here are some of the stories we're following this hour. police and firefighters are still searching for missing people three and a half years after the earthquake and stsuna struck japan. live saving lessons for

mothers with small children and other vulnerable people. tonight i want you to know the united states is meeting them with strength and resolve. >> the u.s. president barack obama has vowed to destroy islamic state. three and a half years after the 2011 disaster, the residents of the fukushima prefecture have gathered to pray for the victims. they attended the memorial ceremony at the temple. more than 300 residents died when the tsunami came a shore following the massive earthquake. 110 died in the temple district. the death toll was the highest in the city. the tsunami swept away most of the buildings. the temple's main hull survived. >> translator: it feels like the people that decide in the disaster have returned for the

memorial service. >> in the town, 170 policemen and firefighters carried out a search. 33 people from the town are still listed as missing. one group searched underwater using divers and robots. another group looked for pieces of clothing and other items in a schoolyard used to store debris from the disaster. >> translator: it's heartbreaking to see such great changes in the place where i grew up. the people who used to to live here are also sad about it. i want to do all i can for the people of fukushima. >> the district lies some six kilometers north of the crippled fukushima daiichi plant. they're allowed to take trips to the area but not allowed to live there. women in japan teaching valuable lessons. they survived the tsunami that

killed thousands three and a half years ago. they're sharing experiences in the hopes they can save more lives in another disaster. nhk reports. >> reporter: more than 10 families with children showed up at a community center in tokyo. their backpacks were full of emergency provisions. for many, it was the first time they had tested their supplies. they found out that dried bread in their emergency kit was hard to swallow especially for small children. the mpo group momma plug passes lessons from hundreds of female survivors of the earthquake. some messages are conveyed in emergency training classes designed for women, children, elderly. the biggest priority in emergency is protecting oneself.

many survivors point out during the quake they couldn't protect the children even though they were just a few meters away. it is important for parents to to know what their children can and cannot do on their own to keep safe in the dangerous situation. >> translator: i didn't think my child could do so much to protect herself. >> momma plug was formed next to tokyo. soon after the march 11 earthquake, members set up craft workshops to held troubled survivors. during the sessions, women began sharing their experiences and what they had learned from the ordeal. now she is among those that pass on her story to momma plug. when the disaster struck, she was in the prefecture with her

family. as the entire emergency lifeline was stalled for a month, she and her family faced a real test of survival. >> when the lifeline stopped, we collected water from the river and made fire to cook food. i realized how much i depend on modern technology. >> members have published descriptions of survivors accounts in the book. it has advice from more than 800 mothers in the area. the writers shared tips about survival techniques. for example, during cold nights, they use curtains to keep warm. they use plastic wraps to cut down on water use. people in the ward in tokyo are among those that learned from experiences of other women. survivors recall families with

youngsters left shelters because children were creating disturbances. other reports said in the shelters, some old people had lost their will to live. they took the messages to heart, especially the importance of connecting groups of people most vulnerable in an emergency, like the elderly and mothers with children. >> translator: i sense that we finally begin connecting with each other as one whole community through disaster prevention efforts. >> more local authorities are now keen on learning these measures from momma plug. the prefecture supports the mpo program in the region. >> translator: the ability to work closely as a group makes a difference during an emergency. momma plug is a catalyst that brings people together to

survive. >> translator: we can minimize our weak points and raise our mobility by supporting each other in the community. that would raised the group's resilience against disaster. >> reporter: the lessons from survivors of the march 11 earthquake has spread from one community to another. first hand experiences that could save lives in future disasters. nhk world. u.s. president barack obama says he's taking on the threat far away. he has revealed his strategy to defeat militants with the group islamic state. he went on national television to lay out his plan. >> i can announce that america will lead a broad coalition to roll back this terrorist threat.

our objective is clear. we will degrade and ultimately destroy isil through a comprehensive and sustained counter terrorism strategy. >> obama also said the offensive will not involve u.s. combat troops. instead personnel will support military partners on the ground. he said he will deploy additional 475 service members to iraq security forces. he's ramping up the mission for the opposition. he's prepared to take action against militants in that country. >> i've made it clear we'll hunt down terrorists who threaten our country wherever they will. i will not hesitate against isil in syria and iraq. if you threaten america, you'll find no safe haven.

