you live from tokyo. i'm james tengan. more than 200 companies and individuals in the so-called "panama papers." the national consortium of international services says the database is the largest ever released of its kind.

it published the database only monday. it contains information on offshore companies created in 21 locations around the world through the panamanian law firm. setting up an offshore company isn't illegal on its own and the law firm says it followed the rules. but the "panama papers" have exposed the secret financial dealings by high-profile people and have raised many questions. the data includes the names of entities believed to have been set up or run by around 230 people living in japan as well as japanese companies. about 20 of those companies are thought to have been involved with offshore entities in tax havens. the companies include leading trading firms and i.t. related businesses. the papers have led to some political casualties. iceland's prime minister and spain's industry minister resigned in connection with

revelations from the leaked files. japanese government officials are responding to the revelations in the "panama papers." they're putting together an action plan targeting corruption and bribery. g7 leaders will anoungs the details when they meet for a summit later this month. the plan is expected to include concrete measures against tax evasion. one proposal is to disclose the names of people who set up firms to reduce their taxes. the plan is also likely to include measures to help developing nations crack down on wrong doing. and it's expected to call for greater transparency in contracts, especially as competition heats up for infrastructure projects in asia and africa. people in tokyo got a look a the information early tuesday morning. nhk world was up searching the data for links to japan and he looked at what the leaks mean to the future of journalism.

>> reporter: because of heavy only traffic from around the world, we first had trouble accessing the data. it took us 30 minutes to get through to the database. looking at the company list, we found many household names. the list reveals loss of tax revenues for japan, a country that suffers from chronic tax shortages. some argue, however, as long as no laws are broken the practice is a legitimate tax-saving option for international corporations seeking to increase

their competitive edge. this coverage started with the i icij or international consortium of investigative journalists. this building is where the international consortium of investigative journalists has its headquarters here. and this is where the story of the "panama papers" are sent to the world. the icij is working with its members and journalists from around the world to investigate and report on hidden facts. more than 370 journalists from nearly 80 countries are taking part in the project. the data was first obtained by a german newspaper, sueddeutsche ziet young.

the leak was massive consisting of 11.5 million files. to put it into perspective, that would give you 2,600 years' worth of newspaper editions. the data is exchanged and forwarded to journalists through encrypted email. >> journalists from many, many countries who would all work together on the same data. >> reporter: a key word is collaboration. information sharing is a requirement of journalists participating in the project. >> what we could do is with our data team of talented journalists build on only, secure and safe system in which information could be uploaded, which meant that journalists from every country in the world could search that information. >> reporter: american journalist charles lewis is a founder of the icij. he had this to say about the project. >> the story itself

substantively is incredibly interesting and important to us and historically notable because of the dimension of the data, how much data there was. but it's also historic in the way journalists work because that's also unusual and never happened before. so when you put it all together, the reason everyone is talking about it is they have never seen anything like it, and it's kind of exciting to watch. >> reporter: lewis says, because more and more issues are international, it's necessary for journalists in today's world to work together across borders. he says that the concept of the icij and its ongoing effort is sending shock waves through the world's wealthy population and triggering social changes. >> a majevelatio fro t pars is th numr ofccounts link to chinand honkong

played majorole i setti them up. nhk world lked intoust how easy it i to srt shell compy to hide assets and avoid taxes. we he the detai and what the findings could imply for china's leaders. >> reporter: hong kong is an asian financial hub, home to many brokers who set up shell companies in tax haven countries and regions such as the british virgin islands. all a broker's client has to do is pick a firm and pay about $1200. according to this accountant many orders came from mainland china. in fact, as many as 16,300 companies linked to china are listed in the "panama papers." and getting a company takes no time at all.

>> translator: they have already set up it. you order it in the morning, maybe in the afternoon you can get the company. >> reporter: one of the major attractions is anonymity. people use proxies for executives and shell-holders. that hides who actually owns the company. in china's case, accounts were set up by relatives of top leaders of the chinese communist party. president xi jinping's brother-in-law was found to have created the shell company through a hong kong broker. the current status of the company is not known, but a hong kong registry shows the brother-in-law's daughter having purchased a condominium for about $2.5 million. the news created suspicions of more secret financial dealings by relatives of china's leaders. but that's only for people who are able to see the allegations. much of the information is being

blocked by beijing. china's internet search engines reject the words "panama papers." this lawyer says the government is blocking his effort to publicize the information. >> translator: i posted information about the "panama papers," but it was deleted immediately. >> reporter: he kept on posting connections to china's leaders. but in mid-april he was taken in for police questioning. >> translator: regardless of the content of the "panama papers," citizens have the right to pursue the truth. the government's approach to cover up the information is unacceptable. >> reporter: china's ruling elite are wary of what further revelations from the "panama papers" could mean for the administration of xi jinping.

