struck on april 16th killing 661 people. about 29,000 people lost their homes and continued to live in shelters. the government is working on repairing damage and destroyed roads. it is also pledged $215 million

to help evacuees rebuild and it's working with private banks to offer people low interest loans. the united nations children's funds says many children in ecuador are suffering from malnutrition. they need $15 million to help a quarter of a million children but it says it has nowhere near the funds required. it's calling on the international community for more support. it's been more than a month since two powerful earthquakes hit southwestern japan and seismic activity is continuing in the region. more than 1,470 tremors have been recorded in the area since the first strong earthquake on april 14th. the tremors all had an intensity of one or higher on the japanese scale. japan's meagency is wanting

residents to remain alert. an additional 20 are believed to have died due to after effects from the quakes. such as physical fatigue from the evacuation. authorities say more than 10,000 people are still living in shelters but there are some who still are sleeping in cars or tents. the japanese government is earmarking funds to help people affected by the eitharthquakes. the house passed a sup men tarry budget bill to set aside over $7 billion for reconstruction on monday. the money will be used to build temporary housing to pay the rent of evacuees and help rebuild roads and bridges. the upper house is expected to approve the bill on tuesday. an earthquake shook region including tokyo on monday at 9:23 p.m. local time. one person has been injured by

the tremor. jap japan's meteorology agency says a quake occurred north of tokyo at a depth of around 42 kilometers. an intensity of five on the japanese scale was recorded in the city. the nearby nuclear plant has been offline and no abnormalities have been reported there. in japan's fukushima prefecture, some people have been waiting for than five years to be reconnected with their dogs. the 201 1 nuclear accident forcd people into temporary housing but as our next story shows, one person's generosity made sure that pets left behind were not left out in the cold. >> a friend in need for man's best friend. he runs an npo that trains rescue dogs and guide dogs in

central japan. he's been looking after pets left behind after the 2011 disaster and he's doing it for free. the npa has taken in 48 dogs but only 13 have been reunited with owners. 15 have died without ever going home. the owners of these dogs are still living at evacuees. >> translator: i thought it would just be for a year or so. i had no idea it would go on this long. >> reporter: for the under staffed group, it's been quite a challenge. and paying for health care is never cheap. this dog needs allergy medication. this visit costs about $70. the group relies on donations but they are drying up. >> translator: gradually these dogs are e being forgotten. ment sometimes i feel at a loss what to do. >> reporter: every six months, he takes the dogs up to

fukushima. he believes it's important to maintain their bonds with their owners. after a ten-hour drive, he arrives. most of the village is still a restricted zone. the dogs are ecstatic to see their owners. they only get three hours to be together. [speaking foreign language]. >> translator: momo, it's time to go. [speaking foreign language]. >> reporter: farewells are always sad but this time there is good news, too. she and her family are finally

going to rebuild their home. their dog will soon live with them again. >> translator: i've been worried. a dog is part of the family. >> translator: i'm happy that the dogs are being reunited with their families, even if it's a slow process. >> there are other groups around japan that have taken in dogs from fukushima. all are hoping to reunite the pets with their owners as soon as possible. >> some amazing work there. it's time for the latest in business news. finance ministers and central bank governors of the group of sen countries will meet late they are week northeastern japan. we are joined from the business desk. good morning, what the ministers expected to discuss? >> we're expecting officials to discuss the current state. a senior u.s. treasury department official indicated that before discussions begin,

the u.s. government will caution g-7 members against competitive currency devaluation and comes as japanese officials have become wary of sharp rises in the value of the yen against the dollar. they describe the appreciation as drastic and disorderly and some officials hinted at possible market intervention. jack lou has also suggest that he will urge other g-7 nations to abide by an international agreement not to engage in competitive devaluation. this kind of manipulation is aimed at intentionally reducing currency values through monetary policy in order to make exports more competitive. the treasury official expressed concern global demand is sluggish despite the growth of the economy. the official for g 7 to boost the economy through monetary and fiscal measures and structural reform.

