it's a thursday night here in japan. i'm james tengan in tokyo. here are some of the stories we're following this hour. a sharp deal. the struggling japanese electronics maker has accepted a takeover bid from taiwan-based hon hai in an effort to survive. submitting sanctions. the u.s. is set to put forward a

draft resolution to the u.n. security council with an eye towards punitive measures for north korea for its recent military action. and keeping watch. police are on high alert to make sure that a split in japan's gang doesn't lead to violence. police are vetting why a car hit multiple pedestrians. it left two people dead and nine injured. it happened in the center of osaka. the car hit pedestrians crossing an intersection and then ran onto a sidewalk and hit more people. it stopped when it rammed into a concrete flower box. police say one pedestrian and the droiver died. nine were injured and one is in critical condition. >> translator: the driver was going fast. i don't think he applied his

brake brakes. >> they think the man was in his 50s and may have had a medical problem. the area is often full of shoppers and tourists and it was even more crowded because people were out on luchblgs. sharp executives agreed to a takeover by taiwan's hon hai. they've reach add deal that makes sharp the first of japan's big electronics firms to end up in the hands of a foreign buyers. sharp's directors are still nailing down the details of the package which is worth some reportedly $6 billion. until a few weeks ago they were considering a much lower bid.

hon hai executives have offered to injebts more than $4 billion in the form of capital. in return, they'll get a two-thirds stake. people from the sharp side say they want important concessions. they want independence of management, skjob security and e universe the name. >> translator: i'm not that worried. i think it's a positive move. >> translator: i'm concerned what will happen with the company once it's taken over. >> japan's ministry official thought it was a better proposal. he's sure the hon hai takeover will protect jobs and contribute to the economy. the founder of sharp launched the business in 1912 and started out making belt buckles from a factory in tokyo. >> reporter: a few years later,

he revolutionized the mechanical pencil, known in japan as the sharp pencil. the product that gave the company its name. he and his staff suffered big losses in the great kanto earthquake in 1923. they relocated to osaka and started afresh. this time focussing on electrical goods. they were the first in japan to produce crystal radios. and in 1953, they started selling the first domestically made color tvs. they also invented the world's first pocket calculator. 1988 was a turning point. sharp engineers created the first lcd panel. executives saw the exciting new technology as the future of the company. in 2004, sharp started shipping lcd panels from its factory in

mie prefecture. and in 2009, it opened the world's biggest lcd plant in osaka prefecture. the company pumped 1 trillion yen or about $8.5 billion at the current rate into the plant. the investment came to weigh heavily on its business. fierce competition with south korean rivals started to take a toll. then the global financial crisis hit. for the fiscal year ending in march 2013, executives reported a net loss of about $4.6 billion. it was the biggest in the firm's history. >> translator: we'll do everything we can to reinvent sharp. based on our policies of honesty and ingenuity. we'll devote everything we have. >> reporter: at that point, sharp shifted its focus to small lcd panels for phones. but it shifted as the market began to slow.

for the year ending 2015, sharp posted another net loss. the innovation network corporation of japan offered to invest in sharp's display business. the government-backed fund entered talks with the industry ministry, which agreed to oversee the bid. but taiwanese company hon hai also came forward with a rescue plan. sharp executives consider the two competing bailout offers. early this month, they decided to favor hon hai. managers from the two companies agreed to continue talks on finalizing the terms of a contract. >> nhk world's senior commentator is in the studio for more on the subject. he's been following the move. so why have sharp executives, why have they chosen hon hai? >> well, the biggest factor was the overwhelming financial strength of the taiwanese firm.

hon hai raised to around $6 billion. that's up to around $500 million from its initial offer. and the innovation network corporation of japan or incj couldn't keep up with the bid. sharp officials also focussed on the fact that i.t. giant apple is hon hai's major business partner. they've raised hopes that the relationship will help increase sharp's chances to survive. >> a lot of advantages with hon hai. more money. they have relationships with apple. so it was easy for hon hai then. >> not exactly. the rival bid offered $2.7 billion, less than half of hon hai's offer, but the public/private partnership fund also planned to ask financial support worth about the same amount from sharp's two main lenders.

sharp officials were initially reluctant to choose the taiwanese firm, taking into account the government's determination to keep sharp's technology and know-how in the country. >> so they changed their mind. what was the turning point? >> hon hai's additional last-minute offer apparently helped it gain leverage. and efforts to convince sharp's main lenders are believed to be another key factor. hon hai's chairman gave an exclusive interview to nhk. he said the final decision will be made by the banks, not sharp. he eventually gained support from bank executives by stressing that hon hai's offer will also benefit the lenders. >> i guess the big question is will hon hai be able to turn around sharp. >> he claims that hon hai's investment will boost sharp's capability to make more competitive products. but the company faces strong

