welcome back to "newsline" i'm miki yamamoto in tokyo. first the headlines for this hour. search crews in the french alps will head back to the crash site of a german passenger plane. all 150 people on board are feared dead. the united states will delay the withdrawal of troops from afghanistan as a result of the worsening security situation. ♪

children in some parts of japan are bidding farewell to their schools. they're closing down due to the shrinking population. authorities and experts are looking for clues after a german jetliner crashed into the french alps. they fear all 100 people who were on board are dead. they're hoping information from the flight data recorder will reveal what happened. nhk world reports. >> reporter: the plane was traveling from barcelona to dusseldorf on tuesday morning. the airbus a320 was operated by lufthansa's budget carrier germanwings. 144 passengers and 6 crew members, were on board. about an hour into the flight the plane crashed into a mountainside. police and firefighters used helicopters to search the area until sunset.

the plane was flying at 38,000 feet when it lost altitude and rapidly descended for eight minutes. the aircraft lost contact with the control tower after it came to an altitude of 6,000 feet. >> for the time being we say it's an accident. there's nothing more that we can say right now. everything else would be speculation. >> reporter: french authorities have set up a task force near the crash site. they say it won't be an easy task. the site is steep and rocky, and debris is scattered for hundreds of meters. dusseldorf airport has become a gathering place for family members. many are in shock. the airline says many of the passengers were germans. 16 students and 2 teachers are believed to have been among them. the group was heading home after

taking part in an exchange program in spain. >> translator: i would like to say that the town is deeply shaken. we are in a state of shock. >> reporter: aviation experts are analyzing data from a black box. they're trying to answer the question on everyone's mind. what caused the crash? nhk world. now, search has resumed on the mountainside where the plane crashed. let's go to meteorologist sayaka mori for details on the weather conditions around the crash site in southeastern france. >> yes, weather was actually not bad when the crash happened. it was actually relatively good. but things have changed since tuesday afternoon. you can see clouds are lifting, covering the south of france. so because of that right now winds and rain are increasing, and also because temperatures are low, mountains are seeing

snowfall. so the bad weather is causing low visibility so that could hamper the recovery and searching operation. now the system will likely move away, so conditions will improve on thursday. less windy conditions, and sunny weather for you for the south of france, but that weather will continue throughout your wednesday. meanwhile, italy and the western balkan peninsula will be battered by severe weather as we go into thursday. there is a risk of tornadoes and severe thunderstorms, as well as large hail. >> thanks for that sayaka. and officials in tokyo have announced the names of two japanese men on the passenger list. foreign ministry officials say one man is in his 40s, and the other in his 60s. they both live in dusseldorf. japanese prime minister shinzo abe expressed sorrow.

>> translator: we are doing our best to gather information on two japanese on the passenger list. it's a catastrophe. i extend my deep condolences to the victims. >> foreign minister fumio kishida said japan is cooperating with other countries on gathering information. u.s. president barack obama spoke to the media. >> it's particularly heartbreaking because it apparently includes the loss of so many children. >> obama said he spoke to german chancellor angela merkel over the phone and offered assistance. he said he also plans to call spanish prime minister mariano rajoy. a spokesperson for the national security council says there are no signs that the crash was the result of terrorism. she said the u.s. has offered assistance to authorities in france, germany and spain. a series of fateal aviation

accidents involving commercial airlines made headlines over the past year. some of them involved low-cost carriers that are expanding their businesses around the world. last month a transasia airways passenger plane crashed into a river in taipei. at least 40 people died. taiwan authorities cited engine failure. flight 235 was the second fatal accident involving the airline within seven months. flight 222 crashed into buildings in july during an attempt to land in bad weather. 48 people were killed. in december, an airbus a320 crashed off indonesia. it's the same type of aircraft involved in the germanwings crash. the flight was run by air asia one of the largest low-cost carriers in the world. pilots had requested clearance to divert from the flight plan to avoid bad weather.

