welcome to "newsline." i'm keiko kitagawa in tokyo. schools were closed on tuesday because of a terror threat. they will remain closed until the threat is cleared. here's more. >> reporter: the unified school district is the second largest in the country. it has 640,000 students who attend 1,200 schools. and all those students stayed home because of an e-mail threat. >> the e-mail was very specific to l.a. unified school district campuses, and it included all of

them. it was also very specific about the threat, the implied threat. the implied threat was explosive devices. the specific threat was attack with assault rifles and machine pistols. >> reporter: the news left parents in this area worried for the safety of their children. >> it's real. watching from what happened in san bernardino, that's pretty close to home. now this one here is even closer. that's kind of scary. >> reporter: the threat came less than two weeks after an attack by a husband and wife who were inspired by islamic state militants. the shooting in san bernardino left 14 people dead. officials in new york city say they also received a threat. >> the e-mail that was received in new york city, which is similar -- almost exactly the same we see in other locales, specifically los angeles, that

we do not see that as a credible terrorist threat, and we are investigating it as a hoax. >> reporter: l.a. officials they say overreacted by deciding to close all schools in the district. white house spokesperson josh earnest said local authorities made decisions based on the information they received. he said they do what they believe is in the best interests of their communities. the fbi has been in touch with the enforcement authorities. the national security team at the white house will continue to monitor the situation. are nhk world. officials at the international atomic energy agency have decided to scrub their probe into allegations that iran was developing a nuclear weapons program. the agency's board of governors

unanimously adopted a resolution to that effect at a meeting in vienna. the board met to discuss the final report on the allegations that the agency released on december 2nd. tehran and six world powers adopted a deal in october to limit iran's nuclear activities. the u.s. has called on iran to implement the accord with trust from the international community. iran stressed that ending the investigation will help the agreement to be implemented swiftly. the resolution asks all the parties involved in the pact to honor their respective commitments. >> this issue has a long and complex history, and a legacy of mistrust between iran and the international community. it must be overcome. >> now that the investigation is coming to a close, some diplomatic sources say economic sanctions on tehran could be lifted as early as next month.

saudi arabia has announced an alliance of 34 muslim countries to combat terrorism. defense minister said they would coordinate efforts against what he described as a disease. >> translator: we'll take action against any terrorist group that appears before us. >> turkey, egypt, nigeria and pakistan are among the members. the alliance does not include iran, iraq or syria. the state-run saudi press agency published a statement saying saudi arabia will lead the coalition. the operation center will be located in its capital, riyadh. saudi arabia and other arab nations are also taking part in a u.s.-led operation against the islamic state militant group. japan allies are seeing the passengers destined for france plunge since november's terror attacks in paris. they will suspend some flights between the main airports of tokyo and paris.

jal officials say most trips from mid-january until the end of february will be canceled. they say the occupancy rate of flights connecting narita international airport and de gaulle has fallen. people who already have reservations have been asked to change their flights out of the hanaka airport. u.s. secretary of state john kerry and russian president vladimir putin have agreed to push ahead with peace talks for syria. the talks are set to be held in new york on friday. the agreement came following a meeting between both men in moscow on tuesday. kerry also held talks with the russian foreign minister, sergei lavrov. last month negotiate esors agren

a proposed plan for peace in vienna. the u.s. and russia are still divided on the future role of syrian president bashar al assad. they're also divided on which opposition forces should join the peace talks. >> there is no policy of the united states per se to isolate russia. there is a policy of the united states to stand up for our principles and our values, but to try to work with russia and to join together in as constructive a way as possible. >> lavrov said that the two sides agreed to continue efforts to create an opposition delegation, and an agreed list of islamist terrorist groups. the plan in vienna calls for negotiations between assad's government and anti-government forces. it calls for a national election in syria and a u.n. supervision within 18 months. people who follow the u.s.

