here in japan it's a wednesday night. i am james tengan. welcome to nhk "newsline." we start off with a quick look at the hour's top stories. up and running. the shinkansen bullet train resumes operation along its entire route almost two weeks after the quakes derailed the train. setting a date. north korea state-run media says the country's workers' party

will meet on may 6th, the first time in 36 years. and more questions. u.s. regulators want mitsubishi motors to conduct new fuel efficiency tests and provide them with details on the manipulation of its old data. japan's kyushu shinkansen bullet train is up and running the entire route connecting the northern and southern parts of the island after almost two weeks of limited service caused by the earthquakes in kumamoto. the line links ha the north and south. the entire line was shut down on april 14th when a strong quake struck kumamoto prefecture and damaged parts of the line.

service is not completely back to normal, though. the trains are traveling more slowly on some sections and are stopping at every station. there will also be fewer trips than usual. north korea state-run media says the country's ruling workers' party will hold a congress on friday next week. delegates report on the progress of national projects, determine party policy and assign leadership positions. it will be the first such conference in nearly 40 years and the first under leader kim jong-un. >> the first ones were held during the regime of kim's late grandfather. the last was in 1980 when his father appeared in public as his successor. it lasted for five days, but kim

jongil didn't hold any himself. experts say the party may not have been able to afford the costly event because of troubled economy. natural disasters and serious food shortages. neighboring countries are closely watching north korea's military actions in the leadup to the meeting. pyongyang recently launched what appeared to be a new type of mid-range ballistic missile. and last saturday the country fired what it called a submarine-launched ballistic missile. we're now joined by a security expert from seoul. he is a military research fellow at the korea institute for defense analyses. thank you for joining us. why is the congress being held now? >> traditionally communist countries convene the party congress every power shift period. for the last 36 years pyongyang regime didn't have a justifiable

moment to convene the event. this year started off with a nuclear test and long-range missile test. with that self-proclaimed success kim jong-un saw the coming may as the right time to show off his accomplishments. the congress will last four or five days. the event could signal a new kim jong-un era with no dramatic policy changes. the congress will present new guidelines to proclaim kim's so-called pyongyang policy, which is simultaneous pursuit of nuclear and economic development. >> and what will you be watching for? >> kim jong-un will be on the main stage as an actor while commander in chief of the party congress. also, the generational shift in terms of key elites of the

regime on the key issues. the media-oriented event is likely to celebrate the status of the country as a nuclear weapons state. kim jong-un will once again clarify his bold leadership to spur propaganda for nuclear tipped missiles capable of striking the united states. kim may also emphasize north korean residents' quality of life by unveiling significant economic reform measures. there will also be a talk to go back to the negotiation table with the united states and china. >> that was our military research fellow at the korea institute for defense analyses. we now turn to business news. japan's mitsubishi motors has been caught in a fuel efficiency scandal. we're now finding more about what is actually going on with the automaker. gene otani from the business desk has the details.

mitsubishi motors has been in the spotlight. four models are being scrutinized for having the wrong specs on fuel efficiency. officials at japan's transport ministry are asking tougher questions and people there have been examining the company's management at its offices and other sites. they found that, while mitthey performed trails, the data was never used. mitts bisha engineers conducted test but didn't use the results. the numbers were supposed to show running resistance as well as wind pressure. mit mitsubishi used data from other cars. they manipulated the figures to meet the consumption targets.

the then chief of testing division admitted to overseeing the rigging but now has taken back the comments. u.s. authorities have started looking into the scandal. officials at the environmental protection agency say they've ordered the automaker to conduct tests and hand over more information. they say the additional fuel efficiency testing would cover models sold in the united states. the epa has accused german automaker volkswagen of using emission rigging software. it also hit hyundai and kia with steep fines. the volkswagen scandal generated greater awareness of u.s. consumers. mitsubishi motors president and ceo said the automaker logged a 4% rise in sales in yen terms

for the business year ending in march. sas came to $20 billion but net profit fell nearly 25% from a year earlier to $800 million. he touched on the impact of the fuel data manipulation. he said the company's domestic sales are suffering the most. the numbers of orders per day has halved since the irregularity came to light. executives of mazda say their profit year ending in march hit an all-time high. the group's operating profit was up 12% at around $2 billion. strong sales in europe and china were contributing factors. they say the strong yen is likely to weigh on earnings this fiscal year. mazda manufactures most of their cars in japan. the executives are expecting an operating profit of around $1.5 billion down 25%. checking the markets. tokyo stocks ended lower as investors waited on the outcome of central bank policy meetings in the u.s. and japan.

