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. prime minister shinzo abe says the government will do whatever it can to free two japanese men believed to be held captive by islamic state militants. one of the hostages kenji goto is an experienced journalist who's covered stories of people caught up in conflicts. toyota motor became the world's biggest selling

automaker for the third straight year in 2014. it was a close race with germany's volkswagen and u.s. general motors. and one man is paving the way for people to return home years after they evacuated a town around the fukushima nuclear plant. japan's prime minister says the government will do whatever it takes to free two men believed to have been captured by islamic state militants. shinzo abe returned home early from the middle east. he was on a six-day tour when a video appeared online purporting to show the hostages alongside a captor. abe held an emergency cabinet meeting in tokyo. >> translator: using people's lives as a threat is an intolerable and outrageous act of terrorism. i demand the two japanese men not be harmed. and that they be released immediately. >> the men in black demands a

ransom. he threatens to kill the hostages unless japan pays within 72 hours. chief cabinet secretary yoshihide suga says officials believe the two men are kenji goto and haruna yukawa. he says officials are acting on the assumption the deadline is around 2:50 p.m. on friday, japan time. >> translator: it's a tough race against time. but, the government will do all it can to deal with this matter. i ordered ministers to make full use of all diplomatic channels and routes we've established for the release of the two men. no matter what it takes. our country will never give in to terrorism. we will work with the international community to fight despicable terrorists.

>> state minister for foreign affairs yasuhide nakayama is at the japanese embassy in jordan as part of the efforts to resolve the crisis. japanese officials are contacting tribal and religious leaders connected to islamic state. they're also asking for help from the u.s.able other countries taking part in airstrikes against the militants. a syrian man who worked for one of the hostages spoke to nhk from southern turkey. alaaeddin al zoo i'm was a guide for kenji goto until the freelance journalist disappeared. >> he want to try to get some information about his friend, mr. yukawa. >> zaeem said goto entered syria from the southern turkish town of kilis on october 24th. goto had planned to travel to raqqah in northern syria, a stronghold of islamic state. zaeem said another guide joined

goato in aleppo then they entered an area of northern syria under islamic state control. >> it's not safe for you. goto recorded a message on zaeem's cell phone last october. he made it clear he knew the risk he was taking. >> if something happens, -- so please don't claim any claim to the syrian people. so it is my responsibility if something happens. it's pretty dangerous, but, please don't claim and don't have a bad aggression to the syrian people. >> the video lasts nearly 2 1/2 minutes. at the end goto says with a smile that he's determined to come back alive.

a japanese government source says goto's wife received an e-mail last month demanding mo e than $17 million. the e-mail was reportedly written in english. the source says the sender appears to be affiliated with islamic state, as the e-mail resembles previous e-mails sent by the group in other hostage taking incidents. the government is analyzing the ransom note. goto has worked extensively in conflict zones around the world with a focus on the humanitarian story. he filed this report for nhk world last february. it depicts the lives of people in the northern syrian city of aleppo, where the government forces were dropping what they called barrel bombs. >> reporter: severe fighting has turned this asian city into rubble and debris.

children are terrified. many are crying. the bomb are not controlled by any guiding device. they fall wherever the wind takes them. >> a lot of killed men, injured men, every day. >> every day? >> every day. we have every day. >> reporter: they cut holes inside building walls and walk through them. people only have rainwater to drink. many say they have no choice but to live here. children go to school, even as the fighting continues. their drawings paint a picture of the world around them. people bleeding and killed. but malak tells me there are

things she enjoys every day. at night, words on paper help her to escape the violence. she says she wants to become a professional artist one day. >> translator: i would like to paint what's happened up to now and what's happening now. >> reporter: life isn't easy. many here are just doing what they can to survive. kenji goto for nhk world, aleppo, syria. earlier nhk world's miki yamamoto spoke with our bureau chief. >> have you ever thought that japan or a japanese national could be a target like this

