♪ hello there. welcome to "newsline." it's thursday, february 12th, i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. u.s. president barack obama says he's determined to take on islamic state. he called the group a grave threat to the national security of the united states and its allies, and he's asked congress to formally authorize military force against the militants. >> this resolution strikes the necessary balance by giving us the flexibility we need for unforeseen circumstances. for example, if we had actionable intelligence about a gathering of isil leaders, and

our partners didn't have the capacity to get them, i would be prepared to order our special forces to take action. because i will not allow these terrorists to have a safe haven. >> obama says islamic state poses a threat to the people and stability of iraq, syria, the broader middle east and to u.s. national security. the proposal would limit operations against the militants to three years. obama said the plan does not authorize long-term large-scale ground combat operations like those in afghanistan and iraq. obama has been carrying out military operations against the militants based on a 2001 resolution that granted the president permission to use force. but members of congress have said the country needs to adopt another official resolution. a u.s. counterterrorism expert says the number of people traveling to join islamic state is increasing at an alarming rate. nicholas rasmussen says social media is playing a prominent

role in the group asability to recruit fighters. rasmussen is director of the u.s. national counterterrorism center. he briefed congress on the matter. he said the militant group is adept at using new media tools to reach a broader online audience. >> just since january 1 of this year, more than 250 official isil products have been published online and the group has shown the capacity to use these products to speak to a full spectrum of potential audiences. >> rasmussen said more than 20,000 foreigners from over 90 countries have traveled to syria to join fighting. he said at least 3,400 of them are from western countries, including the united states. he urged the u.s. government to tighten monitoring of social media sites and cooperate with firms who run them to prevent radical ideas from spreading. the leaders of four nations have gathered together in the capital of belarus. they're trying to seek a political solution to the crisis in ukraine.

the presidents of russia and ukraine are taking part. their counterparts from germany and france are mediating the talks. russian president vladimir putin and ukrainian president petro poroshenko are meeting face to face. a russian news agency says the foreign ministers of the four countries are also attending. the participants are trying to make sure all sides observe a cease-fire in eastern ukraine. negotiators reached a truce in september, but fighting has been escalating since the start of the year. delegates for ukraine's government are holding separate talks with pro-russian groups in minsk. putin had suggested that both ukrainian troops and pro-russian separatists need to make concessions. poroshenko has said if the talks do not result in an agreement and the situation worsens he's ready to introduce martial law in ukraine. the united states had been increasing pressure on russia ahead of the four-way summit. president barack obama said if

the meeting fails to make progress the u.s. is ready to step up sanctions against russia. obama and putin spoke over the telephone before the preparatory negotiations. putin explained his country's position and proposals for a cease-fire. obama warned russia would pay a high price if it continues sending troops and weapons to pro-russian militants. the two leaders reportedly agreed to make contact to various levels to overcome their differences. there's been no letup in the violence in eastern ukraine. officials at the united nations say more than 5,300 people have been killed since april last year. chinese president xi jinping will be making a state visit to washington in september. china's state-run xinhua news agency says u.s. president barack obama extended the invitation to xi on wednesday.

officials with the u.s. national security council say the two leaders reaffirmed they will work together on security issues such as iran's nuclear program. obama called on xi to do more to reform the currency exchange system. obama said the u.s. aims to wrap up an investment accord that would allow companies in those countries to invest more easily. he also called on xi to address cybersecurity issues. eurozone leaders gathered in brussels haven't made much progress toward resolving the greek credit crisis. but some are expressing hope that things will end on a more positive note when they meet again next week. ai uchida joins us from the business desk. you have all the details. >> catherine, finance ministers have just wrapped up their meeting. they will try between next monday as you mentioned.

