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. a chinese court has sentenced to life in prison a man involved in a food poisoning scandal that sickened people in china and japan six years ago. chinese officials say annual gross domestic product is slightly above target and shows economic growth of the country remains steady. and the japanese government

says it will proceed with the plan to relocate a u.s. military base within okinawa, despite the re-election of a mayor opposed to the project. a chinese court has handed down its ruling in a food poisoning case that sickened people in china and japan six years ago. the court sentenced a former employee of a chinese food company to life in prison for poisoning frozen dumplings. the presiding judge at the court in hebei province said the crime was planned, and damaged the health of 14 people. the judge said it also caused substantial loss to the food company, which had to close its factory. japanese journalists and embassy officials were present in the courtroom. the case came to light in 2008. ten people in japan and four others in china, fell ill with food poisoning after eating dumplings made by tianyang food. prosecutors accused lu yueting of lacing dumplings with a

pesticide ingredient called methamidophos. he admitted to the charge in his first hearing last july, and apologized to the victims. the incident shocked people in japan, which imports a lot of processed foods from china. at the time, it became a diplomatic issue between the two countries. japanese diplomats have launched a protest with china and south korea over a monument dedicated to a controversial historical figure. ahn young guan, assassinated in 1909 a four-time japanese prime minister, hirobumi ito who was also japan's first resident general of korea. people in south korea see ahn as a hero who sacrificed himself for independence. south korea's foreign ministry announced on sunday the completion of a hall honoring ahn in harbin in northeastern china. the monument was built at the harbin train station. that's where ahn, a korean

nationalist, shot dead hirobumi ito. at the time the korean peninsula was a protectorate of japan. it was annexed the following year. the japanese foreign ministry has launched a protest through the chinese and south korean embassies in tokyo. >> translator: we see ahn jung-geun as a terrorist who was sentenced to death for assassinating japan's first prime minister. >> he also criticized the coordination between south korea and china. he said it does not contribute to peace and pop ration in east asia. in june of last year south korean president park geun-hye asked chinese leaders to build a monument while on a visit to beijing. china's economy is once again showing some momentum. biz team ron madison is here with more on that. ron? >> investors have really been waiting for those numbers to come out, gene, to get more sense of direction about where the chinese economy is headed. so officials there have tallied up their figures or economic growth and come in slightly above expectations.

the figure is higher than the target of around 7.5%. china's national bureau of statistics say gross domestic product grew by 7.7% compared with a year earlier. nhk world has more from beijing. >> chinese consumers have opened up their wagates. they've spent more on big ticket items such as cars and helped drive growth of gdp to beat the target. the recovery of the global economy benefited. the people who keep track of gdp say they're on the right course. >> translator: the data show that china's economy is growing steadily and developing in the right direction. >> reporter: but some analysts question whether exports can continue to expand at the current rate. exporters have been struggling with rising labor costs, and the appreciation of the yuan. chinese leaders have launched

various efforts to shift to market oriented economy. they've tried to improve how state-owned firms are managed. they've let energy prices fluctuate according to the demands of the market. and they brought in restrictions on how much banks can charge in interest. still, analysts say chinese leaders need to do more to increase demand at home -- to increase demand at home, and encourage stable growth. >> that was curran today tago in beijing. let's get a check of the markets now. european banking shares are falling after a disappointing earnings report from germany's top lender. deutsche bank announced a net loss for the last quarter and said 2014 would be another challenging year. major indices are trading like this at the hour. frankfurt's dax underperforming the rest there as we can see. earlier, asia markets ended mixed. chinese stocks sank to the lowest level in more than five months. investors remain jittery about

the resumption of initial public offerings. china's gdp data had little impact on the markets. moving on to currencies now dollar/yen is currently trading at 104.19. pretty much little changed from earlier in the day. many market players staying outside the market due to a public poll day in the united states. meanwhile the euro is rebounding from a low hit in asia against the dollar, and the yen. japanese prime minister shinzo abe has renewed his pledge to revitalize the economy. for that purpose he says he will submit about 30 bills to the upcoming session of the diet. >> translator: there's no end to our growth strategy. >> abe, as well as his cabinet ministers, attended a meeting of the industrial competitiveness council on monday. the panel endorsed draft policies for new growth strategies. the government plans to adopt in june. according to these policies the council will consider a corporate tax cut to boost industrial competitiveness. in the medical sector it will

