hello you're watching "newsline," i'm keiko kitagawa in tokyo. here are the head lines. search crews will send a robotic submarine deep into the ocean to look for the missing malaysian airliner. leaders in ukraine are warning they are ready to use military force to remove armed separatists occupying government buildings. and japanese companies are aiming to cultivate a largely untapped market, the nation's

senior citizens. >> the search for the missing malaysia airlines plane looks set to enter a new phase. investigators say they'll send an unmanned submarine to look for the jet in the indian ocean. no signals from the aircraft have been detected for six days. officials at a multinational search center in australia said on monday that they'll suspend the hunt for sounds from the plane's black boxes as their batteries are frobly run out. they're designed to last for 30 days. >> the experts have therefore determined that the australian defense vessel "ocean shield" will cease searching with the pinger locator later today and deploy the autonomous underwater vehicle, blue fin 21, as soon as possible. >> the search from tuesday is to focus on deploying the submarine, now on an australian military vessel. the operation is expected to take time due to the large size

of the search area. officials at the center also say they're ready to review their hunt for floating debris, as more than a month has passed since the plane went missing. 239 people were on board. russian leaders are warning their counterparts in ukraine against using military action to end the unrest in the east. pro-russian activists have picked up guns and are occupying government buildings. the country's acting president has ordered them to disarm or face the consequences. more from hq world's craig dale. >> reporter: pro-russian activists in eastern ukraine are building up their barricades and they're loading up their weapons. they're facing a deadline to disarm with defiance. acting president oleksandr turchinov says he'll launch an anti-terrorist operation if they don't put down their guns. he spoke after police moved in on activists in one city, a firefight left one officer dead

and five others hurt. the unrest started more than a week ago and it's been spreading. pro-russian activists have taken over government buildings. they're demanding greater regional autonomy. leaders in kiev and the west say it's a well organized campaign by russia. they say president vladimir putin is looking for an excuse to send in soldiers, just as he did in crimea. putin annexed the ukrainian republic last month. but the russians deny they're involved, the u.n. ambassador called on emergency meeting of the security council to express concern over the plan to use force to deal with the armed activists. other delegates shot back. >> we know who is behind this. indeed the only entity in the area capable of these coordinated, professional military actions is russia. >> russia is seeking to impose its will on the people of ukraine, using misinformation, intimidation, and aggression. >> it constitutes a serious

threat not only to the security of the people of ukraine, but to the international peace and stability as a whole. >> reporter: the situation in the east has sparked violence between pro-russian activists and people who want ukraine to stay united. and in one town demonstrators gathered to protect the government building from a possible occupation. leaders in kiev have already suggested they're open to giving more power to regional authorities, and they're promising to give amnesty to activists who lay down their weapons. but they say those who don't will be held responsible and punished. craig dale, nhk world. a british think tank says global military spending fell last year but china and russia continued building up their armed forces. the stockholm international peace research institute said in its annual report issued on monday that global military expenditure totalled $1.75 trillion in 2013.

that's down 1.9 points from a year before and marks two straight years of decline. the institute attributes the fall mainly to the world's top military spender, the united states. the country cut its defense expenditure by 7.8% to $640 billion. helped reduce its massive budget deficit. european countries also spent less on their militaries. but china's budget grew by 7.4% last year reaching $188 billion. the country now has the world's second largest military spending. russia follows with an increase of 4.8% as the country has been modernizing its armed forces. its military spending now totals $87.8 billion. total military expenditure in southeast asia rose 5%. the philippines and vietnam increased their military spending. they're engaged in territorial disputes with china over islands in the south china sea.

officials in southwestern japan say they have detected the h5 strain of the bird flu virus in dead chickens at a poultry farm. authorities are culling all the chickens at two farms run by the same owner. this is the first detection of the bird flu at a japanese farm in about three years. kumamoto prefecture officials say genetic analysis confirmed the h5 strain in two of the ten tested birds at the farm. they decided to cull all 112,000 chickens at the two farms to contain the virus. authorities banned the transfer of chicken and eggs from poultry farms located within three kilometers of the farms. they've also banned shipments from farms within ten kilometers. vehicles on nearby roads are being disinfected. the poultry farmer says he hopes the virus doesn't spread. >> translator: i'm worried that sales may be affected by harmful rumors.

