welcome to nhk world "newsline" i'm gene otani in tokyo. here's a look at some of the stories we're following this hour. the japanese and turkish prime ministers have met for the third time in eight months. this time to sign an economic partnership agreement. a japanese company has applied for a government safety check so it can get its nuclear fuel reprocessing facility up and running. and, as hazardous smog

smothers parts of china, a campaigner in japan speaks about the deadly impact pollution had on her city, and her family. the people in charge of a plant to reprocess spent nuclear fuel in japan are trying to get it up and running. they've asked nuclear regulators to conduct a safety assessment. the check would be the first of its kind since stricter safety rules took effect last month. the vice president of japan nuclear fuel filed the application with the nuclear regulation authority. the plant plays a central role in the japanese government's fuel recycling policy. the goal is to reprocess spent fuel so it can be used again. executives in charge of the plant strengthened measures against earthquakes in anticipation of new safety regulations. they also installed water pumps, and spraying equipment to respond to accidents.

>> translator: we intend to operate the facility properly. so we hope the screening will be carried out efficiently. >> executives plan to complete the plant by october. they hope to then start full-scale operations, testing at the plant is already under way. but work to complete the facility has been postponed 21 times following a series of problems. the chairman of nuclear regulation authority said it's unclear how long the screening will take. government officials say they'll maintain the nuclear fuel recycling policy, as part of japan's basic energy plan. but they're still grappling with several challenges. nuclear power plants across japan remain offline for now. if they resume operations, some could run out of space to store spent fuel in just a few years. managers at power companies want to reprocess and recycle the stockpiles. but engineers aren't ready to use the plutonium that would be

extracted from it. government officials have plans to use it in a prototype fast breeder reactor in western japan, the monju facility has experienced a succession of problems, and it's unknown if it will ever be put into use. the officials are also struggling to find a disposal site for highly radioactive nuclear waste created by the recycling process. they want to bury it deep underground but they're yet to find a candidate location. a former vice foreign minister has been chosen for administering japan's newly established national security council. shotaro yachi has been picked to run the nsc secretariat. prime minister shinzo abe delivered a written appointment for yachi, who heads the cabinet bureau. he joined the foreign ministry more than four decades ago. the career diplomat has also been a cabinet adviser to abe since he took power. the government plans to beef up its intelligence gathering abilities, as well as the country's crisis management system.

officials are working towards setting up a hotline with their nsc counterparts in the united states and britain. yachi plans to visit the u.s. before the end of this month. japanese prosecutors will be taking a closer look at the conduct of former tokyo governor inose. they officially accepted a complaint against him from a citizen's group. he stepped down last month amidst a money related scandal. the former governor received about half a million dollars from the medical group. the payment was made just before the gubernatorial election in 2012. inose says it was a personal loan. he later returned the money. officials with the civic group filed the complaint last month. they say the payment was a dubious donation to inose's election campaign. they suspect it violates the public office's election law. prosecutors plan to question inose on a voluntary basis.

they will then decide whether to file criminal charges. turkish prime minister recep tayyip erdogan is visiting japan this week. he and japanese prime minister shinzo abe are working to take the already strong relationship between japan and turkey to a new level. nhk world tells us more. >> reporter: erdogan and abe agreed that the two governments will start talks for an economic partnership agreement, or epa. by simplifying customs procedures they hope to boost the economies of both countries. this week's japan/turkey summit is the third in eight months. abe visited turkey twist last year.

when abe visited turkey in may, he and erdogan signed a deal that will see japanese companies export nuclear-related technology to turkey. and in october, they signed an agreement that will see japanese and french firms jointly build turkey's second nuclear power plant. the deal is worth an estimated $22 billion. the main reason abe visited the country in october was to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the turkish republic. anniversary celebrations that abe attended included the opening of a subway tunnel connecting the asian and european sides of istanbul, turkey's biggest city. >> translator: i like everything the japanese make. i'm sure the subway, built with japanese support, will be wonderful.