indonesian authorities have recovered 106 bodies. 56 people remain missing. last march malaysia airlines flight 370 disappeared from radar screens between kuala lumpur and beijing. search operations took months and involved at least eight countries. the plane has never been found. 239 people were on board. another malaysia airlines plane made headlines in july. flight mh-17 was shot down over eastern ukraine. the plane was en route to kuala lumpur from amsterdam. all 298 people on board were killed. the international air transport association says a record 3.3 billion people traveled by air last year. experts say the percentage of fatalities remains relatively low, compared to the rise in travelers.

now let's see what's happening in the world of business. here's ron madison from the biz desk. >> well, miki auto production in japan continues to be on the skids. output in february was down for the eighth straight month year-on-year. data from japan's eight major automakers show a nearly 6% decline. that was largely due to sluggish domestic sales, which were hit by a hike in the consumption tax last april. nearly 772,000 vehicles rolled out of the companies' factories last month. honda's output dropped 32.6%. a series of recalls of its hybrid models put a dent into domestic sales. toyota was off nearly 8%. nissan just over 2% there. but not all the companies were stuck in the slow lane. fuji heavy, the maker of subaru models posted a rise of more than 17%. at suzuki production was up nearly 3%. and at mitsubishi, more than 2% there. first exports to north america helped to drive sales. now as for japan's overall

production, the officials say they don't know if that's going to pick up any time soon. a tax hike on many vehicles to be introduced in april is expected to drag down domestic sales for this year. well japan's mitsubishi motors wants to grab a bigger share of the largest auto market in southeast asia. so they're building a new plant in indonesia. mitsubishi officials had a groundbreaking ceremony in the country's west java province. the new plant will cost about $500 million to build, and it's set to start production in 2017. company executives say up to 160,000 vehicles a year are scheduled to roll out of the new factory. that would be twice the firm's current production capacity in indonesia. the plan will mainly build small, multipurpose vehicles. some will be exported to other southeast asian countries. >> expanding asean region is the core market for mitsubishi motors, and officially indonesia

is one of the most important democratic markets. this is expected to achieve product growth. >> mitsubishi officials say the new plant will make indonesia the company's second major regional hub, right behind thailand. 1.2 million cars were sold in indonesia last year. that's more than double the number in 2009. executives at one of japan's major trading houses say they expect to book a net loss in the hundreds of millions of dollars. the loss at sumitomo corporation for the current fiscal year would be the company's first in 16 years. executives say they failed shale oil project in the u.s. is largely to blame. the sumitomo executives put the net loss at $710 million for the fiscal year that ends this month. they say another factor was lower prices in crude oil, and other resources that have made it difficult for them to recover their investments in an iron ore project in brazil. the executives revised their earnings estimate for this business year for the second time.

now they earlier downgraded their expected net profit to about $84 million. that was after the company suffered losses of more than $2 billion stemming from the shale oil project in texas. all right let's get a check of the markets now. tokyo stocks ended slightly higher after a choppy session. the benchmark nikkei gaining nearly 0.2% 19,746. some investors were out there booking profits today from recent gains. others, though bought shares on expectations of improved corporate earnings. well the shanghai composite snapping a ten-day winning streak, retreating from a seven-year high as well the day before. the index fell more than 0.8%. investors sold shares on profit taking. hong kong's hang seng rebounded from yesterday's loss. it rose more than half a percent finishing at 24,528. real estate and telecommunications sectors enjoyed a lift. here's how other markets in the asia pacific region finished out the day. sydney and seoul ended almost flat while indonesia declined nearly 0.8%.

