hello there. welcome to nhk "newsline." it's friday jun 24th, 9:00 a.m. i'm catherine kobayashi. people in the uk are seeing early results on whether their country should quit. one of the latest polls show more people might be in favor of staying. it put support for that at 52%. the fight has bitterly divided the country. >> passionately remain. >> hopefully it will be announced. >> the final result is expected in the coming hours.

more than 46 million people have eligible to vote, a record many the country. the remain and leave groups campaigned fiercely. prime minister david cameron said a decision to leave would damage the country's security and economy. financial markets have been reacting to speculation. the currency hit a high after the poll showed more people in favor of staying. on the out or brexit side, former london mayor argued that being in the eu has allowed too many migrants into britain. both camps suspended activity last week after the murder of a pro-eu lawmaker. if the uk votes to leave, it would be the first country to do so and there are fears others might consider doing the same. the uk vote is not legally binding and could take years for anything to change. if the uk stays in the union, it's been promised special status exempting it having to

integrate further into the bloc. some expats here in japan cast ballots by proxy. went to a british club in tokyo to hear what they have to say. >> this is a place usually gather to watch football. now all eyes on how the vote is going. >> about one hour ago i would have said to leave the eu. but now i think we should remain in the eu, but we need to renegotiate terms. >> i think to remain is the logical thing to do because simply we don't know what will happen if we leave the european union. there's no way to say either way whether it will be better or worse.

>> european union has a lot of problems and uk has a lot of problems. the way to work out those problems is to be part of the conversation, to be part of the european union. >> if it's really close, maybe the british government can say, okay, we need to renegotiate our term in the eu. it's what a lot of people are saying. if they leave, of course, it will be a bigger effect. >> the owner expects more customers will come on friday to discuss the result and the future of britain. >> investors are following closely too. some big moves. what can you tell us? >> they have been voting that britain remain and on wall street the dow jones industrial average rose 1.3%. we saw gains on the nasdaq as well. that rose more than 1.5%. in currencies as kathryn mentioned, the british pound

surged overnight hitting this year's high against the dollar at $1.50. we are seeing much more volatile moves here many asia hours. traders are reacting to results trickling in. we saw the pound at above 1.50 and then it went down to 1.43 in just a few hours time. let's get all the latest from ramin. he's been following the moves. get us the update on what's been happening here? >> volatility is the keyword there. you just touched on it. you've seen that in currency swings. that's what a lot of traders are looking at. you mentioned pound sterling against the dollar. that's a key pair that many are watching out for and there's a note of caution definitely. let's have a look at the reaction for stock markets. the first key major index here to kick off the nikkei.

many assets had been sold off. that helped to drive the nikkei up on thursday. let me go through a few of them. conoco. nissan and hitashi and many others that are heavily invested in the uk economy because of its membership in the eu. mazda has about a fifth of its sales in europe. a big focus there. investors looking to the currency markets, as i mentioned there. we're seeing some wild swings even right now. >> i bet. get us an update.

tell us what's happening with is your honor -- currencies right now. >> the pound against dollar, 1.4554. sterling had rebounded strongly against the tlar and the yen just in matter of days after initial concerns of the uk leaving the eu. you can see 105.06. some sensitivity in caution playing through the financial markets this friday morning in tokyo. the australian dollar is seeing some movement there.

back to you. >> all right. sounds like you'll be busy today. thanks a lot for the update. as ramin mentioned, government officials in japan have been worried that a vote in favor of leaving the eu could hurt their economy. they fear it would spark a rush to buy the safe the slump in stocks could squeeze japan's gdp by up to 0.8%. companies with operations in the uk may have to pay tariffs.

the movement of people to and from could be restricted. moving onto other at the tokyo exchange say sharp corporation will be moved from the market's first to second section from august 1st. the announcement came after the electronics maker in the group fell into negative net worth in the business year that ended in march. tse officials say sharp could be reinstated to the first section if the company lifts itself out of negative net worth and starts to make stable profits.

that's the latest in business. today's eye on asia starts with a tornado. he instructed relevant officials to do everything possible to assist with rescue efforts. chinese officials are warning that heavy rain and unstable weather will continue on friday in the affected areas.

