"newsline," it's wednesday, april 6th. i'm catherine kobayashi with the stories this hour. the japanese high court will decide on wednesday whether our not two reactors at a nuclear plant can continue operating. the plant in the southwestern part of the country has drawn safety concerns from a citizen group. the high court is to give its judgment on an appeal by a group of people who live near the sendai plant. the residents are seeking an injunction to halt the number one and number two reactors, because of perceived safety issues. a district court turned down the petition in april last year, prompting them to file the

appeal. the residents argue the plant operator underestimated the maximum strength of seismic jolt that could hit the plant. an eruption could trigger a serious accident. the operator, electric power company, insists its earthquake measure measures are correct. a mega eruption is extremely low during the life-span. in august last year, the number one reactor was the first to go back online in japan under the stricter regulations after the 2011 nuclear crisis. the number two reactor was restarted in october. power companies aren't the only institutions dealing with the tougher regulations. universities and other academic facilities can't switch on their reactors until they've met the new rules and they say it's hirtli

hurting their ability to train the next generation of engineers. >> reporter: researchers gathered at the government atomic energy commission to raise the alarm. >> translator: some universities are sending their students to south korea for training. the situation is forcing some graduate students to change their research themes. >> reporter: there are a dozen reactors meant for research in japan, but like commercial facilities, they need to pass the government regulations. it is not an easy task with limited funds. the university has two research reactors, and they used to accept more than 5,000 students every year. if the reactors have been off-line for about two years. >> translator: some of our students finished their ba courses even without the reactors. >> this is one of them.

its power output is so small, it can only light one bulb. despite that researchers are still required to install emergency facilities, like backup generators. researchers acknowledge the need for the regulations, but they're worried that tough rules could jeopardize nuclear research for the next generation. >> translator: we want the regulations to take into account the level of power output. >> regulators say they'll look at ways of tailoring inspections to each facility in an effort to speed up the process. nhk world. the u.s. government believes that the upcoming visit to hiroshima by secretary of state john kerry will underscore president obama's without nuclear weapons. kerry is expected to visit for a meeting of foreign ministers for

the group of selven nations. atomic bombs in the peace memorial park. kerry will be the first u.s. secretary of state to visit and attend memorial events. spokesperson said on tuesday, the visit would honor the memory of those who died during world war two. a reporter asked whether there is any concern that the visits might invite opposition from within the u.s. he disagreed, stressing it's future oriented. >> we've seen frankly an era of peace and prosperity in the pacific region and asia that was unheralded, and so that's what we want to build ongoing forward. >> asked about the possibility of obama visiting hiroshima, he said it would be up to the white house to decide. it's time for the latest in business news. investors rushing to buy the

japanese yen. our business desk for more. we have seen levels we haven't seen in a while. >> investors tend to reach for the yen when they want to hold something that they feel is safer asset. that's exactly what we saw overnight. the yen was at the strongest it has been since 2014, with the dollar dipping below 110 yen. we saw the levels back in october 2014, when the japan loosened up monetary policy more than it already had. right now, investors are unsure when the next hike in u.s. interest rates will be, and they don't know if oil has hit bottom. stock markets around the world plunged on tuesday. we'll see how tokyo markets starting this wednesday morning. for that, we'll go to ramin mellegard. what are you seeing. >> yen strength there, stronger against the dollar and euro, and

that should be weighing on exporters here. i'll track that. let's look at the opening levels. it's been pretty choppy. in the negative and then into the positive. we've been going in and out of negative/positive territory, you can see there relatively flat. we'll see how it progresses. the nikkei fell for a sixth straight day, two month low, down around 17% on the year. the falls have come as we see investors pushing back their expectations. that's really weighing on the dollar, which of course is fueling the a appreciation of the yen that we've seen so clearly so far. on certainty on the outlook for oil prices has dampened sentiment. wti crude futures briefly fell below $36 a barrel at one stage. although, they rebounded a bit later on on tuesday. we'll keep track of that as well. now, following this, u.s. stocks