people in many areas of japan lack the economic opportunities available in major cities. japanese government officials are looking to spur investment in those communities now. and they've launched a program of subsidies to local governments and special coupons to encourage people to spend money where they live. just about 1.3 billion dollars will be allocated for local government to issue premium shopping coupons. customers will be able to use such coupons when they shop in local stores. over 1700 local governments, just about 90% nationwide plan to participate in this program. a little more than $500 million will support coupons to be spent on local travel, and to purchase local products. well the 2011 accident at fukushima nuclear plant prompted japan to take a look -- closer look at where its electricity came from. japanese government officials are trying to figure out what mix of energy sources will meet the country's power needs. one group of business leaders is proposing that nuclear power

remain one of the major sources of the nation's total energy supply in the coming years. officials with the japan association of corporate executives say nuclear energy power will be needed as a base load energy source. they say japan's reliance on it will probably need to be at least 20% of all its power in 2030. the country derived 28% of its electricity from nuclear power before the 2011 accident. all japan's nuclear power plants are currently offline. the association members say it's unlikely that renewable energy sources such as solar and wind will provide more than 30% of japan's energy mix in 2030. well seems consumers around the world just can't get enough of beef. growing demand in china is putting pressure on the global supply, and driving up prices. in january of last year the chinese government expanded imports of beef. well this policy has had an impact on beef lovers in japan, where 60% of the beef consumed comes from overseas. japanese traders are finding it

ever harder to compete with chinese buyers for dwindling supplies. >> reporter: china's growing appetite for beef is taking a bite out of this tokyo trading firm's supply. >> translator: we can't get enough. things are getting worse every day. >> reporter: he is explaining the situation to a company that processes beef for restaurants. in just six months the price of a common cut of beef has risen by 50%. >> translator: i was really surprised the price had gone up so much. >> reporter: why is china buying up so much beef? beijing hosted an international food expo last november. consumption is expanding in step with the rise in china's per capita gdp. as the chinese diet becomes more westernized, beef consumption is

exploding. this is true even outside the major cities. this plant processes beef imported from australia. the facility will be expanded this year to meet demand. this trader handles about $2.5 million worth of imported beef. >> translator: you know japanese people are concerned that china is buying up all the beef. >> translator: if so why don't they buy from me? they should come here. we've got plenty of beef. >> reporter: ikamoto has come up with a plan to compete with china's beef buyers. he's thinking of switching to cuts that normally go into ground beef. >> translator: we can't allow

people to lose access to whatever they want to eat. i think our mission is to protect japanese people from falling into that kind of situation. >> reporter: china's growing hunger for beef could mean lean times ahead for japanese buyers. >> okay. that is going to wrap it up for biz this hour. let's get you a check of the markets.

the leaders of the united states and afghanistan have agreed to a change in their security arrangement. the two countries had planned to halve the number of u.s. troops in afghanistan by the year end. but now, they will maintain the current force of 9,800 through the end of the year. barack obama and ashraf ghani met at the white house on tuesday. ghani asked obama to slow the withdrawal because of the worsening security situation. some afghan groups are claiming loyalty to islamic state militants. but the leaders confirmed they will not change the plan to withdraw all u.s. forces by the end of 2016. >> we agreed to continue to keep

in place our close security cooperation. afghanistan remains a very dangerous place. >> the flexibility that has been provided for 2015 will be used to accelerate reforms to ensure that afghan national security forces are much better led, equipped trained, and are focused on their fundamental mission. >> most of the u.s.-led international forces pulled out of afghanistan by the end of december following the completion of their combat mission. a pro-russian candidate has been elected the new governor of an autonomous region in moldova. it has ignited fears about a possible russian attempt to destabilize the country. braf won a majority of votes in sunday es election.

most of the area's residents are turkish christians. he wants stronger ties with russia. russian media has reported that she visited moscow recently to meet russian parliament leaders. moldova neighbors ukraine. russian forces have maintained a presence in the eastern region of since 1992. the reege den claired independence from moll voef today in 1992 during the soviet era setting off clashes with government forces. a truce was reached two years later when russia deployed peacekeepers. another nuclear reactor in central japan may be scrapped due to safety fears. experts with japan's nuclear watchdog have warned that a fault running under the number two reactor at fukui prefecture's plant could move. the finding follows a three-year

study of the fault that was presented in a nuclear regulation authority report on wednesday. two other investigations have reached the same conclusion. japan's new regulations ban nuclear plant operations -- operators from building and operating reactors above fault lines. officials at the plant's operator japan atomic power company are disputing the assessment and plan to apply for a restart. >> translator: we will fully respect today's assessment as one important value in case the application is made. >> a separate report on wednesday warns two faults running under the higashori plant may also pose a risk. the plant's operator claims that land deformation above the fault is caused by rocks swelling rather than seismic movement.

