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. delegates from dozens of nations have wrapped up a meeting on violent extremism, agreeing to take a multipronged approach to countering militants everywhere. a member of a defunct japanese terrorist group was deported from the u.s. and arrested in tokyo.

and people in sporting circles are hoping the 2019 rugby world cup in japan will give the game a big boost in the country. representatives of more than 60 nations have agreed to work closer together to counter violent extremism. they wrapped up a conference in washington, and they noted combat aimed groups such as islamic state requires a strategy encompassing security social media, and help for people on the sidelines of society. nhk world's craig dale has the details. >> reporter: they came together from all corners of the planet. part of the global effort to confront a common enemy. >> we must remain unwavering in our fight against terrorist organizations. >> reporter: the delegates to this three-day white house summit on countering violent extremism know the state of play all too well. this threat has no precedent, says french foreign minister

bernard kozeneuve. they've seen fighters with the islamic state groups swallow up territory in syria and iraq, along the way killing civilians, soldiers and foreign hostages. >> the victims are as diverse as humankind itself. but let us recognize that the vast majority of the victims are muslims. >> reporter: the u.s. and other nations have launched coordinated military campaigns in response. at the same time government leaders have watched thousands of muslim men from the middle east, europe and elsewhere continue to join the fight. >> translator: new types of battles have begun in the 21st century. with terrorists and terrorist organizations using information technology to attack states. >> reporter: these delegates are also keenly aware of the potential for radicalized individuals to strike anywhere in the world. from the attack last year on the capital of canada, ottawa. to the massacre last month at the office of satirical

newspaper in paris. to the fatal shootings last weekend in copenhagen. >> we need to focus on how we can prevent persons from turning into terrorists in the first place. and how we can get them back on the right path once they've been drawn into a mind-set of violent extremism. >> reporter: many understand what that prevention and response strategy should focus on. >> it is all about education, education, education, opportunity, opportunity, opportunity, empowerment, empowerment, empowerment. >> reporter: delegates agree too many muslims struggle in the face of poverty and discrimination and consequently they buy into what president obama calls a warped ideology. >> groups like al qaeda and isil are deliberately targeting their propaganda to muslim communities. particularly muslim youth. and muslim communities, including scholars and clerics, therefore have a responsibility to push back. >> reporter: u.s. national security adviser susan rice summed up the overall message

when she read out the joint statement. >> to secure our future against terrorist threats, we have to work together as governments, and as peoples. >> reporter: that work includes better intergovernmental coordination, improved links with community groups, and social media campaigns. the u.s. japan and other nations have pledged millions of dollars to fighting thehreat of violent extremism through nonmilitary means. as president obama noted, they're all in the same boat. they have to help each other. craig dale, nhk world. u.s. military officials say a campaign to retake iraq's second largest city of mosul from islamic state militants could begin as soon as april. islamic state militants have controlled mosul since last june. the u.s. military estimates there are up to 2,000 militants in the city. it is now one of the group's main strongholds. the officials say the u.s. will train iraqi and kurdish forces at facilities in iran. between 20,000 and 25,000

personnel are expected to take part. the u.s. military will support the operation with air raids. american personnel will also conduct intelligence, and surveillance activities. the japanese government is trying to widen its sphere of influence. they will hold the tokyo international conference on african development in kenya next year. the government is trying to strengthen ties with nations on the continent. all of the five previous conferences took place in japan. the last one was in yokohama in june, 2013 with the u.n. secretary-general and leaders of about 50 african nations attending. africa's economy has been expanding in recent years. it has benefited from exports of natural resources and increased investment. japan hopes to counter the growing influence of china in the region.

war veterans and officials from the japanese and u.s. governments have gathered to commemorate a bloody battle for an island in the pacific. soldiers from the two countries faced off 70 years ago on ioto. sorry about that. it's ioto, rather. ♪ >> i took shore 231 on d-day. but we walked off the island 99 of us remained to walk off the island. that's a pretty high casualty rate. >> a solemn ceremony was held on thursday in washington. the japanese ambassador to the u.s. stressed the importance of the post-war alliance between the two nations. >> japan and the united states overcame intense hostility to