>> reporter: about 100 turkish business people are joining erdogan on his visit to japan. they need japanese business leaders to lay the groundwork for future cooperation and investment. >> hello. >> reporter: erdogan said in an interview with nhk that he hopes for increased cooperation between turkey and japan. especially in the fields of infrastructure, energy, and technology. >> translator: japan and turkey can cooperate in energy sectors such as natural gas, renewable energy, and hydroelectric power generation. we can also tackle air pollution, which poses a challenge for turkey. we hope that japan will start

building a new nuclear power plant in turkey, and complete it in the near future. >> reporter: the two countries have also been looking for ways to walk together in the defense field. they're examining the possibility of jointly developing engines for tanks. >> translator: in the defense industry field, we are ready to invest in possible areas of cooperation with japan. the talks are continuing. we would like to cooperate more in this area with japan. >> reporter: turkey is a growing economy with a population of over 17 million. it can be a gateway for japan to both the middle east and europe. japan's attraction for turkey is that it's a longtime friend, and a democratic country in a growing asian region. turkey places a high value on japanese technology and innovation.

>> translator: we know how industrious the japanese people are. but we turks are also hard-working. if we combine our strengths and work together, we can both achieve a lot. i really believe so. >> reporter: abe and erdogan also agreed to work together to try to achieve peace in syria, when representatives of warring powers meet later this month in geneva. nhk world. the united states has been hit by its coldest weather in about 20 years. the big chill has caused at least four deaths. the severe cold has gripped much of the u.s. midwest since last week. temperatures are 10 to 20 degrees below the seasonal average. monday afternoon in chicago, saw the mercury drop to minus 24 degrees celsius.

>> it's really cold. especially when you walk, no more than two or three minutes your feet and hands just get really cold. especially your face. >> people working with the homeless are showing concern. >> i'm worried there are people that will die. i'm worried that people have frostbite. there are people that typically stay outside. >> the cold spell has caused thousands of flight cancellations and traffic accidents. shipments of fresh foods have been delayed. and oil drilling has been suspended due to the freezing temperatures. the extreme weather is expected to continue through tuesday. meteorological authorities warn that in north dakota, the temperature could drop to minus 50 degrees celsius. for more on this we turn to our meteorologist robert speta. robert? >> let's talk about this. severe cold. some of the worst temperatures, as far as cold temperatures, in about 20 years out here. it's not just the cold. we're still looking at some snowfall here. the big snowmaker was this low

moving off towards the northeast. but we still have these westerly winds coming in across the lakes, and downwind of that, especially east of the lakes, we're still looking at pretty heavy snowfall out here. blizzard warnings, you have the cold temperatures, high winds, combined with heavy snowfall, are in effect here downwind of lake erie in and around buffalo, before the storm is said and done, you could see about 90 centimeters of snow out there. not to mention that windchill. and all this cold air really is coming in all the way from northern portions of canada. you can see out here in the arctic, that is descending all the way down there into eastern portions of the united states, and temperatures are getting absolutely frigid. we're talking about minus 27 here for your low there in winnipeg. chicago at minus 26. and if you are outside you have exposed skin and temperatures like this, you are going to be getting frostbite in a matter of minutes. you just want to stay inside. and that is really my recommendation. if you don't need to travel, and already airports out here are already being delayed and canceled, you don't need to

travel, just stay inside, wait for this to end, and really hopefully the next several days, it is going to be. temperatures are going to be warming up so all bad things do come to an end. chicago going from minus 26 on tuesday to up to minus 9, even getting a little bit above average there by your thursday, buffalo, right now you have blizzard warnings in effect. slowly going to be warming up. that lake-effect snow machine will be shutting off. and over towards winnipeg, minus 27 you're slowly going to see a warm-up. still very frigid. bundle up when you go outside. but conditions will be improving. prime minister abe wants companies to boost wages so that consumers can take part in his economic expansion plan, also known as abenomics. ron madison has more on this

