hello you're watching "newsline," i'm shery ahn. let's get started with the head lines. the search for a missing malaysia airlines plane is expanding, and a team from japan is joining the effort. some new information on radiation levels at fukushima daiichi is providing a clearer picture of the disaster at the nuclear plant. and a japanese programmer is creating powerful software that could enable computers to

outperform the most skilled human opponents. crews looking for any trace of a missing malaysia airlines plane have expanded the scope of their search. flight 370 disappeared from radar last saturday with 239 people on board. teams from a range of nations are taking part in the effort to find the boeing 777. one from japan just joined them. nhk world has more. >> reporter: malaysian leaders put out a call for help. and these members of the japan disaster relief team responded. they arrived in kuala lumpur to lay the path for a larger contingent. >> we will be joining the search and rescue effort using our various aircraft. we hope we will be able to make a contribution. malaysia is an important partner to japan.

>> reporter: japanese defense ministry officials are preparing to send two transport and two patrol aircraft. about 100 personnel with the self-defense forces will be dispatched. they will join the multination search party that includes teams from malaysia, china, vietnam, and the u.s. crews aboard dozens of ships and aircraft have been scanning the south china sea for any trace of the boeing 777. they expanded their search to the andamman sea in the straight of malacca. >> we haven't found anything, but we will keep looking. >> reporter: flight 370 took off from kuala lumpur early saturday. after 50 minutes, it vanished from radar. malaysian officials say their

information suggests the plane may have changed course and continued in that direction. the aircraft tracking systems were either shut off or not functioning at the time communication with ground controllers ended. the nagging question has been how something as big as a passenger jet could simply disappear. investigators say they are chasing down multiple theories. those with interpol have essentially ruled out terrorism. >> the more information we get, the more we're inclined to conclude that it was not a terrorist incident. >> reporter: the director of the u.s. center intelligence agency says he could not eliminate the possibility, even though there is no concrete information. >> i think there's a lot of speculation right now. some claims responsibility that have not been confirmed or corroborated at all.

>> reporter: family and friends of the missing passengers and crew have waited day after day for any information. relatives posted messages of hope at the international air part in kuala lumpur. >> i think the families need to be strong. while waiting, although it's a long wait, but they just have to be strong and hope for the best. >> reporter: the case has baffled aviation experts, and frustrated malaysian government officials. along with those from malaysia airlines. but with the search team, and the range of expertise expanding, the hope is they will be able to locate some clue to help them find the plane. chee yam gish shi, nhk world. >> let's turn to the latest business stories with ron madison. >> looks like workers at japanese companies will benefit from improved corporate earnings.

managers at major manufacturers are raising base wages for the first time in six years. executives at several leading firms replied to union demands for higher wages, as most annual wage talks wrapped up. prime minister shinzo abe wants to set in motion what he calls a virtuous cycle. the idea is that higher incomes boost consumption. so he's been pressing businesses to raise wages. managers at six leading electronics makers including panasonic responded by raising base wages by about $19. toyota proposed raising wages by an average of $26 a month. honda offered $21. while managers at nissan agreed to meet a union demand for a rise of about $34. executives at mitsubishi motors also decided to raise base salaries for the first time in 14 years. they're citing better earnings. employees cheered the decision to increase the month by base wage by about $19.

>> translator: we've been waiting for a raise for a long time. i'll discuss with my wife how we should use the extra income. >> translator: all our staff have been working so hard. we want to reward their strenuous efforts to revive our business. >> one reason managers are open to raising wages is that they're more upbeat about the economy. business sentiment at large japanese firms reached a record high in the january to march period. that does come as demand picked up ahead of the consumption tax hike in april. officials at the finance ministry and the cabinet office announced the results of their latest quarterly survey. they polled some 16,000 companies, capitalized at about $100,000 or more. the confidence index for large firms stood at 12.7. that's the highest level since comparable data became available in 2004. and the fifth straight quarter

that the figure has been positive. the index measures the percentage of firms that had a positive outlook in the last three months, minus those with a negative take on the economy. strong sales of electronic goods led to the high level of confidence, as well as higher demand for japanese cars in the domestic and north american markets. taking a look ahead, many firms do expect any negative impact from the higher tax to just be temporary. let's get a check of the markets now. despite the report on and improvement in business sentiment japanese share prices plunging today. the nikkei average was down just about 2.6%, 14,830 there at the close. that is the lowest closing level, in fact, in a week. due to a stronger yen, as well as concerns about the outlook for china's economy. and sentiment is weak across the asia pacific region as we can see here on our map. most markets are in negative territory. the hang seng index in hong kong finishing lower today by 1.6%, 21,901.

