♪ hello and welcome to "newsline." it's friday, april 3rd. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. a decisive step a historic understanding. western leaders praised an interim deal reached for a comprehensive framework on iran's nuclear program. they also cautioned much work remains over the next three months to reach a final agreement. >> we have reached solutions on key parameters of a joint comprehensive plan of action. the political determination, the good will and the hard work of all parties made it possible.

>> mogherini and iranian foreign minister mohammad javad zarif spoke. the statement says iran will restrict its uranium enrichment over the next decade but the nation will continue the activity. all its nuclear facilities will stay online. western countries will lift their sanctions if a final deal is reached and the international atomic energy agency certifies iran is adhearing to the nuclear restrictions. >> our political understanding arrived at today opens the door for a long-term resolution to the international community's concerns about iran's nuclear program. >> the sanctions are in place because the international powers suspect tehran is building nuclear weapons. iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. iran and the six world powers will start talks to finalize an overall pact by the end of june. u.s. president barack obama has

described the framework as a good deal which meets the core objectives of the u.s. >> today the united states, together with our allies and partners, has reached a historic understanding with iran which, if fully implemented, will prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon. as president and commander in chief, i have no greater responsibility than the security of the american people. and i'm convinced that if this framework leads to a final comprehensive deal, it will make our country, our allies and our world safer. >> obama pledged to offer briefings by phone to israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu who is strongly concerned about iran's nuclear development. the president stressed that the u.s. will aim to realize a final agreement by the end of june. kenyan government officials

have revised the number of people killed in a university attack to at least 147. 79 were injured. the islamic extremist group al shabab claimed responsibility. the authorities say security forces killed the four trigger men. [ gunshots ] attackers stormed the campus in the eastern city of garissa early thursday morning. they forced their way into a dormitory. the armed group began firing indiscriminately. they then holed up in the building. one morning student said he was attending morning service. the gunmen suddenly entered and opened fire. he was shot in the foot while escaping through a window. security forces eventually stormed the dormitory. authorities suspect the assailants were members of the islamic extremist group al shabab. it is based in neighboring somalia. al shabab says muslims have liberated students and killed christians. u.n. secretary-general ban ki moon strongly condemned the

terrorist attack. he reiterated his solidarity with kenya to prevent terrorism and violent extremism. leaders in north korea say they cannot hold talks with japan. they had promised to investigate the fate of abducted and other missing japanese in their country. now they say dialogue is impossible because japanese police raided the home of a pro-pyongyang group leader. the state-run korean central news agency reported that leaders told the japanese government through diplomatic channels. their report referred to a police raid last month. officers went into the home of ho-jo mong. he chairs a pro-pyongyang group called the general association of korean residents in japan. japanese authorities were looking into the illegal impart of matsutake mushrooms from north korea. officials called the raid an unprecedented infringement of sovereignty. they're demanding an official apology. the north koreans also said japan had violated an agreement

to jointly resolve their country's abductions of japanese nationals. they condemn leaders in tokyo for involving other countries through the united nations. japanese leaders say they've done nothing wrong. >> translator: we have delivered on our promises. we absolutely cannot accept north korea's claims. >> japanese leaders say they'll keep pushing officials in pyongyang to report on their investigation into the fate of the abductees. they say north korean agents kidnapped at least 17 japanese nationals in the 1970s and '80s. 12 of those abductees are still unaccounted for. in japan, the issue has caused much heartbreak. the families of those abducted have urged the japanese government to work for the return of their loved ones. they attended a meeting in tokyo. the relatives expressed concern over the lack of progress by north korea.

>> translator: i wonder if our government's current approach is working or not. what we really want is our families back. we'll never give up on that goal. >> translator: i want government officials to think hard about how they can negotiate with their north korean counterparts on a human-to-human basis, and they need to take action. >> pyongyang formed a committee last july to investigate the fate of the abductees, but since then no headway has been made. the families believe north korea will not present an honest report. members of their group will meet prime minister shinzo abe on friday. it will be the first session of its kind in about a year. workers at the crippled fukushima daiichi nuclear plant have discovered a small amount of liquid that appears to have

