chinese leaders are seeing support for the new asian bank grow around the world. they have received pledges from 44 nations to become founding members ahead of tuesday's deadline, but they're still waiting to hear if two key holdouts, japan and the u.s. will sign on. the asian infrastructure investment bank or aiib will fund projects for developing economies around the region. southeast asian and middle eastern nations were among the first to join the initiative. officials from britain and european countries have now joined. their counterparts from russia and brazil have added their applications and recently, leaders from two key u.s. allies, south korea and australia say they'll also take

part. officials in beijing are aiming to have the bank ready by the end of the year. experts say nations are joining in hopes of improving ties with the world's second largest economy and they say some leaders may be trying to keep china's influence in check. founding members will have a say in the bank's lending practices and other policies. officials in taiwan say they'll make a bid to join, but analysts say it's unclear if they'll be accepted. china regards taiwan as part of its territory. now japanese leaders say they'll watch the developments closely and they say they'll maintain contact with their american counterparts. representatives from both countries say they haven't received an explanation about how the aiib will make decisions for financing and investment and they say china's strong influence in the financial institution may undermine assistance offered by the world bank and the asian development bank which is currently backed by both japan and the u.s., but some officials in tokyo are pushing to join. they say it will allow for the transparency of the aiib to be checked and they say it will help promote exports related to infrastructure. chinese leaders say countries

can still take part past the deadline, but it's unclear if non-founding members will be able to help craft the bank's policies. u.s. treasury secretary jack lew is calling on officials in beijing to maintain fair governance in the new institution. lee told li keqiang it should work with existing organizations and banks. lew says he hopes his nation can work with aiib to develop infrastructure in asia. he also said they could use the structure of the u.s./china strategic and economic dialogue or the world bank. li noted chinese ministers they hope they approve the international monetary fund as soon as possible. this would allow leaders in experts say it would allow for china to have more influence in the organization. li's remark apparently reflects his government's dissatisfaction

with the existing u.s.-led international monetary order. so to join or not is a focus of the global markets. ai how does this affect the markets? >> analysts do say that asian markets could get a boost from this financial institutions. that would be because the infrastructure industry could expand. that could boost the value of related companies, but there's a lot investors still don't know. we did see gains overnight, but those have to be credited elsewhere. on wall street we saw both the dow jones and the nasdaq rise the dow jones up about 1.5% the nasdaq up 1.1%. the dollar was also up as many expect the federal reserve to raise key interest rates this year, but across the world, which is sparking anticipation for further still lug measures.

remi mellegard remin mellegard joins us. >> a lot of analysts are asking that now, ai, and the dow jones and nasdaq and s&p all gaining overnight after volatile sessions last week. we're coming to the end of the fiscal year and here in japan is the last trading day of the fiscal year and coming to the end of the quarter in the u.s. with all that in mind let's have a look at how the nikkei is kicking off. the broader topix is up almost 1%. today we'll see if we can get closer to the elusive 20,000 level. on sunday s. the peoples bank of china's governor said he saw more room to ease if the economy

stays sluggish and inflation continue toss weaken. that of course caused the shanghai compose the to close as seven-year highs on a monday. i'll keep track of it when it kicks off today. ai? >> sounds good. it looks lie stronger u.s. personal inkin and hopes for a rate hike senior fueling el rebound. >> another focus on the rise of the dollar. it was trading in the 119 levels this time yesterday. that figure you just mentioned is closely watched by the fed, with regard to gauging inflation, and the rise actually snapped three previous declines for that particular piece of data. euro also fell a touch against the dollar as well. the dollar -- as the dollar rose some of the dollars denominated commodities actually fell just over 1% the biggest drop since early march for gold. ai? >> today, is the last trading

day for of fiscal japan. what can we expect next in the markets? >> there's some concerns creeping into the markets. a lot of analysts are pointing to the drop in crude oil prices and you saw that declines trend. also the last quarter with the dollar strength many concerned about upcoming earnings for u.s. exporters, and that may have been affected by the dollar strength. as for japan, the impact of the recent discouraging economic data, according to analysts may also weigh on overall sentiment, but we'll get another clear signal of that. we have the quarterly business sentiment survey, very globallyrr watched globally. we'll still get the jobs data so we may see some volatility on thursday as well as when traders come back on monday. so a lot to look forward to. the nikkei right now trading higher. back to you. remin, talk to you in a few hours. the people at a japanese

company once famous for making photographic film have been taking their firm in a new direction. they say they'll buy a biotech firm. the exec tiffs plan to buy cellular dynamics international for $307 million. they say they'll aconveyor all the shares by the end of april. they develop ibs cells, which can grow into all kinds of human body tissues. they make products providing to drug companies and research institutions for use in treatments and new medicines. fujifilm chairman said his company hopes to play a leading role in regenerative medicine. he hopes to use the celltech knowledge developed in japan. more and more people from china are choosing to spend their holidays in japan. trade officials in tokyo are keen to take advantage of the trend. they're calling on chinese tourism companies to spend more

money here. officials with the external trade organization held a accept nan in shanghai. they spoke with dozens of representatives from travel agencies airlines and other firms. they explained the best way to set up companies in japan to offer services to travelers. >> translator: investment in tourism has big spillover effects for other industries. we think spreading chinese investment for wider parts of japan would really have a big impact. >> people on the chinese side said that japan's tourism market presents a great opportunity for their companies. more for you next hour. i will leave you with a check on markets.