now let's check in on march gets. u.s. stocks surged overnight on higher oil prices and strong gains for apple shares on wall street the dow jones industry je average rose. the nasdaq also up 1.2% on the day. now we'll see how tokyo markets are opening up and for that we'll go to raminemellegard. >> that came despite a contraction in the business conditions for new york and that was really overshadowed by some of the gains that we saw in other areas such as oil and we'll go over that in a second. how the nikkei and topix are reacting. both into the positive. the nikkei up 1% in the first few minutes of trading.

the nikkei kicking off positive on hopes of more stimulus measures by the government and also, a weaker yen after having hit 18-month highs last week. now the focus today will be on three sectors, if you will, the energy sector, the high tech sector and banking shares we've been covering that of course. we'll follow energy related shares. we saw brent futures rose to a six-month high above $49 a barrel as goldman sachs had the glut and oil supplies reduced earlier than expected. now, japanese tech sector and component makers may rise today. that's after apple shares jumped nearly 4% on the back of a massive steak of around $1 billion taken by investor warren buffet. also check on banking shares after japan's biggest bank said it's net profit fell 8% in the last fiscal year and central bank's january adoption of a

negative interest policy will likely push down loan rates, thus squeezing profit margins. other banks are pretty much in the same boat there. ai? >> ramine, the dollar yen could be discussed at the g 7 meeting this weekend. tell use about the currencies? >> the 02 to 05 dipped below 109 a few times before stocks started trading tuesday morning. many are waiting for clues whether the fed will decide to raise its key rates at the june meeting but analysts say the chance of that happening now is around 4%. now investors would, of course, be more bullish on the dollar if they felt a greater chance of the fed raising rates but so far, that feeling seems to be dwindling. now let's get a quick look at how some of the other indexes open right now across asia

pacific is trading in the positive, australia's 200 up just over one-third of a percent. china markets will open in about an hour and a half and despite the weak economic data, the shanghai composite ended monday in the positive as did hong kong. i'll see how they continue in an hour and a half for now back to you. >> sounds good, ramine, keep us up to date. keep usto date for your report. tourists aren't getting on just to get to their destination but looking forward to the journey itself and as the next report shows, the trains are anything but ordinary. a tourist train debuted last october near the coast. passenger compartments resemble

high-end japanese style hotels. the entrance is decorated with gold leaf. the isles have stepping stones like japanese gardens. >> translator: car number two is this way. please watch your step. clerks from a famous local hotel great the passengers and the clerks put the passengers at's with warm hospitality. they visit each compartment to take photos. >> translator: are you ready? say cheese. these two sets met on the train after taking pictures, they began really chatting. >> translator: we were complete strangers before we met here. >> translator: the hospitality is so natural, it was such a pleasant surprise. >> reporter: middle-aged and older people are especially fond of these trips. more than 20,000 people took the

ride in the first six months. >> it's our 30th wedding anniversary. >> it's a way to commemorate it. >> i didn't expect it to be this popular. some people have ridden the train ten times. we're so grateful. >> reporter: another train allows passengers to enjoy modern art, it started running in april from the station near the sea of japan coast. the cars are decorated with images of a famous festival. the images were designed by photographer. scenes from outside the windows are shown on mirrors. the mirrors are used like canvasses. >> the mirrors reflect the passengers skies and landscapes of the four seasons

prefectu prefecture. i believe passengers enjoy. >> reporter: photos, paintings are on display in the six cars. in the cafeteria car, passengers eat sweets mady locally produced ingredient ingredients. >> people are very keen on art and simulate local tourism. >> rail way farms are coming up with fresh and pun ways to keep the crowds rolling in. they are keen to show a ride in the fitted carriages is about a whole lot more than just getting from a to b. >> both look like great trips. all right. i'm going to leave you with that. i'll leave you with a check on

markets now. the summer olympics are over two month as way. they will be the first ever host in south america. this week we'll bring you a special series from rio looking at various challenges. we start with infrastructure and preparations that have gone into getting the city ready for the games. our reporter reports from rio. >> reporter: i'm in a part of rio called barra da tijuca where the new olympic park is located that's just behind me.

