hello and welcome back to "newsline" i'm shery ahn. let's get started with the head lines. the families of japanese citizens abducted by north korea have held a rally calling for the return of their loved ones. leaders of japan and the u.s. square off with their chinese counterparts over tension. and clashes between soldiers and anti-government groups are escalating in syria, ahead of a presidential election.

families of japanese abducted decades ago to north korea are holding onto the hope that they'll see their relatives again. north korean authorities last week agreed to start a new investigation into the fate of the abductees. they reached the agreement with japanese negotiators during three days of talks in stockholm. the families attended a rally near tokyo hoping to build on the momentum. >> translator: north korea now seems to be serious. but we would like to ask the japanese government to check whether that's true. >> japanese government officials say agents kidnapped at least 17 japanese nationals in the 1970s and '80s. iizuka said the north korea's change of heart may be a good chance for them and their relatives. >> translator: north korea seems willing to compromise compared to before. but the situation is still very difficult. >> agents kidnapped yokata's

daughter megumi in 1977. yokata says she expects a tough road ahead but she says she'll do all she can to see her daughter again. japanese officials promised to lift some sanctions against north korea in exchange for the new investigation. but the two sides disagree about the particulars of the deal. a top negotiator from the north wants to resume service of a ship that used to carry cargo and passengers between the two countries. >> translator: the ship is a humanitarian vessel. so we need to discuss its possible return to a japanese port. >> north korea's chief delegate made the comments to reporters in beijing. japanese officials say the agreement does not include lifting the entry ban on the ship. they behalfed the vessel from entering japan in 2006. japan's chief cabinet secretary has responded sharply to criticism from the chinese

government. yoshihide suga defended a speech the prime minister made at asia's biggest security forum that a chinese general called provocative. nhk world's takafumi terui reports. >> reporter: yoshihide suga held a news conference in tokyo monday. he was speaking in protest of china's denouncement of prime minister shinzo abe's speech. >> translator: we believe that the repulsion expressed by the top chinese military official was based on an absolute misperception of the facts. they were slurs against my government. >> reporter: world leaders and defense ministers gathered in singapore over the weekend for the annual security summit. abe made the keynote speech. >> translator: countries should make their claims based on international law. they should not use force in trying to press their claims. they should seek ways to settle disputes peacefully.

>> reporter: while abe didn't express italy name china, he said he supports the philippines and vietnam for their effort to solve territorial disputes. chinese and japanese crews have been facing off in the south china sea since last month. the tension began after china's state-owned energy company deployed an oil rig near the paracels. both country claim the islands. at the summit u.s. defense secretary chuck hagel criticized china's maritime activities. >> in recent months china has undertaken destabilizing unilateral actions asserting its claims in the south china sea. >> reporter: a chinese delegate lashed out over the alliance of the u.s. and japan. but he officially showed disclosure about abe's comments. >> translator: i would say i prefer mr. hagel's attitude.

if you've got something to say, just say directly. mr. abe was suggesting the events by instigating disputes. >> reporter: the purpose of the annual forum is to tackle a range of security issues in the asia pacific region. but in recent years, the focus has squarely shifted to china. takafumi terui, nhk world. u.s. defense secretary chuck hagel says he hopes an exchange of prisoners will lead to direct talks with the taliban. militants released army sergeant bowe bergdahl on saturday after nearly five years in captivity. in return, the u.s. government freed five inmates from the military prison at guantanamo bay. hagel made a surprise visit to afghanistan to celebrate the release of the sole remaining

american military hostage. he said he hopes the transfer will provide a break for negotiations. american personnel from bergdahl had been freed then loaded five taliban commanders onto an aircraft bound for qatar. the former inmates were high ranking military an intelligence officials. taliban leader mullah mohammed omar issued a rare statement calling the trade a great victory. the militants had long made the release of the inmate the main condition for peace talks. an explosion at a soccer field in northeastern nigeria has killed at least 40 people. police believe the islamist extremist group boko haram is behind the attack. the news agency says the bombing took place on sunday at a playing field in the town of mubi. one witness says spectators were heading for the exit after a match when the last occurred. no one has claimed responsibility for the attack. boko haram has carried out a

series of terror attacks in the country and more than 2,000 civilians have been killed this year alone. the government is trying to locate and rescue over 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by the government in april. experts from the u.s. and other countries are assisting in the effort. french authorities have arrested a man in connection with a shooting last month at the jewish museum in brussels. the attack left three people dead, and another critically wounded. prosecutors announced on sunday that they had detained a man on friday in marseille. he is from northern france. he's 29 years old. he reportedly had in his possession the same type of automatic rifle used in the shooting. police say they've been tracking him for his involvement last year in islamic extremist activities in syria. european authorities believe many young immigrants who've been to syria tend to become more radical. they fear the youths could stage terrorist attacks when they return home.

