here in japan, it's 7:00 p.m. on a thursday. i'm james tengan later to be joined by gene otani and our weather desk. we start with a quick look at the stories we're following this hour. japan's senior diplomat is talking about a peace deal with

russia. a sur vie vor describes the cha chaos. deputy foreign minister began a three-day visit to moscow on wednesday. he's meeting his russian counterpart and expected to raise the issue over four islands controlled by russia. japan claims them. the japanese government says the islands were illegally occupied after world ward ii. they are working to the aims of a joint statement from abe and putin in april of 2016. the leaders agree to proceed with negotiations towards a peace treaty and to try to find a mutually acceptable solution. he wants to pave the way for a visit to japan by putin later this year, and the japanese diplomat visits russia as western nations are weary of

tokyo's dialogue with russia. russia supports syria's president assad. the leader of japan's junior ruling party is trying to build closer ties with south korea, carrying a message of friendship from minister abe. he delivered abe's message at the presidential palace, and that message highlights peace and stability japan and south korea maintained since normalizing ties in 1965 and speaks of hope the two countries will build a better country together. they gave hope to abe saying they want a summit with japan in china to make it a ses. the last try way summit of 3.5 years ago. >> translator: i was able to deliver the letter to the president, and it's a step forward in bilateral ties.

she showed her eagerness for a trilateral summit with japan and china, and i was able to convey japan's enthusim for such a meeting as well. >> he told pock he hopes for a summit between them on the sidelines of the trilateral meeting, she, however, did not respond. a survivor of a u.s. air strike in afghanistan shares his story. he was inside a hospital run by doctors without borders, als known as nsf, with the bombs dropped, and as reported, he's demanding answers. >> reporter: he worked as a nurse at the hospital. he described the chaos when the hour long bombing began. >> translator: there was a huge explosion, and several seconds later, another one. after that, shootings broke out outside the hospital between afghan government forces and the taliban. bullets from the fighting flew into our facility and a fire

broke out. >> reporter: the hospital in the northern city was bombarded saturday. the u.s. military has been supporting afghan forces trying to retake theity from the taliban. nsf says they gave the military the hospital's location, and the bombing killed 2 2 patients and medical staff. >> translator: my colleagues were surrounded by flames and crying out for help, but because of the bullets flying into the hospital, i couldn't do anything. >> reporter: the u.s. military admitted the attack was an error but kept changing stories saying taliban militants were shooting u.s. troops from inside the hospital, and then it said afghan forces requested the air strike. >> translator: the taliban were not inside the hospital. it was only medicaltaff and

patients. >> reporter: president obama offered an apology wednesday. he made a call to the president of the nsf, but the apology may have come too late and nfs says the u.s. may have violated the geneva convention and demands an international investigation into war crimes. >> if we let this go as if it was a nonevent, we basically give a blank check to any country who are at war and conflict. >> reporter: even during war, hospitals should be safe places treating patients. he says he needs to know why his colleagues and patients had to die. nhk world. >> thanks very much. palestinians and ill realsr security forces clash, and now the violence spread across israel after weeks of fighting

over disputed holy sites in jerusalem old city. there was around 100 people wounded by live or rubber bullets fired by israeli security forces wednesday, and 190 others received treatment after inhaling tear gas. israeli forces shot and killed a palestinian man. they say he stabbed a soldier and tried to steal his gun in the southern city of kirya gart. other violation broke out. benjamin netanyahu is under pressure from supporters to take tougher actions. japanese workers are less optimistic about the economy. gene otani from the business desk has details on thatnd a round up of other business stories, gene? >> thanks, james. a government survey shows

sentiment has worsened for the second month in a row, and the slow down in china is a big factorment the monthly economy watchers survey asked clerks, taxi drivers, and other workers how they feel about the economy compared with three months ago. the index since september was 7 47.5, down 1.8 points from the preaches month. a reading below 50 suggests more people are pessimistic about business conditions. some manufacturers sited a deine in orders due to the situation in china as retailers blamed rainy weather for a slump in beverage sales. the index for predicting economic conditions months aide rose to 49.1, the first rise in four month. workers expect bigger bonuses boost sales over the year end shopping season. managers of companies across japan reinvest less money in their businesses, cutting back on orders for new equipment for three months in a row.

cabinet officials say in august firms ordered $3.6 billion for industry, down.5.7% since july. they do not factor in ship orders from change. mother and fatherers down 3%, and non-manufacturers down 6%. cabinet officials reacted by downgrading their assessment of situation. they say machinery orders are stalling, and it's the second month in a row they lowered their evaluations. officials at japan's finance ministry provided another glimpse how the economy is doing. they released the latest picture of the current account, a wide mease of trade in investment with the rest of the world. the officials say in august the current account reached a surplus of $13.8 billion, been in the black for 18 months. the trade deficit was down from the same month last year due in

parts to cheaper oil imports. it shrank to $2.7 billion. the officials say investors enjoyed bigger returns on overseas holdings. they say the primary income account surged to a surplus of more than $17 billion. that's a record for the month of august. the weak machinery order figures had an impact on markets here in tokyo. investors lost their appetite for risk and share prices ended lower. the nikkei average snapped the six-day winning streak. for the details, we go to the tokyo stock exchange. >> reporter: the headlines say machinery orders was weaker than expected. many analysts had actually anticipated a 2% rise, so the data soured investors' risk appetite. let's take a look at thursday's closing levels. the nikkei declined almost 1% to close at 18,141. the broader topix was also down