the olympics and paralympics will be held there but they are spread over three other areas, including the well-known beach copacabana. as the games get closer, a big push is on to make sure areas like here are ready. i visited some of the sites organizers are stepping up their efforts. rio de janeiro, brazil's second largest city, home to more than 6 million people. one look around and you can see loads of ongoing construction work. >> translator: it's good that many people from around the world are coming to rio for the games. >> translator: i hope brazil's soccer team wins gold. >> reporter: in less than three months, this will be the big stage for the games. the olympic park will feature nine venues and host 16 olympic and 9 paralympic sports. the olympic organizing committee says 98% of the work on venues is done.

still on the to-do list is velodrome for indoor cycling competitions. it isn't finished yet. the road to rio has been plagued with problems. local reports say 11 people were killed while working on olympic projects. in contrast, eight people were killed while building infrastructure for the 2014 world cup, also hosted in brazil. when the news broke rio was awarded the games, city officials pledged to make life in the city better. promises were made to clean up slums, include public transit and build legacy infrastructure that will last long after the

games were over. projects fell behind schedule and roads and projects infrastructure work will not be ready in time. and just last month, an elevated bike path touted as a top legacy project collapsed, killing two people. there are also environmental issues. this is the guanabara bay, the site for the olympic sailing. the bay has a massive pollution problem. that boat's job is to sail around, collecting garbage. it's part of the ongoing effort to clean this place in time for the games. and when it's tied up alongside, there are two other vessels in the rotation. their efforts to clean up the bay started two years ago. but the reality is, it is still far from clean. tons of garbage and raw sewage continue to flow into the bay daily. >> translator: there's still so much garbage in the water. i think they'll need more boats to clean up the bay. >> reporter: rio's mayor says even with the current issues, the games will be a success. >> translator: everything has been problem-free. the venue for indoor cycling is

the only site that's behind schedule. but it will be done by early next month. then we can test it out. >> reporter: there are areas that look ready for the games to begin. this is the square located in rio de janeiro. this square has been rebuilt for the olympics. the olympic flame will be lighted here during the games and a huge tv screen will be set for watching the events. while people in the stadium watch events, the whole world will be watching to see if brazil can manage a successful olympics. >> earlier our james tengan spoke with her in rio. >> what's the mood like in rio? >> reporter: the mood is mixed. some people are obviously looking forward to the games, but others are concerned with the slew of problems the country >> reporter: there are areas that look ready for the games to begin. this is the square located in rio de janeiro. this square has been rebuilt for the olympics. the olympic flame will be lighted here during the games and a huge tv screen will be set for watching the events. while people in the stadium watch events, the whole world will be watching to see if brazil can manage a successful olympics.

>> earlier our james tengan spoke with her in rio. >> what's the mood like in rio? g 7 environment ministers have wrapped up their meeting in japan, the first in seven years. they agreed to speed up efforts in addressing global warming and cutting food waste. one key item on the agenda was climate change under the december paris climate, countries around the world are requires to submit long-term emissions strategies by 2020 but the g 7 ministers agreed to do that well before the deadline. >> translator: we the g 7 members reconfirmed the commitment to address the climate change. >> the ministers adopted a frame

work that aims to cut global food waste in half by 2030. they also proposed using uneaten food for bio mass generation n. japan, an estimated 6 million tons of food is thrown out by restaurants, shops and households every year. some companies are changing their practice of throwing out products after only one-third of the expiring period elapsed. an expert in food waste says it's an urgent task. >> translator: companies need to find ways to reduce food waste such as giving discounts for products close to the expiration dates. >> he says consumers should also rethink their shopping tendencies. sources in china's tourism industry say china is restricts the number of out bound travelers to taiwan, the move follows the election of taiwan president from the democratic

