"newsline." it is thursday, april 14th. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. the ruling party in south korea set to lose the majority following the election. a big blow for the president remaining two years in office and the party's prospects for the 2017 presidential vote. kbs reported early thursday that expected to take 121 out of 300 seats in the parliament. that's down by 25 seats from its preelection strength. >> translator: there will be no

>> they're on course to take the largest proportion of seats with 123. the opposition splinter party, the people's party, is expected to take 39. neither has the intention to form a coalition with senoi. >> i think the citizens voted on how bad the economic policies of the party's administration are. >> the ruling party was embroiled in a feud in a run-up. it would be the first time in 16 years the ruling party becomes a minority. it could affect the government's implementation of the agreement reach with japan in december on the issue of those referred to as comfort women, as handling of north korea. officials from prefecture government will sit down again

over a contentious plan. they'll try to find common ground over plans to relocate a u.s. base. the central government wants to move the u.s. marine corps air station from a densely populated city to a coastal area. okinawa officials have been fighting to have it moved out of the prefecture altogether. construction work was suspended after both sides accepted a court proposal to drop opposing lawsuits and resume talks. central government officials will explain how they want to push ahead with procedures not related to construction of the replacement facility. okinawa officials say they'll protest prime minister shinzo abe's remarks to the u.s. president that he accepted the court proposal, believing haste makes waste. they also plan to reiterate their demand that they cease operations without relocating to

the coast. u.s. military officers are expressing concern over what they call aggressive action by russ russia's military. they say two russian fighter jets made a simulated attack passes near their destroyer in the baltic sea, they made 11 passes tuesday. they released footage of the incident. they say the plane came so close to the uss donald cook, they created wake in the water. the officers say a russian military helicopter also circled the destroyer seven times, taking pictures. neither war plane carried visible weaponry, but didn't respond to radio messages from the destroyer. white house spokesperson also expressed concern. >> this incident has, surprised to hear, is entirely inconsistent with the professional norms of militaries operating in proximities to each

other in international waters and international airspace. >> he said any peace time military activity must be consistent with international laws and norms. official it is he international monetary fund are watching out for any side effects from japan's negative interest rate policy. ai uchida joins us from the business desk. what are the concerns? >> as you know, japan's central bank, you know, they did lower the bench mark into negative territory back in february. they say the move is crucial for boosting economic growth, but they also warn it could destabilize the country's financial system. those views are in an imf report that analyzes fiscal policies and financial systems around the globe. it warns that negative interest rates could reduce profits of banks and credit unions. the capital markets department spoke with nhk.

>> i think that negative rates are a net positive for the economy. because they have to relax further monetary and financial conditions, and that's something that should support demand and inflation. i would prefer to see other policies also doing their job, so that monetary policy doesn't have to do more. >> the japanese government plans to raise the consumption tax from 8% to 10% next april. imf officials support the hike as well as discussions on short-term mess tures to deal with the impact. they believe japan should raise its consumption tax gradually to about 15%. japan's ruling block and opposition parties have agreed to resume diet discussions on ambitious trade deal. deliberations to approve the transpacific partnership have been suspended since friday.

some opposition lawmakers complained the government is withholding how they played out. officials of the governing coalition are sticking to the plan during the current diet session. they aim to have the lower house pass the main bill by the end. month. the chief of the democratic party says if that doesn't happen, the ruling lawmakers will need to consider putting off the vote to the next session. he notes it will be difficult to extend the current session for much longer, because of an upper house election this summer. and now it is time to check on markets. u.s. stock prices boosted by wednesday's strong trade data out of china. the dow jones industrial average raising more than 1%, ending 17,908. the tech haeavy nasdaq raising 1.5%. we're going to go with ramin. good morning. what are you seeing at the open?

>> good morning to you. as you mentioned china exports expanding for the first time in nine months. also we had a stronger dollar. i'll go come to that in a second. positive earnings from the likes of jp morgan chase adding to the positive sentiment, earnings getting into gear in the u.s. as well. big focus. let's at how the nikki are kicking off, this thursday morning, april 14th. 16,655 and the broader topics, also up 1.6%. just a reminder, the nikkei rose 2.8 yesterday, largely boosted by a halt in the rise of the yen, which in recent weeks has been a big worry for investors. but yesterday, we saw the dollar/yen pair trading back up above 109 yen. earlier this week, had fallen to the 107 yen levels if you remember, that was a 17 month low. now in times of volatility, investors switch to safer

assets. they consider the yen to be one of them. yesterday, many traders sold the yen as they regained some risk appetite. that is also the bench mark crude oil futures rose to the highest level in four months, investors hoping for some positive results from oil producing countries on sunday. also got a boost from chinese trade data as we were both touching on there. exports were up more than 11%. that was the first rise in nine months. across the world were some what relieved. we'll see if that translates into trade today as well. after this risk, load dominated in global markets on wednesday, share prices in europe and u.s. as we've seen rallied. >> tell us what else you're seeing here in asia? >> let's have a look at some of the ones that are open for now. china markets open an hour and a half. right now, seoul's kospi is up

