welcome to nhk world "newsline" i'm gene otani in tokyo. rescue teams in indonesia are facing more setbacks looking for the missing airasia passenger jet. they're dealing with strong winds and heavy seas. and they've been forced to temporarily call off their search. airasia qz8501 went down on sunday in waters near the kalimantan islands with 162 passengers and crew on board.

searchers have been scouring the floor of the java sea for the fuselage and the black boxes. they've so far recovered ten bodies near the suspected crash site and they're now getting more assistance. a team of accident investigation experts from france arrived on friday in indonesia. they'll use state-of-the-art equipment to try to detect pings from the black boxes in order to retrieve them. people in western japan are starting the new year under a winter weather warning. meteorologists say intense snowfall and strong winds could cause transport disruptions. they say a cold air mass and winter weather pattern are bringing heavy snow to some areas. up to 60 centimeters fell over a 24 hour period starting thursday in parts of northeastern and central japan. officials are forecasting more snow until saturday along the sea of japan coast.

they're advising caution due to avalanches and high waves. japan's emperor has delivered his new year's greetings wishing peace and happiness to people in the country and around the world. emperor akihito, empress michiko and other family members appeared on the balcony of the palace. they waved to the crowd of about 81,000 well-wishers. >> the emperor also said he is glad to celebrate the new year with the people. prince and princess akishino's youngest daughter princess kako attended the function for the first time. the emperor and empress are planning to visit the pacific

island country of palau in april to pay their respects to the war dead. this year marks the 70th anniversary of the end of world war ii. japanese officials are arranging the visit for april 8th and 9th. emperor akihito and empress michiko will meet palau's president and his wife after a welcoming ceremony. they will also meet leaders of micronesia and the marshall islands at a reception in palau's largest town. those countries witnessed fierce battles during world war ii. on the second day the emperor and empress will fly to keliliu, a site where heavy combat took place. the imperial couple will pay their respects at a monument built by the japanese government and one dedicated to the u.s. military. survivors and witnesses of a fatal new year's eve stampede in shanghai are demanding an investigation. they want to know whether there

were enough security measures to manage the huge crowds. 36 people were killed, and 47 injured. the crush happened during celebrations in the historic waterfront bund district. more than 100,000 people reportedly gather there each new year's eve to celebrate. police said 500 officers were on duty before and after the stampede. but eyewitnesses reported none were in sight during the chaos. the stampede happened on overcrowded steps. >> translator: when i was climbing up the stairs people coming down pushed us and we all fell. >> city officials say they are trying to find out exactly what went wrong. tourism officials in china are hoping to turn the site of november's apec summit into a vacation hot spot. they're seeing people from around the country coming to stay at yen shi lake and now they're now looking to land even more visitors from abroad.

nhk world's eiji hamanishi has the story. >> reporter: the leaders of 21 countries and territories gathered at the apec summit. since china's prestige was at stake its government undertook major preparations for the event. the meeting was held at yangxi lake about 50 kilometers north of beijing. the summit took place on an island. also tight security for the apec summit opened up the island tourist spots. >> translator: it's a beautiful place and the air is clean. i really want to go on the island. >> reporter: not many people visit during the season. the weather is too cold. but a flood of tourists gathered

at the island's entrance. i am standing in front of the conference center where the apec leader summit took place. now this area is opened but only for a limited number of tourists. among those allowed on site are people with reservations at hotels. the china national tourism administration rated the scenery there as a four out of a possible five with five being the most scenic. other cities were significantly upgraded ahead of the apec meeting. hotels and pagodas were built, as well as the meeting venue. this new hotel is about to open. it's famous because of its unique design. so tourists want to see it. china wants to work with a foreign hotel company that wants to develop the location.

the firm wants to turn yangxi lake and its surroundings into a tourism spot that are a cut above the rest. the firm that managing these facilities is using the apec summit as a tourist attraction. >> we benefit. the local government benefits. the surrounding benefits. so it's a cooperation and that's what it needs to be. it's not just we do or they do. no. we work together and that's probably what will bring the success. >> reporter: another business opportunity. this tableware set has the same design as the one used by leaders at the banquet. people admire its chinese traditional elements. >> translator: we received numerous inquiries after the conference. five-star hotels would like to use the tableware, and many

people want to add the set to their private collections. >> reporter: an expert says apec left a legacy but the industries that benefited should increase it. >> translator: industries need to create a business plan in order to maintain the existing market's popularity. >> reporter: yangxi lake is now a candidate to host future events such as the g-20 and other international meetings. it seems that the apec summit has brought find out the challenges china faces on "newsline." government officials in japan have set a clear goal of improving the english education system by 2020 the year tokyo hosts the olympic games. but some students and their

parents can't wait for that long, so they've chosen schools other than the public ones. one example is an indian school in tokyo that's becoming increasingly popular. and i stopped by for a look. >> one, two, three. >> reporter: this school is not in new delhi but in downtown tokyo. the day begins with yoga. it's supposed to boost energy, as well as concentration. advanced math chances are common in india. they start learning muttly indication from 4 years old. in most japanese schools that starts from 8. shoji is a 7th grader. he transferred from a local japanese school three years ago. at first he spoke very little english but today he doesn't have a problem communicating with his classmates.

