hello there, welcome to "newsline." it's wednesday, january 28th. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. militants purported to be with the islamic state have a new deadline for their hostages. they say there are 24 hours to release a female jihadist for a captive. kenji goto. footage appears to show him holding a photo of the air force pilot and a voice claiming to be goto relays the demands. >> i'm kenji goto. i've been told this is my last

message. and i've also been told that the barrier obstructing the freedom is now just the jordanian government delaying the handover of sajida. tell the japanese government to put all their political pressure on jordan. time is now running very short. it is me for her. what seems to be so difficult to understand? i only have 24 hours left to live. and the pilot has even less. >> it's not clear when that 24-hour deadline expires. the militant group is demanding sajida al rishawi be freed in exchange for goto. she's a death row inmate convicted of a 2005 terrorist attack. jordanian leaders have been mulling a prisoner swap of rishawi and the air force pilot.

he was captured by the militants last month after his jet went down during an air strike. on monday, people gathered in the jordanian capital amman to demand the pilot's release. they call for him to be freed before anyone else. sources say the jordanian government has had cautious contact with the extremists, and they say the country is working closely with japan on the issue. chief cabinet secretary yoshihide suga and others discussed their response to the new message. >> translator: the government has been seeking jordan's cooperation to secure mr. goto's early release in this extremely difficult situation. we have confirmed we will continue that effort and have reported it to the prime minister. >> suga said he is communicating closely with the japanese task force in jordan. jordanian media reports say

prime minister abdullah ensour has declined to comment on the message. he told journalists making a comment now would be of no use. an analyst on the middle east says jordanian leaders are facing a tough decision over the fate of their pilot. hiroyuki haruyama is at the tokyo university of foreign studies. he said jordanians are demanding priority be given to the pilot's release. he said that that would be giving in to terrorism. uh goto has covered conflicts around the world before he disappeared goto told his guide he was heading to raqaa in northern syria. he said he was hoping to get information about haruna yukawa

who had also gone missing in the region this was goto's guide in syria. >> he wanted to go get some news or information about his friend, mr. yukawa. and also he wants to go to to make report about isis, what is the life under isis. >> he said goto entered syria from kilis on october 24th. he said the following day goto traveled through aleppo into territory controlled by islamic state. >> i tell him, don't go, please, and it's not safe for you. i tell him, you are going to people, they are not like iraq, they're different. >> goto started his own video

communications company 19 years ago in tokyo. over the years, he supplied tv networks with footage and also wrote several books. he mainly focused on children affected by conflict, disease and poverty. he filed this report for nhk world in february last year. he described people's lives in the northern syrian city of aleppo where the government forces were dropping what they called barrel bombs. >> severe fighting has turned this asian city into rubble and debris. [ speaking japanese ] children are terrified. many are crying. >> before departing for raqaa in

october, goto recorded a video message. in it he said if anything happens to him the people of syria should not be blamed. >> if something incident happens, no -- all responsibility is upon me. so please don't claim my claim to the syrian people. >> reporter: in the video goto makes a promise to come back alive. goto's mother met with reporters shortly after the online message was confirmed to be goto's voice. >> translator: we don't have much time left. it is extremely urgent. i want the government to do whatever it takes. >> people in the jordanian capital amman have reacted to the new footage. they called on their government to take action to resolve the hostage crisis.

>> translator: the most important thing is to release the jordanian pilot. i hope the government will take every possible step to make it happen. >> translator: i believe our government will handle the situation well. i think rishawi should be released if that could lead to saving the lives of the pilot and the japanese hostage. the syrian opposition leader says he will cooperate to work for goto's release. ahmad tume heads the interim government in syria and said he strongly condemns the latest online message. he said if the video is genuine, he's deeply sorry for goto. he said his government will continue to offer whatever it can. the u.s. state department spokesperson has commented on the newly released message.

>> we continue to coordinate closely with the japanese government, continue to call for the immediate release. >> he also said the position of the u.s. is well known to the government of japan and other countries. in other news armed men attacked a hotel in the libyan capital tripoli. eight people including four foreign employees were killed. reports say a group loyal to islamic state militants claimed responsibility. the gunmen stormed the corinthia hotel. the militants inside set off more explosives. one was detained. the day before the incident the

islamic state group urged supporters around the world to stage attacks. in libya, secular and religious groups have been fighting for power since the fall of long time dictator gadhafi in 2011. militants loyal to islamic state are engaged in a battle of the eastern part of libya. it is now time for the latest in business news. many economists believe the u.s. economy is recovering but investors were in a selling mood overnight. we have more from the business desk. what's weighing on sentiment here? >> here's the thing. people are saying the economies of industrialized countries are going in go directions. for example they say europe and japan look sluggish. u.s. they say, outlook is good. still, that sentiment wasn't echoed by investors overnight. they became worried after a surprise drop in december durable goods orders and negative corporate earnings. stock prices fell sharply.