emerge as the most important and reliable of allies. >> u.s. forces began landing on ioto on february 19th, 1945. they fought fierce battles with japanese forces through march, when the 20,000 japanese and 6,800 americans died. u.s. president barack obama is doing his part to enter the legacy of world war ii isn't forgotten. he has declared an inherent internment camp in hawaii a national monument. >> it's going to be a monument to a painful part of our history. so that we don't repeat the mistakes of the past. >> the former internment camp near pearl harbor held about 400 japanese-americans, and some 4,000 prisoners of war. white house officials say the monument will help tell the difficult story of the camp's impact on the japanese-american

community. they also say it highlights the fragility of civil rights during times of conflict. curators at a u.s. museum have screened a film about the mass internment of japanese-americans during world war ii. the screening marked the 73rd anniversary of the day u.s. president franklin d. roosevelt signed an executive order that led to the imprisonment of about 120,000 japanese-americans. the documentary "the legacy of heart mountain" was shown at the national museum of american history. the film depicts harsh conditions at an internment camp in the u.s. state of wyoming. former prisoners recall the experience of losing their freedom. the film's producers and others including japanese-americans ter took part in panel discussions. one of the panelists norman mineta, became the first japanese-american u.s. cabinet member in 2000.

he's also a former attorney. he touched on the importance of facing up to past wrongs, and passing down lessons. >> my own government wasn't willing to acknowledge me as a citizen, and that we must be vigilant in the protection of those constitutional rights. >> do we have to tell our stories and we need to get those stories out to the public and that's our history. that is the essence of history. >> tokyo police have arrested a former member of a japanese extremist group nearly four decades after the man was released from jail in a prisoner swap deal. tsutomu shirosaki was extradited from japan to the u.s. where he finished serving a sentence for attempted murder. shirosaki was arrested upon his arrival at narita airport on friday. he belonged to the japanese red army. the group was responsible for numerous acts of terrorism during the 1970s and 1980s. one of the incidents was the

1977 hijacking of a plane in bangladesh. japanese authorities freed shirosaki and five other members from prison in exchange for hostages. nearly a decade later shirosaki made headlines again. tokyo police suspect he took part in a 1986 attacks on the japanese and american embassies in the indonesian capital of jakarta. officials put shirosaki on an international wanted list in 1992. shirosaki was finally detained in 1996 in nepal. he was transferred to the u.s. and convicted of attempted murder. japanese authorities plan to investigate his activities and those of other members of the japanese red army. seven members of the group are still on the run. japanese government leaders are working on legislation that would allow the country's self-defense forces to take on a bigger role in overseas operations. the legislation would permit sdf personnel to support foreign troops fighting for peace and stability without a u.n.

resolution. the proposal comes as the country's two governing coalition parties work to draft new national security laws. the government wants to enact a permanent law that would allow the sdf to react to situations quickly. officials want to be able to provide logistics support to troops conducting peace operations. the provision would cover not only multinational forces based on a u.n. resolution, but also troops fighting terrorist threats, or trying to restore security. sdf personnel would be able to provide transportation medicine and health in search and rescue missions. officials are also proposing revising a law to expand the scope of logistic support for forces responding to emergencies that could directly affect japan's security. the officials say there should be no geographical limitations to where the sdf can operate. they say the sdf should provide assistance to foreign troops in addition to the u.s. forces.

some members of the coalition's junior member komeito have expressed doubts about a permanent law. they question whether it would cover every possible scenario as foreign troops engaged overseas would be there for different reasons. others say revising an existing law would change its meaning if the assumption of responding to emergencies that could directly affect japan's security are removed. japan's prime minister is facing questions over relations with north korea. shinzo abe spoke in the diet about a recent property sale related to a pro-pyongyang organization in tokyo. he suggested the business transaction and bilateral talks should now be linked. seiji maehara questioned abe about the sale and property that has served as north korea's de facto embassy in japan. the countries don't maintain diplomatic ties. the land and building were put up for auction in 2012. a real estate developer bought them last year then resold them to another real estate firm.

mihara said the pro-pyongyang group can use the property if the current owner leases it to them. he said the practice undermines public auction which can be regarded as an evasion of law. maehara also asked abe's take on alleged remark by a mediator that allowing the group's continued use of the property would help improve japan/north korea relations. >> translator: business transactions and bilateral talks are two totally different things. however, if the transaction is illegal, i want to clearly say that my government will never go ahead with the talks while overlooking the practice. >> abe suggested he will not link transactions and bilateral talks over abductions of japanese nationals. tokyo says north korean agents abducted 17 japanese in the 1970s and '80s. north korea set up a special committee last july to look into the fate of the abductees and other missing japanese.

