here in japan, it's 7:00 on a wednesday. i'm james tengan in tokyo. here are some of the stories we're following this hour. a new strain of worry. and the count down begins. north korea says it plans to

launch a satellite as early as next week, leading to concerns in the international community that it could be a missile test in disguise. the spread of zika is changing direction. officials have reported the first case of the veers contracted inside the u.s. and not from a mosquito bite. nhk world reports. >> reporter: in this case as we understand it, someone had just gotten sick with zika, and that individual's sexual partner developed zika without a travel history. >> reporter: the case adds another layer to contain the disease. one pay shechbtient traveled to venezuela where the zika is circulating. but the other patient hadn't left the u.s.

patients usually have a fever, skin rash and joint pain. and wheel there is no vaccine or treatment, patients usually recover in about a week. but there could be a bigger impact. the virus is linked to an alarming spike in the number of babies born with abnormally small heads, a condition called microcephaly, that could cause brain damage. the outbreak has already spread to 28 countries and territories, mainly across latin america. officials with the w.h.o. warn that 4 million people could become infected. and they're advising pregnant women to avoid traveling to the affected areas. before the outbreak, fewer than 200 cases were reported. but since last october, the number has increased to more than 4,000. authorities are trying to eradicate mosquitos before they welcome the world this year to

carnival and the rio olympics. w.h.o. is warning the virus could spread across the globe. >> the complications of this relatively mild illness do have potentially devastating effects. the potential for spread, not just across latin america but into africa, into asia, which has the highest birthrates in the world. >> reporter: the virus has already made it to asia. thailand's public health minister reported the first case in 2012 and as many as six cases every year since then. on monday, they diagnosed a case in a man who has not traveled outside the country. but the case in texas is now raising concerns about new ways the virus can be transmitted. dr. kato has been closely watching the development. he says it's not the first time the virus has been transmitted this way, but it is very rare.

>> translator: donating blood is another way the zika virus could possibly be transmitted between humans, so it's not just through mosquitos. >> reporter: he also talked about precautions japan needs to take. >> translator: in 2014, there was a dengue fever outbreak in tokyo. it's cold now, but when it gets warmer, the mosquitos come out. it will be very important to prevent the spread of the virus within japan, especially from people who have traveled to other countries and can be hosts for the virus. >> reporter: this park in the heart of tokyo was closed in the summer of 2014 because of dengue-carrying mosquitos. japanese health officials aren't taking any chances with mosquitos this year. they'll be distributing test kits at clinics and stepping up

screening the at airport. john ladue, nhk world. north korea's announcement of an upcoming satellite launch is causing concern, even though the country claims it will be for peaceful purposes. much of the international community doesn't buy that. and some countries are talking tough on how to deal with the north. nhk world has more. >> reporter: north korea says it's about to launch another satellite into space. but the international community doesn't see it that way. >> translator: if north korea goes ahead with the launch of a ballistic missile, it would be a clear violation of the u.n. security council resolution. >> reporter: the launch period is likely to come between february 8 and the 25th. right in the middle? february 16th, the birthday of former leader kim jong il. the satellite is actually named in honor of the date known as shining star day.

since the beginning of this year, north korea's military actions have been making the headlines. >> translator: we must develop and produce military attack measures so we can beat our enemies. >> reporter: a month ago, the north carried out its fourth nuclear test. it also released video reportedly showing a test fire of a ballistic missile from a submarine. and then came the latest launch plan. satellite images show possible signs of prep work being done at a launch site. the pad is covered, just like before the last launch in 2012. the international community is rushing to respond. japanese government has issued an order to destroy any missile that heads toward the country. china's chief envoy arrived in pyongyang on tuesday. observers say he is expected to call a north korean official to

cancel launch plans. in south korea, an emergency national security meeting. >> translator: it will threaten peace and security in the region and the rest of the world. north korea will have to pay a severe price. >> reporter: from washington, an equally tough response. >> the international community must impose real consequences and respond with steadily increasing pressure. >> reporter: north korea's announcement comes as u.n. security council members are deciding how to punish the country for its nuclear tests. for those pressing for a tougher approach, a launch would only toughen their resolve. nhk world. >> japan's self-defense forces are preparing to protect the country from any launch. the defense minister says if north korea launches a missile, japan will be ready. >> translator: we issued an

order to destroy ballistic or any other missiles. >> authorities in pyongyang have released a flight path for a satellite-carrying rocket. based on that information, officials in tokyo say it may pass over islands in okinawa in southern japan. ships are equipped with advanced radar technology and intercepters. intercepters will also be set up on the ground in okinawa. last month they were deployed in and around tokyo. the u.n.'s top negotiator at syria's peace talks are trying to get them to sit face to face. but they remain at odds over several issues, including the choice of top negotiator. representatives have been meeting separately. the opposition has named a rebel

leader a their chief negotiator. but the syrian government views his group, army of islam, as terrorists. russian leaders have backed that view, but sergei lavrov said on tuesday that army of islam could participate in the peace process on an individual basis. but he said that doesn't mean russia sees the group as legitimate. global stock markets are falling again over worries of crude oil prices, but the bank of japan chief is staying confident of his policies. gene otani joins us with that and other business stories from the business desk. bank of japan governor kuroda has given his first speech after the central bank decided last week to adopt a negative interest rate. he expressed readiness to take further monetary easing measures to achieve his 2% inflation target.