investors sold shares on lingering concerns about mainland china. recent data on exports, inflation, and credit growth all suggesting a slowdown in the world's second largest economy. that also prompted a sell-off in the south korean market. the kospi losing 1.6%, finishing at 1,932, the lowest closing level in three weeks. in australia the bench mark index down over half a percent. investors were also digesting a report that showed consumer confidence fell in march. the data was also weaker than the market consensus. government officials are trying to help japanese firms compete more effectively against their global rivals. they think that one way to do that is to cut the corporate tax rate. a group of experts chosen by the cabinet office met for the first time to look in to lowering the tax rate. it now stands at 35%. that is higher than in china and south korea. economists heir oak coota chairs the panel. she backs a lower corporate tax

but says it's also important to keep overall tax revenues at their current level. committee members say a cut should not hurt the government's efforts to rebuild its debt-ridden finances. one idea they'll discuss is expanding japan's tax base to offset the effect of lowering the corporate tax. the panel is due to draft a reform plan by june. managers at general motors are under fire now over the firm's alleged failure to deal with a defect that's been linked to deadly auto accidents. gm is recalling more than 1.6 million vehicles that went on sale between 2003 and 2007. problems with ignition switches can cause the engine to shut down and disability the car's air bags. the defect has been linked to 31 accidents in which 13 people died. there's growing suspicion the automaker knew about the problem, but failed to do anything for about ten years. officials at the national highway traffic safety administration have launched an inquiry. so have members of the energy and commerce committee of the u.s. house of representatives.

they sent a letter to gm noting that the ignition switch problem came to light in 2003. the committee has asked the automaker to submit relevant documents to help them decide what gm knew, and when. people in seoul are welcoming a wave of foreign tourists, but they don't have enough rooms for all of them. so city officials and private citizens are racing to accommodate their visitors in new ways. nhk world's anna jung has more. >> reporter: international tourists really began to take notice of south korea in the mid 2000s. since then tourism in the country has been growing at a rate of about 10% annually. the number of visitors is expected to reach 50 million next year. in order to accommodate the increasing number of tourists, officials in seoul have eased regulations on hotel construction.

since 2008, 60 new hotels have sprung up around the city. one of the most common landmarks in the capital is the gate. visitors used to be forbidden from constructing high rise buildings near the historical site. but that's changed. this luxury hotel opened just last month. >> in general the korean market is very strong. also attracts business travelers. so business exhibitions and also leisure travelers to our hotel. >> but not all travelers are looking for five-star accommodation. many are seeking a more down-to-earth experience. for them, traditional korean inns are proving popular. on this day, a group of students from the united states is visiting.

it costs about $50 a night per person to stay. guests are guaranteed an authentic taste of korean culture. the students get to try their hand in making kimchi a traditional spicy dish that was recently added to american heritage cultural dish. >> it's a lot more traditional. you feel like you're best friends with the culture. >> translator: since we began offering cultural experience programs, the number of guests has jumped 1.5 times. >> reporter: city officials haven't stopped there. they've realized the potential value of the low budget traveler market. recently in seoul the number of affordable guest houses, like this one, whose owners have renovated spare rooms, have been

increasing. and they're popular. guests pay only about $20 for a night. in 2012, a new law was introduced that allows ordinary homeowners, who meet certain criteria, to also lay out a welcome mat for travelers. within a year the number of registered guest houses reached 400. the number is expected to climb to 700 this year. this type of shared accommodation may not be for everyone. but it's affordable, and it provides a place for people traveling on their own to meet other visitors, and swap information. >> i'm traveling solo, so it's nice to stay in a place where you can interact with others. and also, it is quite a bit cheaper than your hotels. >> reporter: for many, a trip to

south korea used to mean shopping, and seeing the sights. but officials now want to offer travelers a more full-fledged cultural experience, and leave them with a deep desire to come back for more. anna jung, nhk world, seoul. all right. that is going to wrap it up for biz this hour. let's get you a check now of the markets.