an administration that's made tackling corruption a major talking point. nhk world, hong kong. the u.s. has once again sent a warship into disputed waters in the south china sea. the vessel sailed close to one of the artificial islands being developed by china. this is the third such operation by the u.s. since last october. the u.s. department, defense department, announced that it conducted the freedom of navigation operation in the spratly islands on tuesday morning. it said the uss william p. lawrence travelled within 12 nautical miles of fiery cross reef. the department said the aim was to challenge attempts to restrict navigation in violation of international law by china as well as taiwan and vietnam. china has developed the reef constructing a 3,000 meter long runway where a chinese military plane landed last month. officials in beijing criticized

the move. foreign ministry spokesperson said the u.s. action undermines regional peace and stability. lower prices for resources including crude oil and metals are creating problems for japanese trading houses. gene otani has the details and other business headlines. cheaper natural resources are often good for consumers and manufacturers, but they've led to the first ever annual losses through march this year for japan's leading trading houses. mitsubishi corporation. mitsubishi reported a net loss of $1.37 billion after booking losses in its copper and lng businesses. it saw a slump in its copper and coal businesses resulting in a $765 million net loss. it's the first time either firm has been in the red.

>> translator: we urgently need to strike the right balance between our resource-related and other businesses so we can avoid net losses, even if resource prices plunge lower than we expect them to. marubeni reported a net profit of $570 million, more than 40% lower than the previous business year, due to losses in oil and gas fuel development. itochu's $2.2 billion in profit put it at the top of trading companies. china has released the consumer price index and the producer price index. officials at the bureau of statistics say the figure for april was at 2.3% for the year earlier. the numbers remain below the government target of about 3%.

producer price index down 3.4%. it was better than the previous month and has also beaten market expectations. investors will be trying to figure out how the new numbers affect the central bank's monetary policy. tokyo stocks extended gains. a weaker yen seemed to ease worries over exports. let's go to giang nguyen at the tokyo stock exchange. >> we saw robust buying across most sectors of the nikkei as the yen weakened and the latest chinese producer price figures also boosted investor sentiment. tuesday's closing levels, the nikkei added more than 2% to finish at 16,565. the broader topix gained more than 2%. shares of exporters were higher on the weaker yen, they included toyota and panasonic. some earnings figures also pushed up stock prices.

mitts beeshi motors was up almost 2%. the company plans to compensate customers for possible losses due to the automaker's fuel efficiency data scandal. takata's shares tumbled more than 7% on the possibility of an additional recall of air bags that it sold in japan. tokyo shares outperformed the rest of the asian region. thank you. moving to other markets of the asia-pacific region. the shanghai ended a fraction higher. 2832 the closing number. many investors still concerned about china's slowing economy. share prices in the philippines. meanwhile, advanced one day after the election there. up 2.6%. a wide range of shares were

higher following news reports that rodrigo duterte will be the next president. the hang sang up .4%. as x200 gaining by .4%. banks saw gains but resource related shares ended lower on falling prices of iron other and oil. here is a look at some other business stories we're following today. auto parts maker takata projected in fall into the red for the second year in a row. the firm forecasts a net loss of $120 million for the last business year that ended in march. the u.s. department of transportation added up to 40 million air bags to its recall list last week. the move prompted officials at

japan's transport ministry to construct takata and others to conduct additional recalls in japan. suzuki posted a higher operating profit. the chairman of suzuki said his company is rechecking the accuracy of fuel efficiency data for a wide range of data. he recalled to the call for greater transparency. the japanese government plans to spend more than $7 billion to help people in kumamoto recover from the recent earthquakes. the draft supplementary budget for the fiscal year includes funding for temporary housing, financial aid for individuals and a reserve fund to pay for roads and bridges. the government plans to submit the draft budget to the diet later this week. more japanese managers are encouraging their staff to

embrace healthy habits but small business owners rarely have cafeterias to serve their teams nutritious meals. this next report shows they're coming up with other ways to ensure workers get the fuel they need to stay focused. >> reporter: an i.t. firm in tokyo. stomachs are starting to growl. it's time to stock up the food corner with boiled eggs and cheese. >> translator: it's always here. no charge. >> reporter: once a month something else is free of charge. organic vegetables and fruit, fresh from the farm. to ensure no one misses out, the produce is handed out to all 70 workers. >> translator: tomatoes and cucumbers. >> reporter: the health food binge is the brain child of the head of personnel. he saw what colleagues were eating for lunch, and he wasn't

impressed. >> translator: they were eating lots of carbohydrates, usually bread, because it's quick to eat, and they can get back to work. >> reporter: free food is not easy to turn down. it ensures staff get all the nutrition they need, at least for today. more important, though, has been the change in mindset. more workers are bringing home-made lunches. they say all you can eat eggs and vegetable rations remind them to practice balanced eating. the firm has to fork out some money, but the benefits make it worthwhile. >> translator: we employ new graduates and mid-career workers. we've become known as the firm that provides vegetables. this program helps to raise our profile. we're very happy about that. >> reporter: another small firm is working to keep employees healthy. a small design printed circuit boards.

