it's the top of the hour, and this is nhk "newsline." i'm ross mihara in tokyo. a vehicle has rolled over in the center of china's capital. the accident shocked people there as the chinese government determined a similar car accident four years ago was the work of terrorists. the accident took place on friday morning near tiananmen square in beijing. a sport utility vehicle lay on its side after apparently hitting the central divider. the driver and a pedestrian were injured. the car in the video appears to bear white license plates which represent military or police vehicles. but the police said only that the 26-year-old driver steered in the wrong direction. a deadly car crash occurred in front of tiananmen square in

2013. it killed 6 people and left 39 others injured. chinese authorities concluded the incident was caused by a group seeking independence for the xinjiang uighur autonomous region. a terrorist attack has been thwarted at the louvre museum in paris. a man armed with a knife attacked a soldier on guard at the popular tourist attraction. the man was carrying bags as he tried to enter the museum's shopping area. the soldier shot and wounded the attacker after he pulled out the weapon. >> translator: we wanted to get to the louver but saw the

baggage and found out there had been an attack on a soldier >> translator: this kind of attack on an authority is unforgivable. >> reporter: local media said the man shouted that "god is great" in arabic. >> translator: an officer providing security at the louvre museum was assaulted in the attempted attack. which we believe was terroristic in nature. >> hundreds of tourists safely evacuated from the museum. prosecutors suspect the man acted alone. they say his backpack didn't contain any explosives. the new u.s. defense secretary is on his first foreign tour. after visiting south korea, james mattis is now in japan and has met with prime minister shinzo abe. they discussed a number of regional concerns. the prime minister spoke with mattis soon after his arrival in tokyo. >> translator: i do have a hope also and i'm convinced that together with you and also president trump we will be able to demonstrate the unwavering alliance between japan and the united states both to the public inside japan as well as outside japan. >> i want there to be no misunderstanding during the transition in washington that we stand firmly 100% shoulder to shoulder with you and the japanese people, mr. prime

minister. >> mattis also said the two allies are facing a number of security issues is such as the threat posed by north korea. they discussed pyongyang's nuclear program and its repeated firing of ballistic missiles. abe obtained something he wanted from the defense chief, the u.s. commitment to help japan defend a set of islands in the east china sea. japan controls the senkaku islands. china and taiwan claim them. mattis explicitly said the senkaku islands fall within the scope of the bilateral security treaty. that means the two countries will defend the islands in the event of a military aggression. mattis also had the same message for foreign minister fumio kishida. >> translator: secretary mattis said the u.s. will oppose any unilateral attempts to infringe on japan's administration of the senkaku islands.

>> china's foreign ministry reacted sharply to the meeting. a spokesperson released a statement stressing that the islands belong to china, and he urged the u.s. to change what he calls wrong opinions and not destabilize the region by complicating the issue. pyongyang was at the top of the agenda when the u.s. defense chief met with south korean counterparts earlier in the day. and he delivered a stern warning to the north korean leadership. mattis met south korean defense minister han min-koo in seoul. >> my use of nuclear weapons would be met with the response that would be effective and overwhelming. >> han said the bilateral talks will send the strongest possible message to pyongyang. >> translator: secretary mattis' visit to south korea and our meeting show our strong determination to respond to north korea's nuclear and missile threats. >> south korea says the defense chiefs reaffirmed the u.s.

commitment to defending the south and making use of all available deterrents including the nuclear umbrella. officials also say they've agreed to deploy a u.s. missile defense system known as thaad by the end of this year in south korea. earlier on friday, pyongyang issued a statement saying the system is driving the korean peninsula to the brink of nuclear war. north korea also demanded that the u.s. and south korea cancel their annual joint military exercises scheduled to start next month. it warned that unless the exercises are canceled, pyongyang will enhance its nuclear capabilities and other defenses. officials in south korea say it appears that the head of north korea's secret police has been dismissed for corruption and abuse of power. >> the dismissal is expected to instill fear in senior officials and weaken the government's grip on citizens. it's likely to further destabilize the regime.