and in between there will be a meeting of top leaders on thursday. now, the greek government has gotten a mandate from voters to end austerity, but creditors, they are refusing to go along. greek finance minister yanis yanis varufakis is there for the first time. he's representing the new gloft government, which was formed last month. greece has been getting a huge amount of support from the eu since 2010. the eu is asking greece to continue with strict austerity measures as a condition for receiving additional financial support. but the new greek government wants to reduce the burden of the bailout. reuters says ministers from greece and the rest of the eurozone failed to agree on a final statement or a way to keep the talks going until their next meeting on monday. reuters says varufakis played downtown failure to find common ground. he says he believes a healing deal could be reached on monday. dutch finance minister juren juren disel-some bloom charmd

chaired the meeting. he says participants explored a number of issues including the current program. two sides are supposed to reach an agreement by the end of this month on whether to continue with the current bailout. greece's new prime minister alexis tsipras, is expected to discuss the issue at the eu summit on thursday. managers at companies across japan, their buying more machinery. the latest figures show orders are up much more than anticipated. managers do tend to order more machinery when they're feeling optimistic about business conditions. the cabinet office data show japanese companies in december placed machinery orders worth about $7.1 billion. that's up more than 8% in yen terms from november to mark a second consecutive month of increase. and that's much higher than forecasts of about 2 1/2%. the figures exclude orders in the energy and ship building sectors because they tend to fluctuate widely.

investors are cheered by the strong machinery data. tokyo stock prices are rising sharply. in fact, the nikkei is getting ever so close to the key 18,000 level. that's the highest in two months. the weaker yen is also boosting market sentiment. right now the benchmark index is trading higher by 1.79% from tuesday's close. wednesday was a public holiday. almost all sectors are higher. investors are buying shares of blue chip exporters like toyota and canon. on to currencies now. the dollar is trading above the 120-yen level. that's the highest since early january. many traders are speculating the federal reserve may raise its key interest rate sooner than anticipated. and the euro has moved up and down as conflicting media reports came from brussels during the finance ministers meeting. some said they reached an agreement in principle. others said they are still at odds. and look at some other markets in the asia pacific region we're

seeing south korea's kospi and australia's benchmark index in the negative. tokyo bucking the trend, up 1.8%. japanese electronics maker toshiba has built a medical equipment plan in malaysia. it's part of a strategy to boost exports to asia and europe. the factory produces diagnostic imaging systems which sell for about $80,000 about 100 people work there. the company has health care factories in japan and china. with the adifths new production base toshiba aims to double its sales of medical products by fiscal 2017 to more than $8.3 billion. >> translator: the market for medical equipment has considerable potential. it's stable unlike the semiconductor market and it's not vulnerable to shifts in national policy. i'm expecting steady growth.

>> the firm hopes to development its medical business as a primary source of revenue that would replace home appliances. more for you next hour in business. here's another check on markets. ♪ ♪ ♪ a group of inmates at a prison in southern taiwan took two people hostage. the incident ended when the armed inmates committed suicide and the hostages were freed. six inmates at a president in

koush ung seized guns and took the warden and another staff member hostage on wednesday. police surrounded the prison and urged the inmates to surrender. taiwanese authorities say all six inmates had shot themselves by thursday morning, 14 hours after the incident began. local media say the inmates were each serving prison terms of more than 20 years for crimes ranging from homicide to burglary. they issued a written complaint during the standoff that their prison terms were too long. the incident has raised questions about how guns were secured at the prison. aviation regulators in taiwan are getting tough on a local airline after a crash that killed dozens of people. they suspended ten pilots at transasia airways for failing a proficiency test. the regulators gave the spoken exam to 49 transasia pilots who fly the same model of plane as the one that went down last week in taipei. they asked them how they should

respond to a range of emergency situations. the regulators say 39 pilots passed but the rest didn't. 19 others who didn't take the test will be unable to fly until they pass. >> translator: ten of the pilots need further training. in particular they need to increase their ability to handle emergencies. >> the regulators said those who did pass will also have to take a technical test. 58 people were on board the transasia plane when it crashed into a river shortly after takeoff. 42 are confirmed dead. one is still missing. aviation officials say both engines lost power soon after takeoff. they suspect the pilots may have lowered the output of one of the engines. local media has reported human error may have played a part too. a chinese student in japan is hoping the fiction she's

