nesian rescue officials are looking for any clues into the disappearance of airasia qz8501. they haven't had contact with the aircraft in more than a day, and they now say the plane likely crashed into the sea with 163 people on board. officials are the search and rescue agency say that data analysis shows the airliner

seems to have ended up in the water. the flight left indonesia on sunday morning destined for singapore. indonesian transport authorities say the pilot asked the control tower for permission to turn left and fly at a higher altitude to avoid dense clouds. the plane lost contact five minutes after, and it disappeared from the radar one minute later. the airasia flight went missing somewhere between the islands of kalimantan and belitung after taking off from the indonesian city of surabaya. leaders from indonesia, singapore, malaysia and australia have sent military ships and aircraft to the region. the weather was bad when the plane lost contact. storm clouds were seen in the area. more than 100 passengers are trapped on a ferry that caught fire in the adriatic sea. one person has died. italian and greek rescue crews are battling rough seas and bad

weather to reach the vessel. the ferry was heading from patras in western greece to the central italian city of an kona. it caught fire off greece on sunday. a greek company operating the ship carrying 478 people. about 300 of them have already been rescued. but many are still stranded on board. italian media say one person died after jumping into the sea to escape the blaze. the fire is believed to have begun around the vessel's car deck. the italian and greek navies are using helicopters to take passengers to safety. strong winds and choppy seas are hampering their efforts. but the rescue work is continuing. south korean government leaders have offered to resume stalled talks with their north korean counterparts next month. they want to meet face to face to try to improve soured bilateral relations.

>> translator: the south and the north have to meet with each other and discuss ways toward peaceful unification. south korea proposes official dialogue in january on the issues of mutual concerns. >> unification minister noted that next year is the 70th anniversary of the division of the korean peninsula. he has proposed arranging a reunion between families separated during the korean war. he hopes that families will meet before the lunar new year holidays in february and he says their proposal includes promoting sports and cultural exchanges, as well as economic cooperation. japanese american and south korean officials have agreed to work closely on security incidents involving north korea. they'll share classified information related to pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs. they'll exchange data on the north through videos photos

documents and also verbally. representatives in tokyo and seoul will share information through their counterparts in washington to avoid criticism from the south korean public. they both had planned to sign a similar agreement two years ago, but officials in seoul withdrew because of domestic opposition. leaders in the u.s. have persuaded the south of the importance of information sharing and other forms of cooperation between the three sides. japanese defense minister said in a statement that dealing with the north's nuclear and missile threats is a common and urgent security issue. japanese public security authorities are trying to track down a married couple from tokyo who may have traveled to areas controlled by islamic state militants. they say the two left japan for turkey in early november. they've learned the couple went to a town near the border with syria, and they say where the

pair went from there is still unknown. officials in japan had earlier contacted the couple who they say intended to travel to islamic state controlled areas. they say the japanese woman and her french algerian husband are both muslims. they say the pair reportedly wanted to help people displaced by the civil war in syria. they tried to persuade them to give up their travel plans through the french embassy in tokyo. people in indonesia are trying to make sure children know what to do the next time disaster strikes. more than 220,000 people lost their lives in the indian ocean tsunami of 2004. many of them died because they didn't know how to react. now, indonesians are getting advice from survivors of japan's march 2011 earthquake and

tsunami. nhk world has the story. >> reporter: yuko matsumoto is a journalist who has reported from disaster areas around the world. on a visit to fukushima she became intrigued by paintings on the walls of temporary housing. >> translator: the paintings really helped me. they make me happy, and give me energy, and ease my mind. i'm grateful for that. >> reporter: matsumoto learned the artists were members of a high school club. she asked if one of the students could draw a manga or comic to help people prepare for disasters. shun's dream is to become manga artist, and he was already working on a comic about how people can protect themselves during disasters. >> translator: how did you come up with the story?

>> translator: it's based on my own experience. i was at a friend's house when the earthquake hit. >> reporter: on march 11th, 2011 he felt the jolt of a quake and he panicked as he tried to escape. he says a passerby saved his life with a simple piece of advice. the person pointed out a power line that had fallen near a puddle. if he had stepped in the water he might have been electrocuted. >> translator: this boy is telling his friend to be careful. he says the puddle could be dangerous, because of the power line. then the other boises the pole on the ground and realizes the possible danger. i want the manga to end with the main character reaching safety. i was hurt. and i don't want anyone else to

go through something similar. that's what i've drawn. >> reporter: matsumoto believes his viewpoint as a survivor has helped him convey an important message and that it could help people in other kroiss. so they had the comic translated into indonesian. >> translator: i'm very glad i can help people around the world through manga. i think comics have much power. >> reporter: people have managed to rebuild after the tsunami. but they face a new challenge, teaching the basics of disaster preparedness to children who are too young to remember. members of a local ngo are trying to help.

