i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. leaders of china and taiwan are preparing for a meeting. they're headed to singapore for a one on one. if realized, it will be the first such meeting of the leaders from the two sides for more than six decades. a spokesperson for taiwan's presidential office says they'll discuss cross strait relations. ma will hold a news conference thursday ahead of saturday's meeting. china's state-run xinhua news agency also announced the meeting. it said the two leader also discuss peaceful development.

both sides have refused to recognize each other's sovereignty since 1949. but taiwan's relations with china have warmed since 2008 when ma came into power primarily on the economic front. he realized the first ministerial meeting with beijing in february last year. ma leaves office in about six months. voters will go to the polls in january to choose his successor. they believe ma wants to use the talks with xi to show how his government has strengthened ties with the mainland. public sentiment turned against relations. last year students occupied the parliament building to oppose the government's move to strengthen economic ties with the mainland. in washington, white house press secretary josh earnest welcomed the planned meeting. >> we would certainly welcome steps that are taken on both sides of the taiwan strait to try to reduce tensions and

improve cross-strait relations. >> but earnest also expressed caution. he said the u.s. will have to wait and see what actually comes out of the meeting. defense ministers of association of southeast asian nations shared views on tensions in the south china sea. they've discussed ways to prevent unintended incidents in areas under dispute. the ministers from the ten asean member countries gathered in kuala lumpur. they met amid a row between the united states and china. last week, a u.s. destroyer sailed through waters claimed by china off an artificial island in the south china sea. malaysian and other sources say several participants called for a code of action with legal binding powers. others said er territorial disps must be resolved peacefully. >> as defense ministers, our biggest concern is unintended, accidental, unintentional incidents in the high seas. how we engage major powers as a

bloc. it's very important. >> the philippines is among the countries challenging china's territorial claims. its representatives proposed amending the code for unalerted encounters at sea or queues. it's meant to prevent aggressive actions that could lead to full fledged confrontations. the code currently applies to naval vessels. the first meeting since the american navy vessel sailed near the artificial chinese island. u.s. secretary of defense ash carter met with the chinese defense minister for about 40 minutes. carter said his military would continue similar operations. senior pentagon officials say he told chan all countries should stop reclaiming land or building military bases in the disputer

waters. chan stressed chinese leaders would make no compromises on territorial disputes. the two failed to narrow their differences but agreed to continue dialogue. china's state-run news agency says leaders are lowering targets. >> they're reporting president xi jinping is saying the economy needs to low at least 6.5% in the next five years and on monday the agency said said something earl. xi is reported as saying the annual growth rate will be needed if it's to double the 2010 gdp and per capita income by 2020. his comments came during the fifth plenary session of the 1th central commission of the

communist party last week. xi said growth shouldn't be the only focus over the next five years. he said volume was important but quality was more important. xinhua quoted xi saying they can maintain economic growth of 7% over the next five years citing several indicators. his remarks show his terms to maintain steady development with the aim of realizing comfortable lives for the population. they predict that china will set a new economic growth target of somewhere between 6.5% and 7% in the five-year plan to be decided next march. u.s. transport authorities are placing a fine on japanese autoparts maker takata of up to $200 million, they say the firm failed to recall defective air bags that could spray metal pieces when deployed. officials of the transportation department say seven people have died in the united states because of takata air bags.

more than 19 million vehicles are being recalled. transportation secretary anthony fox said takata was aware of a defect but failed to issue a timely recall and the company failed to fully provide information to regulators and customers. >> for years takata built and sold defective air bags. it refused to acknowledge they were defective, these failures put millions of americans at risk. >> he added the regulators took action to keep the public safe. it's the largest civil penalty for one firm in the history of national highway traffic safety administration. takata must immediately pay $70 million. the fine may reach $200 million if the company fails to meet its commitments or more violations are found.