story. ron? >> higher wages always seem to be kind of a missing component of japanese economic growth. so definitely leaders don't want that to be one of the things that might derail the budding recovery now, gene. prime minister abe has renewed his calls on japanese business leaders to raise wages as a means of beating deflation. he spoke at a new year's party hosted by japan's leading business organizations. nearly 2,000 people attended. >> translator: at a meeting of government, business and labor leaders, i asked three business organizations to increase salaries. many top executives have been responding positively, saying they will make an effort to do so. >> abe said private sector efforts are crucial to pull the country out of the prolonged period of deflation. chairman mumura of the chamber of japan commerce and industry

said companies must play a key role in spurring economic growth. >> reporter: we should be aware that the private sector has to make efforts to help itself. we must use abenomics to break away from the deflationary mind-set, and to escape from the sense of stagnation. >> the japan business chairman told reporters that his organization plans to encourage member companies to increase pay in the annual wage negotiations this spring. moving on to markets now. most shares in europe are trading slightly higher. here's how things are looking at this hour. london is actually up now by nearly half a percent. gains of more than half a percent for the frankfurt market. paris is up just over 0.3%. analysts say market sentiment is getting a boost somewhat from the latest data out of germany showing an unexpected decrease in the december jobless rate. the gains are capped as the

eurozone consumer prices rose 0.8% last month, which is less than market estimates. also, investors in europe and elsewhere are cautious ahead of key events this week. they do include wednesday's release of the minutes of the fed policy meeting last month and the european central bank meeting on thursday. and this caution is reflected in the mixed performance of markets across the asia pacific region earlier in the day. japanese shares underperformed as profit taking continued for a second day. moving on to currencies now dollar/yen is trading at 1:04.45. the dollar has been in a pretty tight range. market players are waiting for more trading cues from the minutes from the fed. euro/yen right now right around 142.55. the world's biggest consumer electronics show is opening in las vegas. developers from electronics firms around the world are getting ready to show off their latest innovations. the people at japanese electronics firm toshiba say

starting in april all of their tvs above 58 inches will feature 4k ultrahigh definition. the technology allows for images that are four times sharper than current high definition models. officials at panasonic are exhibiting a prototype for a camera that can be attached to the ear. and representatives from rival south korean firms are unveiling ultralarge 4k tvs with curved screens. the model developed by samsung electronics features a screen that can even change its shape. people who've seen them say curved screens add depth to images. automakers are increasing their presence at consumer electronics shows. general motors is displaying a system that allows people to use wireless internet in cars. and japanese competitor toyota is showing its latest fuel cell car. i.t. firms are collaborating with automakers at the show. a japanese toymaker is for the first time in 23 years raising the price for its

globally popular toy cars. officials say they have made the decision due to rising production costs at their plants in asia. company officials say the price of its palm-sized toy cars known as tomica will go up 25% to right around $4. some 180 models are available today. these toy cars are popular not only among children but also adults. 574 million of them have been cold worldwide since they first hit the market in 1970. officials cite an increase in labor costs in vietnam and china for the hike. they also say raw materials like zi zinc alloy and plastic have become more expensive. the operator of the fukushima daiichi power plant is getting a new chairman. the board of directors at tokyo electric power company has chosen the firm's outside director for the top post. sudo will replace the current president. he expressed his intention to step down last month after the utility submitted a new business plan to the government.

sudo joined kawasaki steel back in 1964. then in 2005 he became president of jfe holdings which was set up through kawasaki's merger with another steelmaker nkk. he's been an outside director for tepco since 2012. and drafting the company's business plan, sudo proposed steps to streamline operations and boost profits. he also made a strong request to the government to shoulder part of the cost for decontamination at the fukushima daiichi plant. sudo will officially assume the post on april 1st. one of tokyo's best-known attractions is getting ready for some major changes. local officials are planning a new facility for the outer area of the tsukiji market. professional chefs and tourists come to tsukiji to buy seafood and watch the tuna auctions. the current layout consists of an inner wholesale market for professionals, and an outer market that anyone can visit. the inner market will be relocated in 2016 to the

waterfront district of toyusu. the new facility will have shops that sell fresh seafood and produce. visitors will be able to relax in an open air plaza. officials plan to begin soliciting tenants later this month and will decide on the new occupants by the middle of the year. the new facility, due to open before the inner market closes. okay that is going to wrap it up for biz tonight. here's another check of the markets. news and insight every e on "newsline."