progressive party which beijing sees as favoring independents. the sources told nhk authorities instructed travel agents around february to cut down on the available applications for permits to visit taiwan. taiwan issues the permits but china can limit the people allowed to visit by controlling the number of applications that travel agencies handle. last year, more than 4 million chinese visitors to taiwan spent over $5 billion at tourism related businesses. taiwan media reported over the mayday holidays, visitors from the mainland plunged by 30% from the year before. south korea will soon take part in a japan u.s. missile defense exercise for the first time. a south korean defense ministry source says the military will send a vessel equipped with the radar system to the drill. it will be held off of hawaii in

late june and involve training for detecting and tracking ballistic missiles. south korea decided to join to better respond to threats posed by north korea's nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. tests prompted washington to discuss the possibility tof the state of the art. china opposes. a chinese spokesperson said the situation on the korean peninsula is complicated and sensitive and called on countries to take cool headed responses and refrain from actions that would escalate the situation. all right. well people in tokyo are starting wednesday under gray skies. it's a wet one out there, or tuesday rather. it's a wet one out there. robert speta joins us with the latest on world weather. >> actually, this morning we're looking at wide spread showers across much of central japan

including tokyo back towards there and the heaviest stuff into kochkochi prefecture. just this conveyer belt of moisture moving across much of central japan extending back towards the southern japanese islands where i want to note the official start of the rainy season began here on monday in later than averageut he be eng t precipitatn y innd out for the several next weeks to come as that rainy season basically lingers. now back towards the north, we are going to get a break from the precipitation across mainland and this low is going to be tracking off there towards the east. bringing sunnier skies and more scattered pripitation here throughout the rest of tuesday but by the time wednesday comes around, high pressure works in from the west. sun snony skies so with a high

27. beijing baking there for you. 31 for your high on tuesday. tokyo still hat 20 but by the time wednesday comes around, it will start to rebound back up into the mid 20s by that front as i mentioned, still lingering down here towards the south bringing precipitation there in the southern china and over towards taiwan, as well. let's take a look at the tropics. not a named storm system out here if it does become a cyclone, could eventually move off towards the north but for now, the big problem is the rainfall and i know if you were out here, you have definitely been seeing the precipitation for nearly a week now. actually, in some areas, especially there, you've actually seen upwards of 7 to 800 millimeters of total rainfall. quite incredible. this is going to continue to track off here towards the north moving into southern india over towards there, heavy precipitation and eventually

back off the bay. really, i think this will be a main flood threat. unfortunately, not bringing much relief farther towards the north and the nord earn india where temperatures have just been soaring as of late well into the 40s but it could help the kick off the southwest moon soon. let's talk about severe weather across the central u.s. currently we have been seeing severe thunderstorm watches and warnings in place. funnel clouds reported in parts of northern texas across the pan la handle and colorado and developing area of low pressure moving off towards the east firing up storms with it but as we go ahead through the next 24 hours, it's all going to shift down here towards the southeast there in the eastern locations of texas and eastern oklahoma and that's where we're looking at severe weather threat by tuesday afternoon through the evening. travel plans in this area, you may want to check in on your flight. tornados possible here and gusty winds but also the chance of

ping-pong ball sized hail. the whole low will bring wide spread precipitation, severe stuff in the south but even towards chicago seeing rain eventually in the d.c. and new york. where you want to go? winnipeg. sunny skies near the freezing point. 23 on your tuesday. all right. here is the extended outlook. and that's all for this edition of nhk

announcer: "euromaxx highlights." and here's your host. host: hi, everyone, and welcome to our highlights show featuring the best picks of the week. here's a look at what's coming up. lovely lingerie. london's v&a museum showcases underwear through the ages. made to measure. we visit a luxurious house with a compact floor plan in vienna. personal playlist. how streaming services have changed our lives. we always love a good excuse to celebrate something or other here on "euromaxx," and what better occasion to raise a glass than on the anniversary of the german beer purity law?