live from our studios here in tokyo, this is "newsline." i'm james tengan. prosecutors in south korea say they will not appeal a ruling for japanese journalist charged with defaming president park geun-hye of. the ruling was issued last week. the trial has been a diplomatic issue with japan. kato is the former seoul bureau chief of the japanese daily. in a column he referred to a

south korean newspaper report that questioned park's whereabouts on the day of a deadly ferry sinking last year. he suggested she may have been meeting her former male secretary. the seoul central district court acquitted him, ruling that it was difficult to conclude that kato had attempted to defame the president as a public figure. it said the column was written to report south korea's political and social situation for japanese readers. the japanese government had expressed concern about the trial with respect to freedom of the media. the japanese government has revealed its choice for the main stadium of the 2020 olympic and pa paralympic tokyo games. prime minister shinzo abe says he and his ministers chose a design by an architect. abe said the design met all their criteria for a national stadium and is quintessentially japanese. >> translator: the government will continue to make an all-out

effort to impress people around the world with the main stadium. i hope the stadium will become a legacy future generations can be proud of. >> the winning design was one of two proposals unveiled last week by the japan sport council. it features terraces decorated with plants and a roof made partly of wood. it incorporates features of traditional japanese architecture. construction will cost an estimated $1.2 billion. that's below the limit set by the government. >> translator: the plan embodies the concepts of athletes first, universal design, harmony with the surrounding environment, the essence of japanese culture and a use of wood in architecture. it's a wonderful proposal. >> people in tokyo showed mixed reaction to the news. >> translator: it makes me feel comfortable because it uses a lot of wood.

>> translator: to be honest, i don't think they should spend too much money on it. >> in july, prime minister abe scrapped a plan for a stadium design by london-based architect hadid because of a backlash over a ballooning price tag. it would have cost more than double the initial budget. authorities in china say rescue workers have pulled a body from the site of sunday's landslide in shenzhen. the state-run xinhua news agency says nearly 3,000 are evacuating a park that was engulfed with soil and waste. more than 80 people remain unaccounted for, and locals are saying the disaster could have been prevented. our reporter has more. >> reporter: i'm here at the site of the landslide. authorities have blocked off all the roads into the area. behind me you can see rescue workers trying to clear the dirt and debris.

and some buildings look like they are in danger of collapse. as time goes on, residents are experiencing frustration at the slow pace of rescue operations. hong kong's influential newspap newspaper. but nothing was done. the newspaper says the warning was posted on the internet, but the authorities believe to have been deleted since the landslide. local media say officials in february withdrew permission for processing facilities at the site to accept soil. large amounts were still taken there. they showed how the landslide swamped 380,000 square meters of the industrial park.

it said the soil was up to three meters deep and buried buildings. geologists and other experts will say that there's a chance of another landslide. hiroki yajima, nhk world. >> we'll have more from him here on "newsline." a japanese court have ruled that lax inspection is to blame for a fatal tunnel accident three years ago. the court ordered operators to pay more than $3 million in damages. the incident took place in december 2012 at the expressway's tunnel west of tokyo. concrete panels fell onto vehicles traveling on the morway below, killing nine people. engineers believe aging bolts corroded, causing a chain reaction. the families of five victims sued the operator central nippon expressway along with a subsidiary responsible for the safety inspections. they claimed the accident could

have been avoided, had the companies performed proper inspections. the tunnels were examined just three months before the tragedy. but the companies disagreed saying the accident was unforeseeable. the presiding judge at the district court on tuesday supported the plaintiff's argument. he ordered the accused to pay about $3.6 million in damages, nearly half of the amount the families claimed. >> translator: the decision will never bring my daughter back. i'm still deep in sorrow. but i was very glad to hear the ruling. >> the president of the expressway said he takes the decision seriously, but he also said he will consider an appeal after thoroughly examining the ruling. government officials say japan's economy will grow faster than they predicted next fiscal year. gene otani has the details on that and a wrap-up of other business headlines. gene.