leaked from a container of highly radioactive wastewater. tokyo electric power company officials say when workers touched the container, a small volume of liquid leaked from a hole in the lid of the container. the hole is designed to vent gas. tepco officials believe it is wastewater from a system that treats contaminated water. it may include substances such as magnesium and a high density of radioactive materials. the resin container measures 1.5 meters in diameter and 1.8 meters in height. utility officials say the liquid has not leaked out of the concrete structure housing the container. tepco says it will analyze the f the liquid and determine why it pooled on the lid. they add that depending on the results, they'll also examine more than 670 containers in the same facility. toyota motor plans to beef up its overseas production. ai uchida joins us now from the business desk with more on the

japanese car giant. you have all the details. what can you tell us? >> back in 2013 executives actually imposed a three-year freeze on constructing new factories. the reason they said was that they wanted to focus on improving productivity at existing plants. now that they are expecting record earnings they have decided to go ahead and build new facilities. and executives say the factories will be in china and in mexico. they say demand in china and the u.s. will grow in the coming years. they say the two new plants will boost output capacity to satisfy the increased appetite. toyota plans to produce compact cars at the chinese plant for local drivers. in mexico the corolla passenger car will be rolling off production lines and throughout north america. the toyota officials want production to get under way in three to four years' time. they say they have come up with ways to cut construction costs for new plants by 40% compared with the cost back in 2008 when the global financial crisis

occurred. toyota executives say they had a very healthy year. they expect to earn a record operating profit of more than $22 billion for the fiscal year to the end of last month. now let's check on markets. stocks on wall street snapped a two-day losing streak following positive data on the u.s. labor market, which came ahead of the non-farm payroll figures. the dow jones industrial average ending higher by nearly .4%. the tech-heavy nasdaq gaining by a little more than a tenth of a percent. so to see how markets here are starting the day, ramin mellegard joins us from the tokyo stock exchange. good morning, ramin. what are you seeing so far? >> the weekly jobs claims numbers out of the u.s. came out a little better than market consensus and of course we had the deal on iran's nuclear development and that put a pretty positive spin on general sentiment. let's have a look at how the nikkei and the topix are kicking off for april 3rd.

19,387 up .3 of a percent. the nikkei enjoyed a pretty dramatic recovery on thursday surging to close up nearly 1 1/2%. analysts pointing out the public pension funds may have had a hand in helping propping up stocks. now, investors may hold back a touch today ahead of the key u.s. jobs data which will be released even though markets are going to be closed in the u.s. for good friday. however, there's going to be a 45-minute window of opportunity in the futures market actually on friday morning in the u.s. however, a lot of analysts saying that global market reaction on a monday will probably paint a truer picture. so all in all, we may not see major moves today, although we're in the positive. ai. >> which shares in particular should we be on the lookout for today? >> well, as we've been covering of course 7-eleven holdings the operator of 7-eleven convenience stores in japan and the biggest retailer, that may be a bit of a focus. it's looking to target a fifth

year of record operating profits. so i'll track the share price action there. also japanese auto makers may be a bit of a focus after steady sales in the u.s. and as you just touched on there regarding toyota it's looking of course to add factories in china and mexico. and we'll see how that affects toyota's share price today. also japanese electronics part makers, especially for smart cars such as toshiba, alps electric sony and panasonic may also be in focus pape lot of japanese companies make components for these highly evolved technology the mechanisms for cars, which is a very big growing industry. so we'll keep track of those shares as well. >> and ramin, looks like the dollar is trading in a tight range ahead of the u.s. jobs report. how are major pairs trading this morning? >> exactly. let's have a look at that pair right now. analysts say traders may be jostling for position ahead of the main figure this week. but mainly they don't want to

make too heavy a bet in case some of the figures come out a little bit irregular, although most do believe that the jobs growth trend in the u.s. is positive. dollar-yen 119.66-68 right now. the dollar fell against the euro right now, around 1.1% in fact. investors mulling over the recent robust euro zone data and the timing of a key interest rate hike in the u.s. now, finally a quick recap on chinese markets. the shanghai composite hit another seven-year high yesterday. still some concern about growth in china, though. cooling demand in china's been a global concern although some supportive measures from the chinese government. we'll see how the markets react. some asian indexes will be closed friday but we'll keep track of the ones that are open and also of course how that might affect japanese shares. but for now the nikkei and the topix trading well into the positive. we'll see if that can hold. back to you. >> ramin, we'll talk to you in a few hours' time.

