hello there and welcome to nhk "newsline." it's wednesday, october 19th, 9:00 a.m. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. the city's governor has scored a minor victory in her efforts to curb growing costs for the 2020 olympics and paralympics. she met with the head of the ioc in tokyo on tuesday to discuss how to cut spending. nhk world has the details. >> translator: we'll make every effort to make tokyo 2020 a sustainable olympics. >> translator: the consensus after yuriko koike and ioc met

in tokyo, the two leaders are faced with the task of ballooning costs for the summer games. a task force estimated it could grow over $30 billion. that's four times the original estimate. the panel advised the governor to review the current venues for three events, rowing and canoeing, volleyball, and swimming. it recommended that she consider scrapping plans that require new facilities for rowing and canoeing. the panel gave three existing location says as options,ne ini massive disaster hit in 2011. but changinsapoval of the ioc.

receptive to the findings. >> there we see a great potential of reduction with regard to the figures mentioned in this report. >> reporter: bach proposed setting up a framework for more dialogue. he suggested also including japan's organizing committee and the central government. koike agreed with the proposal but says she wants to finish her cost-cutting plans later this month before further discussions. nhk world, tokyo. after the meeting with koike, bach also met with japan's minister in charge of the tokyo olympic and paralympic games. he said the government knows it's important to obtain the understanding of tokyo residents on the cost issue to ensure the olympics are celebrated by the people of japan. she also said the metropolitan government and the tokyo organizing committee are calculating the cost of the games. she said she would be grateful

if the ioc helps the committee to swiftly complete its work. bach replied that the ioc shares the goal of making the 2020 olympics a success. also agreed with proposal to set up four way talks between tokyo, ioc, the organizing committee to -- and japan's central government to discuss ways to cut expenses. >> translator: the government will need to grasp the full picture to get involved in the matter while tokyo and the organizing committee discusses the selection of venues for individual events. >> marakawa made the remarks in response to a reporter's question asking if tokyo needs to present an overall cost-cutting plan for the four. way talks. iraqi and kurdish forces say they're making gains to liberate a key city from the islamic state militant group. they launched a campaign monday

for mosul. so far, they're recaptured 20 villages around the northern city. the flyers that were dropped say the islamic state has come to an end, and they urge residents to capture its members and hand them over to iraq's military. many residents are believed to have been forced to fight for the group or cooperate in other ways. the group is putting out fierce resistance. islamic state media released footage of a suicide attack that destroyed an iraqi tank. they say an ambush killed iraqi soldiers. human rights organizations are raisg the alarm over the military operation. the united nations children's fund said more than half a million children will be at extreme risk. unicef said many children could be forcibly displaced, trapped by fighting or caught in the crossfire. the agency said it plans to deliver water and hygiene kits and deploy medical teams to treat children with mental and

physical trauma. a major syrian opposition group in aleppo has rejected a call from russia to leave the besieged city when attacks are halted. that's raising concerns that the situation is unlikely to improve. russian defense minister sergei shoiga has announced that his country and syria suspended air strikes on tuesday morning, ahead of a planned pause in all attacks on thursday. intensive air raids lasted until shortly before the announcement, causing civilian casualties. ground battles are continuing. a spokesperson for an opposition group fighting in aleppo told nhk on the phone that no combatant is leaving the city. a u.n. official said the world body needs assurances from all sides that fighting will stop before it can provide

humanitarian assistance. now we'll take a look at the latest business stories. financial regulators in japan are concerned about the growth of automated high-speed trading and now plan to bring in new rules. ai uchida joins us from the business desk. >> more and more hedge funds and other investors are using computer programs and artificial intelligence to place orders. the transactions can take a few thousandths of a second. these traders do account for about 70% of all the transactions at the tokyo stock exchange and some analysts warn the practice has triggered sharp fluctuations in share prices. financial regulators are planning to introduce a regulation system for the trading firms. the officials at the financial services trading agency set up a panel of experts in april. to assess whether high speed trading is adequately dealt

with. agency officials are planning to require high frequency trading firms to work on thorough risk management. registered firms will be required to have computer systems that can properly process large amounts of orders and prevent false orders. they'll be required to keep records of trading for specific periods. now the fsa officials will present their proposals at a meeting of the experts panel on wednesday. they also hope to make necessary legal revisions at an ordinary diet session in the next fiscal year. now let's check in on what is happening with markets. just to refresh your memory, wall street ended higher overnight. stronger than expected corporate earnings boosted market sentiment. and the dow jones industrial average ended up 0.4%. the nasdaq higher by 0.8%.