central bank are expecting change. many think federal reserve policy makers will decide to raise the key interest rate. ai uchida joins us from the business desk with more. what makes us think that the policy makers will make a change? >> certain pieces of economic data have supported that. for example, prices are rising exact lip the way policy makers want. they have an inflation target of 2%. and data for last month showed that they are indeed right on target. officials have gathered in washington. they'll decide what to do during their two-day monetary policy meeting. the fed lowered the rate to prop up the u.s. economy after the global financial crisis symbolized by the collapse of lehman brothers in 2008. the u.s. unemployment rate hit 10% at one point. but that's history. the economy has been steadily recovering. the latest physician urs show the jobless rate has improved to 5%. fed chair janet yelp expressed

an upbeat outlook op the economy two weeks ago. she said improvements are taking place in line with the central bank's expectations. market people are fairly certain that a rate hike, the first since june 2006, will come out of the meeting. analyists say the fed's decision has much symbolism, showing the u.s. economy is among the first to recover. japan and europe are still dependent on massive monetary easing measures. the fed is expected to announce its decision on wednesday. yellen will explain the decision in a news conference following the announcement. ahead of the fed policy meeting, tokyo share prices opened firmly in the positive this morning following a rally on wall street. the nikkei is trading higher by 1.7%, 18,894 at the moment. analyists say most investors have priced in a rate hike. a bounce in oil prices and a weaker yen are boosting the sentiment. let's move on to currencies and see what's happening there. the dollar is trading higher against the yen.

many traders were more assured after the november core inflation data in the u.s. rose 2% from a year earlier. the dollar is also strengthening against the euro. many analysts say a rate hike could buoy the dollar further and the euro is trading lower against the yen. we are seeing strong gains across the board so far. sydney share prices, and seoul's kospi both up about 1.5%. merger negotiations involving struggling japanese electronics firm sharp are now entering a critical phase, after several buyout offers. a taiwan-based electronics giant offered several offers. sources say some of the proposals made last week by honhai precision involved the total buyout of the company. the officials apparently see the move, including the acquisition of the liquid crystal display as

a way of improving their competitiveness. officials at sharp and their main bank are expected to study carefully whether these proposals would help rebuild the electronics firm. meanwhile, the innovation network corporation of japan is considering whether to invest in sharp's struggling lcd business. sharp is planning to spin off the display business and set up a new company. the japanese government backed fund is will take a majority of shares in the spin-off to keep them from leaving the country. disagreements between industrialized and developing nations have stalled the doha free trade talks for years. they want it scrapped and replaced with a new focused framework. it calls for agreement in eight areas, including industrial, industrial products and services

by all wto members. the trade minister told reporters that new ideas are needed to replace the comprehensive approach brought by the doha round which was launched in 2001. he made the comment at the world trade organization in the kenyan capital of nairobi. >> translator: reaching an agreement is difficult, even after they spent many years of holding talks. so i think we need to try a new approach. >> he proposed that interested parties sit down together to work out issues on specific fields. he conveyed his idea to kenyan trade secretary muhammad who chairs the wto meeting. but emerging economies are likely to oppose it. a growing number of women in southeast asia are making waves in the business world. in the second part of our

two-part series, kyoko fujita sits down with a thai woman who has bigger things in mind. >> reporter: this is the ceo of one of thailand's largest retail developers. she succeeded her father who founded the firm. she built the nation's first modern shopping center in the 1970s. she has worked hard to stay ahead of the curve. >> customers' behavior are changing every day. so the stores, all the shopping mall cannot stay the same. therefore, it's our policy to renovate our shopping malls every few years. >> reporter: this shopping center underwent a face lift two years ago. she persuaded 200 well-known international and local brands to shop here to make some changes as well. this included creating sales

force unlike those of their other stores. and releasing products at the center before offering them anywhere else in thailand. she also required tenants to come up with products which would be sold exclusively at this mall. >> translator: there are clothes, cosmetics and lots of other things. this place is at the center of the fashion world. >> reporter: the shopping mall business is booming in thailand. tourism are attracting investors. the ceo believes originality is the key to beating the competition. >> the whole building has to have its own character, like a person who has a heart and a soul. clearly defined. because nowadays, every shopping mall mostly looks the same. the philosophy is to create the place that invites people and make them happy. >> reporter: she said a