rivals from china and south korea, not only on the lcd market but also in the field of mobile phones and home appliances. he says that one of sharp's most viable assets is its employees. it will be up to him to utilize their talents in order to engineer turn around for the struggling firm. >> thank you. investors turned their attention to the group of 20 meetings starting in china. we go to mayu yoshida. wal walk us through the day. >> japanese shares recover the, but trading was rather thin as market players focussed on the

g-20 meeting. but let's look at the closing levels here in tokyo for this thursday. the nikkei closed above 16,000, up 1.4%. the broader topix up 1.8%. now it was a pretty wild day for sharp. prices jumped on a knee-jerk reaction on accepting hon hai's offer. but all gains were wiped out and sharp's prices plunged over 20% after the company started des closing the details, like plans to sell its stock at a discount and that hon hai would acquire nearly a 70% stake in the firm. now it briefly helped the trading of sharp shares but prices closed down 14%. meanwhile, long-term japanese government bonds gained on thursday, sending yields on the

benchmark jgb to fresh lows. that's all for me, i'm mayu yoshida from the tokyo stock exchange. moving on to other markets in the asia-pacific region. taiwan's markets gained 1%, closing at 8365. investors were cheered by the hon hai bid, boosting other high tech shares. shanghai composite dropping nearly 6.5%. some market players booked profits after the index hit a one-month high on wednesday. the weaker yuan weighed on sentiment. the kospi is snapping two days of losses. hong kong extended its losses to

a third day. all sectors were lower following the plunge in china. in singapore, down by .6%. and here's a look at some of the other business stories we're following today. prime minister shinzo abe is urging firms and organizations around the world to invest in japan. abe told a forum in tokyo that japan's economy offers security and stability in an increasingly volatile world and he promised to tackle two related issues, the low birthrate and the aging population. officials in japan are testing a new way to deliver groceries and other necessities to peoe in rural areas. staff used a drone to fly food about 500 meters to a dropoff point. the ministry hopes to commercialize the service by 2018. and that's it for business news. i'll leave you with the markets.

american officials will submit a draft aimed at taking punitive measures against north korea. samantha power expressed hope that the council will give a strong response to pyongyang's recent missile launch. multiple sources told nhk that china and u.s. planned to boil

some oil and other exports. they will also widen the targets of a travel banan and asset freeze. the body has imposed others against north korea in the past. earlier, we spoke with a reporter following developments from beijing. >> china has been cautious about moves against north korea, what changed? >> officials in beijing have argued against sanctions that would affect people in north korea. they feared such a move could spark a mass -- threatening borders and security. but they appear to have found a common ground with their counterparts in washington on sanctions that put pressure on pyongyang while minimizing the impact on people, but they have been firm on one point. they believe a nuclear-free

kaeka korean peninsula is a non-negotiable issue. >> china will not recognize any country on the korean peninsula as a nuclear state. and dhn will do whatever is necessary to firmly oppose any country on the korean peninsula to pursue nuclear weapons or long-range launch vehicles. now having sanctions against them is necessary. but other measures will be adopted so they will eventually come babb to the negotiation table, especially at the six-party talk. >> now how will the resolution keep pyongyang's nuclear development and missile development in check? >> after all the fail attempts to do so the past, we can't afford to be optimistic. it's expected pyongyang will make every effort to disrupt the

coordination among the members of the u.n. security council. we should also consider how far aparthe u. a chi he be over t eorcement of sanctis. washingt calls ijing's exution x, which experts thinks gives pyongyang room for divisive maneuvering. so the u.n. security council enforcing effective sanctions hinges on how well its members can strengthen their coordination. japanese and u.s. officials are preparing for an exchange of views over the sanctions and other mutual security concerns. nhk has learned the two sides are planning to meet next week. they will meet in washington with national security adviser susan rice. signs of chinese military activity around disputed islands in the south china sea are also expected to be on the agenda.

the top american military commander in the pacific says the u.s. will assume a more active stance in the south china sea. admiral harry harris says that includes more freedom of navigation operations in contested waters. >> the frey dom of navigation operation itself is only a pat of the broader policy approach. we'll be doing them more, we'll be doing them with greater complexity in the future. >> he was speaking to u.s. lawmakers about the buildup in the spratly islands. harris said submarines could be an important tool for u.s. forces in the asia-pacific region. he said they could help deter additional chinese militarization. harris said in the future, the military could consider dispatching additional nuclear submarines to guam and deploying the latest stealth destroyers to the asia-pacific.

a recent shooting has police on alert in a recent spike in yakuza gang activity. but while police are concerned, a lawyer who worked for the gang said the group has more pressing issues. nhk world explains. >> reporter: on tuesday, a gang member affiliated with the gang was arrested on suspicion of shooting into the office of a new yakuza gang. the new group is made up of gang members who split from the gang last august. and that's got police worried about rising gang violence. the national agency said on thursday the yamaguchi gumi is still the biggest gang with more than 14,000 members. but with 6,000 more members, the new group is now the third largest.

