it's a tuesday evening here in japan. i'm james tengan in tokyo. welcome to "newsline." here are some of the stories we're following this hour. president obama says u.s. air strikes helped kurdish and iraqi forces regain control of the dam from sunni militants. authorities in the u.s. state of missouri are calling in reinforcements to deal with protesters angry over the shooting of a black teenager. and thousands of chinese students who failed to make the grade at home are coming to japan for a second chance.

u.s. president barack obama's applauding a win against sunni militants in iraq. iraqi and kurdish forces recaptured the country's largest dam. he says his military helped in the operation. >> american air strikes have stopped isis advance around the city of erbil and pushed back the terrorists. with our support iraqi and kurdish forces took a major step by recapturing the largest dam in iraq. >> the dam provides water to iraq's second-largest city mosul. obama said its breach could have proved catastrophic with floods that could have threatened the capital baghdad. he said the u.s. will continue to pursue a long-term strategy against the militants. >> the iraqi people need to reject them and unite to begin to push them out of the lands they've occupied. as we're seeing at mosul dam. >> obama urged iraq's prime minister-designate al abadi to launch a broad-based government within a few weeks.

he said once the u.s. has a capable partner in iraq, u.s. military engagement is unlikely to drag on over the longer term. japanese officials are doing what they can to secure the safety of a japanese man missing in syria. they suspect militants have taken him but there has been no demand for ransom. the leader of an opposition group says a member of his group are negotiating to get the man back. >> japanese officials suspect someone linked to the militant group islamic state took this video of the man but they have not been able to determine his whereabouts. this man says he has no doubt that the person in the individual yes is his son. he says his son left japan on july 27th. a leader of syria islamic front says the next day the man crossed the border from turkey. he says the man wanted to collect which a he called news material on the group's fight against the islamic state.

he says the man was separated from opposition fighters north of the set of aleppo and may have been captured by militants. the opposition leader says members of his group are negotiating with the militants over a prisoner exchange. japan's vice foreign minister says government officials are trying to verify whatever information they can.j says government officials are trying to verify whatever information they can. >> translator: we have passed on specific information to the man's family. >> diplomats are approaching tribal and religious leaders to see if they can make contact. negotiators for israel and hamas have struck a deal to extend their cease-fire in the gaza strip by another 24 hours. but thousands of residents are still suffering. a palestinian delegate says they had reached a deal but would use the whole day to keep talking.

>> we need more than 450 children have been killed in the fighting, about 10,000 people have been injured, and nearly 17,000 homes destroyed. the fighting has also had an impact on relief workers. 11 u.n. staff members have been killed and more than 100 u.n. facilities damaged. he said u.n. officials are looking at ways to help rebuilding efforts. israel's ambassador said if the u.n. wants to take constructive steps it should aim its condemnations at hamas. president barack obama's calling for calm in a central u.s. town that has seen night after night of unrest. people in ferguson, missouri, have been protesting against the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager by a white police officer. some have resorted to violence, prompting the government to call in the national guard. nhk world's craig dale is following developments for us. >> reporter: local and state police have been unable to stop

the violence stemming from these demonstrations. governor jay nixon says the national guard will help restore peace and order and protect citizens. soldiers moved into the suburb of st. louis on monday and the governor lifted a curfew that had been in place for two nights. demonstrators were out on the streets again though call for justice in the death of 18-year-old michael brown. some got into confrontations with police and officers responded with tear gas and stun guns. >> we will not allow vandals, criminal elements, to impact the safety and security of this community. >> reporter: these protests have been going on over a week now and they've turned violent most nights. some people have looted stores and thrown molotov cocktails at police. there are even shootings, at least one that wounded an officer. >> while i understand the passions and the anger that arise over the death of michael brown, giving in to that anger by looting or carrying guns and

even attacking the police only serves to raise tensions and stir chaos. it undermines rather than advances justice. >> reporter: president obama says the people of ferguson should seek to heal rather than to wound each other. he and police have said most of the protesters are peaceful. the demonstrators continued to point out the local police force's overwhelmingly white and not representative of the town's majority black population and they've been shouting "don't shoot" over and over again. they say michael brown had his hands up before he was shot. but police have said brown pushed officer darren wilson into his patrol car and the pair struggled for wilson's gun. they released surveillance video she say shows brown just before the shooting. you see a man allegedly stealing from a convenience store and roughing up the owner. an independent autopsy shows brown was shot at least six times. medical examiners for st. louis

