hello there. welcome to nhk "newsline." it is thursday, june 2nd. i'm catherine kobiyashi in tokyo. a french navy ship has detected signals that are likely to have come from a black box from the egyptair flight that crashed into the mediterranean sea last month. the crash happened on may 19th on the way from paris to cairo. 66 people were on board. smoke was detected near the cockpit shortly before the crash but the cause of the accident is still a mystery. france's accident investigation bureau said the signals came from the seabed. it believes they're likely from a flight data recorder or the cockpit voice recorder.

bureau officials added a submarine will be sent to the area. investigators say they hope the black boxes will provide clues to determine the cause of the crash. the move aims to cut off another financial option for north korea by borrowing u.s. financial institutions from maintaining correspondent accounts with the north. it's an addition to an existing ban on direct transactions. the department says the measure is aimed at further isolating north korea from the international financial system. it says it's essential for all countries to take action to prevent it from abusing financial institutions around the world. the u.n. security council

adopted a resolution in march calling on countries to tighten financial sanctions following its nuclear and missile test. washington's latest move comes days after pingyong conducted another launch. president xi ping has told an official that north should abandon its nuclear ambitions. xi met with the vice chairman of the workers party. he said he values the relationship between the countries. he said china's stance on matters relating to the korean peninsula hasn't changed. he wants all parties to exercise calm and restraint. senior officials from japan, the united states and south korea say they will cooperate to prevent north korea from conducting further provocative actions. the three men in charge of north korean fairs met in tokyo on

wednesday. they said the nuclear and missile programs are unacceptable and they reaffirm that their governments will refuse to talk to north korea unless it shows a path towards denuclearization. the japanese representatives says it's important to keep pressuring the north to abide by u.n. security council resolutio resolutions. >> translator: i think our biggest challenge for now is to prompt north korea to change its way of thinking and take meaningful actions towards denuclearization. >> he said the three countries will also seek cooperation from china and russia on the matter. more north korean restaurant workers in china have defected to south korea.

officials in seoul say they fled to the south by way of a third country. south korea's unification ministry has not revealed further details but the country's public broadcaster kbs reports they are three women in it says they were working at a north korea-run restaurant. kbs says they traveled to thailand by a land route before arriving in south korea. in april, 13 workers at another north korean restaurant in china defected to the south. pyongyang has repeatedly demanded the group's return. it claims they were abducted by south korea's intelligence agency. running restaurants in china allows north korea to gain much-needed foreign currency. south korean media report that growing pressure from pyongyang could be behind defections. they say the north is ordering the restaurants to send back more funds even though their operation is becoming difficult because of sanctions and other international pressure on the nation. shinzo abe has made official his delay of a tax hike. it was scheduled for next april but abe wants it pushed back by two and a half years.

the change has to be approved by the diet first. abe says he wants voters to weigh in on his decision during the upper house election set for july 10th. >> translator: at the g7 summit world leaders shared an understanding of global economic risks. japan will push forward various policies such as advancing structural reforms and increasing public spending. in doing so, a tax hike that has the potential to weaken domestic consumption should be postponed. >> abee says he believes the domestic domestic economy is recovering, crediting his policy for bringing more jobs and higher household incomes. but he says the biggest concern is the slowdown in china and other emerging economies because he says this could slow down the

global economy. >> translator: my decision this time to postpone the tax hike differs from the promises i have made before. it is a new decision. i am aware of criticism that it is a violation of our policy pledge. and i would like to sincerely face that criticism. now, that i have decided to seek public approval on the decision, i aim to get a majority of contested seats by the ruling coalition in the upper house election. >> abe also says he has considered dissolving the lower house and calling a snap election over the issue, but didn't because of the recent deadly earthquakes in southwestern japan. >> translator: i know there are

still many people who are forced to live in shelters in the disaster area from the earthquake. i think another election could add to their burden. considering this, i decided to ask for voters' opinion over the decision in july's planned election. >> abe says the focus of the election will be whether or not he should proceed with abenomics. sales in japan's department stores haven't been as strong as before. the tourists are still coming to