they are holding a special safety class for junior high school students. matsumoto uses iwaya's manga to tell them what to do during a disaster. >> then oh, there's a line down. watch out. bzzz. you have to watch out. the >> reporter: the children really enjoy the lesson. >> i like this manga because it's easy to understand and the message is clearly received to us. >> reporter: members of the ngo say they continue to use the comic in their classes. >> i think this manga, it's not frightening, children can have fun. >> manga culture is widely accepted not only by indonesians, but also by the

people of many other countries in the world. so it would be great if i could take the experience in aceh and use the same method to help other people in other disaster-prone places in the world. >> reporter: people in japan and indonesia have a shared experience with natural disasters. now they're sharing a way to pass on what they've learned to a new generation. naoto katase, nhk world. officials with japan's health ministry say they are testing a man in tokyo for ebola. they say he developed a fever after traveling to west africa. the man contacted quarantine officials on monday. his fever has since decreased. health officials say the man left sierra leone on december 21st, and arrived in japan two days later. >> translator: the man says he had no contact with ebola

patients. but he says he witnessed the bodies of ebola victims being buried, and touched a bag that had a body inside. >> officials say the man is now in a medical facility capable of treating the disease. a sample of his blood is being tested at the national institute of infectious diseases. one day before market trading in japan ends for this year tokyo share prices declined. analysts say news about a possible ebola case in japan weighed on market sentiment. ramin mellegard from nhk world's business desk gives us debt tails. >> markets opened in the positive but then later in the day we did have that news of a man being tested for ebola, and that really pushed investors to sell shares. and that pushed the nikkei into the negative. let's have a look at exactly how the nikkei and the topix closed. 17,729. down half a percent and the broader top pix at 1,424.

many investors also booking profits before people take the rest of the week off trading volume has been thin before the holidays. and the news about ebola has cast a heavy shadow on investor sentiment. now, market heavyweights like softbank and fast retailing the uniqlo operator showed heavy declines. softbank and fast retailing among some of the big decliners. currency traders also taking more of a risk avoidance mode and they had bought back the yen which they see as a safer asset. so some of the major exporters were trading lower on the back of the relatively stronger yen. toyota and tdk but shares of fuji film showed strength on the ebola news. it rose more than 2.5%. a drug made by fujifilm group is now under clinical tests for ebola. fujifilm up 0.36%. tokyo electric power company, the operator of the crippled

fukushima daiichi plant was also trading higher one of the biggest gainers, in fact. analysts say investors cheered the news that tepco will review its restructuring plan by spring 2015. so with only one trading day left here the nikkei could still end up in the positive for the year despite the ebola concerns that we'll have to see if it closes above 18,000 levels. we haven't seen here in seven years. that's all for me. back to you. >> and that was ramin mellegard. and now let's see how other stock markets closed across the asia pacific region on monday.

many people in china are finding that they need some extra assistance as they get older. the number of people in the country over the age of 60 is expected to top 300 million over the next 16 years. and now some japanese companies are stepping in to help train nurses who are eager to help those looking for care. more from nhk world. >> reporter: this nursing industry fair held in october in beijing attracted a record 300 businesses from around the world. japanese companies made a strong showing. this wheelchair maker promote the safety and ease of use of its products. chinese sales have grown by 10% annually for several years now.

>> translator: japanese products are very well finished. they're also made with a lot of care. >> reporter: a company called va offers know-how in running nursing homes in the japanese style. it comanages this facility in shanghai, the home opened last december, and like many facilities in china, this one can also accommodate residents with such conditions as dementia. the company uses the same menu in china as it does in japan. it claims to provide the highest level of care. the cost of accommodation is at least $500 a month, that's two to five times the price of an average chinese nursing home. but the japanese-style care with its focus on detail, has proved popular.

>> translator: this place is very comfortable. out makes me feel like i'm at home. >> reporter: about 50 local people are employed here. jun yu is one of the nurses. she moved to shanghai from a town 300 kilometers away in order to earn money for her son's university tuition. >> translator: i'd like it if the home could keep attracting more elderly residents. it would be great if i could carry on working here for a long time. >> reporter: many of the caregivers are women aged around 50. facilities such as this are increasingly important employers. the management is preparing for even more growth. it plans to double its staff to 100.

>> translator: in china the retirement age for women is 50. so places like ours are a popular option for retired women who want to build a second career. >> reporter: they also offer a consultancy service to help design care facilities and train nursing specialists. the range of services attracted chinese businesses at the fair. >> translator: we aim to improve the quality of our services by bringing in the advanced technology and management of japanese care providers. >> translator: the more companies provide high-quality care, the more the market will expand in china. >> reporter: in this growing market japanese care-giving companies, which are already experienced with japan's own

aging society, are in good position to profit. >> translator: the reason we're expecting an expansion of the nursing care industry is that most of the working generation in metropolitan areas are from the one-child policy era. and they don't have enough energy to take care of their parents. >> reporter: the chinese government has indicated it's proud to shift its economic focus from real estate and exports to the service sector, including nursing. many people will be interested to see how japan and china cooperate in these important field. nhk world, beijing. military officials with the u.s. and nato have marked a milestone in the afghan war.

