. here in japan it's 7:00 p.m. on a friday. i'm james tengan in tokyo. nhk "newsline" " starts off wita quick look at the hour's top stories. suspect arrested. police in okinawa say an american man admits to strangling a japanese woman. sending a message. a white house official says president barack obama will speak about the many lives lost during world war ii when he

visits hiroshima next week. a new chapter. taiwan's first female president takes power as beijing ramps up pressure on her to recognize the one-china policy. police in japan's southern okinawa prefecture arrested an american who works on a u.s. military base. theyey say h he admdmitted to sg and strtrangling a japananese w who went missing three weeks ago. kenneth franklin shinzato works on kadena air base. information from the suspect led them to the body of rina shimabukuro lying by the side of the road. the suspect confessed to attacking the woman and abandoning her body. sources close to the investigation say officers found the victim's blood stains in his car. residents have long complained about crimes committed by base personnel. more than 70% of u.s. military facilities in japan are in the

prefecture. >> translator: this is unforgivable. i am lost for words. >> translator: incidents like this will happen as long as we have the bases. >> japan's prime minister voiced his anger. >> translator: i demand that the u.s. respond in a strict manner to absolutely make sure similar incidents do not happen again. >> officials say the prime minister plans to discuss the matter with the governor of okinawa who will visit tokyo on monday. the head of the u.s. forces in okinawa visited the local government to apologize. lawrence nicholson said that, even though the suspect is not an employee of the u.s., he takes responsibility. >> we will continue to work to ensure that all americans, military and civilian, behave themselves and live in accordance with the laws of japan while they are here in

okinawa. >> the vice governor disputes calling the man a civilian, noting he used to be a membe of the marines and worked on the base. >> translator: the okinawa government can never overlook this situation, where these cases happen over and over. we are strongly against it. >> agata demanded the u.s. increase discipline to prevent anything like this happening again. the incident could be a serious obstacle for the ongoing negotiation over where to relocate the futenma air base. it's also not the first time an attack on a citizen in okinawa strained relations in the prefecture. >> reporter: a changeover command ceremony was held on friday for u.s. marines stationed in okinawa.

>> everybody here knows congress holds us accountable to be most ready when the nation is least ready. that's our charter. it's in our dna. it's what we do, to be most ready. >> reporter: the murder of rina shimabukuro and the arrest of a base employee as the only suspect was not mentioned, but that shows how sensitive the case is to the u.s. forces. the governor poses relocating futenma base within the prefecture. when he heard about the murder, he did not hide his outrage. >> translator: the facts this happened because of the presence of u.s. bases is extremely regrettable. >> reporter: the japanese government was quick to take action. foreign minister summoned u.s. ambassador caroline kennedy. >> translator: it's extremely

regrettable that this heinous act took place. >> reporter: this is a u.s. military base where the suspect worked. kadena air base, the biggest u.s. air field in the region. this is the main gate. and you see not many u.s. military personnel are using this gate. the local people say, whenever an incident like this happens u.s. forces restrict the u.s. personnel from going off the base. for past incidents the u.s. military has issued curfews and promised to tighten discipline, but many people in okinawa question whether such measures actually work. in 1995 two u.s. servicemen gang-raped a local japanese school girl. the attacks sparked massive protests against the u.s.

military bases in okinawa. it led to the agreement between japan and the united states to relocate futenma air station and return the land. more than 20 years on, controversy continues over where the u.s. facility should be moved. meanwhile, crimes by u.s. soldiers in okinawa continues to happen. in march this year, a u.s. navy sailor was arrested for the alleged sexual assault of a japanese woman. the latest incident has citizens again taking to the streets in protest. sources close to the japanese government say it could fuel even more protests against u.s. bases in okinawa. they say it could also lead to a shakeup of the japanese security alliance. u.s. president barack obama will be in japan next week for the

group of 7 summit. he is als scheduled to visit the atomic bomb city of hiroshima. it's not clear will the incident will have an effect on the visit but t many people in okinawa sa it's's clear that it will have effect o on t the relocation of futenma air base. nhk world, okinawa. a senior u.s. official says president barack obama will speak about the many lives lost during world war ii when he visits hiroshima next week. obama will be the first sitting u.s. president to visit the site of the world's first atomic bomb attack. ben rhodes says obama will make a brief visit to the peace memorial park and is likely to offer flowers. rhodes oversees the president's national security communications, speech-writing and global engagement. he says the visit will be a chance for the president to