1%, australia up just nearly 3/4%. china markets, as i said, start trading in an hour and a half. the composite was 1 pointd 4%, and saw the trade figures as a sign china's economy is getting back on track. let's not forget, a lot of investors waiting for the gdp data on friday. that will be crucial. we'll see the markets in china. for now, nikkei is up nearly 300 points. back to you. >> a strong open here in tokyo. ramin, thanks a lot. we'll touch base with you in a few hours time. now, japan's slumping new car market, that is forcing auto makers to switch gears, trying to attract something more fun. nhk telling us more. >> each year in march,

organizers of the new international auto show announced the world car of the year. this year's winner was the mazda mx-5. since the latest model debuted last year, the japanese car maker has sold 9,500 units and 16,000 overseas. far more than anticipated. >> translator: the mx-5 shape and color are appealing. >> translator: this car is completely unique. >> the development team, he chose a special theme for his new model. >> translator: driving enjoyment is key. so i decided that creates feelings of joy would be the theme of my project. >> the first mx-5 in 1989.

engineers producing a car that was easily to operate and gave drivers a sense of -- the convertible was a hit. selling more than 140,000 units worldwide in just two years. but stricter safety and environmental rules led to changes in design. the fourth generation mx-5 released in 2005 was 150 kilograms heavier than the earlier. five categories of drivers experience one is fun, movement. they also related 15 japanese and foreign sports cars, was th

original mx-5. to increase the sense of fun, the team first made the car as light as possible. they replaced the steel with aluminum and developed car parts that are considered too difficult to make from aluminum. that helped reduce the weight by 20 dikilograms. a smaller engine took another 14 kilos. next, the small details. they used four parts, not five, to fasten the tires. the result is a car that is 100 kilograms lighter, but just as safe, and environmentally friendly. when the first generation

convert able hit the market last may, something unexpected happened, in addition to older drivers who owned the original, young people have tracked to the new mx-5, the reasonable price is one factor. the basic model costs about $23,000. >> translator: the mx-5 responds every time i use the steering wheel. it's like the car and i are one. >> other car makers, including toyota and nissan are taking the idea of sports car, hoping that they too. that's the latest in business. today's "eye on asia" starts in china. a crane has collapsed at a

construction site in the southern part of the country, killing 18 people and injuring 33. the crane was reportedly toppled by high wands and smashed into a work shed. local officials say about 140 people were in the shed at the time. the officials have set up a task force to investigate the cause of the accident. they held an emergency meeting, and instructed related departments to enhance safety. u.s. defense secretary ash carter on wednesday attended a re-pa re-pate re-patroit. the u.s. department of defense called it a testament to the deepening u.s./india defense partnership. the remains were recovered last year, in a remote part of the

state. they're believed to be from one or two crew members from a b-24 bomber that crashed during a supply run in 1944. >> we could not have done it without the help from the indian government. it was really, really great. everything we needed, they really supported the effort. they wanted us to be successful here. they also felt that it was important to bring home our service members from world war ii. >> overland supply routes to china were cut when japan took control of the country, then called burma, in 1942. instead, american pilots trech rouse path. about 350 service members are still classified as missing in india. a low budget movie that paint ace bleak picture of hong

kong's future has been thrust into the spotlight. best film at the movie awards, and the vision resonated with judges and viewers alike. as nhk world explains, some think the themes are already coming true. public viewing of the movie, ten years, is just started. people gathered in multiple locations across hong kong. when the film opened last december, only one theater showed it. but it proved a surprise hit. the film consists of five short stories set in the year 2025. one section features a taxi driver's struggle to learn a new language.

under beijing's direction, he now has to speak manderin instead of cantonese. the armed student movement, known as the red guard, who fought against intellectuals in the cultural revolution. the producers say it was important to set the film in the near future. >> ten years is because it's related to everyone, no matter your young, you're elderly people, it is close enough for them to experience an immediate future. >> they say after the screening began, some in the movie have started happening in real life.

