welcome to nhk "newsline". we come to you live from tokyo. japanese diet members are deliberating whether to approve the transpacific partnership. prime minister shinzo abe said the deal between 12 pacific rim countries would help boost japan's economy as it deals with a shrinking population.

abe was asked about various concerns over the tpp, especially related to the farming industry. it's expected to face the biggest impact. >> translator: my administration takes the continuing worries of farmers seriously. we will take all possible measures to strengthen the agriculture and fisheries industries. >> abe reiterated the importance of the pact, saying it would create a vast economic zone covering 40% of the market and would raise japan's gdp by $100 million. when asked about the possibility of the u.s. requesting to renegotiate, abe said he would not accept the demand, adding the agreement is the result of long and delicate negotiations. >> the u.s. dollar is continuing its slide against other major skrins. gene otani that's the details along with other business headlines. gene. >> thanks very much, james. the dollar dipped to the lowest level in 17 months as many

traders sold the u.s. currency. they were reacting to minutes from the federal reserve that policymakers are cautious about another rate rise. as you look at this graphic you see that white line crossing the 109 level. it caused volatility for japanese stocks. for details we go the tokyo stock exchange. >> the dollar slide weighed on japanese exporters but some went looking for export eers. the topix was up .4%. many of the big exporters suffered due to the stronger yen. sony and mazda were among them. energy shares gained and inpex and jx holdings were both up

over 2%. there was a decline in u.s. crude oil stockpile. strong yen dominates sentiment in tokyo and investors appear uncertain whether japanese authorities will take action to halt the rise of the japanese currency. moving on to other markets in the asia-pacific region. shank i had composite lid 1.4% to close at 3008 completing second day of losses. investors are holding back while they wait for important economic data due out inweerkt. "today" can, taiex is down to 8490. speculation that a government backed bond may withdraw money. hong kong, hang seng index advancing bio.3%. most sectors enjoined gains.

si sidney up person of interest 0.3%. chairman and ceo of 7 and i holdings will step down. suzuki has headed the store operator for many years. board members voted down to replace the president of the 7-eleven chain and he is believed to have backed that proposal. >> translator: our company has been generating record profits in recent years. i want people to reflect on that. i decided to stetep down. >> suzuki joined the company in 1963. later he introduced the convenience store model from the u.s. 7 and ioffici officials release

earnings report. it grew $3.2 billion. they attribute the result to new store openings and strong food sales. one of the partners is fast retailing which runs a national clothes empire. customers who buy their products online can collect them at 7 and i stores. they released third report. they said in yen terms operating profit plunged 34% from a year earlier to $910 million. executives blame unseasonably warm weather nationwide from november to december, expanded discount sales since january and higher logistical and personnel costs. they downgrade their operating forecast by 33%. second time this year they've lowered their estimate. here's a look at some of the other business stories we're

following. the governor of the bank of japan has stressed it will take additional easing steps if needed. he says the boj needs to closely examine global risk factors. he said addition easing measures would include interest rate policies and buying government bonds and securities if necessary. japan's prime minister shinzo abe has been hearing the views of prominent economists before he hosts the group of 1 in may. an expert says the global economy needs reforms. the french economist foftd instability in the eurozone and financial markets dealing with low interest rates. investors have been anxious as to direction of interest rates along with stocks, bonds and commodities. my colleague was able to get some insight into where things

were headed from blue puputnam. i started by asking him on where commodities like oil are headed. >> this is a year of finding trading ranges. last year we worried that commodity prices could go lower and lower. this year they rebounded a little bit and finding that we've been through these phases. we were in denial they couldn't rise then restructured companies and came to terms with it and now finding trading ranges and that's a much different psychology for the market and much more positive. >> i see. what about monetary policy, let's start with what's happening in the u.s.. when are you expecting a rate hike. what could influence policymakers decision to do so. >> the right hike -- at our company we have a future markets and it says it won't happen

