you're watching nhk world. welcome to "newsline." i'm james tengan in tokyo. japanese stock prices rallied on wednesday. the rally followed shanghai and wall street. gene otani joins us with more. gene? >> thanks, james. the nikkei benchmark logged a historical one-day gain as global markets trended up. the index rose by more than 1300

points. that's the biggest increase in more than 21 years. for details we go to our business reporter aiko nanao. >> this came as share movements in shanghai suggested the chinese government was trying to stabilize stock prices. here in tokyo it was all about bargain hunting. the nikkei had the biggest one-day gain since january 1994. it rose 7.7% closing at 18,770. the index reached its highest level in seven sessions. the topix surged 6.4%. big ganames were winners today. softbank group grew 5.5%. fast retailing 10%. eager to buy these blue chips as

they looked to cover short-term losses. it was the same story with financial stocks. mitsubishi up 7%. and nomura holdings also rose. now, the question is how sustainable is this buying spree? one fund manager told me if you look at the sectors that did well today, it shows that investors are still defensive. kddi pharmaceuticals was up. it seems likely that most investors will hold off placing new orders. they'll be waiting for the u.s. fed policy meeting that takes place next week. easing the markets for now, but to get a clearer sense of direction, we have to wait until next week. aika nanao. >> thanks. moving to others in the asia pacific region. the shanghai composite added

2.3% to hit its highest close in nearly three weeks. following weak trade data investors speculated the government may use further stimulus to support the slowing economy. other markets in the region were lifted by the rally in tokyo and shanghai. taiwan surged nearly 3.6% to close at the highest level in over three weeks. traders bought shares of apple suppliers on speculation over a new iphone launch. seoul's kospi rose 3%. and malaysia gained by 1%. executives at toyota motor have unveiled their newest hybrid the prius. it's 10% more fuel efficient. the prius appeared on tuesday in las vegas. it's six centimeters longer and

one and a half centimeters wider than the previous car. but it's two centimeters lower than the previous car providing stability. the new model goes on sale in japan from the end of this year and in other regions after that. and small car specialist has launched three versions of its mini vehicle cast. one is aimed at women with trim on special bumpers and other parts. two models are for the sports and outdoors market. they hope the new range will revitalize mini car sales. the incoming chief of the chinese-led asian infrastructure investment bank says he is optimistic about china's economy. he says it is in the process of maturing. president designate of the aiib spoke to reporters during his visit to south korea.

he said it's certain that china's economic development will continue. he also referred to japan and the united states who are not aaib members. he said officials have had discussions with the two countries and the door for them to join is always open. u.s. government officials are trying to make arrangements for another ministerial meeting later this month. ministers from 12 countries held a meeting in hawaii in late july, but they left the table without a broad agreement. they remain at odds over several issues. these include the patent protection for drugs for tariffs imposed on dairy products. whether the ministers can get together later this month largely depends on future progress at working level meetings. in the meantime, japan and the

u.s. have decided to hold talks in washington starting on wednesday. the agenda covered tariffs on automobiles and auto parts. here's a look at some of the other business stories we're following. a shareholder in toshiba has demanded company executives pay damages over the scandal. three former presidents should pay more than $8 million. the investor says if toshiba auditors don't act on his demand within the next 60 days, he'll file a lawsuit on behalf of all shareholders. consumer sentiment improved in the last month. the consumer index for households of two or more people raised 41.7. they attribute the rise to an improving employment situation and lower gasoline prices. sales at mcdonald's japan

rose in august for the first time in 19 months. company officials say sales last month were up 2.8% from a year earlier. but that's still far from a recovery as sales in august last year plunged by 25% on food safety scandals. mcdonald's says the number of customers it served last month fell by more than 3%. tokyo is trying to lure some of the silicon valley spirit of innovation. entrepreneurs and investors from the valley are visiting the capital for a conference this week. mai yoshida. >> reporter: tokyo's shibuya district is a place where new trends begin. and it's where one of the largest conferences on business start-ups is taking place. more than 500 entrepreneurs from all over asia are gathered at this building here in tokyo. why? well, to get some start-up tips

and maybe if you're lucky find some investors. and that includes some topnotch investors from silicon valley. i spoke with dave mclure. a venture capitalist from silicon valley. i asked him why he thinks there's much potential here. >> there's not as much competition for entrepreneurial resources here. so we'd like to provide more capital for the early stages when people are getting the businesses off the ground. we think there's tremendous opportunity here in japan. it's like we're a little late to that party. there's just a lot of potential here that's been overlooked. we want to get started investing in that. the main challenge in the past has been lack of access to capital. i think in the last two years you're seeing more firms. so there is more capital

available. >> reporter: mcclure says fiber commerce is strong in japan thanks to use of smartphones and familiarity with online transactions. you're going to bring your fund back to japan. what are your plans to investing in japan and other asian countries? >> we think there's a huge opportunity for writing that first check as companies get their product to market. so probably a lot of investments of maybe $100,000 u.s. size check. we think we can probably do 10 to 20 of those investments every year. we're looking forward to finding a bunch of great japanese entrepreneurs. some will be doing business in japan and some doing global business. >> reporter: he says he wants more new businesses in online education and health care and hopes his company will give japanese start-ups a higher profile in silicon valley. mayu yoshida, nhk world.