>> thanks, james. japanese government officials have come out with two new estimates for growth in fiscal 2016 starting in april. one of them is slightly higher than the previous projection. officials expect growth of about 1.7% in real terms. they also project the economy will grow about 3.1% in nominal terms. that's up 0.2% from the prediction in july. the nominal figure describes growth that's not adjusted for inflation. the officials say consumer spending will hold firm as wages and a job market improve. and they expect people to spend more before the consumption tax goes up from 8% to 10% in 2017. the officials say falling crude oil prices will help corporate earnings, and they say the draft supplementary budget of about $27 billion drawn up last week will boost the economy. but the officials downgraded their growth forecast for the current fiscal year through march.

they say it will be about 1.2% in real terms. that's down 0.3 points from the july forecast. they predict about 2.7% growth in nominal terms, down 0.2 of a point. tokyo stock prices moved in a tight range amid lower trading volume before the holiday on wednesday. for the latest we go to the tokyo stock exchange. >> reporter: hopes for a santa claus rally are fading fast here. tokyo shares were direct with the nikkei and the topix, converging for most of the day. and it all comes down to oil prices. let's take a look at the closing levels on this tuesday, december 22nd. the nikkei closed down 0.16% for a third day in the red at 18,886. the broader topix is up 0.15%. leaders include toshiba tumbling more than 1%.

the te giant announced more job cuts and warned of losses of about $4.5 million. mcdonald's holdings japan lost 7.8% after news reports suggesting the u.s. parent company may sell parts of its japanese stake. and a major japanese brewer also underperformed, down 5.7%. kirin seems to have hit roadblocks in its overseas expansion, particularly in brazil. it's expecting its first annual loss since it went public in 1949. as i mentioned, fluctuating oil prices are keeping traders on their toes. oil prices recovered from monday's 11-year low. oil companies like inpex and japex advanced on that. all in all, not a whole lot of holiday cheer as we head into the holiday tomorrow here in japan and into christmas on friday in much of the western world. i'm giang nguyen reporting from

the tokyo stock exchange. other markets were also traded without clear direction. in china, the shanghai composite added a quarter of a percent. some market playe cheered t outcome of the key economic policy meeting. the index climbed to a four-month high, although profit taking capped the gains. taiwan rose 0.1% following an overnight rally in high-tech shares on wall street. but worse than expected export orders in november added to concerns over the economic slowdown. seoul's kospi climbed more than half a percent to close at a near three-week high. market watchers say pension funds and other institutional investors supported the buy. hong kong's hang seng index ended a touch higher. sydney's s&p index stretched its winning streak to a fifth day. japan's biggest employment agency is buying a staffing firm based in the netherlands. recruit holdings says taking over usg people will give it a

full-scale presence in europe. officials that recruit say it will buy all the shares of the dutch firm for just over $1.5 billion. the management of usg reportedly supports the takeover. recruit plans to complete the deal by june. the japanese company has been expanding its operations by purchasing firms in u.s. and australia. usg operates in four european countries. recruit officials say the deal will make it the world's fourth biggest employment services firm in terms of sales. they say the company is open to the possibility of buying more overseas companies if there are suitable takeover candidates. officials at japan's agriculture ministry have given e seal of approval to some premium food items. each product will display a logo to help producers sell them overseas and shut out imitations. the officials have approved seven regional brands. they include kobe beef and

lons from the northern island of hokkaido. the others are squash, black vinegar ripened in jars, traditional authentic green tea, tajima beef and cassis. ministry officials selected them after more than 50 applications. the products will display the official logo to show they meet quality and production standards. people who use place names or other elements of the brands without certification face fines or prison terms. the agriculture minister says each product is a regional treasure grown in a special way that's been developed over the years. he says the government plans to register more items to help boost demand for high-quality products at home and abroad. here's a look at some of the other business stories we're following. executives at japan's biggest brokerage say it will buy a 41% stake in american century

