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. hong kong government officials kept their headquarters closed as sporadic clashes between pro-democracy protesters and police continue. and artisans are trying to broaden the field of traditional washi paper now that unesco has given its seal of approval. hong kong government officials closed their headquarters monday morning.

pro-democracy protesters have been clashing with police nearby. nhk world's takanori tamei has more. >> reporter: demonstrators are once again stepping up their movements. police tried to disperse crowds on roads leading to government offices. the scuffle started on sunday night when thousands of protesters tried to surround the government's headquarters. they said the chief executive and other government officials from getting to work monday. >> if we have to force the government to respond to us in a positive way, then we have to generate more pressure. and by surrounding the government building would be one to propel the government to face the public.

>> reporter: but police blocked the way. they used batons and pepper spray on the crowds which results in many injuries. police officials said they arrested more than 40 demonstrators. >> i think what happened last night fully demonstrates that it has far, far away gone beyond what they have declared. the police after repeated warnings have to take resolute actions. they have no choice. because it is their duty to restore law and order. >> reporter: demonstrators and police have faced off again tod today. protesters ee rented these barricades to carry out efforts. sporadic clashes continue and

the hong kong government decided to keep its headquarters closed monday morning. student leaders say they will continue to occupy and urge the hong kong government to assess their demands. following a court order last week authorities cleared the district of kowloon. some analysts say citizen support is beginning to wane as the protest enters the third month. nhk world, hong kong. japan's prime minister has expressed his commitment to resolving a long-standing territorial dispute with russia. japan claims the four islands that make up the northern territories, russia controls them. shinzo abe met the mayors of five of hokkaido's municipalities to discuss the issue.

mayor shinsuke hasegawa said abe has met with russian president vladimir putin seven times. he says relations between japan and russia are at their best since the end of world war ii. hasegawa said he hopes the japanese government will resolve the issue within the next few years. abe said he and putin agreed last year to speed up negotiations in order to sign a bilateral peace treaty. >> translator: it is my mission, as a politician, and japanese prime minister, to find a solution. i will tackle this issue with firm dedication. >> abe said talks have been proceeding in various levels. in addition to discussions with putin, the country's foreign ministers have met and so have bureau chiefs from their foreign ministries. pope francis has called for greater international effort to eliminate nuclear weapons. he also spoke out against discrimination based on a poor understanding of the world's faith.

italy's ansa news agency said the pope made the comments sunday on a flight from turkey to rome. the pontiff visited the middle eastern country to advocate dialogue across religious divides. referring to the threat posed by nuclear weapons since world war ii, the pope said that humankind has learned nothing from the atomic bombing of the japese cities of hiroshima and nagasaki. the pope also suggested that prejudice against muslims is on the rise, as a result of terrorist acts carried out by radical islamist groups. he said many muslims have been hurt by these acts. he said that the teachings of islam's holy koran emphasize peace. he went on to say that discrimination would be lessened if people had a better understanding of the world's various faiths. doctors and other medical workers marched in russia's capital to protest against health care reforms. the demonstrators say the government's overhaul will put thousands of people out of work.

public rallies are unusual in russia. but organizers say more than 3,000 people took part in sunday's demonstration. russian leaders are overhauling health care, as they rein in fiscal spending. they're responding to western sanctions, and falling oil prices. the reforms are expected to lead to job losses for more than 7,000 doctors and in moscow alone more than 20 hospitals and clinics are likely to close. >> translator: health care is falling apart. social care is falling apart. education is falling apart. as a doctor, i want to say that in the medical profession, salaries are being slashed. the authorities take away all the bonuses, and increase the amount of work. >> protesters said the government should cut down on bureaucrats first, not doctors. japanese debt is worth less, according to a ratings agency. ron madison is here to explain. ron? >> yep, we're talking about a

