a very warm welcome to nhk "newsline" broadcasting to viewers around the globe. it's 10:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. a key figure in the u.s. incoming administration of president trump says the united states remains committed to its allies around the world. michael flynn will be trump's national security advisor. he says america's alliances with other countries are one of the greatest tools the country has. >> we will keep in mind the sacrifices and deep commitments that many of our allies and

partners have made on behalf of our security and our prosperity. >> former director of the u.s. defense intelligence agency said the primary mission of the trump administration will be the safety of the american people. flynn said the u.s. will examine and rethink america's relationships around the globe. trump raised eyebrows when he said his countries allies should pay more to host american forces. the cost of the planned deployment has been scrutinized by president-elect trump. the marine corps said ten aircrafts on their way to western japan from arizona. the aircraft can make short take offs and vertical landings. it's the most expensive weapons

program in u.s. history. it's suffered delays and cost overruns due to technical glitches. some f-35s will be used in okinawa for defense training. it plans to station six additional f-35s at the base later this year. let's take a look at business headlines. japan's leading stock marked an annual gain in 2016 but we're learning an influential group of investors sold much more than they bought. tell us about the investors and how does it work out? >> we're taking about foreign investors. they get a lot of attention because they make up a significant part of all the buying and selling on major stock markets here. new data from the tokyo stock exchange show this group of

investors sold nearly as much as what they sold when the global financial crisis unfolded. stock sales by overseas investors exceedsed purchases by about $31.9 billion last year. that's almost the same as the roughly $32 billion seen in 2008. investors were concerned about the profitability of japanese companies as they dealt with a stronger yen in a slowing china. officials at the bank of japan bought around $39.7 billion worth of exchange traded funds as part of its monetary easing program. this worked to boost stock prices. the chief financial engineer at nli research institute says data shows it managed to show up japanese stock markets last year. although trading has been brisk in 2017, performance for the rest of the year will depend on what measures donald trump comes up with after he enters the

white house. toshiba main creditors decided to continue giving support to the firm. a nuclear plant builder may post several billion dollars in losses. the focus shifted to how the three main creditor banks would react after major credit rating firms lowered the ratings. toshiba executives have met bank officials and asked them to maintain the balance of loans outstanding and continue their financial support. they asked toshiba request. toshiba will announce its earnings report for the april to december period last year by the end of next month. this which clarify the exact la losses the firm made from its luke -- nuclear power business

in the u.s. officials at the german company say they sold a record number of vehicles last year. the officials at volkswagen group says more than 10.3 million rolled off lots last year. that's up from the previous year. toyota dpishls eofficials estim sold about 10.1 million. they were the world's number one. volkswagen sale rose over 12%. they were up 4% in europe but down 2.6 in the u.s. where the scandal first emerged. let's take a look at what's happening on the markets. tokyo share prices opened moderately higher be many investors are making big news

before trump's news conference later on wednesday. right now the nikkei is trading in the positive. we're seeing it gain .4 percent. a major exporters are higher despite a stronger yen. we'll take a look at currencies now. the dollar lost about 1.5% against the instance monday. right now the pair is moving without clear direction. many traders are waiting to hear more on trump's policies. analysts say market players are watching hearings for his cabinet picks under way in congress. the yen gained a touch against the euro. l let's move on the markets open this hour. australia is down almost half a percent. china markets will open in less than half an hour. just over a week from now,

donald trump will be sworn as the next u.s. president. business leaders in japan are unsure what to expect. trump has promised to reboot the u.s. economy and create new jobs through infrastructure spending and generous tax cuts. he's vowing to take a tough stance on trade that puts american interests first. for insight into how this might affect japan, we spoke to a u.s. leading specialist on u.s.-japan economic relations. >> hello professor patrick, nice to meet you. hugh patrick is a recognized expert on japan. what would be the worst case scenario for japan? economically. >> the united states becomes isolationists. >> restrict all -- >> well doesn't end imports but

makes manufactured imports more expensive by higher tariffs and pursuing unilateral policies. in a more fundamental sense, it means that american leadership in the world would no longer be as secure and good as it has been for the past 70 years. >> but a trump administration offers an up side for japan. patrick says that if trump does deliver on tax cuts and infrastructure, the japanese economy will benefit in the short term. >> clearly if the u.s. engages in these policies, which i think it will, the u.s. economy will grow more rapidly, it will benefit the whole world. the global economy will grow. and japanese exports but other parts of the world will increase and also probably foreign investment opportunity.