for the details we go to giang nguyen who has been standing by at the tokyo stock exchange. >> investors avoided risky bets as they held out for the meetings at the federal reserve and bank of japan. the nikkei closed lower finishing at 17,290. the broader topix fell .5%. both indexes were down for a third day. market players had a slew of corporate results to look through after apple's weak earnings report, shares of the firm's component makers here in japan took a hit. murata down 4 had the 4% and alps electric lost over 1%. another big company with disappointing results was canon. it said operating profit for the first quarter fell nearly 40% as its cameras faced increased competition from smartphones. shares fell more than 5%. shares of mitsubishi motors continue to fall. the carmaker has now lost more

than half its market value since its fuel efficiency manipulations came to light last week. and leading the gates was ihi corporation which climbed 4.3% following a report it plans to build a jet engine facility in japan, the first in the country for two decades. the focus is now on how asian markets react to the outcome of policy meetings at the federal reserve and the bank of japan on thursday. giang nguyen from the tokyo stock exchange. >> thanks very much for that report. many other asian boards ended lower. shanghai down at 2,953. data for march shows profits for manufacturers up 11% from a year earlier. investors appeared unmoved by the news. australia's s&p 200 declining by .6%. 5,187 the closing number. consumer prices in the first quarter fell unexpectedly.

that result dragged down the australian dollar and weighed on share prices. hong kong's hang seng declines by .2%. indonesia bucking the trend, .7% for the gains there. its first gain in three sessions. here is a look at some of the other business stories we're following. officials at the world bank believe the price of crude oil will rise higher than earlier predicted. the bank's commodity outlook report upgrades the forecast for 2016 by $4 to an average of $41 per barrel. the report says we can expect to see oil at $50 on average next year. apple posted a drop in revenue for the january to march quarter as sales of the iphone slipped for the first time. company saw total revenue of about $50.6 billion down 13% from a year earlier and is the first fall in sales for the company since 2003.

china's economic slowdown played a role along with the saturated smartphone market. five businesses involved in the development of self-driving cars are forming a coalition. the company's are google, ford and volvo along with de-shari service ubernd lyft. the coalition's council says the best path for innovation is a clear set of federal standards. the group says that he wiey wil with policy makers to find solutions. some japanese companies are starting to give more management responsibilities to women. even so, japan has a long way to go to catch up to other developed nations. in the second segment of our series on women at work, we look at what one of the country's major beverage makers is doing to shake things up. nhk world reports. >> reporter: women leading discussions in the office. this is a regular scene at this

company. they'r developing beverages that will appear to customers who are themselves women. their product has long been beer but the sales are low in japan. they're looking to women to diversify the product line. they've launched a unique system. it's assigning women to a greater variety of jobs in the early years of employment. the company believes this will give women employees more chances to broaden their professional experience. this woman is moving through the program. this month she was promoted as leader of a market research oup. e refreed a ma-stay brand and badened theasef customer >> tnslator:'m happy this iwhat i he alws waed to do

nowan teachthersbout at i havlearned and experienced. >> reporter: her former boss also has some learning to do. he used to hesitate to assign jobso women. he felt he didn't understand how they wanted to work, but he is the one who recommended her for group leader. the company's new strategy changed his attitude. managers are instructed to listen closely to women in their departments and find out what they think about their careers. the supervisors are encouraged to assign jobs to women rather than men if the performances are equal. the company wants to make sure women get a wide range of experience before taking time off for child-birth or family matters. in that way, they will be well

prepared to return. >> translator: i now realize that each woman has her own career vision. i try to incorporate that understanding in my management approach. >> reporter: she was given an opportunity to attend a seminar on management strategy. it led her to think about ways she could improve the business. >> translator: now i like my company more. i want to keep working even after getting married and becoming a mother. >> reporr: she oversees this part of the personnel system. nevertheless, the company is a long way from its goal of promoting women managers to 12%. >> translator: the company is not yet being used company-wide.

we want women employees to be actively involved in their career development so we're encouraging every division to get on board. >> reporter: she has come to realize that women are essential to its growth. the more opportunities they have as employees, the more likely they are to reach others of the same gender, who make up half of the potential market. nhk world. all right. and the third installment for our series, we visit firms that have changed their workplaces to attract more women, who they see as the key to their success. that's it for business news. james, i'm going to hand it back to you. >> gene otani crunching the numbers for us from the business desk. thanks, gene. people around the world are gearing up for the rio olympics. a syrian refugee has carried the olympic torch in greece as the games approach, now just 100 days away. he took the flame through a camp

on the outskirts of athens. it's temporarily housing about 1500 asylum seekers. he lost his right leg in an explosion in syria and fled to greece two years ago and has since been practicing swimming with a prosthetic limb. he hopes syrian and other refugees can move on from the camps and pursue their dreams. meanwhile, preparation for the games continues in brazil with more than 9 of vens completed. officials have also held test events for many of the olympic and paralympic sports. but the country is currently embroiled in political turmoil. president dilma rousseff is facing accusations that she helped manipulate government accounts. it's led to the resignation of the sports minister and head of the security force. so far only 70% of the tickets for the olympics have been sold. but the new sports minister is

confident the games will be a success. >> translator: my ministry will function smoothly. even if there is a change of government. the president has ordered us to focus on the olympics 100%. >> he said the olympic momentum will pick up once the torch relay reaches brazil on may 3rd. environment ministers from japan, china and south korea have agreed to work together to tackle china's air pollution. they announced the decision at the end of a two-day meeting in the central japanese city of shizouka. the mintories meet yearly to increase cooperation on environmental issues. this year's talks focused on air pollution and hazardous particles. the ministers issued a joint statement saying japanese and south korean firms will offer their anti-pollution technology. and they plan to create an online database of technical

