welcome to nhk world "newsline," i'm gene otani in tokyo. here's a look at some of the stories we're following this hour. japan's supreme court justices have ruled last year's upper house election was held in a state of unconstitutionality. but they didn't nullify the vote. protests spreading in the united states over a grand jury's decision to clear a white police officer who fatally shot a black teenager in ferguson, missouri. and overfishing is posing a

threat to young eels. cause for conservation measures are mounting before they disappear forever. japan's supreme court justices have been taking a closer look at last year's diet election. they ruled a disparity in the value of one vote was in a state of unconstitutionality. the upper house election was held in july 2013. tokyo had the highest number of eligible voters. more than 10.5 million. they were casting ballots for five diet seats. that's a little more than 2 million potential votes per lawmaker. totory prefecture had fewer than half a million voters. they were casting ballots for a single diet seat. that means an individual vote in tottori was worth 4.5 times a vote in tokyo. it was between tottori and northern prefecture hokkaido was 4.77 times. two groups of lawyers demanded

su filed suit demanding they throw out the election. it violates the principle of voter equality. the presiding judge said the disparity in the value of ballots was extremely unequal but stopped short of declaring the vote invalid. he called on diet members to make changes to the election system such as revising electoral districts. lawyers in tokyo say the problem of disparity will also occur in next month's lower house election, and they plan to file a similar lawsuit. last year the supreme court ruled the 2012 general election was held in a state of unconstitutionality. the largest disparity in that election was 2.43 times. the diet had decided before the ruling to reduce the number of single seat constituencies by five to correct the gap. but nhk has found based on calculations from resident registration that some votes are still worth more than double some of the others. votes will be cast on december

14th. without a fundamental reform to correct the disparity. authorities in the u.s. state of missouri are seeing a new wave of violence in the streets of ferguson. they've made more arrests following riots trig youred by a grand jury's decision to clear a white police officer who fatally shot a black teenager. now people are voicing their anger from coast to coast. more from nhk world's yuri ito. >> reporter: thousands of people took to the streets in new york. they marched to times square to protest the grand jury's decision to clear officer darren wilson. >> i feel like the cops are actually not doing their job. they're here to protect us, not hurt us. >> reporter: the grand jury on monday decided not to indict wilson over the killing of michael brown. the 18-year-old was shot to death in ferguson, missouri, in august. wilson appeared on abc news on

tuesday and said that during his confrontation with brown, he feared for his life. wilson said he had a clear conscience. >> the question i asked myself was, i have to. if i don't, he will kill me if he gets to me. i know i did my job right. >> you're absolutely convinced that if michael brown were white, this would have gone down in exactly the same way? >> yes. >> reporter: but many people in ferguson don't believe that. they call the verdict an act of racism. and they've taken to the streets since the decision was announced. shops were looted and set on fire. authorities used tear gas and have arrested more than 60 people. u.s. president barack obama has condemned the rioting. but he said he understands that many are upset by the grand jury decision. >> the frustrations that we've seen are not just about a particular incident. that deep roots in many

communities of color who have a sense that our laws are not always being enforced uniformly or fairly. >> reporter: protesters are marching in large numbers in at least 20 american cities. obama has pledged to redouble his efforts to find solutions to what's now seen as the growing distrust between the law enforcement and minority communities. yuri ito, nhk world. police in hong kong have arrested more than 100 protesters who scuffled with officers. they have been overseeing work to clear barricades from one of the main demonstration sites. but the protesters are refusing to leave. the barricades were set up in the mong kok district in september as part of demonstrations. the protesters are demanding open nominations in the city's 2017 election for chief executive. a court order allowed the clearing of the area, and on tuesday, many of the blockades were removed. on wednesday morning, authorities began clearing

another incampment. protesters resisted and clashed with officers. a total of 116 arrests have been made since tuesday. that includes a student leader and other key members of the groups. japan's central bank is buying up more debt. and ron madison is here with more on this story. ron? >> that's right, gene. japanese central bankers have further raised the bank of japan's total assets and their massive bond buying program. the amount for the april to september period has hit an all-time high. the central bank released its financial statements for the first half of this fiscal year. it says total assets in september stood at about 277 trillion yen. that's roughly 2.4 trillion u.s. dollars. now it's up about 33% from a year ago in yen terms. of the total the bank's japanese government bond holdings rose to nearly $2 trillion, up about 37% from a year earlier. the bank's assets are likely to expand further following additional monetary easing

