hello there. a very warm welcome to nhk "newsline" broadcasting to viewers around the globe. it is 10:00 a.m. in tokyo. authorities have arrested the de facto head of samsung group. a south korean it court authorized the arrest. the arrest was requested by a special prosecutor investigating a political scandal involving suspended president park. the court rejected the first request to arrest the conglomerate head citing a lack of evidence.

both have denied allegations. the arrest is a major break for the special prosecutor investigating the scandal involving park. che is in detention and faces charges of abusive power and fraud. observers say the arrest could have an impact on the samsung group. he's 48 years old and became vice chairman in 2012 after his father had heart attack in 2014. he became acting chairman. the samsung group is compromised of 49 affiliate companies. samsung electronics is the core of the group. it's grown into a global power house through sales of sma smartphone and power careens. the group is in the business of heavy machinery, construction and finance. it operates in more than 90 countries and territories. in april of last year the

group's total assets were worth more than $300 billion. the half brother of north korea's brother fell sick and later died in a suspected assassinati assassination. i understa one of the women is an indonesian woman. they say they received security camera footage from police.

it appears to throw the suspect throwing something at kim jong-nam's. his autopsy has been completed but authorities haven't announced the cause of death. south korean officials say they think nerve gas was used. they say the state of the body they say it was possibly vx gas, known to be used by north korean agents. little information comes out of north korea with the exception of state-run media reports. so far those outlets have stayed quiet on the death, but we do know that kim jong nam spent many years abroad and was no stranger to international media. nhk world has more on who he was and what could have made him a target. >> reporter: kim jong-nam's death sounds like something out of a cold war spy movie. his life had the same level of intrigue. >> reporter: he was once seen as

a likely heir to the regime but became estranged from the family, spending time in beijing and macau. unshaven in casual clothes and with a gambling hobby, he was the antithesis of his half brother leader kim jong-un. kim jong-nam and his uncle reportedly supported beijing's open door economic reform policy. but in 2013, he was killed. some experts say kim jong-nam was offered protection from china, and that was a problem according to one expert. >> translator: kim jong-nam was a symbolic figure as kim jong-il's son. if an opponent wanted to undermine north korea's regime, he would have been very useful. >> reporter: south korea's intelligence chief said kim jong-nam may have been put on an assassination list after kim jong-un became leader.

>> reporter: south korean media reports that he recently sought political asylum in the south making him a target. the experts think an assassination may have been ordered for another reason. >> translator: i had information that some north korean defectors were considering an exile government under the leadership of kim jong-nam. if by any chance kim jong-nam becomes the leader, this will be a troublesome thing for north korea's administration. >> reporter: he added that kim jong-nam was the only north korean national who could openly criticize the regime and therefore was a nuisance to his younger brother. yasugo shigabaki, nhk world.

a suicide bomber attack a famous shrine in southern pakistan. at least 70 are dead and 150 are wounded. the islamic state militant group admitted to carrying out the assault. they detonated a suicide jacket, and many muslims were taking part in a religious event when the bomb exploded. the islamic state groups news agency says the militant group claim responsibility for the attack. in november of last year, a suicide bombing killed more than 40 people in another shrine in pakistan, a mosque also reported the islamic state was responsible. government officials in japan have been trying to figure out how to get consumers to spend more. they are hoping their latest plan will work. how are officials going to get me to spend more money?

>> they're going to be doing a lot more than just crossing their fingers. let me tell you about their plan. officials from the government and the business sector are teaming up to pitch what they are calling a premium friday at the end of each month. people get to leave their offices early at about 3:00 p.m. some companies have gotten a head start while others plan to take their own approach. managers at major trading house are encouraging workers to treat any friday like a premium friday. managers have encouraged workers to take a day off or leave early when they can. the system allows more flexibility and allows workers to use their time efficiently. managers at hold builder have drawn up their own plans. they will encourage workers to take paid holidays on the afternoon of the last friday of every other t month. there's a camp they have to come in an hour earlier than usual. meanwhile local tourists destinations are hoping to see an up tick in business.