once a week boxed lunches are delivered to the office. staff are free to take one from the refrigerator. all meals are cooked with desk-bound workers in mind, meaning low salt, low calories. the lunches come in three types and the price is $6 each with the company covering part of the cost. >> translator: all companies are responsible for their employees' health so small firms need to come up with creative ways to protect their health. >> reporter: a healthy worker is a productive worker. small companies have plenty of incentives to ensure they are eating well. that's business news. i'll leave you with the markets.

a mass rally was held in pong yong to celebrate the leadership of kim jong un. a colorful parade marked the end of the first ruling party congress in decades. ♪ state-run tv broadcast live footagof the ral from a central square on tuesday one day after the workers' party finished the congress giving kim the new post of party chairman. the crowds cheered as kim stepped up to a balcony with members of the party's new leadership. the head of parliament, kim yong nam said the promotion of kim ensures the nation's future saying the country has proven it self a power.

people carrying flags and decorations waved to kim as they marched around the square. more than 100 foreign journalists were allowed to cover the event. north korea watchers say the spectacle was designed to show the world that the kim era has truly begun. south korean president park geun-hye says leaders in pong yong failed to indicate a sincere intention to improve inter-korean relations. park referred to north korea's ruling party congress at a cabinet meeting on tuesday. >> translator: north korea continues its provocative threats while ignoring the warnings of the international community and demonstrating its wish to step up nuclear capabilities and making absurd claims that it's a nuclear state. >> park's comments suggest that south korea will not agree to full-scale dialogue while the north continues its nuclear development program. japan's top government spokesperson says details of the party gathering are not yet entirely clear. >> translator: the government

will carefully analyze the significance of first secretary kim jong un assuming the post of party chairman. we'll study what impact the congress has on the leadership's attempt to consolidate its grip on power. >> suga said japan will continue to work closely with south korea, the u.s. and other countries to gather information. it's early summer according to the japanese calendar. right across the country nice weather is giving people a chance to enjoy what nature has to offer. and when it comes to seasonal flowers there is no shortage of color. our meteorologist jonathan oh is at a picturesque spot on the outskirts of tokyo. hello, jonathan! >> hello from the flower park.

it really is a beautiful location here. we're talking about flowers that are descending upon the areas. if you love flowers this is the place to be. we're about 100 kilometers north of tokyo. this is a large area. we are talking about 10,000 square meters of beautiful flowers. now, you may notice that nightfall has descended upon the area. as night falls the lights come on, and we see the illumination bringing the flowers to life in a different light. one of those flowers is the wisteria that is in the area. i want to show you one of those over to my left and your right. you can see how beautiful it is. this is a flower that's been enjoyed for more than 1,000 years. let me show you a time lapse to give you a better idea of what it looks like as nightfall descends upon the area. when the light comes in, and you can see the flowers that are coming down from the trellis. it symbolizes what it looks like

when a japanese woman wearing a kimono is bowing. that is saying welcome. the welcome type greeting is what is visible. also the mirror-like surfaces with the pond reflecting the night sky makes it so beautiful. as we continue, there is the big thing that everyone wants to look at to my right and your left. this is the big trellis of the wisteria flowers, these pale purple colors. people love enjoying this. we have been getting a little bit of a light mist and some rain, so a lot of people have headed out but some still remain. they have been taking pictures to try to draw in the beauty and, by the way, i want to mention, this has become very popular because of the fact that social media has done a big part and a big role in attracting the attention.

so the pictures that have been taking place here, those are the things people have seen only, they're sharing it so that's how a lot of people from outside of japan hear about this location. in terms of the time period, the peak period for these flowers starts in late april. so about that month time period. more than 50,000 people fro outside of japan come during that one-month period. speaking of some visitors, we had a chance to talk with se of them get an ea of wh theyhought aut the flors d howhey had heard aut th particular park. >> very romantic. >> a lot of people camere before and posted some photos on the facebook, internet and social media. that's what get me interested to comeere. >> reporter: some people heard it on social media.

obviously now you're hearing it from us here. but that's the thing. it has been such a lely day. we spent most of the day out here to give you updates regarding these wisteria flowers. we are running out of the end of the month with this particular time period of these flowers. but what's coming up soon are the roses. they're abo to come into season very, very soon, and so it's going to be very beautiful in this particular area. now, if you get a chance to come out here this week, it's been a little bit drippy and wet out here. rain may be lingering through wednesday. too the rest of the week we'll see warm temperatures in the mid to uer 20s wh sunny skies. that's what's happening here at the flower park. i'm meteorologist jonathan oh. hope you have a good day wherever you are. here is your extended outlook.

with that, we conclude this hour's nhkc

>> welcome to "live from paris." i am annette young. let's look at what is making headlines this hour. will they or won't they back confusion continues to reign in brazil as the senate says it will push ahead to impeach dilma decision waser the reversed for a no vote to be held.