writing will one day become a reality. she is using animation to promote better ties between the two countries. nhk world's akiko adi has the story. >> reporter: liau yujing is a big fan of japanese anime. that's one reason why she is studying japanese at university. >> translator: this is an online chat room where chinese fans discuss japanese anime. >> reporter: in december yao won first prize in an annual japanese essay writing contest in china. there were more than 4,000 entrants, a record number. and she came in on top. the topic was manga and anime. yao's essay was about a robot anime, where childhood friends fall out due to different backgrounds. she drew a parallel with china/japan relations and

wrote about her concerns for the future. >> translator: if we start focusing on the small things, i think bilateral relations will improve. i prefer lasting peace, just like the ending of my favorite japanese anime. >> reporter: part of yao's prize was a one-week trip to japan. this was her first visit, and one highlight was going to akihabara, the tokyo district that's become a hub for anime culture. she was amazed by the shops displaying the anime figurines. and she even got to meet an aspiring idol. >> translator: it's amazing. there are so many shops. more than i ever imagined. the japanese anime and manga

scene is really hardcore. >> reporter: yao's visit also included a home stay with a family of a retired japanese diplomat who was stationed in china for many years. she was treated to a meal of japanese specialty dishes, including beefi sukiyaki and okonomiaki pancakes. >> translator: we'd like her to see how we live so she can share with with this her chinese friends. i think this kind of experience will help create real mutual understanding. >> reporter: yao also met with japanese language teachers who are working to improve relations between the two countries. she told them many young people in china are becoming interested in japan thanks to anime because the storylines reflect friendship, life and hope for the future. she said she thinks young people

on both sides can deepen their mutual understanding by discussing things like these. >> translator: we must find ways to use this knowledge to improve relations. it's our responsibility as the younger generation. >> translator: i realize now that young people can share ideas like this thanks to the internet and mass media. my generation hasn't been keeping up with that change. >> translator: i think young people likes yao will become key figures in improving relations between china and japan. >> reporter: from april, yao will return to japan to study for six months. she said she wants to interact with young japanese through anime culture and share this firsthand experience of japan

when she returns home. akiko ebii, nhk world, tokyo. people in hokkaido are counting down the weeks until a new bullet train line opens. it's going to link japan's northernmost prefecture directly with tokyo. residents of one city in hokkaido have launched a lighthearted tourism promotion campaign to tie in with the new railway line. nhk world's jun takahashi has more. [ chanting ] >> reporter: in hokkaido some people are getting very excited about the arrival of a new bullet train line. for march next year, the new hokkaido shinkansen will link

the hakodate area with tokyo. the locals are hoping it will bring in a flood of tourists. masaoki kobayashi runs a construction business. he loves the shinkansen so much he got his smartphone cover designed in the same colors. he carries a special bullet train purse for his coins. and he's customized his own cell phone charm. his garage is where he stores his shinkansen gear. the head gear has been lovingly carved out of styrofoam and painted exactly the right colors. kobayashi has been working with 12 other people, most of them friends from the local chamber of commerce.

they want to promote hakodate as a tourist destination. >> translator: this is a great opportunity to draw attention to the city, where i was born and bred. that's why i decided to do these really embarrassing things, like wearing tights and the bullet train head gear. >> reporter: in december a ceremony was held to mark the start of test runs on the line. once the shinkansen goes into full operation, it will take just over four hours to reach hakodate from tokyo. about two hours less than at present. this is expected to boost the number of visitors significantly. ♪ kobayashi's team were there to add some extra color. they've also been taking part in local events. the aim is to encourage tourists

to come back to hakodate on the bullet train. >> translator: we are the hakodate hayabusa, public relations team. please support us. >> translator: it's exciting. it feels like there is a lot of new energy pumping into this city. >> translator: seeing them, i felt a stronger connection with the city. i want to support their work. >> reporter: kobayashi's team is also making videos at tourist attractions around the city. ♪ by posting them online they are hoping to draw tourists from abroad as well. recently they showed a clip depicting the bullet train soaking away its aches and cares in the hot spring baths.

