it's 7:00 p.m. on a thursday here in japan. i'm james tengan in tokyo, welcome to "newsline." here are our top stories. indonesia's capital hit. explosions and gunfire rocked jakarta, killing at least seven people. police expect the attack was an act of terrorism. shifting focus. business owners in taiwan are rethinking their approach to

china as they prepare for a power shift in saturday's elections. plunging again. tokyo stocks are once again on the decline. all gains from the previous day have been erased on concerns over oil prices and china. and going out of bounds. ski resort operators in japan are warning people against going off marked boots. indonesian police say there they suspect supporters of the islamic state militant group are responsible for explosions in central jakarta on thursday. at least seven people are dead, five are believed to be attackers. at least ten others were injured. indonesian broadcaster tv one aired footage showing one of the blasts happening at a shopping mall. the area has many high end hotels, offices and embassies as well as the country's central bank are located in the area.

>> translator: i saw two people carrying a white backpack. they were the guys who threw the bomb. [ sirens ] police say the men carried out the attacks at a coffee shop and police station. they used what are believed to be hand grenades and bombs. then they engaged in a shoot-out with police. pretty widodo expressed condolences to the victims. he said his country and his people should be the be afraid of such terror attacks. nhk filed this report from jakarta. >> reporter: police have cordoned off the area, preventing reporters from going near the scene. people here are watching in shock. although india has been cracking down on extremists leading to smaller and less terror attacks.

however, there has been increasing concern over the islamic state militant group influence. and that has loomed over the country. in 2014, islamic state militants produced a video in indonesian. they're aiming to recruit more fighters from here. the world's most popular muslim country. a jailed cleric abu bashir has continued to instruct his followers from behind bars, encouraging them to join the islamic state militant group. he is a spiritual leader of a southeast asian group. an attack in bali killed more than 200 people. in december, supporters were arrested from the islamic state group who were alleged to have been planning an attack. on new year's eve, around 150,000 security forces were

deployed to protect potential targets. after today's attack, the heightened state of alert is likely to come to need for some time. fransiska renatta, jakarta. south korean leaders want to put more pressure on the north because of the nuclear test it conducted last week. an envoy is asking officials in china use their influence. he flew into beijing to meet the chinese envoy. he wants to discuss responses to north korea's fourth nuclear test and the role china will play. >> translator: north korea depends on china for about 90% of its trade. so china has significant influence. >> hwang says he believes china will play a major role in the process of getting a new resolution adopted. he said it will do that because it's a permanent member of the u.n. security council. hwang had already met senior officials from japan and the united states to coordinate responses.

it remains to be seen whether he'll persuade the chinese to join hands with them. chinese leaders denounced north korea for the nuclear left, but have said they want to resolve the situation through dialogue. chinese authorities say they have detained a swedish human rights worker on national security rights charges. the move is part of a crackdown which chinese officials have detained and interrogated 200 people since last summer. they deployed employees. >> translator: a swedish citizen, peter dahlin, is subject to criminal law enforcement in beijing on suspicion of endangering china's national security. >> dahlin is a member of the chinese urgent action working group. the group provides legal assistance to chinese people who tackle human rights issues. chinese authorities have also formally arrested a prominent

human rights lawyer, wan yu on charges of subverting state power. china's xinhua news agency said last july that the firm was raided by authorities. the u.s. strongly criticized china's actions. >> the united states urges china to drop these charges and immediately release these lawyers and others like them detained for seeking to protect the rights of chinese civilians, or citizens, rather. >> china started tightening civil liberty controls in 2012 saying it was for national security reasons. people in taiwan are counting down to an election that could reset ties with china for years to come. many are talking about the impact it will have on business. the opposition leader says the ruling party's pro-chinese policies have benefited some firms but not workers and she's promising to change that. nhk world has more.

>> reporter: visitors from mainland china descend on taiwan's tourist attractions. they started arriving in force in 2008 when the government signed with beijing and approved regular flights. now, thousands of chinese visitors arrive every day, 4 million a year. many chinese tourists visit taipei's bustling night markets. now, they can pay for food and other purchases here yufrlg their smartphones. china's immerse giant alibaba recently launched it's online paying platform ali pay. after eager to coordinate financial services with the mainland. alibaba says the flat form will be good for small and midsize companies. >> translator: it's really convenient. our sales are up 20%.