measures, and an increase in lending. the bank's profit for the period rose to about $5 billion. that's partly because of higher interest payments from the unpurchased government bonds. well, a u.s. based bitcoin exchange is helping investigate the massive disappearance of digital currency held by the failed mount gox company here in tokyo. executives at the exchange say they will support efforts to examine why bitcoins went missing and try to locate them. the japanese court decided to start bankruptcy proceedings against mount gox in april. executives say the firm lost about 50,000 bitcoins that had a value at the time of more than $300 million. cracken's ceo says their engineers will share their skills and the cryptography that was used for bitcoin's transactions. >> we are encouraged by the trustees' efforts so far in

making this an expedient process and hope that our expertise will help further make this a quick process. >> he said his company has no intention of taking over mount gox's operations or assuming ownership of the remaining bitcoins. investors pretty positive abouts prospects of more stimulus measures from the european central bank. they're also responding pretty well to data on u.s. economic growth. that's been pushing up stocks in the european region right now. we're seeing gains for london, up about a quarter percent, frankfurt is gaining just over 0.6%. while paris' cac 40 is pretty much flat right now on the upside there. in the asia pacific region most markets ended higher. china's shanghai composite added nearly 1.5%. that made for a fifth straight day of gains. the hang seng index also rose following a rally in mainland markets. tokyo's nikkei closed lower due to some profit taking. meanwhile the yield on japan's 10-year government bond briefly dropped to its lowest level in a year and eight months.

analysts say some japanese financial institutions are buying more domestic bonds. they say that's due to the impact of additional monetary easing by the bank of japan. let's get a check of the currencies now. the dollar has been moving in a pretty narrow range against the yen. we're seeing it at roughly 117.81. analysts say traders are refraining from aggressive trading before thanksgiving in the u.s. now the aussie hit a four-year low against its u.s. counterpart. the pair is roughly at 0.8492. analysts say selling pressure against the euro will affect trading of the greenback. executives at toyota motors say they will upgrade safety features in almost all of their cars by the year 2017. improvements will cover braking technology, new automatic braking systems use a camera to avoid collisions by detecting the vehicle ahead. another feature, automatically adjusts the brightness of the head lights when it detects an oncoming vehicle. >> translator: assuring driver safety is the core principle of

our business. we'll continue to do our best to produce safe and eco-friendly cars. >> toyota's announcement comes as other japanese automakers fight to revive new car sales by offering such features as anti-collision systems. well, muslim tourists in japan may soon be able to enjoy a bigger range of food. an exhibition of ingredients and other products prepared according to muslim law is under way near tokyo. organizers of the two-day event hope to spread understanding about halal items. halal products are prepared in specific ways, and don't use ingredients like pork and alcohol. just about 60 japanese firms are showcasing such foods, cosmetics, and other items. a company from nagasaki city in western japan is displaying a sponge cake. unlike many confections that use a derivative of pork f t to give moisture, it contains no such ingredients. officials of a meat processing company in tokyo stress that the chicken and beef they sell is processed correctly under muslim

law. >> translator: i hope this event will help japanese people know more about halal food. >> and the operator of a guest house in central japan says he wants to welcome more travelers from muslim countries. >> translator: i saw many food products that are suitable for muslims. i want to be aware of what's available when i welcome my guests. >> okay. that is going to wrap it up for biz tonight. let's get a recap of the markets.

nuclear regulators in japan have put to rest concerns about a cleanup job that the fukushima daiichi plant. they say workers who removed radioactive debris did not cause the contamination of rice fields 20 kilometers away. officials detected radioactive cesium in last year's rice harvest from minami soma city. they said in some cases it exceeded the level allowed by the government. experts suggested race paddies may have been tainted by radioactive material that traveled through the air. they said the material could have been particles of debris removed from the plant's number three reactor in august. members of the nuclear regulation authority investigated the matter. they simulated how particles may have spread from the plant, and they found the amount of cesium that would have fallen on two sites was a fraction of the level needed to cause the

contamination. the regulators say it's almost clear the cleanup was not responsible for the tainted harvest. they say radioactive material that leaked at the time of the nuclear accident in 2011 may be to blame with problems with the crops. officials at the agriculture ministry say they'll continue testing samples of soil and water in the area. one of japan's most high profile female politicians is in more hot water. former economy minister yuko obuchi quit her post over claims her support groups misused political funds. officials have released a new report showing the scale of the scandal could be greater than thought. obuchi is already under investigation over claims the group failed to report about $360,000 in spending between 2009 and 2011. now, officials have released a funding report for 2013. that report shows obuchi's support groups put on a theater