county and the federal government will do autopsies. fbi agents and department of justice personnel are in ferguson too krukking criminal and civil rights investigations. and u.s. attorney general eric holder will be in the town on wednesday. the mother of victim says justice is the only way for peace to be restored. >> what is justice to you? >> being fair. arresting this man. and making him accountable for his actions. >> the lawyer for michael brown's family says this shooting was an execution. a grand jury will draw its own conclusions and there's a chance the officer who killed the teen could face charges. >> nhk world's craig dale. more international and domestic storieses ahead but let's see what's happening in business and finance. >> thank you, james. let's jump straight into the markets. investors in asia showed strong interest in buying equities as global stock rallies boosted

market sentiment. many major benchmarks across the region have reached their highest close in weeks. investors were relieved geopolitical risks haven't escalated much over the past couple of days. the nikkei average climbed more than .8%, finishing at 15,449. that works out to a two-week closing high. the index has risen now for a seventh day in a row. weakening of the yen lifted overall sentiment. we've got traders seeing pretty low volume today. taiwan's index jumped more than 1% to 9243, a level not seen in two weeks. the u.s. tech-heavy benchmark nasdaq recorded its highest close in 14 years and this encouraged investors to push up shares of high-tech market heavyweights. in sydney the main index there seeing gains as well. just under .7%. 5623, extending recent gains to the highest level in almost three weeks. investors received a lift from earnings reports.

companies in various sectors did release favorable results. some investors have shied away from russia over the crisis in ukraine. others though can't ignore the opportunities. many including some from western japan are looking at projects in russia's far east. officials are trying to help local companies find a foothold in the region. they organized a seminar in the city of vladivostok. representatives of 11 japanese firms took part. one introduced a technology that converts used cooking oil into soap and biodiesel. participants said russian businesspeople seemed enthusiastic about working with japanese firms but the japanese government has imposed sanctions on russia over its role in ukraine. some investors are concerned about where relations are headed. department store sales in japan fell again in july. that's the fourth consecutive monthly drop since the consumption tax hike in april. the japan department stores

association says 241 stores nationwide reported july sales of about $5.3 billion, down 2.5% from a year ago. association officials blame the dip partly on bad weather which has led to sluggish sales of women's clothes. they say sales have been slow to recover in local areas. officials say the impact of the consumption tax hike does appear to be easing. the july sales decline was smaller than in june. they are forecasting a recovery in september when sales of autumn clothing go into full swing. sporting goods manufacturers in japan are looking at the future of their business and some of them don't really like what they see. the population is ageing, the birth rate is low, and the number of people playing sports is on the decline. so the manufacturers are trying to expand the playing field now.

>> reporter: a professional three on three basketball league was officially opened in july in japan. the game incorporates music, dance and performance to make it exciting. the league is run by a major sports group retailer. it's hoping that three on three basketball will be included in the 2020 summer olympics in tokyo. the company is aiming to boost its sales of basketball gear by getting more people in their 20s and 30s to enjoy that sport. >> translator: traditionally, sports in japan have been promoted through after-school club activities. but with the population declining and aging, we need to target not only schoolchildren but also other age groups. >> reporter: but another sports equipment manufacturer is convinced more can be done to increase the number of children who play sports. it is providing services to gauge children's basic athletic abilities.

the maker compares the results with data its collected from over 20,000 children of the same age calculated down to the month. the company tests the children's basic running, balancing, throwing, and other skills and shows them their strength and weaknesses. >> translator: excellent. maybe you'll become an olympic athlete in the future. >> reporter: the company is trying to get children more interested in sports by finding which ones they're good at. the firm encourages children to continue being athletic. >> translator: we hope children will show interest and start playing sports. then the sporting population will grow. and we can expand our business. >> reporter: on the other hand,

this sports goods company is targeting its walking shoes ad to the growing elderly population. the company thinks the elderly are an untapped market because anyone can enjoy walking, even senior citizens. the company has started offering a physical training program to help seniors stay fit. through various exercises, it teaches them how to keep their joints and muscles flexible. it also promotes a walking workout to keep old people in good shape. it teaches them the right way to walk. >> translator: i didn't do much walking. but since i've been coming here, i've started walking outdoors as well. >> reporter: the company boosted its sales of walking shoes in 2013 by 147% from the previous year. one of the factors was the introduction of its fitness program for seniors.

