hello, there, and welcome to "newsline." it's thursday, may 14th. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. japanese investigators are learning more about what caused a south korean airliner to skid off the runway in hiroshima one month ago. they're closing in on what went on in the cockpit in the final minutes before the passenger jet touched down and they say the pilot may have failed a landing attempt. investigators say the asiana airlines airbus a-320 approached at an unusually low altitude. it clipped a communications

antenna at the end of the tarmac before the pilot made a hard landing. the jet then veered off the runway before coming to a stop. more than 20 passengers were injured. officials with japan's transport safety board released their analysis of data from the flight recorder. they say the aircraft started to lose too much altitude after the pilot switched from automatic to manual control. they say that happened one minute before the accident, and they say the pilot then tried to lift the plane's nose about two seconds before touching down by applying full engine thrust, but the investigators say the engines did not produce enough power and the aircraft failed to climb. they also say the possibility of turbulence being behind the altitude drop is low. u.s. national transportation safety board officials in philadelphia are combing through twisted metal and debris to determine the cause of a fatal railway accident. the express train was bound for new york from washington on tuesday. more than 240 people were on board when seven of its cars came off the rails on a curve.

seven deaths have been confirmed so far, and more than 150 others were injured. eight of them are listed in serious condition. >> it shook and then it rolled. that was that. i never want to experience it again. >> investigators have begun to analyze the train's recorders. >> maximum authorized speed through this curve was 50 miles per hour. when the engineer-induced brake application was applied, the train was traveling at approximately 106 miles per hour. >> philadelphia's mayor says the engineer who was driving the train was injured in the crash and is being interviewed by police. slam islamic state militants have devastated several sites in northern iraq and now seized a

strategic town in syria sparking fears the artifacts could suffer the same fate. officials say fierce fighting is taking place between syrian government forces and militants. the extremists now control most of the area and they say nearly 50 people have been killed in the battle. it is located on a major road in eastern syria. it is a unesco world heritage site. it's been under government control since the civil war broke out four years ago. iraqi government leaders say a u.s.-led coalition strike has killed the second-most senior member of the islamic state militant group but americans officials say they haven't been able to confirm the death. they say he was hit on an attack on a mosque near tal afar.

he was a former leader of a precursor of the islamic state group there is a bounty of $7 million for the man. the world's automakers are racing to develop ecofriendly cars. two japanese makers are tying up. ai uchida joins us from the business desk. >> toyota motor has been providing hybrid cars to mazda or technology to mazda. and now executives on both sides say that that relationship is going to deepen. they say they have agreed to cooperate in the medium to long term in a wide range of fields that includes environmental and safety technologies of automobiles. the toyota and mazda presidents

made the announcement on wednesday. >> translator: toyota and mazda will compliment each other on products and technologies but leveraging our respective advantages. >> translator: we want to move forward together as we make better cars. >> the automakers will establish a joint committee and discuss what products and technologies they will be working on together. toyota has the technology to build hydrogen powered cars while mazda has fuel efficient engine technologies. the plan is to share the technologies. toshiba officials say an accounting irregularity is forcing them to revise downward their outlook for a three-year period and an in-house committee is looking into the matter. the operating profits will be lowered by $420 million from

fiscal 2011 to 2013 which ended in march 2014. they add that more amendments may be in store. a further investigation by a third-party panel of lawyers and public accountants will be set up this week. let's look at how markets are performing after we saw a mixed overnight session in the global markets and in wall street we saw modest moves. the dow jones almost flat following weak retail figures but the nasdaq did close a bit in the positive up slightly more than .1%. let's see how markets here are starting the day. ramin mellegard joins us from the tokyo stock exchange. what are you seeing so far? >> the april u.s. retail sales were weaker than expected and that pushed the dollar a little bit lower and putting doubt in investors minds as to the timing of the federal reserve when it