until the fourth quarter. it's not particularly accurate and neither am i. but my best estimate is that they will wait until after the republican and democratic national conventions which are in july and possibly move in september if the data support it. the data the labor marketsts ar fine. the inflation rate is rising towards their 2% so check, check. only thing left is for the federal reserve to become a little more comfortable with the international risks. >> so would you say that credibility is on the line for these policymakers? >> credibility is definitely on the line. the federal reserve spent a long time telling us and congress has told the fed that they are supposed to encourage price stability and full employment and that's what we have. we have price stability and full employment. yet they are not putting interest rates back to normal. we're still at emergency levels from a problem that occurred in 2008. we've had seven years of growth and yet we still have these

policies that are in denial that the economy is okay. the credibility is at stake. >> now i want to talk about japan, one of the many pillars of abe economics. one the main points is loose monetary policy. >> bank of japan should have taken a closer look what happened to the united states and europe. boboth of these european centra bank and fed has done great quantitative easing. after seven years there's no results. these policies don't work. what they do, however, do is massive quantitative easing takes away the liquidity of your financial markets. that's not good. negative rates are a tax on the banking system. they don't stimulate. these policies haven't worked. central bankers need to realize they don't work. >> as you know there's a planned sales tax hike for april next

year. what's your opinion on that? >> well the planned steals tax it's already been delayed. will be delayed again. that's a good thing. an economy you want to grow faster i don't think you want to add another tax on top of it. the japanese economy has done a good job of absorbing the previous sales tax rises. enough is enough for right now. >> we are expecting a slower growth. are you saying that's a new normal for these major economies? >> don't like that word new normal. that's where we are. mature economies, japan, u.s., europe they are 1.5%, 2% growth economies. that's all they will do given their population and ageing demographics and need to be more realistic and people in the central bank shouldn't try to do what they c can't d do which ise something grow faster than it will do naturally. >> that's it for biz. i'll leave you with the markets.

the chinese government is reacting to media report to the panama the papers. they are documents that were leaked from a law firm and cast light on the finances of some of the world's rich and powerful, including relalatives of china' elite. a group of investigative journalists is looking into tht papers. it says relatives of china's vice premier and another party the member owned companies i in the british virgin islandsds. it's known as being a a tax hav. the files also mentioned a link between a relative of president xi jinping and offshore companies. a ministry person called the accusations groundless, and they

appear to be is censoring reports. online searches in china for the words panama papers have been blocked. the leaks come as president xi leads an anti-corruption campai campaign. several countries are investigating financial crimes. panama's president is vowing transparency. he said the reputationon of pana and its financial system is being tarnished. >> translator: the panamanian government, via our foreign ministry, will c create an independent commission of recognized national and international experts to evaluate our standard practices and to propose measures that we will share with other countries of the world. >> prosecutors in the central american country have also launched a probe into crimimina alallegations found in the

dodocuments. public safety authorities in japan are cracking down on a new crime gang. they are about to slap an official designation on the group that split from the biggest yakuzaa syndicate. ththe kobe yamaguchihiumi broke away from the yamaguchi-gumi. the two gangs are inn a state o conflict. officials have received reports of 70 incidents across the country some involving guns. they are hurrying to designate the kobe yamaguchi-gumi organized crime group. police will be able to order the gang to stop demanding protection money from shops.

>> translator: the most important thing is to prevent ordinary citizens from being harmed. i'm ordering police to keep doing all they can to mononitor the situation. and once we put inn an official designation on the kobe yamaguchi-gumi i'll make sure police take all necessary action. the kobe yamaguchi-gumi has more than 6,000 members across japan. 21 other gangs are designated as organized crime groups. japan's defense ministry now says search and rescue teams have now found one person without vital signs. the person is believed to be a crew member of the air self-defense force plane that went missing wednesday. search operations have paused for the night. they will resume friday morning. earlier they said they had found six people but have revised that information. the plane disappeared from radar shortly after it took off from a base in southwestern japan.