>> however, for many in japan, the big question is what action will trump take on trade. >> i'm going to issue a notification of intent to withdraw from the transpacific partnership, a potential disaster for our country. >> the u.s. has played a leading role in promoting the tpp. patrick says even if washington does pull out, there's still hope. >> mr. trump said that the tpp is meaningless. i don't think that's true. you could have a tpp nation led by japan and that could benefit those nations and would benefit japan and it would carry out his own domestic process which is difficult of trying to restructure agriculture. so i think that it is meaningful for japan. >> he says scenarios like these

along with continued efforts to reform japan's economy could help brighten the outlook. he speculates that in the broader context, relations between the u.s. and china might work in japan's favor. >> well, i think the u.s./china relationship is will be complex and difficult. and japan will be viewed as an ally by trump and he'll want to make sure that he keeps his ally happy. >> how will that impact the japanese economy? >> i think that probably when it comes down to the realities of imposing tariffs against

japanese goods, that probably would not be implemented as a policy objective much less being able to carry it out in practice. >> on balance a positive prediction for japan but questions remain about how trump's presidency will actually play out. >> that's the latest in business. here's another check on markets. on to other stories we're following this hour.

japan's space agency has have to delay the launch of a rocket. they planned to launch the rocket from the country's southwest. just minutes before blast off they announced the delay. the ss 520 rocket is less than ten meters long and about 50 centimeters high. the agency developed the rocket and satellite for about $3.5 million. it cut costs by using consumer technologies such as smartphone cameras. the date of the next launch will happen sometime after friday. results of an nhk poll suggest a number of japaneses think japan-u.s. ties are about to take a turn for the worse. nhk surveyed more than 1,000

people on the weekend on range of international issues. when asked about ties, only 5% said relations will improve while 40% said they will worsen. 34% expected no range. on the subject of the president-elect's foreign policy views, 8% approved while 30% were critical. 51% said they were not sure. respondents were also asked about prime minister shinzo abe's recent visit to pearl harbor. a third gave the trip high praise, and nearly half said it was good to some extent. during the visit, abe and president barack obama paid tribute to those killed in japan's 1941 surprise attack there. the survey included a question about abe's summit with russian president vladimir putin last month in japan. 46% said the summit was good to some extent, while 31% said it was not very good. the leaders discussed creating

joint economic activity on four russian-controlled islands claimed by japan. on the subject of the territorial issue, 10% said they think talks will progress following the summit. but 48% said they do not think progress will be made. south koreans have been considering their country's future. massive protests virtually pushed their president to be suspended from office over a growing scandal. and now there's desire to change the whole presidential system. nhk reports. >> reporter: in one of the country's largest book stores, sales in a certain section have boomed. >> translator: since december books on political reform and amending the constitution have sold well. >> reporter: the scandal has more people engaged in politics and awakened a desire for change.

>> translator: i want to think more about how to make our country head in the right direction. >> reporter: for decades south korea's presidential scandals. two of them went to jail on multiple charges including bribery. the constitution allows the president to not only exert enormous power on his or her administration but also the legislative and judicial arms of government. some people see that's behind the corruption. >> translator: we've seen many bad situations which were caused by the concentration of power in the role of president. i think that power should be dispersed throughout the administration. >> reporter: the ruling and opposition parties have established a special committee to amend the constitution.

before it starts, the head is going over opinions he gathered from a wide range of people including former lawmakers and scholars. >> translator: let's change our flawed political system. first, we have to amend the constitution. that's what people are trying to achieve. >> reporter: a major newspaper poll shows a large majority support reforms with different priorities on what to change. roughly a third said the presidential term should be shortened to four years. another third said power should be divided with the prime minister. and a smaller portion wants the prime minister to be responsible for running the country. this man is a constitution expert.

>> translator: the president's authority should be more symbolic and ceremonial and the prime minister should be given more substantive power. >> reporter: despite support for amending the constitution, more than half of the newspaper poll respondents said the country should be focusing on the next presidential election. but whether that is the push for change or not, kang expects the current discussion will expand and eventually become entrenched in the public's mind. >> translator: south korean society has changed, thanks to democracy and economic development. whoever the president is, it's not appropriate for them to make every decision on his or her own. >> reporter: the constitution was amended several times under military rule but never during democracy. if reforms are made, it could mark a significant milestone in the country's history. kim chan-ju, nhk world, seoul.

we now turn our attention to japan's new adults. the country has over a million this year. monday was coming of age day, a national holiday where people across the country celebrate turning 20. nhk world shows us what this day represents for the freshly proclaimed adults. >> translator: i'll try my best to become a fine adult. >> translator: i want to become a grown-up man who can stand on his feet and make decisions. >> reporter: yokohama holds the biggest ceremony every year. the city saw over 30,000 mark a milestone this time.