but it has yet to release the results of the investigation. eurozone members are discussing a desperately needed financial lifeline for greece. ron madison is here with more on this story. >> yeah gene you know there's an awful lot riding on the talks including what the future might hold for greece as part of the eurozone. so finance ministers in the zone are preparing to meet in brussels for crucial discussions on greece. the greek government has asked for a six-month extension of financial aid that's set to end this month. greek finance minister is expected to propose a new aid framework. it would review the current austerity measures for his country, and ease the burden of its huge debt. germany and other creditors say greece's financial lifeline will be extended only on condition that austerity continues. the german government is among several that need parliamentary approval to extend the aid. well if the friday meeting fails to produce a deal and the bailout program ends greece could run out of funds next

month. investors are staying cautious ahead of that meeting of eurozone finance ministers on the bailout plan. here's how major benchmarks are looking in europe at this time. things are still pretty mixed right now with london pulling ahead. it's up by 0.3% now. both frankfurt and paris are down by about 0.2%. here in tokyo the benchmark index gained nearly 0.4% finishing out the week on quite an up note 18,332. markets continued to rally driven by optimism over stronger earnings. by japanese companies. for the week the nikkei gained 2.3%. in sydney the main index there slipped nearly 0.4% 5,881. sentiment dented after a ratings agency warned australia's aaa sovereign rating might be at risk. and jakarta's main index closed up 0.2% 5,400. banking stocks continued to get tailwind from the indonesian central bank's surprise rate cut on tuesday. taking a look now at currencies the euro has been losing some ground against the dollar.

right now it's at roughly 1.1326. some market players are buying the euro against the dollar before the meeting about greece. meanwhile the dollar is moving in a narrow range against the yen at 118.66. investors are waiting for comments on a rate hike by u.s. federal reserve chair janet yellen next week. well president barack obama has stressed in his economic report that the u.s. must lead in setting trade rules in the asia pacific region. and he says the trans-pacific partnership free trade agreement is a way to do this. the president discusses these issues in his annual economic report to congress. 12 countries, including the u.s. and japan, are negotiating the tpp. the report notes that the asia pacific region's growing middle class is an important market for expanding u.s. exports. it says comprehensive trade agreements like the tpp offer the u.s. a way to shape the rules of globalization in the bestnterests of american workers and firms. the report warns that failure to secure a tpp agreement will allow other countries to set

global trade rules that would likely be adverse to u.s. interests. china's lenovo the world's largest pcmaker, has admitted shipping laptops preinstalled with controversial software. cybersecurity experts say the software could make information on laptops vulnerable to hackers. officials at lenovo group say that between september and december last year the firm shipped worldwide more than 40 models equipped with the software called super phish. the ad ware style software sends information about products browsed online so a company that analyzes it and sends back advertisements for other products. lenovo officials say they deactivated the software last month. well, they also stopped installing it on computers, saying it failed to meet the expectations of its customers. lenovo has posted instructions on its website on how to completely remove the software. japan's skymark airlines is getting multiple offers now of support to help pull it out of bankruptcy.

the country's third largest airline filed for protection last month. sources say there are now nearly 20 offers to help it rebuild. travel agency h.i.s. is one of them. it was one of skymark's founders. financial services op orex has put in a bid. a trading house and an investment fund also reportedly made offers by the deadline on thursday. skymark is seeking backing from other airlines as well. they have until monday to offer restructuring plans. n.a. holdings has expressed interest. skymark has 36 domestic landing lots at haneda airport. all right that is going to wrap it up for biz tonight. let's see how things are looking on the markets.

the 2028 tokyo olympic and pair olympic games are about to get attention. the government has approved a bill that will create a ministerial post to oversee preparations for the games. the cabinet has approved another bill covering the 2019 rugby world cup. the event will be held in japan, the first time in asia and japan's team has been working hard in preparation. nhk world has more. >> reporter: ahead of rugby world cup excitement is building ahead of the 2019 games. he completed an inspection tour

of venues last month that took him around the country. >> i think the enthusiasm that we've seen from every city and local prefecture that we've been to and the passion and desire to host rugby world cup matches has been wonderful, from all of the 15 candidates. >> reporter: rugby was first introduced in japan more than 100 years ago. its most popular period was in the 1980s especially in university and corporate teams. panese have long struggled against the larger more powerful players from overseas. but the current national team seems to be making the most of its attributes. eddie johns has been head coach for the past three years. the australian-born johns says his players are now standing up to their powerful rivals by taking advantage of their strength, speed and agility.