sgli prime minister shinzo abe and india defense minute terr have agreed to bolster cooperation on defense and security. abe proposed greater cooperation on security issues. he also expressed support for exporting amphibious rescue aircraft to india. parikar 1st he chose japan as the first place to visit, showing that his country places great importance on cooperation with japan. the ballots over a plan to move an american military beige in okinawa to a new site in the prefecture is escalating.

officials have stepped in to get the project back on track. >> translator: i have temporarily suspended the governor's instructions to halt all work on the coast. fisheries ministry officials announced the decision on monday. they say they'll keep discussing on whether to invalidate the governor's instructions. they want to move okinawa's governor told the defense ministries regional bureau last monday to suspend reclamation work within a week. he said the prefecture needed to assess damage to coral in the area. he said if they didn't cooperate, he might revoke a drilling permit.

officials at the ministry say a delay in reclamation work could affect the relocation plan and damage trust between japan and the united states. the okinawa governor called the order questionable. >> translator: it's hard to understand and regrettable, because a complaint was filed by the state and the fisheries ministry examined. we will consider future steps while consulting experts. >> the defense bureau's work continued on monday. the one-week deadline for the governor's instruction to suspend the operation onaga indicated he could revoke a permit. now, prime minister shinzo abe supports construction of the new base. he says he wants his government and the one in okinawa to see eye to eye.

they responded to questions by the japan innovation party at an upper house party. he said it's embarrassing to see the mud dpslinging, and the two sides must talk to each other. >> translator: if given a chance, my cabinet will try to talk with the governor to build trustful relations. gaining understanding from the government will be very important in getting understanding from people in okinawa. >> abe referred to an agreement between the u.s. and japanese governments to return military facilities. he said land in central okinawa is scheduled to be returned on tuesday. more than 1,000 hectares in densely populated region says are to be returned over the next 15 years. abe said many facilities are in

okinawa to meet japan's national security needs. tokyo will host the olympics and paralympics in 2020. the people running the city have to prepared for also things including terrorism and cooperation with the countries, or shobeppu spoke with the unique official. here is their conversation. >> in the year 2020 tokyo will host the olympic games. >> yeah. >> why do you think this event is so crucial. >> maybe this game is sort of best occasion for us to revitalize our economy. we have suffered much because of these stagnation.

now it's time to expand or economy and the financial activities all over the world to make tokyo a global financial center. >> but there are many challengeses. ferc. terrorism concerns. how much do you think tokyo -- >> in tunisia recently japanese victims, as you know. >> we had the japanese hostage and the tragedy. so it's no more the safe or the city from the viewpoint of terrorists. the olympic games is the best target for the terrorists.

>> we have to prepare for those things. not direct but cyberterrorism along the important -- you know the preparation for us. >> don't you think, though that it happens in some countries, the more counter measures are intensified, sometimes it alien yates a certainly religious minority group. how do you balance there? >> our society should be really open to every kind of sort every kind of region. we have to tolerate -- the so-called head speech is prevailing unfortunately. a kind of chauvinistic head

speech or international -- against the speech of olympic games. we have to expect this kind of extremism. yoichi began his career as a scholar of international politician. then he was elected governor of tokyo in february 2014. masuzoe has been using his power to strengthen relationships. he met in seoul with the south korean president. and he flew to beijing for talks with chinese vice premier yung. >> with your visits, what did you achieve? very recently foreign ministers of three countries -- japan, china, and south korea -- met

together and declared that the director have a summit meeting of these three countries as soon as possible. that is -- i'm very proud of saying that who opened the door i opened the doors. you know the last year no one could shake hands as political leader of japan or president park -- i understand there are very difficult issues like the history or so called comfort women, et cetera. so i understand for both national governments, it's very very difficult. but i am the head of the city. it's not a national issue. we have very challenging issue that is all big cities are facing with the transportation the water, et cetera.

