♪ glad to have you with us on this edition of "newsline." it's tuesday january 27th. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. japanese government officials are dealing with a new stage in the hostage crisis. they're trying to secure the release of the remaining at that pointive under terms dictated by extremists purported to be with the group islamic state. and those terms now involve another country. a message posted online saturday contains an audio recording of a man claiming to be freelance journalist kenji goto. and there's a still shot of him holding a photo of what appears to be the body of the other hostage, haruna yukawa.

the man says his captors want a prisoner swap. in return for releasing him they want jordan to free sajida al-rishawi. she's a convicted terrorist on death row. japanese prime minister shinzo abe has directed his administration to make an all-out effort to secure goto's release. he sent his state minister for foreign affairs to jordan to set up a task force last week. yasuhide nakayama spoke to reporters on monday in amman. >> translator: i want jordan and japan to closely cooperate and get the jordanian pilot and the japanese journalist returned to their homes. >> nakayama said both countries share the goal of securing the release of the hostages. people in jordan are urging their leaders to work for the release of a jordanian hostage before they try to free a japanese captive. lawmakers lawyers and others gathered in the capital amman.

they were responding to an offer by the militants to free japan's kenji goto if jordan releases rishawi from death row. the demonstrators say jordanian pilot moaz kasasbeh should come first. he was taken hostage by militants in december after his fighter jet crashed in syria. the pilot's brother said his relatives are still in shock and the proposed hostage exchange is a matter for the government. >> translator: i can only pray for god to return my brother safely and quickly. >> the latest edition of islamic state's online magazine features an interview with the pilot. the interviewer asks him whether he knows what the militants will do to him. the pilot says he knows he will be killed. experts say the kidnappers are trying to raise the profile of the pilot and increase his value as a hostage. media in jordan say king abdullah has indicated that securing the release of the air

force pilot is his top priority. the king spoke to the chief editors of major newspapers. he told them the pilot is a son of jordan and its military. the reports do not mention whether he spoke about the remaining japanese hostage. japan's defense minister gem makatani says he's angry over the hostage situation. he spoke with our senior political commentator masao nakajima. they also discussed the senkaku islands in an exclusive interview. >> minister nakatani, how do you see the japanese hostage case posed by islamic state? >> it is an unforgivable act to use humans as a shield to threaten others. both the international community and the united nations have strongly condemned this act, saying that violence is and hatred should be eradicated.

in this hostage crisis the japanese government has been making every possible effort through diplomatic routes and other means. but now a photo has been released on the internet that shows the apparent murder of mr. yukawa. this means an act of terrorism took place, which is outrageous and unforgivable. i feel great anger. as for the other hostage, mr. goto, we will be making strong demands to the terrorist group not to harm him and to release him immediately. the japanese government will do its best to secure his release. but at the same time the government will not give in to terrorism. we will actively handle the situation together with the international community for the sake of peace and stability in the world.

>> now, islamic state is demanding the release of a death row inmate in exchange for mr. goto. how is the government approaching its counterparts in jordan who holds a convict? >> as we place our top priority on human lives, we're trying to free mr. goto as soon as possible. we're working in cooperation with jordan and other countries using every channel and route available. all nations agree that these kinds of terrorist acts are unforgivable. the international community is also doing its best to identify a path that could lead to a resolution of the hostage crisis. the pledge japan made on assistance includes non-military activities such as measures for displaced people and humanitarian assistance.

this means japan will continue doing what it's been doing until now. it's not the kind of thing that should be criticized. >> what role can the sdf play in matters overseas? >> it's been 20 years since the self-defense forces started peacekeeping operations overseas. it's been highly appreciated abroad. there are five principles for the sdf to conduct peacekeeping operations. it's allowed when a recipient country agrees to it and in non-combat zones. there are also restrictions on the use of weapons, and the sdf is required to be neutral. the military of china and south korea conduct their activities in wider areas.

sdf members are only allowed to use weapons to defend themselves and to have others in their control. but the sdf's peacekeeping operations are conducted within a stable framework in the first place. it's not possible for sdf members to use force or get involved in an armed conflict. so if we ease the restrictions on the use of weapons, that will increase areas in which the sdf can work. such as supplying food and transportation. i believe this can build capacity for the sdf and allow it to work in civilian assistance. >> has the information gathering been the main activity for the sdf?

