welcome to "newsline". wednesday, october 29th. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. a delegation from japan will sit down on wednesday with north korean officials to press for answers. they've had two days of meetings looking into the fate of japanese abductees. the chairman of the bureau and north korea's committee were among the participants in the first day of talks. the heads of four investigative subcommittees were also present. ihara said north korean officials spent about three hours explaining the status of

their probe. he reminded them that resolving the abduction issue is japan's top priority. >> translator: we urge the north korean officials to speed up their investigation and report their results as soon as possible. the north korean side explained the structure of the committee. and the current status of their investigation. we asked for details from the north korean side. >> the japanese government said the important points will be the details of the explanation. the delegation is expected to be updated about the investigation into the remains of japanese who died in the north. they'll also be briefed about those left behind around the end of world war ii. and spouses who moved to the north with their korean partners. officials say they plan to take up the abduction issue during the afternoon session.

american health authorities say a second nurse who contracted ebola in the u.s. has been released from hospital. they say that tests show she's free of the virus. the nurse contracted the disease at a hospital in dallas, texas, after caring for an infected liberian man who later died. amber vinson was isolated on october 14th and received medical care. and she was discharged on tuesday from a facility in the state of georgia. >> i'm so grateful to be well. while this is a day for celebration and gratitude, i ask we not lose focus on the thousands of families who continue to labor under the burden of this disease in west africa. >> doctors say vinson was administered unapproved drugs and blood plasma of an american doctor who had recovered from the disease. they say it's difficult to determine what was ultimately effective for her recovery.

another nurse who contracted the disease at the dallas hospital was discharged last friday. officials say no other new cases of secondary infection have been confirmed in the u.s. but a doctor in new york developed the disease after returning from west africa. he was taken last thursday to hospital and placed into an isolation unit. pro-democracy demonstrators in hong kong say they want to hold talks directly with chinese premier li ku chung. they made the address on tuesday in an open letter and said it could be a way to end their month-long standoff. student protesters say they want greater democracy in the territory. they want the decision to allow only candidates to run for chief executive in 2017 to be retrusted. they're asking to meet with premier li to convey their desires to the leaders.

they opened their umbrellas for 87 seconds. one for each of the 87 tear gas canisters that police fired a month ago. they dubbed the movement the umbrella revolution. >> translator: it's been one month, and still the government won't act in good faith. i'm disappointed. >> translator: i won't give up my protest. everybody is tired. i'm not the only one. >> the student group said they plan to continue their sit-ins on main roads in hong kong, but some next now say they should try to seek a resolution with authorities through dialogue. economists look at how busy factories they are to understand how company managers and their customers are feeling. japan's numbers have just come out. we're joined now from the

business desk. ai, what does the data tell us? >> catherine, it looks like the factory outlet has recovered modestly. here is the thing. the rise was a lot smaller than what many factories thought they would be based on the prediction they made just last month. managers and their customers may be holding back following april's consumption tax hike. economy ministry officials just announced that industrial production rose 2.7% from august. that is the first rise in two months. the figure comes after a revised 1.9% decline in august. looking ahead, the officials expect output to fall to 0.1% in october, and go up 1% in november. the business and financial world is keeping a close eye on a meeting of policymakers at the u.s. federal reserve. many believe it will crap up with an announcement for the fed to end quantitative easing known as qe. fed officials are believed to

have started their two-day meeting by looking at recent instability in the market. this includes falling share prices triggered by growing uncertainty over the global economic outlook. the policymakers are expected to discuss whether to finish their bond buying program. it's widely believed they will put an end to the qe program in line with their announcement last month. they said in september they would scale back their tapering with the aiming of -- with the aim of stopping it completely. the fed launched its third round of quantitative easing called qe 3 in september of 2012. it purchased u.s. government bonds and other securities to pump $85 billion per month into markets. but since last december, it has been reducing the program scale by $10 billion at every meeting. the huge injections of money have had a significant impact on world markets. they helped boost stock prices, while prompting investors to pull funds from emerging

