here in japan it's a thursday night. i am james tengan in tokyo. welcome to nhk "newsline." residents in kumamoto prefecture are still dealing with the aftermath of the disastrous squeaearthquakes. hundreds of thousands are still living without water or gas. it's a struggle for some parents

to take care of their children's basic needs. >> reporter: raising a growing family is busy for any mother, but when the quake took away li lifeline utilities, this mother faced even bigger charges. with no hot water for baths, diaper rash became a daily battle. she made do, boiling water and using a laundry basket. after 12 days, the first real bath felt like a luxury. they are some of the lucky ones. tens of thousands are still living in shelters. for the littlest family members, the cramped quarters pose a real danger. they're exposed to infectious diseases such as colds and flu. kyo is trying to ease some of those problems. she is a maternity nurse and she

is checking on evacuees, especially those living in their cars. she has been visiting this family. this parking lot is now their home. their house was destroyed along with their parents' houses. the packed evacuation centers are not enough for them. they worry about their children's loud voices bothering others. the father is concerned about the youngest, two is 2 months old.

>> reporter: other evacuees are become to become parents. this woman is spending the remaining nights of her pregnancy in her car. >> translator: even my parents' house is damaged and i can't live there. i don't know where i will live after the baby arrives. >> reporter: one option could be this temporary shelter for newborns and their mothers. a local association of maternity nurses is volunteering around-the-clock care and providing necessities. >> translator: i hope other facilities will follow us to provide places for newborn babies and their families. >> reporter: assistance in kumamoto is shifting from emergency aid to long-term support. and while there are efforts under way to secure temporary housing for those in need, it's not yet known how long that will

take. nhk world, tokyo. >> thanks. people around the world are reaching out to quake survivors with words of encouragement. they've sent dozens of messages to nhk and asked us to share them. people in syria drew the mascot of kumamoto. they say they know what it's like to lose one's home. they say they love and humanity will help quake survivors overcome their hardships. they say love and humanity will help quake survivors overcome hardships. a man in peru says he is praying for japan and wants to help. he encourages survivors to take a deep breath and move forward. a man in china was shocked to see the aftermath of the quake on tv. he says he was moved by the sight of survivors working hard to get back on their feet. he hopes they'll get their lives back to normal as soon as possible. and those are just a few of the messages we've received from people all over the world.

we thank you. moving on to other news. south korean military officials say a suspected mid-range north korean ballistic missile crashed seconds after it was launched. they say it is the second such failure this month. south korean's military sources say the projectile was launched from the coastal city of wonsan thursday. they believe it was a musudan ballistic missile. japan's top spokesperson said there is no immediate threat to national security. >> translator: we are working with the united states and south korea to closely monitor what's happening in north korea so that we can promptly deal with any kind of situation. >> north korea's previous attempt took place two weeks ago. it's believed the same type of missile was launched from the same sight. but it exploded in the air seconds after launch.

thursday's launch comes after pyongyang's announcement that the ruling workers' party will hold a congress next week, the first one in 36 years. south korean defense officials have been on the alert for possible missile launches by north korea aimed at boosting national pride. officials at japan's central bank have ignored calls for fresh stimulus. they've disappointed investors who made their feelings clear on the tokyo stock market. gene otani has the details along with today's other top business stories. bank of japan policy makers say for now there are no changes to their monetary using program, including their negative interest rate policy, but there is more. they say they may need another six months to achieieve their 2 inflation target. the policy makers spent two days together discussing japan's economic situation. they focused on sluggish consumer spending and weakening growth in emerging economies. the kumamoto earthquakes are

another risk. analysts say the bank wants more time to judge how effective the negative-rate policy has been. bank officials previously said they were aiming to hit their 2% inflation target in the first half of fiscal 2017. now they've widened the time frame to all of fiscal 2017. in other words, they've given themselves another six months to reach their target. they say the reason for that is the slump in oil prices. it's the fourth time they've adjusted the time line. the governor says the bank's monetary using measures coupled with the negative interest rate are already having an impact. >> translator: i will examine risks to economic activity and prices. and, if i think it's necessary for achieving the inflation target, i won't hesitate to take additional easing measures in terms of three dimensions. quantity, quality and interest rate. >> he said it's possible improvements in japan are being

overshadowed by uncertainties in emerging countries. he said the bank will press on with its measures until effects are felt throughout the whole economy. with the b.o.j. sticking to its monetary policy many traders rushed to buy the yen and unload stocks. they sent the nikkei plunging below 17,000 for the first time in a week. we go to our business reporter giang nguyen at the tokyo stock exchange for details. >> what a surprise result from the b.o.j. for many investors. ahead of the decision investors were split on whether the bank would expand stimulus. the market reaction was immediate with the yen jumping more than 2% against the dollar. early on the day shares in tokyo were higher following the fed's decision to stay put on interest rates, but with the b.o.j.'s announcement, stocks nose-dived. nikkei 225 dropped 3.2% on thursday closing at 16,666. the broader topix also ended down more than 3%.