north korea claims to have tested a ballistic missile. the country has made great strides standing up to the united states. >> analysts believe north korea launched a new version of a missile called the musudan. state tv showed about 250 people in front of a mobile launcher. in the center is kim jong-un. he's quoted as saying the warhead survived the heat of reentry into the atmosphere and the missile was stable in flight. a north korean diplomat also talked up the missile's importance for defense. >> translator: we are very pleased because we can now confidently cope with whatever

nuclear attacks the united states launches against us. >> the u.n. security council convened an emergency session and released a statement strongly condemning the north. some governments have also voiced concern. >> the impact of these provocations will be to only strengthen the resolve of the international community that has such serious concerns with north korea's behavior. >> we, the whole world, should remind north korea that its misbehavior will have unbearable costs. >> japanese defense officials tracked the missile. they say it flew 400 kilometers then fell into the sea of japan. they believe it reached an altitude of more than 1,000 kilometers. the self-defense force chief says they'll stay on the alert. >> translator: the launch demonstrated a certain level of capability for an intermediate range ballistic missile.

it's extremely worrying for japan's security. >> he says north korea seems to have chosen a higher trajectory to reduce the distance the missile flew horizontally. a japanese diplomat lodged a protest with north korean officials in beijing. japan's defense ministry is examining a metal object that officials believe may be a part of a north korean missile launch in february. a self-defense force vehicle carried the object to the defense ministry's compound for detailed analysis. it washed ashore last week on the sea of japan coast. if analysts say it could be part of a faring cover. if confirmed, it would be the first discovery in japan of north korean missile debris. officials say they hope to gain insights into the material and technology used in manufacturing the component for a better understanding of the north's

south korea is also plagued by illegal chinese fishing. blue crabs are a favorite seasonal delicacy in south korea. many are caught in the waters of yellow sea off the country's west coast. but local fishermen say their catches are way down and they are blaming poachers from china for the problem. nhk world has more. >> reporter: the sea by the peninsula recently tour ships as well. south korea coast guard stepping up enforcement against illegal chinese fishing boats. the island lies close to north korea and china. the island's economy depends on fishing, especially blue crabs found in the surrounding waters. local fishermen are out in the

ocean about 10 kilometers away from yeonpyeong island for blue crabs that are in season. specialized catching crabs for the past decade. they used to demand 50 a day in season but things have changed. >> translator: we're deep in the red this year. we can't cover maintenance and wages. >> reporter: the catch is a tenth of what it was. it's a safe situation for the other boats. says the current situation is the worst he can remember. he blames illegal chinese fishing for the poor catch. chinese boats even intrude into south korea's territorial waters. many operate near the sea many operate near the sea border between the two koreas. the area is believed to be a good fishing ground, exploitation. chinese boats can avoid detection from the south after escaping into the north.

the angry fishermen have spoken up and changed their government's attitude. south korea military the neutral waters for the first time. they believe poachers used banned nets and scoop up life from the seabed including undersized fish. many of the restaurants that specialize in blue crab have shut down or changed their menu. >> translator: we haven't been able to serve blue crabs at all. last year they cost $110 for 5 kilograms, now it's double that. >> reporter: south korean fishermen have called on their mayor to take concrete steps to address the problem. they say a fishing zone should be set up around the area. an expert says chinese poachers are operating near the korean peninsula because overfishing has wiped out fish off the coast of china. >> translator: government

officials from south korea and china should cooperate to ensure the chinese fishermen have a stable income. they have to make fishermen not rely on seasonal fishing. both governments must make efforts to create a win-win relationship to prevent poachers from destroying future resources. >> but for now there seems to be no magic solution that can resolve the problem of illegal fishing in south korean waters. nhk world, yeonpyeong island. >> that wraps up eye on asia. temporary facilities are opened up. students fled falluja after the

islamic state group took control of the central city two years ago. officials from the local government, the united nations and the japanese embassy in iraq attended the opening ceremony. the completion of the campus has provided a glimmer of hope in the hearts of displaced students. students were able to study at other university buildings in baghdad but now they can stay in a newly built dormitory. >> japan would like to support improvements in the conditions for those who want to study even though they are facing difficulties in the conflict. on june 17th, the iraqi government declared it successfully recaptured falluja. it's believed that the militants may be hiding among local

residents. sports climbing is booming in japan. the sport is on the edge of becomie ining an event at the t olympics in 2020. that's taking the business opportunities to new heights. >> reporter: office workers do a lot of climbing in this ordinary looking building, but they're not scaling the corporate ladder. it's friday evening at a gym. work is over. sports climbers are shedding their suits and ties. climbing fa till sis like this one are opening up a cross japan. at last count there were over 400, double the number of five years ago. the wall is not that tall here. you really have to use your

fingertips and your arms to go up higher. >> my office is close by so i can come here easily. >> i work inside all day. i want to get out and exercise. >> reporter: this used to be a pr company. after they vacated, an out door clothing firm rented the space earlier this year. the new tenant installed wall for bouldering, a type of sports climbing. competitors are ranked by the route they climb and the number of attempts to complete them. first, you need wall to climb. he installs climbing walls. >> you don't fleneed a lot of initial costs to open a gym.