that's it for business news. i'll leave you with the markets. business leaders from all over the world are coming to grips with some of the biggest issues facing the global economy. they're meeting at the annual world economic forum to discuss china's economic downturn and a host of other hot topics. takafumi terui has more. >> reporter: more than 1,700 people are from 19 countries are expected at the three-day conference. they'll be attending talks on economic uncertainties, environmental challenges, and

other pressing issues. but everyone knows the main topic at this event is china. people are keen to hear how leaders in beijing plan to spur growth in the world's second biggest economy. they're concerned about volatility in stock markets. and many are worried about the impact on emerges asian economies. so organizers have arranged a series of talks that address china's new normal. president xi jingping used that to diversify china'sconomy and embrace a more sustainable level of grow. in other words, the years of rapid production-fueled growth are over. well, leaders want to know what the new plan will look like in practice and what the consequences will be for them. they're especially concerned after seeing new data showing china's exports have slowed faster than expected.

china's leaders used to respond to bad economic news by unleashing another burst of stimulus. but not this time. participants at this session are discussing how china will adopt its new growth strategy. one speaker says it's natural that china's decision to shift gears would cause ripples in global markets. he urged investors not to overreact. another speaker called on china's leaders to pursue more reform for state-owned enterprises or s.o.e.s and to leave the market to run its course. >> looking at the decade ahead, the key element will be not the competition based on cost but the ability to drive total factor productivity. the productivity of labor and capital and the ability to drive innovation in a very deep way in the economy. and the s.o.e.s play an

important role in the economy of china. >> translator: it depends on how we learn from this crash. the government has to control resources and risks so we have to support the stock market and allow it to set its own course. in my view, china is about to enter a major phase of financial reforms. >> reporter: we spoke with some business leaders. >> with so many halted trading today, i think so it adds a lot of uncertainty to potential investors and what could potentially be disruptive when the markets aren't functioning properly. i think that's a big one that the government and others need to resolve and get the markets flowing again. >> the chinese government has got the right general principles in place. the interesting question is whether it can manage the volatility that's going to come when you're moving from one kind of economic reform agenda to another.

>> reporter: on thursday chinese premier will address the forum. he'll tell the world how his country plans to tackle its economic challenges. we'll bring you that and all the other developments as they happen. >> thanks very much. that was takafumi terui in dalian, china. australian's prime minister says the country will accept 12,000 refugees. and the u.s. will join the coalition extending air strikes in syria. tony abbott announced the plans on wednesday. he said officials from his government will visit refugee camps in the neighboring countries of syria and iraq to coordinate the immigration process. he also pledged 44 million australian dollars to support

people. the air strikes are expected to start within a week. >> we also have to address the fundamental reasons why people are fleeing. we have to act with our heads as well as with our hearts. as a free and democratic country, we must stand against those who wish to destroy life and to build a terrorist state. >> more than 380,000 people are estimated to have entered europe from the middle east and africa since the start of this year. buckets of rain were dumped on many parts of japan and the downpours will continue for at least another day. here with more is sayaka mori from our weather desk. sayaka? >> yes, james. tropical storm etau made landfall this morning. it was the first named storm to make landfall so far this year. typically the yearly average is three. so this year's typhoon season has been active.

the center has pulled away from mainland. japan, so it's clear over central portions of japan including the toku region. but rains are lingering over the kanto region. we have video coming out of the area. heavy rains and landslides are all in effect. tokyo was battered by 320 millimeters of rain for the month. several trains have been suspended. and three high school students were struck by lightning and got injured. the storm itself was not too powerful, but because there's a lingering low pressure system or front, so rainfall has been significant. now, the heaviest rain fell in amagisan prefecture. over 400 millimeters of rain has fallen.

hamamatsu, nearly 400 over the past three days or so. so rain is causing flooding and landslides in many portions of the country. the center has pulled away from japan. but it's still a tropical storm. still bringing lots of strong winds across the country. and it's going to slow down. that means its will continue to drag ample moisture from the south to the eastern portions of japan where many people are living will be affected by heavy rainfall. up to 200 millimeters of rain is likely at about 80 millimeters an hour could fall. under such conditions, even umbrellas could be not helpful at all. so please watch out for that. on top of strong winds and heavy rainfall, there's a concern for tornadoes. in fact, on sunday, a tornado struck chiba prefecture. still many don't have roofs. so not good news. and severe thunderstorms are a

possibility too. strong winds and heavy rain and thunderstorms are likely to continue. now, we are looking at rain to continue on thursday of the peak to be over and sunny weather back on saturday. but again stormy conditions likely to continue into tonight at least. james, be careful when you go home. >> thanks very much, sayaka. she'll be back on the show later on with more updates. japanese prime minister shinzo abe is set to reshuffle his cabinet as early as next month. he's also considering new appointments among executives at the ruling liberal democratic party. as they hope to pass a set of national security bills. abe has retained the presidency of his party. the ruling coalition of the ldp and komeito want to put legislation to a vote at an upper house committee on wednesday next week. the secretaries general and the diet affairs committee chiefs of the two parties discussed the