john is standing by at the tokyo stock exchange. what are you seeing? >> yes, investors were cheered by the strong quarterly reports out of the u.s. but here in asia, many are carefully waiting for china's gdp data due out later in the day. this wednesday, october 19th, the nikkei is down about a tenth of a percent and the broader topix is down about the same margin. now, so far it's been a lackluster week of trading here in japan. the nikkei did end monday and tuesday slightly higher, but overall, many investors have been staying on the sideline with the unclear outlook for the global economy. now on tuesday, we saw many buy stocks which were sensitive to domestic bands, including real

estate, construction companies and pharmaceuticals. and major exporters were lackluster due to the relatively stronger yen. ai? >> all right, john, speaking about that stronger yen, what can you tell us about currencies? because we saw the dollar lose some ground against the yen. give us an update. >> the dollar had gone up to the 104 yen level just after the september consumer price index recorded the biggest year on year increase since october 2014. but the dollar soon lost steam. it's not at 103.84 as investors digested the core cpi data which excluded food and energy. the figure grew only 0.1%, much weaker than expected. the british pound was one of the best performers following uk's stronger than expected inflation numbers. the sterling also got a boost on the reports that parliament would very likely have to ratify

any brexit deal. let's look at the indexes that are open across the asia pacific region. seoul's koss pi is down just a fraction. australia's index is up .3%. china markets will open in about an hour and a half, and we'll see those country's gdp data out in less than two hours actually. so we'll be tracking to see how markets in china, but also in the rest of the region react to those figures. back to you, ai. >> all right, john, sounds good. thank you for keeping us up to date. now, passengers flying between japan and spain have something to cheer about. direct flights connecting the countries have gotten off the ground for the first time in nearly two decades. shortening the trip by more than three hours. airline executives say the new route is to meet growing numbers of tourists. the inaugural flight by spanish carrier iberia left madrid for narita, just outside tokyo, on

tuesday. airline staff held a ceremony at the airport before the airliner took off. more than 600,000 japanese tourists visited spain last year, around 80,000 spanish travelers came to japan. both figures are record highs. >> translator: it's magnificent. it's very comfortable, because there are no stops in other countries. it's a blessing to be able to leave madrid and arrive in tokyo directly. >> iberia is offering three of the flights a week. the carrier's ceo says if the number of passengers keeps on growing, it might schedule daily flights, using larger aircraft. a japanese private think-tank has ranked tokyo in third place in its global power city index, which evaluates the world's major cities. tokyo overtook paris to make it into the top three for the first time. the institute for urban stats study, the institute for urban

strategies, released on tuesday, its annual assessment of 42 major cities worldwide. the index judges them in six categories, including economy, cultural interaction, and accessibility. tokyo had been ranked fourth for eight straight years since the institute began publishing the index in 2008. london keeps its top position, where new york in second place. the institute says tokyo's score was boosted by an increase in the number of foreign visitors and more direct flights connecting the city with overseas destinations. it says paris got a lower ranking because of widespread safety concerns following the terrorist attacks in the french capital last november. dairy farmers in japan's northern island of hokkaido have been struggling to get back on their feet. a powerful typhoon struck in late august causing severe damage. nhk world went there and filed

this report. >> reporter: heavy rain from a typhoon ravaged hokkaido's east side. >> translator: large rocks came tumbling down. >> reporter: hiroshi is a dairy farmer. a narrow stream along his ranch overflowed and flooded his land. he managed to evacuate most of his 120 cows, but the barn was washed away. the milking shed also collapsed. >> translator: we make our living here. i don't know what to do now that it has been washed away. >> reporter: cows get sick if they're not milked, so he had to sell most of his herd. he still has about 20 cows and four cows to feed.

