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. our top story, the u.n. security council has held an emergency meeting over what it calls north korea's increasingly destabilizing behavior. they discussed pyongyang's latest launch of ballistic missiles and agreed to ensure a steady implementation of sanctions and take fresh action. japan, the u.s. and south korea called for the emergency meeting. council members met wednesday in new york. japan's u.n. ambassador explained the impact on his country as pyongyang says the launch was conducted by a military unit training to strike american military bases in japan.

>> this is actually very dangerous. the three missiles which landed in our exclusive economic zone landed where fishermen do fishing for squids. >> the u.s. ambassador said all options are on the table to deal with north korea. >> i appreciate all of my counterparts wanting to talk about talks and negotiations. we are not dealing with a rational person. >> the launches came after pyongyang criticized joint military exercises between washington and seoul. >> this is not a time for us to talk about freezing or dialogue with north korea. all kinds of options have been exhausted so far. >> before the meeting, china had proposed north korea suspend its nuclear and missile activities and in exchange the u.s. and south korea would halt their drills. japanese government officials say one of the missiles came the

closest ever to the coast and the findings have heightened the country's state of alert. the officials had said four missiles fell into the sea of japan about 300 to 350 kilometers west of the mainland and three of them landed within the exclusive economic zone. the officials gathered more information with the u.s. and south korea, and they now say one missile fell into waters as close as 200 kilometers off the central coast. the analysis has also shown that the missiles flew in a coordinated fashion, coming down some 80 kilometers apart from one another. a former high-ranking north korean diplomat has shared his analysis on the motivation behind the launch. te yun ho was the number two ranked officer at the embassy in london before he defected to the south last august. >> translator: if japan fights along with the united states and north korea against the north,

china will automatically intervene. they hope to gain assured military support from china. >> the head of u.s. forces in okinawa stressed the importance of the u.s./japan alliance. >> we take the actions of the north korean regime here very, very seriously. and their intentions to continue to build and develop a missile fleet with increasing range should concern all of us. an attack on a military hospital in the afghan capital of kabul has left at least 30 people dead and over 50 injured. [ sirens ] a man detonated explosives he was wearing near an entrance to the hospital. three armed men then made their way inside.

security forces engaged them in a gun battle that lasted over six hours. all the gunmen were killed. the afghan defense ministry says the assailants wore medical coats to conceal their identities and weapons. >> translator: i saw an attacker wearing a white coat open fire on me. i jumped from the stairs. then he opened fire on one of my colleagues. >> the hospital is operated by government troops and treats soldiers wounded in battle. the ministry says the casualties include doctors, nurses and patients. afghan president ashraf ghani condemned the attack. >> translator: in all religions, a hospital is regarded as off bounds, and attacking it is attacking the whole of afghanistan. >> a statement from a news agency linked to the islamic state militant group said its fighters carried out the attack.

philippine lawmakers dismissed the foreign secretary. they grilled him during his confirmation hearing and they say he lied about having u.s. citizenship. the commission on appointments voted wednesday to reject yasay. he was chosen eight months ago by president duterte but his confirmation hearing had not been concluded. he obtained u.s. citizenship in 1986, something he denied last month. yasay was a close ally of the president and duterte is tasked with finding a new foreign secretary at an important time. he has been trying to strengthen ties with china for economic support and distancing himself from the u.s. over criticism of his war on drugs. the next step in the influence-peddling scandal that up-ended south korean politics is near. the constitutional court says it will rule on park geun-hye's

impeachment case on friday morning. she's been suspended since december. the court has been examining whether to uphold or reject her impeachment. if at least six of the eight judges decide to uphold it, park will be dismissed, and a new president will be elected within two months. if three or more of the judges reject it, park will resume her duties as president. the focus would then turn to whether park remains as president until her term ends in february. she said before her suspension she would step down well before her tenure ends. her term ends. the court is ruling earlier than initially thought because the term of one of its judges will expire next monday. it doesn't want to prolong political confusion in the country. let's turn to business news. many businesses in japan are looking for new customers. the public and private sectors are coming together to try and help them out. ai uchida joins us from our business desk to tell us more about another business story.

