. hello there, and welmeo nhk "newsline." it is tuesday, august 30th, 9:00 a.m. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. people in japan are making preparations for the approaching typhoon. it will be the fourth storm system to hithe cntry in less than two weeks. it is off the coast of japan east of tokyo moving at 35 kilometers per hour. it is packing winds of more than 120 kilometers per hour near its center. meteorological agency are warning the storm willring heavy rain d song winds. it is projected to make landfall

oner japan' east coast sometimeuesday afternn or ening. weatheauorieare wni people in the areao avoid potentiay dangerous places like coastlines and rivers. the powerful typhoon is expected to force the cancellation of many domestic frights. airles say a pototal of 102 flights have already been canceled. there could be more cancellations. we're now joined by our meteorologist, sighqayaka mori. can you ll us more about the iisoi to be historic day forern japan. lafall in the eastern are ofe hoku forhe first time i ory. now is located about 240 kilometers to the east of chiba prefecture at this moment. it's bringing in high waves and strong winds to parts of the

kanto region. gusts of about 90 kilometers per hour were reported. now the system istago change direction toward the north-nortest at 35 kilometers per hour. wind gusts of 180 kilometers per hour. center will likely hit miyagi prefecture as a typhoon, and after that, it's going to move up towards aomori prefecture or parts of hokkaido into tonight. this is the high-tide season or spring tide season, th mea the water levelsreh and waves are going toe up to 10 meters. and due to the earthquake in 2011, the la has sunk, that means that theoku toh regions susceptible tod wind gusts coul 180 kilometer per hour, strong ough tople top trees and power poles. an additional 350 millimeters of rafaould fall and rainfall

at 18 millimeters per hour is expect. lastime, a rmaive landslide occurred. it looks like tokyo area willee conditions improving by this afternoon, but the peak of the stormy conditions for tohoku is this afternoon and into tot. hoai will see wet weather continuing as we go into wednesday. this is definitely not good new. because er the pastouplef weeks, three storm have made landfall in hokkaido. it has caused tremendous amounts of heavy rainfall already. so very dangerous conditions at least into wednesday in hokkaido. >> thank you, sayaka, sayaka will be back later in the program. workers at the fukushima daiichi power plant are preparing for the approaching typhoon. they are arranging pumps to gather more groundwater than

normal. hundreds of tons of groundwater have been seeping into damaged reactor buildings and and getting contaminated every day. workers plan tsuspend some of their operations for decommissioning the plant. it was crippled when the earthquake and tsunami caused multiple meltdowns. a suicide car bombing in southern yemen has hit a military facility killing at least 50 people and injuring dozens. the blast occurred on monday when a car loaded with explosives rammed into the facility. the islamic state has claimed responsibilities for the attack. yemen is embroiled in a civil war, the government fights insurgents. the islamic state militants and other extremists are

increasingly active in the country. it is time now for the latest in business news. japanese officials have released the july figures on household spending and employment, ai uchida joins us from the business desk. >> we're getting mixed signals about japan's economy. let's start this hour with a look at household spending. consumers in japan continue to keep a tight grip on their wallets. officials at the internal affairs ministry say spending for all households with two or more members fell 0.5% from a year ago. that is the fifth consecutive month of declines. average household spending was about 278,000 yen, that's about $2,700 per month. meanwhile, unemployment ticked down to 3.0%. it is a 0.1% drop from the

previous month and is the lowest level since may 1995. officials at the labor ministry say there continues to be more jobs than people to fill them. the ratio of job offers to people looking for work was unchanged from june at 137 openings for every 100 employment seekers. now household spending was higher thanexpectations. let's take a look at wall street. u.s. stock prices ended higher on the gains of the financial sector. we saw the dow jones rising. let's see what's happening in tokyo this tuesday morning. we're going to go to ramin mellegard for that at the tokyo stock exchange. how are markets kicking off? >> u.s. stocks are a little

boosted by heightened anticipation of a rate hike in the u.s. and the financial sector was one of the sfropgest performers. we'll see if that is the same here. the dollar has dipped a little bit but still remains strong against the yen. that should help exports. 16,683, just down almost, well, over a third of a percent taher for the nikkei and the broader topix down as well. the nikkei yesterday was boosted at its highest level in a week and a half. the u.s. currency gained after fed chief janet yellen's comments on friday janet yellen suggested she may be considering an early rate hike with hopes of higher u.s. rates, of course, major japanese exporters will get a boost. we're talking about autos, electronics and component makers across a lot of different

sectors. it makes green backs a little less affordable. add to that the gains in oil prices, the wti crude futures fell more than 1%. now london's brent declined on expectations that nigerian rebels will stop hampering the crude production. and they will continue ramping up output. so we pea see a little bit of a dip in energy-related shares in tokyo. >> we have seen a slight dip in the dollar, especially after strong gains recently. give us an update on what's happening. >> exactly. we've seen coming off tohose highs yesterday, 101.76, it was trading above 102 yesterday. so we're off those three-week highs. but a currency trader i spoke to this morning said expectations