so that city diplomacy paved the way for the national diplomacy. i did not do intentionally, but as a byproduct, these kinds of efforts of diplomacy -- stirred the international diplomacy. >> that was tokyo governor masuzoe speaking to nhk world's sho beppu. they are scrambling to reach an agreement on tehran's nuclear development. foreign ministers for the five permanent u.n. security council members and germany. they've been at it for almost 18 months. western media report the leaders still need to resolve persistent obstacles. these include ending some sanctions and deciding the

limits of iran's nuclear research and development. iranian deputy foreign minister said they had heated exchanges. >> translator: we cannot say we are close to resolving the issues, but we are hopeful and continue the efforts. >> the representatives will continue talks on tuesday. western nations have temporarily lifted some of their sanctions on iran, but the ones that remain are having a serious impact on people's daily lives. nhk world's kentaro shinagawa reports from tehran. >> reporter: iranians mark their new year in march. it's traditionally a time when people flock to bazaar for year-end shopping, but shopkeepers say this year has been quieter than usual. >> translator: people aren't going on big shopping sprees this year. they're just picking up two or three items. >> reporter: shop owners are saying people are tightening their purse strings

because prices are soaring. iranians traditionally offer fresh fruit to visitors over the new year, but this year, that's a luxury not everyone can afford. prices have been rocketing since western governments tightened their sanctions three years ago. exports of crude oil, iran's lifeblood, plummeted by two thirds. foreign investments dried up and traders began avoiding iran's currency that sent import prices soaring and inflation reached 45% in 2013. the recent nuclear talks have helped a little. some of the sanctions have been lifted and inflation is down to 15%. but for many people the effects are still crippling. workers with an ngo in tehran say they depend on donations from abroad, but those contributions have fallen

sharply since the west imposed a limit on how much money people could send to iran. the workers provide free food and education for children who fled the fighting in afghanistan, but they've been forced to cut back. >> translator: we used to provide hot meals every day, but we can only afford to offer them twice a week now. it's a big worry for us. >> reporter: the head of the ngos it's the children and their relatives that are hurting most from their sanctions. kentaro shinagawa, nhk world. a landslide has left at least ten people missing after torrential rain in kashmir. authorities are warning residents to evacuate to higher ground.

several hundred people are taking shelter. the rain falls have trigger a landslide leaving ten people unaccounted for. >> translator: since yesterday we've been asking the government to rescue us. you just saw how we rescued the sick woman. no one from the government has come to see us. >> road traffic also remains jammed as the mudslide cut off an expressway. >> translator: it rained heavily last night. we've never seen such a heavy downpour during the night. also landslides in many places and there are no silts here we don't have anywhere that can arrange rations for us. >> kashmir experienced massive floods last september, killing more than 200 people. roughly 1 million others were forced to teenage refuge for weeks. people? microneeshia are dealing with heavy rain and strong gusts, being impacted by strengthening

typhoon. yes, catherine, it is strengthening as we speak. it will maintain the typhoon status. it has -- and we're looking at some typhoon warnings in place still in yap, as is veers off towards the philippines. though it is on a weakening trend by it nears thinks islands. at for now we are looking at high surfs, high tides as well as drenching rainfall so please stay away from the coastal areas. boating is highly unrecommended. the gusts are also strong possibly 250 kilometers per hour. this is what we're looking at. and we're also still looking at the typhoon warnings in effect so please watch out.

there's also an aviation high wing warnings in place in guam international, so do check your flights if you are going to be flying in and about. to the bigger picture we have really heavy rainfall across central china. this is due to the clash of moisture. we're likely to see that continue 50 millimeters of additional rainfall could cause some potential for flooding. another wet area is in the korean peninsula, falling into japan. you can see another area where it's really west in western japan, but that's likely to be spreading. another thing that's going to be spreading from the korean peninsula is the asian dust or yellow sand. we're also looking at a high pressure system predominant here in japan for now, and the southerly air is pulling in that warmth. in fact yesterday tokyo reached the hottest day so far this season, and we're likely to see that continue or even higher today at 24 degrees forecasted for our tuesday. do enjoy it while we can. it would be ding to 14 degrees

on our thursday. but for the best hanami or cherry blows 78 viewing season it would be better on friday. that's something to look forward to. in europe we are looking for windstorms after another. there are damages in and around ham burg germany. here's some picture from there. what you see here is the damage left behind by a severe windstorm that when i had through ham burg on monday. it uprooted trees, and disrupted power lines. according to local media, two people were injured when a tree hit their car. there's also another record of a railway station that actually overturned, so these winds are really strong. the isobars are very close to each other. there window be relief in sight for the next 24 to 48. and 90 millimeters of rainfall

across germany. that combined with the melting snow from the higher levels that's usually a concern for flooding. out across the iberian peninsula, meanwhile some of those conditions reaching 30 degrees, that's high for this time of year. rome looking pri night. i'll leave you now with the extended forecast.

that wraps up this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. stay with us. \s x

axx highlights." thanks for joining us. we put together the best bits of the week for you. let's have a look at what's coming up. we look at the growing trend of retro car design. a swiss company specializes in manufacturing custom made skis.

a major trend is sweeping the tourism sector and changing how we holiday. in recent years the sharing economy means lots of young people are avoiding hotels for example to rent, swap or share accommodation. house swaps and couch surfing are definitely a cheaper option