hello there, welcome to "newsline." it's friday, november 6th. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. u.s. defense secretary ash carter visited a u.s. aircraft carrier sailing the contested waters of the south china sea. the visit came a week after a u.s. destroyer patrolled near an artificial island being built by china. the a.s.p. news agency report carter said aboard the "uss theodore roosevelt" there is a lot of concern about chinese behavior in the region. the captain also spoke to media on the aircraft carrier. robert francis reportedly said the destroyer sailed ten kilometers off subi reef where

china is conducting reclamation report. he reported his vessel had been shadowed by a chinese destroyer for about ten days before approaching the reef. officials from russia and egypt are dismissing claims that a bomb may have caused the crash of an airliner over the sinai. british prime minister david cameron had mentioned a strong possibility the plane was brought down by explosives. >> we cannot be certain that the russian airliner was brought down by a terrorist bomb, but it looks increasingly likely that was the case. >> the plane went down on saturday after leaving the egyptian resort of sharm el-sheikh. all 224 people on board died. most of the passengers were russian. an islamic state affiliate has claimed responsibility for the crash. prime minister cameron told russian prime minister vladimir putin it was increasingly likely a bomb was to blame but putin

said the cause of the accident should be determined based on information from the official investigation. observers say it would be a serious blow to russian's air campaign in syria. the british government suspended all regular flights to and from sharm el-sheikh but it has since decided to resume flights from the egyptian resort. it has also added extra flights to bring home about 20,000 stranded british citizens. the operator of the crippled fukushima daiichi nuclear plant built along the waterfront is reducing the amount of radioactive materials flowing into the ocean. tokyo electric power company engineers completed a 780-meter-long piling wall along an embankment in late october. it's 30 meters tall. the wall is designed to prevent contaminated groundwater at the plant from reaching the ocean. tepco officials measured the levels of radioactive substances in seawater along the embankment

to determine the barrier's effects. they say early this month the level of beta ray-emitting materials was measured at 32 becquerels per liter on average. that's down from 150 becquerels in mid-september. the level of radioactive cesium was reduced from 16 to 10 becquerels. the operator says it will continue to monitor the levels of radioactivity near the embankment to confirm the effects of the steel wall. the japanese prime minister wants his country to become more productive. to do that shinzo abe thinks it needs to embrace the future. ai uchida joins us from the business desk. what exactly does he have in mind? >> he has in mind drones and self-driving cars. actually, he wants to see them in the skies and in the roads in less than five years. in other words, before tokyo hosts the olympic games. abe told a gathering of government and business leaders to work hard on these innovative

technologies. >> translator: we will lead the world in putting the fourth industrial revolution into motion. through a transformation in productivity by investing in the future. this is a race against time. >> abe said he wants to see the automated vehicles cruising japan's roads by 2020 when tokyo hosts the olympic games. the prime minister directed the officials to step up their testing, trials and building of infrastructure. abe has also set his sights on drone delivery systems. a panel of private and public sector officials will examine ways to get that idea off the ground in three years at the earliest. he also urged the private sector leaders to boost their investment and hike work es'wages to achieve a virtuous economic circle. one success story for japan's slow-growing economy is tourism. the country's managing to attract considerably more visitors from abroad than government officials had

expected. so now they're thinking about hiking their official target by a large margin. the current number is 20 million foreign tourists a year by 2020. but that goal already seems set to be achieved. the estimated figure had already topped 15 million by october and government officials think the total could reach 19 million by the year end. the proposed new target is 30 million. the officials have decided to set up a panel headed by the prime minister to discuss measures for achieving the higher number. they're arranging to hold their first panel meeting next monday. the government man's to compile the outcome by the end of the current fiscal year in march. member nations in the transpacific partnership have agreed to hold annual meetings after the free trade pact gets under wait. the multi-lateral dialogue will cover nick and exchange rate policies. the plan is outlined in the full

text of the joint deck lar rave the tpp countries. the u.s. treasury department released the document on thursday. it stresses the importance of strengthening cooperation among the 12 member countries on economic issues and exchange rates for the tpp to be a success. the declaration says members will establish a group of senior economic officials who will meet once a year after the trade deal takes effect. they'll discuss their economic issues and challenges. it also says they'll invite officials from the international monetary fund and other institutions to attend some of the talks if needed. the 12 countries also confirmed their goal of promoting transparent exchange rate regimes. u.s. companies and other groups have lingering concern over some countries' manipulation of foreign exchange markets and undervaluing their currencies to promote exports. the declaration says at least once every three months all the countries will disclose whether they have intervened in foreign exchange markets. let's check on markets.

