hello there. welcome to "newsline." it's thursday, january 21st. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. investors are worried oil keeps falling to multiyear lows and stock markets in new york are going down with it. overnight on wall street, the dow jones industrial average was down more than 560 points at one stage. let's go directly to ai uchida from our business desk. >> people are worried there's too much oil available but not enough buyers. on one hand oil producing countries are not cutting back on their supply. iran will be another major exporter. on the other hand, economies of countries like china once a

guzzler of oil is slowing down. the benchmark wti futures went below $27 per barrel, the lowest level since 2003. the index closed at $26.55 in new york trading hours, declining 6.7% from tuesday's close. still, oil did rebound quite a bit in extended hours, briefly going above $28 a barrel. trading was also volatile on the dow, but by the close, they had trimmed some of the earlier steeper losses, it ended the day down by 1.5%. but here in tokyo, many investors are hunting for bargain shares, after yesterday's plunge of more than 3%. tokyo stock prices did open the morning higher relatively weaker yen is supporting market sentiment, too. the nikkei is trading in positive territory, up 1.3% at 16,635. oil related shares are gaining this morning, after oil prices recovered in asian trading

hours. let's see what's happening with currencies. the dollar/yen pair that is recovering from a one-year low overnight of below 116 yen. the pair is now in the mid 117 yen range. the euro is weaker against the dollar, and the yen, many traders are waiting for the outcome of the european central bank policy meeting later today. taking a look across the asia-pacific region we are seeing a pretty positive picture so far with australian shares up 1.2%. south korean shares up just about half a percent. the slide in crude oil is one of the top issues in davos, switzerland. participants at the world economic forum say they are worried about possible effects on the global economy. new york university professor nourio roubini was speaking at a session on the chinese economy. >> the cost of oil prices if it's driven by a positive supply shock should be good for the global economy and instead it

seems to be rattling financial markets, i think for a couple of reasons. one is that maybe it's driven not just any longer by positive supply shock but also about concerns about aggregate demand globally, weakness of growth in china, the weakness of growth in emerging markets, weakness of growth in the united states, so if the falling oil prices are reflecting weak global growth, it's bad news about the global economy. >> one of the contributing factors behind the slide is the lifting of economic sanctions by western countries against iran. investors are worried global oversupply will grow even bigger once iran resumes oil exports. the head of the iranian presidential office met reporters but did not comment on falling oil prices. the tumble in stock prices is taking its toll on the value of japanese blue chip firms. their total market capitalization has sunk to a four-month low dipping below the 500 trillion yen mark on

wednesday for the first time since september. the 1,934 companies listed on the first section of the tokyo stock exchange had a total value of about $4.2 trillion as of wednesday's close. that's off by about $650 billion since the start of 2016. share prices have been in decline since the market opened for the new year on worries about china's slowdown and the slide in crude oil. market players are now waiting for the release of earnings reports. i'll have more for you in business news next hour. for now i'll leave with you a check on markets.

a man believed to be a member of the pakistani taliban has claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on a university. 18 students and two staff members were killed. four gunmen stormed the school in the northwestern town of charsadda wednesday morning and opened fire. security forces rushed in. military officials say all the assailants died in a shoot-out. pakistani prime minister nawaz sharif vowed to eradicate terrorism. the man claiming responsibilities is believed to be one of the assaillants in an attack a year ago. they killed more than 140 people, mostly children. a group monitoring syria's

civil war says islamic state militants have released 270 civilians, including women and children. the militants captured them last weekend during fighting with syrian government forces in the country's east. the britain-based syrian observatory for human rights says the militants reportedly continue to hold male prisoners between the ages of 14 and 55. the human rights group says the militants hope to enlist them as fighters. the extremist group also rounded up another 50 men on tuesday. the militants on saturday launched a heavy offensive to take government-held areas in the east. about 400 civilians were thought to have been kidnapped and taken to northern areas such as raqqah, one of the group's strongholds in syria. the islamic state group has confirmed the death of a notorious masked militant known as jihadi john. the announcement comes one year after he appeared in a video threatening the lives of kenji goto and haruna yukawa, two japanese citizens. the journalist and the self-proclaimed military contractor were eventually killed by the group. since then, the international