i.t. classes are also compulsory here from kindergarten. at the age of 12 they start learning visual basics a subject often taught at the high school level in japan and by graduation, they can manage to program. the global indian international school tokyo was founded in 2006. in the beginning, it was solely for indian children whose parents work in the i.t. industry in japan. the size of the school was less than 50 students. but it's attracted more and more japanese children. they are now a surprisingly 40% of the total 350. mrs. rajawasthe is the principal. she gave us her vision of her school. >> we are creating global who are capable of doing everything. it's possible.

everything is possible. only thing is needed. >> reporter: so why are the japanese parents opting out of local education? shoji's mother says her son was always good at math and felt that it was the best possible school. his father used to work in the i.t. industry. he recalls his bitter past in having to give up his chance of working abroad because of his poor english skills. >> translator: i believe that japanese who want to go abroad have to speak english, as the international language. the future of the japanese economy is uncertain nowadays, so we need to take our chances outside. >> reporter: shoji says that the indian school was the best choice he's made and now he

feels the sky is the limit. >> i want to become scientist or astronaut, but astronaut, maybe i have to programming robot arm, so maybe i can use this i.t. program. >> reporter: unlike the japanese public schools, lunch time is like an international food fair from indian curry to japanese bento boxes. children are exposed to a global environment, even during recess. and like shoji his classmates also have big dreams. [ inaudible ] >> reporter: here the children are having success in english, because they're not looking at the subject as something mandatory to pass college entrance exams, rather as a tool to live in the globalizing world, and the school is

offering them an environment where to reach their goals, it's up to each individual's determination regardless of nationality. police officers in western canada are trying to piece together the cause of a fatal new year's eve house party shooting. they say one person was killed and at least six others were wounded. they say gunfire broke out on thursday at a home in calgary, alberta. local media report the victims appeared to be men and women in their 20s and 30s. about 50 people were at the home at the time. authorities say they're now looking for a gunman or gunmen who fled the scene after the shooting. >> the motive remains under investigation. it's unclear what the motivations were for this incident was. >> the incident took place just a few days after a man shot eight people to death, including

his family, in the city of edmonton also in alberta. the man took his own life after the rampage. a british ngo tracking violence in iraq says civilian casualties have been climbing since u.s. troops withdrew in 2011. members of iraq body count released their file numbers for 2014, and they're attributing the rise in deaths in part to the expansion of the militant group islamic state. group officials say more than 17,000 iraqis were killed last year. it's roughly double the number recorded in 2013 which was double the 2012 number. the group said more than 4,000 civilians had been killed by islamic state. the military response by iraqi forces and the u.s.-led international coalition have also added to the deaths. it also said about 80% of civilian deaths occurred in and around the capital baghdad and

the second largest city of mosul. islamic state gained control of mosul last june. a u.s.-led coalition is launching air strikes against islamic militants who seek large swaths of territory in iraq and syria. russian president vladimir putin has seen his trade bloc of old soviet neighbors realized the economic union including belarus, kazakhstan and armenia has come into effect. the new union is expected to allow freer movement of goods, services, and workers. leaders from member nations will put in coordinated policies in chi sectors of the economy such as energy and agricultural. putin said the union will create a huge market with 170 million people. he added it has 20% of the world's natural gases, and 15% of the oil. experts say russia is planning to use the union to strengthen political ties with countries taking part in it. however, kazakhstan's president

nursultan nazarbayev reiterated the partnership will not undermine the sovereignty of any member nation. analysts say it is not clear what the countries will be able to build cooperative relationships. russia's economy is likely to slow down due to falling prices for crude oil, one of the country's key exports. a court in egypt has ordered a retrial for three imprisoned journalists from the qatar-based al jazeera television network. there has been international criticism of the conviction. commentators say the ruling violates freedom of expression. the court responded to a complaint filed by the journalists who held a hearing on thursday. it ordered a retrial and will likely decide the dates within a month. the journalists, including an australian national, were sentenced to 7 to 10 years in prison for their reporting of the de facto coup by the egyptian military in 2013.

