here in japan it's a tuesday night. welcome to nakaima. we start off with the hour's top stories. flagging a favorite. new zealanders pick the flag that will challenge the referendum next march. officials revealed new plans for the main arena fort 2020 tokyo olympic and paralympic

games. and we take a look at the strength of france's far right national front and what it means for the country. people in new zealand are considering whether or not to change one of their national symbols. they've chose an new flag design that could replace their current one featuring the british union jack. voters picked the winner from more than 10,000 entries. it features stars in a southern cross formation and a silver fern against a black and blue background. it was created by an australia-based designer. the silver fern also appears on uniforms worn by the rugby players. the election commission says about 1.5 million people took part in the poll. that's 48% of eligible voters. they'll get the chance to vote again next march on whether the winning design should become their new national flag. the u.s. president is hitting back against critics who says he's come up short in the fight against islamic state militants.

barack obama laid out the progress made so far and said he'll call on coalition partners for more military assistance. he made the comments after being briefed. >> as we squeeze its heart, we'll make it harder for isil to pump its terror and propaganda to the rest of the world. >> oebs said the u.s. and its coalition partners have launched nearly 9,000 air strikes kill something of the militant leaders. he said the group has lost about 40% of the areas it once controlled in iraq thanks in part to iraqi military advances on the ground. he said the u.s. defense secretary will travel to the middle east this week. ash carter will press coalition partners to increase their military contributions. the fbi has arrested a resident of maryland on suspicion of receiving money from islamic state group

operatives. they alleged he was tasked with carrying out a terrorist attack in the united states. the u.s. justice department said muhammad elshinawy was detained last friday. he's charged with receiving nearly $9,000 from suspected militants in egypt. investigators claim he pledged allegiance to the islamic state group this year and he pretended to sell printers on-line as a cover for the payments. elshinawy told investigators that he was just trying to scam money from the group and had no intention of conducting an attack. more than 50 people have been indicted in the u.s. on charges of assisting the militant group since january. senior officials from japan and south korea have held talks in tokyo to discuss diplomatic affairs including the issue of those referred to as comfort women. they agreed to arrange the next meeting in seoul for early next

year. south korean president park geun-hye has been calling for the matter to be resolved this year. the head of the owe yanna affairs bureau met in the head of the south korean ministries northeast asian bureau. after three hours of talks, he told reporters that they discussed a range of issues of mutual concern. he said that both sides are working positively toward an early conclusion of the comfort women issue, adding that it's not an easy task. >> translator: we had a sincere and profound discussion mainly on the comfort women issue. it's too early to judge whether our talks have produced results or not. >> this was the second meeting since both countries leaders agreed in early november to speed up talks toward an early conclusion of the issue. japanese police are asking

south korean authorities for help as they investigate a small explosion at a shrine honoring japan's wadead last month. they want to learn more about the man they believe was responsible. tokyo police arrested south korean national jeon chang-han last week as he was re-entering japan. they believe he planted a device in the washroom of yasukuni shrine. they've asked police in south korea to help them learn more about the suspect's residence, movements and background. south korean police say they'll cooperate. japanese investigators found steel pipes and wires at the site of the explosion and charred batteries with korean writing. he was carrying a gun powder like substance at the time of his arrest. police say they're looking into how he acquired it. investigators say the suspect initially admitted planting explosives but later retracted his confession. those remembered at yasukuni shrine include military and political leaders convicted of

war crimes by an international military tribunal after world war ii. after a five-month wait japan's sport council has revealed two new designs for the national stadium. it will serve as the main venue for the tokyo 2020 olympic and paralympic games. nhk world has the details. >> reporter: these are two proposals for japan's new national stadium. plan a, a stadium with wooden greenery will offer a setting on a terrace surrounding the stadium selecting the traditional japanese design. plan b, set to create a new tradition for the 21st century. 71 wooden pillars support a stand that looks like a porcelain bowl. people in tokyo were curious to see the new designs. >> translator: they are simple and they don't look too showy.