>> the behead he -- beheadings of two u.s. journalists. u.s. military personnel carried out 150 air strikes last month in iraq. in syria, they're using unmanned drones for intelligence gathering. japan's chief cabinet secretary has expressed support for obama's strategy. >> translator: the japanese government has always supported the u.s. fight against terrorism. >> he said a japanese leaders will work with their counter parts in other countries. we asked an expert on middle east politics what he thinks of obama's plan. he is with the institute of

energy economics japan. he says bombing syria could create new problems. >> although the united states and coalition forces of bombardment would add pressure to islamic militants in syria and also in iraq, without a workable and also coordinated operation with syria's bashar al a shad forces on the ground as well as the iraqi government forces, these kinds of bombardments alone would never be sufficient to destroy the militants. that's quite sure. president obama drew sort of a comparison in yemen and somalia. one thing is clear, in 2011 during the civil war in libya, the united states adopted a position to lead from behind. this was president obama's words itself. this time departing from this

previous position, they are now going to lead the broad coalition that they're going to forge. staging military operations inside syria will possibly create further tension in the region. unspecified arab partners that president obama referred to are likely to target assad forces on the ground instead of going after the militants. we've seen a similar situation in libya last month when apparently the united arab immigrants and egypt also sort of coordination with saudi arabia bombarded islamic positions inside libya without actually getting any sort of approval from united nations security council or without any legal basis. by this time, obama administration had to do something. but even if they act now, there's no guarantee that it would bring a tangible result or

desirable outcome. japan and russia are trying to mend fences. former japanese prime minister has met russian president vladimir putin. the two will keep talking despite strained ties over the war in ukraine. modi is the first japanese politician to meet putin since russia began the global criticism of handling of ukraine. after the meeting in moscow on wednesday, he said he gave putin a letter from prime minister abe. >> they had a good relationship until the olympics. it's regrettable the two now disagree over ukraine. i asked him to continue dialogue

without interpretation and to keep promoting meetings with japanese leaders. >> mori said putin agreed to keep working toward a visit to japan. japanese police have arrested the boss of a financial crime segment. they've been keeping an eye on him for years. they took the leader of the group into custody for alleged involvement in a murder 16 years ago. the 67-year-old president based in the western city. he is suspected of playing a central role in the killing of former fisheries cooperative chief in 1998. two members of an affiliated gang have been convicted in the case. investigators are now convinced that he was also involved in the

fatal shooting. they believe the victim was killed after he refused the request to do a favor if a public favor. police believe the group is behind a brutal attack on civilians. u.s. treasury department in july imposed financial sanction as on the group and two leaders. it sited involvement in drug trafficking, money laundering and other criminal activities. investors are curious about what japan's prime minister abe talked about with the chief. they met monday. we are join ed from the business desk with the details. >> that's right. after that meeting, he said the boj is willing to take additional measures to meet the 2% inflation target.

kuroda and abe discussed economic measures overseas and trends in the markets. he told abe about the state of the japanese economy in light of the continuing recovery around the world. he says he called this a virtuous cycle. >> translator: the bank of japan is ready to make policy adjustments. we won't hesitate to take further monetary easing or other steps if we face conditions that make it contain the target. >> he said abe gave him no specific instructions about monetary policies. managers of companies have felt disheartened about the increase in april and consumption tax.

now they're feeling a bit better. they announced the results of the latest quarterly survey on business sentiment and asked managers at 16,000 companies for views on the economy. they took the percentage of respondents who expect business to improve and substracted those that expect things to get worse. the index ended up 11.1. many managers say the effects of a tax hike have eased. some see positives in the increase in demand for construction machinery. others were encouraged japanese auto makers auto parts makers are exporting to north america. small and need yum size businesses remain gloomy. their index stood minus 10 up from minus 21.5. respondents gave views on what's ahead the next quarter. the index at big companies came out 9.9. the number for smaller firms came out minus 0.6. to china now where inflation slowed last month.

the latest data underscores, a growing view that demand inside the country is weakening. officials at the national bureau of statistics showed a rise 2% from august. this follows a state campaign to stop extravagant spending by government workers. prices of mobile phones were down amidst competition. the consumer price index fell 1.2% compared to a year ago. the figure in july was down 0.9%. a fallen steel material price dragged down the index as heavy industry continues to show excessive production capacity. market. analysts say figures support the view that china's domestic demand is becoming weak due to a sluggish growth in real estate investments and pause in government stimulus measures

since early this year. all right. to the markets now. investor sentiment in most asia markets dampened by the chinese data. many finished lower. investors are jittery about the slow down in china's domestic demand. shanghai come positive it finished at 2311. that makes for a second straight day of declines. index had gained as much as 1%. some hope for further monetary easing measures. in australia, the index lost more than half a percent at 5446. tokyo nikkei average did see gains up three quarters of a percent % to close 15900 level for first time in eight months. the shares boosted companies especially export linked issues. japanese leaders are getting rod to host an international

forum this weekend on women's empowerment. prime minister abe will be the first to speak at the conference. he unveiled the policy strategy in june to employee more women in positions of power to encourage economic growth. it's an idea that's known as womenomics. the term was coined 15 years ago by goldman sachs. closing the gender employment gap could counter the shrinking work force. she published the report in 1999. since then she's published three more. in the latest rorkts she says fully utilizing women in the work force could goost gdp by nearly 13%. that's a figure leaders can't ig noempt she was sat down to ask what changes she's seen since abe is endorsing womenomics.