economies. investors on wall street were more focused on business results. the majority of companies have beat estimates and investors bought stocks. both the dow and the nasdaq jumped higher, extending their winning streak to a fourth straight day. let's get an update on how japanese markets are starting the day. ramin mellegard joins us to tell us what's going on at the tokyo stock exchange. >> actually, investors here are also focusing a lot on earnings, earnings season is getting into full swing here. let's look at how the nikkei and topix are kicking off this wednesday. we're seeing a pretty positive start there. 15,411, up just over half a percent for the nikkei. broader topix also higher as well. let's not forget, though, the nikkei ended in the negative on tuesday, trading in a pretty narrow range. trading volume was well below average. analysts say investors may be somewhat reluctant to make any major moves ahead of the fed

announcement later today in the u.s. still, we should keep an eye out for shares with companies which have reported earnings. i'll go through a couple of them right now that reported after the market closed yet. nomoro holdings beat profit forecasts. i'll be tracking shares of that particular firm. and the financial sector as well. and also, honda, it's the first of the big automakers starting to give out report earnings. and basically it said operating profits actually fell 4.1% for the july-to-september period, missing analysts' expectations. the company cited slower sales in north america, also slowing growth for sales in china, as well as domestic sales here, and also honda lowered its outlook for the full year. analysts also say there may be concerns about the -- some of the air bag recalls by takata,

which had -- may have a negative effect, not only on japanese automakers which use those air bags, but also globally for the auto industry. that's a big focus as well. ai? >> ramin, executives at all the companies you just mentioned keep a close eye on the dollar. >> a lot of them have assumed exchange rate levels for the dollar/yen levels. the dollar wobbled just a touch after durable goods for september. unexpectedly by 1.3%. investors took that pretty much in their stride. the fact that the dollar has bounced again, that is a positive. now, in addition to the fed meeting, investors also hope for thursday's third-quarter gdp data, which may confirm the u.s. economy is continuing to recover. the euro, with the bank stress test out of the way, it has been moving at a narrow range. the next crucial date is going to be thursday's inflation data. and any signs of further

economic weakness, especially from a leading economy such as germany. but for now, a pretty positive start for the nikkei and topix. back to you, ai. >> ramin, thanks a lot. ramin mellegard from the tokyo stock exchange. i'll be back next hour with more of your market headlines. i leave you with other markets. a u.s. rocket has exploded seconds after liftoff. nasa officials say it was carrying an unmanned space freighter bound for the international space station. and they say no one was injured. >> and we have liftoff.

>> the rocket was developed by an american company, was launched from the state of virginia. several seconds after takeoff, the rocket suddenly fell and then blew up in flames. it was carrying a cargo ship loaded with about two tons of food and experiments for the astronauts living aboard the iss. officials say so far they haven't determined the cause of the explosion. vietnam's prime minister has met with his indian counterpart in new delhi to strengthen their military ties. the two leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation in the area of defense. modi has consented to give vietnamese forces assistance. he said india will provide equipment, training and financial support. >> translator: we in india admire the people of vietnam for the courage and resolve with which they overcome the many great challenges to their nation.

we have shared interest in maritime security. every dispute has to be solved peacefully on the basis of international laws. >> analysts say the move could heighten tensions between vietnam and china. in may officials in beijing set up an oil rig near the parasol islands. in the south china sea. both nations claim the island. the incident brought relations to the lowest point in decades. indian leaders are in a dispute with china over the himalayas. last month they condemned the chinese military for going into an area that india claims. it cast a shadow over last month's summit in new delhi. in a joint news conference with chinese president xi jinping he is concerned over the incident, and quickly resolve the matter. oil companies from those indian and vietnam agreed in september

to work together on development in the south china sea. observers say china has become alarmed by such moves but india and vietnam reconfirmed their continued cooperation in oil and gas development. in response china on tuesday demanded india not to interfere with the territorial issues in the region. chinese foreign ministry spoke person said if the two nations activities threaten china's sovereignty or national interests, they'll fully oppose them. >> afghanistan's new president is on his first foreign trip since taking office last month. he's in beijing. he's courting chinese investment to rebuild his country. and promote regional stability. chinese president xi and other leaders welcomed ghani at the start of his four-day trip. ghani took office in september after an election standoff that carried on for months. china and afghan's remote far