tell us about the efforts, ai. >> absolutely. they are looking at two things, catherine, one is businesses that want to promote things that could be considered cool about japan. the other are potential customers abroad, and there is actually a fund called the cool japan fund, they are planning to set up a venture with an apparel brand that features locally made fabric. officials at the fund will invest $7.2 million in the ju joint venture to be established by april, they are joining with an apparel brand 45r. the company works with regional textile firms to make and sell blouses and jeans using techniques like indigo dyeing. caroline kennedy is a customer, the company has 16 outlets in the u.s., france and other countries. with the investment from the fund, company executives plan to open seven more stores in europe and in the u.s. over the next three years.

six autoparts makers including four japanese firms violated anti-trust laws by collewding to fix pricing. they forms cartels from 2004 to 2009 for air conditioners and cooling parts for engines. it's imposing a total fine of about $160 million. the four japanese firms are denso, panasonic, sanden and calsonic kansei. denso and panasonic avoided charges because they alerted of the problem. we're going to turn to markets. tokyo stock prices opened higher after a private u.s. private sector jobs report for february showed the biggest increase in more than a year. driving the dollar higher against the yen. we're going to look at the

nikkei, it is currently trading higher by 0.3%, 19,314. export related shares are leading the gains following a weaker yen but the energy sector is weighing on the benchmark after oil prices tumbled. the dollar shot above 114, right now 114.5. traders are buying the dollar on optimism over the u.s. economy. that's the dollar/yen you're seeing there. the better than expected adp report is fueling further expectations for a rate hike by the federal reserve next week. the euro has also lost some ground to the greenback but it hasn't advanced against the yen. the bottom of the screen there at 120.69-74. we're going to check on oil. wti crude futures plummeted more than, after a spike in u.s. oil stock piles. brent fell almost 5% hitting its lowest level since early december.

let's move on to markets open this hour across the asia-pacific and we're seeing a mixed picture but modest moves elsewhere. seoul's kospi up 0.1%, australia down 0.1%. china markets will open in under half an hour. a survey shows that fewer japanese companies are willing to expand in mexico because of concerns about u.s. president donald trump's trade policy. the survey was conducted shortly after the u.s. election. the japan external trade organization jetro surveyed 1,000 japanese firms operating overseas. 8.5% of them named mexico as a company which they plan to expand but that's down 2.4 points from the previous survey, among them manufacturers seem hesitant, 10% of them plan to expand in mexico which was down 4 points from before. jetro official cited the impact of president trump's plan to renegotiate nafta which involves the u.s., mexico and canada.

more japanese are warming up to wood burning stoves. some people like their romantic time. man has made a business out of that attraction he runs a firewood in his hometown of fukushima. he wants to help with the recovery from the 2011 disaster. >> reporter: five years ago, hiyoshe takada quit his job in tokyo and launched a company to sell firewood in the town where he grew up. many residents in fukushima prefecture were once involved in producing logs for mushroom cultivation. takeda's father owned a large lumber production facility for the operation, but he had to abandon his business after local logs could no longer be sold following the nuclear accident. so, takeda decided to go back home to help his father. >> translator: local trees couldn't be used after the accident and had to be cut down to plant new trees.

i thought the whole process couldn't be completed within my generation. >> translator: i wanted to help revitalize the town. selling firewood was a way for me to contribute. >> reporter: takeda began producing firewood at his father's facility. he travels to other prefectures to select high-quality wood. firewood is dried for more than a year to make it burn well. >> translator: moisture of 20% or less is good. i think this one is ready. it's high quality. >> reporter: he buys logs, splits, and seasons them into firewood and delivers the finished product by himself with a few assistants. this winter, takeda launched a new venture. he started selling firewood made exclusively from trees in fukushima. before it went on sale, the

firewood's radiation level was checked to confirm it meets national standards. his new product drew instant attention, and now more people are seeking out firewood made from trees in fukushima. >> translator: people are making lots of inquiries about the firewood. and gradually, after i explain it's safe, it's winning customers. >> reporter: takeda heads to a local mountain to look at wood. people cutting down trees here used to make logs for mushroom cultivation before the nuclear disaster. >> translator: to be honest, i'd rather cut trees for growing mushrooms, but i have the equipment and experience, so i'm grateful to have this job. >> translator: many people make their living from receiving nature's blessings from the mountains. i want to help these people.