may want to raise rates. but let's have a look how that is affecting the nikkei and the topix here and both indexes in the negative. the nikkei rose to two-week highs on wednesday. and nissan didn't disappoint. as a weaker yen provided a boost to its bottom line. the car maker reported a net profit of $3.8 billion in the fiscal year through march. record sales in the u.s. of course helped. but nissan said it hopes to increase domestic production as well. gdp out of the eurozone countries yesterday may affect sentiments. investors looking for signs of growth. eurozone growth rose .4% in the first quarter. however, a drop in germany's growth numbers may have dampened overall sentiment. we did see the d.a.x. index

falling over falling over 1% as a result of that. >> a weaker dollar was behind the decline in european stocks. where does the pair stand now? >> the dollar is lower against the yen and the dollar -- and the euro i should say, beg your hard. it's 119.18 the dollar/yen right now. the investors are waiting for further signs when the federal reserve may decide to raise rates after lackluster data on wednesday. producer price index today and central output on friday in the u.s. will be the next guides. dollar was weaker against the euro so we'll keep track of that. in asia investors will be watching any measures to boost growth in china and australia as well as emerging economies. we have seen that plunge in commodity prices in the last

three months. that has affected australia and they rely heavily on china for their sales. domestically investors will weigh up the business climate in japan after a report showed business sentiment improving for a fifth straight month in april and the figure was above 50 for the third straight month. so domestically a little bit of positive news there. and of course i'll keep track of nissan, the auto shares and the tech sectors today. the nasdaq was in the positive. >> thanks for that update. ramin mellegard from the tokyo stock exchange. we'll hear from him in a few hours' time. it's time for "view from the top," where business leaders explain how they stay ahead of the competition. today we hear from elon musk, the pioneering ceo of u.s. electric carmaker tesla motors. musk has turned his attention to other ventures, including

commercial space exploration. these days, he's been busy promoting batteries strong enough to power your home. musk also wants to make his mark in japan. nhk world's rosa sabrino has this report. >> reporter: the innovative tech entrepreneur recently surprised the world with a bold announcement, he announced tesla will manufacturer rechargeable batteries that can supply household energy needs. >> we have to come up with the solution. that's the missing piece. as that's the thing that's needed to have a proper transition to a sustainable energy world. >> reporter: demand for home batteries is rising around the world, for use as an emergency backup power source and to store surplus electricity generated by solar power systems. musk says tesla's new products are very different from existing batteries in the energy market which are typically expensive and bulky, and it will help with the world's transition to sustainable energy. >> the way i see the long-term

future of the world is, like, we have to say, okay, everything has to be renewable and sustainable. so, in order to achieve a sustainable energy future, in order to have a good future, essentially, we have to have sustainable power generation, which i think is primarily solar, but combined with also wind and geothermal and hydro. and then you've got to combine that with battery packs. you've got to be able to store the energy you produce during the day so that you can use it at night. and then you combine that with electric transportation, and now you have a fully sustainable future. >> reporter: tesla's battery is unlike anything that's ever been produced. previous efforts by rival companies have been boxy and sit on the floor. tesla's battery, however, is designed to be mounted on the wall. >> previously if you look at home battery packs, they are big and heavy and they are on the ground and you need a whole room, special room for them and

they tend to be usually lead acid, and then they sort of smell bad and they look bad. and so, that's why people don't -- and they were expensive. that's why people don't want them. >> reporter: one of the most notable features is the price. a model with the capacity of 10 kilowatt hours will sell for $3,500. that's much cheaper than comparable batteries produced by japanese firms. tesla executives are now planning to build a huge battery factory in the u.s. state of nevada. they hope to cut costs by expanding production, and they aim to begin selling their batteries in japan soon. >> tens of gigawatt hours of demand, i suspect, maybe hundreds of gigawatt hours of demand, just in japan alone. we're going to offer our product, if it's the right product, people will buy it. and then probably others will if ours is successful, others will copy it, and then they will get closer to our product, but

that's fine. i'm just saying, like, the future -- in order for us to have a good future, we have to have, in my view, solar power, plus batteries, plus electric cars, and then it's good times. >> reporter: musk changed the way people thought about electric cars, and he slashed the cost involved in launching a rocket. now he appears to be on the verge of transforming the market for rechargeable batteries. rosa sobrino, nhk world, los angeles. more for you in business next hour. i'll leave you with a check on markets.

