month of declines since the consumption tax went up in april. officials at the japan change stores association say sales at major supermarkets nationwide last month were down 2.1% from a year earlier. that's based on existing stores. and excludes new openings and closures.

sales of summer items were sluggish. association officials say sales in august have also been affected by stormy weather. but day say the impact of the sales tax hike is weakening. they are hoping to see a recovery in consumption from september. more headlines for you in business next hour. here's another check on markts.

a japanese wrestler turned politician is grappling with some matters of diplomacy. antonio inoke has tried in different ways to improve ties between japan and north korea. he and members of a sports organization will hold an international pro-wrestling festival later this month. inoke sits in the upper house of the diet with the opposition group the party for future generations. he's visited north korea several times. >> translator: exchanging heartfelt feelings with each other and conveying our honest thoughts, i think that will surely promote bilateral peace diplomacy. >> inoki said he would meet with a prominent diplomat. he's the secretary in the korean workers party. inoki said they would discuss how to improve relations, and he said he wanted to talk about the abductions of japanese citizens. japanese government officials say north korean agents kidnapped at least 17 japanese in the 1970s and '80s. authorities in pyongyang have launched another investigation into what happened to them and other japanese who are missing. the officials are expected to deliver an update next month.

jakarta governor adodo is on track to become the next leader. the constitutional court upheld his victory in last month's presidential election. the court on thursday declared that a complaint filed by the rival candidate, former army general sibanto lacked any legal basis. the ruling cannot be appealed. >> translator: i'd like to show my gratitude to the constitutional court for coming to the right decision. >> joko is expected to resign soon as governor of the capital to prepare for his presidential inauguration on october 20th. he alleged fraud on a nationwide scale. he claims the counts were different than what observers from his camp saw. thousands of supporters demonstrated near the court. some held rocks and tried to rush police barricades. police used tear gas and water

cannons to disperse the crowd. monkeys are among our she's taken kimono from the people who live in northeastern japan are trying to move on from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami while remembering all that was lost. one woman is demonstrating that spirit of recovery through her artwork. she's taken kimono from the ruins and given them new life. nhk world's reporter reports. an auditorium filled with more than 1,000 tapestries. each of them stitched together

to support the people of northeastern japan. every item has its own style, but they all incorporate fragments of kimonos, spoiled by the earthquake and tsunami of march 2011. the project is led by this woman. she's been supporting the recovery of northeastern japan by sending musical instruments to children. the idea came after she visited a kimono shop. one of the areas devastated by the tsunami. many precious garments lay spoiled by sludge and oil. the shop owner didn't know what to do with these items, and she handed them over to her. one by one, she proceeded to wash the kimonos and rolls of cloth. first by hand.

then with a washing machine to remove the stains and stench. >> translator: it felt rather strange at the time, but when i saw these kimonos, i had a strong feeling i just couldn't leave them like that. >> reporter: with the help of some friends, she designed costumes for stage performers as a way of preserving the memory of the disaster. but soon she felt it wasn't enough. so in 2012, she started piecing together tapestries with small fragments of kimono. she invited friends and neighbors to pitch in. all of them live far from the

hundreds of people got involved. >> translator: people put their feelings into every single stitch. the memories of the disaster are embedded in each piece of cloth. and by bringing them all together, i'm hoping to pass on these memories to future generations. >> reporter: volunteers helped installing the hundreds of tapestries in the auditorium. oil stains on a traditional cloth expressed the luster of a saxophone. kimono fragments combined to form the miracle pine tree, a

symbol of resilience after the tsunami. >> translator: so many femalings are crammed into this room. it's a very intense experience. >> translator: as a native of northeastern japan, seeing the tapestries breaks my heart, but i'm also very moved to see that these kimonos have turned into such beautiful and lovely objects. >> reporter: her project weaves together the feelings of hundreds of people. now she's hoping this collection can be turned into one large curtain for a stage in northeastern japan. nhk world.