0.8%. stocks that moved the marngt, ion took a hit down more than 7%. the retail operator reported slower profit growth than expected. motor shares down 4% as the sweep downgded thehe manufacturer from out perform to neutral. some machinery makers showed gains despite the dismal orders figures, and sumitomo and hitachi construction machinery among them. analysts say the drop in orders may be a temporary outlier. the focus is on the u.s. federal reserve september policy meeting out on thursday. giang nguygen reporting from the tokyo stock market. >> thank you. china shang lie closed 3% higher after a national holiday. the biggest gains since sent, but trading was thin and worries

on the slowing economy. shares ended at a high. the s&p was up 0.24%. the country the australia's largest trading partner. stocks in hong kongl 0.71%. singapore shed 0 .50%, but seoul ended higr gaining almost 0.7%. the eldest son in a family that's fhting for control of a multinational firm has taken his fight to the courts. he wants judges to nullify a move by his brother to dump their father from management of the lotte group. he's been a victim of the leadship struggle, forced out of the position as vice chairman of the japanese south korean conglomerate. he wrote a statement for his wife to read in a news conference in seoul saying the

decision to remove his father, the company founder, did not comply with legal procedures. there was a letter of his father signing a letter of proxy lowing legal proceedings to proceed on his behalf. there was a legal issues including regional, hotel, and construction businesses. the japanese arm focuses on production and restaurants. japan's workplace is diversifying. companies are hiring elderly employees and working mothers. that's creating challenges for managers looking to keep staff happy in a competitive labor market. in part two of the series on "workplace benefits," we look at companies who found that the road to boosting mothrale start with listening. >> working at a bank, the 60-year-old handles housing

loans. this year, suzuki took more leave than usual. she spends nine days at her daughter's home. the bank introduced a system called grandchild care leave. suzuki took advantage of the new perk to help her daughter care for three infants. >> translator: it's fun. child care occupies my time, but that's something worth doing. >> reporter: two years ago, the bank extended the retirement age to 70. management needs older workers to train younger staff and deal with the aftermath of the 20 11 quake and tsunami. to keep them on the payroll, the bank decided they needed to offer new worker benefit leading to the new leave system. staff can apply for 120 days off

work to care for grandchildren. so far, four people included suzuki have taken up the offer. >> translator: more people will apply for leave once we get a support system in place to fill in for their absence. >> reporter: more companies are offering child care benefits. this web advertising firm is one of them. the push for change came from its 1,000 employees. twice a year, the company holds an event called the children's board of directors meeting. it gives a chance for family members to speak out. >> translator: i want my father to come to parents day at schools. i'd like my husband to help our children take a bath. >> reporter: it seems managers have been listening. they've expanded benefits. one allows employees to leave

the office for brief periods for look after family chores. other include child care leave and babysitter allowance. in all, the company introduced seven kinds of leave and allowances. the benefits made it easie for this member of human resources to return from maternity leave. >> translator: i really wanted to return to work after taking maternity leave. a good benefit system gives employees a sense of security. >> reporter: the new benefits cost the company an extra $16,000 a year, but the firm's executives believe the boost to staff morale makes it money well spent. >> translator: we want staff with children and long work experience to continue working for us. otherwise, we won't be able to survive the competition. >> reporter: japan's society is changing. if they want to hold on to their

workers, they need to ensure the office environment adapts to the changes taking place at homes. >> here's a look at the other business stories we're following. japan's biggest convenience store chain all posted record operating profits for the six month through august. the people at family mart say profits were up more than 32 % from a year ago, and those reported a 6% increase, and executives at lawson say they brought in 5%more. rice snacks and sandwiches are seller as well as freshly brewed coffee boosted sales. fast retailing notched up records, posting the best ever group profits and sales for the business year through august. the firm says both were up by more than 20%, and it credits strong performances in japan and overseas. chairman and president says he's determined to make his brand

number one worldwide. the first time this year, they will have more outlets overseas than it does in japan. that's all for business news. i'll leave you with the markets. this year's nobel prize more literature will be announced, hopefully, within the hour. japanese author is considered a front runner, and he's garnering

a lot of attention. nhk world is speaking to fans at a tokyo bookstore. >> reporter: many have been waiting for years for their favorite author to be named as a nobel winner. this bookstore staff has been created an area dedicated to featuring his works, and they also set up this screen for the announcements. it's showing the nobel committee's website. >> translator: i hear he has visited this store to buy writing paper, so i feel a close relationship with him. >> translator: i hope he wins. he's been expected to win many times, so this should be the time. >> translator: i major in literature, so i expect he will get it this year.