let's now get the latest business stories from ron madison. >> all right. thanks, shery. managers across japan are seeing more and more encouraging signs for the economy. so they're reinvesting in equipment and machinery. a survey shows capital investment has risen for the quarter in a row. finance ministry officials say companies invested more than $120 billion during the first three months of the year. that's a rise of 7.4% from a year earlier. manufactures increased their investment by 6.8%. automakers have been adding equipment to make new models and beverage makers have expanded their production facilities. investment by non-manufacturers rose 7.7%. railway operators replaced older models with newer ones. construction workers are building more and more new properties for the rental market. managers for more than 30,000 large companies responded to the survey. it shows sales rose 5.6% between january and march. the third quarterly increase in a row. pretax profit jumped by 20.2%,

and was up for the ninth straight quarter. well, insurance executives have been scratching their heads as they try to find new clients. the proportion of elderly citizens is highner japan than anywhere else in the world so the people at daiichi life insurance are sizing up the growing u.s. market. sources say executives are in talks with protective life. the sources say the deal could be worth more than $5 billion. that would be the biggest acquisition ever by a japanese insurer. protective life is based in alabama, and is listed on the new york stock exchange. managers at a number of japanese firms have taken steps to expand overseas. many have invested in southeast asia. daiichi already has subsidiaries in vietnam and australia but the u.s. is the world's biggest insurance market and industry executives do expect it will keep growing. let's get a check of the markets now. investors in asia gaining risk appetite on upbeat economic numbers that came out of china over the weekend. the data showed that factory

activity in the country expanded at the fastest pace in five months in may. most markets finished higher. tokyo's nikkei was the top performer in the region. shanghai and hong kong were closed for public holidays. the nikkei average seeing a nice jump. it was up more than 2%. finished at 14,935 the highest close in just about two months. a wide range of shares were in demand. export related issues, and financial stocks, led the advance today. daiichi life, though, was down nearly 5% on investor concern about that plan to acquire an american firm. and in sydney the s&p asx 200 index closed higher by a little bit less than half a percent, 5,518. many companies doing a lot of business with china are cheered on by the country's strong manufacturing data. banking shares topped the list of gainers. indonesia's main index finishing out its session higher by about 0.4%, 4,912. some investors bought back shares after the index tumbled nearly 2% on friday. but monday's gains were limited. the country's trade balance

unexpectedly swung back to a deficit in april. well, new car sales here in japan fell in may for the second straight month. that was due to the effects of the consumption tax hike in april. but the rate of decline narrowed from the previous month. industry group officials say more than 363,000 new vehicles were sold last month, down 1.2% from a year earlier. sales of passenger cars, excluding mini vehicles, dropped 5.6%. mini vehicles showed a 5.3% increase on the back of strong replacement demand. now here's how it broke down by the makers. mazda and toyota each posted a double digit decline while honda, suzuki and nissan reported gains. well, many americans are spending more of what they earn to put a roof over their heads. rents in major cities are climbing, as the economy recovers. in some places, residents are lashing out at companies that they blame for raising the cost of living. nhk world's sandra veren reports from san francisco.

report the economy of san francisco has been expanding. backed by the booming i.t. industry. and it's seen the cost of rental accommodations rise by about 30% over the last four years. one real estate research firm says the average rent in the city is now $2,069 a month. among the highest in the entire united states. a swarm of i.t. firms has set up shop in the area, bringing a huge influx of affluent young staff. many of the workers in silicon valley also choose to live in san francisco. >> this time around, more of it is in san francisco and more people want to be living in san francisco. we're seeing average incomes go up. and particularly in some neighborhoods where we're seeing

a lot of change. >> reporter: but the demographic shift is having a major impact on the original residents. especially those in the low to moderate income brackets. and some are even being priced out of their own homes. protesters are gathered here in front of city hall in san francisco today to stop the evictions. the number of cases in which residents were asked to move out of their homes stood at 716 last year. that's more than double the figure from 2012. evan willkinstein is a high school teacher. he has lived here for eight years paying $1,825 a month for his one-bedroom apartment. in february, he was given 120 days to move out as his building had been sold to a new owner.

