. i'm keiko kitagawa in tokyo. foreign and defense chiefs from japan and the united states have made new guidelines for defense cooperation. it is the first time they have revised the guidelines in 18 years. foreign minister fumio kishida and defense men minister gen nakatani met with john kerry and ash carter. they say the revisions are men to improve cooperation in the face of an increasingly complicated international security environment. the new guidelines say the two countries are securing their seamless and effective coordination under normal circumstances and in the event of contingencies.

the guidelines call for bilateral cooperation if countries other than japan are attacked. this reflects japan's changed legislation over its right to collective self-defense. other areas of cooperation include international mine sweeping operations and response to ballistic missile launches. >> today we mark the establishment of japan's capacity to defend not just its own territory but also the united states and other partners as needed. this is an historic meeting and historic transition in the defense relationship between our countries. >> translator: we've reaffirmed that the senkaku islands are under japan's control and the u.s. government's commitment applies to the islands. the japan/u.s. security treaty ensures that. we've also confirmed that we'll oppose any action that may

affect japan u.s. policies towards the islands. >> japan controls the senkaku islands in the east china sea. the japanese government maintains that the islands are a part of japan easter tour. china and taiwan claim them. regarding china's stepped-up activities in the south china sea, kishida says japan and the u.s. will stand together. he says they will maintain international order and the rule of law in the area. hundreds of people in tokyo have gathered together to protest the new defense guidelines. [ speaking foreign language ]. protesters held a rally outside the prime minister's office the night before the new measures were unveiled. about 800 people took part. they chanted slogans opposing the new guidelines. they are also against proposed security legislation that would

allow japan's self-defense forces to play a greater role overseas. >> translator: i'll continue to speak up for my believes to protect my children from war. >> translator: i feel as though we have not been informed enough. this is an important matter that needs a lot of precautions. >> other protesters said they came to make sure japan doesn't repeat the mistakes of the past by heading to war. japanese prime minister shinzo abe will sit down at the white house on tuesday with president barack obama. the meeting is part of abe's eight-day tour of the u.s. it's the first official visit by a japanese prime minister in nine years. on monday abe attended a forum at harvard university with american students and took questions about japan's wartime past. one participant asked abe about those referred to as comfort women. the prime minister stated that he said many times he will

maintain the stance from a 1993 statement issued by the then-chief cabinet secretary kono. he expressed sincere apologies and remorse to those women. >> translator: with regard to the issue of comfort women, my heart aches. they were victimized by human trafficking. they experienced pain and suffering beyond description. my view on the issue is no different from predecessor's. >> abe said japan has made various efforts to provide realistic assistance to the women. asked about the relationship with china, abe said the country's development opens great opportunities to asia and the world. but he said many of its neighbors including japan are concerned about the country's military buildup. he said he will call on china to act as a responsible and peaceful power in the region. abe's schedule then took him to washington. there he will meet with president obama and on wednesday, he will address a

joint meeting of congress. japanese government officials foresee higher costs for nuclear power generation in the country. ai uchida joins us from the business desk with more. >> officials do say that it's still going to be less expensive than other forms of energy but the safety standards will require large investments. people at the industry ministry say that the cost will be 8.5 cents per kilowatt hour in 2030. the officials cited the huge amounts of money needed to compensate the victims of the 2011 nuclear accident and decontaminate the environment. that is on top of the additional safety measures required by the

government's regulatory standards. but nuclear power will still be cheaper than other energy sources including thermal power and solar power. the officials are trying to decide on the optimal mix of energy sources to meet future electricity needs. officials at canon have downgraded their forecast for digital camera sales this year. they cite lower than expected sales in europe and asia in the first three months of the year. canon officials expect 2015 sales to reach 5.8 million units. that is down 9% from the previous forecast. and they expect the sales of small digital cameras to reach 7%. officials caught their annual sales forecast by nearly $340 million to $32.4 billion.

net profit forecast was also lowered to just over $2 billion. canon executive vice president said the market for small digital cameras is expected to shrink further. let's check in on markets. overnight u.s. stocks took a beating on lackluster earnings. the nasdaq retreating from record highs to end at 5060. and over on the dow jones industrial average we are seeing losses taking the dow to just above 18,000. let's see how markets here are starting the day. we go to ramin mellegard at the tokyo stock exchange. what are you seeing? >> wall street surrendering some of its gains.

but in the u.s. we saw the biotech sector seeing losses which dragged down the main indexes and we have seen profit taking. but let's look at how tokyo is kicking off and both indexes in the positive and above 20,000 for the nikkei. it closed below that on monday. investors book profits ahead of key central bank and earnings reports this week. after the markets closed here fitch ratings downgraded japan's rating to a from a-plus but kept the reaction stable. earnings from apple, let me get to that. that will be a focus here and a lot of the component makers from japan will be see how the shares trade today ranging from toshiba, sharp and many many others. and other companies also reporting quarterly and fiscal year-end earnings here.