>> translator: they offer campaigns that are boosting our bottom line. >> reporter: but opposition parties say the benefits aren't trickling down to ordinary people. many taiwanese would agree they're finding it harder to get jobs that pay decent wages. thing wither picture is also bleak. china's slowing growth has hurt taiwan's economy which contracted sharply last year. economists say the once beneficially mutual relationship between taiwanese and main firms is decreasing. >> it's actually more competitive, more directly competitive than cooperative. southeast asia actually now provides to some companies more opportunities. >> reporter: opposition party

leader is urging the path for southeast asia. but some business leaders are skeptical. this man runs taiwan's leading shoe manufacturer. >> we started abroad with employees on thailand and indonesia 24 years ago. >> reporter: he's been employing thousands of extra people at the expansive company's factories on the mainland and credited that to the pro-china policy. wang has strong ties with officials and partners across china. and he plans to maintain that focus. >> we dent know which party will be elected. it could be a new person. they should be smart enough to keep the same relationship or even improve the relationship with china. >> repter: many analysts predict a victory for thai and

saturday asse saturday's elections. it could be the biggest test for taiwan, estelle mack. on to business and financial news, concerns over the global cheer causing investors flee from risky assets. gene otani from the business desk joins us for more. gene. tokyo's benchmark nikkei average has fallen below the 17,000 level for the first time since december. we go to our business reporter mayu yoshida. >> reporter: >> investors are of course worried about the global economy but they're also worried about geopolitical risks after the blast in central jakarta. japanese stocks nose-dived

hitting the lowest level since late september. the nikkei just below the 17,000 mark. going down 4% at one point. the broader topix closed down 2.5%. the yields on japan's bench market jgb fell to a recor low 0.19 macheryrders droppore th expecte in november. and this also triggered a selloff here in tokyo, all three subsectors posted losses, especially stocks that rely heavily on china. hitachi machinery lost more than 4%. and kawasaki k isen lost. and fast retailing lost 2.71% because of not selling well in china.

one analyst said investors are letting it drop until they see earnings coming out from japanese companies. >> mayu, thanks. most other benchmarks in the asian pacific region ended lower. in indonesia stock prices fell sharply after news of the explosions. the jakarta fell down 0.5%. and then the basis points to 7.25%. the first in 11 months. china bucked the trend with the shanghai composite rising nearly 2% to regain the 3,000 mark. analysts say some investors were relieved am they follow as commissions directed to hold on to share six more months. south korea's copsepy fell 1.9%. for more on the outlook of the markets, we talk to the equity

strategist. he said that investors need to keep a closy on upcoming data from china. >> the important point about the chinese economic statistics, even though they tried to be up yesterday in china, better than expected, still, we will see the industrial production number for december and also the fourth quarter gdp. >> takahashi also warns that investors should normally be watching china. he said the prospects of the largest economy are the key. >> with the u.s. economy outlook, because with the country market you can still see the u.s. economy, but the stock

prices decline -- will decline faster like last summer. and then the decline will continue. and then i think the economic sentiment in the u.s. >> he remains out mystic because of the earnings. >> we s the earngs connue tohow even with the rate. lowers below the 117 yen. that will meannly abou2% deine in the recurring profit for fiscal 2016. so i think they were an

exclusive prospect is intact for the nikkei average. it is now too quickly dropping, so it will likely recover with the earnings prospects. >> managing have been spending a lot less on their equipment and facilities. officials say the orders were worth 6.6% in december that's down 14.4% from the month before. the numbers do not include the ship building and power sectors which see large fluctuatn. manufacturers saw a decrease in 10.2%. the officials are maintaining the basic assessment that the the der, showing signs of

picking up. falling oil prices are having an effect on the japanese policies. officials at the bank of japan say it's down 3.4% from the last year. prices of scrap and waste, declined 32%. nonferrous metals subpoena as chopper down 12.6%. the central bank officials say prizes of some food stuffs are rising but oil products may get cheaper with continued fall in futures. chinese authorities are tightening their control over regale gas prices. the national development and reform commission says a new policy went into effect on thursday. the government setting a ceiling for retail gasoline and diesel prices based on crude oil.

officials will now effectively fix retail prices when oil falls below $40 a barrel in oil. some people stress their frustration online over not getting the full benefits of lower crude prices. here's a look at some of the other business stories we're following. the bank of tokyo tokyo midtsubishi will invest in asia. they agree to a roughly 20% stake in security bank for $70 million. they're hoping to expand their base in the philippines. about 2800 firms from around the world are displaying toys and baby products at a major trade show in hong dong. they're expecting a growing demand from china, after leaders

abolished their one child policy this month. strollers for two were some of the products targeted for chinese buyers. >> that's it for business news. i'll leave you with the markets. japan's lower house has passed a supplementary budget to support the economy for the remaining fiscal year. it's worth around $28 billion. funds are earmarked for prime

minister shinzo abe's policy to promote the active engagement of all citizens. that includes a one-time handout for low income pensioners about $250 each. these sectors will face tougher competition when the transpacific partnership free trade deal takes effect. the bill now goes to the upper house for final approval. the governing parties hope it's approved there as early as next wednesday. police in japan say crime has hit a postwar low. they say offenses are down for the 13th year in a row. the national police agency says the number of crimes across the country last year came in at 1.1 million. the number peaked in 2002 at 2.8 million. homes and cars have fallen 60%. officials say private sectors are cutting crime by working together.