japan. why the decline in sales? >> exactly. they are buying different things. visitors were buying relatively expensive things like brand name bags, jewelry. now they are spending money on lower price goods like cosmetics and food. five department stores show sales declined from a year before. there was a drop of more than 7%. sogo and seibu logged a 4% decline. officials at the u.s. federal reserve have released the latest report on the country's economy. many districts had modest economic growth between april to mid-may. the beige book is based on

responses from businesses and other contacts in the bank's 12 districts. consumer spending was up modestly in many districts. it says large passenger cars and trucks sold relatively well due to low gasoline prices. manufacturing activity was mixed across districts. the thrj sector remained weak. construction and real estate activity generally expanded. the report says a labor shortage is seen this many districts and employment grew modestly. the fed is scheduled to hold a policy board meeting in the middle of the month. janet yellen suggested that u.s. interest rates could be raised in the coming months. let's see how markets did on wall street. u.s. stock prices did manage to start june in the positives. investors were encouraged by the positive tone in the beige book but nothing major. the dow jones industrial average ending flat on the day. the nasdaq ending up 0.08%.

let's see what's happening in tokyo. for that we will go to ramin. good morning. tell us what you're seeing over there. >> good morning. not too many cues from the u.s. market. pretty much flat on the day. investors may be a little bit risk off because of the slightly stronger yen. let's have a look at how all of that is playing into the nikkei and the topix. we had the weaker pmi manufacturing data out of china yesterday. markets a bit lower here at the moment. let's not forget the nikkei fell and snapped five days of gain on wednesday and the stronger yen pushed many to book profits after the winning streak. prime minister abe postponed a consumption tax hike set for next april. it's scheduled for 2019. some analysts suggest it's a bit of a setback for prime minister's abe policy agenda as

deflection enforces really remain stuck in place. others say the delay may affect the plans for japan's balancing of its budget. some factors there. we need to keep watch for oil and energy stocks. overnight major crude oil futures dipping a touch. you're looking at wti there. analysts suggesting the current price around $50 really not high enough to boost opec members economy and it's not low enough for any major producer to kick in any actions and also many will want to see how the new saudi oil minister will react during the meetings. >> it al looks like the dollar is playing into commodity prices. tell us about the link and get us updated on the levels. >> with the stronger dollar it makes holders of other

currencies a little more expensive. let's not forget on tuesday it was trading at the mid 111 yen levels. it's dropped there after a bit of mixed data from the u.s. u.s. jobs data on friday will be the biggest guide for the green back. european central bank will have a meeting later today. let's get a quick update on other indexes now. seoul's kospi is up. australia is in the negative. the shanghai china markets open in an hour and a half. shanghai composite ended lower. i'll also keep track of department store shares. we've been covering that story as well. back to you. >> thanks a lot. japan was once a wi-fi back water but it's increasingly

connected and that means business opportunities for companies that know how to use these networks. nhk reports. >> reporter: a home game for japan's soccer league but they have one eye on another match. the other game is being followed on smart phones and tablets. >> translator: i'm watching our rival team's game. if they lose and we win today, we'll top the league. >> reporter: portable devices allow fans to keep track of what's happening in the league. it's the first club to offer free wi-fi in its stadium. that means not just better smart phone reception but added attractions. hungry or thirsty during a game, you don't want to miss a second of the action to go to a vendor, you can order food with a tablet and have the purchased delivered

right here to their seats. fans can sit back and enjoy the game with their meals. the club has set up tablets in the premium seats. fans check the vendors electronic menu and order hot dogs, sodas and other snacks. a few minutes later, the food is delivered. >> translator: there's a long line at the vendor. i don't have to go and line up, so it's very convenient. >> translator: we want to establish what we call stadium businesses offering more entertainment for our attendees and boosting our profit. >> reporter: they are using free wi-fi to boost revenues. city officials say tourists come on day trips to see major atomic bomb sites. the city wants to persuade them to stay longer. wi-fi system popular tourist s.