people across china often hack and cough their way through the winter. the thick cloud of pollution hanging over major cities just gets thicker. japanese dealt with this problem years ago. the deadly impact is still traumatizing some families. nhk world reports from the city of yokkaichi. >> reporter: this is what the city looked like about half a century ago. the economy was booming. few people talked about the air pollution and the environment. more than 2,200 people developed serious asthma. this woman rose her 9-year-old daughter through the pollution.

now she can play outdoors. but when she was a student at elementary school she developed severe asthma. it often kept her at home. just half a month after this photo was taken she passed away. >> translator: running over here from another room, she suddenly fell over. i remember holding her. i could tell her body was gradually turning cold. i passed her to my husband, saying, please take her. that's all i can remember. after her death, her husband fell ill. seven years later he died. for more than 30 years afterward, tereko didn't say much about the painful experience.

but last year something happened to end her silence. she found some of her daughter's long forgotten possessions. in picture diaries, and essays, naoko write, things like, i want to feel better, and i want to jump rope like everyone else. tereko became determined to save others from her daughter's fate. so, she started a campaign to share the family's experience. here, she visited an elementary school in the city. >> translator: my daughter loved sports but she was unable to take part in them. i couldn't even take her to watch, because the air was so bad out there. she couldn't even talk, that's

how hard it was for her during an asthma attack. it was heartbreaking to see the small body wheezing. >> reporter: today, more than 400 people still suffer from asthma due to the pollution in yokkaichi. nhk world, yokkaichi. >> tereko tan ed today is troubled by the pollution in china. recently more and more chinese officials have been visiting the city to learn how it cleaned up its air. for the rest of world weather, our meteorologist robert speta joins us once again. robert? >> yes, not just north america seeing some foul weather today. we're also seeing some pretty severe storms across parts of europe. you can see it on the satellite

picture. look at low pressure area north of the british isles. all of the cloud cover moving from the southwest to the northeast. this has been bringing gusty winds out here. you've been looking at flooding in parts of the british isles and a lot of coastal flooding has really been occurring because, take a look at that, winds 70, gusting up to 110 kilometers per hour. waves up to 13 meters high crashing onshore and bringing some very rough conditions for a lot of you out here. even the low countries you've been seeing some rain showers extending out towards the scandinavian peninsula. the good news this is for tuesday going into wednesday the winds will be slowly calming down. unfortunately, the bad news is, the winds are going to go down but the rain is still there. we have one low pressure area after another coming in from the southwest off towards the northeast, and that's going to continue to linger throughout the rest of your work week. let's take a look at your temperatures, though. london the high, 10, rain showers for you. paris sunny skies will be working your way in gradually. showers towards the north. 14 for the high. farther towards the east, moscow you're really not seeing double digits at all.

2 only for your high there. lows are definitely beginning below the freezing mark across much of eastern europe. let's see what's going on in eastern asia, as well here. and we have a new low pressure area starting to develop out of china. that's bringing some showers at this time in shanghai. looking at some rain showers. it will be working its way off toward the east. right now at least on tuesday mild conditions across much of japan over towards korea. that's going to be shifting over to rain showers by wednesday, in tokyo by wednesday night into thursday. this low's going to start to work its way off towards the east and bring some showers as well. most of this is going to be rain. still could see some isolated patches of snow in the higher elevations. but most of it will also be shifting over to snow later on in the week. we're talking about this next blast of cold air coming in from the north. ulan bator minus 20, beijing at zero. but, take a look at this. the three-day outlook, it starts to go down and gets even below average for much of eastern china, japan, even korea. that's a look at your world weather. here's the extended forecast.

that's "newsline" for this hour. i'm gene otani in tokyo. from all of us here at nhk world, thanks for joining us, have a great day, wherever you are. a7guc

>> coming up over the course of the next hour we will have a look at the very latest on the underway at last after some delay, we will be hearing from a former french ambassador to the sudan about the possibilities of finding a solution between support of the country's president and the opponents who support after more than three weeks of fighting the 200,000 people.