involving a man who, years ago, turned around the struggling company into one of the most successful manufacturing in the world. >> keiko, you're talking about brazilian born carlos gohn. when he became ceo of nissan in 2000, the company was struggling to survive. since then he has become a successful corporate leader. he says it's time for change and

will step down as ceo. co-ceo and representative director will take his place. ghosn says he is taking on new responsibilities at mitsubishi motors. placing the troubled car maker under the nissan umbrella, taking into account the general shareholders meeting in june. ghosn recommended the move which takes effect april 1st. he will continue to serve as chairman of the board. he came from french car maker renault after a tie-up between the two companies. a number of management positions for nearly two decades. more business headlines for you later on in the show. for now it is back to keiko. >> thank you for that, ai. now the death of the half brother of north korea's leader

remains shrouded in mystery. cast doubt on the dead man's identity. and now the state-run news agency is weighing n korean central news agency criticized how malaysia is handling the death. it said the post-mortem clearly violates the sovereignty of north korea. it does not mention who the man was. the north korean embassy in kuala lumpur issued a statement over the three suspects that says they were arrested unreasonably and should be immediately released. malaysian police have no doubt about the man's identity. they're looking for seven other north koreans they believe played a role in the death. the police chief says authorities are searching for three north koreans in

connection with the case. he said they are all currently in malaysia. one of them is a 44-year-old second secretary at the north korean embassy in kuala lumpur. the second is a 37-year-old employee of north korea state-owned airline is also known for questioning. police do not yet know the occupation of the third man. they've indicated the possibility of obtaining an arrest warrant if the embassy does not cooperate but they are entitled to diplomatic immunity. they already demanded pyongyang hand over four men they say left malaysia right after the killing. they are from indonesia, vietnam and north korea, the three suspects. one of them, a woman, says she thought she was carrying out a prank for a tv program but police don't believe the story. they say the women were trained to wipe toxic chemicals on kim's face and wash their hands after. they carried out the attack

without gloves. and they had dry runs before the attack. they say the place was popular with locals and tourists, ideal for practicing carrying out the attack quickly in a crowd. kim jong-nam distanced himself from the regime by residing abroad but seemed to live in fear, according to the owner of a restaurant kim frequented. the owner of this korean restaurant in kuala lumpur did not want to identify himself. >> translator: as far as i remember i met with kim jung-nam. he picked the time when there was few customers. when he ate there were always two bodyguards outside. two women.

>> the owner says kim concealed his face with a cap and always kept an eye on his surroundings. he said kim probably chose the restaurant because the building its housed in has relatively tight security. and he recalled one peculiar incident. >> translator: one day when i checked the security camera of the restaurant, the footage from kim jong-nam was there was gone. i had footage from other hours when customers were there but only the hour when kim jong-nam was dining wasn't recorded. i suspect he had some sort of interference device in his bag and carried around all the time. >> the owner says kim looked upset when he visited the restaurant in 2014 after his uncle was executed in north korea. he urged kim to defect to south korea, but kim didn't reply and never visited the place again. in other stories, building costs for the 2020 olympic and

paralympic games are way over budget. so much so that organizatiers a looking for ways to reduce the cos cost. >> reporter: tokyo governor took the podium at the city's assembly wednesday to announce her plans. it follows recommendation from the organizing committee for the games. she agrees that tokyo's load should be lightened by getting other parties to bear some of the costs >> translator: i instructed tokyo officials to sincerely address the issue and not reject the idea of sharing the cost of temporary facilities, both in and outside tokyo. >> reporter: it was for the organizing committee to pay the tab. if it couldn't, tokyo was supposed to chip in.