in osaka, a group of new adults felt on top of the world after they climbed japan's tallest building. youngsters often dress in traditional kimono or business suits for the celebrations, while others are a bit more creative. >> translator: i will be a good housewife. >> reporter: the holiday was created in 1948 to encourage the younger generation as the country recovered from world war ii. it aims to remind them of their responsibilities after becoming old enough to legally smoke or drink alcohol.

these new adult in okinawa followed a local tradition of organizing an event to show gratitude. they invited community members who have supported them. the new adults practiced traditional dances for the event. this woman is a housewife and a mother. through the event, she wants to express her gratitude to her mother. she became pregnant when she was in her second year of high school. she had to drop out. those around her pushed her to give up the child, but her mother supported her. >> translator: i talked to her and found that she was determined to have the baby and would never regret it. >> reporter: on the day,

hundreds of guests arrive to watch the new adults perform for three hours, but many couldn't help joining in. >> translator: our youth worked hard today. i'm overjoyed, beyond words. >> reporter: the young adults gave speeches. not all of them were able to have their parents next to them. this man lost his father when he was in junior high. he is determined to support his mother in the family business. >> translator: i would like to be at the top of the region's livestock industry. her turn comes. >> translator: i'm really grateful for my mother who has raised us four children by herself.

i gave birth to my own child, and i'm realizing how tough child-raising is. i will work hard to support my own family. >> reporter: coming of age day is an important milestone for many. they look back on their childhood and forward to the futures that await them. rodrigue maillard, nhk world. let's now find out what's in store for us in world weather. people in eastern and central europe are dealing with heavy snow and fridgid temperatures. robert speta joins us with the latest. >> temperatures plunging down here to parts of italy and

greece as well. that's combined with several areas of low pressure. when you get this big dip, you get the lows wrapping up. you're talking about places that don't get much snow. this is in sicily where some of the towns there completely cut off because of the heavy snow. look at the cars right there. they're not going anywhere any time soon. road crews are out there trying to clear the narrow streets. definitely going to be taking time. across much of southern italy we have been seeing eight reports of casualties due to the cold weather mostly homeless residents out there. this is a very dangerous one. it's not just this one but even another one coming in behind it combined with the cold air. it will be bringing in another round of snowfall. this is bringing strong storms,

even some thunder snow in parts of the scandanavian peninsula. definitely a lot of this will be having the white stuff mixed in as well. staying warm west of that jet stream. lisbon at 17 out there for those in portugal. let's talk about japan where we have been seeing some fairly cold weather as well. it's the winds and the snow. across parts of okkaido, 70 to 85 kilometer wind gusts there. that's combined with the snow. 49 centimeters reported in the last 24 hours. that same location has topped 200 centimeters snow depth. first location in all of japan this winter season to do that. that's what the latest storm and more forecast. we had the high pressure

gradient set up. we'll still be looking at some areas, an additional 74 centimeters in the next 24 hours. there's more snow in the forecast through thursday morning. the other thing is this pattern will stay in place through the rest of the week into the weekend. there's going to be plenty of this out there even turning into blizzard conditions in niigata by friday. tokyo stays dry all week, but it stays chilly. temperatures for the overnight hours dropping down to the freezing point. back towards the west some showers in the shanghai. staying chilly north of that. then if we take a look at the americas still some rough weather in the west. l.a. you're going to be looking at scatter showers even over towards denver.

i'll leave you no with your extended outlook.

we have one more story to share before you go. a use ship operator has started a service to allow tourists to enjoy viewing ice flows. a ceremony to pray for the ship's safety was held on tuesday ahead of the start of the service. about 50 tourists including some from hong kong boarded the boat for the first trip of the season. operations were cancelled due to high waves. the tourist enjoyed their 45-minute voyage. >> translator: i had a good time even though we couldn't see any ice floats. >> a local observatory says the ice will be visible from the coast as soon as next week. >> that's all for this newscast.

thanks for joining us.

elaine: an indigenous, isolated tribe living in the amazon jungle is starting to reach outside their secluded world. will it lead to better relations or more dangerous encounters with neighbors? i'm elaine reyes in washington, d.c., and this is "americas now." first up, they live hidden in peru's amazon rainforest but have recently entered society and created a hostile culture clash. man: what we don't know is maybe what other factors can be influencing this behavior. it could be some pressures in their territories. it could be some fights between some mashco piro groups. dan: men, women, and children... elaine: correspondent dan collyns reports on peru's mashco piro clan. he'll tell us what's being done to improve their relationship with modern civilization.