>> translator: we hope to increase the number of seniors doing sports by helping to extend the years they are active so we can expand our market. >> reporter: japanese sporting goods firms are testing their limits to overcome the slump in domestic demand. by opening up new markets, they're hoping to turn the game around. all right, also today chief negotiators of the transpacific partnership have been meeting over and over to come to an agreement on a free trade deal. but they still have some obstacles to overcome. they will convene next month in vietnam to try to further narrow their differences on some key issues. the negotiators made some progress last month in canada, mainly in the areas of labor and quarantine. but they were still divided over other items such as protecting intellectual property and

leveling the playing field between private and state-backed firms. the negotiators have agreed to meet again for about a week in hanoi in early september. and please join us wednesday for an exclusive interview with japan's point man on the economy. economic revitalization minister akira amari will drop by to talk about what he's doing to try to spark growth. he'll give us an update on the tpp free trade negotiations. that's going to be live wednesday right here on "newsline." that is going to do it for business hour. here's a check of the markets.

the vice president of china has sat down with a group of young lawmakers from japan. they agreed to work toward improving ties between their countries. li yuanchao, and a group of young japanese lawmakers have agreed to work to improve ties between the two countries. they think the leaders could talk in november on the sidelines of the asia-pacific economic cooperation forum in beijing. >> translator: vice president li said china and japan need to create the right environment for a summit. >> china state news agency xinhua quotes li at saying the japanese should deal properly with issues concerning history

and islands in the east china sea. the lawmakers say li responded positively to a plan to open a hotline between the two countries. defense officials could use the hotline in emergencies to avoid the risk of an accidental conflict at sea. more and more students from china are making their way into the halls of japan's top universities. many of them failed to get into their schools of choice back home. and now they're looking for a second chance. >> reporter: about 80,000 chinese students study at higher level institutions in japan every year. this private university in tokyo, waseda, is among the most popular in this nation. the cohort of chinese students here has tripled in ten years. >> chinese students are very much motivated, they are

motivated to study and study very hard. >> reporter: the first test for many, however is the university entrance examination. many prepare for the exam at japanese language schools like this one. >> reporter: today, the school is holding an orientation session for new arrivals. >> reporter: most of the students here were unable to get into their target university back home. so they are now targeting the best japanese universities. this japanese language school added mathematics and english for entrance exams to its line-up about ten years ago. in china, university entrance exams come around just once a year, in june. nearly 10 million people take

them. if they fail to meet the scoring requirements, they must settle for second choice or take the test again. instead of waiting another year without any guarantee of success, more students are opting to take a plane to japan and try their luck there. chen yue left china after studying japanese for about one month. she wants to study medicine. >> translator: i considered going for my second choice in china but then i decided to go abroad so i can study what i'm really interested in. >> translator: if i secure a spot at a faculty of medicine i'm hoping to join doctors without borders and work in the areas of northeastern japan hit by the 2011 disaster.

>> reporter: about 20 graduates of the language school work there as part-time tutors. jin hui, an engineering student in her senior year at -- university is considered a role model. she already has a job set up at a top japanese internet company next year. >> translator: i'm a bit late getting a job compared with my friends in china. but it's worth it. i'm like the bullet train. a little slow when it starts running, but very fast afterwards. so i have no regrets. >> translator: i presume the number of people who want to come to japan will rise even if ties with china are complicated. students from china are often successful after graduating from japanese universities. they get jobs in big firms in japan, set up companies and so on. so other students follow them from china.

