oç 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. japan's prime minister has lift for the middle east where he's going to announce support for the fight against the islamic state militant group. declassified documents show japan's defense chief told his american counterpart in 1970 that it would be better to reserve the option of allowing u.s. nuclear weapons into his country. and more and more

journalists are becoming targets of terror so they're learning survival skills to keep telling their story. french military leaders say about 19,000 websites in the country have been attacked by hackers and they believe those responsible support islamic extremists. cyber defense officials said on thursday that the targets varied from military regiments to school websites. the hackers blocked the services or altered content. and they posted symbols belonging to islamic extremists. authorities say no major damages or data leaks have been reported. they say they're now strengthening their surveillance across the nation and in cyberspace. they suspect the hacking is a response to sunday's mass demonstrations to protest terror attacks in paris. leaders from more than 40 nations and international organizations took part in the rally. the twitter and youtube accounts of the u.s. military central command were attacked on monday by a group claiming to support islamic state.

japan's prime minister has left for a visit to the middle east. shinzo abe will travel to four countries and territories, as part of his diplomacy for 2015 he's expected to announce support for the global fight against the militant group islamic state. abe will meet with leaders in egypt, jordan, israel and the palestinian territories. >> translator: based on our principle of pro-active contributions to peace i'll tell the leaders that japan will provide support in the nonmilitary field. i hope my visit contributes to peace and stability in the region. >> this is his first official trip abroad since he launched his third cabinet last month. abe's first stop is egypt where he will speak about his diplomatic and national security policies. in the wake of the terrorist attacks in france, abe is expected to call on world leaders to take gradual steps to create stability in the region. he is also expected to convey

his policy goal of pro-actively contributing to the creation of peace in the region. this will include the financial support to countries such as egypt, jordan turkey lebanon, and others destabilized by the islamic state insurgents. this is the first visit by the japanese prime minister to the middle east since a revolutionary wave of protests the arab spring swept across the region. nhk's cairo bureau chief sat down with japan's ambassador to egypt. they discussed what shinzo abe's visit could mean to relations between japan and the region. >> diplomat assumed the post of ambassador last year. prime minister abe's visit comes at a significant time. islamic extremists last week carried out deadly attacks in france and this week allegedly planned a terror attack in belgium, and the war against militants with islamic state

rages on in iraq and syria. kaz awow says because egypt is considered it's in japan's interest to strengthen kiptic ties. >> middle east now is facing a very difficult turning point. extremism is spreading out, and egypt is one of the key countries to stop such a spreading war by the extremism. terrorism is not islam. so the violation of islamic philosophy so i think whether that kind of a message should be given to the muslim people in the world. >> reporter: the arab spring ended the 30-year reign of former president hosni mubarak. a period of political turmoil followed.

and egypt's first democratically elected president was ousted by the army. eventually, general abdul fatah al sisi was chosen as president. japan has taken a pragmatic approach to supporting the government. >> well the human rights is one the important values for the human society. but i think well the stability and then the fight against terrorism is the most important agenda the current egyptian government. so the -- we shouldunder stand that how difficult situations they are now, and also the we should understand that while the issue we should work with the

institution government. >> reporter: egypt now has a popular in japan, the first sumo wrestler from the middle east or the african continent. he is inspiring many young egyptians to follow his footsteps. dreaming to make a bit in japan one day. >> he is 22-year-old guy, but he understands very well his role to bridge between two countries. i ask that the people including the ministers, were the most the famous egyptian guy in japan now now -- and i very much expect

him to play very much important role for our relations. >> reporter: people in the region will closely watch abe's visit to egypt, jordan islam and palestine. and how the japanese leader can renew the country's commitment to the region. nhk world, cairo. more and more journalists are signing up for program that could save their lives. the france-based ngo reporters without borders says last year 66 journalists were killed. the recent attack on "charlie hebdo" and beheadings in the middle east underline how journalists are increasingly being targeted. security in structures near washington, d.c. are teaching survival skills so that reporters can keep telling their stories. nhk world's mitsuko nishikawa reports.