>> translator: they're both good because i've never seen anything like this before >> translator: they are ordinary, there's nothing special about them. >> translator: we need to think what the stadium will be used for after the games and it needs to match its surroundings. >> reporter: in july, prime minister shinzo abe scrapped original stadium design by the london based architect in the face of opposition to a rising price tag. the cost of building it had risen to almost $2 billion, nearly double the original estimate. so the japan sport council, or jsc, began inviting fresh proposals in september. these proposals will be graded on several levels, taking into account the stadium's overall cost, including design and construction. total costs have been capped at $1.3 billion.

>> translator: we'll make the procs as transparent as possible, and make public as much information as we can. >> reporter: the bidders say that costs for both stadium plans have come in below the budget cap. backers of both plans say they will be able to complete the project by the end of november 2019, in plenty of time for the games. plan a uses a simple structure with three layers of stands to reduce costs and time for construction. plan b, aims to reduce the amount of soil that will have to be excavated. the jsc's screening committee will determine which proposals scores higher in terms of cost and overall feasibility planning. the winning stadium design will be selected before the end of the year. nhk world, tokyo.

the national front france's far right political party may have failed to win a regional council in sunday's second round runoffs but its share of the vote soors. we look at the reasons behind the anti-immigration party's rise. >> reporter: the national front won 77% of the vote in france. a huge increase on the last regional elections lists them at 10%. the party had hoped to benefit from growing public concern over terrorism, its anti-immigration policy gained wide supports especially among young people. 20-year-old says she voted for the national front for the first time. the paris attacks have made her feel the danger of terrorism is

close to home. >> translator: it makes me scared to think i might be the target next time. i can count on a national front more than any other party. >> reporter: some were put off by the party's strong rhetoric. >> translator: i doubt if a far right party can actually make france a secure country. >> translator: we must fight for citizens. it's just simple. >> reporter: by winning over a quarter of the vote, the national front has made its presence felt strongly. the election results only add to the sense of unease among some muslim immigrants that they might be seen as terrorists. this group offers counseling for muslims. they are hearing many complaints, double the number they were getting before the paris attacks. muslim women wearing head

scarves have been attacked on the streets and in railway stations. >> mostly the widespread problem we fe is discrimination. it's mostly people afraid of the terrorist attacks and scared of the retaliations against them because they are muslims. >> reporter: one month after the paris attacks, muslims gathered in the french capital to protest against islamic state militants. they stressed that they are different from the terrorists. >> translator: the french society with people of diverse origins will be torn apart if the situation is not addressed. r>> reporter: specializes in french politics points out the national front might continue to get stronger. >> translator: the major strides the national front has made, make it likely that lupan might

get in the runoff in the presidential election two years from now. the party will be able to demonstrate its strength in this race. >> reporter: the national front's success in the regional elections may well encourage far right politicians elsewhere in europe to follow their electoral blueprint. yuko hiraga, nhk world. >> thanks. delegates from around the world are gathering for trade talks. gene otani joins us for more on that and other business headlines. gene? >> thanks, james. the world trade organization's latest round of ministerial level talks has begun in nairobi. participants will focus on a proposal to do away with tariff on several high-tech products. delegates from 162 countries and regions are meeting in the kenyan capital until friday. 54 of them will try to reach a deal to eliminate duties on items such as home electronics as well as office and medical

equipment. the delegates will also discuss the future of the doha round of free trade talks. they're aimed at finding common ground among all the members in eight areas. officials from japan and the u.s. are hoping to virtually end the doha talks. they want to instead focus on free trade agreements between regions, but emerging economies could oppose such a move. japanese government officials want to help food producers fight counterfeits and promote exports. they've designed a system to certify regional brands. officials plan to register the first batch of food items as soon as next week. producers had been seeking the agriculture ministry's seal of approval. experts examined seven products for quality control and other factors. they include melons from the northern island of hokkaido and kobe beef. products will be labeled with official logos that will show their quality and unique production methods meet