p visitors can view clear starry skies but the village is difficult to get to from tokyo. officials are hoping they can convince visitors to make the trek by taking advantage of the extra time they have on premium fridays. >> if people can leave tokyo on friday, they can spend saturday at sunday sightseeing. we're hoping that premium friday increases the number of three-day two night visitors. >> restaurant, retail and travel industries are getting ready to welcome workers leaving their offices early. premium friday starts next friday. as time goes by and habits change, some goods fall out of favor. next we'll take a look at how a japanese company's efforts to reinvent a product have paid off

with new customers. >> reporter: steamed buns topped with colorful illustrations. boxed lunches featuring cute characters and patterns. at a promotional event in singapore, food and drinks with decorative flair pulled in the crowds. the images are drawn on a wafer thin edible film. it was developed to help people swallow bitter powdered medicines. this company is one of japan's three remaining producers. it has a 70% share of the domestic market. but these days, more medications come in pill or tablet form. demand has been on the decline. this man is the fourth generation president. he came up with an idea that sparked fresh interest. >> translator: my firm has made and sold films for taking

medicines for a long time. and i often wondered if it could be used as an edible product. >> reporter: his inspiration was to use food coloring pens to draw on sheets of the film and use it for decorating food. but conventional oblate is too thin to draw on without tearing. by making changes, such as adjusting the ratio of ingredients, he was able to produce the ideal film. the first market for the new product was singapore. traditional motives have proven to be favorites. including images for the lunar new year. >> translator: i would be happy if people used the films for birthday parties and other occasions. i hope the decorations help spread smiles around people's

tables. >> reporter: building on its success in singapore, the company plans to expand its business this year. >> let's see what's happening with markets. share prices did open on a lower yen. investors are cautious. the dow jones industrial posted a record high. the nasdaq snapped its winning streak. let's take a look at where the nikkei is down and it's down. 19,222. the benchmark is on track for a weekly loss. most sectors are trading lower. electronics and car makers are falling on the firming yen. let's take a look at that. the dollar is weaker against the yen trading at 113.3 to 4. it touched a one-week low as u.s. government bond yields declined. expectations for a march rate

hike have abated. let's move on the markets open this hour across the asia pacific. samsung shares opened lower at the arrest of the head of samsung group. it's in the negative. australia is down. china markets will open in less than half an hour. it's conducting the joint trial. customers bring their full shopping baskets to the cashier.

be system reads the tags and add up the price in an instant. the system will even bag your shopping for you. >> officials say the system can shorten the time needed for check out by about ten seconds on average. they want to introduce it by 2025 if they can lower its operating cost. the number of university students taking part in internship programs have seen a surge this year. more than 700 businesses have reached out to its students to apply for its intern program. that's up 70% from last year.

>> translator: i think internships are good. not only so i can find about companies by myself, but also to let firms know about me. >> officials at a job information firm say more than 60% of japanese companies are holding similar programs. students are helping out in human resources operations. the program has attracted students seeking jobs in a variety of fields. many companies will officially start their hiring efforts march first when employment fairs get underway. i will have more for you in business next hour. here's another check on markets.

the people trying to decommission the crippled nuclear plant in fukushima have suffered a blow. they sent a robot inside and it got stuck. the power company is trying to scrap three reactors in northeastern japan that suffered meltdowns in 2011. radiation levels make it difficult to study the conditions inside. last month they managed to get a camera into the containment vessel of the number two reactor. it showed what officials suspect is molten fuel. finding that fuel has been one of their most urgent and challenging tasks. al thursday, they sent a robot into the reactor to measure

radiation level and temperature and to send back more images. the robot stopped short of its destination. they decided to give up on the device and severed its remote control cable. they will consider how to survey the facility. they hope to begin removing debris by 2021. dozens of young people from around the world have met in -- japan's nuclear program has another challenge. the operator of a nuclear power plant in the western part of the country says it has found a crack in an offline reactor. the firm says no radiation has leaked. the power company says they analyzed imagery showing the interior of the pressure vessel of the no. 2 reactor. the plant is saying the crack is on a welded joint of a metal cover, roughly 55 centimeters long. the company says the footage was taken by an underwater camera for a mandatory inspection

it was the first check since the reactor went online in 1989. the company says the lid covers a hole created in construction. it's 50 centimeters in diameter. it will also assess the effect if the reactor comes back online. a japanese ski jumper has made history. she captured her 53rd world cup title tying the all-time record. she was competing in pyeongchang south korea in an event seen as a dry run for the 2018 winter olympics. her first jump was 99.5 meters. that put her in second place. then she jumped 97 meters. she finished with 215.1 points and the world cup title.