fight against the militants has stepped up. nhk world's chikako tanaka looks at the state of the conflict. >> reporter: air strike after air strike have taken place in territories held by the islamic state militant group. the u.s.-led coalition and russian forces have been bombing for months in syria and iraq. but what impact have the air strikes really had? an egyptian organization that monitors radical activity says the strikes are disrupting the group's propaganda machine. the once frequent number of video posts by the group has dropped dramatically in recent months. fighters also imply it is losing ground. nhk world was able to interview a member of the islamic state militant group in syria. >> translator: air strikes by coalition forces are fierce. we pulled out from a number of cities. more and more fighters were killed or injured.

>> reporter: what does that mean for the territory it has seized? we asked an expert on middle east issues. >> highest dominant areas are said to be diminishing. according to some western reports, i.s. lost about 15% or 20% of their territories in 2015. >> reporter: but with recent attacks believed to be inspired by the group in places like indonesia, france and turkey, fears persist. the group has said it will target countries that have attacked it. >> translator: key members of the group were saying that we would attack russia next. >> reporter: some say the attacks across the world signal a change in tactics.

>> we can find a kind of shift of their tactics or strategies. they might turn their eyes to -- from near enemy to far enemy. >> reporter: despite the pressure on the group, no one knows how difficult it will be to break its hold, and the threat of terrorism will continue to cast a long shadow over the international community. chikako tanaka, nhk world. communist party officials in vietnam kick off an eight-day congress in hanoi on thursday. the meeting is held every five years. it's a key political event in the country's calendar. more than 1,500 representatives from across the nation will choose the party leadership and discuss national policies. delegates to the congress are expected to call for further

economic reforms and sustainable growth building on recent progress made toward integrating the regional economy. vietnam is a member of the asean economic community which was launched last month, and the country has signed up to the landmark trans-pacific partnership trade accord. the delegates are likely to endorse nguyen phu trong to retain the post of general secretary. the congress will likely decide to beef up national defense to protect the country's sovereignty. vietnam has territorial disputes with china over some islands in the south china sea. vietnam is enjoying annual economic growth of about 6%. the boom is luring back thousands of people who left during the turmoil of the vietnam war and its aftermath. these ex-patriots were once labeled as dissidents. they started to trickle back after the government established policies to welcome them home. today their skills are helping the country develop. in the second part of our series

on vietnam, nhk world's yuko fukushima meets one such returnee. >> reporter: ho chi minh city, the former capital of south vietnam has become a major destination for returnees who want to invest in new business opportunities. it's also becoming a new battlefield for companies who want to recruit them. that's because ethnic vietnamese coming from overseas acquired skills that are much in demand in this emerging economy. this is one of the largest recruitment companies in the country. the asean economic community has been established and transpacific partnership trade deal is set to go into effect. they have prompted foreign corporations to move into vietnam at breakneck speed. those companies are relying on recruitment firms to find qualified employees and many vietnamese returning from abroad also called vietq fit the bill. >> we have language skills, they have management skills and here

there are a lot of business opportunities for them to be more successful, for them to contribute to the homeland, why not? >> reporter: kros ken nguyen an american vietnamese decided to come to hoe key minute for work in 2014. he's a developer with experience leading a number of major construction projects in new york. he now works for an international developer that entered the vietnamese market a few years ago. he's in charge of 16 projects. >> in vietnam, it is more uncertainty, but there's a beauty that i've learned to appreciate in that uncertainty. and of course there's opportunity as well. it's still an emerging market. >> reporter: the vietnam war ended in 1975. many living in south vietnam were forced to flee. mass migration continued for several years.

nguyen and his family defected in 1978. he was only 3 years old when his parents brought him onto a boat out of the country. they found a new home in the united states. he grew up as a typical american kid and didn't really think of his origins until he reached his 30s. the rapid development of vietnam made him think of its business possibilities. >> honestly, i can wake up tomorrow and open up any company i want and do whatever i want to do here. of course you need to put hard work into it to be successful. >> reporter: at the developer he now works for, he introduced the idea of sharing progress updates on all projects. in vietnam, construction projects fall behind deadlines or go over budget. ken is helping keep things under control. this year, his team is starting more than ten new projects. >> i can learn from him about the logic, his logic is really good and also i think a lot of skill i learned from him.