downgrade here. this is really casting, as you can imagine, some doubt on the future of the world's third biggest economy. u.s. credit ratings agency moody's has downgraded japan's sovereign debt rating for the first time in more than three years. the move is due to uncertainty over the country's ability to achieve its debt reduction goals. moody's lowered its rating by one notch from aa-3 down to a-1. a-1 is the fifth highest investment grade. the agency also cited heightened uncertainty over the effectiveness of japan's economic growth measures. moody's says the postponement of the planned consumption tax hike for a year and a half would cause a delay in its budget planning for the next fiscal year. the agency says japan's debt reduction plan will likely be announced in the latter half of next year. now moody's does say that the ratings outlook is stable. it says domestic investors' appetite for government bonds is strong and that private stor profit is sufficient to cover the fiscal debt. the agency says the risk is low of a surge in yields on japanese government bonds.

well, people who track the markets are seeing volatile movements in dollar/yen trading on news of that downgrade. the greenback popped up to the 119.1 yen level. its highest in seven years and four months. profit taking, though, quickly kicked in. the dollar retreated to the lower 118 yen level. but the yen does remain under pressure, as some traders are speculating about the prospects of further monetary easing by the boj. now the weaker yen prompted investors to buy up japanese shares. the nikkei average added three quarters of a percent, 17,590. another seven-year four-month high. also in asia, mining markets ended lower. investors took in data from china showing factory activity there slowed to an eight-month low. hong kong tumbled more than 2.5%, its worst single-day loss since february. and weak chinese data is putting some pressure on major benchmarks in europe as you can see there, all of them are in negative territory. london is leading the pack lower

down by three quarters of a percent. oil related shares are being sold on falling crude oil prices. well a government survey suggests japan's economy is recovering at a moderate pace. it shows japanese companies have increased their capital investment over the past six quarters. finance ministry officials surveyed more than 31,000 businesses. they say the company's end of july to september period invested about $80 billion in plants and equipment. that's up 5.5% from the same period last year. producers of smartphone components ramped up output capacity while real estate developers invested in commercial and office buildings. the survey also shows that sales rose nearly 3% year-on-year. that's the fifth straight quarterly rise. pretax profits were up 7.6%. and that marks the 11th consecutive increase. however, some of japan's industries have continued to struggle since the consumption tax was put up back in april. new car sales in november fell for the fifth straight month. officials at auto industry

organizations say more than 416,000 vehicles were sold in japan last month. that's down 9% from the same month last year. the decline was relatively slight for many vehicles. which are generally less expensive to buy and maintain than other categories of vehicles. their sales were down 2.2%. now sales of other types of vehicles dropped 13.5%. this was the largest decline since the higher sales tax came into effect. the officials say auto sales have continued to suffer since april. they say a surge in demand in the lead-up to the tax hike boosted new car sales. they add that monthly sales are likely to remain weak until next march. japanese exporters see turkey as a promising market, as well as a gateway to the middle east, and europe. government officials are now working on a deal that will remove trade barriers between the two countries to craft an economic partnership agreement. the officials have started their first round of negotiations in tokyo. japanese officials plan to ask

turkey to scrap tariffs on autos and other industrial goods. they also want investment rules relaxed, and more japanese firms to be allowed to bid for public works projects. for their part turkish officials will likely ask japan to eliminate tariffs on marine products and textiles. those talks are set to continue until tuesday. meanwhile financial officials in south korea and china have joined hands. they have launched direct foreign exchange trading. the officials called the ceremony at a bank trading room in seoul. until now banks had to exchange the south korean won into u.s. dollars before converting them into chinese yuan. the south korean government hopes lower trading costs will lead to more financial transactions and trade with china. the country's leaders agreed at a meeting in july to start direct trading. south korean deputy prime minister said at the ceremony his country hopes to grow its economy by gaining a foothold in chinese markets through this new

arrangement. okay. that is going to wrap it up for biz tonight. let's get a recap of the markets.

japanese paper making artisans are looking towards the future. their traditional skills were recently recognized by unesco committee. now they're putting a contemporary twist on washi products to try to secure successors of the craft. >> reporter: crafts people have been handing down the techniques used in making washi for centuries. creating deep bonds in local communities. that led unesco to choose the handmade paper as an intangible cultural heritage asset. the city of mino is 300 kilometers west of tokyo. people have been making washi here for 1,300 years. unesco has named mino as one of three communities that make the paper in the traditional way. local people celebrated by making an ornamental washi ball.