an executive at tech giant google. >> i'm afraid of having to go out and find a new place. the rents have gone up considerably since eight years ago when i moved here. it's going to be expensive, and possibly -- maybe impossible to stay in the neighborhood. >> reporter: now, some residents are directing their anger at the technology firms. many of the companies shuttle their staff to and from work in their own luxury buses. the wi-fi equipped fleet transports some 4,000 people to silicon valley every morning. residents have been targeting the buses. staging protests, and even blocking the road. ♪ san francisco not for sale ♪ san francisco not for sale

>> reporter: google has responded, trying to appease the protesters. it has contributed $6.8 million to a project that allows children from low and middle-income families to ride municipal buses for free. and the san francisco government has decided to build 30,000 new apartments by 2020. it's also decreed that i.t. firms will have to pay a dollar to the city for each stop a shuttle makes in the municipal bus zone. >> i think it's conversations. they can be helpful in terms of pushing the city to create more protections for tenants, and to create more affordable housing. >> reporter: with both protesters and technology firms seemingly keen to ensure no one loses out, the city could yet find a way for all to benefit from the growing economic recovery. sandra barron, nhk world, san francisco. >> all right.

well japan planning to roll out its next generation of television broadcasts in time for the 2020 tokyo olympics. testing for the so-called 4k format began today. a consortium of broadcasters and electronics makers behind the format say its pictures are four times sharper than anything currently available. the test service will run for six hours a day. but the tuner to watch the broadcast won't be released on the market until later this month. the communications ministry plans to start regular 4k broadcasts in 2016. by the time the olympics and paralympics open four years later, ministry officials say the technology will have spread across the country. electronics manufacturers are racing to release 4k compatible tv models as well as cameras, and even smartphones to try to meet expected demand. and that is going to do it for biz this hour. here's a check of the markets.

syria is preparing for a presidential election in the middle of a civil war. incumbent president bashar al assad is widely expected to win. but opposition forces warn those results won't come without a fight. nhk world's kurando tago reports. >> reporter: islamic militants in syria they've posted footage online showing a huge explosion on sunday, and debris rising high into the air. rebels claim to have killed at least 40 soldiers with massive

bomb planted in a tunnel under military base in the northern city. on may 22nd, supporters of president bashar al assad became the focus of an attack during election campaigning in the southern province of daraa. rebels say the shelling killed at least 21 people, including civilians and injured about 30 others. eleven countries, including the u.s. and britain have been supporting the moderate syrian national coalition. syrian government forces have continued to attack rebels. refugees and internally displaced persons cannot vote and a statement was issued by the international community on may 15th objecting to the poll. >> assad's staged elections are a farce, they're an insult, they're a fraud on democracy, on syrian people, and on the world.

>> reporter: however, the syrian government decided to hold the presidential election without delay. officials say it is a matter of sovereignty if syria can't accept any intervention by the international community. >> translator: we were happy for president assad when we heard the news about his nomination. there's no candidate like bashar al assad, and there can be no syria without him as president. >> reporter: fighting between government military and rebel forces is escalating day by day. a british human rights group estimates that at least 54,000 civilians and 110,000 military casualties have occurred in syria since the conflict began over three years ago. it remains to be seen if the presidential election will help to establish order within the war-torn country, and allow refugees to return.