they took part in a ceremony in kabul that formally ends their combat mission, after 13 years. soldiers lowered the flag of the multinational force. afghanistan security forces will now carry on the fight against the taliban. the american-led coalition ousted the taliban government following the 9/11 terror attacks. the number of foreign troops topped 140,000 at one point. u.s. president barack obama said in a statement the longest war in american history is coming to a responsible conclusion. but he also said that afghanistan remains a dangerous place. about 12,000 u.s.-led troops will remain to train afghan forces to fight terrorism, and to improve security. obama wants to withdraw all american troops from afghanistan by the end of 2016. heavy rain in sri lanka has triggered floods and mudslides. at least 24 people are dead and 8 others are missing. tens of thousands have been left homeless.

people in central parts of the country are facing the worst flooding in decades. seasonal monsoon rains has been falling in record amounts since last week. mudslides destroyed houses and left railroad tracks hanging in midair. the sri lankan government has mobilized military personnel for a rescue mission. some fear the presidential election scheduled for early next month could be affected if the damage spreads. authorities in southwestern japan say they found the h5 strain of bird flu in chickens at a poultry farm. they say the virus was detected in several birds at the facility. officials carried out testing sunday after 30 birds were found dead. they finished on monday culling 42,000 chickens on the farm and disinfecting the barns. authorities banned the movement of chickens and eggs within a three kilometer radius and they won't ship the products outside a ten kilometer area. the same strain of the avian flu

virus was found at another farm in miyazaki prefecture two weeks ago. fishermen in hokkaido the northernmost island of japan, are being troubled by seals. the animals are protected because they once came close to extinction. but their numbers have increased in recent years, and they're wreaking havoc with the fishing industry. nhk world reports. >> reporter: the city of wakanai in hokkaido looks out over the sea of japan. peak season for fishing is fast approaching, and fishermen are concerned about the seal problem. >> translator: this is all the work of seals. >> reporter: last year this city and others nearby lost more than 2.4 million.

local fishermen blames the problem on a growing number of seals. >> translator: there were no seals here until about ten years ago. but now they have made their way to wakanai. they came because there are a lot of fish here which means we really suffer. >> reporter: locals have tried various tactics, but over the long-term nothing has worked. yoshida came up with an idea. >> reporter: it looks menacing, didn't it? >> reporter: this float has the shape of a killer whale, a seal's natural predator. yoshida hopes that by attaching the float to the fixed net it will scare away the seals. the whales look like they're protecting the nets. on the first day, the seals

didn't go near the nets. three weeks have passed since then. yoshida brought in a large catch of salmon. but about 20% of the fish have been partly eaten by seals. the floats were only effective for about ten days. >> translator: it's no good. they're already used to the floats. they started poking their heads around the side of the floats and became friends. >> reporter: this is erimo, a town on the south coast of hokkaido in the pacific ocean. inside this net full of salmon was a harbor seal, an endangered species. >> translator: i don't think it's cute. look at our situation. >> reporter: today, the haul

brought in about 160 kilograms of salmon that was sellable. and about a ton that was damaged. the ministry of the environment has spotted a ranger to study the harbor seal's habitat and see the damage. the ministry is now considering measures to reduce the problem. one proposal was to separate salmon from seals as soon as the seals get inside the nets. the salmons have entered the nets can go all the way to the furthest end, but the seals won't fit through the dividers so they can't get to the salmon. they tried out the net. a transmitter was attached to the seals caught in the net. afterwards, they were set free. the harbor seal is protected as an endangered species.

now, difficult decisions need to be made about whether to keep protecting seals. >> translator: i would like to get to know the community, and to hear the voices of local residents, and then reflect them in policy. >> reporter: the local and national administrations are trying to find a way that allows seals to coexist with fishermen, without harming their catch. nhk world, hokkaido. the cowinner of this year's nobel prize in physics wants japan and china to increase cooperation in research and development to promote global energy saving. nagoya university professor hiroshi amano addressed a forum on environmental issues in beijing. among the 500 participants were government officials and business people from japan and china. amano's groundbreaking study led to the creation of blue light emitting diodes.

amano spoke about a joint l.e.d. research and development project that's under way between his university, and a chinese manufacturer. >> translator: japanese research and development is excellent. our productivity in china is at the high level. combining these would be a good way for the two countries to cooperate. >> amano said such cooperation can contribute to energy saving efforts, as well as reduce costs. the use of l.e.d.s will become more common. and now, here's the weather forecast.

that's "newsline" for this hour. i'm gene otani in tokyo.

' or the third time in a row the coalition government's candidate for presidency. he received only 168 votes falling far short of the 180 needed. the prime minister has announced the country will now hit the polls on january 25. it is a move some fear could endanger the debt