the chair of the u.s. senate intelligence committee has accused the cia of secretly searching the committee's computers, and removing documents. the director john brennan denies his staff acted improperly. >> without prior notification or approval, cia personnel had conducted a search, that was john brennan's word, of the committee computers at the offsite facility. >> the committee has been investigating charges the cia used excessive force in questioning terror suspects after the 9/11 attacks. chair dianne feinstein said the committee have been examining the allegations since 2009. internal documents related to the interrogations were made available by the cia on computers at a leased facility. feinstein says the agency later searched not only those computers, but the committee's internal network, as well. she condemned the move, saying

they may have violated the separation of powers principle, embodies in the u.s. constitution. the agency chief has denied the accusations. >> as far as the allegations of, you know, cia hacking into, you know, senate computers, nothing could be further from the truth. we wouldn't do that. >> analysts say the charges could heighten public distrust of the cia. they follow revelations by former intelligence contractor edward snowden about the country's extensive civilian spying program. some newly obtained data is providing a clearer picture of the nuclear accident at fukushima daiichi. it shows how radiation levels near the plant rose before a hydrogen explosion. 14 monitoring posts recorded radiation levels every 20 seconds after the earthquake and tsunami that damaged the plant three years ago. the levels started to rise the following day at a post more than five kilometers away. measurements show radiation began surging at 2:10 in the

afternoon. at 2:40 the readings briefly hit 4.6 millisieverts per hour. that's the highest mark that day. an hour later, there was a hydrogen explosion, at reactor number 1. >> translator: information may lead researchers to new discoveries. we would like to get as much data as possible. >> at the time, crews were trying to reduce pressure within the reactor's containment vessel, performing an operation called ventwork. he says that may have caused radiation levels to rise. a u.s. nuclear expert says operators need to be prepared for accidents at nuclear plants. but gregory jaczko says there's no way to completely prevent them. >> people have to focus more on the consequences of the accident. look at ways not just to reduce the chance of an accident happening, but to really look at the fundamental design of the reactors to see what can be done

to actually prevent or reduce the consequences that we saw from the fukushima daiichi accident. >> jaczko said restarting plants in japan won't be justified unless the public supports the move. all 48 commercial reactors are offline. utilities have applied for government safety screening to resume operations at more than a third of them. shogi is a traditional japanese board game similar to chess. but this ancient tradition is being transformed by new technology. last year, computers triumphed over professional shogi players for the first time. now the man who developed the software is aiming higher. nhk world's yuji osawa has more.

>> reporter: nearly 100 shogi fans lined up on sunday. they came to pit their skills against the most powerful shogi computer program. the winner will take home $10,000. isae yamamoto developed the software. the prize money will come out of his own packet. >> translator: i want to show people how serious i am about the competition. >> reporter: yamamoto is all smiles, but his program shows no mercy. it crushed its amateur opponents. the matches went on for four days. in the end, it was computer, 166, challengers, zero. >> it was just too strong. i was completely beaten.

>> translator: it's hard for humans to win. that's one powerful program. >> reporter: 28-year-old yamamoto was in elementary school when he learned the ancient game from his father. >> translator: i learned shogi when i was stuck in the house with an eye problem. the doctors wouldn't let me play outdoors. >> reporter: the shogi board became his playground, instead. yamamoto learned computer programming at the university of tokyo. he earned a masters degree in shogi software development. until recently, humans have been better than computers at assessing situation, and plotting strategy. yamamoto's original program was not a resounding success. he managed to beat the computer with ease. but he worked hard to make it better.

now his program can evaluate moves much faster than the human brain. >> translator: humans can only think of ten moves per second. but my program can calculate more than 4 million moves. >> reporter: his efforts paid off last year. after five years, he finally claimed an historic victory over professional player. his program went on to beat 17 others in a computer shogi tournament last november. but yamamoto is still not satisfied. he wants to make his program even stronger. yamamoto's fiancee ai says his positive attitude may be the key to his success.