as he mentioned executives at japanese giant seven-11 holdings they're going from strength to strength. they say in the 2014 fiscal year they brought in their biggest ever revenue and operating profit and they credit the results to booming sales of their own private label products. executives say the company made about $50 billion, up more than 7% from the previous year. and they say their operating profit came to almost $2.9 billion. that's up more than 1%. the executives oversee about 17,500 convenience stores across japan. they see the outlets as the core of their business. >> we can't get too optimistic about consumer spending. but there are some signs to suggest a recovery is under way. >> the executives also disclosed a plan to spend about $420 million to beef up their online service.

they want to make it easier for customers to order goods from their department stars and collect them at their convenience stores. a japanese professor has come up with a new technology she claims can read minds. she says the brain wave analysis system will help businesses better understand their customers' needs. >> reporter: workers at a major restaurant chain are testing a menu item that is being developed. this device measures brain waves from the frontal lobes of people who try the product. an application analyzes five feelings how much they like something and their interest concentration, stress and sleepness. the new menu item is a cheese souffle topped with kiwi orange, and other fruit. the app checks the reaction of a person who sees the souffle for the first time. >> please open your eyes.

>> reporter: when she sees the souffle, the like and interest feelings surge on the graph. this proves the dessert is visually appealing. >> translator: now please try it. >> reporter: after the first bite the like level goes up to 60. that shows she likes how the dessert tastes. after another bite the like level reaches 80. she really enjoys the taste of the souffle. it scores high in terms of both looks and taste. but there's an unexpected problem. when she tries to scoop up the fruit, the stress level soars to 90. >> translator: i didn't know where to put the spoon. i felt it was a little difficult to eat. >> it turned out it was

difficult to scoop up the fruit with the small spoon. so people at the restaurant chain are thinking of serving the souffle with a fork instead. >> translator: with the device we can measure minute emotional changes in detail in real time. >> this is a printing and design firm in tokyo. it designs direct mail and credit card application forms. the company is using the brain wave analyzing system to improve the layout of its products. the idea is to make them easier to read. during this test the subject wears an eye tracking device to record where she's looking. in addition to the brain wave analyzing device. her eye movements are shown by the red dots on this screen. stress levels are indicated on the graph on the left. >> translator: please fill out the form. >> reporter: this is a credit

card application form. right after she turns her eyes to this section her stress level shoots up. it was difficult to read. as each line contained 60 characters. so they decided to divide the section in two. cutting the length of the lines by half. >> translator: it offers a service to our clients by providing science-based solutions. >> reporter: the brain wave analyzing system was developed by yasue mitsukukda associate professor at the university. the professor is developing a new device that can analyze a total of 17 feelings including satisfaction, achievement, and habit-forming pleasure. >> translator: we can combine satisfaction and achievement to create gains or we can create

comfort levels to disclose clothes and beds. this system ofrsz many possibilities for different businesses as it can analyze many kinds of feelings. the new brain wave analyzer is just being used in developing products. it may soon become an indispensable tool in a variety of fields. >> that's all for now in business news. i'll leave you with a check on markets. ♪

known as one of the oldest forms of theater performs in the world today, the plays and characters have been handed down for more than 600 years. a craftsman is putting his own take on the time-honored artists making noh masks. shinsuke ide reports. >> reporter: the enigmatic smile of da vinci's mona lisa. the sensuality of vermeer's "girl with a pearl earring." iconic european expressions shaped with a chisel instead of a brush. they owe their new life to bidou yamaguchi, a craftsman specializing in making masks for noh theater. >> translator: i had a strong desire to create something different. that's when i came up with the idea of a western portrait series. >> reporter: the mona lisa

showcases his mastery of traditional maskmaking techniques. cracks, stains, and other details on the original canvas have been carefully reproduced. this unique take on japan's oldest form of theater is drawing considerable attention among the art community in the united states. >> this amazing technique that connects with european oil painting, with noh mask making, is something that attracts all americans. ♪ >> reporter: most props used in noh theater today were shaped in the 14th century. maskmakers were mainly expected to perpetuate this tradition. not unlike mona lisa, the expression can be interpreted differently depending on the angle.