discuss introducing plans to systematically provide emergency medical services, and home-based nursing care. the abe administration will also study agricultural reforms. they will consider allowing companies to do business across municipal boundaries. and international conference to promote the use of renewable energy has opened in the united arab emirates. the meeting is hosted by the aue in the capital city of abu dhabi. government and company officials from more than 170 countries are attending. at the opening ceremony, the head of the uae agency on environmental policy expressed hope to introduce the latest energy saving technologies from other countries. the mideast state is one of the world's largest oil producers, but is trying to promote the use of renewable energy as a national priority. energy demand in the country is growing due to rapid urbanization, and population growth. flee major south korean credit card firms have been getting floods of inquiries after the personal information

of more than 100 million customers was leaked. and the number is twice the country's population. representatives of the companies apologized for the leak at a joint news conference in seoul on monday. south korean prosecutors say the leaked data include credit card numbers, expiration dates, and the names and phone numbers of some 105 million card holders. the prosecutors say an employee of an information security company assigned to the credit card firms sold the data after copying them onto a memory stick. officials of the credit card firm say there's no possibility that the leak has caused any damage. they note the personal identification numbers and security codes on the cards are intact. more than 50 japanese companies are pitching traditional japanese food at a major gourmet food show in the united states. they are hoping to cash in on the cuisine that was listed as a unesco intangible cultural asset in december. the winter fancy food show began in san francisco on sunday.

about 1300 exhibitors from around the world are showcasing their special foods and beverages. the fair is the largest of its kind held along the u.s. west coast. it draws about 40,000 people in the industry. a record 56 japanese foodmakers are participating this time. wagi beef, rice and dried benito for food stock are among the items on display. >> there is the one ingredient that i'm very impressed with, like a hot pepper sauce, a japanese hot pepper sauce. i'm definitely going to use it. i'm going to go over to their booth and find out more about it. >> japanese food has become popular in major u.s. cities and the makers want the trend to spread to smaller cities where japanese restaurants remain a pretty rare sight. japanese officials are trying to stress the health benefits of japanese food to american people at the show. all right. that is going to do it for biz tonight. i'll leave you with the markets.

u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon says he has invited iran, along with nine other countries, to the upcoming peace conference on syria. >> foreign policy zarif and i agreed that the core of the negotiations is to be established by mutual consent of transitional governing body with a full elected powers. >> ban said iranian foreign

minister mohamed javad zarif has pledged that his country will play a positive and constructive role in the conference. the peace talks are aimed at resolving the crisis in syria. they're scheduled to begin in switzerland on wednesday. western countries were reluctant to have iran take part in the meeting. it supports the government of syrian president bashar al assad. representatives from syria's government and opposition groups as well as other countries including the u.s., russia and japan, are planning to take part in the conference. the united states official says the u.n. secretary-general must rescind his invitation if iran does not fully accept a 2012 communique detailing syria's political transition process. state department spokesperson jen psaki said that the u.s. views iran's support for the establishment of a transitional governing body in syria as a condition for the invitation. she said the u.s. government has long made it clear that support for the full implementation of

the communique is required. she said that iran has never expressed this publicly. some of syria's opposition groups are not taking part in the peace conference. one anti-government islamic group has told nhk it will not participate in a cease-fire. >> translator: we think the talks will prolong the rule of the assad regime. the regime just wants to pull their army off the battlefield in aleppo to launch attacks in other places. >> infighting is also reported in the anti-assad camp between islamic groups and al qaeda linked forces. more than 120,000 people have been killed in syria's civil war. iranian leaders are hoping this will be the day when their economy starts to turn around. they're putting an initial agreement on their nuclear program in to effect.