>> the officials say kim won hong was likely removed from the post of state security minister in mid-january. they believe many of his senior staff have been executed. kim was a close aide to the country's leader. he's believed to be behind the investigation, detention and special military trial that led to the execution of kim jong-un's uncle jang song thaek in 2013. kim last appeared in news when he accompanied the leader on a new year's day visit to a mausoleum that houses the bodies of the country's previous leaders. a special prosecutor in south korea investigating the influence peddling scandal surrounding president park guen-hye has tried to raid her offices, but the presidential office prevented the search. the investigation team arrived around 10:00 a.m. friday, the day before they received a search and seizure warrant naming park as a bribery suspect.

the team has been preparing to question the president in person and the aim of the raid was likely to gather more data. it would have been the first raid since the special team was formed, but they say the presidential office refused to grant them access to the compound citing security concerns. under the country's law, military facilities and other areas that handle confidential information cannot be searched without approval from the person in charge of the location. a spokesperson for the special prosecutor says it is regrettable that the presidential office did not cooperate. prosecutors have already indicted park's longtime friend choi soon-sil and her close aides. u.s. wrestlers have been banned from taking part in a competition in iran. it's in reaction to u.s. president donald trump's executive order denying visas to iranians wanting to visit the u.s.

an iranian state-run news agency reported the foreign ministry's decision on friday. u.s. wrestlers were due to attend the freestyle world cup scheduled for february 16th and 17th. but trump signed an executive order last week blocking the entry into the u.s. of people from seven predominantly muslim nations for 90 days. iran's government described the travel ban as a blatant insult to muslims. iran and the u.s. severed diplomatic relations following the 1979 islamic revolution, but over the years wrestlers from the two countries have stayed in contact. in 2013 iranian and u.s. wrestlers engaged in exhibition matches in an effort to keep the sport in the olympic games. japan's leading i.t. firm rakuten has responded to president trump's travel ban. it has advised employees that might be subject to the ban to refrain from traveling to the united states. the order temporarily bars entry

to the u.s. for people from seven countries. rakuten employs over 5,000 employees across the world. its executives say it will help workers affected by the ban to relocate outside america with their families. rakuten's chairman and ceo hiroshi mikitani says he very much regrets what's happening in the u.s. he says his firm will continue to support diversity regardless of nationality or religion. president trump has taken swipes at japanese carmakers. he claims they benefit at the expense of american companies. that's led japan's prime minister and the president of toyota motor to discuss how to deal with trump. prime minister shinzo abe and toyota's president akio toyoda met for nearly two hours over dinner. they were joined by chief cabinet secretary yoshihide suga. abe said toyota is making significant contributions to the u.s. economy.

>> translator: toyota motor is making a large investment in the u.s. when the carmaker builds a factory there, its profits will lead to an increase in wages. >> what was discussed at the dinner table was not revealed, but sources say they talked about the present state of the automobile industry, the job market in the u.s. and japan's efforts to help create jobs in the country. >> translator: we talked about current economic conditions and thought it was a good talk. >> trump recently criticized toyota's plan to build a new plant in mexico. he said the japanese automaker may have to pay higher tariffs on its products unless it makes cars in the u.s. trump is critical of japanese policies on automobiles and currency. abe will visit washington to meet with trump on friday of next week. trump's immigration restriction has many people talking about the political climate in the u.s.

even some companies are weighing in. at the start of the week, google honored the life of a japanese administration's policy. nhk world reports. >> reporter: if you checked out the google home page on monday you would have seen an image honoring the birthday of civil rights activist fred korematsu. given donald trump's ban on refugees and citizens is from certain muslim majority countries, the timing was no coincidence. the firm later issued a comment saying it's concerned the new policy will prevent talented people from coming to the u.s. korematsu was born in california in 1919. his parents were japanese immigrants. he was 23 years old when president roosevelt signed an executive order in 1942, a