northeast share a border. leaders in beijing have a keen interest in afghanistan's mineral resources. afghanistan has deposits estimated to be worth over $1 trillion. china's state-run firms have already secured major oil and copper concessions in afghanistan. but security in afghanistan remains a huge obstacle. most of the international forces stationed in the country will leave and hand over control to local forces by the end of this year. observers say china aims to use its ties with afghanistan to prevent the spread of terrorism on its side of the border. they hope china can extend its influence in afghanistan after u.s. and european troops withdraw. in china, military prosecutors are preparing to indict a former general on bribery charges. he has admitted to taking huge bribes. he was expelled in june for disciplinary violations, and

formally the second highest ranking official in the people's liberation army. he was also a vice chairman of the central military commission. prosecutors said he took advantage of his position to help promote certain people. he accepted a huge amount of bribes personally and through his family. chu has reportedly admitted to the charges. china's leadership is aiming to use chu's indictment to demonstrate its anti-corruption stance. victims of weapons abandoned in china by the former japanese military during world war ii will be getting help in a new way. private organizations from japan and china will jointly set up a fund for them. a japanese representative says this is the first fund to be created through civilian cooperation between the two countries. the two groups are aiming to establish the fund by the end of the year with about $330,000. residents in china where weapons were abandoned are suffering from the aftereffects of

poisonous gas leaks. they need assistance with medical and living expenses. >> translator: it's important to work with the private sector. this will help promote confidence building between the two countries. and prompt the japanese government to offer a helping hand. >> the chinese foundation will start asking local companies for donations. the japanese association will also make appeals to firms and the national government. a japanese disaster expert has tried to change the way medical staff prepare and respond to emergencies. she's drawing on her own experiences working in some of asia's worst disaster zones, and she's empowering more nurses to tailor their care to changing situations. >> september 2014. a group of indonesian specialists are in tokyo for a

conference on disaster medicine. they have also come to visit an associate professor at tokyo health care university. like japan, indonesia has suffered many natural digs sast. the visitors have come to tap into ishi's experience. she has worked in many disaster areas, such as after the 2004 indian ocean tsunami, and the earthquake in china. for her, improving living conditions for the survivors is just as vital as providing medical care. following the massive 2011 quake and tsunami in japan, she was in charge of dispatching 4,000 disaster relief nurses to the worst hit areas. >> translator: our work is only valuable if people appreciate us being there. >> the japanese nursing

association has a registry of nurses who volunteer their services in the event of a disaster. shii visited evacuation centers to find out where she should send them. this is one of the places in greatest need. in the emergency centers, people were sleeping on mattresses laid out side by side on the filthy floors. confined in these conditions for extended periods, many people fell ill. the elderly were very vulnerable. ishii appealed to the city to open more welfare shelters. this was one of them. the aim is to keep elderly people healthy. it had a wide walkway so they could keep up the strength in their legs. dividers were placed between beds to give them privacy in their sleep areas. and the eating area was separated from the sleeping

spaces. to prevent the evacuees from becoming bed ridden. >> translator: there are needs that people on the spot may not see. the important thing is to dig out and express those needs. that is where our skills lie. >> this couple is in their late 70s. the tsunami in 2011 forced them into a crowded emergency shelter set up in a damaged school. the man suffers from a chronic condition and it soon worsened leaving him bed ridden. after they were moved into the new shelter that ishii set up, his condition improved rapidly. in a couple of months he was able to walk again unaided. >> translator: i was able to walk further and further every day. that made me very happy. >> one of ishii's goal is to

train more disaster relief nurses. she keeps reminding them of the need to think for themselves. >> translator: in a disaster, everything is case work. that means you must constantly think and react. if you don't do that, you won't be effective. >> as an example, she introduces a case she witnessed after the indian ocean tsunami. a patient had his wound dressed by a nurse. normally, this treatment would be perfectly adequate. but this patient lived in an area where the roads were still flooded and muddy. the dressing would get filthy. and the wound was very likely to get worse. >> translator: she tells us a lot that each disaster site poses its own challenges, and we have to think of the situation on each side. i think today's course was a good training to develop that aspect of our ability. >> translator: it's not just about nursing.