>> officials at volkswagen admitted they cheated for emissions for carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides. they reported the outcome of their in-house investigation. they set levels lower when testing for co2 emissions to raise fuel efficiency. the discovery could affect about 800,000 cars mainly those with diesel engines. it will cost them another 2 billion euros or $2.2 billion to rectify. volkswagen's ceo mattias mueller says he regrets the situation and will be relentless in clarifying how it happened. let's check in on markets. share prices in tokyo opened higher this morning after a public holiday tuesday. the bench mark nikkei average touched the 19,000 level for the first time in two sessions. the nikkei is now trading higher by 1.74%, 19,008, tracking wall

street's rally on tuesday. export related stocks are being boosted bid a weaker yen. investor sentiment is positive on the initial public offering for japan post holdings and its banking and insurance arms. this is japan's biggest ipo in three decades. the holding company started trading at 1,631 yen, the subscription price was 1,400 yen. let's move on to currencies. the dollar is in a tight range this morning after climbing higher on rising u.s. bond yields. some are anticipating a rate hike by the federal reserve in december. the dollar/yen pair currently trading in the lower 121 yen levels. many are staying on the sidelines ahead of key u.s. data, like the jobs figures on friday. the euro is weaker against the dollar and the yen. let's take a look at some other markets across the asia-pacific. we are seeing a bit of a mixed picture with sydney shares trading higher, whereas in

seoul, the kospi is trading lower. officials at the environment ministry are stepping up efforts to protect japanese farmers from a growing threat, deer, wild boars and other animals are causing damage to craps. they're enlisting the help of private companies. >> reporter: farmers suffer losses of more than $160 million each year from wild animals gorging on their fruits and vegetables. but japan's population of hunters is aging. their number is just one fifth of what it was 40 years ago. >> translator: my kroopz are destroyed, so i have to give up farming. >> reporter: these men work for a large security company.

normally they provide protection services to individuals and businesses. but in april, company manager signed up with a city outside tokyo to remove wild boars plaguing the area. with this experience, they want to enroll in a new environment ministry program that offers certification to companies that can provide culling services. all the employees prepared for the work by obtaining hunting licenses. >> translator: don't step there. you'll break your leg. >> reporter: one advantage the security company brings to the project is advanced surveillance technology. workers have outfitted traps with remote sensor system. it can tell when an animal is caught and sends an alert to the firm's computer network. staff monitor the traps around the clock from a remote location. in the five months since it launched the project, the

company has already caught 17 wild boars. >> translator: we think it is if we get certified and extend business nationwide, we can break even, then start seeing some revenue. >> reporter: another entrepreneur found other business opportunities in helping farmers get rid of nuisance animals. kasani kundo runs a cleaning firm. earlier this year, he hired 21 people with hunting experience. he then received certification from the prefectural government to start a business to remove problematic animals. now the hunters have been able to turn their pasttime into making a little extra money.

on this day, a local farm union asked kondo to put down deer have been eating up grass in a pasture. >> translator: well, let's see how the deer react. >> reporter: one of the animals immediately appeared right in front of him. but it managed to escape. then a message comes through his head set. >> translator: they got one. >> reporter: another hunter has succeeded putting down a deer. kondo's work doesn't stop when the hunt is over. his company also sells meat off the animals. his goal is to get enough hunting work to provide a stable supply of meat. >> i am looking forward to developing the business in both ways. >> reporter: officials at the

environment ministry hope if the program picks up momentum, more jobs will become created. then a new generation of hunters will rise up to protect japan's farmland. >> that's the latest in business for this hour. i'll leave with you a check on markets. the egyptian government says

experts are analyzing the flight recorders of the russian passenger plane that crashed in eastern egypt. the jet had 224 people on board when it went down in the sinai peninsula on saturday. it was operated by a russian airline. a plane carrying the remains of the victims arrived on tuesday at an airport in st. petersburg. a spokesperson to the egyptian prime minister's office said 196 bodies have been recovered so far. and no survivors were found. the spokesperson added authorities aim to announce the cause of the crash within a month. >> translator: it's an unprecedented tragedy. i expressed my condolences to the bereaved families. i'll find out what happened and i'll take proper action. >> egyptian aviation authorities initially suspected that the accident was due to a technical malfunction. but an airline official said it is not possible for the aircraft to break up in the air because of a system failure. [ speaking foreign language ]