defense ministry officials say debris was found in a mountainous area and the person was found nearby. the spot is about 10 kilometers from the base. a japanese badminton star is likely to be barred from representing the country in the upcomi upcoming rio de janiero olympics. he has admitted to visiting an illegal casino in tokyo. he made the confession during questioning by team officials. he currently ranks fourth in the world and has had a string of recent successes, including a bronze medal at last year's championships. the 21 year old was seen as a good prospect to become the first male badminton player from japan to take home a medal. the organization won't recommemd kento momota to represent the country. an emergency board meeting on sunday will decide. the gambling spot he visited was raided by police last year.

other members of his team have also admitted they went there. officials in hiroshima are getting ready for the arrival of representatives from the world's nuclear powers. their city will host a meeting of g7 foreign ministers who will pay tribute to the victims of the first-ever nuclear attack. and, as nhk reports, peace activists are also preparing for the historic event. >> reporter: these are last-minute security preparations outside the hotel that will host g7 leaders. officers are running through drills on how to guide vip safely to and from the venue and how to provide protection. these activists traveled from as far away as india. they hope their message will reach the ministers. they're calling for a cut in military spending, which is ballooning worldwide, and among them, one of the remaining people who experienced the

atomic bomb. >> translator: i believe war and terrorism often stem from poverty. why do we have to spend money for weapons used to kill people? >> reporter: there are other preparations under way. scaffolding is being removed from the to dome. it's a reminder of the horrors of nuclear weapons. >> translator: we want the foreign ministers to see the dome and understand what it was like when the atomic bomb was dropped. we h hope theyey will consider creating a a nuclear-free worlr. >> reporter: and there are certain to get part of that wish. there is a scheduled visit to the memorial park. it will be the first time the ministers of the u.s., britain and france will attend. all possess nuclear weapons. u.s. secretary of state john kerry's visit is especially significant.

state department spokesperson told us it will look toward the future. >> it's an effort to remember the memory of all those who died during world war ii and underscore president obama's vision of a nuclear-free or world, rather, without nuclear weapons. >> reporter: toner also said it would be up to the white house to decide if obama will follow suit. there are high hopes for the meeting. he is a member of the japanese organization of atomic bomb survivors. >> translator: we'll be very happy if the ministers f from t other g7 countries see and understand what happened in hiroshima. >> reporter: he says he hopes the ministers change their mind-set that nuclear weapons keep the world s safe. the g7g7 meeting will kelyly include discussions on nuclear weapons and measures against

terror and, extremists. and they're expected to issue the hiroshima declaration, showing their determination for nuclear disarmament, nhk world. a a man who was known as the poorest president in the world is captivating young japanese people. the former uruguayan leader is now on a mission to promote a message of happiness over materialism. nhk tells us how many in japan are listening. >> reporter: no entourage, no expensive clothes, no fancy arrival ceremony. this man doesn't look like someone who was until recently a world leader. the 80-year-old arrived in tokyo in his trademark casual attire.

he went straight to work addressing the young people telling them wealth isn't everything. >>raranslator:r: i want young people to work toward creating a world where you will get up every day, filled with happiness. like a bird that sings every morning. >> reporter: it's a message that resonates. for decades, japan has pursued economic growth, but many young people say they still feel unfulfilled. >> translator: it's refreshing to learn about his ideas, because i don't feel happy, even if i have money. >> translator: i think it will be good to create a world where what matters is what you do and not money.