>> yes. currently, there is no legislation to decide what kind of work the sdf members can be dispatched to do overseas other than peacekeeping operations. we've been addressing this with special legislation as the situation arises. but i think we need to establish basic principles so we know with what needs to be carried out, what requires the aprofit diet or what requires government to act swiftly. to do that i think we need a law to stipulate those basic principles. >> japan and china held summit talks lat year but chinese vessels continue to intrude into japanese waters near the senkaku islands where japan controls and are claimed by china and taiwan. >> i think we're in a very dangerous situation. the number of chinese fleets and aircraft illegally entering the japanese territory has rapidly increased since 2013.

accordingly, the number of cases that japan's self-defense forces scramble to intercept chinese planes is also on the rise. we are on full alert. taking those conditions into consideration we need to include the cost for measures against the chinese intrusion in next year's national budget. we will have concerns over the issue of air defense identification zone, which is a public space. the chinese government has set up a widespread zone in the a.d.i.z. such acts are totally unacceptable in the international community. so we must take these issues seriously and handle them properly. >> though the japanese government have plans to bolster its defense of the islands? >> the defense ministry as well as japan's self-defense forces

must be always prepared for any circumstances that may pose a threat to our nation's territory, waters and air space. we also need to make sure that the japanese nationals' lives and properties are protected. it will be too late for to us start mobilizing our forces after unexpected and illegal intrusions or landings on our territory are confirmed. we must prevent incidents from happening in advance. police and the japan coast guard in particular should carry out joint efforts in the so-called gray zone that will defend a country before any armed attack happens. the coalition government has been working hard on this issue. we will strengthen our strategies to tackle the situation before the chinese side's violation is confirmed based on the decision made by the cabinet on july 1st of last year. >> mr. nakatani, thank you very much for your time.

>> the philippine government says at least 43 police officers have been killed in a clash with islamic militants. government officials report that fighting broke out when police ran into the militants in magindanao province on sunday. the islamic liberation front is the country's biggest militant grun that has a strong presence in the area. police say at the time the commandos were seeking senior members of another islamic militant group. last year the government and the rebel group signed a peace accord to end more than 40 years of conflict. congress is deliberating a new law on muslim autonomy. the government said the clash is unintended and that it will continue efforts for peace. but congress has suspended deliberations in the wake of the incident. a small drone triggered a security alert in the u.s.

capitol when it crashed on the white house grounds. no one was hurt. reports say a government employee had said he was flying the drone and lost control. secret service officials say the unmanned device flew over the white house fence in the early morning. it hovered briefly, then crashed in the southeast part of the compound. president barack obama and the first lady were away during their visit to india. >> the early indications are that it does not pose any sort of ongoing threat right now to anybody at the white house. >> secret service officials say the drone measure about 60 centimeters across and is sold commercially. the area surrounding the white house was blocked off, and fire engines rushed to the scene. last year the head of the secret service resigned after a series of intrusions into the executive mansion. in one incident a man with a knife got inside. there are new leaders in greece. they have different ideas from their predecessors. and that's worrying people from other eurozone countries.

ai uchida joins us from our business desk. tell us more about the story. >> the left-wing syriza party are opposed to austerity measures. the same ones their previous leaders promised to follow in return for a bailout package. a lot of other eurozone nations contributed to this package and they don't want to see their hard work unravel. eurozone finance plirnss say they'll talk to the new leaders if they stay in the zone. alexis sipras led the party to victory in sunday's election. he's calling for a review of the austerity measures imposed by the eu. euro group cheever diselbloom urged greece not to change course. he said you'll parties in the eurozone are upholding their commitments. >> i've taken note that all the leadering politicians also of syriza have expressed their ambition that greece's future is inside the eurozone. and that i think is a very good basis to start our talks on. >> eu finance leaders put together a loan package of 240