a slight downward tilt, for example, conveys sadness. each play has its own set of characters. an old man, the ghost of a samurai, or a dragon's incarnation. bidou felt the need to break the mold of tradition. >> translator: i realized that unless i created something original, unless i stepped out in a way, i'd be unable to give masks a different dimension. >> reporter: bidou is facing a new challenge. an art dealer in new york has commissioned a mask based on the portrait of a kabuki actor. the model is a woodblock print by renowned artist sharaku. it depicts a character facing death. the carving will determine the quality of the mask, and one of the trickiest parts is the mouth.

a subtle deviation can alter the impression of the entire face. bidou says he takes particular pleasure in imagining the profile of a two-dimensional character. the next step is painting. here again bidou reproduces the texture and stains of the original print on japanese paper. the final result, a man looking death in the eye. >> translator: i felt there was a mysterious depth in the original print, so my intention was to convey that same atmosphere on the mask. >> reporter: bidou's secret ambition is to see his original masks featured in a stage performance. until then, he's determined to keep building bridges between noh theater and other forms of

art. shinsuke ide, nhk world. >> bidou's masks are on exhibition at the art museum of northern illinois university. the show runs through may 22nd. it's time now for a check of the weather. people in dubai are having difficulty getting around and even breathing after a major sandstorm hit the city. ma ji shoji joins us with the latest. >> well, catherine, we don't usually get sandstorms here in japan, so some people can't really imagine what it is to be like in a sandstorm. we'll take a look at an image coming out from dubai. this is from yesterday. you can't really see anything. low visibility for sure. a severe sandstorm blanketed dubai on thursday affecting local land and air travels. sandstorms are a common sight in dubai but rarely grow to such massive scale and as thick as this one. classes were suspended for students in the city and parts of nearby saudi arabia.

flights were also impacted leaving passengers stranded at the airport. due to high winds the sandstorm could last into the weekend. i do want to show you this satellite image. it clearly shows you there were hazy conditions across dubai as well as parts of the uae. the leading edge of the sandstorm is here, but the winds, it was really strong by the time this happened on thursday. so the northwesterly winds picked up all the dust and sand from the desert. and why we see a lot of these haboob-like conditions. but it will actually not be cleared out for your friday. the temperatures will be around 30 degrees, and you still see some hazy conditions in dubai and in doha. across here, we were tracking this typhoon system. this is maysak. you can't tell much of that distinct eyewall any more. it will disburse, which means it is on a weakening trend over these waters. this looks like it will make its way towards southern luzon,

north of where there are 23,000 residents out there. i know a lot of people were looking forward to this easter holiday weekend. it could get stormy across these locations but we're still talking about heavy rainfall on the level of that flooding rainfall but bigger picture only scattered showers which is great news. the waves, however, will be about five meters high. so boating is really not recommended out here. and it could hinder some traveling. so we'll keep you updated with this one. now, here we have a low pressure system developing over the sea of japan. the tail end of this system is still affecting north of yangtze river. it could top 100 millimeters of rainfall which really could lead to the risk of flooding. and this system has the potential -- has the history of creating 135 millimeters of rainfall in south korea and that's likely to pull into japan.

kyushu already saw gusts of 90 kilometers per hour but as the system pulls into northern japan the gusts will reach 126 kilometers per hour enough to damage structures. and the winds will be up to five meters. and the rainfall up to 120 millimeters. we still have snow left on the mountain so the flooding could occur from the melting snow. avalanche risk is highly posted out across the northern areas including hokkaido but tokyo will be escaping from that mess. 23 degrees with cloudy skies. we may see a slight chance of light showers in the evening hours, though. here across the americas, i do want to mention that some winter precipitation will be taking place in northeast and the tail end of this cold front and the stationary front is creating severe thunderstorms. i'll talk about this more later on but hail storms is expected across these locations. as for the easter holidays, it's looking like this. where you want to be is in miami, looking pretty gorgeous. i'll leave you now for an extended forecast.

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

[ cheers and applause ] >> hello and welcome to global 3000, your weekly check on the global issues behind the headlines, and here's what we have coming up for you today. why america is failing to get millions of people off the streets. india's third gender. transsexuals stand up for their

rights. how cambodia is trying to keep its wildlife safe from poachers. the second richest country in the world fails to provide a roof over the heads of some two and a half million children who are homeless in america. latest figures show the economy is picking up again. still new york alone has some 20,000 p