♪ >> glad to have you with us on this edition of news line. it's thursday july 2nd i'm kathryn kob kob in tokyo. islamic militants have unleashed a wave of attacks. they targeted five military checkpoints and they left at least 60 people dead including civilians. the fighters used vehicles carrying explosives and artillery. government forces fought back with jet fighters and helicopters. they say they've killed about 100 attackers. egypt's islamic state affiliate claimed responsibility through facebook. the attacks come a day after

egypt's president pledged tougher laws against militants. he was responding to the assassination of the country's top prosecutor, killed in a car bombing in cairo. the insurgents stepped up their campaign in the country in 2013 after the de facto coup. u.s. president barack obama has taken a major step towards ending a long-time feud with one of its country's closest neighbors. he's reached a historic deal with his cuban counterpart to normalize diplomatic relations. >> today i can announce that the united states has agreed to formally re-establish diplomatic relations with the republic of cuba and reopen embassies in our respective countries. this is a historic step forward in our efforts to normalize relations with the cuban government and people and begin a new chapter with our neighbors in the americas. >> obama recognizes the political differences between the nations. he says he'll keep pushing for democratic values. >> i've been clear that we will

also continue to have some very serious differences. that will include america's enduring support for universal values like freedom of speech and assembly and the ability to access information, and we will not hesitate to speak out when we see actions that contradict those values. >> obama says secretary of state john kerry will visit cuba this summer. kerry will be the first u.s. top diplomat to do so since 1945. cuban foreign ministry officials say president raul castro has sent a letter to obama. he outlined plans to restore relations between the countries on or after june 20th when they reopen their embassies. now, leaders in the u.s. and cuba have regarded each other with suspicion for decades. the thaw is heightening business expectations worldwide, including japan. nhk world's kurando tago explains. >> reporter: people in cuba used to enjoy close ties with their american neighbors.

that changed in 1959 when fidel castro overthrew the pro-u.s. government. >> reporter: castro and comrades such as ernesto chagravara spearheaded the cuban revolution. the u.s. cut diplomatic ties with cuba in 1961. the cubans turned to the former soviet union for support. they began deploying soviet ballistic missiles within range of the u.s. the americans responded by setting up a military blockade triggering the cuban missile crisis. >> all ships of any kind bound for cuba from whatever nation or port, if found to contain cargo of defensive weapons, will be turned back. >> reporter: in 1982, u.s. officials added the latin nation to a list of state sponsors of terrorism, and strengthened

economic sanctions against the country after the cold war ended. president barack obama decided it was time to break the deadlock. >> and the most significant changes in our policy in more than 50 years, we will end an outdated approach that for decades has failed to advance our interests. >> reporter: leaders of the two countries met for the first time since the severing of ties. >> reporter: u.s. officials removed cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. cuban officials have been calling for an end to u.s. sanctions. japan maintained diplomatic relations with cuba for many years, and conducted a limited amount of trade, even during the cold war. in japan, business leaders now see exciting new prospects for growth. they gathered in tokyo to discuss investment opportunities in cuba.

>> translator: i feel the outlook for cuba has become brighter. in the past, we had to be cautious about the u.s. reaction. >> reporter: exporters have long felt the effects of the u.s. embargo, but now with the prospect of u.s.-cuba relations normalizing, many say they see new opportunities for businesses in cuba. kurando tago, nhk world. in other news greek prime minister alexis tsipras has delivered a defiant address to his nation over the debt crisis. he said he will accept most of the bail-out creditors' conditions, but is still insisting on changes. he delivered a televised address on wednesday as members of the public struggled to cope with cash withdrawal limits. the greek government missed tuesday's deadline to repay 1.5 billion euros, about $1.7 billion, to the international monetary fund. tsipras said he will do his

utmost to find middle ground. >> translator: the greek government remains at the negotiating table, and will stay there until the end. >> his proposals demand a partial revision to austerity measures presented by the eurozone nations. he earlier called for a referendum to be held sunday on weather to accept the eu plan and he's telling people to vote no to improve his negotiating position. >> translator: "no" means strong pressure for an economically viable agreement and will not lead to taking greece out of the euro. >> people in athens are divided about how to cast their votes. >> very impressed with his speech. he's a good speaker. he explains himself well and he's believable.