of a rate hike in september or december has grown. now overnight, july's consumer spending in the u.s. rose, pointing to a pickup in economic growth, non-farm pay rolls are due out on friday. let's get a quick look on the asian pacific markets that are also open right now. seoul's kospi is trading higher as is sydney. i'll have more for you later on. back to you. >> all right, ramin, thanks a lot for that update, ramin mellegard from the tokyo stock exchange. well, this week we are bringing you a special feature on beating the heat, focussing on three ra ditraditions that f on how people work and play. we focus on the icon of a company ease s

japanese summer to revive fortunes. >> reporter: it's an aquarium with a difference. 3,000 goldfish swimming in a giant fishbowl. music, light shows and a bit of tradition and you have one of the attractions of the summer. the art aquarium has drawn more than 300,000 visitors this summer. it's located in tokyo's nihonbashi district. about 60 local businesses have come up with goldfished themed confectionary and cakes for the

summer, and they are selling fast. >> goldfish-themed sweets here are very popular. one of our versions has already sold out today. >> reporter: goldfish were introduced to japan in the 16th century. at first, only for the elites. but these days, it's hard to imagine a japanese summer without them. at festivals across japan, you can see people trying to scoop fish from a bowl of water. the scoop is pamade of thin pap, so you need to be quick and nimble, or it can fall apart before you haul your fish. and here's a modern version. put your smartphone in the water, and a digital fish will appear. it was dreamed up by an i.t.

company hoping it show how waterproof their smartphones are. they've taken the game all across japan and sales have already doubled from the last version. companies all over japan are competing for a lice slice of t action. in one case, another business is using goldfish to lure in visitors. there's not much chance of making a phone call in this booth. but social networks have turned it into the town's new landmark. this is known as a center of goldfish breeding. everywhere you look, tare are images of the colorful creatures. >> translator: so many people have come to see the attractions. the area has been experiencing a

revitalization. >> reporter: and the town even stages a goldfish scooping championship. players from all over the country come to compete, and they take it seriously. when your net breaks, you're out. some competitors caught more than 30 fish in three minutes. it draws an astounding 17,000 tourists to this usually quiet town. >> translator: the number of visitors has definitely increased. some people have come all the way from hokkaido and kyushu. it's really popular, and i think it helps the local economy in many ways. >> reporter: everyone from gallery owners to mobile phone makers is figuring out that goldfish really can reap gold. nhk world.

>> very cool. that's the latest in business news for this hour. i'll leave you with a check on markets. north korean leader kim jong un has attended a two-day celebration of the country's main youth league. he gave a speech expressing the importance of draideology and education and the role of young people. the state-run television aired footage of the congress held by the socialist youth league. it was the group's first-such

gathering in 23 years. kim shook hands before taking the stage. the tv station did not air audio of the speech. he called on young people to become the vanguard of the growing socialist power. kim also reportedly stressed the win the fight against the united states. prosecutors in taiwan have indicted three navy personnel in connection with the accidental launch of an anti-ship missile last month. the missile was fired from a military vessel at a base in a southern city. it hit a fishing boat, killing one taiwanese crew member and jo injuring three others, a sailor was inspecting the system without a superior. they did not realize that the missile was connected to a launcher and ready to be fired. they have charged him with professional negligence resulting in death and other

charges. they also charged two of his superiors for neglecting oversight and guidance. the missile traveled in the direction of mainland china. beijing demanded an explanation of exactly what happened. the taiwanese navy has stood by its explanation of human error. every year more foreigners in japan are found without a valid visa and are detained by immigration. their situation is gaining attention, and some are calling for change. nhk has more on that. >> reporter: japan's justice ministry runs immigration detention centers like this one in nagasaki. they hold asylum seekers, illegal economic migrants and others who have failed in their quest to stay in japan but have yet to return to their home countries. up to ten people are held in

rooms like this. cut off from the outside world, they are given only basic meals and just 90 minutes a day for exercise. >> translator: it's tough mentally. people are under stress. sometimes they scream at night. >> reporter: to ease the situation, the authorities created the system called provisional release. detainees can live outside the security if they pay a security bond and meet other conditions. about 1100 people are currently held in detention centers. 3600 others are on provisional leave. but the system has to those living on the outside cannot work or receive assistance. in june, 300 such people had a

protest. the number of provisional releases has increased nine-fold over the past ten years. one support group for these people attributes the rise to a stricter government policy on illegal stayers. marianna is from peru. she has asked not to be identified. she's been under provisional release for nine years. she came to japan to live with her japanese-brazilian husband, but when he divorced her, she lost her residential status, and so did their two children. all three were ordered to leave the country. but she has nobody to turn to in peru. and her children don't speak much spanish. not allowed to work, she's scrapes by with help from her