but costs ballooned. estimates for the games put the total price tag at upwards of $15.4 billion. that's about 2.5 times the original cost. also in december, the organizing committee floated a new idea. get authorities hosting events to pay for some of the costs for the temporary facilities. but the plan isn't sitting well with those parties. they want to stick with the original agreement. >> translator: my understanding was tokyo would bear all the cost of temporary facilities. >> translator: it's okay that she made the pledge at the tokyo assembly meeting. but i wanted her to tell us as well. >> reporter: later in the day, koike told reporters there was no friction between the capital

and other municipalities. >> translator: the japanese government, the committee and the municipalities are all responsible for the tokyo 2020 games. we have to move forward for success. >> reporter: a more detailed cost-sharing plan is expected to be ready by the end of next month. keita kato, nhk world, tokyo. in recent years, japan has welcomed record numbers of international visitors and the government wants to see many more. but in places like the densly populated tokyo region, the challenge is where to house them. we take a look at the problem. >> reporter: hashimoto just opened this hostel last week. it provides a stay in tokyo but also highlights various attractions around japan. he says he wanted to translate his love of travel into a

business that inspires others to see more. many foreigners visit one place because of a friend's request or iend's commendaon or they have a they visit the friend in the remote area even. remote area. so that we want to create a real place to introduce the spots face to face. >> reporter: with 100 beds hostels like his could help to solve a growing problem in tokyo. as the 2020 olympics get closer and millions more tourists come to japan, there is concern there won't be enough places for them to stay. the government's goal is to host 40 million people in 2020. hashimoto says while his hostel is aimed more at backpackers from europe and the u.s., it has private rooms for families or others. but he says the majority of tourists who came to japan may

not be attracted to a hostel like his. >> most of the customers are from around japan countries. like china, taiwan, hong kong, korea and thailand, malaysia -- so that they prefer hotels. >> reporter: the 2020 games are just around the corner and building new accommodations requires time and money. against this backdrop, the government decided last year to loosen some regulations around private lodging. known as minpacu. this ward is one of the few designated districts where apartment owners are now allowed to rent their units to tourists. >> we try to look for a house that looked very japanese. >> yeah. >> your apartment is very nice. >> yeah. >> very traditional japanese. >> oh, thank you. >> reporter: the government says it wants to allow other areas to

be able to do the same, too. a railway company has taken advantage of the change and is about to start renting out these condo units. they cost around $100 to $200 a night. the company says it plans to expand its business model. hashimoto says that loosening of regulations is a good thing, but he adds, the government can still do more, especially in changing the current hotel rules. >> the rule is very old. not fit for the current situation. it's not so good for the hotel owner. we need to pay a lot to fit the japanese law. >> reporter: so there may need to be a coordinated strategy to deal with the accommodation shortage. if not, the issue could continue to loom over tokyo as the olympics get closer. hiroaki tanada, nhk world, tokyo.

toshiba is likely to sell a much bigger stake in its chipmaker business. a majority stake up from its initial plan from under 20%. sources say toshiba will hold a board meeting friday to agree on the sale. executives will also set the date of an extraordinary meeting of shareholders to seek approval. toshiba predicts huge losses, stemming from its nuclear power business in the u.s. that has forced the firm to spin off its semi conductor unit to secure the funds needed to improve financial health. executives are aiming to reach an agreement with the unit buyers by june. policy makers at the u.s. federal reserve have released the minutes from our recent policy meeting, when the members kept the key interest rate unchanged. minutes show that the members agreed that the u.s. economy continued to expand at a

moderate pace. and many believe that it would be a good idea for another rate hike to come in the fed's words, fairly soon. the participants said this could happen if they get more information, showing improvements in the labor market and inflation. a few even noted a possible rate rise at a meeting in march, but they also saw uncertainty surrounding any changes to government policies. this referred to possible effects that president donald trump's policies could have on the economy. fed chair janet yellen in her congressional testimony earlier this month. a slightly less hawkish tone. dow jones industrial average managed to close at a record high for a ninth straight day. here in tokyo, shares opened flat. let's take a look at where the nikkei is right now. it's trading down, half a percent.