this is not actually the first time the yamaguchi gumi experienced the spread, and the spread had always been followed by the fierce battle. and this is one of the places the top yamaguchi member was shot to death. and what people worry about now is whether or not there's going to be another fierce battle. this is a lawyer for the yamaguchi gumi. he's been working for the organization for 40 years and is the only person who can contact both sides. he says the split was over money. >> translator: this is a tough time for them as their revenue sources have shrunk dramatically. it's because of tougher laws that prevents them from doing business. they are pressuring members for regular membership fees. some did not want to pay, and that's why there was the split. >> reporter: then is the big

question. how likely is a war? >> senior members of the two sides don't talk directly to each other, not in person, not even over the phone. but they share a sense of crisis that they could disappear all together if either of them commits a serious crime. those skirmishes erupt occasionally, both sides are keen to keep them from developing into something bigger. [ siren ] >> reporter: but the members in the 1980s led to stricter laws that targeted all yakuza. these days police can close down an office if there's an eruption of violence. he says the gangs are thinking about survival instead of how they can widen their influence. meanwhile, the police are

watching and remain on high alert. nhk world, osaka. the company that owns japan's crippled plant has recognized that they could have seen meltdowns earlier. >> translator: the operator should check and follow its manual once an accident happens. it's an expected action. but tepco didn't do it. it's a major fault. the delay in announcing a meltdown made people think the situatn at thelant wast as serious it real was. >> he says that tokyo electric power company has faced repeated accidents and falsified data and that nobody ll be ab to trust the firm unlesit changes such pctices.

he's urging them to get proactive about admitting mistakes. staff said they lacked a standard for making a judgment. they admitted this week that they could have recognized the meltdowns based on their own manual in three days. workers at the plant are coming to grips with another problem -- garbage. they fixed incinerators for items including used protective clothing, and now they're giving them a test. garbage from decommissioning has been building up for nearly five years. it includes clothing, sheets, cardboard and wood. at the end of last year, there was enough to fill a 25-meter swimming pool 100 times. workers plan to burn 14 tons a day. kilo for kilo, the resulting ash will be more radio active than the original garbage. workers will catch it in filters

on an exhaust duct. they'll store it in drums inside a building designed not to release radiation. they h planned to start the incirators t wks ago. they phed bk tir sedule whenhey fou the eipment was leaki water. >>ou'reatching "wsline" live fro tyo where ski are overcastnd the crent temperate is 7 drees celsius or 44 degrees fahrenheit. sayaka mori joins us from this weather update. >> yes. deadly tornados affected the u.s. deep south and mid atlantic states on tuesday as well as wednesday, killing at least six people and one of them occurred in virginia on wednesday. we have some footage coming out of the state. severe storms rolled into central virginia wednesday, a day after the same system spawned numerous tornados in the u.s. deep south. officials say close to 45 homes were damaged or destroyed in the town of appomattox. at least three people were reported dead with several people injured.

the surrounding area suffered widespread damage including power outages and downed trees. authorities had to block off roads due to dangerous driving conditions. the u.s. is the most tornado-prone country in the world. but most of the tornados occur in the spring season. winter tornados are rare, typically 30 occur in february. but in the past two days, over 50 tornados occurred. so that's pretty amazing. good news with bad. the severe weather maker is pushing away from these areas affected by tornados. so things are looking up in the deep south and mid atlantic states, but instead, the northeastern u.s. is still seeing rainfall, flooding rainfall and back behind it heavy snow is falling from tennessee to southern quebec. even blizzard conditions could happen across the north of illinois. things will be looking up as we go into friday. but you will see a significant change in temperatures in one day. washington, d.c., the high could be 11 degrees on thursday.

cooling down by about 5 degrees as we go into friday. now across hawaii giant waves are expected to batter the coasts of the islands. it is sending dangerous waves to the north and west coasts of the island. up to 15 meter waves could happen across the north and west coasts in hawaii. that's why we have high surf warnings in place. the dangerous conditions will be starting tonight going into friday. so the world famous surfing event could be taking place on thursday, but it may change. let's look forward to that. as for temperatures in honolulu, 27 degrees for the high with a chance of showers on your thursday. now across japan, snow is pretty heavy across northern japan. in just 24 hours, over 30 centimeters of snow has fallen in niigata prefecture and more snow is on the way. because very cold air is still

gripping much of japan, lowering temperatures and causing quite moist air from the north. now temperatures at night will be below freezing in sapporo, continuing into the weekend. minus 9 degrees expected on friday morning. and as for tokyo, we saw light snowfall earlier this morning, but things will be looking up today, and temperatures will be up to 4 degrees on sunday morning. now according to the japan meteorological agency, the spring is going to be warmer than normal. and then according to the japan weather association, cherry blossoms will be expected to come out around march 25th in the tokyo area. let's look forward to the colorful season. here's your extended forecast.

for an in depth look at the day's news and special

>> hello and welcome to life from paris. i'm claire pryde. justice ministers meet in brussels to discuss the migrant crisis. austria and balkan nations agreed to restrict numbers. iran gears up for elections on friday, seeking political gains. it is the first election since the nuclear deal and the lifting of sanctions.