i hope to sell more firewood and help sustain the value of the forests. >> reporter: sales at takeda's company have doubled from three years ago. he plans to expand the sale of firewood to other prefectures and build a storage facility in another town. takeda's mission continues. >> more for you next hour in business. here's a check on markets. on to other stories now. people across japan will soon commemorate six years since a

massive earthquake and tsunami hit the country's northeast. but even now, more than 123,000 people remain evacuees, many of them in temporary housing. japan's reconstruction agency says the number is down about 30% from a year ago, but many continue to live with inconvenience. in the hardest hit prefectures, of iwate, miyagi and fukushima, more than 35,000 people still live in prefabricated temporary homes. delays in elevating residential land lots to higher ground and building new public housing has hampered people's return. in fukushima prefecture, no-entry zones remain around the crippled nuclear plant. radiation levels are higher than the safety standard, and it's unclear when residents will be able to return. the government has registered the deaths of more than 3,500 people as related to stress and fatigue caused by living as evacuees. 96% of the deaths occurred within three years of the

disaster, but the unprecedentedly prolonged evacuation is affecting the health of evacuees. march 11th, 2011, a magnitude 9 earthquake and massive tsunami devastate northeastern japan. six years later, workers at the crippled fukushima daiichi nuclear plant are still struggling to contain the radiation. but in the wake of this unprecedented tragedy, new ideas and initiatives for disaster prevention and recovery are shedding light and hope. don't miss "confronting challenges." we take to you thailand now, where officials there are moving to restore democracy following the military coup of 2014. they're holding reconciliation talks aimed at mending the political divide before the election scheduled for next year. nhk world reports. >> reporter: nearly three years after ceasing power the military for the first time invited the

party that was toppled by the coup. the party is the 35th to join reconciliation talks since this started in mid-february. members of the party were escorted by top defense ministry officials. they're calling on the government to exercise its mediating role with impartiality and independence. discussions behind closed doors lasted over two hours. military negotiators said the meeting proceeded in a positive mood. >> translator: everybody thinks it's necessary to have a way out for the country's future. we made sure to cooperate to make political reconciliation possible. >> reporter: the country went through a period of political turmoil lasting more than a decade. the polarized camps were those loyal to former thaksin shinawatra, mostly from rural areas and those opposed him,

largely from the elite class or the middle class of bangkok. when general took control of the government in 2014 the party was led by thaksin's younger sister, yingluck shinawatra. wednesday's meeting was the military government's first step in trying to address political consensus, but there are concerns that the reconciliation process may drag on, and further delay the general election. it was already postponed from 2015 to 2018. >> translator: when all parties and groups cooperate, the general election takes place, real reconciliation will be achieved. we understand the process may not be complete in three to six months, it will take time. we should make a time frame or speed up the process. >> reporter: political parties are submitting their recommendations which will be

reported to the government next month but it's still unclear whether the talks organized by the military government will really bring political stability. nhk world, bangkok. we take you to the world of sumo now. the newest grand champion will be making his debut at the sport's highest rank in the upcoming tournament starting sunday. nhk world's hiro momorita went on one with yoke xu ka kisenosato about his goals. >> reporter: with just days to go before the next sumo tournament in osaka the wrestlers are training intensely is. none has more to prove than newly promoted yokozuna grand champion. kisenosato is 30 years old. he likes to attack from the get-go with powerful thrusting and once he grabbed his owe uponent's belt, he turns on the

power. congratulations to your promotion to yokozuna. >> thank you. >> translator: you're often said to be straightforward like the reikihi from the old days. how would you describe yourself? kisenosato joined the ranks of professional sumo at the age of 15 after graduating from junior high school. the stable he joined was famous for its rigorous training regimen. the stablemaster naruto, former, talked kisenosato to move forward with so much power he would demolish his opponent. >> translator: thanks to his instructions, i've never had a major injury so far, but it has taken me many years to gain this level of strength and power.