ended lower, the dow jones industrial average closed down 07.75%, and tech hasavvy nasdaq also. movements in the currency markets have gone against what the bank of japan stimulus measures have intended, and perhaps creating more of a concern. also, now is the effect on corporate earnings as the boj survey showed major manufacturers at dollar/yen level at 117. the pair is now at the 110.39, as you can see right now on your screen. the yen is also strong against the euro, many exporters losing money hand over fist, current levels. analysts suggest some investors hoping for some action from the central bank. we shall wait and see, ai. >> this risk off mood, it does

tend to make investors move into safer assets, other than the yen for example, government bonds is another one. you know, what's going on there? >> exactly. bond yields as you very clearly said there, that's the key as spengt for a lot of investors going through risk aversion, pushing investors, treasury note there, gold also. let's have a quick look at how some of the asian indexes are reacting as well right now. the ones that are open. seoul and australia, trading in the positive. china markets open in about an hour and a half. as i said there, a bit of a mixed reaction, nikkei in the positive. i correct myself. the nikkei just went into the negative. back to you. >> all right, sounds choppy indeed. ramin, thanks for the update. we'll check in. thanks a lot. we did speak to another expert for his view on the current currency market.

>> lower crude prices are forcing oil producing nations to decrease their capital investment. besides, we cannot find any positive factors to buy stocks on the global markets. when risk adverse behavior sets in, the dollar tends to depre deappreciate against the yen. >> around the world, japan's corporation is no exception. company executives say they're predicting huge losses on the exploration projects abroad. inpex, they're putting their losses at more than $330 million. much of those come from oil field exploration in the golf of mexico. the executives have revised downward their earnings forecast for the year through march. they are expecting to post about $236 million in net profit, down

by half from their previous estimate released in february. the executives said crude prices have yet to bottom on. the manager also step up their risk management efforts on their assets. the total value of purchases by japanese firms of foreign companies this year is only 1/3 at the same time in 2015. officials at a tokyo based company says the deal in the january to march period were worth a total of $13 billion, down more than 60% from the same time last year. even so, the number of foreign companies taking over was actually at a record high. japanese firms bought or invested in 159 of them during the three months. large m & as was four. one of the deals was holding

purchase of four overseas breweries. due to slow downs in china and other emerging economies. the earth quake and sue nominee five years ago shook up the way businesses approach disaster planning, in this next report, we look at what some of them are doing to make their distribution networks more resilient. >> one of the biggest retailers, with a nationwide franchise of super markets. five years ago, they found themselves struggling to get water and other items to survivors of the disaster. one way is by introducing a new system to keep better track of inventory. if there is a big earthquake, staff can search for a needed product and find out how much inventory suppliers have and where. >> translator: we have a role to play in supporting people's

lives. the community in times of disaster. to act as a lifeline, so life quickly returns to normal. >> suppliers see benefits in using the system. manufacturers disposal diapers and other household products, it also struggled to keep track of stock. shipments fell behind. >> we couldn't make deliveries, no matter how much we wanted to. we want to deliver goods to people in need, as quickly as possible by collaborating with retailers. we are providing information to make that possible. >> damaged and blocked roads prevent another challenge. some companies are taking steps to secure delivery routes, even in times of trouble. >> translator: let's suppose there was a disaster. >> seven and i holdings, a major convenient store operator launched this system. it receives gps data from

delivery trucks. any truck stuck for at least 30 minutes appears in red. >> translator: the red trucks are stuck for some reason. there could be a traffic jam, or perhaps a collapsed bridge preventing the driver from moving. we can find out with this system. >> cameras mounted on the vehicles provide more details. the system pulls together data from a variety of sources. it indicates passable roads in green. company officials say it should help them restore logistic networks quickly as before. emergency fuel reserves to guard against short tables. >> they hold 400 kilo litters, the surrounding region for ten days. >> complex distribution network play a vital role in getting

