. welcome to nfcnhk news news. i'm gene o tanny in tokyo. still he said the government in seoul should first stop holding military exercises with other countries. kim went on national tv to share policies for the coming year and said he can no longer tolerate the tragedy of a divided korean people.

he wants a turn around provided leaders in seoul stop causing tension. leaders in seoul proposed talks three days ago. they want to speak mainly about reuniting families separated by the war. they urged officials to take steps toward a peaceful reunion of nations. a new year's celebration in shanghai ended in disaster. more than 30 people died in a stampede. people gathered in a popular tourist spot by the river to watch a light show on nearby buildings. so many packed into the streets, they brought traffic to a stand still. then the crowd surged. roiters reports at least 36 people died.

city officials say 50 others got taken to the hospital. they're trying to figure out what caused the accident. >> translator: when i was climbing up the stairs people coming down pushed us and we all fell. >> the shanghai hospital is treating the victims. they're swamped with people worried about their loved ones. some frustrated with the lack of information vented anger on the security staff. chinese president xi emphasized china declared september 3rd the day of victory in the day of resistance against japanese aggression. he said china designated september 13th as a day of remembrance for those killed by the japanese military in 1937. the president noted the sacrifices and contributions made by the people who gave up

their lives for the sake of the state. xi held talks with shinzo abe in november. that was the first summit in two and a half years. the president's address could be suggesting china is using history to boost allegiance to the party and strengthen public opinion of japan. police investigators in china are trying to determine the cause of a fatal explosion that rocked afternoon auto parts factory wednesday morning in a southern part of the country. they say at least 17 people are dead and 33 others injured. several blasts struck the facility in the city of fosha thrks. the explosions blew out the roof and walls of the plant and smashed windows in other nearby buildings. officials say operations at the factory have been suspended for regular checks and cl

people in the mallay peninsula have performed a puppet theater more than 100 years. recently they've seen the population dwindle. one puppet master is trying to turn things around exploring possibilities in the traditional theater. nhk world reports. >> reporter: characters and stories are drawn from ancient indian epics. the prints in this tale is a man rescuing his wife from a devil that kidnapped her. there's no script. people have passed the story down orally.

the puppet master is at the center of the action. 36-year-old is one of only a few rising stars in the field. he writes the story and manipulates several pup pets at the same time all the while orchestrating. he follows the story but adds new dialogue and often gives the show a new look. he also makes puppets himself. he uses cow hide and goat skin to insure the figures move smoothly. >> puppet from skin. it can stay long. might be 20 years. we have plastic, but it can't

stay long with plastic. >> reporter: his father gives him hands on advice. 65-year-old yusoff. >> translator: he was watching the shows until late at night even when he was small. i'm so proud of his success. >> reporter: family generations passed down knowledge and techniques. once there were $300 in profits where he grew up. now just a dozen or so remain. he wants to preserve the tradition. two years ago he begun teaching to local children. he invites children over three years of age to take part.

he writes unique rhythms on a piece of paper so everybody can understand. then just as his father did with him, he takes the children by hand and teaches them step by step. >> translator: there are a range of puppets. the fighting scenes are exciting. >> reporter: he is also exploring new possibilities for the puppet theater. in august he took part in a joint show in kuala lumpur with a japanese group that performed a type of theater dating back to 17th century. he found a lot of similarities between the two types of theater.

the performers overcame the language barrier and put on professional and captivating show shows. >> to make it more understanding and more flexible. this is a start to continue. might be a new contemporary thing. >> he continues to explore new horizons while japan's prime minister shinzo abe says he will make his country shine at the center of the world once again. he made the vow at the new year's statement.

he secured a victory in the snap election are. he promised to push forward with reform more boldly and swiftly with the strong support of the people. the prime minister says he will evolve economic policies dubbed economics and implement economic measures soon and press ahead with his growth strategies. abe says japan has taken a peaceful path as a free democratic state. he stresses his country contributed to the peace and prosperity of the world based on deep remorse over world war ii. 2050 marks the 70th anniversary of that war. japanese government officials are planning to stipulate new conditions for use of force by the south defense forces in draft security legislation. this follows a cabinet decision to reinterpret the constitution so the country can exercise the right to collective