investments. nomura holdings wants to expand its asset management with a $1 billion deal. it's the biggest purchase for the company since the 2008 global financial crisis. nhk has learned a japanese electronics retailer is teaming up with a chinese-owned airline. sources say bic camera will buy about a 6% stake in spring airlines japan. the carrier operates low-cost flights between the two countries. sources say the retailer plans to promote its stores through in-flight magazines and announcements. the landslide in shenzhen has drawn attention to construction site safety there. elsewhere in the heavily industrial province of gaundong. our reporter has the story. >> reporr: these workers are

employed at in guangdang. they are on strike to demand unpaid wages. more than 2,000 people took part. ♪ business is suffering. in the wake of china's economic slowdown, and it's facing heavy competition from factories in southeast asia where labor is cheaper. workers in the province have staged over 360 fights this year alone. many company managers are looking to become more competitive by including assistance. an exhibition of industrial

robots in guangdang this month. the expo featured all kinds of robots including ones that can carry equipment. participants say the machines have great potential. >> translator: robots will help raise worker efficiency and efficiency of the entire manufacturing industry. >> reporter: leaders are encouraging the development of industrial robots. they have set up a facily where researchers from investors and private businesses can corroborate. this was developed with the help of financial aid from the government. it's equipped with cutting-edge technology that have earned 20 patents. first as manufacturers focus on improving efficiency, townspeople are raising concerns.

this man has been working at the factory in guangdang for 26 years. he and his coworkers haven't been paid since may because of a downturn in business. he's concerned about losing his job if things don't turn around and his managers -- >> translator: i got married in guangdang, and my child was born here. i want to keep working at the factory and continue living here. >> reporter: while an expert says the quest for greater efficiency may lead to more social unrest. >> translator: an increase in labor disputes and bankruptcies are the pains that come with efforts to change to a new industrial structure. the chinese government needs to provide workers with job

training as a way of supporting themn finding new jobs. >> reporter: china is facing pressure to make its domestic industries more globally competitive while ensuring jobs for its people. government leaders must figure out the way forward. tomoki matsuda, nhk world. >> that's it for business news. i'm going to leave you with the markets.

society, more japanese are devoting themselves to care for elderly family members. and it has a big impact on their lives. around 100,000 people every year are even forced to leave their jobs just for nursing. nhk world's takefumi terui has one of their stories. >> reporter: she spends every day taking care of her 75-year-old mother who suffers from dementia. after her condition got worse, she decided to leave the company where she had worked for eight years. >> translator: it was physically tough to continue my job while nursing my mother. i once had to suspend the job for about a month. i felt sorry for my colleagues. i was at a loss.

>> reporter: employees in japan can take up to 93 days in legally sanctioned leave to care for an ailing family member. but waki was not aware of the system. instead, she took paid leave whenever she needed to be absent from work to attend to her mother. and she's not a unique case. officials of the ministry say only about 3% of employed workers take the family care leave. waki says even if she had known, zp deciding when to take the leave would have been a tough decision. >> translator: it's not easy to use the leave because you're required to use it all at once. i would have wondered if it really was the right time to use it. >> reporter: a panel is now urging the government to review the system. in a report released monday, it recommends that workers be allowed to break up their care

leave in up to three periods. it could be used for things like hospitalization or attending a family member's death bed. the panel also says compensation during the leave period should be increased. but a member of a nonprofit organization says it's not enough just to improve the system. society's reluctance to talk about personal details also needs to change. >> translator: promoting the idea that taking care leave is an acceptable thing to do can encourage more people who are in difficult situations. >> reporter: waki hopes people can embrace caretakers as a normal part of society. >> translator: when our society recognizes working caretakers as ordinary citizens just as it