case? >> well i feel this could be a possibility. i was in southern turkey on the syrian border last week just before this incident. locals warned me to be careful of becoming a target of kidnapping. locals also said although islamic state militants are taking arabs and westerners as hostages, a japanese national could just as easily become a target. but, it doesn't make the video a fellow journalist kenji goto any less shocking to me. >> what is your main focus when you're covering islamic state? >> well i was -- i am trying to find out what is happening in the so-called territories of what they claim as their state. i have been interviewing current and former fighters and ordinary citizens who fled the area. also, i was looking to understand what motivates those who support the group. last year i visited one of the

bases in tripoli in northern lebanon. i interviewed one of their commanders. he was recruiting young men and sending them to syria to join islamic state as fighters and join the battles against the syrian government forces. he said it was his dream to see a country run under islamic law, and he was extremely happy that this dream is becoming a reality. >> then why are they taking hostages, and asking for ransom? >> well look these -- this group needs money. the commander that we met had many young people under his control. apparently he needed money to pay them. he needed money to purchase weapons. he needed money to send them to syria. ransom is one of the major sources of revenue for this group. an expert said in 2013 alone the group received between $35 million and $45 million u.s.

dollars through ransom payments. having said that i don't see that money alone is the reason behind this incident of taking two japanese nationals as hostages. the group, this group, also wants global attention to receive donations, and members from as many countries as possible. they need attention to survive, and to grow. the group has been kidnapping westerners. now, by showing japanese nationals, they succeeded in getting attention from japan and probably from asia. >> what do you think of the statement they released in their video? >> well, i have to say that there are factual errors that i would like to point out. they claim that japan donated $200 million u.s. dollars in order to fight against islamic state. this amount was pledged by prime minister abe in egypt last week. but, japanese government officials say the money is not for military purposes.

but support humanitarian activities. one of the captives mr. goto is a journalist who has been working and covering humanitarian issues for years. in order to highlight the plight of the people in conflict areas. he was not taking any side in any war. as a fellow journalist i do truly hope that the captors understand this and release their hostages in a peaceful manner. japanese regulators have approved a controversial plan by the people at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. they say tepco officials can flush filtered waste water into the ocean. tepco officials plan to pump up contaminated groundwater through wells around damaged reactors. they say they'll reduce

radioactive material such as cesium 137 to less than one becquerel per liter, well below levels set by the government. regulators say they support the decontamination plan and approve of tepco's policy to take things one step at a time. they asked officials to ensure no waste water leaks and to release all data on radiation levels. fishermen along the coastline fear rumors about tainted sea water will hurt their business. >> translator: we can't trust tepco. we're finally recovering from the damage that harmful rumors have caused to our business. if they proceed with their plan the situation will surely go back to how it was before. i'm worried the government and tepco will act to suit themselves. >> tepco officials have promised to get the support of residents before they go ahead. cleanup crews in japan have been working for nearly four

years to decontaminate areas around the fukushima daiichi plant. in some places people have started returning to their hometowns. but it's not easy for many of them to start their lives over. there are limited working opportunities, despite the fact radiation levels meet safety standards. one young man is trying to prepare his neighborhood for people to come home. nhk world reports. >> reporter: tomoyuki was born and raised in fukushima prefecture, less than 20 kilometers from the fukushima plant. former residents are now only allowed to enter the district during the daytime. government officials aim to make it safe to live here again by april of next year. wada says it's necessary to

create jobs before the evacuation order is lifted so that people can start their own lives as soon as they return. he uses the daytime hours to revive local businesses. >> translator: people will come back if they know there are shops and jobs available in the area. by gradually creating such a flow, life will run through the town and will eventually connect to people's daily lives. >> reporter: wada has revived the local industries of farming and textile production. the silkworms produce cocoons which are turned into textiles. investment has been kept to a minimum by using existing resources. four local people now work at the facility. all the products are handmade.

>> translator: it's fun to do this job. it takes my mind off my troubles. >> reporter: the company is planning to increase the number of silkworms by ten times within a couple of months. >> translator: even if silk farming and textiles are small businesses, they are indispensable for the community. they can also play an important role in supporting the community. >> reporter: wada also opened a restaurant last month. he takes advantage of an unused facility owned by his friend. dozens of people showed up on opening day. wada hopes the eatery will play a role in rebuilding community ties that have come close to being severed.