event costing considerably more than the revenue collected. opposition lawmakers had previously questioned the spending they say could be considered illegal payoffs to supporters. tokyo prosecutors are investigating whether there have been any violations of the political fund control law. people from obuchi's office said they can't comment while the investigation is ongoing. obuchi has said she'll contest the general election next month. japan's leaders are in a race against time. the proportion of elderly is increasing faster than any other country and the birth rate remains low. since 2007 the number of deaths each year has outpaced the number of births. the crisis is hitting home, and not just in small towns with declining industries, but in the heart of the capital.

nhk world's june matsumoto reports. >> reporter: tokyo is bustling. more than 2 million people come and go at this train station, one of the world's busiest. the area is known as japan's subculture center, attracting many visitors, even from abroad. many young singles move in from across the country. unlike many other regions, the population here is still on the rise. but a nationwide study indicates that won't be the case for long. it suggests attorney imma's population of women of child-bearing age will decline to almost half by 2040. that means less and less children will be born here. the mayor was taken aback by the results. >> translator: it was a big

shock. i jumped out of my seat. why toshima city? >> reporter: the problem is that the area is simply not suited for young families. michiko moved to toshima a year 1/2 ago with her daughter and husband. she chose the area for the urban convenience. but finding a place to live was difficult. >> translator: i felt there were so few properties for families. >> reporter: most available apartments were studios or singles. she was surprised to learn 60% of toshima's households have just one member. the neighborhood has few parks. she takes her daughter to play on a patch of ground with little greenery. she is a schoolteacher and wants to go back to work as soon as she can. but she can't find a day-care

center for kyoko. hundreds of children are already on the wait list. >> translator: the day care i was counting on has just one opening. i'm quite worried. i'm afraid i won't find a place for her. >> reporter: she meets once a month with a committee that gathers ideas from residents. they discuss how best to improve the city's services, so people will stay even after they have families. >> translator: i think we need something that's easy to understand, like no child has to wait for day care. >> translator: i'd like a one-stop place where you can get advice about health and raising children. >> reporter: members are preparing a report of recommendations to present to the mayor next month. >> translator: i hope to contribute to making toshima a

better city for children where they will have their own place. >> reporter: the mayor says the voices of people are important. >> translator: i will take into consideration recommendations from those young women about what kind of community they want to live in. it will be a big challenge for me to reflect them in my policy. >> reporter: professor ikato says the challenge could become even bigger. he's one of the population researchers involved in the study. >> translator: people are moving from rural areas to the tokyo metropolitan area. but even so, if they can't bear and raise children here, the population will rapidly decline all across japan. >> reporter: leaders with all levels of government are placing growing pressure to act before it's too late. jun yotsumoto, nhk world, tokyo.

cooked eel is popular in japan. but, four of the world's 19 species and subspecies of eel have been declared endangered. calls are mounting for the fish to be protected. nhk world's keiko yamamoto reports. >> reporter: more than 100 fisheries experts and business owners took part in a symposium in the indonesian capital of jakarta on tuesday. it was hosted by the indonesian government, and the japan international cull operation agency. discussion entered on how to conserve the bicolor or indonesian eel. from indonesia and other parts

of southeast asia. the farming and processing of the bicolor eel is a booming business in indonesia. it's mainly exported to japan as it is affordable and tastes like japanese eel. so far this year, indonesia has shipped to japan nearly 15 times the amount of grilled bicolor eel it did in the entire of 2012. sales of eel can be very profitable. many indonesians with no experience in fisheries are seeing a business chance. but they are catching too many young eels. local researchers reported to the symposium on the wide split over fishing and smuggling of young eels. participants called for prompt action to regulate fishing and strengthen the monitoring of illegal trading. >> translator: indonesia lags behind in the resource management of eels.

the key is working out how we should manage the resource in the future. >> reporter: a japanese expert on the ecology of the eel wrns the whole species is in danger of extinction. >> translator: now we have to work pro-actively to protect japanese and european eel stocks. stocks of indonesian eel are also declining. if we then, for example, start conseouling african eel, instead, it will go up. there will be no more eels left. we have the actual results of ecological studies here in japan. we have to grasp the situation and think about how to improve it to prevent eels becoming extinct. >> reporter: he points out that japan is the world's largest consumer of eel, and should lead international efforts to conserve the vulnerable species.