visitors receive pop up notices for other nearby attractions when they access the service. the visitors can also view a dedicated tourism website. this couple said they came to the spot after finding it on the website. >> talked about how to get here with the ferry and we learned about the shrine and the other things we can do here. >> translator: we want to boost the local economy, so we need the tourists to do more sightseeing then they would stay longer. we hope our information page and the pop ups will help do that. the manager at the telecom giant that installed this wi-fi infrastructure wants the business to spread nationwide. >> wi-fi is just a holistic marketing solution not just

internet access technology. it's a good target for us. not only are you in japan. >> reporter: as tokyo's 2020 olympic games approach, the flood of tourists is expected to grow. the future for wi-fi business looks bright. >> that's the latest in business. now it's time for eye on asia. 15 ethnic uygurs have become begun a hunger strike calling on the country's government not to deport them back to china. the congress says around 70 people are now in thai detention facilities. more and more are leaving the region aiming to head through thailand and reach turkey where

they have ethnic ties. they're fleeing what they call beijing's oppressive ethnic policy. hundreds of them have been detained in thailand since 2014 on suspicion of illegally entering the country. more than 100 have been deported to china. a military court in thailand indicted two last august on charges including murder in connection with a bombing in bangkok. the blast at the popular shrine killed 20 people and wounded more than 120 others including foreign tourists. thai police suspect the involvement of a network that helps the minority escape china. wildlife officials in thailand raiding a tiger temple have discovered thousands tof dead tiger cubs. the tourist attraction has denied allegations it was involved in trafficking the endangered animals.

at least 40 dead cubs were found in a freezer in the temple in the western province. an operation to rescue tigers being held there began on monday. a senior official of the department of national parks told reuters the carcasses must be of some value for the temple to keep them. but he added that he couldn't imagine what it was. the temple said in a statement on its facebook page that it's common for cubs to be stillborn or die shortly after they're born. the temple reared more than 100 tigers, despite not having a zoo license. paying tourists flocked there to touch and be photographed with them. a wildlife conservation group in january issued a report accusing the temple of illegally selling tigers which were bred on its premises. thailand has been seen for a hub of illegal animal tracking. conservationists say tigers are threatened by rising demand of newly, wealthy consumers in asia for their bones, meat and teeth used in some traditional medicines.

more and more japanese farmers are looking at export opportunities. but they're finding pesticide regulations are standing in the way of getting produce on to plates abroad. our next story looks at changes they're making to growing practices to ensure their fruit is not forbidden. >> premium strawberries are a speciality of fukushu prefecture and there's strong interest from thailand. >> really good. sales of japanese produce in taiwan are on the rise. >> however, taiwan has very strict import regulations regarding residual pesticide levels and rejected strawberries from this area in 2014. this farmer is trying a natural alternative to chemicals. tiny bees, 2 millimeters long. the bees lay their eggs in the aphids and when their larva

hatch, they kill the aphids, however this means he ease had to rethink other pesticides, too, to make sure they don't harm the bees. >> translator: as a farmer, i'm nervous about changing the chemicals i use. i was worried about how it would turn out. >> thanks to the rigorous effort, the strawberries, passed the stringent taiwanese import checks this year. across japan, local governments are encouraging farmers to export. the citrus of tokishima prefecture proved a hit in the eu. the prefecture hosted a promotional tour for french food writers and pastry chefs. it's further boosted demand for the fruit. mandarin oranges are another key

crop in tokishima but exporting them is not so easy. chemicals are used on the fruit to prevent damage by insects such as scale bugs but eu regulations on pesticides are also very strict. this year, a special orchard was set aside to test chemicals that meet european requirements. the fruit received approval. but another problem arose. for sale in the eu, all mandarin oranges must have their peel disinfected. local officials had to be mobilized to help wipe and dry each mandarin orange individually. >> there's a lot of hidden labor involved. that's what we have found out. it's hard because we don't have the know-how yet. >> just as industrial exporters have done in the past, japanese farmers are finding they have to adjust their practices to meet standards abroad. >> that wraps up eye on asia.