>> five to ten years from now, my hope is that vietnam will be a leader in the asia-pacific area. we will be able to compete with korea and japan and hopefully china, and make our mark globally. >> reporter: to further propel its economic growth, the government is making it easier for vietnamese to come from overseas and work in the country. >> translator: this is a good time to return home. they can come and live in their home country if they want to, and use their ability and knowledge to contribute to the country's development. >> reporter: vietnam is opening its market as it tries to maintain economic growth. it will be important to learn how to play the game on a global scale and the new generation of returnees is joining the team. yuko fukushima, nhk world.

japan's opposition lawmakers plan to question economic revitalization minister akira amari in diet debate on his political funds reports. amari is in charge of transpacific partnership free trade negotiations. magazine published on thursday reports that a construction company offered cash to amari's office. a source close to the minister says amari's office received a total of about $8,500 in 2013 and 2014 but may have failed to record it in political funds reports. amari said he'll look into the claim by the magazine. >> translator: i'll check the facts and fulfill my responsibility to explain what happened to clear any public doubt. >> he has also suggested he'll revise his political funds reports if it's confirmed that any donations were not recorded. some members of the governing

coalition say it's not a serious matter that could lead to the minister's resignation, but others are concerned it could affect management of the government and diet deliberations, as he has played a key role in leading the tpp talks. opposition lawmakers say they'll urge amari to straighten out the facts in diet debate and set to bring up prime minister shinzo abe's responsibility for appointing him as a cabinet minister. japan's transport ministry has released two videos believed to have been taken moments before a deadly bus accident earlier this month. the bus was carrying 39 passengers from tokyo to a ski resort in central japan. it veered off a mountain road and rolled down an embankment. two drivers and 13 passengers, all university students, were killed. the footage was captured by two surveillance cameras. the first about one kilometer from the accident site. the second just 250 meters away.

the first shows the bus traveling a constant speed and everything appears normal the second camera shows the bus heading around a curb at a high speed. watch as it crosses the center line, its rear brake lights illuminated. police believe that the driver may have lost control of the bus. an engineering expert analyzed the accident scene. he said the bus' speed just before the crash was much faster than the legal speed limits of 50 kilometers per hour. >> translator: the bus must have been traveling 70 to 80 kilometers per hour. the brake lights are on but the vehicle is speeding. this means the brake may not have been working and the driver must have been frantic. just trying to keep control of the bus. >> the professor added that anyone not wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident would have been thrown violently from their seat.

explosions at a fireworks factory in southeast china have reportedly killed at least three people. chinese media say more than 60 others were injured. the blast occurred before wednesday. china's social media site weibo carried messages five kilometers away from the site saying they felt he tremors. the factory is reportedly far from residential areas and most workers were not at the site at the time of the blast. police have detained the factory manager. factories across china are busy producing fireworks for the lunar new year on february 8. indonesia's expanding middle class has more disposable income

these days after years of economic growth in the country. as yusuke ota tells us from jakarta, the cosmetics department is building. >> reporter: beauty here isn't just for the wealth anymore. cosmetics have been expanding more than 10% a year. >> translator: for women, fair skin is a valuable asset. it's important to invest in your skin care. >> reporter: you can see various products in your cosmetic store in jakarta. and while the most popular product is skin care product. many women have darker skin, but would prefer a paler complexion. south screen tv drama five years ago sparked the trend. this pop singer took a year-long

break and surprised last year when they saw her light skin tone, but many ordinary women will do the same. 27-year-old ajida spends up to 90 minutes a day taking care of her skin. she began wanting whiter skin when she started working in a bank. her monthly salary of some $340 is about average for her worker. she spends about 10% of it on cosmetics. >> translator: meeting with people is my job. so i want to a look attractive. i think light skin and good grooming are most important. >> reporter: the trend has caught the eye of manufacturers from japan. these products are designed specifically for indonesians and went on sale in august. >> translator: this is made from natural ingredients from japan.