>> but if one of you disobeys, the rest will die! >> reporter: this threatened man is actually helping his captives. he's one of the instructors teaching survival skills to journalists who work in conflict zones. >> who sent you? >> you're cia. >> i'm not cia. >> reporter: the journalists are learning how to react to various scenarios, including being kidnapped by terrorists. angering their captors could mean death. the trainers tell them to answer calmly and honestly. a media expert says the rise of militant groups by islamic state is drastically changing how reporters work. >> that's due to the ongoing violence in the middle east as well as the changing role of journalists from kind of objective observer impartial bystander to increasingly being seen as part of the conflict and really putting the media in the

crosshairs of conflict. >> reporter: lindsay covers stories on women's rights. she signed up for the program because she often reports from areas where there's a threat of violence. >> well okay that my work takes me to the middle east anywhere really, and as a freelancer a lot of security becomes my responsibility, i just want to make sure that i'm prepared. as prepared as possible. >> reporter: reporters also learn emergency first aid techniques. >> can i get you to lay on your side? >> sure, yeah. this side? >> turn doors me. >> turn towards you? >> you need to stop the blood. >> reporter: many of the trainers served in the u.s. marine corps and the uk special forces. they teach students how to survive on the battlefield.

>> we're going to walk in. it's going to be a classic pressure plate. >> and doing a risk assessment walking through what you would do prior to getting out on the ground. how to react. so, it's minimum casualty. >> reporter: leger explains why some journalists risk death to work in war zones. >> it's everyone's personal choice, what they decide to cover or not cover, what is worth the risk. i think part of journalism is to illuminate the dark places. >> reporter: hence microfilms and cameras are all part of journalist's tool kit. now they're adding survival skills to be able to keep telling their stories. mitsuko nishikawa, nhk world.

police in hong kong have detained some of the organizers behind last year's pro-democracy protests. and their move could spark further opposition among activists. they arrested four people including student protest leader joshua wong. he pledged to continue to demand a free election for the city's top occasion. >> i'm still competent and optimistic for further action and a further umbrella movement and committed fight. >> authorities have issued summons for about 30 others. they're apparently trying to warn them from taking part in further demonstrations. but some people are still occupying a stretch of walkway. they're set up about 100 tents. >> translator: people here may take on the role of leading the demonstrations if we have another chance. our protest is not yet over.

>> pro-democracy groups plan to hold a march involving tens of thousands of people on february 1st. they occupied streets for about two months until late last year. they're critical of a decision by leaders of beijing to vet candidates in the first direct election for hong kong's chief executive in 2017. newly declassified diplomatic documents are shedding light on the relationship between two close allies. it showed japan's defense chief and his american counterpart in 1970 that it would be better to reserve the option of allowing the u.s. to bring nuclear weapons into japan. the documents cover a meeting between then defense agency chief yasuhiro nag sony who went on to become prime minister and a top u.s. official. in 1967 prime minister sato announced japan's three principles of possessing manufacturing, and allowing nuclear arms into the country. the prime ministers who

succeeded him including knack sewn. he made the announcement while on a visit to the u.s. the papers quote him as saying japan did not intend to arm itself as long as u.s. nuclear deterrence was in place. at the same name he said it was better to preserve the option of allowing the u.s. to bring nuclear weapons into japan. in another meeting laird told nakasone that he understood japan's alliance and in order to maintain a reliable nuclear deterrence the two countries should draw up an agreement on how it should be used. nakasone's secretary said it was a matter of course that japan maintained its three non-nuclear principles. he explained that nakasone's remarks were made in the height of the cold war when the japan u.s. security treaty worked to complement japan's defense capabilities. he also said nakasone may have felt the need to leave room for negotiations on bringing u.s. nuclear arms into japan in the event the u.s. made such a

request during an emergency. japan and the united states talked on free trade. ron madison is here with more on what went on. ron? >> you know what? these two countries have been having the hardest time in these talks and negotiators have failed to find common ground. officials came away empty handed from talks in tokyo but have agreed to meet again soon in the u.s. the two sides are divided over tariffs on key farm products including beef and park. tariffs on auto parts are also an issue. after the three-day talks japan's negotiator said u.s. officials appear eager to conclude an overall deal for the 12-nation tpp in the coming months. >> translator: i think there are some issues we still have to work on. a ministerial meeting for a final political settlement may be needed. but we're not at the stage to arrange that.