>> translator: the only possible explanation for the breakup of the aircraft during flight would be some kind of impact, some mechanical or physical impact. >> islamic state militants issued a statement saying they brought down the plane. the egyptian government claims the militants are not capable of hitting a target at an altitude about 9,400 meters. russia's interfax news agency quotes sources in egypt as to providing an insight into audio recordings from the plane's flight recorders. it says it includes sounds uncharacteristic of a standard flight moments before the airliner's disappearance from radar. a u.n. committee is calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons. some nuclear powers abstained while china and russia opposed the resolution. the u.n. general assembly's disarmament committee adopted the draft on monday, with 156 countries voting in support. japan has submitted similar measures for 22 straight years.

it stresses the immoral nature of nuclear weapons and urges nuclear powers to be more transparent in their disarment efforts. it also urges world leaders to visit hiroshima and nagasaki, the two cities targeted by atomic bombings during world war ii. the united states, britain, and france abstained from voting, despite having supported the resolution in past years. observers say nuclear powers apparently grew cautious about the japan proposed resolution amid deepening divisions between nuclear and non-nuclear nations. the chinese ambassador referred to japan's stance on world war ii to explain his country's decision to oppose the resolution. >> japan certainly asks the international community to keep in mind the history of hiroshima and nagasaki. on the other hand, japan has repeatedly refused to admit its horrendous war crimes.

>> translator: we believe it is natural to refer to the issue on the 70th anniversary of hiroshima and nagasaki. our proposal is about looking at the future to seek nuclear disarmament. it's definitely not about looking back at the past. >> scientists from around the world have gathered in one of the only cities to be devastated by an atomic bomb. they're in nagasaki for a pugwash conference to pub for the abolition of nuclear weapons and they heard from a japanese nobel laureate who lived through the city's bombing. osamu shimomura lived through the bombing and shared the nobel prize in chemistry in 2008. on tuesday, he recalled being 16 years old and seeing the bomber. >> translator: the terrible, cruel scene was so shocking that it changed my view of life. >> the scientist said although he has tried to forget what he witnessed, his memories have never faded.

>> translator: war is the root of all evil and all that i hope for is a world without conflict and nuclear arms. [ applause ] >> from him, the message we got, that's not should use the bomb anymore. >> another japanese nobel also laureate also attended this year's conference in nagasaki. nhk world naoki azuki has his story. >> reporter: toshahire masakawa is the head of a research institute at nagoya university. he and his team are working to uncover the origins of the universe. several years ago, he won the nobel prize for physics for research on particles.

>> translator: i am a logician, so don't feel like i have to experience something directly to understand it. i'll irref rant enough to say i understand things more deeply if i'm able to conduct tests about them. >> reporter: hiding in his office is a photo of the man who showed him what it means to be a scientist and a humanitarian. he was his mentor at nagoya this university. he was a major figure in physics and a leading japanese scientist of the pre and post-war eras. sagata is said to have been preoccupied of what led them to create the atomic bomb. >> translator: professor sakata always told me scientists should think about removing anything dangerous or negative from their fields. for a scientist, a love of people must come before a love of learning.

>> reporter: after the war, sakata dedicated himself to a new mission. persuading his fellow scientists to abandon arms-related research. he played a leading role in creating the pugwash conference. masukawa has carried on his mentor's mission. >> translator: as scientists, we need to consider the current state of affairs in the world and respond to it. that's the responsibility you assume by acquiring scientific knowledge. >> reporter: 70 years after the end of the war, the number of atom bomb survivors is steadily decreasing. masukawa says scientists should preserve the thoughts and feelings of those who experience the disaster and still bear its scars.