look how it works. >> translator: that's nice. >> translator: people here want aging care and skin lightening products. i'm sure the market will continue to grow. >> not everyone approves of the >> reporter: not everyone approves of the whitlighter ski trend. this women's empowerment group says people should cherish their natural characteristics and use cosmetics that enhance, not hide them. >> translator: do they think darker skin is not beautiful? that is the wrong idea. they should take greater pride in what they naturally have. >> reporter: indonesians now have more choices with more different views on what it means to be beautiful, the country's cosmetics market is expected to continue to boom. yusuke ota, nhk world, jakarta. people in tokyo are bundling

up. skies are clear and it is sunny, but it's cold out. meteorologist robert speta joins us with the latest in world weather. >> yes, actually the temperatures continue to dip down to some of the coldest of the season. northwesterly winds across most of japan including tokyo bringing in snow and also much colder temperatures. tokyo itself has been sheltered from most of the white stuff but other areas of japan it has been continuing to pile up, in fact, some areas off toward the north take a look at this, nearly three meters of snowfall reported over there towards hokkaido. that is just troublesome. now down toward the south, 85 centimeters into tohoku and areas just outside of tokyo 70 to 08 centimeters as well. this is an ongoing situation as we see more snow piling up here on thursday. good news, it is tapering off for the time being, but things are going to be changing up here and also over towards the tokyo

area, you're going to be looking at some white stuff into the forecast as we go ahead into saturday. the reason is, we have this storm system developing here in southeastern china. right now that's bringing some snowfall to areas just west of shangh shanghai, even across the yangtze river basin you're seeing the white stuff. that gives you an idea how strong this is. as it moves to the northeast it will move toward okinawa which by the way on sunday near record-breaking lows over there for you. as it pulls to the northeast tokyo is expecting the white stuff. let's look at the temperatures. all this cold air is coming from somewhere? beijing high minute us 2. ulan bator a high of minus 6. look at the overnight low, harbin expecting minus 34. by sunday pyongyang dropping down. toward seoul, minus 16 on sunday. absolutely chilly out there. you want to be bundling up and expect some snowfall for a lot of you.. let's look at the complete opposite here, talk about the tropics. we have our latest tropical

cyclone, this is victor, spinning up. it was once a very powerful storm system. now it's starting to weaken out, but this is not something you want to take for granted though. we still have this as a category 3 tropical cyclone, that's the equivalent of category 1 talking about hurricanes in the atlantic or a weak typhoon toward the north. winds about 120 kilometers per hour. it's moving just toward the south of tonga. you could see tropical storm winds come out of this and definitely the high waves before it moves away. i know just looking at the picture you may be thinking this is a fish storm, it's not impacting people but there is a few of these islands which are going to be taking some impact from this storm system. let's take a look over here towards europe. i do want to mention western europe. we have this area of low pressure, you can see it just coming into the picture. that's bringing some blustery conditions out there in the british isles, even extending down towards portugal and most of the iberian peninsula.

you're going to see some rough weather out of it, maybe thunderstorms. this has been the big topic this week. we have this area of low pressure, storms across parts of italy, into the balkans, moving across turkey. ankara expected snowfall out here thursday, friday, maybe into saturday as well but north of this, because this right here is the southern extent of the jet stream, this is what i want to talk about. look at these temperatures out here for you. it is getting well below the freezing point for your highs on thursday. all right, here's the extended outlook.

one more story to share with you before we go. people in western japan have saved a whale stranded in

shallow waters. the ten-meter-long was found in tokoshima prefecture. curator said it is a sperm whale, an animal rarely found in coastal waters. it had injuries on its head and other parts of the body. police officers and residents tried to push the whale toward deeper water but they were not successful. four hours later, fishermen tied a rope around the whale's body and pulled it out to sea. [ applause ] >> translator: i'm really moved to tears. >> the whale swam back to the deep ocean. and that what happens up this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for staying with us.

>> hello and welcome to "in good shape" from berlin. great to have you with us. let's jump into this week's health and fitness topics. here is what we have for you. high hopes. fertility methods to support couples fighting to have a child. big changes. how one man solved his problems through yoga. and the chemistry of joy. what happens in the body when we experience happiness. e