they were accused of helping a terrorist organization. egyptian president abdel fattah al sisi earlier said the country's judiciary is an independent body and nobody should interfere with its rulings. but he later changed his stance and said his administration is considering a pardon. silkworms in japanese labs are spinning a new kind of fabric. they've been genetically engineered to produce silk that glows and researchers hope the worms will help revitalize the industry that played a big role in the modernization of japan. >> reporter: the splendid colors of the magnificent kimono. what makes this piece so special is that the threads of silk are

luminescent. they're the result of a research project that could revolutionize japan's silk industry. the project is led by the national institute of agri biological studies. researchers manipulated the genes of silkworms by introducing genes of other life forms into their eggs. they succeeded in producing a silkworm with new characteristics. >> translator: we inserted the gene that provides a phosphorescence in jellyfish and coral. that's why the yarn glows. >> reporter: here's one of the silkworms born from this manipulation. when light of a specific wave length is projected onto it the worm's body emits an orange color. the glow comes from the silk thread inside the worm's body. it's luminescent like some types of jellyfish and coral. fabric made from this thread could produce all kinds of products with high added value, ranging from glowing garments to

original lampshades. in the 1930s, there were more than 2 million silk farms across the country, but the growing availability of artificial fibers, and increased international competition, led to the decline of japanese silk. only 500 silk farms remain active in japan. their owners are pinning high hopes on the potential of this technology. >> translator: it's very attractive for us. but it also means higher costs. and is not like we would be free to grow these silkworms anywhere. the process involves gene manipulation so it requires the authorization of the agriculture ministry. production would be limited to specific farms. >> reporter: one necessary precaution is to make absolutely sure that genetically modified organisms don't breed with natural species. researchers at the institute are working hard to turn this

futuristic project into reality. once the process is based they hope to make their modified variety of silkworms available to farms and put their idea into practical use within a few years. the potential of genetic manipulation is not limited to silk that glows. one example is this garment that incorporates the characteristics of spider thread. >> translator: introducing the genes of spider thread makes the fabric 20% stronger and 30% more stretchy. it's a whole range of possibilities. for exam in studying the genes of the kind of thread that's produced underwater by aquatic insects could make a garment for water resistant. our aim is to produce a type of material that can only be made with japanese technology and we hope a revival of the silk industry. >> reporter: the question now is whether these 21st century worms will be enough to give hope to japan's ailing silk industry.

a baby chimpanzee at a zoo in japan is attracting a lot of attention. she was born partially paralyzed and had to be hand reared by zookeepers, but that special care has helped her grow stronger. nhk world has the story. >> reporter: she was born at the zoo in coach chi prefecture with a disability. she had a difficult delivery. her mother had never given birth before, and there were difficulties in her arrival. so she was given an assisted delivery. but she had no heartbeat when she was born.

the zoo staff struggled to save her life. she was put in intensive care. one of the staff who kept a close watch on her, steadily she began to grow. >> translator: we didn't think she'd survive. so we were very happy. >> reporter: her mother had been under anesthetic while giving birth, and she showed no interest in her baby. when the mother tried to introduce her to maoki she didn't recognize her at all. the zoo staff decided to raise maoki themselves. when she was about a month old

the mother noticed there was something strange about her vision. >> translator: like human babies chimpanzee's communicate with their mothers through eye contact. but maoki's vision doesn't seem to be functioning properly. >> reporter: she also has the right side of her body weaker than the left. this professor studies the physical and mental development of chimpanzees in comparison with humans. >> translator: in human terms, she has cerebral palsy, the right and left sides of her body are growing unevenly. her overall growth rate is extremely slow. >> reporter: she always uses her left hand.

for the first time she uses her left hand to grab the toy. >> translator: her desire to grab the object was so great she moved her right hand. it's the first time and it's so good to see that. >> reporter: they have begun giving her rehabilitation exercises to develop her right arm. >> she is very motivated, and we're quite optimistic. i know this is going to take a long time. but i intend to stay positive and keep taking it one step at a time. >> reporter: she is now very

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some people in the japanese capital of kyoto kicked off their new year the traditional way. they took part in a calligraphy event and they wrote down their wishes for 2015. kitano tenmangu shrine hosts the event every year. the shrine is dedicated to the scholar sugawara michizane who

is a master calligrapher. young and old wrote words such as new spring. and sheep, which is this year's zoed ack sign. >> translator: i wrote gratitude. my family and everyone around me help me to pass my upcoming exam to enter a high school. >> the good wishes will be put on display at the shrine later this month. and that's "newsline" for this hour. i'm gene otani in tokyo.

r detectors are brought into scan the java sea. brazil's dilma rousseff is sworn in for a second term as president.