people the goods they need for daily life. japanese businesses are taking steps to keep the networks running, even when disaster strikes. and that's the latest in business news. today's eye on asia starts in china. a report in therun media says a military officer faces trial on bribery charges. retired general is a former vice chairman. he would be the highest ranking officer to be prosecuted for corruption. since last july, military prosecutors have been investigating suspicions that he accepted bribes to help sis subordinates gain promotion. he retired in 2013. the news agency quotes military

prosecutors saying he has confessed to taking bribes. they have begun procedures to prosecute him. he has accepted an extremely huge amount of money. a hong kong newspaper, the south china morning post, quotes the source as saying he took about $12.3 million. he had strong influence as the top uniform officer for ten years, until 2013. the prosecution comes as the president is intensifying his anticorruption campaign. strengthen the grip on the military. a japanese destroyer will navigate the south china sea to take part in a fleet review in indonesia. the maritime self-defense destroyer has a wide deck similar to that of an aircraft carrier. the vessel will pass through the channel between taiwan and the philippines to join the event by

indonesia's navy next tuesday. it will be the first japanese ship of its type to sail the sea. it is not part of the freedom navigation system near the artificial waters. a submarine on sunday made a training call in the bay in the philippines. it plans to send two destroyers to vietnam soon. >> translator: port calls and goodwill exercises have long been customary in navigating the south china sea. >> admiral takei says they have no plans to join the u.s. operation. south korea's defense ministry says north korea fired three surface to air missiles toward the sea of japan last week, instead of just one, as initially reported. ministry officials had said a short range missile was fired from an eastern province, and landed in the sea of japan.

but a spokesperson for the joint chiefs of staff says north korea fired two more missiles immediately after. he says the other missiles disappeared from radars several seconds after they were fired. he said the ministry didn't give all the details of last friday's launch, because the missiles were only surface to air, which aren't banned by the u.n. myanmar's foreign minister met with her counterpart on tuesday. chinese foreign minister has taken the lead by visiting myanmar after the transfer of power. she was sworn in as foreign minister last week, but barred by the constitution. she has pledged to run the government in her words from above the president. china had strong ties with the former military hunta, but the former government sought to decrease the country's heavy

defen dense. china has been key to improve its relations with myanmar. they welcomed her to beijing with open arms. they met directly with her. china had signaled it will encourage the new government to renew a stalled agreement. they're continuing the protests against. travel time may be getting shorter for some of india's train users. the country started an express train service on tuesday. on its maiden journey, the train sped from new delhi, home of the taj ma hall, 20 minutes faster than in the past. >> translator: the launch of the express is an important step for our railways. we have decided to increase the

speed of our trains running in the country. we are trying to build trains that are used by the common man. to run at such speeds that will allow commuters to reach their destination without problems. >> there are many sections of india's railways where people or animals can easily get on the tracks. they built fences and im prochd the train's brakes to ensure safety. >> boost india as a nation, so we are looking forward to it. >> they're rarely clean and nice. >> we'll get there faster. >> the indian government has plans to introduce japan's bullet train technology for a new line in the near future. it will be the country's first high speed train. but many say the government should modernize existing lines first, because they're used by more passengers.

vietnam has confirmed the country's first infection of the zika virus, the mosquito-borne will innocence. one is 33 years old ant other 64. both reported fevers and headaches in late march. >> translator: when a case of infection is found, it doesn't matter where it is. we need to set up a perimeter on a 200 meter radius, to be able to conducten epidemic investigation. >> the younger patient is said to be eight weeks pregnant. experts have pointed to possible links between the zika virus and birth defects like under developed brains. authorities are monitoring the women's family and neighbors, and have found no new infections so far.