self-defense. the self-defense forces can use force only when japan comes under attack or when there is a clear and imminent danger of armed attack. the cabinet approved in july new conditions for the use of force. one condition involves unarmed attack on a foreign country with which japan has close ties. there is a clear danger of japan's survival being threatened. prime minister shinzo abe maintains japan should exercise the right to collective self-defense to take part in mind sweeping operations in the event of armed attack in sea lanes vital to japan. there could be differences on specific scenarios in the governing coalition. members of the coalition say a possible blockage of the straight in the persian gulf would not meet the new conditions. officials at the bank of japan say the country's monetary

base reached record high for the fifth month in a row. the volume of cash and circulation combined with deposits of financial resolutions at the central bank is rising due to easing monetary policy. the officials say the monetary base totalled more than 275 trillion yen or $2.5 a trillion as the end of can december. that's up 5 a % in yen terms for the figure from the previous month. it's also 36% increase from the end of 2013 and tops the boj target of 275 trillion yen. the central bank decided to provide additional equity in september to help rise out of deflation. officials are aiming goal of 2% inflation mainly during fiscal 2015. they plan to pump 80 trillion yen or $670 billion that year into financial markets. japan's emperor and empress

will likely visit the pacific island country in april to pay respects to war dead. this year marks the 70th anniversary of the end of world war ii. japanese officials are ranging the visit for april 8th and 9th. the emperor and everyone press will meet the president and his wife after a welcoming ceremony. they will also meet leaders of micro knee sha and the martial islands at a reception in the largest town. these countries became battlegrounds orn world war ii on the second day the emperor and empress will fly to the site of a fierce battle. the couple will place flowers at a monument built by the japanese government and also visit the monument for the u.s. military.

buyers from around the world want to get a hold of japanese treasures. they're looking to buy second hand jewelry and gems. nhk world explains. >> reporter: diamonds don't lose their sparkle even after becoming second hand. used diamonds are being auctioned at the event in tokyo. standing out from the crowd of bidders is a group of indians occupying the front row. the purchases amount to over half the $4 million spent at

this auction. this is one of the indian bidders. he runs a jewelry trading company in japan. others purchase diamonds in japan and exports to ten countries including india, china and israel. on this day, he was the highest spender shelling out 76$760,000 for diamonds. >> a lot of this is mixed goods. >> reporter: the value of items his company has exported has risen 20% every year for the past few years. he says demand for second hand

diamonds from japan is rising. that's because gems owned by japanese are authentic. >> the good quality of japan is in big demand especially on the international market. >> reporter: as the japanese jewelry market remains weak, more and more companies aim to increase export of second hand items. last july buying jewelry opened in center of tokyo. it's run by a company that exported jewelry to china. it says there isn't much a demand in japan these days for items with larger stones. they are very popular in china. >> this ring is okay for my generation but my daughter and granddaughter both agreed it's

too big to wear. i decided to sell it. >> reporter: second hand jewelry purchased by the shop is sent to china at the trade fair in tokyo. the companies are trying to appeal to buyers from the mainland. >> translator: jewelry designed in japan is very delicate. the price isn't bad either so it sells well in china. >> reporter: 23 different events the company sold expensive gems like emeralds and rubies to many chinese buyers. >> translator: we haven't dealt with expensive items until now, but we attempted to introduce them at this event. they sold well. >> reporter: the total value of gems owned by japanese companies is estimated $190 billion.

to maintain steady supply traders have to make continued efforts to dig up more jewelry. keiko aso, nhk world. tu knee sha's first democratic elected president has taken office. he took power four years after the uprising that sparked the pring results in the east. he leads the secular party. he won a presidential election last month. >> translator: this hisstorical moment we are living today, this ceremony we would not have been able to experience if there had been no struggle by the people. >> they began pushing toward

democracy in december 2010. a young man set himself on fire in protest at way he had been treated by police and later died. his actions sparked a wave of demonstrations that toppled the government. the president ben ali stepped do down in january 2011. he had been in power 23 years. still analysts point out the new president served under ben ali. they question how well he'll be able to foster democracy and are suggesting the country could slide back to authoritarian rule. search crews carry out the grim task looking for remains of airasia qz8501 are facing new obstacles. they've pulled more bodies from the sea. their efforts are hampered by bad weather. indonesians authorities say on wednesday, the bodies of three men and a woman in cabinet