iwata is 57 years old, the burden of rebuilding weighs on his mind, but he's not giving up. >> translator: to rebuild my farm, i need to seriously consider the cost. but i am willing to do it all over again. >> reporter: dairy farming is one of hokkaido's main industries. the region produces more than half of japan's milk. the typhoon also hit the harvest of corn, a key ingredient in cattle feed. hiroki manages a farm with a 130-hectare field of corn. it feeds the farm's 1,200 dairy cows. >> translator: the plants are usually taller than you can reach. the stems are thinner than usual this year, and the corn cobs are

very small. >> reporter: the typhoon and a cloudy summer are expected to cut the harvest by around 30%. dead corn contains protein and is very nutritious. dairy farmers say the small harvest could affect the quantity of their milk. he plans to use imports to make up for the shortage, but that could drive up his annual feed cost by hundreds of thousands of dollars. >> translator: i'll probably still be worrying about the situation next year and beyond. that's my biggest concern. >> reporter: nearly two months have passed since the typhoon 20 through, but many of hokkaido's dairy farmers say they're bracing for a long recovery.

nhk world, hokkaido. and that is the latest in business for this hour. back to you. >> thank you very much, ai. rodrigo duterte has begun his first official visit to china as president of the philippines. the tough-talking leader is taking a different tone. he's indicated his intention not to create a further rift over a territorial dispute in the south china sea. duterte arrived in beijing tuesday for a four-day visit. asked whether he'll bring up the issue thursday with chinese president xi jinping. >>. [ indiscernible ] in july an arbitration tribunal in the hague ruled in favor of the philippines on competing claims to the waters. beijing has refused to recognize the decision.

duterte expressed hope to improve relations with china to secure economic assistance. an airport on a site contaminated during the vietnam war is one step closer to being cleaned up. the u.s. and vietnamese officials held a ceremony on tuesday to mark phase two of a project to remove the chemical known as agent orange. u.s. warplanes sprayed the toxic herbicide over the jungle in the war to expose communist north vietnamese forces and their supply lines. what's now done on the international airport was the site of a huge agent orange stockpile. high levels of dieoxins are still detectable. >> i am encouraged by how this project continues to be a sign of honesty about the past, dealing with what remains, and turning an issue of contention into one of collaboration. >> the u.s. began the $100 million project four years ago,

contaminated soil placed inside steel containers is exposed to temperatures of more than 300 degrees celsius to destroy the chemical. phase one was completed in may after removing about 45,000 cubic meters of soil. almost 30 other locations across the country are also believed to be contaminated. 40 years and two generations after the vietnam war ended, children are still being born with disabilities that doctors have blamed on agent orange. people across thailand are displaying grief for their late king. they're expected to wear black, that's black clothing, in public as a sign of sorrow and respect. but they're finding the prices of somber colored clothing has spiked. bhumibol adulyadej reigned for seven decades before his death last week. mourners continue to pour into the grounds of the grand palace to pray for him.

>> translator: i saw the king's portrait in there. and i feel very proud and grateful to have lived under his reign. >> the government has responded to the accusations of price gouging for mourning clothes. they've set up stations across the country where people can dye their clothes free of charge. >> translator: this helps me a lot, because i can't afford to buy new clothes. i'm happy that poor people can mourn too. >> officials also say they'll distribute free black t-shirts to low income households. long lines formed outside banks on tuesday as people rushed to buy special banknotes honoring the late king. >> translator: i was determined to get one. i wanted to give it to my parents to keep at home because

i love them. >> the notes are larger than normal and feature various images of the king. the official mourning period will last for a year. there are new security rules coming to the world of professional shogy. also known as japanese chess. a top pro player is facing allegations he cheated with the help of an app on his smartphone. he's given nhk an exclusive interview to explain his side of the controversy. nhk has the story. >> reporter: elite chess player hiroyuki miura has this to say about accusations that he's a cheater. >> translator: i can swear i haven't done anything wrong. so i can't understand why i'm being reprimanded. i can't help but feel angry. >> reporter: miura became a pro

in 1992 and won his first major title in 1996. he was about to compete for a top title this month when the japan shogi association got wind suspicions about his playing style. these days, there are plenty of smartphone apps that have the ability to compete with pro level shogi players. the apps can also give suggestions during the match and postgame analysis. in miura's case, other players accused him of using an app to cheat. it's common for a player to leave the room for a break during a shogi match. but in his case, his opponents say he was leaving way more than normal. they think he was skipping out to get an app advantage. plus, his competitors say his moves are the same as the moves an app would recommend. miura says that's nonsense.