friends. her biggest concern is her children. without a change of status, her sons won't be able to work after they graduate from school. >> translator: ultimately, i need to find work, and it's hard to face the reality that i will be the only one of my friends without a job. i feel tahere's nothing i can d to build a future. >> reporter: marianna hopes the boys will be granted residence in japan, even if she's not. >> translator: this situation might be my doing, but pmy sons are not to blame. i want authorities to consider their future. >> reporter: but immigration officials are not about to rethink. they say there are no plans to change the treatment of foreigners on provisional release. >> translator: people who have received deportation orders should leave the country. if they can't survive under provisional release, they have no choice but to return to

interetheir homelands. >> reporter: but some people say it's essential to honor basic human the rights. >> translator: the authorities have allowed them to stay in japan temporarily, so they should at least grant them the right to work, to make a living. along with eligibility for health insurance. >> reporter: the current approach to dealing with immigrants is unlikely to change any day soon, but the country faces rising numbers of migrant workers and refugees, and the authorities may be forced to rethink their policy. nhk world, nagasaki.

entrepreneurs from around the world are competing in a new kind of space race. they're trying to become the first to land a private rover on the moon in pursuit of a $20 million prize. nhk got a sneak peek at the vehicle a team of japanese developers is developing. >> reporter: researchers have been waiting nine years for this moment. and if all goes as planned, this little rover will be wheeling across the surface of the poon next year. >> today's a very big event and a major milestone, so i'm very relieved after i finished this event. >> reporter: the rover is in a contest google announced in 2007. the u.s. i.t. giant wants to encourage entrepreneurs to create a new era of affordable

access to the moon. japan is one of 16 privately-funded international teams. that also includes the u.s., germany and india. the winning team has it to successfully place a robot on the moon that travels at least 500 meters and transmits hig high-definition images back to earth. japan's team is called "white rabbit." it's linked to a japanese folk tale in which the shape of a rabbit can be seen on the moon. they want to investigate volcanos and the prospects of eventually living on the moon. they plan to explore the lunar surface by the end of next year, becoming the first to do so. but there are still challenges to overcome, including development costs, carrying the rover into space on a robecket

will cost $1.2 million per kilogram. this weighed 10 kilos, the latest model weighs only 4. >> one idea is to use rovers. we expect one to run. >> reporter: it's only been about 50 years since that first giant leap into space. the team hopes their work will lead to the next one. nhk world, tokyo. let's get a check of the weather once again. as we've been reporting. people in northern japan are bracing for a typhoon that's expected to make landfall tuesday afternoon or evening. it poses a flooding threat north but into parts of china and the

korean peninsula. meteorologist sayaka mori joins us with the latest. >> it is now approaching japan and going into tomorrow. it will change into a low pressure system and is expected to hit the coast of the continent. we are looking at heavy rainfall across many areas like north korea, northeastern china as well as southeastern russia, and this system is already dumping heavy rainfall over the past couple days. the ground is so saturated. due to this system, an additional 150 millimeters of rain is expected. as we go into tomorrow, more rain is expecting. that peens the risk of flooding and landslides will be higher day by day. it will affect not just japan but the northeastern continent. so we are looking at the typhoon across the western pacific and there are several more across the central pacific. two hurricanes are now heading towards hawaii, and there are

several more storms over the atlantic. i want to talk about the central pacific. there are two hurricanes approaching hawaii, and i want to mention this one. this is madeline. right now, a major hurricane, it's packing wind gusts of 222 kilometers per hour. the system will likely get very close to or move through the big island as we go into wednesday local time as a hurricane. so powerful winds and also gigantic waves are expected and heavy rainfall at times are expected as well. very stormy conditions are expected wednesday as well as tuesday in hilo. honolulu will likely miss the brunt of it. but thunderstorms expected on thursday and wednesday and stay away from the coastal locations, because waves are going to be extremely high. across the southeastern united states there's a tropical system approaching the carolina coast. this will affect the carolinas as we go into tuesday.

heavy rainfall and dangerous waves are expected. and another system will hit the north coast of the florida peninsula as we go into thursday. the temperatures are going to be as follows on your tuesday. here's your extended forecast. all right, we'd like to remind you of our lead story this hour. people in japan are making

preparations for a typhoon. it will be the fourth system to hit the country if len less thao weeks. it's moving at a speed of 35 kilometers per hour and packing winds of more than 120 kilometers per hour near its center. officials with japan's meteorological agency are warning the storm will bring heavy rain and strong winds. it is predicted to make land fall on japan's east coast tuesday afternoon or wednesday evening. people are warned to avoid potentially dangerous places like coastlines and rivers. it is expected to force the cancellation of many domestic flights. airlines say a total of 110 flights, mainly to and from airports in the tohoku region and hokkaido on tuesday have already been canceled. they add there could be more cancellations. and that wraps up this edition

of nhk ne"newsline," thanks for joining us.

>> greetings from berlin and welcome to our highlights edition. and after a week devoted to exploring topics around the five senses, here's the best of the bunch: revolutionary. hyperzoom is an exciting new film technology molecular. foodpairing combines ingredients based on science tempting. a berlin barmixer and his cocktail creations >> geoff tompkinson of britain has worked as a cameraman and photographer for the past four decades. and during that time he's perfected a technique of timelapse photography that he calls hyperzoom.