glad to have you with us on this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in coto. scientists gravitational waves. the ripples that travel in the fabric of space and time have been proposed by albert einstein's theory of relatively 100 years ago. the detector which was built in central japan. the facility consists of three kilometer long pipes connected at right angles inside underground tunnels. a laser beam split into each pipe is reflected by mirrors.

it returns to the source in the same amount of time. but when gravitational waves from space shower down upon the earth, they warp the space, the laser beams travel through. therefore, the beams will return at different times. the group led by professor of the university of tokyo will observe the lag in the arrival time of the beams to detect gravitational waves. scientists says he'll begin by march 2018. >> translator: i hope it will be the first step to establish the emerging field of gravitational wave. the moment a black hole is born. a u.s. based international research team announced last month that it directly detected gravitational waves for the first time. officers from the tokyo

metropolitan police department have conducted security drills ahead of the group of seven summit in may. some will be sent in western japan to prepare for the arrival of world leaders. roughly 1,000 officers took part in the exercises in tokyo. part of a program to increase security in the capital, which is crowded with tourists enjoying the arrival of spring. one scenario involves spotting two suspicious another drill simulated terrorist attacks at an airport and shopping mall, emergency response crew to deal with the hijacked bus. one senior owe officials used the attack in belgium for what

they need to be prepared for. a cargo ship has threat the philippines, taken off a un black list. coast guard officers said it departed thursday for china. the u.n. security counsel lifted it on monday. the north korean company is no longer involved in the ship's operation. the council had put the ship on 31 vessels subject to a freeze. officials blame the north korean firm by changing their names. the listing was part of a sanctions resolution adopted earlier this month against north korea. the measure was introduced in response to pyongyang's fourth nuclear test and rocket launch. it is widely to are been a test of the north's long-range ballistic missile technology. it is time for the latest in business news. japanese officials have released a key piece of economic data, ai

uchida joins us from the business desk. >> i have consumer prices for you. an analysts did expect a slight increase of 0.1%, but this morning's figures come out unchanged, and that's for last month. officials at the internal affairs ministry say the consumer price index, that includes oil products, but not fresh food, is flat for february, from the same month last year. this is the second month in a row of zero growth. but when energy and all types of food are excluded, the gauge was up, rising 0.8% year on year. that rose, that figure rose for the 29th consecutive month. let's check in on markets. stock prices ended marginally higher. dow jones and nasdaq inched up about 0.10%. 17,515.

the nasdaq 4,773. so let's see the reaction here in tokyo this friday, for that we'll go to ramin. what are you seeing over there? >> good morning. very little momentum to speak of from the u.s. and european markets, but we have seen the dollar rising just a touch, so that might be a positive guide for exporters, and quite frankly, we're seeing that reflected in the opening levels. so let's have a look at that for this friday, march 25th, both indexes in the positive there. not a great amount, but still, we're in the positive. 16,918. just a reminder, the nikkei ended down, not only because of the falling commodity prices, but as analysts suggest, lower oil prices overall may lead to loan defaults, and also bearing down on market sentiment as well. now as we've been covering here,

major commodity trading houses, mitts in fact, if you look at japan's top five trading houses, they're expected to book over $8 billion of losses for the fiscal year, ending march 31st, due to a lot of resource related losses. so that's a big focus here. >> absolutely, ramin. as you know, dollar commodity they've had a pretty volatile start to the year. get us updated. what can you tell us. >> you're talking about crude oil, w.t.i., which is based in dollars, a lot of other industrial metals. but right now, we may see modest movements, u.s. markets closed for good friday, and then euro,

let's look at the asian markets opened as well. seoul's kospi trading in the positive. australia is closed for a holiday. china will open in an hour and a half. still, as energy related shares, investors still managing to find value in high dividend stocks or stocks that will enjoy stable earnings and be able to provide dividend payments. monday will be the last days that in investors may qualify. we may see retail investors charging in there. other than the good friday holiday in the u.s., we may see some domestic interest driving markets today and on monday. but i'll have another update in a few hours. for now, back to you. >> all right, ramin, thank you. from the tokyo stock exchange. nhk has learned that failed carrier sky mark plans to resume

chartered international flights. they filed for bankruptcy last year. it accepexpects to -- they've b rebuilding their business from financial from a and h holding and integral. they've been drawing up a three year management plan comes into effect from next friday. the start of fiscal 2016. the plan includes resuming the chartered services to overseas destinations from fiscal 2018. sky mark grounded those flights six years ago. the new routes may connesouthea asia. regular international flights could be launched by the year 2020, if they make the slots available. young people are always looking for ways to express themselves in south korea, growing number are choosing to do it in traditional clothing.