the area is well known for producing the handmade paper. washi is made from the bark of paper mulberry trees. it's a time consuming process. the paper has to meet strict requirements about the type of materials, tools and techniques used. only eight artisans in mino are certified to make washi in the traditional way. their top priority is to find and train successors. there are several washi workshops in the area. all of them are trying to find ways to boost demand for the handmade paper. one idea is to make products that reflect a contemporary lifestyle. this tokyo cafe has added a seasonal touch by putting snowflake decorations in its windows. they are made of washi. the unique qualities of the

paper make its fibers visible. the snowflakes have fuzzy edges. >> translator: i find them calming to look at. they're soft and they make me feel relaxed. >> i could fly some back to hong kong to decorate my windows. >> reporter: it only takes a bit of water to put a snowflake on the window. that makes it easy to remove and use again. >> translator: i think it's great that washi can be used like this. >> reporter: artisans from a washi workshop in mino and the president of a local company that makes paper products, created the snowflake design. satomi matsuura is one of the artisans. she used to work as a graphic designer in tokyo. she quit her job ten years ago and moved to mino. >> translator: i think the transparency of washi when light shines through it is absolutely beautiful.

>> reporter: the tiny fibers are distributed evenly and finely through the paper. the washi diffuses light beautifully. outlining the delicate contours of a snowflake wasn't easy. it took six years to create a product that brought out the unique quality of the paper. >> translator: the product we have now is based on the hard work of earlier generations who created the legacy of mino washi. i want to continue passing on that tradition. >> reporter: the paper making company operates this store in mino. snowflakes and other locally made products are on sale here. crafts people use the traditional watermarking method to create a lampshade with a contemporary feel. the shop also sells accessories made from washi.

people from all over the world have been logging on to the washi makers social media website since unesco made its announcement. >> translator: we have to develop products for everyday use. i think it's important to continue creating such products. >> reporter: the crafts people of mino are trying to combine tradition and innovation. they hope the legacy of washi will continue for at least another millennium. growing numbers of migrants from the middle east and africa are taking risks to escape poverty in their homelands. they're putting their lives in the hands of traffickers who promise them a better future. nhk world has the story.

>> reporter: in early september, a vessel carrying migrants sank off the coast of malta. up to 500 people died or remain missing. 12 young people from this village in northern egypt were on board. this man's 16-year-old son was among them. he wanted to find a job in europe. to send money to his family. >> translator: i deeply regret letting my son go away. my heart hurts whenever i think about him. >> reporter: this woman's only son was also on board. he was 17. >> translator: my head hurts from constantly worrying about whether he's dead or alive.

>> reporter: over 3,000 people are believed to have died trying to cross the mediterranean this year. that's four times as many as last year. what's driving these people is not just poverty. it's violence. many come from war-torn countries, including syria, afghanistan. this man made it to italy. he said the traffickers will go to vicious lengths to avoid being elected. >> translator: if the people smugglers thought a police helicopter had spotted our boat, they would have thrown all of us into the ocean. >> reporter: the traffickers have committed atrocities. they have intentionally sank boats full of people or left them at sea.

this village in northern egypt is a trafficking base. this man works for a trafficker's agent. he said the gang uses many networks to avoid being caught. >> translator: the boat owns are at the bottom of the chain of command and the agents are above them. >> reporter: the migrant first pass through two different agents, they are kept in a hiding place until conditions are right. at the port a third agent takes over. his job is to get them to europe. the migrants pay about $4,000 which is divided among the agents. about 300 people are squeezed into a boat.

that means each week can net the traffickers over $1 million. >> translator: my part of the job is over in an instant. all i need is the money, and that's it. i don't see them as people. just as money. >> reporter: the agents have contacts among the local fishermen, who are paid to carry the migrants to boats waiting offshore. >> translator: the owners of the boats don't maintain them well. sometimes they sink. it's often a matter of luck whether these people survive. >> reporter: the traffickers make a profit from large cargos of people who are desperate to escape their difficulties. nhk world, cairo.