share prices in tokyo extending their gains heading for a third straight week of advances. the benchmark nikkei is up .5% at 19,221. analysts say investors are waiting for u.s. jobs data due out later today. the nonfarm payroll numbers will be closely watched as a strong figure could fuel the prospect of an interest rate hike. let's move on to currencies. the dollar higher against the yen and euro as traders bet on a liftoff in u.s. rates next month, the greenback edging slightly lower trading at 121.66-71 against the yen. against the single currency trading in the 1.08 range. let's take a look at some other markets across the asia-pacific. sydney shares trading lower this morning. in seoul the kospi is trading higher. hot spring resorts in japan have long been a favorite destination for people here. but many of the hotels and inns

have seen business dry up since the economic downturn of the 1990s. one bright spot in recent years has been the drastic increase in customers from abroad. now foreign entrepreneurs are sensing a business opportunity and buying up properties to serve the new market. >> reporter: this japanese inn is in a leading hot springs resort. it's been in business about 58 years and was recently purchased by a taiwanese company. the firm spent nearly $25 million to renovate the property which reopened last year. the cheapest weekday rate for a luxury room is $900 a night per person. still, these rooms have been completely booked by taiwanese tourists until march next year. a president of a taiwanese construction firm and his wife have planned a three-night stay here. it's their eighth visit.

>> translator: the water temperature is perfect. the inn is so relaxing. it makes us feel at home. i work hard in taiwan. so i come here to reward myself. >> translator: 70% to 80% of our guests are from overseas. the number of visitors from abroad is going up. most of our guests wear themselves out shopping in tokyo. we want to help them relax while they're here. >> reporter: chinese companies are also entering the local hotel business. after visiting a hotel in the hot springs resort the president of a chinese travel agency decided to buy it on the spot for $5.3 million. he wants to market the hotel to chinese tour groups.

>> translator: it was love at first sight. >> reporter: the 20-year-old hotel has lost money over the last few years as the number of japanese tourists has dwindled br the new owner believes he can turn things around with a complete renovation and 20 additional rooms. the day after the deal was sealed, the president assembled the employees to introduce himself. >> translator: my travel agency is now the official owner of this hotel. we want to work hard along with all of you. >> reporter: at first the workers were uneasy. they weren't used to serving visitors with unfamiliar customs and tastes. but the pep talk helped put employees at ease. they're now committed to doing whatever it takes to learn to cater to this new kind of guest.

>> translator: i'm not concerned anymore. i'm taking a more positive attitude. >> reporter: the trend of foreign companies buying japanese accommodations is likely to grow. and it will present new opportunities to make intercultural connections for the customers and the people who welcome them. more on business for you next hour. i'll leave you with a check on markets.

in our series "win of vision" we've been spotlighting women in japan who are influencing society and challenging its prevailing norms. today we feature haruno yoshida, the first female executive in the 70-year history of the japan business federation. yoshida is also a mother. she's expected to provide momentum to womanomics, a government initiative for promoting the advancement of working women. nhk world's keiko yamamoto has the story. >> reporter: haruno yoshida is the president of a subsidiary of major communications firm bt. >> thank you for your time. >> reporter: she's responsible for strategy and business operations and keeps in close touch with the company's other international branches.

yoshida found herself in the spotlight this year when the chairman of japan's largest business lobby appointed yoshida as the organization's first female executive. the only woman among 36 executives, she believes japanese companies could often use a woman's viewpoint. also, it may not have been the norm in business. >> i call this is basil effect, and i like this understanding. and here is a wonderful japanese dish. and as a final touch, he grab tonight not ginger but basil. that happened to be me. i wanted to contribute to change the situation in japan for female. >> reporter: women occupy 44% of the management positions in the u.s., 34% in britain, but in japan, only 11%.