childhood experience in tokyo helped shape her business philosophy. when she was about 5 years old, her mother took her to one of the city's most luxurious department stores. >> i bought something. it took a long time for the girl to wrap in a very tiny gift package that looks really, really good that i didn't want to open it when i got back home. that is a very good example for me to set this system in our shopping mall and department stores, to be something which is really impressive, and very much into detail, just to show that we care. >> reporter: she's trying to recreate that kind of experience and develop a new landmark in southeast asia. she's building a complex in bangkok that will include high-end residences and stores. the project will involve the largest private investment in

the country's history. it's scheduled to open in 2017. now she's working with the managers of the department store she visited all those years ago. she's asked them to open a store in the new complex. >> translator: we want to establish a world class store that we can be proud of, offering the best products from japan and the rest of the world. >> reporter: she said the complex would attract wealthy shoppers, not just from thailand, but from neighboring countries as well. she believes it will become the foremost retail destination in southeast asia. >> we're surrounded and connected by land, with so many emerging countries. that is, of course, they are also the new destination of foreign investment as well. so because of what thailand has been, and what we are today, i

still believe we have more advantage than other countries to grow more, and to become one of the leaders of this area. >> reporter: this innovative business leader is enthusiastic about the future of retail, and she hopes her iconic new project will offer shoppers an unforgettable experience. kyoko fujita, nhk world. here's another check on markets. a recent united nations survey suggests that myanmar is among the world's top producers of opium.

it presents a challenge for the new government. the national league for democracy party led by aung san suu kyi marked a sweeping election victory in november. the u.n. office on drugs and crime released its annual report on tuesday. it estimates myanmar's opium b tons. that figure is second only to afghanistan. the drug problem presents some tough challenges for the new government. aung san suu kyi and the nld will first have to deal with the issue of poverty in myanmar. the money from poppy cultivation is a special for villages. many of them are from ethnic minorities and already say there's insecurity. >> the challenge that i've presented, and the fact that parts of the north of the country is essentially a drug economy, she has a big task in front of her. it's not something which is going to be fixed in a day. >> the incoming democratic

administration will also have to seek cooperation from the country's powerful military. according to the military drafted constitution, the army chief can appoint three important posts in the fight against drugs. the ministers of defense, home affairs and border affairs. most drugs are cultivated in border areas controlled by ethnic minority armies. fish auctions are a big business in japan with the most flairful specimens making the way to top sushi restaurants. at one particular auction, however, the fish are sold to survi survive. >> reporter: overseas workers get out of the car to take in the preview.

these colorful patterns have earned their nickname swimming jewels. buyers from abroad account for 95% of this wholesaler's annual sales. he said he's seen the shift in nationalities. >> translator: i used to have a lot of european buyers. >> reporter: this graph shows export sales of koi and other aquarium fish. over the years the biggest increase has come from hong kong. the doorway to china. that market has started to shrink, though. this man from hong kong buys carp at this auction every year. but he says wealthy chinese aren't selling them like they used to.

on the other hand, he's eager to buy. he's a broker from malaysia. >> indonesia has a market. i think it's now growing. >> reporter: the country has been enjoying economic growth. sales are up. and the other parts of southeast asia. indonesia is a huge market with the fourth largest cooperation in the world. many well-to-do young people are moving from jakarta to the suburbs. where they have room to build big houses with gardens. the koi add to the atmosphere. >> giving the design to everybody who want to buy his house, like this. and then got them with the koi

pond there. >> reporter: he was keeping an eye on the koi going up for auction. but he wasn't the only one. >> maybe this is more than 1 million. maybe. >> reporter: bidders sent the price up and up. 1 million yen bid. he went on to pay an even higher price for another koi. the bidder from hong kong was shopping in the $2,500 range. his strategy was to resell to younger customers. he bought 35 koi. more than any other buyer.