>> officials say they have not detected any abnormalities at other facilities in the prefecture. the operator of the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant has revealed another mistake. it says highly radioactive water was sent to the wrong building. workers normally pump contaminated water from the plant's reactors, and send it to storage buildings. it then goes to a processing facility. but officials at tokyo electric power company found on thursday that water levels at such buildings had dropped. they should have risen. the officials found that four pumps which were not supposed to be used, had been in operation. they sent the water in the wrong direction to a facility for incinerating radioactive waste. about 203 tons of contaminated water flowed in. the officials say there's no way for it to get out. workers have started pumping up and sending the water to where

it should be. they're also trying to find out why the pumps were used. coming up next the latest business stories with ron madison. >> all right. prime minister shinzo abe has pledged japan's continued financial support for kosovo. the young european nation is trying to recover and develop six years after declaring independence from serbia. abe talked today with kosovo's prime minister hashim thaci who is visiting japan for the first time in two years. abe said best wall cans is a gateway to europe and stability depends on how smoothly kosovo can develop. he promised continued assistance through the government's overseas aid program. thaci thanked japan for supporting kosovo's independence. he said the nation is full of opportunities and he wants japan to invest there. the two leaders agreed to strengthen economic cooperation. japanese government officials are hoping one of the nation's largest employers will give them a cash windfall. they plan to start selling off shares in japan post next year. the government owns all the

stock in japan post holdings. analysts estimate the value of outstanding shares is about $120 billion. the government can sill up to two-thirds of the shares that it owns. finance ministry officials plan to use about $40 billion from the sale to rebuild areas of northeastern japan, damaged in the disaster three years ago. members of a ministry panel will ask experts how to limit the impact of the sale on the stock market. analysts will be watching to see if japan post can boost its earnings. the japan post group of companies includes banking and life insurance firms. all right let's get a check of the markets now. investors in asia refraining from aggressive buying today. the rising tensions in ukraine sapped their risk appetite. here's how major bourses in the region ended out the day. tok tokyo's nikkei slipped to this year's low for a second straight session. sydney's main index posted the biggest drop it's seen in a month. the nikkei average was down about 0.4% there at 1 3,930 was

our closing figure. a six-month low. trading lacked clear direction and thin volume. bargain buying was not enough to offset the selling that the market saw. in sydney the s&p asx 200 also lower by 1.3%, 5,358. that's the lowest close there in two weeks. major beverage maker coca-cola amatill closed lower. the shanghai composite saw gains and finished up just a touch there 3,131 at the close. that does whoever near its highest level in seven weeks. investors pretty cautious ahead of the release of key chinese economic data. and this does include gdp figures which are due out on wednesday. the people at japan's industry ministry are trying to promote health among workers. they want to control ballooning costs for health care. medical expenditures are growing by about $10 billion a year. the latest figures show annual spending topped $370 billion.

ministry officials are working on something that they hope will help. they're creating a set of tools so businesses can track efforts to cut medical expenses. one is designed to help executives keep tabs on how much they reduce employees' medical costs. another focuses on so-called metabolic syndrome, which puts people at greater risk for stroke or heart failure. ministry officials say the tools could also improve productivity. many japanese consumers are cutting back on spending after the sales tax went up this month. now toyota motor has started trying to whet their buying appetite. it's rolled out what officials call the most fuel efficient, gasoline powered compact car in the country. toyota and its group firm joined hands to develop the latest paso hatchback. it runs 27.6 kilometers on a liter of gasoline. company officials say that's the best fuel performance among gasoline powered cars in the country. that's with the exception of hybrid models and mini vehicles. toyota officials say the paso's newly developed engine improved

its fuel efficiency by about 30% compared with previous models. japanese automakers are bracing for a domestic sales drop of some 10% this year because of the tax hike. fuji heavy industries plans to release a new model next month. lawyers for more companies in the u.s. find themselves in court defending their firm's patents. many of them are turning now to some innovative technology to give them an edge. nhk world explains. >> reporter: lawyers for apple and samsung find themselves in a familiar place. back in court. they spent years arguing over patents for smartphones and tablets. those for apple say samsung infringed on five of their patents, like the slide to unlock feature. they're seeking over $2 billion in damages. lawyers for samsung claim apple violated two of their patents, including video transmission technology. they are countersuing for about