>> translator: everyone will father if there's a place to eat. >> translator: this is something we really need. >> reporter: wada employs four okada residents at the restaurant. it's open for lunch four days a week. >> translator: i hope that raising silkworms, producing textiles and the restaurant will all become profitable and self-reliant as soon as possible. >> reporter: wada says he aims to expand all his businesses after the government lifts the restrictions in odaka. he hopes to help turn his hometown into a place where people are happy to live once more. yuki hadaka nhk world, fukushima. on top once again. and we're talking about toyota. ron madison is here with the details on this one.

ron? >> that's right. every year there's kind of this pole positioning for the world's top automakers for that top spot. as you say, toyota once again the world's biggest selling automaker for the third straight year in 2014. the japanese firm outsold germany's volkswagen and u.s.' general motors. but the race to the top was very close this time. managers at toyota say the automaker, including its group firms enjoyed sales of 10.23 million vehicles worldwide last year. that's up 2.5% from the previous year. the company's forecast for this year is less ambitious. toyota managers have set their global sales target at 10.15 million vehicles. that's down 0.8% from last year. they attribute the lower projection to an economic slowdown in emerging countries, and a decline in domestic sales due to the consumption tax hike last april. well policymakers at the bank of japan have wrapped up their two-day policy meeting. they decided to continue their massive easing program but the officials have lowered their

inflation forecast for next fiscal year starting in april. the policymakers kept their economic assessment unchanged saying the economy is moderately recovering. the officials released their latest forecast of prices. they lowered their inflation outlook for fiscal 2015 to 1% due to falling crude all prices and that is down 0.7 points from their previous forecast. and for fiscal 2016 they revised their forecast to 2.2%. that's up 0.1 point. they've been aiming for an inflation target of 2% over the past two years. >> translator: i can say for certain that the deflationary mind-set among consumers is steady reforming. but crude oil prices have been volatile. we may see consumer prices reach the bank's 2% inflation target at a different time from that which we have predicted, depending on oil prices. >> kuroda said that the bank is ready to take other steps such

as additional monetary easing measures if the outlook for prices and the overall economy changes. let's get a check of the markets now. investors are awaiting the outcome of thursday's key policy meeting of the european central bank. many are betting that the bank will launch a stimulus drive to boost the eurozone economy. here's how major indexes are doing. we're seeing a fairly checkered performance at this hour with london still enjoying gains right now of about 0.7%. both london and -- both paris and frankfurt are seeing declines of 0.3%. market players seem increasingly to believe that the ecb will adopt a bond buying program. here in asia most markets closed higher today. the shanghai composite journalling 4.7% which is the biggest one-day gain that we've seen in more than five years. bargain hunting came through across the board pretty much after sharp losses on monday. bucking the trend, as you can see there, is tokyo, which closed down 0.5%. the stronger yen really weighing on exporters today. some traders who had hoped for further easing by the bank of

japan sold the dollar for the yen. the dollar was in the upper 118 yen range in the morning. we're seeing the yen strengthening though right now at 117.66. market players have priced in easing measures by the ecb so the euro is moving fairly narrowly against the dollar at roughly 1.1568. japanese shoppers are keeping a pretty tight rein on their spending. sales at supermarkets and convenience stores have fallen for another year. officials at the japan chain stores association say sales for 2014 came to right around $110 billion. that's down 0.6% from the previous year. it also marks the 18th straight year-on-year decline. the survey excludes new openings and closures. the association says more people are cutting back on spending due to the consumption tax hike and the effect of poor weather on clothing demand. convenience stores also took a bit of a hit. their sales totalled right around $75 billion. down 0.8% from the previous year.