>> translator: up until now, survivors had spoken of their experiences directly. but from now on we scientists will have to relate to them in a different way despite never having experienced them. >> reporter: masukawa says scientists have a special perspective on the overwhelming destruction that nuclear weapons can cause. he believes scholars have a responsibility to carry on the survivors' messages and to advocate for a nuclear-free world. naoki yaguchi, nhk world, nagasaki. >> the number of refugees and migrants who crossed the mediterranean into europe in october nearly equaled the number for all of last year. the pace has been accelerating as the winter weather approaches. the u.n. hcr saying more than

218,000 from the middle east and africa made the crossing in october shall that's a monthly record and just below the 219,000 recorded in 2014. the u.n. says half of the migrants and refugees are from war-torn syria. many travel through turkey and then take boats to greek islands in the aegean sea. >> we have more than 10,000 people in a single day on these arriving on islands where there hasn't been the capacity to deal with those figures so really overwhelming situation. >> greek authorities say about 300 people were rescued on monday after their boat sank. at least four died and seven went missing. the u.n. hcr told nhk human traffickers are offering discounts to entice people to board their boards despite the bad weather. it's time for a check of the global weather with meteorologist jonathan oh. people in northern california are seeing something for the

first time in season. >> we're seeing a little bit of winter now moving into the northern portions of california. low pressure system dropped off and rolled over the state and that brought actually some much needed precipitation. let me show you the video to give you a little look of some of the white stuff on the ground here. it say welcome site. several centimeters of falling in the small town in the northern portions of california. we've talked about the historical drought in place. any form of precipitation, frozen or not is a welcome sight. the snowfall not helping much in the depleted snowpack. temperatures are bouncing back up a little bit so the snowfall is starting to melt off. in the meantime be a little more careful on the roadways because it is going to be a little bit slick. that low pressure system is moving toward the east. the wraparound colder air will actually bring the possibility of some winter precipitation into idaho and montana as they progress into wednesday. be prepared for a little bit

more of that wintry weather. further down to the south, southern california seeing scattered showers, again much needed extending into arizona and new mexico. meanwhile, a place where we really don't need more rainfall is in the southeastern portions of the united states. we've been watching a low pressure system that came out of texas during the weekend, moving across the deep south and now throwing some moisture back into this area, the carolinas and georgia, looking at flooding right now taking place, also places like in atlanta, where the water is getting close to waist deep high in some locations. now this is the good news. the rain is starting to ease off. we may still see scattered showers in the carolinas and into georgia as we go throughout the day wednesday but much less in terms of volume and hopefully that means drier conditions are coming up soon. here's a look at the forecast for north america as we go through wednesday. dry to the north and east, toronto into new york and washington, d.c., looking at highs near 20 degrees so if not a little bit above that. rain and showers into atlanta and miami and again some showers

to vancouver and snow showers into the rocky mountains as we go through wednesday. now i want to take us quickly over into yemen, we've been tracking this system that came onshore on tuesday. now we look at a deep depression. the system is starting to fall apart. we may see scattered showers as we go into the day wednesday. some places may see some wet weather, but in terms of flooding and heavier precipitation, most of that is gone at this point. now looking in the forecast for east asia, high pressure is the big weather mechanism that's creating some clear skies over the korean peninsula, into japan and also into portions of eastern china. now we do have a frontal boundary, with some residual moisture continuing to linger into the areas south of japan so that's going to bring some rain to places like taipei as we go through wednesday, a high of 29 degrees. 21 shanghai, 16 beijing and tokyo come up at 21 degrees, sunny skies as we go through wednesday and in fact the high pressure system creating a

beautiful wednesday throughout japan. is sapporo 19 degrees sunny skies, sendai 18. fukuoka 23 degrees and osaka looking at a very nice day, high of 22 degrees as we go throughout the day. hope you have a good day wherever you are. here is your extended outlook. it the

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

>> for some, it's an idle pastime. for others, it is literally a matter of life and death. find out what's put bangladeshi bloggers on the frontline of the country's fight against islamic extremists. that's coming up here, on "global 3000." hello, and welcome to the show. brave bloggers -- bangladeshi cybernauts who refuse to be silenced by islamic extremists mexico online -- why internet access and social mobility go hand in hand and protecting the caribbean -- the race is on to save fragile marine ecosystems from overfishing