japan's male-centered work culture and evaluation system, which endorsed long working hours, have prevented women from being promoted. >> work/life balance, the way we work right now in japan is, you know, proximity. you commute to the office 9:00 to almost 9:00. and elbow to elbow in the same office always. otherwise you are not considered you're working. but in western countries, wherever you are, as far as you deliver something you are expected to deliver, you're okay. >> reporter: yoshida moved to canada upon getting married, but after her divorce, she scored top marks in the marketing division of a telecom firm in new york as a working single mother. this is a drawing her daughter

made when she was 5. it shows yoshida is an angel on the globe. in those days, she was so busy with work and business trips that she barely had any time to be with her daughter. on the back of the drawing is the inscription, "you will always be here in my heart, mommy." >> i broke to tears when i saw that. my pure wish is time has come where my daughter can have as many options as possible as she like -- work or life, not like that, that she can have happy career path at the same time she can have happy family. >> reporter: yoshida is putting much of her energy into encouraging the member companies to put more women in management positions. to provide role models, she invites female executives from

overseas to address a committee that she heads. >> real benefit is when a business starts treating those women as equals, when you have an inclusive, truly inclusive, not just a diverse workplace. >> boys be ambitious. girls be bold and demanding. is that right? this is more or less cultural revolution that we never tried to change century after century. i think diversity inclusion, we really want to make it happen, we have to have society where various kind of option is available for everybody. >> reporter: yoshida says now is the time to boost the role of women and change a society where gender has been a dominant factor for far too long.

keiko yamamoto, nhk world. the final grand sumo tournament of the year kicks off on sunday in fukuoka, southwestern japan. the sport has been dominated by mongolians for quite some time, but a japanese wrestler is giving them reason to worry. yoshikaze won both the outstanding performance award and the technique prize at the last tournament. nhk world's hiro morita looks ahead to where that momentum might lead. >> reporter: people will be paying a lot of attention to one particular contestant, yoshikaze, mr. feisty. >> i'm feisty! >> reporter: feisty comes in a relatively compact package. 1.75 meters and 148 kilograms. that combination allows him to overcome bigger guys using fast footwork.

in the upcoming tournament, the 33-year-old veteran is back at the rank of fourth highest. >> translator: it's pretty amazing to see a small wrestler beat a big one. >> translator: he's like a skilled craftsman. his opponents have to stay alert until the match is really over. >> reporter: at the previous tournament, his victims included hakuho. the yokozuna had never lost to him before. that victory set off a winning streak over kakayu and two ozeki. yoshikaze finished with ten or more wins the third consecutive tournament. >> translator: i'm trying to remember how i won the match. but i can't summon up the memory at all. i felt like i was living in a dream for 13 days after i defeated hakuho.

>> reporter: yoshikaze started dreaming of a career in sumo as a child. he joined a kids club at the age of 10 and threw himself into the training. as a college student, he won the title of yokozuna in an amateur tournament. in 2004 he joined t eed a stable and started his professional career. he climbed the ranks and became the second fastest rikishi in history to reach the top division. but the big leagues of sumo proved to be a big struggle for a small guy like yoshikaze. he found himself going back and forth between his current place and the second tier divisions. at last year's november tournament, yoshikaze faced yet another challenge. he was in so much pain he

couldn't walk. a trip to the emergency room followed along with a diagnosis of a serious injury -- a torn muscle in his left thigh. >> translator: i was hoping to finish the match quickly. i brought the injury on myself because i was mentally weak. on the other hand, it was this accident that forced me to start thinking positively and to work on my shortcomings. >> reporter: the rehabilitation process included intense training to rebuild his muscles. his family helped rekindle the fire in his belly to succeed. >> translator: my wife told me she was frustrated to see other rikishi who had turned pro after me advancing into the higher ranks. her words really toughened me up and encouraged me. also, i want my children to know how much i love my job.