schedule on wednesday. earlier an upper house special committee voted to hold a public hearing on the bills next tuesday. the hearing is a necessary step before the final vote. according to diet rules, legislation can be enacted if it is put to a vote at the lower house once again and secures a 2/3 majority. this may happen if the upper house fails to vote on it before monday. but the ruling coalition is commitd to winning an upper house vote. the legislation is the focus of the current diet session which sends on september 27th. the remains of 14 people believed to have been soldiers of the japanese imperial army have been discovered on an island in russia's far east. government officials announced their findings on wednesday. they surveyed shumshu island last month. they said the unburied remains were found with helmets and other gear. on august 18th, 1945, japanese

forces on the island were in the process of disarming when they faced a sudden invasion by former soviet forces. russian officials say more than 700 soldiers from both sides died in the ensuing battle. japan's government has been searching for the remains of former soldiers. the russian government has been cooperating. the remains of 255 people had been found there as of last year. but of those, only 16 have been discovered on shumshu due to difficult travel conditions. russia plans to repatriate the newly found remains to japan as soon as possible. the operator of the crippled fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant is stepping up measures against radioactive water. tokyo electric power company plans to start releasing the

decontaminated ground water from around the reactor buildings into the sea next week. nhk world's kaz sake hirayama has the latest. >> reporter: tepco is facing a tough challenge in dealing with radioactive waste water. the contaminated water is increasing at a rate of 300 tons a day as the ground water flows in. tepco plans to pump up the water from wells around the buildings before it becomes highly radioactive. the water will then go through a decontamination process before being released into thesea. officials say by doing this they can cut the accumulation of contaminated water by half and prevent the contamination of the surrounding sea. tepco wanted to release decontaminated water sooner but had to cope with strong concern from the local fishing community. tepco has pumped up ground water since august last year on a trial basis. the pumped up water has reached 4,000 tons and is stored on the

compound. tepco plans to release that water first starting on monday. local fishing people initially voiced concern about the plan. after discussions with tepco, they agreed on the water release. but they are concerned that it might lead to rumors that fish caught in the area are not safe. >> translator: we can't trust what tepco says. but we have no choice but to move on with them step by step. >> translator: i have mixed feelings. just gives me worries. >> reporter: another problem tepco needs to deal with is rain water that becomes radioactive. in july radioactive substances were detected in rain water samples taken from a drainage channel of the reactor buildings. the contaminated rain water could seem into the ground water

and eventually into the sea. in response to this, tepco is coating the ground's surface to prevent rain water from going under the ground. the utility also plans to resume the construction of steel walls along the coast to stop the contaminated ground water seeping directly into the sea. the construction was suspended until the ground water becomes possible. >> translator: we'll do whatever we can to remove the concern of the local people including disclosure on the proces >> reporter: four and a half years after the accident, tepco is taking a key step towards solving the contaminated water issue. many challenges lie ahead if a lasting solution to the problem is to be found. kazuaki hirayama, nhk world. >> thank you. sayaka mori joins us once

again with an update on the storm system as well as world weather. >> yes. as we've been reporting, a tropical storm made loefl in the toba region this morning. there is a significant storm system over the water. this is a typhoon named kilo. kilo has been over the waters over the past three weeks. typically a life span of a tropical storm is only nine days. so it's a very long-lived system. meanwhile, dry weather for eastern china in the korean peninsula but spotty heavy showers for parts of the indochina peninsula as well as the philippines. the worst conditions could happen over the north of the philippines. temperatures will be in the 30s in manila and also in shanghai. 26 degrees in tokyo with rainy weather on thursday. now, in the middle east, dust storms are covering many parts of the western areas and it's

causing numerous problems. we have some video coming out of several countries there. a heavy sandstorm swept across parts of the middle east on tuesday. at least two people were killed and hundreds were hospitalized in lebanon. clouds of dust also engulfed syria, jordan, and cyprus where aircraft were diverted dropping visibility to 500 meters. dust storms frequently hit the middle east during summer but concentrate on iraq and the gulf region. some say this year the sand is very strong unlike previous years. and some shops and restaurants remained closed on tuesday. now, take a look at this satellite. this was the satellite imagery as of monday. you can see clouds, sand is covering many parts of syria. into tuesday, the sand was extending into the south. poor visibility will likely continue throughout this week.

meanwhile, the skies are gray over the south of italy because a significant storm system is located. and the same system caused deadly flooding over southeast portions of spain the other day. it's still packing enough energy to cause more severe weather across the south of italy and the balkan peninsula into thursday. please watch out for tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, and large hail. temperatures still in on the hot side in athens. teens over the north. all right. here's your extended forecast.

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24.ou're watching france broadcasting from paris for an hour. the european commission says a quota system must be imposed to eu nations to take it 160,000 migrants. czech republic says that is not a good idea and that borders should be better protected. some 200 migrants have arrived in france this morning. most of them are