one of the episodes is in beijing, plotting conspiracies in hong kong. some viewers are seeing a parallel with the disappearance last year of people dealing in books critical of beijing. >> translator: the bookstore incident highlighted the dark side of the chinese government. >> another story tells of young people leaning toward independence movement. that was just what prompted street clashes in february. police arrested more than 70 people, including edward leon. l leon later ran for a seat in the local legislature, on the

promise to push for the city's autonomy. >> we thought that the old method of testing cannot put enough pressure on the government. if you want to achieve our real autonomy for our people, independence is the only way out. >> he suggests the number of people in hong kong, who believe the city's ougautonomy has slum in the last ten years. the movie captures the people's concerns. >> translator: the film is urging us to raise our voices. otherwise, we will be completely under their control. >> the movie is in hong kong and winning acclaim of film

festivals. but on the mainland, it's being greeted with silence. nhk world. and that wraps up "eye on asia." 6 . in most companies, hit products are developed by six teams of researchers. the one japanese firm in enjoying the benefits of allow its employees to connect across departments. our next story shows us how the freedom of experiment can translate into eye-catching products. >> these eyeglasses are the creation of a team of women employed at a lens manufacturing company. team members usually work in separate departments. but they come together once a week to brainstorm ideas. she works in the sales department. she founded the team in 2012, as she was eager to develop

products as well. >> translator: we decided to do everything ourselves, so we feel a sense of responsibility to make goods and get results. >> the team was targeted on female customers. color lenses that help make skin complexion look more attractive. color psychology to choose the color of the lenses and created over 100 prototypes. the innovative idea was a success of the. company sold more than 150,000 lenses. >> translator: i never imagined that people who didn't work in product development could succeed just by doing their own hard research. >> recently, the team developed some new glasses, fitted with pink lenses, which they think could relief stress, particularly in women experiencing menopause. with the help of a neurologist,

they had volunteers try out the prototyp prototypes. >> many people reported that wearing the glasses helped them feel less irritated and lonely. they said they felt surrounded by warmth and filled with contemptment. >> the glasses were tested. 30 women wore them for three hours a day over the course of a month. results indicated that brain volume grew in more than half of the participants. the exact relationship between these results and the glasses has not been scientifically confirmed. the company's project received an award from the government in recognition of the innovative research. >> translator: i think we're able to make a difference, because we our strengths as women to improve the quality of life for our customers. >> the glasses go on sale next month and the team members are already busy with their next

original idea. their unusual perspective on product development is having a positive effect on the firm's approach to creativity. >> looking forward to seeing that on the shelves. time now for a check of the weather. people across japan and china are experiencing strong winds and heavy rainfall, meteorologist robert speta joins us with the latest. >> we haven't seen the series of spring storms really rolling across much of the region. look at the satellite picture. japan being impacted by the system, which already moved through southeastern china, brought some problems out there. one location, about 101 kilometer winds was reported, same storm system that brought that deadly crane collapse here on wednesday as well. i want to show you other video we have from the straight line winds that blew there here. these were roofs blown off of buildings, damaged cars.

not just the high wands, which of course caused power outages, but rainfall, even large hail was reported from this system. as far as the forecast is concerned, unfortunately, more precipitation is expected out here. we have another low developing right behind the previous one, and that's going to be bringing some additional showers on top of that precipitation i mentioned about 100 locations, maybe about 83 millimeters off toward the north in a 24 hour span. 100 to 120 could cause some problems. that storm system that brought that foul weather there in southeastern china, that's moved across japan and bringing widespread cloud cover, rain showers from osaka and the morning commute here on thursday, definitely want to have an umbrella with you in the morning hours. the good nursews, by the time y head home from work, it will be rapidly clearing up.

we have clear skies coming in from the west. warmer temperatures as well as we look into friday, saturday, over towards sunday one thing i do want to know, common with spring storms. you get that air coming in from the west out of the desert and that kicks up the yellow stand. the air quality will starting to go down. extending over towards the korean peninsula into friday morning, much of western japan as well. you're going to start to be impacted by that. if you do get itchy eyes, that's likely the direct result of that. take a look at the temperatures, though. warming up, tokyo into the 20s on saturday. cool down by sunday, but then it starts to rebound early next week. taipei as well, high 20s to low 30s, but you're looking at rain showers heading into the weekend. talk about rain showers, western japan, rather messy there across the peninsula from france through germany, rain showers,

strong thunderstorms at times, over towards the u.k. partly cloudy skies, but the low will settle in, push off towards the north, bring some showers out there for you. much of the peninsula, definitely there is that chance of showers, mean some travel delays out there for you. back to the east, staying on the warm side, athens, 26. kiev, storms, high of 19 on your thursday. all right, let's move over towards the americas. deep south looking at heavy rain showers out here for you, even some flash flood advisories still in place. but for the most part, the large and destructive hail, especially towards texas, is tapering off. back towards the north, sunny skiesdominating. chic 9, denver, 24. pacific northwest, heavy snow fall in somef the higher elevations. i'll leave you with the extended outlook.

and that wraps up this edition of nhk "newsline," i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us. &

♪ >>." welcome to "in good shape." our topics this week, connecticut. mysterious symptoms, how an in mind jock can cause conditions. and the road to recovery from tuberculosis. here is dr. carsten lekutat. dr. lekutat: hello and welcome to "in good shape." we have specialized not only patients from berlin and germany come here, but all over europe.