>> reporter: yoshikaze says that since the injury he's shifted his focus from winning to improving the quality of his matches. that's affected his current approach. >> translator: people say that the two most important things in sumo are body and soul. these days, i'm trying harder to please my soul. sumo gives me a lot of pleasure. >> reporter: fans are finding a lot of pleasure in his sumo too. they'll be giving him plenty of passionate support each time he steps in the ring this month. hiro morita, nhk world. >> looking forward to seeing more of mr. feisty's moves. a japanese rugby star has been talking up his game ahead of a big move. goromaru thrilled his fans during the world cup. now he's promising to give his all in australia as a member of

the queensland reds. >> translator: i will do my best so that japanese fans can feel proud seeing me play in a global arena. >> goromaru scored 58 points in the world come and earned a spot in the event's dream team. he electrified fans back home by striking a signature pose before kicking penalties and conversions. >> translator: i'm sure he'll be successful overseas as well. >> translator: he's great. we are all proud of him. go for it, goromaru! scratch. i will work as hard as i can and aim for good results. >> goromaru will play in the super rugby competition made up of clubs in australia, new zealand, and south africa. a cyclonic storm in the

arabian sea is heading towards yemen. this comes after another system made landfall. meteorologist jonathan oh joins us. the first storm is having an interesting impact on the latest one, it seems. >> this is a very interesting setup taking place because of chapala's immense around the rainfall as it was moving toward yes, ma'am help. it dumped so much rain it caused below-average sea surface temperatures near the peninsula. what does that mean? we have another system named meg. the cyclonic storm is rolling over record warmth which is the reason it's intensifying. as soon as it's seeing cooler waters it is going to struggle to intensify. it's going to weaken as it continues to push toward the west. here's a lack at the track. it is a cyclonic storm moving west-southwest at 12 kilometers per hour. it's expected to intensify as it continues over warmer waters, but as soon as it crosses back

into colder waters it is going to stay at that classification before weakening going into the weekend. it is expected to go over sakotra island bringing rainfall and strong winds in the the process. as it gets closer to the arabian peninsula it will continue to weaken and get resistance. by the time it reaches the coastline it may be a low pressure system which is a good thing because we need for the system to not bring any more rainfall after the record rainfall that took place earlier this week. so we'll keep an eye on this system as it moves toward the west. meanwhile, i want to take us into india, further toward the east, because we're now seeing a change in the weather pattern. we're getting into the colder temperatures. because of the temperatures falling it's causing some problems on the ground level. we're talking about smog. october or so people are reporting in the area that the pollution issue has been getting a little bit higher. when the temperatures start cooling down we start to have a lot of that air staying on the

ground level. respiratory issues are reported because of this. it looks like that the weather will remain dry. as long as it remains dry, that smoggy type of outlook is expected. we need the rainfall to help out. when we move into the monsoon of november and december the rainfall pattern's usually nonexistent. all that rain is pushed back out toward the ocean areas and the southern porings of india. it may be a problem for some time to come. speaking of dry weather we're seeing nice conditions over portions of east asia. high pressure system is keeping the skies clear over japan and also the korean peninsula. we do have the stationary frontal boundary that is lingering over the northeast of china. that will spread east during the weekend. korean peninsula dealing business wet weather and potentially wet weather for japyea japan into the first part of next week. colder air from a high pressure system will bring chance for snow flurries into beijing with a high of 5. 21 in oak tokyo. shanghai a high of 24 on friday.

as you look at the forecast for north america we do have a big trough, colder air filtering down through the mountains and then slamming up against the warm air coming from the southeastern side of the united states. we've been dealing with severe storms. in fact there's been one tornado report coming out of oklahoma from this particular setup. we're looking at active weather overnight into friday, extending chicago to houston, eastward into atlanta. be on the lookout for this particular weather setup. quickly what's happening in europe, mainly dry for the eastern side and the southern areas of the continent. a little wetter toward london and paris as you go through friday. hope you have a fantastic friday wherever you are. here's your extended outlook.

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

>> on this edition of "native report"... we learn about the game of lacrosse at a summer camp in fond du lac. we see how an organic recycling facility benefits communities that use it. and we visit the beautiful land of frog bay tribal national park. we also learn something new about indian country and hear from our elders on this "native report." >> production of "native report" is made possible by grants from the shakopee mdewakanton sioux community and the blandin foundation.