>> i want my european passport and i want my children to be able to travel in europe. and i want my children to be able to study in europe and to do business in europe. >> finance ministers held a teleconference and agreed fot to negotiate with greece until after the referendum. >> there will be no talks between the greek authorities and the institutions on proposals or financial arrangements. >> he expressed home that people in greece would be determined to stay in the eurozone. now, officials of the european central bank have been meeting to discuss the greek crisis. ai uchida joins us now. the ecb also one of greece's creditors. how much do the greeks owe them? >> well the total outstanding debt for greece, comes to about $350 billion. out of that, about 30 billion is

from the ecb. the central bank's board members have made a decision that could keep greek banks closed for some time longer. they won't raise the ceiling of emergency funding for these institutions. the ecb officials sat down together in frankfurt and made their decision after greece became the first developed country to fail to meet a repayment deadline to the imf. although the ecb officials say the ceiling won't be raised, they will keep the tap open for emergency lending to greek banks through the country's central bank. the board members apparently decided to wait to see the outcome of sunday's referendum in greece on whether the debt-ridden country will agree to austerity measures. as for markets, european and u.s. ended higher. analysts say investors are seeing a glimmer of hope in the greek debt deal, despite the twists and turns. in london up 1.3%.

the cack 40 rose around 2%. in the u.s., the dow jones industrials rose almost ..8. let's see how markets here are reacting. ramin mellegard joins us from the tokyo stock exchange. good morning ramin. what are you seeing? >> well the greek drama certainly taking center stage with enough twists and turns to make a seasoned hollywood script writer even try to find an ending. and that continues to really focus the global markets. but looking at the nikkei and the topix, pretty positive start, up 1% for the nikkei. the sentiment released on wednesday was encouraging for japan, although trading had been overshadowed by greece doesn't look so now. definitely positive start. economic datea showing private sector jobs and ism

manufacturing also bodes well for the world's biggest economy. they were positive and well expected numbers. the jobs data comes out thursday. it's expected later today. and that may increase expectations that the federal reserve may raise rates sometime this year, if it comes out stronger than expected. of course friday markets will be closed in the u.s. for independence day. >> and we saw the dollar rise following factory data in the u.s. how is it trading now? >> let's bring it up on the screens. 123.30 to .35. wednesday's figures showed enjoyment at u.s. companies rising most in six months. now the euro is a touch weaker against the yen and the dollar as traders harbor concerns over the fate of greece. the highly watched u.s. auto sales figures have also been released. and they rose 3.9% in june from a year earlier.

and it showed strong sales for japan's main auto makers. nissan rising 13%. honda sub compact crossover suv model, such as the crv, have seen a surge in demand. toyota reporting strong sales. relating to u.s.-japan trading, also the resumption and hopes for a conclusion to the transpacific partnership, the tpp, which i know we'll cover in depth, also may bode for more positive sentiment going forward. investors the world overall, keeping a gaze on china, the shanghai composite down another 5.2% on wednesday, having swung wildly last week investors are unsure about the latest measures taken by the beijing government to boost markets. so we'll see how the shanghai composite trades today, but definitely been very volatile. back to you. >> thanks a lot.