>> reporter: mujica is known to live by his principles. he says leaders should live like everyone else, and he's done that for years, even as president on a small farm on the outskirtrts of the capital. things are pretty beat up there, including his volkswagen beetle that was a gift from a friend. duduring his five years of presidenency, he gave away alml all of his s salary to charity. that and his socialist policies won the strong support from the people of uruguay. he shot to world fame in 2012 when he delivered his message to the u.n. >> translator: a poor r person not someone who has little butu someone who needs infinitely more and more and more. this is a cultural issue. >> reporter: in japan, his speech was published as a

picture book two years ago. it sold more than 160,000 copies. students at this university are studying the book to ask him questions. he plans to speak to young people at various spots in the country. >> translator: his words saying life is not about earning money is hitting me hard. >> reporter: not everyone is convinced it's really possible to create a world in which everyone is happy. >> translator: i want to ask him, by y distributing wealth evenly, wouldn't that make the people that are rich now unhappy? >> reporter: japanese people seem to feel they have a lot to learn from the former president, and he sayays he wants to learn from them too.o. >> translalator: i have many questions i want to ask japanese people. about where they think h humani is heading. how they envision the future of the world.

>> reporter: he says industrialization shouldn't come without happiness, and he hopes people in a highly industrialized country like japan will take that to heart, yuri ito, nhk world. encouraging to see the younger generation seeing interest. >> it's looking good for tomorrow friday. but there's some blustery conditions we're seeing throughout japan. >> it's a wet thursday in japan. it's windy and quite wet. over the last 24 hours, one prefecture had 143 millimeters. that's 80% of the monthly rain for april. a typhoon-strength gust was reported and cherry blossoms are blown over in many parts of japan. the rain and windy weather is

now shifting towards the east. so we are looking at stormy weather to affect the tokai region for the next several hours. now watch out for tornados and heavy rain. rain iss winding down in tokyo but t wind is increasing tonigh so t that could affect the eveng commute. thisis ia rainfafall for t the syem and it cocould be o over 0 mimillimetererfor many parts of japan which is s significant. may cause some flooding. waves are going to be up to 6 memeters, coastal fldingng is like as well. ase go to frididay, the e syst will be momoving away from hons, hokkaido will sesee stormy conditions on yourur friday. we'll see sunny weather in tokyo on friday. the temperature could be 22 degrees, and this is temperature that we normally see during the golden week. 21 degrees for the high on saturday and gorgeous weather should continue into the weekend, but naha, you'll stay wet into the weekend. now, as for north america, clouds are moving g in from the south,h, covering the desert

southwest and parts of mexico, which is good news, becacause se wildfires are occurring along the border of arizona and california. we have video coming out of san bernardino county. a bush fire which started in western arizona jumped into california on wednesday. officials reported there was no lightning in the area, and the sky was clear at the time the fire broke out. the blaze has burnrned over 480 hehectares of land in n both california and arizona. firefighters were battling the blazes under hot and windy conditions on wednesday. but, again, somehowewers are expected o on your thursday,nd that s should continue into the rest of the workweek. so hopefefully that coululd imp the situtuation. meanwhile, a heat dome is blanketingng the pacific northst and temperatures areoingng to be ququite high. we'll show you the figures in just a moment. and across the eastern areas of the u.s., a low pressure system is still affecting many parts of eastern canada and the u.s., bringing wet and windy weather to the north.

snow is falling heavily and blowing snow could happen. now freezing, severe thunderstorms could happen across the area frfrom the eastn seaboard and i into the ohio rir basin, so watch out for thunderstorms as well as large hail. temperatures are going to be as follows. 16 in washington, d.c. and 15 in new york city on thursday, but you may see sleet once again during the weekend and across the northwest, as i mentioned, very hot across seattle. 27 degrees for the high. that's over 10 degrees higher for this time of year. and over in europe, very wet conditions happening across the southern areas, and this system will likely move into italy and the balkan peninsula as we go into the next 24 hours. another system will create severe weather. watch out for thunderstorms and excessive amounts of heavy rainfall. temperatures are on the hot side. here's your extended forecast

around the globe.

as we approach 28 minutes past the hour we end this edition of nhk "newsline". a special report on gender equality and m

>> you are watching "france 24," life around the world. iceland's names a new prime minister, replacing the first world leader to be brought on by the panama papers leaks. they are forming an independent commission to review the finances -- a hearing today in court, his lawyer said that could take weeks.