>> japanese rugby, because we are smaller, but we are fast we are fit, we are skillful we're playing a very techie game. >> reporter: jones is putting his team through a tough training regiment. the morning workout starts at 5:00 a.m. it begins in a gym where the players work on building up their muscle strength. it then moves on to the pitch where they practice their plays. since jones took over the position the team at one time climbed in the world rankings to the number nine spot its highest ever. the players are going to get a chance to test their skills in this year's world cup in england. >> we have to play a brand of rugby that encourages people to come to the game and see it. that way we need to have courage because we've got to play differently. >> reporter: following rugby's peak in the '80s it's been overtaken by sockner terms of population. but the japan rugby football

union wants to change that. it hopes to increase the number of people playing the game as well as the number of people watching. it's planning to hold more events to expose children to the game as well as to host more international competitions in japan. the union has set a goal of increasing the number of players from the current 110,000 to about 200,000 by the time the rug rugby world cup gets under way in 2019. people in rugby circles are hoping the world cup 2019 will rekindle the sport's popularity. the host cities will be announced on the 2nd of march. nhk world, tokyo. snow is rolling through parts of the western middle east. our meteorologist jonathan oh is here with the details. jonathan? >> hello, gene. we've been talking about snowfall in this area for the past few days.

specifically over turkey. but now, as this cutoff low continues to slowly drift down toward the south and east the influence of snow continues to move further toward the south. let me take you over to jordan, where we are seeing this snowfall that came through friday morning. heavy snow in fact paralyzed the capital amman because of all the snow you see here. the cars were stuck in the deep snow. and also streets were empty, and officials had to post alerts for that winter storm. now, the extreme cold weather, along with thunderstorms and heavy rain is expected to not only continue through friday but also into parts of the weekend, and for the higher elevations, re snow is expected. this low pressure system does not have any forcing mechanism to move it anywhere. so it just drifts towards the east. so as it continues to drift, it's going to still bring influence of bringing in some of these cold winds down over toward the south. so we will see the moisture and possibly even the snow in places, particularly for turkey.

you will see some more snowfall. you're higher up to where you have enough cold air. further down toward the south, more rain/snow mix. a little bit messy at times. now if you look further toward the west. the high pressure system has taken over the mediterranean sea so we should see some calmer weather. at least for the next few days. we do have a couple areas of cold air trying to move into the northwestern corner of the continent. that's going to bring a chance for some rain to stockholm, paris, madrid and also into lisbon. single digit highs for warsaw and vienna as we go through friday. now, cold weather is all we're talking about in north america, as the jet stream has just poured into this cold air. almost taken like a pitcher of water just pouring in just flows all the way down through the eastern side of the continent. this cold air will stay in place throughout friday, and even into parts of saturday. the bitter cold further up toward the eastern side of canada, into ontario and quebec. but even as far south as florida, orlando was reporting

temperatures at freezing for morning lows. that is very cold for those living down that far south. and i think we're going to see the cold air gripping the area for just one more day. a high of 2 in atlanta. maybe even a few flakes. miami you're at 18. that's cold for you. negative 9 in chicago 347 and washington, d.c. maybe some flakes, winnipeg with a high of negative 11. a little bit of a milder trend as we look at the forecast for east asia. high pressure is pushing toward the east. japan seeing some very pleasant conditions and sunny skies. i think that will last one more day before we have this area of instability over southern china. that will push toward the east on saturday bringing some clouds for the korean peninsula. and then into kyushu and central portions of japan, as we go in to sunday. it's going to get a bit wet. but for saturday a high of 10 under sunny skies. 8 in seoul and again that rain will be in place for shanghai, taipei and also into hong kong. i want to take you to australia to wrap things up. we've been talking about two tropical systems, marcia

continues to move towards the south and east brisbane and gold coast and sunshine coast look out for the rain fall as we go throughout the overnight hours and more rainfall toward the northeastern coast of new south wales. the remnants of lahm will also bring a lot of rainfall very slow mover, expecting anywhere from 110 to 150 millimeters of rain going through the next couple of days. 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.

' ng news this hour. crunch time for greece -- eurozone ministers meet in brussels in a last attempt to renegotiate the country's bailout. germany has set a firm no to athens' lead to extend the deadline by six months. in ukraine, they are still declaring support for the tattered cease-fire. german chancellor angela merkel and president francois hollande have been meeting in paris. the french film industry gets ready to roll out the red carpe