>> translator: he's a cheerful geek. he's always upbeat. even when he doesn't see improvement. it looks like he's having fun with computers, despite all the failures. >> reporter: yamamoto wants to challenge habu to a match sometime. he's the world's number one player. >> translator: taking on mr mr. habu will let me know whether the program can beat a top human professional. >> reporter: until that happens, yamamoto says he will continue improving his software to make it better than the best human champion. yuji osawa, nhk world, tokyo. let's now bring in our meteorologist robert speta. robert, clear and sunny skies here in tokyo today, but i hear this will not be lasting for

long. >> no, it will not be, actually we're going to start to see those showers roll in here on wednesday night and throughout the day on thursday. it definitely is not going to be very pleasant out here. now what we are seeing is the sunny skies. that high pressure off here towards the east but that's going to continue to track east and already on the cloud cover, take a look at that coming in from the west and showers starting to be seen in western parts of kyushu down through the southern japanese islands. this is going to be quite heavy across the pacific coastline of japan there on thursday. some areas could see as much as 100, 120, to 150 millimeters of total rainfall as this does push through. and also, be accompanied by a few thunderstorms coming out of this. now it's not just the rain, though. you can see out here towards the north in the white, some areas across hokkaido and northern honshu, 30 to 50 centimeters will be seen, as well. throughout the day on thursday, that's going to be in place by friday. it should start to clear up, but behind it we're looking at high pressure coming in from the northwest. so some cooler temperatures, but also the hazy conditions which have been dominating out here, is also going to be drifting

down towards the southeast. so if you're in shanghai, taipei, even over towards hong kong, the aqi indices is going to be starting to go downhill. let's take a look at your temperatures, though, here on your thursday. taipei with a high of 22, rain showers in your forecast as well in to tokyo looking at showers, high of 15. down towards the south still in the 30s across the tropics with partly cloudy skies. see what else is going on in the tropics for the southern hemisphere. we did have three cyclones earlier this week. now, at least the ones around australia continuing to weaken out here. this is the remnants of hadi, it is still moving off towards the northeast. but a low pressure area now. ex-cyclone gillian still bringing some showers there in the gulf of carpentaria. possibility of this reintensifying but the biggest threat is just going to be the rain. with the storm that we are really watching closely, though, has already been blamed for one death out here is lucy. now lucy is moving off towards the east/southeast, winds about 111 kilometers per hour. it's moving away from vanuatu. the bad news, take a look at the

track, and then by saturday into sunday, this moves down there towards new zealand. the north island definitely over the weekend you're going to be looking at blustery conditions and the risk of heavy rain. if you remember last week christchurch on the south island saw some record-breaking flooding. as that does track off it could bring the risk of yet more rainfall. something to watch out for. let's see what's going on in the americas. i haven't zoomed in on the eastern parts of the u.s. and canada, and the reason is, we are looking at a very potent and likely severe storm system setting up here going through your day here on wednesday into thursday. really just tuesday into wednesday, excuse me, and already across the ohio river valley you're starting to see the snowfall. if you're farther here towards the northeast into new england, and across the mid-atlantic states you may be thinking, where is the snow? because temperatures actually on the rise. it's coming. once that storm system does push through, it's going to suck in that cold air from the northwest, and bring some gusty winds with it, up to about 80 to 100 kilometers per hour, accompanied by snowfall.

in western parts of new york, even upstate, up to 50 centimeters. you get those winds, the heavy snowfall and you get whiteout conditions and even the risk of blizzards. severe thunderstorms around the mid-atlantic states. behind it i want to show you really quick some video coming out of oklahoma. show that. it is just some fires out here that have been burning there in the oklahoma city area. unfortunately, mother nature is not really being helpful with the firefighters as they continue to combat those flames and try to put them out in the next several days, temperatures are going to be, well, on the rise. but it's going to be very dry conditions. farther towards the east it's going downhill. new york, take a look at that, minus 4 for your high on thursday. here's the extended forecast.

that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm shery ahn. thank you for watching. ♪ a7gucc

>> barack obama gets set to host the new ukrainian prime minister at the white house. the high-profile gesture is a diplomatic egg at russia. and it's hold on the region of crimea. the death of a 15-year-old boy prompts new clashes in turkey. the teenager died on thursday months -- tuesday months after he was hit in the head by a police tear gas canister during antigovernment protests. the search for the missing malaysian airline flight has now shifted west.