>> we had a productive week and we look forward to re-engaging very soon with japan to make further progress. >> japan and the u.s. are the largest economies in the tpp group. officials are trying to arrange a meeting of chief negotiators for all 12 nations in the u.s. later this month. well direct investment in china last year edged up from the previous year but investment from japan and the united states plummeted. officials say total direct investment by foreign firms in 2014 was nearly $120 billion. that's up 1.7% from the previous year. foreign investment has risen for two straight years. the pace has slowed down. analysts blame high labor costs and the stronger yuan. direct investment from japan was about $4.3 billion. that was down nearly 40%, amidst strained ties and the weaker yen. investment from the association of southeast asian nations and the united states was also down more than 20%. but south korea invested 30%

more. investors around the globe have been taken by the swiss central bank's surprise move. the bank scrapping of its currency cap against the euro says the swiss franc soaring against europe's ingle currency. other currencies and stocks followed right behind. one day after the abrupt announcement major benchmarks in europe are looking fairly mixed at this time. we're seeing a slight declines for paris while london and frankfurt are both showing modest declines. earlier in asia the shockwaves from switzerland swept across the region. japan's nikkei closed down 1.4%. the stronger yen hammered japanese experters like sony. australia's main index dropped to a one-month low as lower crude prices triggered selling of energy stocks. bucking the trend, though was shanghai closing at a 5.5 year high. investors there bought shares on hopes for more policy stimulus. moving on to currencies now the euro has recovered a bit against the dollar after briefly falling to an 11-year low.

we're seeing euro dollar right now at roughly 1.1592. the surge in the safe haven swiss franc also triggered buying of the yen, which is also seeing as another relatively safe asset triggers though bought back the dollar when it hit the 115 yen level. we're seeing the pair now at roughly 116.61. well trade officials from japan, china and south korea are meeting in tokyo for a fresh round of talks on a three-way free trade agreement. the focus of the two-day gathering is to iron out differences on a framework for tariff discussion. chief negotiators kicked off the talks by tackling tariff elimination rates and time frame. they then plan to deal with tariff cuts item by item. negotiations have frustrated officials for the past two years as they try to hammer out a broad framework. japan is calling for the swift abolition of tariffs on products such as cars while china remains cautious.

>> translator: delegates of the three parties have agreed to accelerate negotiations. >> he said hopes the three parties can agree on a negotiating framework. well japanese officials are working on ways to expand exports of infrastructure. in vietnam they plan to make the post office more modern and efficient. japan's communication state minister and his vietnamese counterpart exchanged a memorandum in hanoi. ministry officials say japan aims to improve vietnam's postal system and heighten the level of trust among vietnamese people and their postal services. japan will also provide practices and information relating to banks and insurance businesses. now the japanese government plans to work with its private sector in realizing the project. it would help introduce japanese companies. the government hopes to launch such projects in other emerging economies. it has already exchanged a memorandum with myanmar. new car sales in russia are

facing a pretty tough ride. a industry group is predicting they will fall by as much as a quarter in 2015. members of the association of european businesses which is a lobby group, have released last year's figures. the group says russian new sales of passenger cars and exact commercial vehicles stood at roughly 2.5 million units. that's down more than 10% from the previous year. the fall comes amid a weakened economy, due partly to western sanctions over the ukraine crisis. the association predicts new car sales this year will fall 24.2% to about 1.9 million. automakers from japan the u.s. and europe are fighting to expand their market share. prices of imported cars, though are expected to rise due to the plunge in the russian ruble, following a drop in crude oil prices. all right. that is going to wrap it up for biz tonight. i'll leave you with the markets.

