hello there, and welcome to nhk "newsline." it is tuesday, august 9th, i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. survivors, dignitaries and visitors are gathering in the western japanese city of nagasaki to reflect and remember. 71 years ago the u.s. military dropped an atomic bomb there three days after a similar attack on hiroshima. the anniversary is a chance for nagasaki to renew calls for the abolition of nuclear weapons. the memorial ceremony starts at 10:35 a.m. japan time. japanese prime minister shinzo abe is scheduled to attend along with representatives from 53 countries and territories. they will observe a moment of

silence at 11:02, the moment the bomb was dropped. nagasaki mayor tomihisa taue will call on nations to realize a world without nuclear arms and he'll urge japan's government to take the initiative as the only country to have suffered nuclear bombing. taue also plans to touch on president barack obama's visit to hiroshima in may. he'll ask other world leaders to follow suit. taue reads a peace declaration every year, but as the number of survivors declines, his message becomes more urgent. people in nagasaki are coming together to commemorate those who were killed in the atomic bombing of the city 71 years ago. survivors and family members of those who died have been gathering near ground zero since early this morning to pray for the victims. >> translator: i can never sleep well in august.

i think my life was spared so that i could pray for the victims. >> translator: we must keep calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons. >> translator: i would like president obama to visit nagasaki, too. hiroshima was not the only place that was struck by an atomic bomb. nagasaki was also hit. >> translator: i came here early in the morning with my kids to pray for the victims. i want my children to remember what happened on this day. >> as people look back to that day, photos taken after the attack provide a clear reminder of the destruction. one of those images helped two women get closure this year after seven decades. nhk world reports, but first a warning for our viewers, some may find the photos disturbing.

>> reporter: this photo was taken the day after the nagasaki bombing near ground zero. the picture has become an icon symbolizing the horrors of nuclear weapons. but over 70 years, the identity of the boy in the photo was unknown. in 1995, the then-mayor of nagasaki showed a picture at the international court of justice. >> translator: the leaders of the nuclear powers should take a look at the photograph. they should face the reality that nuclear weapons bring. >> reporter: in june two women who live in nagasaki said they recognize the boy as their brother. >> translator: i thought i was finally able to meet my brother. i was really surprised. >> reporter: the photo was taken by army cameraman yosuk

yosuke yamataha. he was ordered to record the damage after the nagasaki damage. yamahata arrived in nagasaki on august 10th, the day after the bombing, and captured images of ground zero. a train was flattened and the bodies of its passengers were blown away. the girl in this photo lost her family and was still staring in a daze. >> translator: it was like hell. there were very few survivors. people's eyes were exposed to radiation, their bodies burned. people were holding on to walking sticks wandering around the city waiting for rescue. >> reporter: amid the scene of devastation, yamahata saw the boy's body. more than 70 years later the sisters were still searching for their brother. tanisaki lived at the boarding house near ground zero.

he had taken exam at school on the day of the bombing. those were his last known whereabouts. >> translator: we went to exhibitions all the time desperately hoping to find my brother somewhere. we looked through every photo very carefully. >> reporter: they had known about the photo before, but they had never seen it in a large size. when they saw a blown-up version they noticed that the boy resembled their brother. a forensic expert analyzed the contours of the boy's face and the shape of his eyes and concluded the boy is highly likely tanisaki. his sisters say they are talking to the photo every day. >> translator: we are relieved. we finally have some closure. my brother is no longer here. he died. we have been able to put it to an end.

>> reporter: still, the two sisters don't know what happened to their brother's body. nagasaki officials say the city still holds the remains of nearly 9,000 people. despite efforts in the past ten years, none have been identified. yoshihito kametani, nhk world, nagasaki. >> many of those who survived the bombing recorded their experiences. a japanese doctor's account is one that continues to resonate in japan and around the world. his writing describes the devastation of the bombings as well as the desire for peace among survivors, and his message is being passed down to younger generations in south korea. nhk world's yoshihiko suzuki reports. >> reporter: south korean students arrive in nagasaki for their four-day tour. they want to visit places

with a connection including a small wooden hut where he once lived. >> reporter: nagai was a medical doctor who survived the atomic bombing of nagasaki in 1945. he went on to write a book titled "the bells of nagasaki" and he published it in 1949 when he was ill with leukemia. the book details the aftermath of the bombing from a doctor's point of view. >> translator: we found bits of concrete or pieces of glass and wood from sliding doors. accustomed though we were to nauseating scenes, we shuddered at this sight. the people of nagasaki prostrate themselves before god and pray, grant that nagasaki will be the last atomic wilderness in the