in return officials from six world powers will offer them relief from economic sanctions. negotiators from both sides agreed in november that the iranians would put restrictions on nuclear development. those from the major powers feared they would continue enriching uranium toward levels that were weapons grade. the iranians agreed to limit enrichment to 5% purity. inspectors with the international atomic energy agency will visit three facilities to see whether they're following through on their promises. in return, the six world powers will ease sanctions that have crippled iran's economy. both sides agreed on conditions for a six-month period that runs through july. they're trying to build confidence that negotiators will sit down again as early as next month. they hope to reach a long-term agreement by the end of the year. those who have followed the negotiations have hopes and doubts about the future. a specialist on middle eastern affairs at the institute of

energy economics japan. >> well, certainly i'm confident that they will try to follow the text of the agreement. as you can see, they were under extreme pressure from their own people, because of the economic conditions that have been heavily affected by recent sanctions. the difficult part for the iranians is that during the 24th of november discussions, or the agreement, they have given up most of what they have been -- they have been fighting for in the past four years. which means that they have now agreed to suspend the enrichment above 5%, including the 20% enrichment, and they have also agreed to halt construction work at the iraq heavy water reactor, and other heavy water-related activities. these were all the issues that had been longing for a very long time and the iranians have

never, in the past, agreed to it. now, they have agreed to that conditions, it is a good start. but at the same time, it means that they have lost most of their bargaining chips against the 85-plus one countries. if they try to gain further especially on the side of the sanctions relief, then they may have to offer more, which they don't have any other than to totally relinquish or halt -- put a halt on the enrichment even up to 5%. but if something major happens in iraq, or in syria, that may change the whole geopolitical atmosphere, or the geopolitical calculation in the region. including iran. and that may lead to another halt in suspension of the entire agreement. at least it is a move forward for iran to find its way back to the international community.

but there is a long way ahead. japan's defense minister says the government will push forward with a plan to relocate a u.s. military base within okinawa 3re effect your. japanese leaders are hoping to build a new base for the futenma air station in the municipality of nago. the governor of okinawa has approved a plan to reclaim land for the new base. but municipal authorities remain opposed to it. defense minister spoke one day after an opponent to the relocation plan was re-elected as mayor of nago. >> translator: i don't think the result of the local election will directly influence the relocation issue. but i will work to seek the

local residents' understanding. we give a lot of importance to the okinawa governor's approval for a landfill, and we will proceed steadily with the relocation project. >> the re-elected mayor of nago says he will continue opposing the project, whether it involves building a runway on shore or off the coast of his municipality. >> translator: i will exercise my authority as mayor whenever my approval is required. whether it's for surveys or other procedures related to this project. >> the mayor says the central government and the prefecture need to accept the consequences of his re-election. nhk world has filled -- filed this report on the situation in nago. >> one day after the election, nago's atmosphere is that of

mixed feelings. supporters of inamine are of course joyous but the relocation issue has already created a sharp division within the community. of the area where the new runways are planned, even this morning about 20 people continued their sit-in protest. >> translator: through the election, the people of nago really expressed their will. we will maintain our physical presence here to show our nonviolent resistance to stop the plan. >> but other top experts support for the base, some saying that nago's economy so desperate the area needed the economic bene t benefits promised. >> translator: in my opinion, the main issue is the economy. we have no jobs here now. if you let this continue, our city and people will collapse. >> the base will be built there,

either way. the decision has already been made. so we prefer to get more money from the budget. >> and some fear what may happen once the government starts construction work. if it could lead to deeper division, or confrontation in the community. people are basically very anxious. central government officials say the mayor has no authority to stop the main construction of runways in the coastal area. the city mayor has the power not to permit crews to use facilities under the city's management, such as fishing ports and river banks. so officials could delay some technical work by, for instance, rebuilding the use of ports by states conducting survey. but the basic stance of the government is that now it is essential to move forward the

relocation. the issue has long been considered a thorn in japan/u.s. relations. government officials say they plan to start surveying the area this year. on the other hand, supporters of inamine say they don't want the base on their doorstep. this will likely continue to be a hot issue for people who live here for the foreseeable future. the president of china says he will go to russia next month to attend the opening ceremony of the winter olympics. some world leaders have announced they will be staying away from the black sea resort city of sochi. officials with the chinese foreign ministry say xi jinping will visit from february 6th to the 8th. they say russian president vladimir putin invited him. analysts say xi's decision to go reflects the importance of relations between the neighbors.

russia is a vital economic partner for china. leaders from the nations cooperate closely on international security and energy. xi's first trip abroad as president was to russia. he has held summit talks five times in the past year. japanese prime minister shinzo abe says he wants to attend the opening ceremony on february 7th. the leaders of the u.s., germany, france, and other nations, won't be there. analysts say they're protesting against russia's human rights record, including discrimination against homosexuals. putin told russian and foreign reporters last week that the olympics are a competition for athletes, not politicians. >> translator: the olympic games are designed to depoliticize the most acute international problems, and create additional opportunities to build bridges. it would be silly not to use this opportunity, and it would be even sillier to burn those bridges.