researchers, and other experts are calling for the introduction of an international framework to safeguard the species as a whole. keiko yamamoto, nhk world. cold weather tightens its grip in northern japan, and our meteorologist jonathan oh is here with the latest. jonathan? >> hello, gene. yes, we are monitoring these falling temperatures, as we progress closer and closer to the winter season. we have a low pressure system that is skirting south of japan. but because of that it's wrapping itself with the northerly flow, and that's dropping temperatures in hokkaido. let me show you some video coming out of the northern portion of japan, where people, and you can see also animals in northern japan, are having to bundle up in heavy coats as frigid air is blanketing the region. now, wednesday was the chilliest day of the season so far. morning lows dipped to 14 degrees below freezing in some areas. and you can see here some of the ducks are trying to walk through the ice because of the freezing

taking place. i do believe, though, by thursday we should see an improvement when it comes to the temperatures. a little bit warmer as we go through the week. once the low starts to pass off toward the east, we will have high pressure trying to build in from the west. and that will help to raise temperatures as we go in to the weekend. because we'll see a shift and see winds coming in from the south. meanwhile, as long as the high stays over to the west over china, we will see some poor air quality. beijing is reporting hazardous quality situations right now. once the high departs, the air should start to pick up and move some of that matter around the area. now down toward the south, we do have a tropical depression in the southern portions of the philippines, and that's drenching the country with lots of rain. that's something that you'll need to monitor as flooding could be a problem as we continue through the next couple of days. manila, high of 32 on thursday. on 26 in taipei. 17 in tokyo. dry in to seoul.

a little bit cloudy in beijing with a high of 6 degrees. now, we are seeing some very wet weather in europe, as we have a cluster of low pressure systems. one off the coast of spain. one located north of france. and one located in the mediterranean sea. this particular low i think is going to pick up some of the energy and may cause some storms to pop up for the coastal regions of france and spain so look out for that possibility. meanwhile, drier conditions back toward the east. we may squeeze out a few showers in to warsaw, and maybe even a few flurries in kiev. the temperatures around freezing or so. the dry conditions in to berlin and vienna for wednesday will eventually turn into rain as we head into thursday. now we are looking at a very different weather scenario for north america, specifically for the united states, as wednesday will be the busiest travel day of the entire year. because of the thanksgiving holiday. we have two weather systems that's going to really cause some problems when it comes to the travel. we have one low low indicated in the northern portion of the rockies bringing in the cold

air. and producing some snow and some heavy snow into the pacific northwest. we have another low moving along the eastern side of the united states. but it will interact with some cold air coming into the north due to the high over the great lakes. and that's going to lead to some neyo.l problems into places like we'll be dealing with some heavy snow and so air travelers will have some problems. already airlines are trying to make the shift in the schedule because of that. and if you're driving along i-95 it's going to be a problem. chicago o'hare is also going to be in the thick of some snow and also some heavy snow possible in to areas near seattle. so, definitely please be safe on the roadways. d.c. and new york looking at some snow with a high of around 4 degrees. i know people want to get to their destinations to enjoy turkey and cranberry. but notice this, north carolina, west virginia, maryland, you'll all be dealing with some problems on the roadways. as snow will be falling on thanksgiving eve and thanksgiving day. hope you have a good day wherever you are. here's your extended outlook.

once again, japan's supreme court justices have been taking a closer look at last year's diet election. they've ruled a disparity in the value of one vote was in a state of unconstitutionality. the upper house election was held in july 2013. tokyo had the highest number of

eligible voters. more than 10.5 million. they were casting ballots for five diet seats. that's a little more than 2 million potential votes per lawmaker. totory prefecture had fewer than half a million voters. they were casting ballots for a single diet seat. that means an individual vote in tottori was worth nearly 4.5 times a ballot in tokyo. the largest disparity was between tottori and hokkaido. it was 4.77 times. two groups' lawyers filed a suit demanding the courts throw out the results of the election. they say it was unconstitutional because it violates the principle of voter equality. the presiding judge said the disparity in the value of bal t ballots was extremely unequal but he stopped short of declaring the vote invalid. he called on diet members to make changes to the election system which is revising elector cal districts. and that's "newsline" for this hour. i'm gene otani in tokyo.

>> first, the education president has just kicked off his first official visit to france. abdel fattah al-sisi is meeting with before and and defense ministers here as well as the friends president -- french president france while on. >> networking on the international scene -- abdel fattah al-sisi