we'll talk to you in a few hours' time. japan's biggest auto makers are teaming up to make it easier for owners of fuel cell cars to fill up. toyota, nissan and honda will invest a total of around $40 million to financially support people who manage hydrogen fuel stations. the cars run on electricity generated by hydrogen that reacts with exjen in the air. they emit no greenhouse gases. toyota started selling the world's first fuel cell car to the public last year. the auto makers want to ease the financial burden on the stations. high construction costs and operating fees are weighing on them. japan has only 23 such facilities. the companies announced a five-year plan on wednesday. >> translator: we have to work together to promote fuel cell vehicles. by growing the number of hydrogen stations we want to increase sales of our products. >> the auto makers plan to give

about $90,000 a year per station. sktion consumption of traditional japanese foods has fallen for years, they're looking abroad. nhk world has the story. >> reporter: this farm is in gunma prefecture north of tokyo. gunma is japan's top producer of these yams. the yams are ground up to become a japanese meal. it's low in calories and rich in fiber. but domestic consumption has waned by more than 60% since the 1970s. so the authorities are working with local manufacturers to boost exports to the u.s. the prefectural government opened this cafe in new york city last year.

the cafe offers dishes in an experiment to find out what americans like. but many people are put off by the spongy texture of the food. still, they're a hit. the restaurant manager is back in japan. she's reporting her findings to the maker of the noodles. when mixed with sauce, the noodles are less chewy and go down smoothly. they seem to like the appearance and texture. but -- >> translator: the noodles are too long. the customers have difficulty eating them. >> reporter: unlike many asians, americans don't suck noodles. so the 60 centimeter noodles are

a bit of a struggle. >> translator: it's a rare chance to get information from on the ground, so i was really interested in today's briefing. this will help us make further progress. >> reporter: here's another another that's innovating in saitama. it has developed a healthy salad dressing. the dressing looks and tastes like mayonnaise, but it contains no eggs. instead, it uses dietary fiber from yams. that means the dressing is cholesterol-free. the fiber has another health benefit. it helps discharge extra cholesterol from the body. last month the dressing was also recognized when it won an award

at a food competition in belgium. their work has triggered a rise in foreign orders. the company ships the dressing to australia, singapore, and two other markets, and is now getting orders from europe too. >> translator: business negotiations with france are now under way. our firm is very small, but we are eager to promote it worldwide. >> reporter: it has a long tradition in japan. but creating demand abroad is forcing changes in the appearance and texture. >> that's the latest in business news. i'll leave you with a check on markets. ♪ ♪

officials with japan's defense ministry have laid out their concerns in an annual report. at the top of the list is china's maritime activities in the south china sea. the summary says china has pushed forward with rapid and large-scale reclamation work in the south china sea, where it's thought to be building a runway a port and other infrastructure. it describes the activity as high-handed and says that it's causing concern in the international community. officials will include in the final report an outline and process of discussion on bills that would allow japan to

exercise the right to collective self-defense. the summary referred to the government's plan to relocate the u.s. marine corps air station within the prefecture of okinawa. it says government officials have spent a long time listening to people in the prefecture and have been working to reflect their opinions in the plan. interior ministers from countries in the association of southeast asian nations are preparing to discuss the plight of rohingya migrants. they'll consider ways for member nations to accept the migrants and prevent human trafficking. the meeting will take place in the malaysian capital kuala lumpur. rohingya muslims are a minority in myanmar. in recent months, thousands of them have taken to boats to flee the country. the bodies of a number of people believed to be rohingya were found buried in the jungles of thailand and malaysia.

concern is rising that many rohingyas have become victims of smuggling groups. a thai senior military officer and a mayor were recently arrested on suspicion of involvement in human trafficking. diplomatic relations between the u.s. and cuba are thawing, but cuba's long isolation hasn't stopped people in the caribbean nation from practicing japanese mshl arts. one discipline that has a big following is based on the ways of the ninja, the traditional stealth fighters of japan. >> reporter: cuban martial artists face off at this outdoor event held in april in havana. about 100 enthusiasts have gathered from around the country. cuba has many karate practitioners. and kendo's board fighting is

enjoying a boom. but there's one group that stands out. ninjas practitioners of nin jit su. darmar has been a practicing ninja for 20 years. he's vice president of the cuban ninja association. here he shows off the ninja fighting techniques. he foils an attack with the slightest movement. >> translator: our next goal is to get an expert from an established ninja family to come and help us refine our techniques. >> nin jit su's popularity in cuba dates back to the time after relations with the u.s. broke down in 1961. hollywood movies could no longer be shown. many cinemas screened japanese action films instead.