>> i can get my koi. >> reporter: all together, the auctions follow the currencies of the economy in asia. it's a rare honor that is out of this world. people in japan were given permission to name four planets discovered by a japanese astronomer. the international astronomical union invited people from around the world to suggest names for 32 planets outside the solar system, four of which were discovered by sato in 2007 and 2008. the names chosen were submitted from japan. >> translator: i'm so happy to know the planets i discovered got named by japanese people. >> one of the planets is located

in the constellation taurus, and has a mass of about eight times that of jupiter. an observatory in hiroshima prefecture put forward the name. sato said he hopes more and more people will become interested in searching for other planets. since the 1990s, more than 2,000 planets have been detected outside earth's solar system. it's time for world weather with our meteorologist, robert speta. we're experiencing an unusual warm temperature here in tokyo. what will happen next? >> yes, actually, what we have going on out here across much of northeastern asia, this low pressure is moving through and steering the atmosphere into the big swing of temperatures. you can see all the cloud cover moving over most of japan. ahead of it, the temperatures are warming up in tokyo. actually, a high of 18 degrees

is expected here on wednesday. but by thursday and friday, it's really going to be changing up. you want to get the winter coats out. behind this, we have the high pressure moving in from the northwest surging in all this cold air with it. first across the korean peninsula and japan as well. the snowfall will make its way in out here. and some areas, especially over towards hokkaido, as much as 30 centimeters on thursday alone. but even we could see about 20 to 30 centimeters farther down to the south and the higher elevations across honshu. you get the cold air coming in over the warmer waters of the sea of japan, and that's really where it does pile up here. now, i do want to note, tokyo typically stays dry in these events. that's exactly what's going to be happening with this. 18 for the high. it will be cooling off. it will stay dry, but you're going to want a jacket. the overnight lows will be pushing down toward the freezing

point. the snow will really pile up into sapporo. let's talk about our tropical system now. of course, this has been one of the main topics. typhoon melor, tracking across southern luzon the last several days. now it is lingering toward the west of manila, continuing to bring the heavy rainfall. gusty winds near the coastal areas as it drifts farther there towards the west. now, it is just going to continue to linger off there. you can see the past track, it made its initial landfall monday morning. let's go to video we have coming out of the area. it shows the damage that has been taking place out here. severe flooding, cutting off roadways, leaving most of this area in the dark as far as communication coming out of that area. at least one casualty has been reported at this time. but as i mentioned, there are many rural communities still cut off. what we are going to be looking at over the next several days is getting more news out of that region. hopefully there is not more

reports of casualty. really an incredible feat taken by the philippine government ahead of this storm system after rapidly intensifying about 24 hours before it made landfall. evacuating some 700,000 people out there. as our storm does continue to linger, it is still going to be bringing that heavy rainfall across this region. there's a chance of flooding and landslides before it does eventually track there towards the southwest, weakening out as it moves over there towards south china sea. let's look at australia as well. i do want to make mention of this. because we have summer rolling in out here. above average temperatures this early in the season has been taking place. northerly winds have been thrust down to the south. and actually many tourist areas here into the airports are handing out pamphlets to people visiting the country because of the extreme heat which is continuing to linger there. that really is the case, especially in south australia. look at that, a high of 39 here on your wednesday. back to the east, a little cooler in sydney.

you do have some thunderstorms flaring up by your midweek with a passing front. all right. i'll leave you now with your extended outlook. that wraps up this edition of "newsline." i'm keiko kitagawa in tokyo. thank you for watching.

>> a strong signal is due to be sent from paris not only about fighting terrorism, but also about tackling another worldwide threat -- global warming. starting next monday, the international community gathers in the french capital to negotiate a climate treaty in which all countries not just industrialized ones commit to curbing greenhouse gas emissions. it's about time as this edition of "global 3000" will show. under water -- why the largest island in ladeshs bein submerged. ice-free alaska -- we visit a region where climate changs