everything comes down to one thing, the ability to think. you have to look at the situation as a whole, what kind of resources you have, and what you can do with those limited resources. otherwise, you will never move forward. >> changing behavior and increasing awareness, one person at a time. for ishii, this is the case for saving more people's lives. >> her work is the subject of an in-depth feature as part of the nhk world series "the creative woman." it will air on october 30th. it's time now for a check of the weather. people in tokyo are bundling up more than usual as they make their morning commute. maya has the latest. >> well, catherine, it is quite chilly across tokyo, and much of the contour region is seeing the coldest day of this season so far. let me show you some video

coming up from tokyo first. this is from yesterday, when a low north of hokkaido was chilly. temperatures are lower than yesterday. many areas this morning making it one of the coldest days so far this season. tokyo is seeing a little bit of a warmth from yesterday. but still very cold. and quite chilly across southern locations. you can see the winter pressure pattern still left behind. we're likely to see more snowfall around the north. the high-pressure system will be pushing everything away. so clear skies and wonderful weather here. it will be very dry, though. that is the same way for the korean peninsula and northern locations of china, down to the south, though, this is an area where heavy downpours are still

moving in. 120 millimeters of rainfall has been observed in the past 24 hours, while into the next 24, this is an area where heavy rainfall of about 100 millimeters could be a chance of flooding and landslides as well as mudslides. down below, chances of flooding still lies in the philippines as well as southern marias of thailand, where flooding is still ongoing. 32 degrees. we're looking at beijing, hazy conditions at 15 degrees for your high. northeast locations seeing really hazy conditions there as well. down towards the arabian sea, we're still monitoring this situation. it is quite an intense system. very severe cyclonic storm, likely to bring lots of rainfall into oman. and all the way to the extreme southeast of pakistan. due to the relatively strong

wind shear as well as continental dry air coming from this area, it's likely to decrease into a tropical depression by the time it reaches land masses. no matter the intensity, it will be bringing a lot of rainfall, and making its way towards pakistan with heavy rainfall. we'll keep a very close eye on this stormy weather with rip currents, very high, too. rip currents are high across the peninsula here in europe. we actually have a report of 90 millimeters across southern areas of norway due to this system. the cold front is quite potent. the gusts are quite strong, too. wet and windy conditions will be prevailing in towards your weekend perhaps. down towards the south, we're likely to see another low pressure system will be bringing another round of stormy conditions. that includes even tornadoes to be spawning. especially in and around western turkey. but meanwhile, looking here, we

have lots of sunny skies, and beautiful weather, especially in and around paris. a quick look here. we're looking at this system pulling into the eastern seaboard. is it going to be a trick, or a treat for your halloween? treat in los angeles. 30 degrees, too hoot for this time of the year on your wednesday. i'll leave you now for your extended forecast.

we'd like to remind you of one of the lead stories this hour. a u.s. rocket has exploded seconds after liftoff. nasa officials say it was carrying an unmanned space freighter bound for the international space station. and they say no one was injured. the rocket developed by an american company was launched from a complex in the state of virginia. several seconds after takeoff, the rocket suddenly fell, and then blew up in flames. it was carrying a cargo ship loaded with about two tons of food and experiments for the astronauts living aboard the iss. officials say so far, they haven't determined the cause of the explosion. that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks very much for joining us.

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>> hello and welcome to "global 3000." over the next half hour we'll bring you up to date on some of those key issues that matter wherever you live. and here is what is coming up. is coexistence impossible? how indigenous groups in peru try to live in harmony with nature. witch hunts in papua new guinea. a barbaric practice that simply won't go away. and moving to the city -- we visit chinese farmers happy to have left traditional life behind. we humans have left our mark on the world we live in. under 20% of the planet is still largely untouched. one of these rare areas is in the east of peru.