in the process, they've set the stage for a vibrant new area of the fashion industry. nhk world kim chongu reports. >> these young women are wearing a traditional dress. >> translator: we saw our friends wearing them and we figured we would wear them too. >> people used to wear them just for special occasions. made from silk and satin, they each look mastered. flowing garments can be difficult to move around in. now, this culture in tradition is making a come back. a major reason is social media. bs. >> translator: we upload pictures to sns and make them our profile pictures. >> this shop is one of the new businesses catering to the trend.

sales have climbed steadily since the shop opened at the end of last year. >> translator: i'm very happy because it's a traditional garment, also quite proud. i like to see more people coming here. >> but fashion never stands still. even the traditional kind. designers are coming up with new ways of styling. unlike traditional clothing, is this is really easy to wear and feels super comfortable, too. i can move freely in it. these are meant for daily wear. they're made from cotton or hemp, which makes them easier to wash. this website offers around 20 brands, all available to order online. the site suggests ways to coordinate skirts and jackets or mix them with other wardrobe items. suppliers are showing interest

as well. >> translator: late they are year, we plan to expand to southeast asia, and after that, we'll move into america, and europe. >> the government wants to ensure this is not just a passing fad. last month, a workshop for young people who want to launch a business. the program offers entrepreneurs the opportunity to exchange ideas. >> translator: many young people pitched fresh ideas for combining tradition and modern fashion at the workshop. we can produce something of new value and career and offer original culture overseas. >> it's shaping up to a nice fit. young business people serving young consumers. it's coming out of the closet. nhk world, seoul. all right, that's the latest

in business, it's back to catherine now. >> thanks very much, ay. we take you to belgium, widening their search to tuesday's terrorists taxeattack. killing 31 people and wounded 270. the islamic group has claimed spons ability. so far, investigators have identified three people. two were brothers of belgian nationality. ibrahim bakraoui blew himself up at the airport, his younger brother, khalid, this footage from the airport. the man on the left is believed to be najim. the man in white left explosives at the airport and is now at large. investigators are trying to identify and are concerned he could carry out another attack. belgium media is reporting there

may have been a noufourth attac, and linking him to the subway explosion. they show him holding a bag. he is believed to have left the scene, and police are searching for him. authorities believe two of the suspects had ties to salah abdeslam, who arrested last week, on suspicion of being involved in the november paris attacks. a scrap niece man detained by turkish authorities has denied any relationship with islamic state group. japanese police say data on his mobile phone does not indicate any contact with the militants. the man in his 20s arrived at the airport on thursday, after being deported from turkey. police questioned him on a voluntary basis. they quoted him as saying he collected information online before his journey, but had no contact with foreigners in turkey or syria. turkish media reported that the

man told local authorities he attempted to cross the border with syria, to join the islamic group. he used social media to contact the extremist group. japanese police concludes the man has no relationship with the organization. a u.n. court has handed down a punishment to former karadzic. >> the chamber sentences you karadz karadzic, to a single sentence of 40, four-zero years of is e imprisonment. >> they found him guilty of ten of 11 charges. convicted of war crimes, crimes against humanity an he claims he is innocent.

the tribunal found he was the only person in the serb republic to prevent the killing. he is the highest ranking official the court has ever convicted of war crimes in bosnia. relatives of victims voiced discontent as he is not getting the maximum sentence. >> it is not logical that the organizer of those genicide got sentenced to only 40 years. >> a lawyer on ckaradzic's lega team said he would appeal. new laws are set to expand the role of japan's self-defense forces. the legislation will allow them to come to the defense of their closely related countries.

but before they can meet challenges abroad, they have a big urdhurdle to clear at home. increasing recruitment. nhk explains. >> the self-defense in an event in the center of tokyo. officials hope to fill over 10,000 positions beginning in april. out of the 150 people who took part, not one enlisted. demographics are working against the recruiteding drive. japan's population of 18 to 26-year-olds has fallen by 1/3 in two decades. to counter the situation, the defense ministry has made drastic changes.

it has doubled its public relations budget over ten years. th this adrenaline commercial is one of the results. their recruitment model comes from their ally, the u.s. military. >> step forward at a time of war and say send me. >> from great soldiers. you represent the finest fighting force the world has ever known. >> the sgs isn't just copying the u.s. they're also using japanese pop culture. >> anime are now ambassadors, just north of tokyo.

at an event that attracts anime, it offers uniforms for them to try on. >> translator: i've always thought of sds as protectors of our country. i feel closer to them when they have events like this. i'm actually interested in joining the forces after hearing about the contribution abroad, and work to maintain global peace. >> from anime posters, defense department has pulled out all the stops to try to attract japan's youth. one area they've long neglected, recruiting women. they've started to produce videos aimed at the female add

yens. less than 6the forces women nslaf an aircraft crashes, my job is rescuing the pilot and passengers, and putting out the fire. >> this woman serves in the maritime defense forces rescue operations. she was featured in a video documenting her life in the forces. she is the only woman in her workplace. she says she hopes to see more women join her. >> translator: i believe there are things only women can accomplish in the sdf. i want to create an environment where women can be an effective force. >> the defense ministry wants to expand's woman's role in the force and double the number by 2030. it believes they will revitalize the institution, which in turn, would make it attractive to men.