billion euros, $270 billion to rescue greece from sovereign default. ministers will meet against next month to decide wa their next steps will be. investors seem to be somewhat relieved after the latest ministers' talks. they think a fresh crisis in greece is not imminent. share prices in tokyo opened higher thafr stocks in europe and the u.s. ended in the positive and the nikkei hit 17,700 for the first time this year. now let's check on currency levels. traders are buying back the euro, and that is after it hit 11-year lows against the dollar zmas not o' . analysts say investors regained their risk appetite and are selling safer assets like the japanese currency. and in other markets in the asia pacific region south korea's kospi currently trading higher. up more than a third percent. let's see what's happening in

australia. the benchmark index is in positive territory as well. up .6%. a pretty positive start to our morning here in the asia pacific so far. well the people at a u.s. credit rating agency are taking a dim view of the situation in russia. analysts at standard & poor's have downgraded their rating of the country's government bonds to junk status. the analysts cut the sovereign credit rating to double b plus. that's down one notch from bbb minus. they rated the outlook as negative and said they may cut it further. they said they're worried russia's economy will deteriorate as falling crude oil prices hit the currency. the analysts said the central bank has already slashed interest rates, so it doesn't have much room to move. investors watched as the announcement sent the ruble tumbling against other currencies. at one point they saw it weaken to 68 rubles per dollar and 77 rubles per euro.

in mid december the currency briefly plummeted to 80 rubles against the dollar before regaining some ground. analysts are worried the drop in the ruble will make imports more expensive and woerns inflation. people in russia last year saw the cost of everyday goods and services soar by more than 11%. top negotiators from 12 nations are launching a new push toward a major free trade deal for the asia pacific. they're meeting in new york for another round of talks on the transpacific partnership. japan's chief negotiator koji tsuruoka said his team will try to lay the groundwork for a fresh ministerial meeting soon. >> translator: i've been meeting with delegates from other participating countries since the weekend. i have high hopes that a great deal of progress will be made. >> negotiators will be focusing

on how long pharmaceutical patterns should last and other intellectual property issues. they'll also be taking up the matter of preferential treatment for state-owned companies. that's the latest in business for this hour. here's another check on markets. ♪ deadly violence broke out in egypt on the fourth anniversary of the arab spring democracy movement. police confronted demonstrators

on the street. sadly, 16 people were killed. and dozens more wounded. people gathered on sunday to protest the government of president abdel fatah al sisi. members of the islamist group muslim brotherhood organized the rally. the group supports former president mohammed morsi. he was ousted in 2013 in a de facto military coup led by sisi. state media say at least 50 people around the country were injured. political turmoil has hurt tourism and weighed on the egyptian committee. some citizens are hoemg for stability but others are concerned over the crack doub on demonstrations. u.s. secretary of state john kerry says he hopes nigeria's upcoming presidential election will be peaceful. he made the comment on the same day islamist extremists carried out another deadly attack. kerry met in lagos with president goodluck jonathan who is seeking re-election and the

main rival former military leader mohammed dibuhari. earlier suspected boko haram islamist extremists islamist militants carried out an attack in the northeastern state of borno. they killed at least eight people in the state capital maiduguri and they seized another northern town. kerry called on all parties to respect the outcome of the february 14th vote. >> it's absolutely critical these elections be conducted peacefully. that they are credible, transparent, accountable. >> he said a successful election will ensure the country's citizens and people around the world have faith in the government that takes office. teachers at a school near tokyo are trying to tap their community's diversity to help teach their students. they're trying to show them that the world is full of different

people and cultures. and they're getting help from some special guests. nhk world's fumio kanda has the story. >> reporter: theira kichlt ta elementary school in yokohama come from highly varied backgrounds. almost half of these 300 students have roots in other asian countries. japanese is the first language for most of these children, and they have adopted to japan. but some parents worry their children may completely lose touch with their own cultures. so teachers run activities for students to learn how to be proud of their identity and appreciate the cultures of other students too. one in five children have roots in vietnam. 10-year-old yiri sakamoto is one

of them. on this day her family came to school for a special concert. her grandmother sought refuge in japan during the vietnam war. ♪ a group of professional opera singers from vietnam have been invited to perform. they sang local folk songs. including one of the most popular, "chankom." ♪ for yuri, this was the first time to listen to vietnamese songs in concert. she seems inspired. >> translator: they are beautiful songs. i hope i can sing them in vietnamese one day. >> translator: i hope my kids can work as a bridge between vietnam and japan when they grow