marking a second consecutive year of decline. well a next generation ultrahigh definition tv is drawing the attention of visitors at a broadcasting technology fair in the united arab emirates. this tv was developed by japanese engineers. more than 40 companies and organizations from europe and asia are showcasing their latest technologies in dubai. these include wireless cameras and video compression techniques. nhk is exhibiting an 8k ultrahigh definition tv capable of delivering images at 16 times the resolution of current high definition tvs. and it's the first time an 8k tv has been displayed in the middle east. >> feel like we're natural for the eye to experiment. this is what i think, it's really, really amazing. >> and visitors seem pretty captivated by the clarity of the images and sound as they watch soccer games and traditional japanese events. all right. that's going to do it for biz

tonight. here's a check of the markets. portugal gets pounded with powerful winds and heavy rainfall. our meteorologist jonathan oh sheer with a look at the weather forecast. jonathan? >> hello, gene. yes, we are definitely keeping an eye on the system as it swings in to western europe. we had a cold front associated

with a low pressure system you can see a curlicue associated with the mid british islesas it came onshore it came with a little powerful slap in the process. let me show you what it looked like on the ground level as this strong atlantic storm causing high waves and heavy snow in western europe tuesday and more specifically in portugal which experienced the brunt of it. several schools had to be closed down because of the snowstorm in the north. and in the process, also having to close down some roads and cutting off rural communities. but you can also see here a little bit more on the fun side the lighter side as kids were able to enjoy the winter weather with that snow in place, and i think we're going to sees winter weather continue on as we go through the next couple of days. you can see here we have a bunch of low pressure systems here. almost like a connect the dots type of setup, because there's so many of them. we will see these systems slowly progressing to the east picking up more moisture and the colder air will filter in meaning that we will also see some snowfall

taking place especially for the pyrenees and some of the higher elevations of western europe. i do want to point out the northern balkans we have a low pressure system over italy that will draw in some moisture already seeing rainfall and flooding problems that will continue on as we go in to wednesday. so look out for that. rain and thunderstorms in to rome. also into madrid. maybe some snow mixing with that. and up towards stockholm we'll see some snow, as well. rain in to warsaw as we go through wednesday. we are looking at some rain and wet weather as we go to north america. we have a low pressure system being generated down toward the desert southwest and crossing into oklahoma and texas. this system will eventually move over the gulf of mexico picking up even more moisture, and that's going to bring some heavy rainfall for the deep south as we go later on this week. in the mean time we do have a low pressure system that's clipping over the great lakes. that's going to bring in some cold air, so snow possible in chicago, d.c. and new york with chilly temperatures in to toronto. and i want to take you over further toward the north and west into western canada. we have a low pressure system

that's bringing in some moisture, high waves, and heavy rainfall are part of the picture and further inland we will see some heavy snowfall in the forecast for british columbia into seattle, washington and also into oregon. so look out for that. temperatures in the single digits for vancouver, 10 in seattle, negative 13 in winnipeg with snow in denver. chicago, d.c. and new york further down toward the south, rain into oklahoma city, and houston. as we take a look at the forecast for east asia i wanted to point out that we have a complex of low pressure systems here. a low over south korea will bring mixed precipitation with snow and rainfall. a couple of low pressure systems west and south of japan will bring in even more moisture in addition to the flurries and the rain that took place in tokyo and the kanto region. more rain in the forecast. not really looking at much in terms of snowfall for the northern portions of japan because of the southerly flow. so concerns with avalanches will be more of the focus for the sea of japan side of the country. look at this. chilly for tokyo with a high of

6 degrees with some rain on thursday. 7 in seoul. 5 in beijing. further down toward the south, we'll see temperatures up to 30 degrees in manila. speaking of asia, we're going to go down quickly and look at the asian cup forecast in australia, rain and thunderstorms in brisbane with a high of 28. melbourne a little bit warmer at 33 with drier conditions. hope you have a good day wherever you are. here's your extended outlook.

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

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e of the union address saying the crisis has passed. his a dress more aimed at the battle to succeed him -- address seemed more aimed at the battle to succeed him. new anti-terror measures aimed at curbing the threat of attacks in france. a palestinian man