he wrigets many people to read books. >> translator: i'm going to wait here to find out who will take home this year's prize. back to you. >> reporter: a lot of people crossing their fingers. thank you very much. china ease universities have been producing a record number of undergraduates. the number of degree holders has grown sex-fold in the past 15 years. that's made the competition for jobs tougher than ever want we look at how some grads and students are trying to stand out in an increasingly crowded field. >> reporter: young job seekers have been showing up at a photo studio in droves. men and women alike put on makeup before the shooting gets underway. after the shoot, it's time for

retouching. the most minor of flaws such as a tiny unshaven spot do not go unnoticed. the studio charges more than $16 for a set of photo, and the place is fully booked every day. >> translator: cheaper photos are technically not good enough to enhance your roesume. >> reporter: after their photos are ready, the customers head to job placement centers. 50 employers are taking part in this job fair. many are from industries popular among college graduates such as i.t., snurninsurance, and entertainment. >> translator: i always work with foreign customers, so i have no problem communicating in simple english.

>> reporter: some of the job hunters have already spent a few years working. this gives them an edge over new graduates as chinese employers value experience. >> reporter: hao graduated from college last year. he began his career as a real estate salesman and was transferred to beijing. the 23-year-old was laid off in a restructuring move, and he's had over 20 interviews over the last few months to no avail. >> translator: i've gone through many interviews, but i don't know whether offers are right for me, and i'm reluctant about doing a job i don't feel good about. >> reporter: recruiters say this is no exception. more and more graduates are in no hurry to land a job.

>> translator: nowadays, young people use the phrase, going slowly, to find a job. they want to build their careers as away to achieve values in life. >> reporter: some undergrads want to spend time figuring out what they really want to do like opting for graduate school. more than 4,000 students packed this gymnasium. a crammed school operator is holding a seminar aimed at preparing them for their entrance exams. the sujts is the history of the chinese communist party. students pay up to $250 for a week long seminar, but the price may be worth it. graduate schools last year let in only about a third of all applicants.

>> translator: we go to graduate schools because we need more than a bachelor degree to get a good job. >> reporter: today's generation of young chinese are living amid growing affluence. they are hunting for jobs, not only to make a living, but to build a fulfilling career. achieving that goal may not be so easy with so many competing for a limited number of opportunities. >> you're watching nhk world, i'm james tengan. there was a powerful storm system as our weather desk tells us. >> yes. the severe tropical storm has become a low pressure system, but still packing a lot of energy because the claws engulf e island and arrival of the system coincided with high tide at noon so coastal flooding happened. look at this video. a developed low pressure system

causes dangerously strong winds and rough sea conditions, 137 kilometer wind gusts were reported, and thousands of homes are without power, and over 160 flights have been cancelled. warnings for rain, floods, gail, high winds, and storm surges are all in place in the islands. now, the center of the system is located to the southeast of the island, and because the jet stream is moving up to the north, this system will likely take the northerly path aiming for southeastern parts of russia as well. stormy conditions continue through friday and winds up to 162 kilometers, and waves of 9 meters causing flooding and landslides across the island. meanwhile, the rest of japan is dry and gorgeous weather in the next couple days.

cloudy conditions friday, but tokyo is 25 degrees for the high on friday, and we are looking at rain to come late saturday. now, hurricane oho says good-bye to the hawaii islands and the next nation is canada. this will be a low pressure system thursday afternoon and could reach the north or center coast of british columbia friday, heavy rain, 200 millimeters of rain is likely for british columbia from friday into sunday, and the pacific northwest and british columbia are dealing already with heavy rainfall due to a plume of moisture from the pacific. a high pressure system is in place in the west, and this causes more wet weather in the border of new mexico as well as texas, and there is a low pressure system in front that causes stormy weather in the chicago area into your thursday. watch out for tornado thunderstorms and even large hail. now, we are looking at storeny conditions over the water. the remnants of hurricane

joaquin is now moving over the atlantic and expected to reach the west coast of the siberian peninsula friday. it's going to take a long journey, and this this area right now has sunny conditions, thanks to a big high pressure system. meanwhile, we are looking at colder air across the east. temperatures are more like winter in several areas. in between a line of thunderstorms from the peps la up to the south of the scandinavian peninsula. there's a low pressure system in morocco and algeria, a very dangerous system for tornados and large hail, and this will likely hit italy and the bulcan peninsula this weekend where flooding is already taking place. temperatures in the west are in the double digits, but in the east, single digits, 4 degrees for the high inoscow with snow on the menu for thursday. all right, here's your extended forecast.

and with that, we wrap up this hour's "newsline," and news room tokyoç

." welcome back to "france 24 i'm genie godula in paris. suspendedp blatter from football for 90 days. russia's growing military being in syria "troubling --