$7 million. >> i think that there's a good chance that in this case, the only thing at stake is money. i think that the damages theories that are advanced in this case could have an impact on patent litigation into the future. >> reporter: over the past few years, the number of patent-related lawsuits in the u.s. has surged. about 6,500 cases were filed last year alone. that's nearly double the figure from three years ago. >> have we found anything -- >> reporter: lawyers from one prominent law firm say one of the challenges is analyzing court documents efficiently. >> that might not be sufficient. >> who's looked at the file histories? have you seen the file histories? and do you know if there was an inventor interview? >> i believe there was. >> reporter: these lawyers are using a new legal software to help them find critical data.

both parties and patent lawsuits disclose large amounts of information, like internal e-mails and meeting minutes. the software filters the data through such methods as keyword searches, or running items similar to a selected sample document. lawyers at this firm used to analyze documents themselves. they say this new legal technology has slashed the cost and time required to do the work. >> in a typical case if you take an intellectual property case like my specialty is, typical litigation involves many gigabytes of data. in litigation we're always looking for useful technology that can help us review these large amounts of information. >> reporter: start-ups see a business opportunity in the growing number of lawsuits. firms are springing up offering a range of services.

developers at this company created software that analyzes data on intellectual property lawsuits from various databases. some law firms are using it to figure out how to argue cases. >> this is the judge, and the apple samsung case. we see what is her track record? how often have claimants won, plaintiffs won? how often have defendants won? >> reporter: as the number and costs of patent lawsuits in the u.s. continues to rise, new legal data technology and services are proving to be vital tools for attorneys. rosa sobrino, nhk world, new york. okay. that is going to wrap it up for biz this hour. let's see what's going on in the markets.

now to more news. government and opposition forces in syria are blaming each other for using poison gas in a deadly attack on a village. more than 100 people reported breathing difficulties on friday in the village near the central city of hama. state-run media say at least two people were killed. opposition activists claimed the toxic gas was dropped by helicopter during air raids by government forces. but president bashar al assad's administration says an al qaeda linked group within the opposition forces used gas.

a sarin gas attack killed hundreds of people near damascus last august. the government is disposing of its stockpile of chemical weapons in line with a unsecurity council resolution. some experts say the civil war is making it difficult to keep all chemical materials under control. initial results from afghanistan's presidential election show that former foreign minister abdullah abdullah and the exfinance minister are heading the field. the april 5th poll is to choose a successor to outgoing president hamid karzai. the election commission announced the portion results on sunday based on 10% of the votes counted from 26 of 34 provinces. it says abdullah has nearly 42% of the vote, while ghani has about 38%. abdullah was an influential figure in the now defunct northern alliance which cooperated with u.s. forces to topple the taliban government in 2001.

and ghani has international recognition as a former world bank official. another former foreign minister rasul is trailing with 9.8%. he's reportedly close to karzai. a clearer picture of the outcome is expected by late april, if no candidate securities the majority required for an outright win, the top two finishers will enter a runoff on may 2th. the taliban had tried to disrupt the election. it denounced the major candidates as u.s. puppets and is pledging to launch more attacks. some japanese owners, business owners in japan are trying to largely untapped market. they're eyeing a largely untapped market, the country's aging population. they've showed off their newest products at a trade show aimed at seniors. nhk visited the event to find out more.

>> reporter: it's a trade far targeting senior citizens, and many checked out a fashion show, showcasing the latest in spring wear. this one looks like a two-piece but is really just one. the outfits are designed to disguise the figure and give people confidence. for those who hesitate to expose their legs, the suit has leggings with uv shield. >> translator: i want one. i'll be able to swim and have fun with my grandchildren in the sea. >> reporter: look at the huge crowd. many people here are eager to see this event. the companies here are offering services for people who want to enjoy their life, regardless of their age. a leading manufacturing and distribution company is sponsoring the fair for the third time. and it's growing every year. the 2014 edition featured nearly