>> translator: i get rather uncomfortable hearing people say the bank of japan is reaching the limits of its easing measures. but to achieve our inflation goal, what we must do is devise new financial methods or mechanisms. i'm convinced there is no limit to the easing measures available to us. >> kuroda said falling energy costs have been temporarily pushing down consumer prices to a significant degree. he said if cheaper fuel was taken out of the equation, prices would rise to the lower 1% level. on to the markets, a plunge in crude overshadowed remarks by the boj governor. it dragged down global stock markets. for more, let's go to mayu yoshida at the tokyo stock exchange. >> japanese stocks posted sharp

losses as the focus turned from oil. and in fact, tokyo erased gains it made after the boj's negative rate decision on friday last week. the nikkei closed at 17,191 on wednesday, down 3.1%. that's the biggest one-day loss in two weeks. the broader topix also closed down over 3%. one analyst told me that hopes faded for a saudi and russian production cut, pushing prices below $30 a barrel again. energy stocks weren't the only ones hit hard, investors took note from negative earnings from japan inc. kobe steel was down, and this was after a first loss. and nomura tumbled over 10% after reporting a 49% drop in third quarter profits. now turning to currency markets.

the dollar briefly hit the 119 mark, but changed after remarks by kuroda. i'm mayu yoshida. other markets in the asian region ended low. investors shrugged off january as strong service sector pmi data, but property shares were higher following the government's measures to boost housing sales. the resorclose today in austral that's the biggest one-day loss

in four months. december's trade deficit came in much worse than expected partly due to a fall in resource exports. let's take a look at seoul south korea kospi down by .8%. the hang seng also down. chinese authorities would limit purchases of insurance products in hong kong. japan's long-term interest rates continue to fall after the boj launched its negative interest rate policy. this has prompted more investors to opt for government bonds. yields on ten-year, jgbs hit a fresh low on wednesday or fresh record low on wednesday of 0.045%. but, analysts predict financial institutions will buy more government bonds rather than pay money to park their funds at the

boj. the some people may benefit from the central bank's negative rates. managers at shinsei bank have lowered rates. new levels for a ten-year fixed rate mortgage have dropped. >> translator: i once thought the rate had bottomed out. but the way things are going, i'm hoping it can fall further. we came here to ask for advice. >> other major banks are also lowering their ten year fixed rate mortgages to record lows. some of japan's biggest companies are performing poorly on japan's slow down. a drop in prtax profi in the octobe toecember period smbc talli trofits o 0 listed fis. profitsotaled roughly$45

billion. that's down 6.3% in yen terms from the same quarter a year ago. sectors that row lie heavily on chinese demand have suffered the most. profits lumped more than 62% at steelmakers and shipping operators and 18% at machinery makers. about 10% of firms revised downward their numbers. but not all companies experienced the slump. textile manufacturers enjoyed a nearly 56% jump in pretax profits. pulp and paper firms also rose 45%. here's a look at earnings reports of some individual companies. electronics maker panasonic has cut its business outlook. it now says operating profit will rise 7% from a year ago to

$3.4 billion. that's $160 million less than originally forecast. executives attribute the fault to weak chinese sales of semi-conductors and air conditioners. japan's top oil wholesalers, jx holdings has revised its forecast to a net loss of about $2.8 billion. the company had expected a pre- a profit of about $375 million. managers say the value of the firm's oil inventory plunged due to the slump in crude oil prices. we bring you the second part of our series on trend-setters in japan's textile industry. the trend has been hit by offshore outsourcing. some designers are now trying to keep skills alive through a blend of old and new. nhk world reports. >> reporter: this is a tailor shop in tokyo.

the shop specializes in british-made cloth. but a few years ago, it started using this fabric woven in japan. >> translator: the quality of the workmanship is quite different. it's better than british cloth in this price range, no question. >> reporter: the lightness and softness of the fabric make it stand out. it was woven here on this 80-year-old machine. it takes four hours to weave enough material to make a single jacket, and the process must be watched the whole time. the machine is a victim of progress. it is no longer made in japan, and parts are scarce. so the staff maintains it with loving care. during a low point in his company's business, executives launched an aggressive sales push.

seven years ago, he pitched the fabric abroad. foreign companies took interest, and the company's reputation has since soared. domestic and international sales have shot up, and the machines are operating at full tilt. >> translator: now we hope to collaborate with the next generation of japanese fashion designers to make products our global customers will love. >> reporter: the revival of old skills has been helped by modern technology. this is a ladies clothing boutique. everything here is made in small production runs of under 100 items. a designer has commissioned them to make a limited run of ten of these dresses. and it is very popular with customers. the designer found the tailor on this website. the site can connect designers and manufacturers with skilled crafts people.

it lists skills, expertise and samples of their work. crafts people looking for commissions can also search the site. a deal is struck once both sides agree on conditions. >> translator: it really helps when i need one piece in a rush, because i can find people who are willing to do a one-of. turn around time has improved dramatically. >> reporter: the website is the creation of a former tailor. with factories increasingly moving abroad,e was almed in the decline in his trade. >> translator: the business was no longer profitable. there were few opportunities for businesses and tailors to meet. so we needed to come up with a way of networking.