they also say more cameras and security systems have been installed in homes and public spaces. still, they say, certain offenses are on the rise. they promise to stalking cybercrime. for skiers and snowboarders, powder is the ultimate surface and more and more are coming to japan in search of that perfect snow. but many are leaving the trails and entering dangerous back country territory to find it. nhk world reports. >> reporter: this is what happens when you go missing on a mountain in japan, search parties, immediate searches and worry. this group of australians skied off course at the resort in fukushima prefecture. they said thick fog cost them to lose their way. in nagano, a similar mission took place to save a group of

fiish skie. they were stranded overnight on the mountain and had to be rescued by helicopter. they told the police they went off course on purpose to find deep powder snow. and they are not alone in that quest. >> i love it because it is light powder and not many people. >> reporter: do you think that it is dangerous? >> no. i think if you have always have a iend and good equipment. >> reporter: but going back country poses dangers not common on groomed slopes, such as getting lost or worse. in january of last year, two argentinian men died in an avalanche while skiing off peak. >> you need to know little

things about avalanches and how to find your way back. >> reporter: in recent years, the number of tourists coming to japan's slopes have grown, reaching 500,000 in 2014 alone. and it's prompting resort operators to take more preventive measures. they have put up posters in english warning people against going offcourse. >> translator: we hope skiers have the morals to follow the rules. things will be difficu unless they're aware of these point. >> reporter: and they are telling visitors of the hefty price of straight off course, the cost of their rescue. yuko hiraga, nhk world. >> a caveat for you travelers planning to travel to japan this

winter. 9 degrees celsius. we talk about a storm in the pacific so early in the yea >> yese're watchin pali, the earliest central storm over the pacific, thanks to the third strongest el nino in history which is taking place this moment. pali was a hurricane yesterday it's been downgraded to a tropical form. it's going to continue to move towards the west and probably cross the international date line. and if it does so, it's going to be the first tropical storm that crossed the line in history during this time of year. so, it's a very rare storm system. now, el nino has been bringing very wet weather to the west coast of south america. that includes peru. rains have been very high too.

we have some video from the coast in peru. the northern coast peru has been hit by high waves over the past two days. several ports have been closed. fishing communities have been the worst hit. a warning alerting people to stay away from the waters. now, lima, the capital expecting the weather to return and that will continue for the next three days. and the weather will come back on saturday, temperatures up 22 degrees to 23 degrees. el nino will likely continue for the next couple of months until it's over. meanwhile to the south, there's a cold front moving through the southern areas, and this is capable of producing thunderstorms, gusty winds and heavy rainfall in the sydney area, 120 dillometer wind gusts reported. a man was killed when a tree -- when a car was struck by a tree. now, the cold front will

continue to affect the southern areas and a risk of thunderstorms will likely continue for the next several hours. now, as for temperatures, it was a very warm day in sydney. the high rose to 38 degrees. however, it is expected to drop to 22 degrees on friday. and stay the same into your saturday. and rainy weather will likely continue. now, melbourne, the high is 41 degrees. down to 25 degrees on thursday. and then even down to the teens on your friday. so, take care of your health. now, across to europe then, a deadly avalanche occurred in the french alps killing at least three people and several others were you'injud. now, more snow is expected and that will raise the potential for avalanches even more, snow on top of snow leads to snow flight and several other inches have been reported in jakarta

and central japan. and they'll likely see an additional0 ctimetersf snowfall withithe next 24 hours. that will be about companied by gusty winds as well. across the pacific including tokyo, it will stay dry, temperatures are going to be above normal. that leads for a stormy day on monday. up next, the three-day forecast. ♪ ♪

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and with that, we conclude this hour's "newsline." the thursday edition of

>> you are watching "france 24." time for 60 minutes live around the world. headlines.he the islamic state group leader's responsibility for the attacks in indonesia today. bombs went off near a starbucks cafe in a busy district in jakarta in a series of courtney did attacks. this coordinated attacks. the end of ebola draws closer. the world's worst ever outbreak in west africa is over.