the market in tokyo was lower every day this week but really tumbled on thursday. the last trading day here before a long holiday weekend. the nikkei posted a weekly loss of 5%. some of japan's major exporters have been trading higher in the morning, but they have seen a reversal of fortune. auto makers toyota and nissan finished down. sony also ended lower. corporate performance also moved shares. japan's biggest brokerage posted a loss in the january to march quarter. the stock was among the biggest losers for the day down more than 10%. market players had a lot of data to digest before the long holiday weekend here in tokyo making for some of the volatile moods. giang nguyen reporting from the tok tokyo. shanghai down to 2,945.

investor sentiment cooled off. taiwan's tiex down by a percent, 8,473. high-tech shares stumbled following a decline on the nasdaq. hong kong. hang seng bucking the trend up by .1%. property shares led the gains there. australia up by .7%. investor sentiment rose on speculation that the central bank will cut rates next week. japanese government officials have published a batch of figures for march that suggests the economy is faring well in some areas but less so in others. industrial production was up 3.6%, due in part to an increas in transport equipment and orders of semi conductors from south korea. the unemployment rate came in at 3.2%. an improvement from the previous

month. the ratio of job offers to people looking for work was up 1.3 up slightly from february. there were 130 openings for every 130 job seekers. spending by house holds with more than one person falls to roughly $2700 a month. average monthly household income was around $4100, up 0.3% in real terms. the consumer price index fell by 0.3%, the first drop in five months. index doesn't factor in fresh food. it does include gasoline and electricity both dragged down by cheaper crude oil. officials say if all types of energy and food were excluded it was 0.7% year on year. that figure has been rising for 30 months. the latest economic figures show japan has more jobs than people and there may be a whole untapped labor force, women. in the final installment of our

series "women at work," nhk world's john ladu talks to two companies that are serious about employing and retaining this demographic. >> reporter: the color of this car is unusual for a cab in tokyo, and so is the driver. she joined the taxi company last year. >> i really enjoy this job. >> reporter: the vast majority of drivers are men. the company that employs her is struggling to find workers and is actively recruiting young women by making them feel welcome. cameras in the cabs provide a sense of safety. women have lounges and bathrooms exclusively for their use at all depots. over the past six years, the number of women driving for the company has increased from 30 to 130. that's inspired new services for the elderly and children that are bringing in 200 reservations

per month. >> translator: in the near future we might be confronting low-cost competitors, however, we believe we can attract customers by providing high-quality service. >> reporter: recruiting women and retaining them continues to be a challenge. some companies are transforming the way they work so that mothers can take their kids to and from day care and still hold down full-time jobs. six years ago this home-building firm launched an employment system that provides full-time benefits for those who put in as little as five hours a day. saki is among them. she began her career in sales at a renovations firm but left after giving birth. now she has joined the human resources department. add work-sharing program operates in each division. it matches each reduced-hour

employee with another on the standard schedule. they exchange information so, when one leaves, the other can seamlessly take over. >> translator: we should call them first thing tomorrow morning to request the paperwork. >> reporter: with that, she goes to pick up her daughter from day care. the company ensures the teamed employees both benefit. >> translator: i just joined the division, and without her expertise i would be lost. i feel like i am benefiting from her insight and experience. >> reporter: some reduced hour employees are helping to win business. this woman works in sales. her experience managing a household has inspired design and construction ideas. she works hard to win the trust of clients. >> translator: if it weren't for her, i wouldn't have had this company build my house.

because we are both women she understands exactly what i am looking for in a home. >> reporter: sales is a time-intensive job, but work sharing has allowed kumea to keep at it. >> translator: there is no way i would be able to do this job if not offered this style of working. >> reporter: this woman oversees the program. she says it benefits the company too. >> translator: reduced hour employees often manage their time better, and that's getting everyone else to rethink how they work. as a result, the entire company is showing increased productivity. >> reporter: in japan, putting in long hours has been a badge of honor, but some businesses are finding success by adopting a new approach that's making families happy and boosting profits. john ladue, nhk world.

you can watch all three installments in our series "women at work" on the nhk world website displayed here. that's it for business news. i'll leave you with the markets.

japan has protested a statement made by the president of taiwan that challenges tokyo's economic rights in the pacific. ma ying-jeou described japan's southern most island as a rock around which it cannot be claimed. on monday it seized a fishing boat by illegally operating off the island. the captain was released after promising to pay a bond. [ chanting ] >> fishermen and lmakers protesd oside japan's luzon office in taipei. ma said it's not on island around it. japanese foreign minister rejected the allegation. >> tnslator: we believe the status of okinotorishima as an

island has been established under the u.n. convention on the law of the sea. we cannot accept taiwan's claim. >> shida said the government launched a protest through the luzon office on wednesday. united nations officials say they expect food shortages in north korea to worsen. they say production is down for the first time since 2010. staff at the u.n. food and agriculture organization outlined what they've learned and what they expect. they say north korea's food production in the 12 months through november fell 9% to 5.4 million tons. north korea's main staple is rice. the u.n. officials say production fell about 25% to 1.9 million tons. they believe the main reason was drought. they say north korea needs to import nearly 700,000 tons of food in the 12 months through october but can only get about

