welcome to nhk world "newsline" i'm gene otani in tokyo. here's a look at stories we're following this hour. dismantling a demonstration, hong kong police are tearing apart barricade as and pulling down tents from the main site. three japanese born scientists have received this year's nobel prize in physics. their blue l.e.d. break through is already leading to more

advanced technologies. and as japanese gear up for sunday's election, voters in rural areas are considering how politicians will deal with the shrinking population and industries. hong kong police are dismantling the main protest sites that have choked parts of the city more than two months. they're clearing away barricades and tents and arresting pro-democracy activists. police and other authorities began the tear down thursday morning try to clear the road around government headquarters following a court order banning sit-if in protests that have blocked bus routes. by the afternoon, several thousand police officers had been deployed. they used heavy machinery to remove iron fences and tents from a one kilometer stretch of road occupied by demonstrators. >> translator: we are so disappointed. the government did not do anything even though we've been

protesting this for so long. >> translator: this is not the end. i may have to leave here for now, but i will join a rally if there's another protest. >> some 150 students refused to leave the site voluntarily shouting slogans and lying on the road. they were led away by police one by one. china's foreign ministry has ex suppressed full support for the hong kong government move. >> translator: what protestors in hong kong did did was completely illegal. the congress hong government has the right to restore social stability and order. >> police plan to push ahead with the removal operation to reopen occupied roads. activists have been blocking the roads since september. let's now go to nhk world in hong kong. he's watching the events unfold there. >> reporter: operations have just begun at the main site of

the protest. many police are removing barricades. before the operation started, an official read a court order banning sit-ins. after they cleared the streets subject to the order, police started removing the protestor's tents and barricades around the government headquarters. some of the student demonstrators stood there. promotion continues with protestors calling for a true general election. the clearing of the site is underway, and tensions are running high. nhk world, hong kong. >> many students began in early september boycotting their classes. they're upset over a decision by leaders in beijing that blocked pro-democracy candidates running for city's chief executive in 2017. they then took to the streets.

>> thousands of residents joined students in late september to occupy the main roads. police used tear gas in an attempt to disperse the crowds. the use of tear gas caused a public outcry and led to wider protests. over 100,000 people filled the streets in key parts of the city. hong kong government officials told the demonstrators that china would not retract its decision. many of the protestors dug in their heels and refused to back down. but over several weeks, many local people became fed up with the disruption to their lives and began condemning the occupations. taxi drivers complained their businesses were suffering. they took legal action to have the protestors removed.

the fierce clash between students and police broke out in mid october when officers attempted to take down barricades from one of the protest sites. on october 21st, student leaders and hong kong government officials met face to face, but their talks ended without finding common ground. the students then announced that they'll hold a referendum to ask the public how they should proceed. they scrapped the vote at the last minute after opposition. in mid november, the hong kong high court issued orders to clear the barricades as requested by taxi and bus companies. police were authorized to arrest anyone who obstructed their operations. earlier this month three

founders of the pro democracy movement turned themselves in to police. they called on students to end their protests. three japanese born scientists have been honored with one of the world's most prestigious prizes. received the nobel prize in physics. they won the award on their work on blue e mitting known as l.e.d.s. more technologies are coming in the wake of their achievements. nhk world reports. >> reporte >> reporter: the professors share the spotlight at a ceremony on wednesday.

swedish king awarded the medals. >> translator: i've been so nervous. the medal was heavy. >> reporter: after the ceremony, the three new laureates attended along with the king and other members of the royal family. >> now days we can buy energy efficient l.e.d. bulbs at the supermarket and help energy use. after the breakthroughs in making the bright blue l.e.d.s by professors and myself, an explosion of research activity occurred. >> reporter: the achievements of the three scientists have brightened the world in a variety of ways. people on this river sidewalk in tokyo are enjoying a new type of

illumination. l.e.d.'s in the trees lining the sides a 500 meter stretch of river paint everything around them a beautiful blue. the breakthrough achieved by the three scientists has led to a variety of applications for the ever friendly light source. now scientists around the world are scrambling to take things further including the development of an ultraviolet l.e.d. natural uv rays from the sun can cause sun burn, but they also can kill bacteria.

scientists at the research institute in a tokyo suburb have succeeded in developing a uv l.e.d. that's about 100 types more powerful than a conventional device. >> translator: this uv l.e.d. has a powerful sterilizing effect. in home electronics for example, it can be used in refrigerators, airbag conditioners, air cleaners, water pure identifiers and so on. >> conventional water sterilizers use mercury lamps to generate uv rays. devices tend to be large and inefficient. the uv l.e.d. can save energy. a manufacturer in tokyo has developed a new and smaller water sterilizer. on the back of the disk shaped device are uv l.e.d. their low wattage enables them to be used in a variety of

circumstances. >> translator: this this device could be used for example in water reservoirs in remote mountain villages that are off the grid. >> the nobel committee called the invention of the blue l.e.d. revolutionary comparing it to that of the light bulb in the 20th century. the new technology continues to be a trailblazer in the scientific world. nhk world. health minute stores from around the globe are banding together to tackle ebola. aid from the u.s. and japan agreed to send emergency aid to west africa. the it consist of seven nations in mexico. ministers discussed responses to the ongoing ebola epidemic and how they can work together.