it's a high margin business. >> reporter: the climbing boom isn't restricted to big cities. a hot spot for out door climbers. their drawn by the rocky ledges found all over the island but now there's a new hang out. to boost the economy, the island opened a new recreational fa till si this spring. the highest wall is 50 meters tall. this used to be a high school gymnasium. the gym has 15 walls. some are angled to make the routes more challenging. he's still recovering from a hard knock.

16 years ago residents had to evacuate after a volcanic eruption. some of them never returned. the number of tour is has dropped by half. local officials are, wog hard to win them back. they put together a guide book. they are also using social media to get the word out to climbers. >> we hope to give more publicity for the island. >> reporter: they have an even bigger goal. they want to host competitions including the tokyo olympics. >> we hope to host the olympic games. we understand we need to meet the requirements to become a venue.

in august, they receive votes on whether to include sports climbing in the tokyo olympics. it's still one step at a time but the people believe their dream is finally within reach. nhk world, tokyo. earlier we reported on severe stormy conditions in eastern china. robert speta tells us where that storm is and what to expect from it. >> we do have to remember, this is all a part of the rainy season out here. across japan we have not seen back-to-back storm systems so far this week actually two areas, one on monday and tuesday and another one back on wednesday, and now as this pulls out of eastern china, it is still rather potent, that same

storm, not the tornado itself, but the same storm that produced the tornado north of shanghai is now rolling out there towards southern portions of korea. seeing showers moving into kyushu and western areas of honshu, could see 120 to 200 millimeters of precipitation as we head friday into saturday. this is definitely rather storm system. center low pulling towards the north. we're going to be seeing that strong southerly moisture coming in with it. definitely gusty winds along pacific coastline of japan here. it is going to be stretching all the way off here towards the east through the next 24 hours, even into the tokyo area, widespread showers expected out here on saturday as this pulls overhead. the good news as it does move away we are looking at clear conditions working their way in by sunday but you have to get through the storm first. shanghai, where you haven't seen that rough weather, still got thunderstorms on friday.

at least things will weaken off a little on saturday and sunday but the front still in place. busan showers friday and saturday clearing up sunday. seeing severe flooding and landslides, last thing you need is more rain, will be taking place starting friday and continue through saturday, tapering off and much better conditions by the time sunday rolls around. let's take a look down towards the south here into the tropics. we have not one but two areas we are watching. this one actually a tropical depression. we haven't had a named storm system yet in 2016. this could develop, according to japan meteorological agency, at least, expected to become a tropical storm in the next 24 hours. the big thing with it is going to be the rain regardless if it does about a named storm, it is embedded with southwest monsoon. that means there is an abundance of moisture for this to work with. stretching across philippines

extending towards vietnam, you're going to be looking at lots of rainfall here, some areas well over 200 millimeters as we head through the week. talking about severe weather over towards the u.s. still seeing thunderstorms lean up here along our cold front extending across ohio river down through the mid-atlantic states basically south of new york and d.c., mostly in virginia, over there towards west virginia and off into ohio. you are seeing that threat of more severe thunderstorms here on a thursday evening and even extending over towards a friday as well. not just damaging winds but also hail. one of the big questions you often get, actually, is how does hail relate to the thunderstorms. how does it form up. you have to remember hail is a product of a very strong updraft. those winds flowing into the storm, forcing that water up

above the freezing level and just over and over again and that helps consolidate it and it gets bigger. that's why the stronger the storm you have, the likely the bigger hail you are seeing out here. as we go into the summer months, need stronger. that freezing level is a little higher, stronger updraft, shows how potent these storms are. also summer temperatures warming up, look at the heat down to the south. stays cool. here is the extended outlook.

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

ernie stevens: on this edition of "native report," we visit the shako:wi cultural center of the oneida nation of new york. rita aspinwall: we'll interview noted artist, writer, and curator rick hill. other times when we did make agreements with them, we made a wampum belt to commemorate that agreement. ernie stevens: and we'll learn about the clan mother system of the onondaga nation. and it all started a very, very long time ago. we also learn about what we can do to lead healthier lives and hear from our elders on this "native report." narrator: production of "native report" is made possible by grants from the shakopee mdewakanton sioux community, the blandin foundation, and the duluth superior area community foundation. [music playing]