>> translator: they must be just focusing on similar moves. i have never installed shogi software on my cell phone. >> reporter: and on the subject of repeatedly leaving the room, he says there is an easy explanation. >> translator: i may leave my seat during a match more often than other players. but i was not feeling well and needed rest on that particular day. >> reporter: the shogi association says miura volunteered to pull out of the title match and told him to submit a written notice of absence. the association says it decided to suspend him from official games until the end of this year because he failed to submit the notice by the deadline. but miura says that he didn't withdraw. >> translator: it's the top title in the world of shogi. who would withdraw from challenging it?

>> reporter: in response to the possibility there are cheaters in the game, the shogi association set new rules this month. players will have to put their smartphones in a locker and they will be prohibited from leaving the building during games. nhk world. time now for a check of the weather. people in northern philippines are bracing for a violent typhoon. this will be the second storm system to pound the country this week. our meteorologist robert speta has the latest. >> yes, and really a lot of people out here definitely need to be taking heed on these warnings that are being posted right now across parts of northeastern losan. this storm system is the strongest one on earth right now, competing for one of the strongest of the year in 2016. still intensifying, tracking towards the west.

we can zoom in on it and you can see what we're talking about. it has a sphere cal shape, like a buzz saw. whenever we see that, we're talking about a pretty consistent in flow and out flow, continuing to develop. as it tracks west, expect it to intensify more prior to landfall right around midnight local time here in the philippines. winds right now, 216, gusting to 306 kilometers per hour. also look at the wind stretching from the north to the south, a very large storm. saz that does come overhead, towards manila, you might experience tropical storm strength winds, but the worst of it will be towards the north. northeastern lozan, you will see a storm surge, most of people will be heading inland. you'll be dealing with high winds, still recovering from sarika. light debris could be tossed around. and the threat of flooding and landslides.

a lot going on with this and a very severe storm. talking about sarika back towards the best, you've been seeing fairly heavy precipitation from this. this precip right here, that was from areas last week. hainan, that's sarika and back to the east, also had that storm system come through. this has resulted in significant flooding and even damage out here. i'll show you some video we have coming out of hainan province there in southern china. take a look at some of the wind damage. winds about 162 kilometers per hour as it came on shore. more than 520,000 homes were evacuated ahead of this storm. there has been hundreds of homes flooded as well. all schools, flights, high speed rail services in that province have also been canceled here today. so the storm is moving away now. continuing to track off towards the north, across the gulf, moving into southern china. but winds still about 126 kilometers per hour gusts. so rain is going to be a continued big issue with this,

as it does continue to move ahead. pulling back, the bigger picture towards japan, and northeastern china, high pressure is dominating today. making temperatures a little bit above average, partly cloudy skies out there, some fog, but it will cool off later this week. something to watch out for. talking about cooling off temperatures, here across the americas, we've been seeing fairly warm conditions, record highs across much of the central and southern u.s. up to 38 degrees, 30, even new york up to 28 there. they will cool off a little bit in the central plains. we have this front pulling through. that's going to drop the temperatures down, but it does look like at least further towards the south, things are still going to stay warm. houston, 32, atlanta at 30 here on wednesday. all right, here's your extended outlook. ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ and that is all for this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us.

>> in honor of global children's day, global 3000 is visiting children around the globe. we go to the indonesian island of sumba, where kids take to the saddle for traditional horse races. in berlin, we accompany children who go back to nature every day to their forest preschool. but first, we go to syria. in war-torn aleppo, there are fewer and fewer kindergartens and schools. and the only place where life is relatively safe is underground. ideally, all kids should have as carefree a childhood as possible. but in reality, one in every nine children is raised in a conflict zone or warzone. that's a total of 250 million