know-how. japan's environment minister hailed the progress made at the meeting. >> translator: efforts to fht pm 2.5 movedo a new phase from polici to technology and fr discussions to practice. >> she said the talks provided them with the solid platform to begin tackling pollution. china's government is rebuilding buddhist temples many of which is once destroyed. the country's leaders hope that supporting the teachings of buddha will lead to a more stable society. an estimated 300 million people practice the religion. and more than ever are choosing to withdraw from the world and become monks. our next report shows that they include elite youth. >> as night falls on this temple in beijing young people come together to sever their ties to

friends, families and society. among them are promising students from the country's eli elite universities. they express despair over an unfair society with connections with the rich and powerful are all-important. and say they've found new hope through buddha's teachings. >> some have chosen to undergo rigorous training in austere surroundings. tibetans have worshipped at this

temple for many years. now many chinese are joining them. this man bid farewell to family and possessions two years ago to become a monk here. he was a successful music producer in beijing. he made enough money to buy three luxurious houses. but his work led to some shady business deals and after overwhelming sense of distress. >> translator: to make money i have lied and deceived people. i started to get lost and found myself unable to find a reason to live in a world built on deception. >> an nhk crew let him two years ago before he became a monk. he was mulling over whether to stick with his career in beijing or abandon it altogether.

>> he now lives communalliey wi other mofrpnks. the training goes on day and night. >> translator: i am hoping that the training here will change my mindset. >> he believes there is only one way to achieve real happiness, abandoning all ties with family, wealth and every other aspect of his former life. >> even some of china's economic winners express increasing

insecurity about the future. like luo and his fellow monks, they're searching for a path to greater peace of mind. >> one place where peace of mind might be hard to attain is the central u.s., which has been pummelled by powerful storms. jonathan oh joins us with the details. jonathan, were there any tornadoes? >> hello. well, so far, as we continue to monitor this low pressure system as it has really gotten a lot of steam over the 24-hour period. so far the tornado count itself has been low, which we're thankful for at this point. but we' ctinuing to monitor the system. i want to show you what's going on when you hav clouds that are owing up o screen the way it isnd is thi bright, it means e cloud are very vy tall, very, very cold at the top, which means there is a lot of energy associated with it, a lot of strong winds within the system to produce hail and very powerful winds.

straightine windare vy damaging as well look at these reports. 114 damaging wind reports and 187 hail reports as of five utc. this system continues to keep its intensity as it moves to the east, so those numbers are expected to continue to go up through the next several hours. this low pressure system is a real beast in terms of how powerful it is. you can tell how windy it is to the north side because of the isobars being close to each other in proximity to the high pressure system. as the winds whip around and warm air surges in from the south we're watching out for another day of active weather. further to the east, looking at a slight risk for severe storms from the southern tip of iowa into the deep south from mississippi into louisiana. please make sure you're keeping your eye out on this particular weather event because, going through our wednesday, even areas far east into north korea may also be dealing with some of these risks from large hail to damaging winds. again, the possibility of tornadoes are all part of that

story. heavy rainfall associated with this. you may notice the purple shades showing up on this computer model. that indicates downpours that are likely and possible. as we go throughout wednesday, denver to chicago. it will be a wet day. thunderstorms towards houston, also into atlanta. so it will be a bit of a busy day for pretty much the central to southeastern portions of the united states as we go through wednesday. meanwhile, we're talking about winter weather in the middle spring toward europe. in bulgaria the cold air brought down temperatures and some snow. let me show you the videos. we're in spring but unseasonably cold air and the upper-level trough caused the snowy to stormy weather to bulgaria. thunderstorms on top of mountain snow and heavy showers. 15 centimeters of snow in the passage with gusts up to 100 kilometers per hour reported. cold temperatures are remaining over the area, but we should see

some moderation as we go later this week. low pressure systems constantly dropping through the central portions of the continent, which is dragging in the cold air and impacting places like germany. gusts up to 100 kilometers per hour on wednesday and the higher elevations may be dealing with snow up to 15 centimeters. chilly conditions for the morning lows thursday and friday morning before we start to mot demonstra moderating through the weekend. paris through moscow it will be a wet day. grab your umbrellas. in east asia. keeping our eye on a low pressure system that's bringing in a lot of rainfall. the concern is those in kyushu looking at up to 80 millimeters of rainfall for thursday at noontime. the concern is for rain and the possibility of landslides. that's something officials will have to continue to battle as

recovery efforts are in progress. rain moving to tokyo with a high of 16. hope you have a good day wherever you are. here is your extended outlook.

with that, we conclude this hour's nhk "newsline." for more kwupupdates and speciaq

>> 1:00 p.m. in the french capital. you are watching "france 24." i am melissa bell. the headlines. salah abdeslam is back in france. the key suspect of the paris attack arrives back on french soil just after not clock a.m., five point five months after the killings in which 130 people died. the race for the republican nomination is over