50 companies covering everything from clothing and cosmetics to food and drink. there's a clear reason for the jump in the number of participants. experts say people in the country over the age of 60 spend over a trillion dollars a year making up nearly half the personal spending in japan. they say every year seniors keep spending more and more. >> translator: it's very important for retailers to win the support of senior citizens. we are creating and developing products targeting them directly. >> reporter: take a close look at these glasses. they are one of a kind. the lenses flip up like the gall wing door on a sports car. they allow people to eliminate the kind of gestures associated

with old age, like repeatedly taking glasses off or putting them on your head. >> translator: i only need one push without taking off the glasses. it is very convenient. >> translator: everyone faces aged eyes. we designed the new glasses from the idea of making the frames a bit more fun. >> reporter: the move to cater to the silver market is not just about selling more products. people who run this business are showcasing a rather unusual experience. >> translator: it's a little bit tight for me. >> reporter: customers interested in how it feels to lie four feet under are invited to try out the coffin. this booth is dedicated to funeral services. there are many people who want to make their own decisions for

the end of their life. a professional makeup artist and photographer are also available to create a memorable keepsake, a photo for the funeral. this 75-year-old lady traveled more than one hour to visit the fair. >> translator: it's good to be able to prepare the photo by myself. i don't want my daughter to have to do that. >> reporter: more and more people want a say in their final arrangements. the owners are trying to attract new customers by offering a wider range of services and convenient options. many countries around the world are headed in japan's direction with an aging population that has plenty of money to spend. and the business strategies developed here could teach some valuable lessons on how to tap in to the senior's market.

sayaka mori, nhk world, chiba. coming up next is world weather forecast with our newest meteorologist jonathan oh. >> thank you so much for the introduction. we begin in the united states, where we are following a developing system that has already produced tornadoes on sunday and we will continue to follow this particular system throughout the next day or so. you can see the bright white tops with this satellite perspective. that is indicating to us a lot of energy with this system, with the cold tops. and that's going to be the story for monday for the eastern half of the united states. we have a lot of juice and warm air ahead of the system. behind it, cold air will be filtering in. that pushing mechanism is going to open the door for severe thunderstorms again for monday. we're looking out for large hail, strong winds, and tornadoes, especially for the areas highlighted in red from louisiana to mississippi, and also in to alabama.

but the eastern seaboard all looking out for some active weather on this monday. along with that, those of you located in canada, and for the great lakes area, we are looking out for some snow because of the cold air wrapping around this low pressure system. already creating some travel problems, especially for those of you who are flying out of chicago o'hare. so make sure that you check in before you head out to your local airport, because it looks like we're going to be seeing a disruption in the weather pattern. meanwhile, back over toward the west, and the western portions of the united states, and in to canada, beautiful sunny skies, and it looks like the calmer weather pattern will continue for the western half of the americas, while this front on the eastern side will continue to bring rain and also looking out for a chance for some snow, as well. temperatures moving up to 28 in los angeles on this monday, 20 in seattle, with a little bit more cloud cover for seattle and vancouver. back over toward the eastern seaboard, yes, active rain and thunderstorms expected for the eastern seaboard.

25 in d.c. 23 degrees in new york. let's take a look at asia. high pressure is controlling the weather. but because of that, air pollution in beijing is being suppressed over the area. that will eventually drift toward the east, and affect the korean peninsula, and also into japan as we go through this week. we also have a developing low pressure system located in the northwestern corner of china. that will push toward the east and bring some rain to places like shanghai later on this work week. 24 in beijing on tuesday. 20 in shanghai. and also down toward manila, looking at rain and thunderstorms with a high of 34. thanks to tropical depression peipah continuing to drag its feet through the islands, and so because of that, 100 to 150 millimeters of rain expected on top of the past 24 hours, just in the 24 hour period seeing 100 millimeters of rain. so flooding continues to be a concern over in the philippines. and what's left of ita continues

to move toward new zealand and now looking out for a chance for some rain and also possibly some flooding for the north island. we're going to finish things up in europe. beautiful conditions for the western portions of the continent, with high pressure controlling the weather. but low pressure back toward the east will be moving toward the south and east bringing rain for places like warsaw and vienna with temperatures topping off from 10 to 16 back over toward the west. sunny skies, 25 for a high in madrid. hope you have a good day wherever you are. here's a look at your extended forecast.

that wraps this edition of "newsline." i'm keiko kitagawa in tokyo. thank you for joining us. a7gucc

>> thank you for watching. we are in paris and these are the headlines. at least 100 pro-russian separatist seized the police headquarters in ukraine. this comes after a deadline from the ukrainian government passes, warning the insurgents that the military was ready to move in. racesive fire in chile through a historic city for the second night in a row. more than 1000 people have been forced to leave their homes. a private catholic school here in france is set to test