up. >> the school principal wants to take advantage of the diversity of the community to educate his students. >> translator: we're encouraging multiculturism at our school. we are teaching them the importance of overcoming the differences of culture or religion and that it's okay to live as who you are. ♪ >> all the children at the performance sang together. this may be the new face of modern japan. fumio kanda, nhk world, yokohama. it's time now for our check of the weather. residents in northeastern areas of the u.s. are seeing heavy snow and preparing for the worst. meteorologist robert speta joins us with more. >> yes. what we have out here right now is potentially an historic storm. and already some historic stuff

taking place out here. the subway in new york city already shutting down here on monday evening. travel bans have been put in place for new york city even over toward boston as well. and this storm system is continuing to develop. and as you go from your monday night especially into tuesday morning much of eastern new england will be taking the brunt of this storm system. now, what's happening, you have our low pressure area right here but also our high off toward the north. and it's that tight pressure gradient setting up as well as continuing to deepen. a lot of features in place coming at the right time. and that's why we're looking at these blizzard conditions expected across this area. already some images coming out of new york city here. you can see one of the high-rise buildings visibility being reduced. some cars out on the streets in the afternoon. but this was earlier in the day. by the time we get here after about 11:00 p.m. local, travel bans are put in place in boston. many of the cars that are in these emergency lanes are expected to be towed as well.

already over 6,500 flights have been canceled. the reason is you don't want to fly into this type of weather. look at this. 130-kilometer per-hour winds. the winds will be the gustiest out toward parts of massachusetts. martha vineyard nantucket, cape cod. even farther inland though rain into the boston area you could be seeing 75 centimeters of snowfall. and these gusty winds. the thing with a blizzard, though, this does not take place over a short period of time. it has to be longer than three hours. we're expecting upwards of about eight hours in some areas of whiteout conditions dangerous wind chills as well. and that heavy snow. talk about the dangerous wind chill. look at this. minus 20 to minus 30 in some areas. that's where if you were outside for an extended period of time you're looking at the threat of not only hyperthermia but also frostbite here as we continue to look ahead. blizzard conditions, this is the blizzard warning still in effect across much of the eastern seaboards extending all the

across new york city. washington, d.c. you're probably going to be getting some snowfall. it will be changing over to rain. farther inland still expecting the snow. but not those conditions you'll be seeing right near the immediate coastline. something else i do want to mention, look at this right here. the ridge in the jet stream back toward the west 21 there in denver colorado. feeling a little more summer-like for you. now as you move over toward europe cold front diving through the low country. that's going to bring some snowfall to southern portions of germany, even over there toward france. also in higher elevation across the apples you can see about 40 centimeters out there for you. then another he low back toward the southeast. that's moving across italy. also into greece. and what we did see in greece on your monday was some heavy hail. and what i mean by that accumulations of upwards of three centimeters. wrapping things up into japan, the low pressure system that has been moving overhead, that is now starting to make it way over

tokyo and will be moving off toward the northeast leave something clear skies behind it. still going to be seeing some light rain potentially in some areas around the conto plains. the snow machine will be taking in. temperatures in tokyo on tuesday 16 for the high. we'll be cooling off by the end of the week. all this cold air coming in from the korean peninsula. look at that. seoul, just zero for your high on tuesday. here's the extended forecast. ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ note ♪ ♪ and that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for staying with us.

>> "euromaxx highlights." here is your host. >> hello, and welcome to our first highlights show of 2015. let's get the ball rolling with a look at what is coming up in the next half an hour. 100 places, one name. the "worldwide berlin" cross-media project. the pearl of the alps, a visit to the swiss resort of saas-fee.

and, stargazing -- why few can resist reading their horoscope. many berliners would be happy to proclaim that the german capital is one-of-a-kind. in many senses that is of course true. but, careful study of maps and atlases has revealed that berlin, as a place name, exists all over the globe, sometimes even in the middle of nowhere. a new documentary film showcases some of these lesser known locations and aims to co