>> for the first time i can recall he is talked about or discussed half the population in such a spotlight or highlighted fashion is a very big step forward. it's coming up in conversations in board rooms within company factory floors. it's also reality because the labor shortages are very real across many industries in japan. >> abe promoted five women last week top his 18 member cabinet. that matches the highest number of female ministers in a japanese administration. >> of course it's not just a matter of numbers, of how much in the cabinet, but symbolically it's obviously very important. had he not appointed women, people would have questioned him. how sincere are you about your goal? at least he's increased the numbers. the reality in the lower house, i believe the the female representation is 8%, lower than

saudi arabia, libya and iraq. that should not happen for the third largest economy in the world. voters are half the population. if you really want to make politics represent society, we have a long, long way to go. >> what does abe have to do now to convince you he is walking the talk? >> so i think the whole broad area of -- talking about social infrastructure to help enable more women to participate in the work place would include things like deregulating daycare, nursing care. unfortunately in this country, a lot of those burdens fall on the women in society. the tax code i think ie incentives, economic incentives to change behavior are also important. it's very crucial that the government continues to move forward on this debate and topic of neutralizing the tax code to encourage more women to work full time jobs not just part time jobs. >> now the private sectors are

going abe's calls for womenomics and promoting women to management positions 30% by 2020. how are track are we to this goal? >> still far away to be honest. many women entered the work place, but after five to seven years when that life cycle kicks in and they start a family, they tend to drop out and come back on part time basis. corporates also need to perhaps think about how do you retain your female staff? are you evaluating them, promoting them on a fair basis or is it based on time spent in the office? >> she says womenomics should not be a blame game. she says it could be a big piece of solution to japan's demographic challenges. there's one way to find zblouchlt everyone has to stop using excuses.

time is ticking. demographic crisis is for real. stop pointing fingers and just get on with it. there are many practices around the world of societies and countries that have promoted diversity in a positive way. not all fit japan. japan should think about some of the best practices that would fit japan and experiment. you don't know if you don't try. >> okay. that is going to do it for this hour. people are dealing with severe floods and landslides after receiving unprecedented heavy rainfall. our meteorologist joins us for more on that. >> yes. typically they have calmer conditions compared to rest of japan however unusually heavy rain has been hitting the the southsd western portions of the

island since early this morning. this is the radar from 3:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. the red and purple indicates extremely heavy rain causing severe flooding. this was the scene when an emergency warning for heavy rain was in effect. the city saw 100 millimeters of rainfall in an hour. that's the record hourly rainfall for the area. now the warning is lifted. the risks of landslides and flooding remain extremely high. unfortunately more heavy rain to come and warnings for heavy rain is still posted. this is the rainfall that while we saw the past 24 hours, nearly 322 millimeters of rain. yet you saw nearly 300 millimeters. that's the record also. extremely heavy rain is battering other place as well. 158 millimeters, most fell in

just three hours. tokyo nearly 90 millimeters of rain in a day. heavy rain is causing flooding and landslides in many places. the reason is that we have a low pressure system west that is packing cold air in the upper atmosphere. that's sending warm and moist air from the pacific. because of difference in temperature and humidity, very, very unstable weather is happening over most of the country. this system will continue to sit in the similar locations though. we're seeing more heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, gusty winds in similar locations into your friday. now, across the southern areas of asia, we're looking at torrential rainfall for the rest of the philippines. nearly 100 millimeters has fallen and more to come because a low pressure system further east of the country is enhancing the southwest monsoon. it could intensify a tropical depression by tomorrow night and approach northern parts of the country. lots of heavy rain is on the

menu for the western areas of philippines as well as eastern areas of the country in the next several days. precipitation is falling in the form of snow. we have pictures coming out of the city. take a look. it's is still technically summer, but snowflakes are already falling in calgary. heavy snow snapped tree limbs knocking out powers. commuters are slowing down on highways. slow is finally letting up, how far, temperatures will remain quite low in calgary. take a look at this temperature forecast for the next three days. your low is going to be only 4 degrees on thursday in the city, even 0 degrees on your friday. the rest of canada and also the northern areas of the u.s. will see freezing temperatures as we go to the next couple of days. do bundle up. with strong wind, you could feel much colder than these actual numbers. with cold air and low pressure system, significant snow is

falling over the northern rockies. severe weather is in the forecast for the midwest, atlantic coast as well as the north eastern u.s. on your thursday. a tropical storm system just to the south of mexico could intensify to hurricane and then pascal kal pe necalifornika -- california peninsula next several days. here's your forecast.

and that's it for this hour on "newsline." on behalf of our

>> 1:00 p.m. and harris. get you are watching "france 24." we have all the international news for you. headlines today -- not guilty of murder. oscar pistorius has been cleared of deliberately killing his girlfriend reeva steenkamp by a court in south africa. he is still facing culpable homicide charges though. that judgment continues. we will degrade and ultimately destroy them -- barack obama outlined his strategy for taking on the islamic state. but it could take time to eradicate them. two major banks threatened