>> reporter: this seamstress uses the website too. she specializes in wedding dresses and ball gowns. she recalls a time when orders grew thin. the website is helping her find new jobs, such as transforming kimono into dresses. >> the advantage is that i will be able to meet customers that i otherwise wouldn't be able to reach out to. because i, you know, i'm like, my networking connection is, you know, limited. >> reporter: japan's industry players are helping to weave new business patterns by taking a fresh look at time-tested skills and machines. nhk world. >> and you can watch our series on trend-setters in japan's textile industry on the nhk website. just check the url at the bottom of the screen. that's it for business news.

i'll leave you with the markets. officials at mitsubishi heavy industries have released more details to replace japan's mainstay space rocket. they'll take the h2a out of operation by 2023. they are developing a next generation rocket called the h3. along with the japan aerospace exploration agency. the goal is improve launch capability and reduce costs. they hope to start test flights in 2020. the h2a has been used with a success rate of 96%.

for 29 launches. it has sent into orbit, daiichi ii. each launch costs about $82 million. officials hope to cut that amount in half. in world weather, winter storms are wreaking havoc in the u.s. as jonathan oh tells us in this update. >> let me show you the satellite perspective. to give you an idea of what's been taking place, notice the clouds here and how they billow up. it seems very calm. all of a sudden it just kind of spreads out. at's hapning is lot of stable a is beintriggere byhe push that co air, and we're seeing not only severe thunderstorms, but even multiple tornado warnings taking place, and this system has a

history of problems for the past few days. in fact, let's rewind the time back and look at some video to give you an idea of a different weather pattern takes place from the same system over in iowa. you may have heard of iowa because the presidential caucuses took place on monday. but on tuesday it was hit by a major winter storm. so officials had issued a blizzard warning for the state. up to 30 centimeters of snow, rong win could bexpected fr the sto. yo can seeheisibilit alady low. it will remain low. so hazardous traveling conditions are going to be a part of the story. we're talking about snowy and colder weather toward the north while stormy weather remains toward the south. a trough set up meaning the jet storm is moving to the north and east allowing that cold air to come in. we're looking at possibilities of even more severe weather. we're looking from a marginal to slight risk of severe storms along the eastern seaboard from the carolinas to the north. and flash flooding possibilities

in the areas in the hashed pink and purple coloration. toward the north, freezing rain possibilities and heavier snow. we're looking at 41 centimeters of snow possibility and strong gusts and the possibility of tornados once again. and we have more weather back to the west when it comes to snowy conditions. there's another system from the pacific moving onshore. so a busy weather pattern expected on both ends of north america. as we go throughout wednesday, have the umbrellas ready in vancouver and seattle. denver looking cool but dry. more snow in chicago. rain extending from toronto. temperatures are in the teens that's because of the warm air coming in from the south. a bit of a rollercoaster ride. a lot of areas warming up thor thursday, and then we crash down on friday in daytime highs with the cold air filtering in. be prepared for that. quick look at the outlook for the next few months. we had groundhog day.

that's where we think about what's going to happen for springtime. the national atmospheric administration is saying warmer weather toward the north, normal conditions toward the center and cooler in the south. quick look at what's happening in east asia. we have a weather pattern tapering off. we are looking at dry conditions except for showers into shanghai and taipei, looking at dry conditions further toward the north. now we've been talking about the very active weather into europe. that is starting to back off just a little bit, but now the milder conditions out to the south with drier patterns is going to switch to a rainy pattern. so from paris into vienna and warsaw, you'll need your umbrella as you go through the day. hope you have a good day

wherever you are. here's your extended outlook.

celebrities in japan joined a traditional bean-throwing festival at a buddhist temple near tokyo, hoping to throw the crowd a little luck. hakuho, the highest-ranked sumo wrestler in japan and an actor in a nhk year-long drama took part in the event. it's believed if someone catches a bean, they will have good fortune for a whole year. >> translator: this is my first time. i didn't expect to get any beans, so i'm very happy. >> translator: i prayed for happiness for all. >> the centuries-old tradition attracted more than 50,000 people this year.

some 1200 kilograms of soybeans and peanuts were tossed out. that's a lot of good fortune. we'll be reporting

genie: this is "france 24." time for 60 minutes live around the world. i'm genie godula. these are the headlines. david cameron gets set to defend e.u. reform proposals to british parliament. european lawmakers start talks on approving the deal to avoid