people in tokyo are experiencing blue sunny skies but it's a different story elsewhere in japan. our meteorologist robert speta explains. >> yes. actually, much of central and western yeah pan really is a great day do get out there. we are going to be having the sunny skies thursday and friday. things cooler this morning but it should be warming up. i do want to make note that's for central and western japan. back towards the north, not so much. in fact, meteorological summer started here on wednesday, june 1st. back towards hokkaido, we saw reports of snow this morning in the higher elevations but that's mainly because of our storm system that blew through. it brought strong thunderstorms back on tuesday, even some hail was reported but it's been lingering here for so long, it's just been pulling in that cool air from the north and just ushering in some of those bitter temperatures and making for some of the white stuff there but back towards the west, the high pressure is dominating the

korean peninsula, northeastern china. looking at rising temperatures out here, even into beijing and pushing into the 30-degree mark. seoul at 29. tokyo, 25. a little bit cooler but you are looking at those sunny skies out there. do want to mention, though, the rainy season, including okinawa. extending through much of central and eastern china. still here. it is a seasonal front. it does not go away very fast. really, this just progresses northward throughout the months of may and now into june and early july across the korean peninsula and much of japan until the pacific high works in from the east and starts to set in that summer season. but until that happens, you're really still contending with that here. also, where you do not need anymore rainfall is here in to much of central and western europe. specifically, france. you have been seeing some

exceptional amounts of precipitation this past month. i'll show you a video out of paris here where this is the result of one of the wettest months of may on record in the city there. actually, you have been looking at severe flooding, the rivers rising up to flood stage there, as well. not just in paris. in other communities and across much of france over 8,000 calls for rescue have been made in the past week here. you can see people being helped, being evacuated out some of the flooded areas. and unfortunately, there's more rain in the forecast. that's really the big problem here. this is the culmination of a month's worth of rain, all this has gathered and flowing into the rivers and beginning to crest. so, if you have that combined with more precipitation, which is expected, you still could see additional flooding. not only in france but also into germany.

seeing severe flooding and back towards the east and poland. thunderstorms still possible and in the next 24 hours alone, large hail and also that threat of some damaging winds. so really, something we want to be watching out for as this low pressure area, cut off low. not going very fast and bringing additional rainfall. london, travel plans there, something i have noticed here on your wednesday night, plenty of delays, not only in london but manchester. we have been seeing very low visibility and actually about a one to two hof hour delay there if you're heading into the airports. i'll leave you with the your extended outlook.

we have one more story. conservationists trying to reintroduce a new bird to japan have reason to celebrate. they spotted two wild born crusted ibis chicks leaving their nest. they are considered a national treasure in japan. they were once a familiar sight in rice paddies but hunting and changing in agriculture changed their existence.

the bird was declared extinct 35 years ago. china stepped in to help offering some of its wild ibises. they were bred on the island in the sea of japan and released them into the wild. on wednesday environment ministry officials spotted two which i ca chicks born in the wild leaving their nest. >> translator: the chicks were moving actively. they asked one of their parents to feed them. i think they're growing very well. >> ministry experts say they expect the chicks to be flying in about a week and they say five more are expected to leave their nests soon. it was worth the wait. and that wraps up this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm catherine kobiyashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us.

♪ >> welcome to "in good shape." coming up, how the germ helicobacter pylori takes hold of the stomach. a new way of treating tooth decay. and a look into the potential dangers of anesthesia. ♪ dr. lekutat: hello and welcome to "in good shape." today, i am at one of the charite clinics here in berlin, the benjamin franklin campus in the south-west of the city. today, we are going to talk about anesthesia. how risky is it? and is it true that some patients even wake up during surgery? we're going to meet dr. christoph stein, the head of the anesthesiology department here at this clinic.