a baseball legend has explored the healing power of sport. bobby valentine enjoyed success in the major leagues aas a player and manager. now he's brought together young players from the u.s. and others who lived through the disaster in northeastern japan. nhk world's reporter has the story. >> my name is toman michael. >> reporter: more than 20 junior high school students from various u.s. states took part in the program in uate prefecture. >> safe! >> reporter: bobby valentine coached the boys. he's managed major league teams like the boston red sox. he also managed the sheba marines in japan. since the disaster, valentine has taken part in activities like survivors who live in temporary housing. he decided to participate in this event to raise the spirits of young survivors through baseball. >> it's from something bad, maybe something good can come.

and that's what i hope baseball can do to many people. >> reporter: one reason knight came to japan was because his grandfather was born here. chad has been interested in the country for a long time. the baseball exchanges went ahead despite the language barrier. chad was impressed by the japanese spirit and finesse. he felt their baseball skills were advanced. he was also impressed by how the

japanese students showed gratitude. they bowed and took off their caps. he decided to try it himself. >> it's different. respectful. it's been an honor to play with them. i hope to bring some of their traditions into my game. >> translator: we don't share the same language, but we are connected through baseball, so i hope we can become good friends.

>> reporter: besides baseball activities, the american and japanese boys visit places that still have remains of the disaster. nearly 500 people died or went missing in the 2011 disaster. >> it was going this way. yeah? >> reporter: after losing their homes in the tsunami, many were forced to live in emergency shelters. japanese youngsters described the tsunami to their american friends. >> translator: teachers told us to run when all of us were taking shelter in the school yard. i wondered what was going on and looked around. >> i saw some of the damage here, and it was unbelievable. to hear it from them, some people i've been able to hang out with for the last few days, it realty means something. >> one, two, three. >> reporter: at the end of the

tour, the boys played a friendly match against a local team. chad played very well. and his teammates celebrated their victory. >> the healing process is a continuing process. but the thing that heals the best is friendship and love. that's how the wounds mend together. i think it's spectacular. i think the way the players are coming together with their friendships and the dugout when they're eating together and talking together and playing together. >> the six-day event helped the boys from japan and the u.s. develop a strong bond through baseball. nhk world. >> as we have been talking, the extreme weather has been pounding japan. not only western japan but also in tohoku as well. excessive amounts of precipitation will still be

likely to be hammering western japan including the devastated area in hiroshima where the landslide occurred. any additional rainfall could certainly heighten the risk for secondary disasters. i'm afraid about 18 millimeters of rainfall will be falling across these locations. we're talking about 150 millimeters of additional rainfall. a warning is in place. as we speak, tornado advisories are also in place. so lots of things happening here. landslide warnings also in place in and around southern hokkaido. this system has been bringing about 107 millimeters of rainfall in nikita prefecture, another area where the land is

very prone to flooding. and we don't see this much amount of rainfall for this time of the year. 150 millimeters of additional rainfall will be likely throughout the day today. considering central locations in japan, unstable conditions could ignite afternoon and evening thundershowers because of the daytime heating. we'll take a look at the temperatures a little later on. but here, southeastern areas of china is also being pounded with rainfall. up to 100 millimeters of additional rainfall will be possible here as well. it's an ongoing story, so heighten the risk of flooding. 34 degrees in tokyo as you can

see. still midsummer range. so hence do carry your umbrellas along because afternoon hours, you may see some thundershowers happening. across the eastern half of this continent, things are very messy. again, severe thunderstorms are traveling into the mid-atlantic, especially do be aware if you are in southeastern pennsylvania. heat is still surging from the south and temperatures soaring in the 30s. some could mark about 40 degrees. in fact, excessive heat warning is in place in illinois. do beat the heat. and it only takes ten minutes for the car to heat ten degrees. please do not leave anything here. here across europe, still a very messy picture. croatia has been hit with very excessive rainfall. it's going to be a weakening trend. so that's going to be good news. here are your temperatures. i'll leave you now with your extended forecast. and that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us.

♪ ♪ many north koreans have defected to south korea. their numbers now exceed 26,000. seoul has various measures in plac