honda is the big one today after the close. on monday let's not forget you mentioned canon but komatsu. but fannic outshining companies raising dividend pay outs. >> what can you tell us about currencies? we saw the dollar going back up? >> we saw some swings there. the dollar rebound against the yen as the traders recovered from the latest data in the u.s. we will get a direction after policy meetings after the meetings at the federal reserve and bank of japan this week. the euro recovered against the dollar. optimism creeping back about greece. we saw the yield on the greek three-year government bond edge lower just a touch. >> and in asia there seems to be

concerns over indonesia what can you tell us? >> it plunged 3.5% on monday following weak earnings and a pause in the follow of foreign capital. looking at china the shanghai composite surged 3% to a seven-year high. the hang sen rose. the shanghai composite has been up more than 35% so far this year. big moves there. a big focus for china markets and of course here in japan for earnings as i mentioned. that's all for me. back to you. attracting tourists can be a tough business especially if you live in a town lacking high profile attractions. we look at one community in kyoto prefecture has done to overcome this predicament. it's the first of a two-part

series of people fighting stagnation with hard work and a pinch of creativity. keiko aso reports. >> reporter: a noodle shoppached with tourists. they have come to eat ramen in a bright red soup. not far away a japanese style sweet shop is doing good business selling things that are anything but sweet. and spicy hot is what it's all about. people come to this town to put the taste back to the test. muko city is sandwiched between osaka and kyoto. residents have got in the habit of shopping in the big cities. the down's shop owners couldn't

just sit back and watch their businesses suffer. they decided to create a local speciality. that's when they hit on the idea of extra hot. and their efforts paid off. in five years, annual visitor numbers have risen 30%. >> translator: she's the one who told me about this town and i've wanted to come ever since. >> translator: i was dubious but the project turned out to be a success. many people are flocking here from outside the city. >> reporter: this man is one of the project leaders. now, more than 80 businesses serve up spicy attractions. but miwake thinks that the town can still do better and not just on the menu. >> translator: i've heard that

visitors came in the morning and found many stores closed. others were disappointed to see few shops open midday through evening. >> reporter: miwaki -- this bakery opens at 6:30 in the morning. the bakery has been in business for 15 years. for the first time, the owner is working on a recipe for hot curry buns. his challenge is how spicy to make the bread. some people like it hot. >> translator: is this spicy enough? >> translator: i think it needs a bit more kick. >> translator: i don't want to

make food too spicy. i'm aiming for spicy and tasty. >> reporter: one ingredient no spicy food can be without is a chili pepper. the town is trying to make sure its peppers are homegrown. this farmer has been supporting the project for four years. at the request of shop owners he plants different chili species every year. he's experimenting with new ways to plant and water his crops. muryama says that a pepper industry could be an exciting addition to the community. >> translator: i would be more thrilled if the peppers became a local speciality. >> reporter: they are tinkering with the residents but the muko

residents say the hot is a winning formula. the once sleepy town is jumping back to life. keiko aso, nhk world, muko. that is the latest from the business team for this hour. i'll leave you with a check on markets. authorities in nepal say the total number of confirmed dead from saturday's magnitude 7.8 earthquake has surpassed 4,000. they say many people are still trapped under piles of rubble. rescue workers are fighting against time. they say chances of survival dropped significantly after 72 hours. officials say more than 3,900 people died in nepal alone and more than 7,000 people were

injured. around 100 people are reported dead in india, china, and bangladesh. rescue workers are combing through the wreckage in nepal's capital kathmandu in search of survivors. more than a dozen countries have dispatched relief and medical crews or pledged financial assistance. japan has sent a 70-member team to join the efforts. but heavy air traffic prevented many international travellers from landing at kathmandu's airport. newly released video show catastrophic damage to mountainous areas outside the capital. brick buildings have collapsed or have been hit by landslides. a german climber on mt. everest captured the moment the avalanche struck the base camp. 17 people were killed.

more than 1,000 people were on the mountain at the time. one of the survivors spoke to media in kathmandu. >> everything was gone, all our tents were gone. and then people were pushed. like a guy who stood in front of me was now 30 feet over there. >> a romanian climber said in a twitter message that more than 100 people are stranded above the base camp. delegates from u.n. member countries have begun talks to review the nuclear nonproliferation treaty. the goal is to encourage disarmament and move closer to abolish nuclear weapons. the gathering comes ahead of the 70th anniversary of the u.s. atomic bombings of hiroshima and nagasaki. delegates from 190 countries gathered at u.n. headquarters in new york to begin four weeks of discussions. israel is taking part for first time in 20 years. japanese foreign minister fumio kishida pointed out there are

more than 16,000 nuclear weapons in the world. he has called for creating a world without any. >> 70 years ago in my hometown hiroshima, a single bomb took more than 130,000 precious lives. it is time to accelerate nuclear disarmament. >> leaders in the u.s. and russia have reduced their strategic nuclear arms under the new start treaty that took effect in february of 2011. but strained relations over the crisis in ukraine have slowed disarmament efforts. china is thought to be expanding its nuclear arsenal. north korea, which withdrew from the treaty in 2003, has indicated it may carry out further nuclear testing. some progress has been made over iran's nuclear program. negotiators at this round of talks will likely try to dissuade israel and other