kurando tago, nhk world. less than two weeks remain until the start of the 2014 world cup. organizers in brazil held their final test match at the stadium that will host the opening games. the match took place at the arena de sao paulo. but the stadium was less than full capacity because some seating areas are not ready. many fans staged a protest on newly build transportation. traffic around the stadium was restricted just as it will be during the world cup. reports say security checks at the entrance gates went smoothly. some seats were not available because fire authorities have not approved their use. so only about 37,000 people attended the match. that's just over half of the stadium's capacity. an official with the organizing committee assured fans that the seats are safe. he said they'll conduct final

checks this week. japan is seeing some of the hottest temperatures for 2014. our meteorologist jonathan oh joins me now. jonathan, i was quite surprised by the heat over the weekend and it's only the beginning of june. are we in for a sweltering summer this year? >> shery, if this past weekend is any indication of what we're expecting for summer then yes it definitely will be a very warm one. the good news is, it looks like the rainy season is about to kick in for the western portions of japan, and the rain is definitely hammering parts of korea, and so because of that, it looks like maybe we'll get a little bit of a break. but speaking of the heat i want to show you some video coming out of kofu and unfortunately there is a dark side to the heating. unfortunately at least two people died because of the heat. this is the scene where

temperatures soared to 38 -- 35.8 degrees, rather, on sunday. so people had to deal with the quick onset of summer. and more than 460 people were admitted to the hospital with heat stroke on sunday. and it looks like we even saw a warmer time period for monday. let's take a look at the map and show you some of the warmest temperatures, except for tokyo, these temperatures you see on the map are some of the warmest that we have seen so far this year. so, over in toyoka, close to 35 degrees, and 35.2 degrees. so yes, very, very warm temperatures as we went through monday and it looks like the heat is going to continue as we go through the rest of this week. maybe a slight cooldown as we go toward thursday. sapporo 31 on tuesday, 30 at wednesday. typically you're at 20 so we're seeing very, very warm temperatures. same thing in ack it to and also tokyo. by thursday we'll drop just a

degree or two below the average. a little bit of humidity mixing in with that doesn't make it feel particularly pleasant. now, we are also looking out for that low pressure system. i told you that the korean peninsula is starting to see some rain. that's also moving into parts of kyushu and okinawa and looks like that will continue to try to move eastward so maybe a little bit of a cooling trend because of the rain. the rainy season also continues to hit parts of south china, and it looks like the rain will continue to linger into those areas, also down into indochina peninsula. and here's a look at the temperatures. and along with the forecast, taipei at 31. 32 degrees in hong kong. chongqing you're going to warm up to 30 degrees on tuesday with a chance for some rain. let's take a look in the forecast for the americas. we are watching out for the midwest, and the central plains. we have a low pressure system that caused some problems. we had a few tornado reports along with some hail reports. numerous numbers, in the central portions of the united states. this system will continue to push toward the east, i think it's going to intensify by

tuesday, and that's where we're going to look out for the possibility of some more severe weather. monday i think we're just going to be dealing with some thunderstorms, 29 in chicago, 22 in winnipeg, and 32 degrees in houston with a chance for rain and thunderstorms. heat continues for the desert southwest. look at these temperatures above 40 degrees. so, japan is not the only place seeing the very warm temperatures. southwestern corner of the u.s. also seeing some very, very warm temperatures, as well. finally we take a look at europe. we do have a low pressure system. we talked about this last week, still lingering in to the eastern portions of europe, bringing in some rain into western portions of russia, and it looks like the rain will linger. but the good news is on the western side of the continent, staying a little bit drier with sunny skies as high pressure controls the weather over there. 25 in madrid and lisbon. meanwhile like i mentioned into warsaw and kiev, you're going to see a chance for a thunderstorm. some of those storms may be severe. so be on the lookout for that. hope you have a good day wherever you are. here's your extended forecast.

and one more story before we go. a group of music students in south korea got the chance to go behind the scenes with some japanese performers. members of the nhk symphony orchestra invited them to a rehearsal. ♪ the orchestra is in seoul to take part in a cultural exchange program. musicians held an open practice session before their concert on sunday. they were joined onstage by a prominent korean pianist.

the group played a concerto by sergi cocough yef and added a piece by johan sebastian bach in memory of the victims of the ferry disaster in south korea in april. >> translator: i learned a lot. especially about the professional side of it. i don't usually get to see that at school. it was really impressive. >> translator: i wish i could play the violin like that. >> it lasted about an hour. and that's all for this hour on "newsline." i'm shery ahn. thank you for watching. a

>> you are watching "france 24." the king of spain announces he will abdicate his throne. he said his son will replace him. francected jihadist from is arrested over the fatal shooting of a jewish medium and brussels. he spent time in syria and radicalized here in prison and france. the palestinian president swears in a unity government. it is the most significant step ending the political split that began seven years ago.