the dow jones industrial average lost 1.6% marking the biggest drop in three weeks. the nasdaq snapped six straight days of gains. here in tokyo, markets open ed lower following the trend. the benchmark nikkei is down a little bit more than a third of a percent. many investors are selling shares to take profits from recentre krent recent gains. yesterday the nikkei hit a one-month high. the dollar is trading lower. traders became skeptle call about an early rate hike by the federal reserve after the weak data on the u.s. economy and lack luster corporate earnings. the dollar is weaker against the euro, too. the single currency is trading higher against the yen. euro-yen. looking at other markets south korea's kospi down by .2% in the negative and we are seeing a similar picture in australia. the benchmark indegs down .2% as

well. the top u.s. trade official says negotiators of the trans pacific partnership free trade deal made important progress. he says the contours of the final agreement are coming into focus. u.s. trade representative michael froman was with testifying on u.s. trade policy before house and senate committees. >> we think everyone is focused on trying to get it done in a short period of time in the next small number of months. >> he wants to conclude negotiations with japan and other countries on agricultural tariffs as quickly as possible. experts warn japan and other participants won't finalize talks until congress passes legislation. he stressed the entire administration including president obama needs to push for early passage of the bill.

toyota's labor union decided to demand higher wages for temporary workers in annual wage negotiations this spring. union officials say they'll seek a pay increase of 6,000 yen, that's about $50 a month for temporary workers. they decided earlier to demand the same amount as a base pay increase for regular workers. the main labor union at the automaker represents about 63,000 workers including both regular and nonregular employees. the officials say they need to win an across the board increase for everyone. the union plans to formally compile its demands mid next month. a japanese government-backed bank and a major commercial bank have decided to extend loans to uzbekistan. the funds will allow the country to use broadcasting equipment developed by japanese manufacturers.

japan bank for international cooperation and sumitomo mitsui banking corporation will provide uzbekistan with loans of about $63 million. the japanese government considers central asian nations that have borders with china and russia as diplomatically important. these nations are also attracting the attention of japanese businesses since they're rich in natural resources and are growing economically. the loan agreement will be officially signed with uzbekistan on wednesday. more for you next hour in business. here's another check on markets.

people in western japan fear an invasive species is harming their rivers. they've seen the effects of an animal with a large appetite for some small shellfish and they worry it could throw off the balance of the area's ecosystem. more from nhk world. >> reporter: the okawa river flows through the city of osaka. about three years ago empty clam shells started to appear on the river banks. it's the work of an invasive alien species known as nutria. they live in ponds and slow moving rivers. they grow to 80 centimeters in length. they were brought to japan from south america in the 1930s for their fur.

some were set loose in the wild. they began to set up colonies mainly in western japan. they mostly eat plants that grow on river banks. they also consume rice plants and vegetables in fields as much as a million dollars worth each year. despite the effort of local government to capture the animals, their numbers keep growing. but in recent years they have expanded their diet to shellfish. you are viewing the first footage ever captured of one eating clams at night. this was digging up clams in the sand with its paws. he ate nonstop for two hours.

why did they start eating clams? >> it's entirely possible their diet changed because shellfish were easily attainable. so they shifted to a diet richer in calories. >> it's reached a stage where they are upsetting the ecosystem even more. the yodo river is home to many fish and shellfish. locals have tried to preserve its fertile ecosystem, but the animal may ruin their efforts. this mussel is called ishigai. it is part of the animal's diet. but the shellfish is crucial to the reproduction of these fish known as itasenpara bitterlings. and they are in danger of

extinction. they lay their eggs in the ishigai shells. the shell harbors the eggs and later the fries. >> the empty shells are concentrated in this area. >> reporter: this man has been observing the yodo river's ecosystem for many years. he says that the animals eat more shellfish during the winter when there are fewer plants. more than 90 out of about a hundred empty shells recovered in this area were ishigai shells.

>> translator: the young fish live in the shells during the winter. and i'm very worried that they will be devoured. >> reporter: these animals don't only destroy the spawning ground but they also kill the young fish. >> translator: i think we need to be responsible and take measures to restore the ecosystem. because these alien species were introduced by us human beings. >> reporter: the damage keeps growing. the government will study the problem further and draw up a pest control plan. reporting for nhk world from osaka. it is peak season for crab fishing around japan. and troubleshooting at sea makes one man crucial to the industry. nhk world reports.