more than 20 people are missing after a tugboat sank in china's yangtze river. the boat was on a test voyage when it sank around 3:00 p.m. thursday local time in a tributary of the river. china's state-run xinhua news agency says the boat rolled onto

its port side and quickly sank. it says three people on board were rescued and more than 20 others are missing. japan's consulate general in shanghai says one of the missing is a japanese man in his 60s. the xinhua report says the shipbuilder did not follow proper procedures and failed to report the test voyage. local authorities are producting a search and rescue operation. they also plan to look into whether there were any problems with the boat. two animated films by japanese directors have been nominated for this year's academy awards. the academy of motion picture arts and sciences announced the nomination for the 87th academy awards in los angeles. the tale of the princess kagua has been nominated in the animated feature film category along with four other movies. the film's based on a japanese folk tale about a tiny girl found inside a bamboo stalk. shows her growing up and finally having to deal with her fate. it's his first oscar nomination and the fourth from japan in the category.

in the animated short film category the dan keeper has also been dominated. 918 minute film is about a young pig that most protect a small town from air pollution. the oscar winners will be announced at the ceremony in hollywood on february 22nd. people in the western u.s. are expecting heavy rain into the weekend. our meteorologist sayaka mori joins us for the details. sayaka? >> yes, gene fall and winter are the wet seasons for the pacific northwest. it's in a series of low pressure systems this time of year and we have a new system moving into the area. we're looking at quite wet conditions for the coast and freezing rain falling for inland locations such as british columbia down towards northern

california and strong winds are blowing. so the combination of strong winds, and frozen precipitation are resulting in downed trees. and that will eventually cause power outages. now inland locations such as the northern rockies are seeing heavy snowfall. and as we go into sunday we have the second system to drift in so more heavy rain is on the menu into the weekend. the coastal locations may get up to 130 millimeters of rain. enough to cause flooding as well as mudslides. but as you can see rain is not insight for the southern areas of california where drought is still continuing. your high is going to be much higher than normal in l.a. once again on friday 24 degrees is your high. minus 6 degrees for the high in winnipeg with snowflakes. and minus figures in both chicago as well as toronto. now across europe blustery conditions are still continuing in northern europe. in fact the uk you saw wind gusts of over 180 kilometers per hour. now the worst is happening for the southern parts of the

scandinavian peninsula like sweden and norway. strong winds will likely continue into the weekend. and snow is on the menu. probably up to 20 centimeters of snowfall into the next 24 hours. and 30 centimeters of snow is likely to fall for the alpine region and severe weather could happen over the coastal areas such as france and italy, into the weekend. all right, temperatures, 9 degrees in paris with rain on the menu. in single digits for you in london and across the south 7 degrees for the high with rainy weather. now across australia, the asian cup is taking place, and we are looking at sunny conditions in brisbane australia will meet south korea. your high is going to be up to 35 degrees. so quite tough conditions for the players. and as we go into sunday calm conditions for melbourne, with high of 21 degrees on sunday. all right, across the pacific, there is a tropical storm, the

first tropical storm of 2015 it's now aiming for the philippines. the center will likely reach the east coast by saturday evening local time as a tropical storm and then move up to luzon in early next week. waves are going to be up to five meters alone the coast, with storm surges coastal flooding could happen and as much as 200 millimeters rain is likely in the northern two thirds of the nation into the next three days or so. looking dry for most part of china, but rainy weather and snowy weather for many parts of japan over the weekend. but tokyo will remain dry. we'll have 12 degrees. meanwhile seasonably cold. minus 11 degrees for the high. from this area we have some video to show you. take a look. at the harbin ice and snow festival a 300 meter long ice slide is one of the main attractions. massive ice rocks were taken from the rosen river nearby l.e.d. lights have turned the

scene into a wonderland. the festival will continue until the end of march. all right. here's the extended forecast around the globe.

that's "newsline" for this hour. i'm gene otani in tokyo. aaa8ú÷gp÷

tice. the ministers will be circulating information in this regard. >> if you are just joining us now, we were listening to belgian authorities on the ongoing situation. as we saw in the past 24 hours a major antiterrorist week taking place in belgium. we heard from the belgian prime minister