several zeke ika have been foun thailand. rush hour car-pooling. private vehicles with fewer than three people have been banned from entering central jakarta at speak times. some people known as jockeys are paid simply to ride inside a vehicle so it will be allowed into the restricted zone. city authorities want to see what happens when the rule is lifted. no change in the number of cars on the road would mean there are serious issues with a decade old regulation. jakarta is notorious to traffic congestion and causes distribution delays, costing the indonesia economy an estimated $2 billion every year. and that was eye on asia.

we take you to the u.s. now where presidential primaries are underway in wisconsin. mainstream republicans are hoping to slow the momentum of front-runner donald trump. opinion polls taken before tuesday's vote show conservative center ted cruz leading the real estate mowigul by an average of five points. fresh waive of criticism last week when he said women should be punished for getting abortions if the procedure is made illegal. he later backtracked on the statement. the wisconsin governor and other mainstream republicans are drumming up support for cruz. they say they're trying to keep trump from gaining a majority of the delegates that would lead to a runoff election at the july party convention. on the democratic side, senator bernie sanders is trying to narrow the gap with front-runner hillary clinton, a former secretary of state.

sanders has won in five of the six states that held votes recently. the latest polls show he has a slight lead over clinton in wisconsin. it is time now for a check of the weather. people in tokyo are experiencing a warm sunny warm commute. meteorologist robert speta joins us with the latest. >> actually with this roller coaster ride of temperatures we've been seeing out here, we're going to be looking at the confusing type weather. at least for today, we have this big air afterhigh pressure. what i like to say is big bubble, no trouble. that's moving in. so right now, it's migrating over japan, bringing in much clearer conditions. we're looking at dry air advisories, compared to yesterday, when we are looking at widespread rain fall. just because of those warming temperatures and the melting snow fall, but as that continues

to push off towards the east, we have another low coming in. temperatures will cool off a little bit, as we go ahead into thursday. the main reason for that is increased claude cover and rainfall across most of the japan. back towards the west, you're going to be looking at around 150 millimeters, but also towards koku, 120 kilometer winds, coastal areas, including the tokyo area, looking at increased showers. once it moves away, southerly winds coming in, by the way, on friday into saturday, temperatures will warm right back up into the mid 20s. so it's all over the place right now. that's what you expect for this time of year. where this storm system is coming from, though, that's bringing heavy rainfall, southeastern china. that's going to continue to linger here, shanghai, you're going to be see the precipitation.

flash flooding will continue to persist, up to 100 millimeters. that's really where you want to be watching out for the flooding, as the rainfall, you can see where it points to the heaviest precipitation. meanwhile, the low back towards the north, it is pulling in the southerly wind, similarly, over there towards northern areas of win yea india, pakistan, out of ahead of that, southerly winds. this is what we call a premonsoonle flow. indochina peninsula, sunny skies, into the low 40s, high 30s. summer season for this area of the world, but really, heatstroke, heat exhaustion, high vulnerability. something to watch out for if you are located in this area. trop picks now. let's talk about fiji in

particular. we had a tropical impact, brought severe flooding. specifically, across nadi, where you had upwards of 493 millimeters of total precipitation in a few days. the average forhe entire month of april is 163 millimeters of rainfall. an incredible amount. that's why the city there has been severely flooded. schools and businesses have been closed, the airport there has been closed as well at times. what we're looking at as far as the forecast with our next tropical cyclone, this is xina. an ongoing story out here across parts of fiji where you're looking at rainfall. good news, friday, we're going to be seeing improving conditions. all right, leave you now with the extended outlook.

on that note, we wrap up this edition of nhk "newsline," i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for staying with us. xnóx

narrator: today, "global 3000" gives women a voice. like here in ramallah, where a palestinian woman is using radio to fight stereotypes in her community. and we'll be listening to this woman. uganda's youngest rap star is self-confident and politically outspoken. her aim -- becoming president. but first we go to guatemala, a country in which women rarely have a say and where teenage pregnancies make up 1/4 of the total. every year 7.3 million girls under 18 worldwide give birth. almost all of them are from developing countries. there are many contributing