>> reporter: this is a crab, a specialty of fukui prefecture on the japan sea coast. it is delicious just boil and eaten right from the shell or in a hot pot. it's a typical winter delicacy. but rough seas in winter make crab fishing extremely difficult. sometimes a net or rope gets caught in the screw propeller and the fishermen have to turn back. >> translator: it happened to me once. it took a long time to untangle. and bad for business. >> reporter: this is the port of echizen, home port to more than

50 crab fishing boats. a local man helps the fishermen with their problems. he is a veteran diver. during crab season he's on call 24 hours a day to help on the boat. >> translator: i like to solve problems as soon as possible. fishermen and their families depend on their catch for their livelihood. >> reporter: every day without exception he checks the weather forecast and the height of the waves. he'll even rush to port late at

night if a fisherman calls. he's got an emergency call this day. >> translator: it's a boat caught up in its own net. so i'm going out to check it. >> reporter: the boat returned to harbor. but it had to be towed. >> translator: what's going on? >> translator: the problem could be where the red and white nets are connected. >> reporter: he swims toward the bottom of the boat with a search light. the fish net is tangled in the screw propeller. he reports back to the captain with underwater pictures. >> translator: go ahead and cut the net. >> translator: are you sure?

>> reporter: cutting the precious net is a painful decision. even if it helps to get back to fishing sooner. he heads back into the ocean and cuts the net with a knife. after an hour and a half -- >> translator: it has finally come loose. >> translator: thank you for coming so late at night. >> translator: no problem. get out there and catch more crabs. good luck. i want to stay fit so i can continue to support the fishermen in my community. >> reporter: he will continue to work hard till march when the season ends. reporting for nhk world, fukui. it's time now for a check of the weather. people in northeastern areas of the united states are digging out of heavy snow. meteorologist robert speta gives

us the latest. >> the storm system definitely dumped a tremendous amount of the white stuff across some areas here. actually tallying up near 90 centimeters at this time. you have the storm system continuing to track off toward the northeast and parts of maine into eastern parts of canada. you will be seeing northern conditions. over in massachusetts, 89 centimeters of snowfall. boston at 66. this is at least in the top five of your highest recorded snowfall during one particular event out there. this wouldn't be bad. but the problem is it would be high winds. the low pressure system here. this is the equivalent of category one hurricane strength winds. 125 kilometers per hour in nantucket, mt. washington. the highest recorded win wind

ever recorded on mt. washington 125 kilometers per hour. the heavy snowfall is causing travel. we have all seen travel bans still in place in boston. some areas outside the city have been lifted. the airports have been closed at logan international. this was taken from a pilot flying over jfk on tuesday in new york city. this is a complete ground stop around the term al. no flights in or out at this time. blizzard conditions in the forecast. up and down the coastal areas. boston is still under it. we have video out of boston. i'm talking about this. it sounds like doom and bloom, but the truth is if you are a student out here, you have the day off. still on tuesday and wednesday in boston you were looking at school closures. businesses were closed and people are getting out to enjoy, making the best of the situation. hundreds took part in recreational activities. many businesses will be closed

on wednesday, too. it is a pain to clear up all the mess. but people are enjoying themselves at least. it still will be dangerous to the north. where the storm system is headed in nova scotia and over to newfoundland we'll see winds over a hundred kilometers per hour. clearing up behind it with light flurries. back to the west. there is a dip in the jet stream. then as we get into the western plains temperatures warm up. high 25 there on your wednesday. well above average. a new low from the north behind that. i do want to mention the eastern mediterranean. this low has been putting out severe weather. several funnel clouds into greece. tending to bring foul weather. back to the west this is the next system.

deep cold front pushing through. that will dive down towards the south. we are looking at foul weather across the low countries. paris, a mixed bag of precipitation. on wednesday, rainshowers. thursday thunderstorms. you have snow in the forecast. now rain. wrapping up into japan. it has been raining the last 24 hours. record-breaking rainfall. 160 milliliter there is for january. we'll have more on this later on. tokyo by friday. snowfall. things will be cooling through the rest of the week. for now, i leave you with the extended forecast.

>> that's all for this edition of "newsline." thanks for joining us.

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ckling poverty. the un's world literacy day has been spreading awareness for half a century. today we see how education is transforming people's lives. here's what's coming up. a vision for bangladesh.

we meet a man committed to alleviating poverty. mali's speed school. how those who missed out are given a chance to catch up. and endangered delicacy. how pacific island countries want to save the bluefin tuna. sir fazle hasan abed received his knighthood for helping those with no status at all. the poor of bangladesh.