half that amount. donald trump has outlined an america first foreign policy. the republican frontrunner said, if elected president, japan and other allies should pay more for hosting the american military. >> the countries we are defending must pay for the cost of this defense, if not, the u.s. must be prepared to let these countries defend themselves. >> he said president barack obama's foreign policy has weakened the u.s. economy and the military. trump also referred to russia and china. he said the u.s. should find common ground with the two countries, and he said it's possible to improve ties with russia. and he would seek to fix relations with china. unesco is struggling to protect artifacts. experts are worried that stolen or looted items from afghanistan have ended up here in japan.

>> reporter: these artifacts on display at a university and museum in tokyo are part of afghanistan's priceless culture heritage. some of them are more than 2,000 years old, but more recent history brought them here. they're all smuggled artifacts that later turned up in japan. >> reporter: nhk was able to talk about an afghan journalist who spoke on condition of anonymity about how afghan artifacts enter japan.

>> reporter: long-standing conflict in afghanistan fostered a shady trading route for a artifacts and relics were taken out of the country. this man was part of a team recruited by a famous painter to locate and retrieve the artifacts. over the past 14 years they've collected more than 100 pieces. >> translator: our aim is to keep the stolen artifacts in japan and return them to afghanistan when peace arrives there. >> reporter: experts say the registration numbers are often erased, which makes it hard for collectors to know what's legitimate. we met a woman who purchased an artifact stolen from an afghan museum without realizing. she said someone showed her a

000-year-old roman glass vase. >> translator: i had no idea officials in afghanistan were searching for it. amateur collectors like me would never receive such information. >> reporter: after learning the vase was stolen she returned the artifact. this man believes more should be done. >> translator: conservation of cultural property should be part of efforts to restore peace in the war-torn country. strongly feel we should spare no effort in making that happen. >> reporter: the items on display now will be returned to afghan officials after the exhibition. ayako takada. here on nhk "newsline" it's time for weather. scattered showers is the

forecast. temperatures around 16 degrees celsius. jonathan oh joins us for conditions in the u.s. >> it looks like things will start to windown, b the energy that has been really resulting in these storms still is iplace, if you notice this area in the center of the united states, that spinning area o low pressure continuing to create the instability. and we're seeing the warm air surging in from the south. that will lead to the possibility of even more activity especially for the eastern side of t united states as we go throughout the day on thursday. let me show you some video and give you an idea of the damage that's taken place because of the storms. they roll through the southern plains overnight tuesday into wednesday. according to the national weather service that brought about 13 tornadoes. hail as big as golf balls, winds approaching hurricane force, around 140 kilometers per hour reported in northern portions of texas while the storms are rolling through. and heavy rainfall causi

flooding in missouri. you see the problems with the cars getting stuck in muddier spots. thousands of people dealing with power outages in texas and also in missouri. i mentioned that we still have the low, the instigator of this type of weather continuing to remain in place. we'll see this moving forward as we take a look at this particular map. the low pushes toward the east, and we see the back end there looking dry. but when you have enough of the instability in place, it's going to lead to the possibility even more unstable weather. we have another mechanism trying to come on shore back to the west. the possibility of severe weather still lingers for northern portions of texas. slight to marginal risk of severe thunderstorms extending along the gulf coast as well. for those of you living there, keep an eye out. the system, yes, it has a history of producing some towards but the bigger threat is damaging winds and also hail. hundreds of reports produced over a 48-hour period. so look out for that. denver through chicago, thunderstorms along the gulf

coast. showers extending even into new york as we go throughout the day on thursday. meanwhile, we look at the forecast for east asia. we're seeing a bit of a drier pattern into the southeastern portions of china. that's good news. we need a break after all the rain and flooding concerns in the area. but the low pressure system that has been moving over japan is continuing to bring some rain and is intensifying. things are drying out back toward the west. up to the north, we're talking about snow. yeah! over into the northeastern portions of hokkaido, seeing wintery weathers with gusts up to 100 miles an hour. partly cloudy skies in tokyo coming up on friday. it's a holiday in japan and we're looking at nicer weather except for the areas to the north. look at this dry air toward the southeastern portions of china. that's a good thing. into the weekend, a big warmup. highs of nearly 30 degrees in osaka as we go into sunday.

wrapping things up with a look at europe. we do have this low pressure system south of the scandinavian peninsula continuing to bring instability. we're looking at rain there and also into the british isles. instability remains over italy. this area has been dealing with rain for some time. more showers coming up on thursday. you need the umbrellas from stackho stockholm, warsaw and madrid. hope you have a good day wherever you are. here is your extended outlook.

that was this hour's nhk

♪ to syrias. envoy issued a call to u.s. to revise syrian peace talks. in venezuela, power outages, rioting, and an economic crisis for the emba