history of the world. >> reporter: the book has been translated into nine languages, including korean. japan's colonial rule of the korean peninsula came to an end after the atomic bombs were dropped on japan. in the late 1980s a group of korean catholics visiting nagasaki were inspired by the story of nagai who was also catholic. in 2004 the interest had grown so much they decide to set up a group to share his message. >> translator: nagai's works despikt the horrors of atomic bombs very well. i was moved by the fact he kept on helping people despite his own difficulties. >> reporter: each year the group holds a contest and invites people to write essays on nagai

and his writings. we now get to go to nagasaki. the end of the contest is to pass the spirit on to younger generations who have never experienced war. this is one of the group's leaders and a past winner of the contest. before the trip this year she visited her former high school to talk about nagai's legacy. >> translator: this is dr. nagai. he wrote books describing his experiences after the bombing. >> translator: south korea wasn't the only country damaged by war. war leaves both the victors and the victims in pain. >> reporter: kim and other students visited the museum that is dedicated to nagai's

legacy and included the small hut where he spent his final years. the museum director is takihashi nagai's grandson and has welcomed the korean group for the past seven years. >> translator: i believe young people in south korea are trying to find their own ways to overcome effects of past strained ties between the two nations and patch closer ties to future generations. i think that they are in the process of accepting the fate of takhashi nagai. >> reporter: i think the most important thing is to consolation to people around me and think about things like dr. nagai did. i will start with that. >> reporter: year after year new groups come into the museum and

help to keep nagai's legacy alive. yoshiko suzuki, nhk world, nagasaki. >> we'll break from our regular programming and bring you coverage from nagasaki starting at 10:45 a.m. japan time in our special edition of nhk "newsline," nagasaki, a lasting legacy. the emperor of japan has addressed the public in a video message. emperor akihito alluded to his wish to abdicate. he spoke for around ten minutes.

>> he noted that considering the gradual decline in his physical condition, he's worried it may become difficult for him to carry out his duties as the symbol of the state. >> he also talked about what he sees the emperor's duties as being.

>> the emperor also expressed the view that it is not possible to continue reducing the duties, and he said he's concerned that, like in the past, when an emperor is ill and his condition becomes serious, society comes to a standstill and people's lives are affected.

>> he ended by saying he sincerely hopes for the people's understanding. people around the country have been giving their reactions to the emperor's message. >> translator: the emperor has reached an advanced age, so i think it's good to hand over the throne to a successor while he's still healthy. >> i've been listening to the emperor since he was the crown prince. i believe he genuinely cares about the people. >> translator: i think the emperor thought deeply about his

health and his role. i hope things happen the way he desires. >> people who have met the emperor have been expressing support. a former serviceman who fought in world war ii spoke with the imperial couple last year when they visited the pacific island to pay tribute to the war dead. >> translator: i totally agree with the emperor's message. i think his duties are really heavy visiting many different places. i think he works too hard. >> this man met the emperor when he toured japan to speak to survivors of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. >> translator: we were encouraged by the emperor.

now our lowell is to encourage the emperor by showing our efforts to rebuild the area. >> hiroshi haneda is a director of the peace memorial museum. he guided the emperor around the facility in 1995, the 50th anniversary of the bombing. he said he listened carefully as the he spoke about his experience as a survivor of the attack. >> translator: i think every japanese national including government officials should keep a close eye on how things proceed keeping the emperor's message in their minds. >> media around the world also reported the emperor's message. the bbc broadcast the whole address as breaking news. its reporter in tokyo says the emperor has sent a strong

message to the japanese government. china's state-run central television broadcast a live report from tokyo emphasizing that this is a historical event for the japanese people and the government. the south korean news agency also reported the news. let's shift gears now. we take you to the latest business news. results of a japanese government survey suggest people are feeling somewhat better about the economy. let's go to ramin mellegard from our business deck. tell us more about the survey. >> well, very important survey, catherine. many economists watch this. we're talking about the monthly economy watchers survey. now officials of the cabinet office asked about 2,000 workers across the country how they feel about the economy compared to three months ago. now, the july index stood at 45.1, up nearly 4 points from

the previous month. now, that's the first improvement in four months. the department store workers reported brisk sales of women's clothing in the summer bargain period and auto dealers said sales of mini vehicles are improving. the cabinet office revised its overall economic assessment upward for the first time in 16 months saying the economy is showing signs of recovery. thep jaen fair trade commission has investigated the local unit of american e-commerce firm amazon.com on suspicion of unfair trading practices. amazon japan is suspected of having pressured retailers to offer products at the same or lower prices than they offer on rival sites. the company allegedly presented retailers with these conditions before they concluded a deal. amazon japan officials have declined to comment on the case. amazon's business practices have