19,271. the dollar has weakened a touch, weighing on exporters like automakers. financials and steel makers are also being sold. dollar at 113. it has slipped after the fed minutes but regrained some ground. some hesitation about an early rate hike. euro fell against the yen to a nearly three-month low overnight. but it has recovered some ground currently 119.4. moving on to markets in the asia-pacific, ko is. pi is trading lower down .10%. australia is down by .3%. pretty negative start to our thursday morning. china markets will open in under half an hour. cars, copy machines, watches, more and more things are going online. it is known as the internet of things and it's meant to make our lives more efficient. but as nhk world tells us even a

low-cost approach can yield impressive results. >> reporter: workers of this factory produce engine parts and brakes. they perform exacting tasks on equipment. half the machines are more than 20 years. this is the company's president. recently a major automaker began sending him bigger orders. kimura didn't have the money or space to expand. his only option was to optimize the machines he had. kimura installed electronic sensors on the old equipment. >> translator: we fitted a simple magnetic sensor to the machine which was build in 1978. whenever this bit moves, it sends a signal to say the part is complete. >> reporter: when this machine

finishes a part, the orange light flashes. an optical sensor has been configured to connect this signal with a data network. it's an economical fix. each sensor costs less than $3, a basic software application shows how long each part takes to produce. workers can also tell when the machine stops and for how long. they found one machine slowed production more than the others. in fact, it stopped operating up to 60 times a day. the machine makes tool dyes. it stops whenever metal shavings got caught in the threads. the workers devised a brush to remove the waste. now the machine stops only three times a day, and production is

up 60%. >> translator: with the new system we can immediately see the results of any adjustments we make. the whole process is much more rewarding when we can see the results of our changes. >> reporter: kimura has now connected about 100 machines to his network. expanding the plant and buying new equipment would have cost over $2.5 million. but in the end, he spent less than $11,000. kimura has shared the technology to help other businesses raise their productivity. a light sensor under this work surface measures how long it takes each worker to fill and stack each case. >> translator: our company has already established a positive cycle in which employees

innovate and make tangible improvements. i hope other companies will try the system out since it's made our work more enjoyable. >> reporter: kimura's next plan is to rebuild systems for companies that have factories outside of japan. thanks to the internet of things and some creative thinking, more companies are finding ways to keep growing. ayaka sawada, nhk world. >> and that does it in business for this hour. all right. here are more stories making news this hour. russia's defense minister has revealed plans to deploy a new military unit in the country's far east, including those islands claimed by japan. border defense policy before the lower house of the country's parliame parliament. he suggested that the new division will be deployed by end of the year, but he did not

elaborate on the size of the unit or where troops would be stationed. some 3,500 troops are set to be stationed on two of the four islands claimed by japan. russian military has recently deployed new surface-to-ship missile systems to the island. japan's ambassador to russia expressed concern. >> translator: the deployment plan runs counter to japan's basic position on the islands. >> reporter: the announcement comes as senior diplomats from japan and russia plan to meet next month in tokyo to discuss joint economic activities on the islands. the two countries foreign and defense ministers are also scheduled to meet in tokyo next month. they maintain that the islands are an inherit part of japan's territory and that the islands were illegally occupied after world war ii. japan's fishery has been eyeing new markets in the muslim

world for some time now. but a small wholesaler in southwest japan finally took action. >> reporter: a truckload of farmed fish, bound for the muslim world. making this happen required a lot of work behind the scenes. the tuna is now ready for export. this container is being sent to malaysia on a trial run. the supplier sells farmed fish including tuna and japanese yellowtail. the company already ships to the u.s. and china. but the president wants to cast his net even wider, eyeing a market of 1.6 billion people. >> translator: about 25% of the world's people are muslims.