>> translator: we're putting everything into making sure as many people as possible get to hear about hakodate's attractions. >> reporter: there is just over a year to go until the people of hakodate welcome the shinkansen. the team is now priming to post more of their lighthearted videos introducing their tourist sites and restaurants around the city. jun takahashi, nhk world, hakodate. people have paid their final respects to former german president richard von weizsaecker. they gathered at a cathedral in berlin for a state funeral. weizsaecker died last month at the age of 94. a coffin bearing the body of the

late president was laid in front of an altar. about 1,400 people attended the service. they included german president, joe joachim gauck, former polish president lech walesa and former british prime minister john major. during the service, he referred to weizsaecker's speech in 1985 on the 40th anniversary of the end of world war ii. >> translator: we cannot change history or pretend that it never happened. those who close their eyes to the past are blind to the present. >> gauck said weizsaecker contributed to raising global respect and sympathy for germany. berlin citizens expressed their respect for the former president. they called him a politician who dealt squarely with issues that others failed to confront.

it is time now for a check of the weather. people in northeastern areas of the u.s. have been hit with one winter storm after another and they're digging out of heavy snow. meteorologist robert speta joins us with the details. >> let's start off with what's going on out here across much of the new england states and through the northeastern u.s. where it has been coming down as of late and one of the big problems is not just one particular snowstorm but one after another. let's go to some video we have coming out of boston where you can see it looks like on the ground here people in massachusetts are definitely just continuing to dig out on tuesday from what is said to be one of the snowiest 30-day periods on record for the city. some 500 troops were deployed to help clear roughly two meters of snowfall. you can see one of the trains there a second ago. authorities are still defending their decision. they shut down the boston area

subways and rail services. and schools also remain closed in the area. officials warn that also there is that threat of roof collapse. you can see here some of the snow piling up on the roof. one man pushing it off of his roof there. that's definitely going to be one of the issues. and we have even seen several reports already of roof collapse out here because of the tremendous amount of weight piling up on some of these buildings with that snowfall. now, as this storm moves away as mentioned, it's just one storm after another. this one's going away. you can already see somewhat on the cloud cover here. another one's coming in from the west. this is xp expected to bring some 23 kilometers of snowfall across the great lakes region also into southern ontario. eventually that could switch to the new england states where you can see about ten centimeters going through thursday night. temperatures out here also on the chilly side. this low is going to be combined with some fairly gusty winds. boston at minus 4 on thursday minus 9 for the high on saturday. a low gets below that. and plus we count in the wind chill during the overnight

hours. could feel like minus 20 or below for some of you out there. washington, d.c. even getting up to about 4 on your thursday. compare that with your average for this time of year and it kind of puts it in perspective of how chilly it is out there. that's what's going on in the east. we have this high pressure coming in behind it. definitely temperatures will continue to drop off. and in the pacific northwest over toward vancouver, even extending down through british columbia, what we are seeing is some heavy rainfall and definitely snow in the higher elevations out here. as storms continue to push through you can see vancouver some rain showers, high of 11 in your forecast. look back to the east. that cold air mass i mentioned. how about that? winnipeg with a high of only minus 18 on your thursday. you have to go way south, even atlanta chilling off miami at 23. some sunny weather there in your forecast. let's move over toward europe now, talking about the windy conditions. how about the scandinavian peninsula? winds out here in norway reported around 90 kilometers per hour in the past 24 hours.

just south of that though high pressure does continue to dominate making things on the dry side. we are of course continuing to watch this storm system which has been bringing foul weather for several days now across much of the eastern mediterranean. but as that moves away we have another one coming in from the west into the iberian peninsula. that's going to kick up some rain and snow out there in the higher elevations. but if you have travel plans into madrid expect the possibility of delays there for you. here in japan, what we have going on right now, we do have a low actually off the sea of japan coastline. that's bringing a rain-snow mix and even some instability. i wouldn't be surprised if we see some reports of a few thunderstorms out here. it will all change over to snow eventually but for now some warm air coming in from the south. so tokyo a high of 14. some sunny skies there on thursday. i'll leave you now with your extended forecast. ♪

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

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ia, india, the philippines

and many other countries. today, asian voices speaks with a film director who has captured the world attention by raising questions on some of the social issues in this city state. [ speaking foreign language ] >> a singaporean film "ilo ilo" depicts a relationship between a boy and his parents who work