>> reporter: chinese students who miss the educational boat have another chance in japan. more students are opting to take that chance. from here on, they know it's up to them to make the most of it. hiroki yajima, nhk world, tokyo. here's a story underscoring the popularity of anime here in japan. police in tokyo have arrested a man in connection with the stealing of a toy robot that's a collectors item among anime fans. the incident sparked public debate. the owner of the store where the toy was stolen threatened to post a video of the thief on the internet. mess have arrested a 50-year-old man suspected of shoplifting the character iron man 28 from a secondhand store in tokyo. the item was priced at about $2,600. the owner posted a blurred image

of the intruder caught on a security camera. he threatened to post a clearer image unless the item was returned. the threat drew public report but others were critical citing privacy concerns. they said the owner was taking the law into his own hands. the store owner decided not to release the image after police asked him not to. police say the suspect then sold the toy to another shop. they say the seller presented his i.d. as required by law.pold the toy to another shop. they say the seller presented his i.d. as required by law. images of him caught on a security camera closely resembled those from the first store. heavy rainfall continues for southern china and it's causing serious problems for residents there. our meteorologist jonathan oh is here to explain the situation. jonathan, you mentioned monday that there was a tropical depression also in the area. how is that making the situation worse? >> hello, james. the tropical depression is enhancing the monsoonal front that is responsible for causing a lot of rainfall down toward

southern china. as that moisture pumps in, it causes a lot of rain to fall and eventually leading to landslides. in fact, we have some video to show you coming out of southern china. take a look at that, because of the heavy downpours in the area it caused this rock slide. a house was completely destroyed and sadly six people inside were killed. because large-scale machinery could not reach the disaster area due to the small roadways the rescuers had to remove rocks, mud and debris with primitive tools like spades. heavy rain also caused flooding in swollen rivers. you could see here people having to use different measures to get around. it looks like the rain may still be a part of the equation. let me tell you what's happening right now. so there's that tropical depression that's bringing all that moisture. you can see all the rain way back toward the west, that low pressure system, a pair of them in fact bringing that heavy rainfall. and that's going to still be the case going into wednesday and possibly into thursday. the rain has not let up in this

area for quite some time. meanwhile, more rainfall to talk about further up to the north areas, in south korea, also along this frontal boundary into western japan bringing rainfall. that low located in hokkaido bringing a lot of rainfall there as well. it looks like the rain is still going to be a part of the scenario for southern china. you can see the rain also tracking toward the north and east. it will track along that frontal boundary which means that maybe a little bit of a break for wednesday in the kraeian peninsula but then it will accent wait again by thursday. 27 comes up on wednesday. 31 taipei. in tokyo high pressure bringing all that warm air into the area. 34 degrees with a mix of sun and clouds coming up for wednesday. take a look at the forecast over in north america. we do have some clouds that moved through the central and southern plains associated with strong storms, producing a very

interesting cloud formation in oklahoma monday. quite interesting. we also had some wind and hail reports coming out of that area. because we had a cold front clashing with the warm air coming in from the south, because of that along this area we saw strong thunderstorms. we're also looking out for this low pressure system in the great lakes area. that may be bringing some strong weather into parts of michigan, also northern illinois, as we go throughout tuesday. again, scattered storms for the deep south as this area, very saturated in moisture and instability, scattered storms coming up. 29 degrees in d.c. 27 in chicago with thunderstorms and denver as well. oklahoma city, you may be seeing cloud cover. highs will be in the mid-30s. we wrap things up with a look at europe. we have this massive low pressure system over the scandinavian peninsula, a cold front associated with that. into austria, 2 centimeter sized hail was reported. a lot of cold air surging in from the north.

we're talking about highs for the teens for the british isles coming fountain for tuesday, also into portions of france. look at the forecast here. 17 is all we're going to see for london. 19 in paris. along that cold front we'll see a chance for rain into vienna and warsaw into tuesday. hope you have a good wherever you are. here's our extended outlook.

logon to our website for

more news and special reports. enjoy the rest of your day with us here on nhk world.

>> we will take you live. these are the headlines. police fired tear gas and stun grenades as protesters in ferguson, missouri in a new night of violence. 10 days since an unarmed black teenager was shot dead by a white police officer, sparking the unrest. cease-fire in gaza is extended for another 24 hours. negotiators agreed to continue talks in cairo, to try to steal -- to seal a long-term peace deal. a fifth day of protests in pakistan.