does for working mothers, then the system will become effective. >> the japanese government's goal is for no employees to have to leave their jobs to look after family. but with the unprecedented rise of seniors in the population, more policies will be needed to achieve that target. takafumi terui, nhk world. >> let's hope they can put a stop to the vicious circle sooner than later. thanks very much. now for weather. the air quality in beijing still remains at hazardous levels. as jonathan oh tells us in this hour's weather update. >> well, if there's anything to talk about when it comes to air pollution, unfortunately it's not relief. at least not in o a wide-scale manner because we still have a very stagnant air pattern located over the northeastern portions of china. and as long as the air pattern remains calm and does not allow for the pollution to move around

and disperse, that means that we'll continue to have poor air quality in the area. let me show you video that came out of beijing monday to give you an idea what it looked like. and it is still dealing with the thick smog that's shrouding the city. saturday authorities issued a red alert which is the highest of the color-coded warning system. that makes it the second time in the country's history. about half of the vehicles are usually removed from the roads with an odd/even license plate system in force. and on top of that, schools are recommended to close and construction is banned. now, here's a look at what we're expecting coming up on wednesday when it comes to the air pollution forecast. this hot pink/red color is the highest amount of air pollution and the lowest air quality. it is starting to depart from beijing. we are seeing a little bit of dispersal, but notice it is actually also causing problems into the korean peninsula, and shanghai, you're getting the impact from this as well. and as we go throughout wednesday, not much change in

terms of the air movement. high-pressure system that was over beijing has really slipped toward the east over japan. be that as it may, we're not seeing much air flow that's taking place here. so it's not going to really see a huge improvement as we go throughout the day wednesday. meanwhile, down toward the south, we do have a stationary frontal boundary. that's going to help bring some rain into areas like shanghai as it expands toward the east. and by the time we go into wednesday and thursday, that rainfall will start affecting places like tokyo. you will need your umbrella coming up on wednesday. a high of 11 degrees. and then over to shanghai, showers as we go throughout the day. down toward the south, we do have a little bit of a disturbance. that's going to bring rain into places like vienna, cambodia as we go throughout the day wednesday. now, looking at the forecast over in europe, we have been watching for this really powerful system that's been rolling through the area. and we've got some high gusts reported out of poland. 213 kilometers per hour. wow!

that's due to a low-pressure system that's really intensifying. and so as a low continues to get stronger, it deepens the pressure. it creates what we call a pressure gradient, and the winds start whipping around and really quickly. so be prepared for a windy day again on tuesday. some gusts are up to 130 kilometers per hour. now, down toward the south, we are seeing warm air surging in. because of that places like moscow, a high of -- excuse me, temperatures reported up to ten degrees in some places on monday. that's unusually warm. we're seeing some flowers blooming from this. more warm weather in place with rainy conditions along that jet stream down toward the south. temperatures are mild, but also seeing sunny skies as well. wrapping thins up with a look at north america, we do have a low that is moving across the united states. and it isttached to a long cold front that's really slamming up against some ver warm tropical moisture. looking for the possibility of some severe weather down toward the southern plains as we go throughout the day on tuesday.

and also snowfall into the rockies as we go throughout the day. hope you have a good day wherever you are. here's your extended outlook.

you're watching nhk world. monkeys in western japan have taken part in a winter solstice tradition, bathing with citrus fruit. staff at the zoological garden began filling a pool with hot water last month to let its monkeys bathe. the workers added to the bath on tuesday. many japanese say taking a hot bath with the seasonal fruit helps ward off colds. crowds gathered to watch the bathing primates. >> translator: it's fun to watch monkeys taking a bath. >> translator: they look relaxed. i'd like to do the same at home. >> rather than enjoy the aroma of the fruits, the monkeys ate them. and speaking of monkeys, 2016 will be the year of the monkey according to the chinese zodiac. next year is expected to be an active and progressive one.

apart from the day's news, there will also be a special report on how the abolishment of china's one-child policy is affecting the economy. all that and more on "newsr