response to japan's attack on pearl harbor. the order authorized the force removal of people of japanese descent from their homes. they were then sent to internment camps. it's estimated about 120,000 japanese americans were interned. korematsu refused to go. he was arrested and sent to an internment facility but he filed a lawsuit saying his constitutional rights were being violated. that went all the way up to the supreme court but he lost. he continued appealing his case for decades after the war. in the 1980s, president jimmy carter started investigating the incarceration. korematsu's criminal case was finally overturned. >> i want to say that it's quite a victory for me but also a victory for the 120,000 japanese that had to be evacuated and put

in concentration camps. >> korematsu said that he never again wanted to see the same thing happen to any american citizen of any race, creed or color. he passed away in march 2005. reporting for nhk world, tokyo. in malaysia a mass rally was held on friday outside the u.s. embassy to protest against president donald trump's travel ban against seven muslim majority nations. patchari raksawong in bangkok has the details on that and other stories. >> trump's order has also drawn fire in southeast asian countries. muslim dominant malaysia is not subject to the ban, but people took to the streets voicing

their concerns over what they say is a human rights violation. around 200 people including opposition lawmakers participated in the gathering. protesters called for a rescinding of trump's executive action. >> you see, the repercussion is that it is not limited only to the seven countries. this is beyond just immigration. trump is actually inviting a new kind of clash of civilization between muslim and others. which is uncalled for. >> indonesia, the world's most populous muslim nation, has also criticized trump's order saying it is wrong to associate radicalism and terrorism with a particular religion. malaysian prime minister najib razak saw off on friday a ship carrying tons of emergency supplies to the nation state which is home to many muslim rohingyas and has been at the center of a massive counterinsurgency operation

carried out by the military. the ship loaded with 500 tons of aid was chartered by malaysian mulsim groups and charities. it is expected to arrive in myanmar's biggest port city of yangon on thursday. >> translator: we won't remain silent. and we won't be satisfied with rhetoric. we want to make a statement that when it comes to the sufferings of the rohingyas, enough is enough. >> enough is enough. enough is enough. >> allegations that rohingya muslims are persecuted in predominantly buddhist myanmar have angered muslims in neighboring countries. the counterinsurgency operation

was launched after insurgents mounted deadly raids on police posts in october. the fighting has caused over 60,000 people to flee into neighboring bangladesh. the u.s. u.n. human rights office said friday the crackdown has likely resulted in hundreds of deaths. myanmar soldiers have been accused of summary executions, arbitrary arrests, rape and arson. the country's government has denied the accusations calling many of the reports fabricated. there's been a cash crisis in india. the government in november abolished the country's two highest denomination bank notes, but there's an ongoing shortage of replacement notes and that's causing chaos. taking advantage of the lack of physical cash, the government is pushing electronic money. nhk world reports. >> reporter: these are shredded notes of rupees 1,000 and rupees 500 which have been demonetized by the government. these are the companies that

manufacture plywood and have been receiving these notes. the old notes are shredded into fine strips. the factory collects about ten tons of the waste every day. the old money is combined with wood chips to make panels that can be used for furniture and other products. more than two months have passed since the large denomination bills were abolished. while the old bills continue to be collected, the chaos continues. new bank notes aren't being printed fast enough. people have to wait in line for hours in banks to withdraw cash. often they wait in vain. >> translator: i've been waiting in line both yesterday and today. i wasn't able to withdraw any cash. >> reporter: the government is trying to turn this troublesome situation into an opportunity.

authorities have adopted the catchphrase "digital india" to promote cashless transactions and limit the use of physical money. >> translator: paper money is a thing of the past. banks can now be accessed through your cell phone. no need to line up at the bank anymore. >> reporter: in december, the indian government launched a nationwide campaign to create a cashless society. public employees in delhi attended a seminar to learn how to use cash cards and e-money. some voiced concerns. but there were positive responses as well. >> translator: i tried it out immediately, and it looked pretty good. >> reporter: one village has totally shifted to cashless

transactions. this is a suburb of ahmedabad in western india. it's a small village with a population of about 1,200. no physical money has been used there since last year. shopping is cashless, of course. people can pay with e-money from their bank accounts using mobile phones. >> translator: it's very convenient as i don't need change. >> reporter: some residents say they are better off since the introduction of cashless transactions. this man is a cotton farmer. he has come to the market to sell his crop. he used to be paid in cash. but now he receives a check.