the forces want a total of 250,000 personnel. but they've never once reached their recruiting goals. an officer at the defense ministry responsible for recruitment. >> translator: this kind of recruitment is important, because it serves at a catalyst to introduce the sdf to a wide audience. once people show interest, then we will of course, explain to them how intense the work is. the current low number of personnel could cause significant problems for us. with the severe security environment in the region, securing new recruits is imperative. >> attracting personnel is a battle in itself. one that will require create i have, but pragmatic strategies. john la due, nhk world.

the march grand sumo tournament is approaching the climax in osaka. we have the latest after 12 days of action. >> we saw a three way tie for top spot after 11 days, and on day 12, two of the leaders went head to head. it was the grand champion. ahead of the showdown, defeated then unbeaten leader to set up the three way deadlock. the mongolian has his sights on his 31st title. he kept racking up wins and here he is now with only one loss. but osaka native will have to bring everything he has if he

hopes to beat him. he suffered his first loss on day 11. if he is to claim his first championship, he has got to bounce back, and show what he is truly made of. if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. that means he has to get past the toughest, and that's who he faced on day 12. he loses his balance and he bites the dust for the second time. meanwhile, rank and file is holding his own with two losses. nobody expected him to perform this well, so he has a chance to shock the world by coming out on top after the dust settles on sunday. he looks totally focused in this

contest and is fighting with a lot of oomph. if he keeps it up, we may be in for a big surprise. he comes in hard and knocks him back and out. he stays in contention. now here are the current standings. hakuho is the leader. looks like this one will go down to the wire, so check back with us on monday, to see all about who was the last man standing in osaka. >> we certainly will. our sumo expert. the sun is out, but people aren't feeling the hot. robert speta join us with more. >> what we've been seeing is the strong northwesterly winds. heavy snowfall for northern areas of japan, tokyo as well.

no precipitation, but below zero for the temperatures in the early morning hours. but as we look ahead into the extended forecast, if you don't like the cold, it is going to start to feel spring like, yet again, by early next week. the reason for this, of course, we still have the low pressure area down towards the south. it's been triggering off the northwesterly winds. it's going to start to make its way east ward. once it does, clearer skies will start to dominate and plus on the backside, we're going start to see the southerly winds. that sea effect snow fall, the winter weather pattern all week, it will bring snow across the area, it will begin to taper off, tokyo region, southerly winds coming, and overall, temperatures will be on the rise. even tapering off with the precipitation in southeastern areas, maybe taiwan, rainfall,

philippines, hong kong, high of 15, taipei at 15, shanghai, 13. as we look ahead through the week end, look at beijing. all the way up to 21. taipei at 15, jumping up to 19 by your monday. even towards tokyo, a little bit colder, 11 for your high in the morning. rebound by monday. i want to note by the time tuesday, wednesday, rolls around, temperatures will be in the 20s for the tokyo area. definitely, if you do want to get out, enjoy the cherry blossoms next week, the weather looks rather desent. all right, let's look towards the south where it is not that fantastic. across the north and south island of new zealand. we've been looking at the heavy precipitation across the region. one location, 150 millimeters, some flooding. video i do want to show you coming out of new zealand.

there was evacuations put in place across the south island on thursday morning, as this powerful storm slammed the country. a state of emergency was declared. after a river burst its banks, flooding numerous homes, and hotels, tourists had to be moved from a popular tourist spot. furthermore in, 110 kilometer winds reported, and 118,000 people lost power. the good news, the storm we've been talking about, as it moves across southeastern australia, it is finally starting to taper off. still some lingering showers, but overall, improving conditions. all right, let's wrap things across europe. across the west, the blustery winds, ireland, u.k., you could see winds upward of 140 kilometers per hour. that will continue to track through this area. in the southeast, another storm

system, rougher area. even over towards western turkey, gusty winds, causing injuries out here as well. this will continue to shift off the east, though. large hail, maybe thunderstorms, parts of ukraine, maybe some passing snowfall, with a high of 2 here on friday. all right, here is the extended outlook. that concludes this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thank you for joining us.

welcome to the 150th episode of "native report." i'm stacey thunder. and i'm tadd johnson. 11 years ago we created "native report" to celebrate the best of indian country, to provide an opportunity for our leaders, our elders, our youth and our community members to share important topics and stories. it has been an amazing journey filled with inspirational stories about how communities and individuals have taken on huge challenges. about our leaders continuing the fight for sovereignty, and about our youth growing into young leaders. stories of native artists, authors, actors, and musicians finding and honing their creative voice and vision, finding a place of prominence on the national stage. well, we aren't done yet. but just in case we ever forget that we're standing on the shoulders of giants, on this episode of "native report" we're looking back at 10 seasons of great stories from indian country.