>> translator: the eight countries should cooperate closely in sharing information quickly to prevent further spread of the disease. >> the ministers expressed it should be spread to doctors, protective gear. ron madison is here with more. >> officials say your owe banks borrowed 130 billion euros many the second auction of long term loans. european stocks shed gains after the announcement. we're seeing fairly mixed picture with the majors. long con down half a %. paris losing a tenth of a %. frankfurt seeing gains. russianle central bank raised key rates to 10.5 a %. investors took that into

consideration. meanwhile, broad selling across markets in asia following crude prices. the resource heavy sidney dropped.5%. that closed seven week low. nikkei seeing declines. it finished two week low. euro is lower against the green back on speculation they'll ease monetary policies. it's trading 1.2452. dollar losing ground against the yen currently 118.59. sales data is due out for release later today. executives at japanese car makers widen their response to one of the biggest safety scandals in years. they've issued a japan wide recall for 260,000 vehicles fitted with potentially

defective at thdefect takata air bags. they've called in 3 million cars so far. it covers the honda fit, nissan presaj and 18 models made between january 2003 and february 2004. minute industry officials say last month a takata air bag exploded and sprayed metal in a scrapyard. they added that model to their recalls as a precautionary hur. officials are recalling 130,000 other vehicles. people at honda and nissan say they plan to expand the recall to cars in other countries. those at mitsubishi are considering recalls outside of japan in hot and humid regions. japanese students are seeing more opportunities. many are benefitting from firms hiring more graduates in 2016.

companies were surveyed and asked about college juniors graduating in the spring of 2014. 14% of firms are planning to take on more peep. that's up .07 from last year. only 5% will hire fewer people. competition to snare the best and brightest young workers is is sure to heat up. designers from firms across japan are offering a glimpse into a more environmentally friendly future showing off everything from green appliances to eco office equipment at a tokyo trade show. officials from 750 companies and organizations are showcasing new products at the three day event. people from panasonic unvaied a water pure identifier that removes agricultural chemicals swerls other toxic substances and say it decome tam nating

water by a kmem kal reaction set off by sunlight. these are for countries with water solutions. moss is grown to cover rooftops and outer walls to insulate buildings and reduces the need for air conditioning. overseas travelers to japan are about to find it easier to stay connected. executives at tell come giant have announced a plan to offer free wi-fi to individuals tors from abroad. executives will open 240,000 hot spots across the country. access points are currently available to subscribers. it can tell if they're from overseas checking their smart or pc as well as websites they've been accesses. travelers will get tips on local places of interest as well as coupons from participating shops.

they'll earn commissions on purchases they make. tell come officials are looking to take a boom in foreign visitors. the number this year kpnted to reach 13 million. the company part of the group is offering free wi-fi to foreigners also. that is going to wrap up for bizs tonight. let's close out with the markets.

people in japan have something to add to their to do list this weekend. they'll be voting in a general election. prime minister shinzo abe and liberal democratic party returned to power less than two years ago. he called the poll because he says he wants vote toers weigh in on his economic policy known as abenomics. japan decides, deciding key issues on election day. lawmakers in japan have long been searching for a way to solve japan's dem graph pick dilemma. the population is ageing and shrinking and the crisis is hitting rural areas the hardest. voters there are looking for the change the election may bring. nhk world reports.

>> reporter: farmers in the western prefecture are known of top producers of various kinds of fruit, but their industry is shrinking. >> translator: i don't have young ones to take over my business, so my wife and i are the only ones to do the harvest. >> reporter: farmers in the city have been growing oranges hundreds of years. 40% of the farmers here are now over 65 and many more are quitting. that is just one of the issues affecting this population. more than 1 million people used to live in the prefecture. over the past decade, the population has decreased by 7%. deaths are outpacing births, and young people are moving to cities. farmers who are carrying on say their income has become unstable

mainly because fruit consumption nationwide is decreasing. they can no longer relie on the domestic market. in order to survive, they're trying to increase sales overseas. ten years ago they began targeting asia's emerging economies. they started exporting processed orange products to china, singapore and malaysia. sales of oranges overseas are still small. farmers are trying to boost their profile getting involved in events like trade expos. >> translator: if we plan many things and are able to expand our business, i have a strong feeling the younger generation will get interested in this industry. if we succeed, it will bring life to the whole community.