an international defense and security exhibition has opened in japan. it's the first time for the country to host this county of event. japan has long banned the export of arms. nhk world's takefumi terui reports. >> reporter: more than 120 countries around the world are participating in the gathering in yokohama near tokyo. these include japan companies. the event opened on wednesday. they are displaying maritime technologies and defense equipment. the nation banned arms exports starting in the 1970s. prime minister shinzo abe changed that principle last year. japanese companies now can export defense equipment under strict restrictions.

at the opening ceremony on wednesday, the head of japan's maritime self-defense force noted the change. >> now the transfer of defense equipment and technology for maintaining national peace and safety is permitted. i think japan will make both personal and material contribution toward capacity building. >> reporter: japanese manufacturers see the exhibition as a key opportunity to reach out to foreign markets. 12 companies are jointly displaying their products. these include maritime communications systems and replicas of vessels. >> translator: we plan to expand our market share with products that can contribute to the peace and security of society. we feel many people are interested in these items.

>> reporter: international visitors are eager to use the event to form collaborative networks with japanese companies. >> we are interested in what the japanese defense industry has to offer. >> reporter: the organizer emphasizes its importance. >> people don't know quite to expect from japan. so this is the first time people have been able to talk openly about what their offerings are. and i think it's an ongoing process. it won't happen just in these three days. this will be something that is revisited in years to come. >> reporter: the fair will continue until friday. the organizer expects thousands to attend. takafumi terui, nhk world, toke hama.

the japanese government is stepping up efforts to get more of the country's modern industrial sites on the unesco world heritage list. it's sending staff around the world to drum up support. the international council on monuments and sites recommended earlier this month that 23 sites around japan be given world cultural heritage status. the facilities are located in eight prefectures. they date back to japan's industrial revolution in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. the world heritage committee will screen the recommendations for a formal decision at a meeting in germany in july, but one of the 21 member nations of the committee opposes listing the facilities. south korean members say they include sites where many koreans were forced to work. senior japanese government officials are being sent to other member nations to seek support for the unesco listing. they're set to hold talks with their south korean counterparts on may 22nd. they want to explain that the sites have historic value as artifacts from the meiji revolution. many public facilities

went up with japan's revival in the 1950s, '60s and '70s. they now are liabilities. communities are finding they cost too much to keep up and too much to tear down. nhk world's yasuhiro kobayashi explains. >> reporter: a workplace that used to be the center of activity in the section of saitama, a city next to tokyo. soon, nothing will be left of it. the building became decrepit and could not easily be converted to another use. so the city decided to tear it down. this office is one of about 1,700 public facilities in saitama. the older ones are especially expensive to maintain and the city is not planning to build any new ones in the near future. >> translator: more than half of

the buildings are at least 30 years old. no matter what we do with them, we need to reduce the overall number of public facilities. >> reporter: nationwide, a government survey shows more than 12,000 public facilities targeted for demolition. most are public housing and schools. tearing them down will cost nearly $3.5 billion. the national government allows communities to issue municipal bonds to pay for the work. in that way, they can raise 75% of the money from financial institutions. some local governments, though, are hesitant to use bonds. reparations are shrinking. the city of ritto is one such

place. it already has cut back administrative services. it decreased the subsidy for buses and stopped providing lunches for junior high students. even so, the cost of dismantling public facilities far exceeds the savings from those budget reductions. it will have to pay about $590,000 to tear down a community center. another building, a welfare center, has already been closed for six years. getting rid of it will cost another $420,000. city officials worry that paying for the work with bonds will cause even worse financial problems down the line. >> translator: we would like to dismantle the structures as soon