middle eastern countries from acquiring nuclear weapons. wildlife conservationists in russia are tracking the country's biggest cat. they're looking at the siberian tiger which was once hunted to the brink of extinction. and now they are seeing protection efforts pay off. >> reporter: at this wildlife park in russia's far east, the tigers are the most popular animals. for centuries russians have regarded them as a symbol of strength and power. >> translator: i love them. they're so rare and also so beautiful. >> reporter: the tiger's habitat is the vast forest. by the 1940s, russia's tiger

population had dropped to about 40 due to hunting, but the numbers recovered after poaching was by the soviet union. a survey estimated the tiger population at 420 to 500. however the world fund for nation still lists them as an endangeringed species. russia is continuing the efforts to protect them. in 2010 then prime minister vladimir putin made a special trip to observe conservation activities. in january and february a new survey was conducted. some 2,000 participants took part including local hunters and conservation officials. they examined an area of about 15.65 million hectares. on this day, a team drove up to a mountain four hours from

vladivostok. they found tiger tracks in the snow. >> translator: you can see, this is the heel and these are the toes. >> reporter: experts can assess the sex and age of a tying fresh the size and depth of the footprints. >> translator: guessing from the size it was a mature female. >> reporter: the location and size of the footprints are recorded and later fed into a database. this will be used to decide the extent of the nature reserve and where poaching patrols are needed. team leader says that because the tigers are at the top of the food chain, they control the number of animals and this gives the ecosystem in balance.

>> translator: you could say that the tigers regulate the ecosystem of russia's far east. >> reporter: the team has installed over 600 cameras and stepped up their patrols. they are also rescuing tigers they find injured or sick. the tiger is now asleep and the specialists are short of time to make all the appropriate tests. besides protecting the tigers the team is starting to take active steps to increase the tiger population. they are planning to begin artificial breeding using three injured tigers that are being kept at their facility. from this summer the wildlife park is hoping to mate its tigers from others around

russia. >> translator: these amur tigers are purebred and they carry the dna. we are doing everything possible to preserve them. >> reporter: the findings of the survey will be announced in may. the numbers of the amur tigers is on the increase but there is much work to be done. nhk world, vladivostok. time for a check on the weather. joining us is mai shoji. can you give us details of the storm in the u.s.? >> unfortunately, we had a powerful concentrated but strong system that ripped through this area of pakistan. it tore off roofs of buildings and downed power lines as well as trees and has caused devastation. we have an image coming out from this area.

a deadly storm ripped through northern pakistan just west of islamabad. hail and heavy rainfall was also reported. army teams were deployed to the worst-hit areas of the city to help with rescue and recovery. the storm cancelled several flights out of pakistan including the two set to retrieve survivors from last week's massive earthquake in nepal. there is a lot going on here as you can see. it's not so much of a big system that went over this area. this is the low pressure system that is responsible for that. it's not that big. it's a small system but because of the upper cold level air that was over this area you can see the isobars close to each other, the wind conditions and instability created this devastation in pakistan.

there will be gusty conditions out towards this area but the system itself will be tapering off, the conditions will be winding out and clearing out soon. however we have these kind of temperatures. a lot of the people there are out in the streets right now. do watch out for the heatstroke. it's going to be a little bit down to the high 20s on thursday. by hyderabad in the 40s and some areas in india are going to be very dangerous with heatstroke. so that's going to be another concern. out here across the eastern areas we have a stationary boundary that formed in southern china pulling to the southwestern islands of japan. this is creating hefty amounts of rainfall. we have heavy rain warnings and thunderstorm warnings in south china and advisories are actually placed in southwestern

islands of japan as well. this is creating locally 100 millimeters of rainfall. this area the land is very well saturated. another unstable area is here in eastern china as well as south korea. and that's another area where we are likely to see a lot of thunderstorms with frequent lightning and even large hailstones. to the bigger picture we go. ulan bator up to 26 degrees. and tokyo again at 26 degrees. the center of the high pressure system responsible for the heat from yesterday will be moving away but still continuing to raise this system at fukushima up to 30 degrees. but on our holiday on wednesday some of the areas look quite comfortable. now out here on europe the severe weather is ongoing in france italy, and germany. that is pushing east.

much of the central locations will see strong gusts. chances of tornadic activity and also hailstorms that have been reported in germany already. we have a lot of thunderstorms on this page. i'll leave you now for your extended forecast. that concludes this edition of "newsline." i'm keiko kitagawa in tokyo. thank you for joining us.

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't the show on the road with a look at 3 of our stories coming up how milan gears up for expo 2015. meet finland's contestants for eurovision.

angola poster show -- a -- and, poster show. a frankfurt museum spotlights a 1950's art movement. milan has always been seen as a mini concrete jungle. that was until now - under the motto, 'feed the planet' a major transformation has been taking place as the italian city prepares to host expo 2015.