>> reporter: there's only so much farmer can say do by themselves. many residents say the new government should face the reality happening in rural areas and offer more support. >> translator: i hear leaders talking about decentralizing, but all in all, the benefits have gone to tokyo and other cities. they have to have a solid vision to reverse this trend for real. >> translator: i hope the government carries out policies for all farmer to have bright prospects for the future. >> reporter: other rural communities are facing a similar problem. they want the new government to come up with silver bullet policies to change the face of the communities and their industries. nhk world. and our election programming will continue on friday. we'll look at the state

u.s. navy commanders have been showing off a weapon once seen only in science fiction. they put a laser gun on a ship and used it to destroy targets on the water and in the air. crew members put the weapon through its paces in the persian gulf. they fired it using what looks like a game controller. they hit boats in an aerial drone. navy scientists have a version that's more destructive. analysts say lasers are wanted to defend against terrorists attacks and speedboats. they say this technology saves money. a single shot cost $1 compared with thousands from a missile. they're planning to deploy lasers on ships in the early

2020s. u.s. president barack obama could soon sell fighting ships to taiwan. he got permission from lawmak lawmakers. chinese officials say he would be interfering in their country's internal affairs. members of the house of representatives gave obama permission to sale four guided missiles. the ships are 30 years old. >> these four guided missile cruise pers will bolster taiwan's defense to insure peace continues to benefit taiwan and the entire region. >> government officials in beijing are protesting and claim the americans are going against an agreement they made with china in 1982. they say u.s. officials promised to gradually reduce their arms sales to taiwan. u.s. leaders are bound by law to supply the tie wa neez with weapons for defense. they sold them intercepted missiles in 2010.

china reacted by suspending all bilateral military exchanges. recovering from severe flooding trying to also deal with one of the worst droughts in decades now. our meteorologist jonathan oh is here with details. >> hello gene. we've been paying attention to this area because of the low pressure system that is now creating instability. you just mentioned we were dealing with the worst draugoug in decades. now we're dealing with flooding. rains triggered widespread flooding. 60 millimeters fell in a few hours. homes and businesses were damaged. cars were washed away by rushing water and stranded buses. this is the worst drought in 80

years. don't need this much rain at one time, but it did provide some relief. i think rain will continue through the next few days because of this low. now as the low moves over the area, we're going to see a downturn in temperatures. it's going to get cooler by the weekend but will also remain wet because of instability. another area we're talking about wet weather, north america. on both coasts in fact. let's begin with the eastern united states where the low pressure system has been tracking the new england states bringing snow and rain. depending on where you are in the region this is the past couple of days. i think on thursday we're wrapping things up. we have rainfall and snowfall possible in portions of quebec through the day. we have a very large system that is trying to come on shore and bring in a lot of rainfall also in a drought stricken area, california. we're looking at rainfall totals

230 millimeters possible. also going to see snowfall and blizzard condition in the mountains. a wild scenario. in southern california and los angeles, high surf advisories in place at this point. in the central portion of the u.s., staying dry. highs in the teens denver, oklahoma city, also into houston. we are now monitoring a large low pressure system bringing lots of rainfall and windy conditions to europe. this low is down to 950. that's very can deep. when you have a deep low pressure system, that means windy conditions regardless of how the high is located. 72 kilometers per hour in norway. wet weather paris into warsaw.

another thunderstorm many the balance cons thursday. in east asia, we have a departing low pressure system from japan. that's going to take away snowfall falling. behind it, high pressure replaces it. single digit highs close to freezing in the korean peninsula and north eastern china. that same frigid air is headed towards japan. during the weekend it's going to get chilly. down toward the south, the tropical storm moving west. expected in vietnam friday. high of 1 in seoul friday. 3 in beijing. 13 with more sunshine in tokyo. hope you have a good day wherever you are. here's your extended outlook.

that's "newsline" for this hour. i'm gene o tan in tokyo. from all of us here at nhk world, thanks for joining us. until next time, good-bye. tan i. from all of us here at nhk world, thanks for joining us. until next time, good-bye.

>> thousands of mourners fill the west day for the funeral of an official killed in clashes with israeli troops. the french senate passes a resolution urging the government to recognize palestine as a state. there was a highly symbolic vote in the national assembly. police begin clearing the streets of hong kong as part of a push to end the pro-democracy protests. do you like your bugs boiled or fried? to the you people regul