but the nuclear regulator has dismissed the explanation and may urge the operator to take additional safety measures. now it's a season of transition for japanese students. the school year changes between march and april. but many of them are facing more changes than usual, as their school closed for good. nhk world reports. >> reporter: student ss gather to sing their school song one last time. seika has a history of more than 140 years. authorities have decided to shut it down because there aren't enough children in the area. next month, the pupils will have to travel four kilometers to get to class.

>> translator: i have many memories. i don't want to leave the school. >> translator: i want to say thank you to our school. >> reporter: it's the same story for his high school in oita on kyushu island. many former students attended the closing ceremony. >> translator: we are very proud of our school. all of you graduates have built traditions before us. >> reporter: japan's declining birth rate is taking a toll on schools. government statistics indicate that over the last 30 years, more than 5,800 public schools have closed.

this one in the city of sua in nagano is the heart of the community. the they came to take a group photo. >> translator: i will miss them greatly. >> reporter: residents see the closures as symbolic of their shrinking communities. but they hope the future of these children will be bright. nhk world. now let's go back to sayaka mori for some other weather updates around the world. sayaka? >> yes, miki. spring is actually severe

weather season for many parts of the united states, because this is the time of year when we see cold wintry air coming in and warm air from the south, so these air masses are colliding into each other. and active weather is happening across the mississippi river valley on wednesday. we have numerous reports of hail in this area some of them are as large as ping pong balls. now, again, this is cold air from the north and warm air from the south. severe weather will likely happen in a similar locations on wednesday. watch out for tornadoes, thunderstorms, and large hail too. thunderstorms are happening over wide area over the southeastern corner of the united states. but across the west because of dry weather, and strong winds, the risk of wildfires is quite high across this location. dry weather for most parts of the west coast of the u.s. but getting quite wet over british columbia. you can see a flow moisture coming in from the pacific, and rainy weather will likely continue in to the weekend.

temperatures are going to be quite high for this time of year. it's more like summer in l.a. 27 degrees for the high with abundance of sunshine. quite hot in the southern plains, as well, in the mid to higher 20s. but just to the north, only 6 degrees for the high in denver with snow on the menu for your wednesday. now, across the southern hemisphere we have very impressive video to show you from the north. take a look. it's quite scary. on monday a bus fell through a large hole that formed in the roadway and it was swept away by the floodwater. thankfully all the passengers escaped before the bus was carried away so fortunately no one was injured. but typically the rainy season will continue into may so more rain will raise the potential of flooding mudslides and that kind of disaster across the north and central areas of brazil and also the northwestern corner of south america. now, across asia lots of rain is falling across the eastern

parts of the philippines. taiwan and vietnam. and severe weather will happen in and around bangkok as we go in to wednesday. watch out for hail as well. meanwhile, high pressure system is pushing the low pressure system out of japan, so blowing snow has ended in northern japan. and sunny weather for you for many parts of japan. and temperatures will likely increase. look at this 14 degrees in tokyo on thursday. but jumping up to 23 degrees on saturday. here's your extended forecast.

that's all for this edition of "newsline," i'm miki yamamoto

in tokyo. we'll have more news for you at the top of the hour. thanks for watching nhk world.

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' een found damaged but usable. it could hold vital clues as to why the german wings plane went down. both washington and paris seem to be ruling out a terrorist attack. 150 people were on board that flight, and many other families are now on their way to the crash site. three days of national mourning getting underway in spain and vigils are being held outside of the german school of the 16 exchange students and the teachers who lost their lives. genie: the search mission