government standards. checking the markets, japanese stocks extended losses on tuesday ahead of the central bank's meeting in the u.s. for the details we go to our business reporter. >> well, they are prepping for the first u.s. rate hike in almost a decade ahead of the u.s. federal reserve's policy meeting on wednesday, the market players are jittery before the event. today japanese shares fell in choppy trading. the nikkei closed down 1.7% at 18,565. that's the lowest level since october 22nd. the broader topix closed at a two-month low down 1.7%. now today banks led losses ahead of the fomc meetings. they all fell sharply and were among the biggest contributors to losses. one analyst says market players are widely expecting a rate hike this week but want to know more about clues about what will happen after that. japan's apple suppliers lost

ground after analysts at morgan stanley forecasted a drop in iphone sales in fiscal 2015. tdk and japan display sell about 4% and mur rat ta manufacturing fell about 2.5%. also following toshiba after news about the various restructuring options such as cutting,000 jobs in its underperforming consumer electronics sector. investors took this as a positive after toshiba's accounting scandal so shares briefly rose about 7% but then lost steam in the afternoon and closed at just a touch lower. now today we saw broad sell-offs in all 33 subsectors on the broader topix. let's see if we can see rebounds tomorrow on wednesday. mayu yoshida reporting from the tokyo stock exchange. >> thanks. outside of japan major indexes traded in a narrow range ahead of the possible rate hike. in china the shanghai composite shed 0.3% closing at 3510.

banking and resource related shares were lower on profit taking from yesterday's rally. sydney's sx 200 index dipped 0.4% to its lowest level since july 2013. that's after the government said the budget deficit for this fiscal year will grow as falling commodity prices weigh on exports. hong kong's hang sang index extending its losing streak to a ninth day. some investors snapped up bargains after the index hit a two and a half month low on monday. mumbai was up by 0.7%. and a look at some of the other business stories we're following. a survey by the bank of japan shows more managers feel their companies are under staffed. the index for large manufacturers fell to minus 5 indicating a labor shortage. the index for large manufacturers dropped to minus 20 and the figure for smaller nonmanufacturers stood at minus

28, the worst since may 1992. another boj survey shows officials at many firms believes prices will rise more slowly than the central bank's 2% inflation target. the results are based on responses from 11,000 businesses. the average projection is for price increase of 1% a year from now. this comes on falling crude oil prices and concerns over a slowdown in emerging economies. a major infrastructure project is taking shape in southern part of myanmar. japan and thailand are joining the project. the two countries and myanmar signed an agreement to pay $160,000 to finance the day which economic zone. it's aimed at boosting exports to india and the middle east. more women in southeast asia are taking leading roles at kes and helping steer national economies. nhk worldalked about business strategy and leadership with top

ceos in the first of a two-part series. we meet the women transforming myanmar's retail market. >> reporter: we went in to the ceo of myanmar's leading retailer. 19 years ago, she took over the company grocery business and built it into the major chain it is today. she has since expanded into other regional businesses such as baby goods stores and pharmacy. she employs more than 6,000 people at some 200 outlets. >> being able to do something different for people, for our customers, for the staff, i mean, for the family, it's really -- it's a great feeling, so i enjoy doing this. >> reporter: she has been changing local shopping habits. she studied the branding strategies of foreign firms to sell international goods while

offering fresh local products at affordable prices. most grossers are small, family-run operations but her stores are here to stay. this store is targeting an emerging middle class. >> translator: prices are mostly fair compared to the shops on the streets. i like the foods here because they're fresh. >> reporter: she has launched two new businesses with japanese firms to increase her access to goods. >> the supply chain is weak in the country and the quality standards are still developing. japanese companies usually do things with highest quality. >> reporter: one of the businesses is an agriculture company producing fresh fruit and vegetables with less pesticides. the japanese company is