>> reporter: kisenosato first came attention to 2010 when he upset hakuho to snap the grand champi champion's remarkable winning streak of 63 consecutive bouts. a year later, right before the 2011 november tournament, stablemaster naruto died unexpectedly. overcoming his grief, kisenosato turned in some impressive results to win promotion to sumo's second highest rank, ozeki. but he still couldn't win a tournament title, often failing at the final hurdle. many people said the biggest challenge for him was to overcome his mental weakness. this is a calligraphy that was once given to me by your late stablemaster naruto. naruto's words say that most

important thing is to keep your poise at all times and never let anything distract your concentration. do you feel you have reached that stage? >> translator: absolutely not, but i'll keep striving to get there, because that's what's important. >> reporter: in 2016, kisenosato won more bouts than any other y rikishi and in november he defeated all three yokozuna. it was clear he had reached another level in terms of both physical and mental strength. it culminated with his first ever title in the january tournament and promotion to the yokozuna rank. >> translator: for the past 15 years, i've had almost nothing but struggle and frustration. there was even a point when i felt completely worthless, but i'm truly grateful that i persevered. >> reporter: kisenosato is the first japan born yokozuna in 19

years but in the upcoming tournament, he will be fully tested by the three reigning grand champions from mongolia. we asked kisenosato to write his goal for the upcoming contest. conviction through results, could you explain this a bit more? >> translator: what's important now is how i fight as a yokozuna. my aim is to be convincing in my results. i want to prove it's no fluke. that's my goal. >> it will be the first time four grand champions will be in a tournament together. you know, it will be exciting to see if kisenosato will win back-to-back titles. let's look at the weather in tokyo, it seems to be looking up, sunny blue skies over here. let's find out more from meteorologist robert speta. yes across much of the tokyo area we're looking at clear skies. one thing i want to note is that we have some fairly potent northwesterly winds continuing to dominate most of the country

today. that's going to be kicking up the pollen so if you do suffer from hay fever,ish fever, itchy runny nose probably want to take a task to keep the pollen off your face. if you're along the sea we have the northwesterly winds but accompanied by plenty of snowfall. actually over the past 24 hours many areas have seen upwards of 30 to 40 centimeters and as we look ahead through the rest of your thursday into friday, we're still looking at that same weather pattern in place, even more snow expected across much of this area. it's not until saturday when we start to see an area of high pressure come in from the west and that's going to be bringing in some clear conditions across most of japan. already is actually into shanghai, some relatively warm temperatures there for you. hong kong getting up to 18 today, southerly winds moving in so scattered showers coming in off the south china sea but by friday into saturday, temperatures are going to rise up as well into the mid-20s

actually likely there for you. now i also want to take your attention towards new zealand and really our focus is on the north island here, and i'll show you some video as to why. heavy rain has really been hitting that area quite extensively recently and has been resulting in rather serious flooding. actually, some p polo club needed help escaping some of that rising water. they all made it out just fine but not all the livestock in that neighborhood did so. some pretty rough conditions, and widespread flooding even looks like a rugby pitch right there flooded up as well, and some of the aerial images just gives you an idea of how much rain has come down. there is more rain in the forecast, basically from auckland toward the southeast. toward wellington this will drift off in your kroedirection as heavy but scattered showers moving in into your friday and saturday as well. let's look at europe and really

want to take our attention to this guy down here. look at this cutoff low just spinning around, absolutely potent and it tons drift towards the east. the big thing is it's pulling in some southerly winds coming across the mediterranean and that's going to trigger up some rough weather for southwestern areas of turkey. we're looking at 100 millimeters of total rainfall, strong thunderstorms with frequent lightning and damaging winds near the coast. that rather potent cutoff low will drift towards the east back towards the west. we have several other areas of low pressure tracking across the area, even into parts of france, extending towards germany and this low bringing scattered showers, maybe even switching over to snowfall, heading into warsaw a little bit further here towards the east. then we're talking about clear conditions at least back towards the iberian peninsula madrid a high of 24, lisbon at 25. london a high of 14 there for you. actually a rather decent and stockholm about 2 with sunny skies on your thursday.

all right, i'll leave you now your extended outlook. that does it for this edition of en hk "newsline" line. i'm krthth catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks very much for joining us.

♪ >> welcome to "in good shape." coming up, artificial joints. what's so good about implants made by 3d printers? the art of movement, keeping fit with tai chi. and, meteorological menace. how changes in weather and climate impacts health. and here's dr. carsten lekutat. dr. lekutat: hi. let's have a chitchat about the weather. everybody likes to talk about the weather, if it's raining or hot or if it's cold, and everybody knows something to say about this. but there is one person in is everything about it. this is professor hans christian gueller from physiology today. he does research about the climate change and how it affects our body.