attendants uniform were found bringing the total located to seven. the aircraft was heading to singapore from surabaya in indonesia. the jet disappeared from radar screens flying near kalimantan island. authorities have confirmed the airasia crashed into the java sea. they say pieces of debris found in the area where parts of the lodge. they say deteriorating weather conditions have prevented helicopters and ships from reaching the area. indonesian officials say rescue operations will resume as soon as weather improves. they're assisted by help of singapore, malaysia and u.s. which dispatched naval vessels to the region. two japanese destroyers will join the search for the missing jetliner. defense minister ordered the

vessels to be dispatched on wednesday at the request of the indonesian government. the two destroyers are returning from the mission watching for pirates off the coast of so moll i can't. the ships are scheduled to arrive saturday carrying three helicopters. it was said in a statement the ministry will consult with the indonesian government on further action. lawmakers in greece have dissolved the country's parliament for a snap general election. radical leftists have increased support rate by rejecting harsh austerity measures. the parliament resolved wednesday after failing monday to choose the nation's next president. the general election has been called for january 25th. the radical leftist opposition parties is against the budgetary reform programs. the policies were instituted by the government in exchange for

financial support from the european union and international monetary fund. the upcoming election is making germany and other eu leaders nervous as to whether greece will stick to the bailout agreement. people have long seen the kimono as icon of japanese culture and fashion. one man is calling on arty sans to design a garment for each of the 196 nations. he's trying to do that in time for the 2020 olympics and paralympics games in tokyo. nhk has more. >> reporter: dozens of people in tokyo turned out for this exhibition of kimono. what they saw was not conventional japanese clothing but a collection of designs inspired by the country and culture of other countries. these pieces represent south

africa lithuania, brazil qatar. he produced a show. his goal is to pass kimono culture to future generations. many kimono makers are old and will start retiring in a few years without handing down know-how to younger people. >> translator: i think it's urgent we do something now, otherwise we'll lose this culture. >> reporter: he wanted to give veteran kimono maker ace chance to show off skills. he hopes the exhibition will inspire people to exhibit his project. he plans to offer financial help for young people learning the craft. he invited the best kimono makers from around japan to join him. more than 50 agreed to contribute. this is the kimono dedicated for

lithuania. the motives come from the world heritage church near the baltic sea. this sash is waved by one of the most established textile makers in tokyo. they make the textile for imperial family. among those who joined the project was a man who agreed to design for south africa. he specializes in a process that involves wax dye. he's famous for depiction of flowers. for this garment he applied several shades of purple to create the flowers. for very short time each year south africa's desert becomes fields of flowers. he dedicated an image of this scene to the spirit of the late president nelson mandela. he used the variety of techniques to achieve a sense of

depth and dimension which includes south africa's national flower. >> translator: i'm so moved. i've never seen a show like this. it was wonderful. i'm very satisfied with my work. >> reporter: the south african garment appeared at beginning of the show. embassy officials were among those that watched the show. people loved it. >> translator: this catches the beauty of south africa. the national flower. these are to us like japan's. >> we're all different but

presenting all 196 kimonos together in harmony, i want to send a message of world unity. >> he says he's just getting started. he has a long way to go to revitalize the kimono before the world gathers in tokyo in 2020. nhk world, tokyo. now here's the weather forecast.

visitors at a hot spring resort at the foot of mount fuji a had the rare pleasure of seeing japan's highest peak bathed in the glow of the year's first sunrise. the resort in the village in central japan is a popular tourist destination on new year's day. this year 70 guests witnessed the world heritage site shining red in the year's first sun beams. the sun's rays first struck the snow covered peak before 7:00 a.m. within ten minutes the entire mountain side was glowing red as guests hurried to take pictures.

>> translator: it's magnificent. i'm so glad i came here. >> translator: i feel like the scenery gives me enough energy for the new year. and that's "newsline" for this hour. i'm gene otani in tokyo wishing you happy holidays.

ar ago. the trio was denied bail. a new year's eve stampede in shanghai. 36 people dead and dozens injured. china's president calling on officials to quickly determine the cause. and efforts to recover more bodies from the java sea hampered by bad weather. we will have more from our correspondents in indonesia. thank you for joining us here on "france 24." we stopart with egypt's top court