that is a big market for a small company like us. i want to be a pioneer to expand business there. i want them to eat delicious fish from japan. >> first, he has to get 35. islamic faith imposes strict rules from fish feed to transportation. he had to prove there was no animal hair in the brushes. even the boxes have to be checked. >> translator: some additives in the foam contained animal products but these items have already been cleared. >> reporter: it took him 18 months to receive halal certification, a first for japanese farmed fish. >> translator: we had to check every item to see if it could be used in halal certified

products. it was a time-consuming process. >> reporter: he is now setting his sights on the middle east, starting with dubai. more japanese restaurants are setting up in the united arab emirates. they've developed a taste for fish. kiwada's best pitch in dubai went well, say iing vendors are fwlad to hear that they are halal certified >> translator: they want to start business right away. >> reporter: now testing the waters in other parts of the middle east with the help of japanese trade officials. >> translator: saudi arabia and qatar are promising candidate

hotel restaurants are ideal targets for your company's high-end fish. >> reporter: there is a growing interest overseas in japanese cuisine. our next goal is to work together with producers to serve these consumers. >> reporter: he worked hard to open doors now his company is a groundbreaker in muslim markets and he plans to take advantage. time now for a check of your weather. it's gloomy, windy and warm this thursday in tokyo. our meteorologist, robert speta, tells us all. >> yes. pretty windy out there. up and down the pacific coastline of japan. we have a frontal area moving through. out ahead of that, strong, southerly winds are approximate kicking up. heavy rainfall even in the prefectu prefecture. just outside of tokyo about 95

kilometers per hour today. that is warming up, those temperatures. tokyo's high is expected to be around 20 degrees but it is triggering up some thunderstorms. behind us, we do have that cool air flowing in, making for some instability. that heavy rein mixed in with this but also that threat of lightning, hail and maybe the possibility of a tornado. a relatively weak one could be possible. chance because of the sheer and instability coming with it. heend us, northwesterly winds are working in. not as heavy as previous storms but it still could see a few centimeters out there if you are across the balance. take a look at the temperature, though. sapporo you're far enough north where you're missing out on that warm air flowing in. thursday, definitely toward friday and into saturday. tokyo, showers thursday. could be seeing some

precipitation. not as heavy as back toward the west. relatively warm temperatures. the thing is, it cools down rather dramatically heading into friday and saturday. 12 for the overnight lows. osaka as well, similar conditions in your forecast. i do want to take your attention here across the western u.s. all week we've been talking about this. for the past several weeks, it seems we have been mentioning the heavy precipitation in form of snow and also rain. snow is important. higher elevations you had an abundance of accumulations thus far this year. it's melting going into reservoirs. in one case, san jose, south of sacramento, one of the reservoirs, the dam holding up had to be opened, the spillway, the anderson dam. the result -- i'll show you the video from san jose -- was significant flooding. the creek that flows through the

city was full and then they had about 100 millimeters of rain on top of that of the about 200 people had to be evacuated and many households, you can see right there, definitely flooded. very serious situation. ongoing across this area. it looks like they're recovering. too much rain in a short period of time do take its toll there. thunderstorms flurrying up into florida. same storm that brought the heavy rain in california is making its way across the high plains. heavy snow across parts of colorado, dakotas, minnesota as well. freezing rate of pay rain could be seen as it tracks off toward the east. big cooldown behind this, by the way. look at your temperatures in denver, for example.

four a 20-degree drop from wednesday. in chicago, only a high of 7 here on thursday. here is the extended outlook. that's all for this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm keito kitagawa in tokyo. thanks for watching.

♪ announcer: welcome to "in good shape." coming up, learning mindfulness and how it can help children in school. an implant that's improving one migraine sufferer's life. and why regular health check-ups can save lives. >> hello and welcome to "in good shape." if you're sick, you should go and see your doctor. you already know that. but even if you're healthy, you should go and see your doctor on a regular basis for a check-up. preventive medicine will be the topic of today's show. and i'm here in the heart of berlin at the schlosspark-klinik, and i'm meeting two experts. one is dr. richard stern. he's a cardiologist.