a late-season tropical storm has formed over the western pacific. our meteorologist sayaka mori joins us for the details. sayaka? >> yes, gene, definitely a late season tropical storm. we have number 22 tropical storm just formed over the western pacific. it's the first day of december, so the waters are not so warm, and after intensifying the system so it is expected to maintain as a tropical storm for the next several days. but it is expected to move towards the west, aiming for the philippines. probably as we go into the next week, the eastern coast of the philippines will be battered by stormy conditions. we'll keep you posted on the progress. now, across the americas, we have two systems to talk about. this system will likely move in to the western seaboard. that will provide heavy rainfall for the coastal locations and some freezing temperatures -- excuse me, freezing rainfall for the mid part of oregon. now, as you can see, rain will be moving into the los angeles

area. this area has been dealing with drought. so hopefully that will improve the drought conditions. now across the east we have an intensive rainmaker moving in to the eastern areas from the southern plains up into the new england states. snowfall, as well. back behind it very low temperatures are expected. so take a look. minus 17 for the high in winnipeg. feel like minus 38 degrees for so, because of strong winds. minus 4 degrees in chicago despite sunny weather. but ahead of the cold front, still on the warmer said. 18 in atlanta, and 17 degrees in washington, d.c. but that could plummet to single digits as we go into tuesday. now, across europe, this system has been rotating over the western parts of the mediterranean countries. it has caused up to 130 millimeters of rainfall for the south coast of france and 135 kilometers in the country. this system is still located here and will provide some stormy conditions for italy and the balkan peninsula as we go into tuesday. now, temperatures are going to

be as follows. 4 degrees in paris. right at the freezing point in berlin. and partly sunny skies and across the east quite cold for this time of year. minus 3 in moscow and snow on the menu for kiev as well as moscow on the first day of the business week. now, across japan we have a couple of systems move over the country. those systems have gone. however the pressure gradients are still very tight so gusts of nearly 130 kilometers are reichly as we go into tomorrow. waves are going to be up to eight meters. and because of strong, cold winds moving over the sea of japan, sea-effect snow likely over the northwestern side of the country from hokkaido. the mountainous areas may get up to 40 or 50 centimeters of snowfall over the next 24 hours. even low-lying areas may get up to 20 centimeters of snowfall. but across the opposite side of the country, because we have high mountain rain, snow is not expected. now, because of a very cold air mass blanketing most of the country, temperatures are going

to be below average for most part of the country, tokyo 14 degrees on tuesday, going down to 12 degrees on your friday. but for snowy weather as we go into friday with much, much lower than average temperatures. but on the weekend, it is clear and many people enjoyed this scene. take a look. a 20 meter tall christmas tree was lit up in hokkaido on saturday. this tree is a gift from halifax, canada, sister city. people can enjoy the magical scene until christmas day. all right. that's all for now. here is your extended forecast.

people in japan are making preparations to ring in the new year.

they're decorating with traditional ornaments such as a sacred straw to -- strike red straw rope known as shimenawa. the temple attracts millions of visitors during the new year holidays. the temple adorns its main hall with a huge shimenawa designed to resemble rice stalks. the centuries old tradition is intended to assure an abubdant harvest. workers at the temple have been busy tying straw bundles since early november. the completed shimenawa will be about six meters long and weigh about 00 kilograms. >> translator: visitors come here with all sorts of wishes. we pray that the sacred rope we're making will allow their wishes to come true. >> the decoration will be displayed at the front of the main hall from december 25th to welcome visitors. that's "newsline" for this hour. i'm gene otani in tokyo. ññ

arehe streets of hong kong calm are now after last night saw some of the worst violence since the pro-democracy protests began. police moved in with peppers gray and batons overnight, arresting some fording students -- 40 students who were trying to storm headquarters. a further police option could be on the way.