also come under scrutiny in europe. the antitrust authorities are investigating the firm's e-book business. foreign students in japan are looking for work. companies are seeking workers and government officials are trying to bring them together. now, this sounds like a win-win situation in the country's tight labor markets. sadly, it's not working out as well as expected. nhk world has been finding out why. >> reporter: the university of tokyo is japan's most respected academic institution. 3,000 foreign students study here. when they graduate, many will be taking their skills to other countries. helen chan from taiwan is one of them. she's a third year student at the college of arts and sciences. she enjoys life in japan and was hoping to land a job with a local consultancy after finishing her degree. those plans have changed. helen is now in the united states chasing down other career

options. >> we also put more emphasis on academic life which is english. our japanese is not perfect enough for the japanese companies. >> reporter: helen enrolled in a course that is taught in english. that give her little time or incentive to polish her japanese. more than 15 universities in japan offer english-based degrees. that's one of many policies the government is promoting to attract foreign students. the hope is that when they dwraut they'll fill some of the gaps in a shrinking work force. but overseas students run into problems when they start looking for work. one is that local companies favor japanese speakers. not all employees speak english. so we demand a certain level of japanese proficiency.

>> reporter: as a result helen is now looking to study at a u.s. graduate school. >> it's hard for us to assimilate into the culture. i want to explore more and challenge myself in a brand-new environment. >> reporter: language is not the only obstacle. some foreign students have a hard time getting an employment visa. in principle foreign students have to find jobs related to the fields they majored in. otherwise, no work visa. >> translator: foreign students must seek a profession linked to their academic knowledge.

the system limits their options. >> reporter: then there's japan's complex recruitment process. companies usually begin interviewing candidates before they graduate. and it can be hard for foreign students to get a foothold on the career ladder. it's a frustrating situation for students and also for officials. they worry japan will be left behind in the global race to recruit talented workers. >> translator: we're seeking ideas to match the needs of companies with those of the foreign students. >> reporter: japan's government is under pressure to act. young minds can offer a much needed shot of vitality for the economy and an aging society. joji kanou, nhk world. >> that's it for business news. i hand it back to you. >> thanks very much, ramin. people along the eastern coast of japan are experiencing

strong gusts and high waves but what's also concerning is the heat and humidity. robert speta joins us now with more. >> well, at least for the rest of today we're going to be looking at our severe tropical storm still bringing rough weather will eventually move off to the north as we look ahead to wednesday. behind it we have sunny skies. a mountain effect going on here with the wind. that's going to be causing the temperatures to really spike up. we're going to have some of the warmest temperatures yet in 2016 across western and central areas of the country. but first, let's talk about our tropical storm because yes, that is pulling off towards the north. have a lot of dry air wrapping into it. starting to go extra-tropical here. but that doesn't take away from the fact that we have gusty winds. most could be gusting up to 144 kilometers per hour. unfortunate if any ships find themselves out here and find the six-foot-high waves along with

it. honshu and hokkaido, they could see gusts up to 108 kilometers per hour and the rough seas along the beaches. i know it will be a hot one out there. you definitely want to stay out of the water. there will be dangerous rip current with this. if you do want to head out to the coast, it will be windy but at least a little bit cooler than central and western areas. monday alone, temperatures flirting with that 30-degree threshold. typically we don't get above 40. the main reason for that, the oceans around the islands out here kind of keep thins cool. the last time was in 2013. we got above 40 degrees. that was in shikoku, 39.7, but the rest of tuesday, could be there again. just to the west of tokyo 39, tokyo at 37, though, even down south to kyoto, also into kumamato. a little bit cooler in sapporo, the sun blocking out there.

back towards the korean peninsula as well staying on the hot side, then back towards the west, we do have tropical weather taking place out here. that will bring scattered showers for southeastern areas of china. let's talk about what's going on in europe as well. fairly gusty winds over to scotland and back towards the scandinavian peninsula. nothing do with any particular storms but these gradient induced winds. video out of scotland. how about this? looks like something out of a disaster movie. this large oil rig that blew on shore there and, well, winds upwards of 170 kilometers per hour were reported when this took place. nobody was on board, no injuries, but the coast guard has blocked off that area. look at these incredible images. very rough seas. the intensity the storm has had. now moving towards the east, still bring gusty weather out here, strong storms extending down towards poland and also

into southern areas of germany and across the alps there, vienna a high of 29, thunderstorms in your forecast. we do want to talk about javier pulling off towards the north. this will stay west of all the flooding and landslides we talked about toward the yucatan peninsula. that caused a dozen casualties. all right, i'll leave you now with your extended outlook.

just a reminder before we go, we'll break from our regular programming and bring you coverage from nagasaki starting 10:45 a.m. japan time in our special edition of nhk "newsline." nagasaki, a lasting legacy. stay tuned for that. and that wraps up this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us.

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