supplying skills. >> having the farming company means she can grow new kinds of produce for her stores. she says myanmar is an agricultural company without sufficient investment and she says now is the time to tap into that market and gain an upper hand. the other new business is in logistics. the company delivers cold storage and frozen foods. like ice cream and imported beef. those foods are gaining in popularity at restaurants and cafes as incomes rise and the number of visitors to myanmar increases. >> translator: it's very hot in myanmar so i like cold sweets. >> reporter: japanese are supplying the latest technology in inventory management. products have to be stored at the right temperature and delivered promptly. japanese manager also has high

hopes for growth in the business. >> translator: more households in yangon will have refrigerators over the next two or three years. when people have refrigerators they will buy cold and frozen food. >> reporter: pondering her own success she says more women in myanmar should have faith in themselves and take the leadership in business. >> i don't see any issue being a woman doing business. we just have to promote more of that so that we don't become minority. >> reporter: this pioneer of myanmar trade is helping to build a new business infrastructure as she takes the country's retail sector to a new level. kyoko, nhk world. that's it for business news. i'll leave you with the markets.

you're watching nhk world's "newsline" coming to you live from tokyo. our weather desk joins us with this hour's update starting with conditions in the philippines. >> it's official, at least three people have been killed since

the storm and millions are without power. typhoon melor made landfall yesterday but still a typhoon and causing lots of rainfall in many parts of the philippines. it has dropped about 190 millimeters of rainfall in just 24 hours. that's more than a month of rain for december. we have some pictures coming out of southeastern luzon to show you the situation on monday. typhoon melor battled the philippines monday kicking up rough surf with powerful winds. the strong system had winds up to 185 kilometers per hour in the center. high storm surges on the various islands. schools were shut down and officials suspended fishing and ferry services in the central region of the country. now the center of the system is making its way towards mindor island, the seventh largest island of the nation. it's still packing wind gusts of over 210 kilometers. still a very intense system.

it is expected to affect the ac ka pelgo for the next fee hours move out to sea tonight and change direction toward the southwest aiming for the peninsula. they will see stormy conditions throughout the day, very stormy conditions will likely prolong the next several hours and on top of heavy rainfall, we're expecting high waves up to 14 meters. there are thousands of islands. the waves tend to get higher and due to low pressure and strong winds, storm surge could be up to three meters. the water level will rise by about three meters, so coastal flooding is highly likely for these areas and heavy rainfall probably up to 600 millimeters. so inland flooding is also a possibility and stormy conditions will likely continue too wednesday in many areas of the central and northern philippines. now it's not the end of the story because as you can see, another area of heavy rain is coming in from the south and this is capable of producing more rainfall to much of the

philippines. this is right now a tropical depression but it could become a tropic tropical storm within the next 24 hours. a high pressure system is keeping things settled across many parts of china, but at the rim of the high pressure system, strong winds are blowing that is kicking up waves across the eloc. triple systems are affecting japan with rainfall and as those systems move away as we go into tomorrow, we will see colder air to come in and that will provide snowfall for many parts of japan as we go into thursday and go into the weekend. take a look. sapporo rain changing over to snow on thursday and temperatures down to only 1 degree for you on saturday. nigata which has been dealing with lack of snowfall, you see snow finally on thursday and that will continue into the weekend. good news for skiers. tokyo, we'll see high temperatures on wednesday, 18 degrees, that's more like early november. last week, tokyo was battered by stormy conditions. the low pressure system has intensified and it's now

affecting the west coast of alaska with blizzard conditions and that will continue into tuesday. very different story across australia. a heat wave is building causing high temperatures and also thundershowers across the sydney area. rain will continue through wednesday in sydney and temperatures are going to be extremely high in south australia, over 40 degrees into the weekend. here's the extended forecast.

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welcome to live from paris. i'm annette young. let's take a look at what's making headlines this hour. bridging the gap, john kerry in moscow, seeking to find common ground with russia over ways to end the syrian conflict. cease-fire inday yemen. the truth coinciding with you and brokered peace talks currently underway. the eu turns on a controversial