>> he said he's not worried about how many world leaders will attend the opening ceremony. anti-government protesters have clashed with riot police in ukraine's capital kiev. they're angry about new legislation that limits the right to protest. the new laws enacted last week prohibit people from wearing masks and helmets at rallies. organizers say about 100,000 people took to the streets on sunday. violence erupted after some protesters started moving toward government buildings. demonstrators threw stones and firebombs. they also set police vehicles on fire. police responded with smokebombs and tear gas. interior ministry officials say more than 70 police officers were injured. sunday's clash is the largest since anti-government demonstrations began nearly two months ago. the government of president viktor yanukovych suspended preparations to join the european union in november. and later decided to accept massive financial aid from russia. opposition parties in favor of strengthening ties with europe, and their supporters, have

occupied a square in the center of kiev. there's a blast of arctic air in north america. our meteorologist robert speta has been following the cold weather. robert? >> gene, you are correct. things are going to be getting chilly out here. just taking a look at some of the warnings. windchill warnings in effect for portions of minnesota and north dakota. temperatures going to feel like minus 30 to minus 40 degrees. once you start getting these winds starting to kick up on your monday night in to tuesday morning. and what's happening is yet again another dip in the jet stream. now this is not going to be as intense as you remember two weeks back we had that blast of arctic air come through. but this one, it's not going to be very pleasant, either. you have this cold front coming through. this is kicking up some snow around the lakes, and up to about five centimeters could be seen. some isolated areas even more, 15 to 20 centimeters. the big topic is as our cold front moves south, polar air all the way in from the arctic is going to be coming in with this.

on monday into tuesday, take a look at how far this is going to be dipping down. you saw those freezing temperatures, especially through the overnight hours. well, already starting to feel the effects of this in winnipeg towards canada. minus 24 there for your high. chicago at minus 2. toronto at minus 7. single digits up and down the eastern seaboards. things are going to be getting colder. los angeles on the other hand, that air mass is coming down, it's actually warming up off here towards the west. so good news for you, at least, high 25. but take a look at your three-day forecast for a few cities here, including winnipeg. we just showed you. actually expect a little warm-up after the air mass passes. but still well below normal. chicago at minus 11 here on tuesday. remember, these high temperatures do not take in account the lows, nor do they take into account the windchill. like i said a few areas could see those winds combined with the temperatures and make it feel like minus 30 to minus 40 degrees. you do want to bundle up out there. meanwhile we are still talking about the winter weather across japan. that sea-effect snow machine

continuing to crank up. already have a pretty decent snow pack in place. still low pressure here over the sea of japan. so an additional 20 to 30 centimeters could be expected for the next 24 hours. meanwhile, low pressure system also coming in from the west. so that's going to bring in some precipitation. also pumping the warmer area. tokyo i know it's been very chilly. some of the coldest air yet this winter season slowly will be warming up. the other thing this is doing, dragging in air out of eastern china. if you remember we've been talking about the pollution tm 3.5. that's going to filter towards south and east along that cold frontal boundary. so parts of southern china, including hong kong. you're definitely going to be seeing the haze here in your forecast on monday into tuesday. makes for a decent sunset. but anybody with respiratory issues, they're in china over towards korea and western japan. we do want to limit your outdoor activities if possible. and if you are outside, just don't do anything too strenuous and limit yourself at the very least. meanwhile we have that heavy

rain showers continuing to occur across the philippines. we had a tropical depression last week. over the weekend this was upgraded to a tropical storm. since then has been downgraded. but still, it's bringing some showers on top of what's already occurred here over 40 deaths have been reported. numerous flooding and landslides. so the threat is really still there. we still want to watch this throughout the rest of the week. manila, 29 a little bit farther towards the north. partly cloudy skies in your forecast. quickly want to touch in on what's going on in europe. we are still looking at severe weather across italy. heavy rain showers, thunderstorm activity is in place even over towards western portions of the balkans as this continues to linger you're also going to see gusty winds on the northern end of it, though, snow showers in to poland over towards germany, as well. you can see warsaw, minus 5 there for your high. but that snow in your forecast on monday. but 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.