some cubans were captivated by the ninja's super human skills and cunning techniques. there are now 14 training schools in cuba and almost 200 practitioners. here at one of the largest facilities, about 50 students aged 8 to 56 train once a week. darmar leads this group. he has the highest rank in cuba. >> this is my certificate from the cuban nin jit sue association. he opened his training studio 12 years ago. he teaches nin jit sue for physical and mental discipline. he developed a training program based on martial arts movies.

the strict regimen begins with the basics. students practice somersaults so they can find their feet quickly in any situation. and of course no ninja can be without this the throwing blade. most of their equipment is homemade. here, they practice ninja walking. every nerve in their bodies must be focused. ninja have to be ready for anything anything. he and the other ninjas are hoping the training environment will improve, along with cuba's foreign relations. >> translator: we look forward to having exchanges with ninjas in japan and other parts of the

world. inspired by the make-believe of japanese action movies cuban ninjas are training hard in the real world. nhk world, havana. it's time now for a check of the weather. people in western europe are dealing with a severe height wave. robert peta joins us with the details. >> well, if you are out here across much of central and western europe, the heat definitely is the big topic out here. and what we have been seeing as temperatures have been continuing to surge. look at this point here, 36.7 degrees at heathrow. this is the hottest day in the uk in nearly a decade. nine years, to be exact. and definitely the hottest day thus far of 2015. so if you are out here and if you don't have air conditioning, which many homes do not across this part of the world, do want to stay cool and hydrated. what else is happening, we have

a low pressure area keeping that heat kind of surging from the south. because across northwestern africa, warm air surging in, but firing up storms. frequent to nearly constant lightning occurring here possibly damaging winds. and there's a chance of tornadoes. it does happen in the uk every now and then. so this is something we want to continue to watch out for. but i think the topic that is really impacting many more people is the heat. we're talking about these temperatures continuing to surge up into the high 30s. and the heat index feeling like in the 40s. let's go to some video we have from a few countries and locations across central and western europe. this is germany, people getting to the river to cool off. that looks like a lot of fun. temperatures in munich hitting 31 degrees here. and as expected continuing to be that way through the weekend.

the swiss took to water to cool off. the mercury rose to the high 30s in geneva whether pedaling boats or kayaks or bathing. many people trying to cool off. children enjoy playing in the fountains there. and in madrid they sweltered under the sun, midday temperature rose to 36 degrees. so this is just not an isolated area. this is many locations out here across much of central and western europe continuing to see these temperatures surge. we're talking about storms on the northern frifry of this ridge of high pressure to the north and surges back to the south. even a few storms flaring up to the east. kiev high of 25 thunderstorms there in your forecast. let's look at what's going on for eastern asia. the tropics, it would be an understatement to say it woke up here in the last week. we have several areas of low pressure we are continuing to watch. a tropical depression towards the east of the philippines. this is expected to become a

tropical storm. it's surging moisture across the philippines. could see some flooding. but this is the big topic. severe tropical storm tracking off to the west. i know guam saturday is a holiday here. guam is part of the u.s. so they're celebrating the 4th of july. but if you have any outdoor plans, may want to postpone it because we're expecting typhoon continues here as this storm system passes right over the mariana islands. so something to watch out for. this could impact japan eventually. we'll keep a close eye on that storm. the rainy season front still dominating the picture here. heavy rain advisories in place, expecting that to linger even back to the west and central china. high pressure in the korean peninsula, much of central japan for today. passing showers near the coast, but for the most part partly cloudy skies. all right, i'll leave you now with your extended outlook. ♪ ♪

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

♪

♪ anchor: welcome to "in good shape to get your weekly dose of health and fitness coming to you from berlin.

let's jump into today's show. here is what we have for you. foot pain. what makes dancing so effective. and gastric distress, what causes acid reflux. do you know the feeling of being stuffed after you eat a good