as possible. however, under the current conditions, we cannot formulate a plan. >> reporter: some other local governments are trying a different approach, increasing usage fees to pay for maintenance. the city of ichikawa in chiba prefecture has tripled the charges in some cases for access to community and sports centers. it expects a population decline to cause a shortfall in tax revenue. so, it wants to establish another income stream for the facilities. one economist suggests that local governments look at the big picture. >> translator: municipalities should find ways to generate income, even if only by a little. for example, by working with private organizations. a variety of things should be on the table.

overall plans should include both the dismantling of buildings and preservation. >> reporter: depopulation is no longer just a possibility. for many communities, it is a near certainty. somehow, they will have to come to terms financially with a new normal. yasuhiro kobayashi, nhk world. let's get a check on the weather. many people in tokyo are enjoying a warm and sunny morning. mai shoji joins us with more in world weather. >> yes, i really like this weather, too. it's not too hot during the night hours, so, we actually get a good sleep, too, but it's going to get, again -- the mercury's setting up to the 30s again today. so, this consecutive heat could lead to some heat stroke, so we should watch out for that. we have some images coming up from yesterday, what people were dealing with.

tokyo and many parts of japan are getting ready for another round of warm temperatures today with the mercury expected to climb in the 30s for the second day in a row. in tokyo, it is expected to be the warmest day of 2015 today. japan meteorological agency is advising people to be aware of heat stroke, and especially since they're not accustomed to the heat just yet across the whole country. yesterday the temperatures actually reached the 30s in parts of kanto region. that's warmer than parts of the south. tokyo at 28 degrees, but that's expected to rise to the 30s today. now, you're not seeing a lot of precipitation here. in fact, we have dry air advisories widely posted in japan and the korean peninsula. where you're going to see some showers linger here in hokkaido and an incoming system to provide the rain into the next 24 hours. but generally speaking, we're looking at some sunny skies across this country again in saitama, reaching 31 degrees for your friday. but the temperatures will be easing up here on saturday with

that incoming system that i mentioned, due to that rainfall, but sunday looks quite perfect. a very enjoyable day for us to enjoy the flower viewings across the country. now, here in china, we are looking at the kick-start of that rainy season, it looks. we are expecting about 130 millimeters of additional rainfall. the area is really soaked already, so the flooding is going to be a huge concern. and so that system will be pulling into western japan by friday and then possibly covering much of our country by saturday. now, the rest of the area is looking at this as an outlook for thursday. we're looking at some 30s across here in southern china, so that's another area where heat stroke should be prevented. towards the east, now another system here. this is dolphin. that system is now a typhoon. it could reach into the very strong typhoon status over the warm waters, so we have typhoon watches in place, both in guam and in saipan today.

the gusts reaching 180 kilometers per hour, but that could actually upgrade into a 240 kilometers per hour range when it hits these islands. so, something to really watch out for. do stay in a secure building and the rainfall accumulation will also be the key threat for coastal floodings. across here in europe, we actually have some severe weather ongoing in the central locations, especially in france, germany and austria. we have a report of a 6 centimeters in diameter hail reported in and that's likely to continue because this is a stationary boundary. and so, the similar areas will see a threat of a level two, which is the second highest warning for hail, severe gusts and even tornadoes. and that's likely to continue with rainstorm warnings also in place in parts of ukraine. kiev looking at 17 degrees for the high. and down towards the south in iberian peninsula, still, the pumping of that real hot

temperatures across this area is leading to 30s. -- 40s. so, please, watch out for heat stroke there as. we i'll leave you now for the extended forecast.

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

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hello, and welcome to "latin view." i'm sherri vasquez. u.s. hispanics are enrolling in colleges and universities at the highest rate ever. latino enrollment increased 70 percent over a ten-year period