she said she was thrilled to win her 53rd title in the place where the olympics will be held next year. people in south korea are getting ready to welcome the world for the 2018 olympic and paralympic winter games. they're expecting millions to pour into pyeongchang, and they want to keep that momentum going long-term by boosting tourism. there are a few things to sort out first. >> reporter: in just under a year these slopes will host the world's best. resort managers are looking to expand to other countries. they've hired multi-lingual ski instructors. >> translator: instructors are coming from all over the world, including chile and spain.

we are trained to take care of foreign tourists too. >> reporter: south korea has faced a shortage of beds while hosting international events, and while construction of new hotels is underway, officials say they are behind schedule. to help fill that gap more people are opening their homes to foreign guests, and they are receiving positive reviews from around the world. >> it's a lot of people here. >> translator: we have to think

about how we can better welcome tourists from abroad. >> transportation problems is what organizers are hoping to avoid. highway expansion projects and a high speed system are underway. >> that will be the biggest benefit of holding the olympics. >> there are down sides too. one cultural tradition is hounding the games.

the practice of eating dog meat. there's already an outcry from animal rights groups. local officials have warned restaurants against advertising the food, saying it could be damaging for the country's image. >> this owner disagrees. >> translator: promoting south korea to the world is good, but they should not trouble ordinary people like me. i just want to do my business, providing good meals to customers. >> reporter: despite the challenges, the olympics are expected to bring benefits. organizers hope that long after the games are gone pyeongchang will be positive for athletes and tourists alike. >> essential looks like a great

place to visit. people organizing the 2020 tokyo olympics and paralympics are turning waste into rewards. they plan to make medals from discarded electronics, and city leaders are pitching in. the tokyo metropolitan government set up a collection box for old devices. donors can punch holes through cell phones to protect their personal information. >> it will be even more when you know the medals are made from your cell phones. >> reporter: they'll start setting up collection boxes for your cell phones across the country in april. people in tokyo are seeing temperatures rise and plum blossoms bloom. robert speta has the latest in

world weather. >> let's talk about the forecast here. temperatures through the rest of friday, a great day to get outside and maybe do check out those plum blossoms. we do have some gusty, southerly wind coming in especially rain near the coastal areas. that's where you'll feel it the highest. if you suffer from hay fever, today will be one of those days you might be feeling the effects of that. with this front that's bringing the warm air out ahead of it, we'll be looking at precipitation. higher elevations back toward the north looking at snowfall and it's not just for today but also that sea effect snow will kick in. actually on tokyo here on friday, 19 for the high. not expecting any precipitation. looks like the rain will keep it

at bay around here. we are looking at the cool air making its way in. sunday as well, before a warm up makes it way through by monday. same there for those of you in seoul. west showers today. a bit of a cool off heading into the weekend. i want to talk about the western half of the u.s. we have been seeing heavy rain. more rain in the forecast. the big news is changing our attention down towards the south because we have been seeing one low after another. we have another one coming in from the west into california and that is really being fueled by this upper level jet stream and the base of it. when ever you get these dip down really deep and you get a high amplitude trough, we have more energy in the atmosphere. you have the moisture stream from the west. that means plenty of rainfall.

some could see as much as the 100 to 120 millimeters. for southern california, that's a lot. you did notice the big dip in the jet stream too. that also means the temperatures will be cooling down just north of that. in san francisco, down to about 14 for the high. los angeles showers every single day. 16 for your high on friday and saturday. in l.a. just 15 about five degrees below your average for this time of year. across the board it's raining throughout the weekend. not a sunny day in southern california. let's take a look here across northern australia. we have a tropical low. this is in the forecast to become a tropical cyclone though. that's why we have the cyclone warnings in place there. just lingering right near the coast. really not a big steering flow

in place. that mean this is will be taking its time. it is supposed to intensify. the big thing is rain with this one. i'll leave you with your extended outlook.

females are especially popular with customers as they are full of eggs. the herring season opened last month. boats have brought in nearly 150 tons. that's a third of the haul this time last year. still fishermen say this season's herring are plump and tasty. >> they are nice and fatty. they taste great. >> boats will be hauling in the herring through april. that's all for this edition of nhk "newsline."

thanks very much more joining us.

>> on this edition of "native report," we meet emma garrett, a skilled basket maker of the eastern band of cherokee nation... we learn how the ojibwe view the stars in the night sky... and we'll learn about the evolution of federal indian law. >> ...beginnings of oklahoma indian law go all the way back to the early removals and the trail of tears. >> we'll also learn something new about indian country and hear from our elders, on this "native report." >> production of "native report" is made possible by grants from the shakopee mdewakanton sioux community and the blandin foundation.