>> translator: i'll deposit my check at the bank immediately. later on i'll withdraw money that i need to buy fertilizer and other things. >> reporter: he used to spend all the cash he had at hand, but now he carefully considers if he really needs to buy something before making a purchase. this helps him save money. >> translator: i want to buy some new clothes for my wife and son and perhaps some jewelry. >> reporter: the government's daring move to demonetize high denomination bills is transforming people's lives. reporting for nhk world, new delhi. and that wraps up our bulletin. i'm patchari raksawong in bangkok. emerging economies, powers

still struggling with poverty, citizens demanding democracy. the threat of violence, the push for peace, the shadow of conflict. get news and insight on southeast asia every weekday live from bangkok only on nhk "newsline." japanese video game and animation companies are hoping to lure in new fans in india. they're displaying their products at an exhibition targeting the country's massive number of young people. about 20 companies are taking part at the event in new delhi. it's supported by the japanese and indian governments. visitors can try out the latest sports, martial arts and adventure games. and popular animated films including astro boy and black jack are being shown around the venue. about half of india's population is under 25. by 2022, the country's entire population is expected to surpass that of china and become the world's largest.

it's a long way from tokyo to rural kenya and a very different culture. but one japanese musician has bridged that gap through her determination to learn a traditional instrument against all odds. nhk world has more. ♪ >> reporter: the nyatiti is a musical instrument of the luo ethnic group in kenya. and only men have traditionally been allowed to play it. but eriko mukoyama has broken that taboo. in 2005 she became the first woman to master the nyatiti. >> translator: it's an eight-stringed instrument but you have bells and a metal ring attached to your feet. so it's also a percussion instrument. and, of course, you sing, so it's really more like being a one-man band. >> reporter: mukoyama performs

under the name anyango. last year after much anticipation, she released her first cd in east africa. she appears frequently on local tv and has become very popular. >> it's amazing to see what you would call a foreigner master a local instrument. >> reporter: when mukoyama first tried to learn the instrument, she wasn't allowed. she traveled to western kenya hoping to study under a veteran nyatiti master okum orengo. however, he refused to teacher teach her as she was a woman and a foreigner, too. but she didn't give up. instead she showed that she could adapt to life in the village and eventually won the trust of okum and the villagers.

>> translator: i fetched water twice a day walking half a mile each way, gathered firewood and working the fields. in the rainy season i helped gather ants which are an important source of nutrition. >> reporter: after 2 1/2 months, okum agreed to take her as a student. she underwent six months of strict training followed by an examination to test her ability. ♪ she passed and was accepted as the first female nyatiti player. to this day, the words of her master remains her guiding principle. >> translator: my master told me, go far away and play the instrument in places where i cannot go. it was a heavy responsibility. i kept my word to play this instrument around the world.

>> reporter: mucoyamma travels to many countries to perform. there's one song mukoyama always plays at her concerts. it's her version of a traditional nyatiti song called "full of problems." ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> reporter: all the problems facing africa are poverty and conflict. mukoyama says she has learned a lot from people who always stay positive and full of energy.

>> translator: no matter what happens, they overcome it and keep going. they never give up and are never discouraged. and that's been my inspiration and source of strength as anyango. >> reporter: although her teacher has now died, she's carrying on his traditions and carrying on the sounds of nyatiti with the whole world. reporting for nhk world from nairobi. let's take a look at the weather forecast for the weekend. that's all we have for now on nhk "newsline."

that's all we have for now on nhk "newsline." thank you for watching, and have a good day.

anchor: this week on "global 3000," we track down a mystical creature whose habitat is under threat. in the philippines, we meet a chef transforming leftover food into tasty new dishes. but first, we're off to kenya to find out more about day-to-day life in the slums. today, over half of the world's population live in cities. that's almost 4 billion people. the u.n. estimates that there are up to 900 million people in the developing world living in slums. a figure which is likely to triple over the next few years.