reflect on the loss of life in hiroshima and nagasaki and many other places during the war. rhodes says he thinks obama's message will be that world leaders and citizens must recognize the toll that wars take on people. he says hiroshima and nagasaki are symbols of the loss of lives and devastation caused by nuclear weapons. he says that as the only country to have used nuclearar weapons e u.s. has a moral responsibility to lead efforts toward a nuclear-free world. finance ministers and central bank governors from the world's major economies are in japan and have a full plate of issues to discuss. gene otani has more on this and other business headlines. the financial officials from the group of 7 countries have kicked off their meeting in sendai. the part of the country ravaged by the 2011 earthquake and

tsunami. what people will be paying most attention to is whether the group can take coordinated action to put the global economy back on track. >> reporter: this meeting and the upcoming g7 summit comes at a time still full of global economic uncertainty. the international monetary fund do down graded the outlook again. ministers and central bank governrnors will discuss a wide range of topics. they will first go over recent developments around the world and possible risisks they could pose. after that, expect them to t ta about inteternational text and t and anti-money-laundering measures. countries are once again being seen as major drivers of growth as china and other emerging markets lose steam. japan has been trying to persuade g7 members to introduce new fiscal stimulus, but we're

already seeing differences surfacing. japan and the united states are on the same page. they believe effffectiveness wod boost the e economy for massive monetary easing may be reaching its limits and that more public spending may be needed but the european counterparts are not excited about the idea. tokyo and washington do think differently on the issue of exchange rates. japan is concerned about the yen's recent rise against the dollar, but the u.s. defines it as orderly and wants to let the situation play out. overall, japan wants to show leadership at this meeting to find common ground and officials are boosting efforts in the hopes it ends with more agreement than not. >> taking a look at the markets. investors upbeat about the pause in the yen's recent rally.

many were focused on the meeting in japan and the group of 7 finance leaders. for details we go to phoebe amoroso at the tokyo stock exchange. >> the minutes of the federal reserve april meeting were released on wednesday and were very much on investors' minds. let's look at the closing levels on this friday, may the 20th. the nikkei finished up by .5% closing at 16,736. the broader topix added .5%. exporters aided by a weaker yen. blue chips gained about 1%. few jit suh jumped 5%. it boosted manufacturing efficiency. a stronger dollar took a toll on metals prices. so it was a wait of a waiting game as investors held out for

the g7 meeting. next week we have the summit. market players hoping for economic stimulus and will be watching what the g7 leaders have to say. >> thank you, phoebe. other markets in the asia-pacific region. shanghai gaining by .6%. it snapped a three-day losing streak in thin trade. still down for the fifth straight week on uncertainty over the direction of the economy. taiwan's tiex gaining .4%. 8131. the new president was sworn in. posting its first weekly rise in five weeks. hang seng gaining by .1%. shares in philippines sliding 1.3%. sydney gaining .5 on higher prices for oil and iron ore. japanese workers got bigger

salaries last fiscal year but inflation eroded real wages. labor ministry officials say the average worker earned over $2,850 a month in fiscal 2015 which ended in march. wages fell by 0.1% year on year, the fifth straight year for the figure to decline. officials say the average real wage fell as part-timers who tend to earn less made up a larger part of the work force. another set of data shows an improving labor market. the japanese government finds that a record number of university graduates landed jobs this spring. the education and labor ministry jointly polled more than 4700 students who graduated in the last academic year. 97.3% landed jobs as of april 1st, marking the highest figure since the survey began 19 years ago. employment also improved for high school graduates. officials at the education

ministry say the job market continues to get better as businesses are more willing to hire. the race is on to develop driverless vehicles including buses and taxis. japanese government officials sasay they'll give thehe green t to public transport operators aiming to go driverless by 2020, the year tokyo hosts the olympic games. operators will be obliged to take full responsibility in the event of accidents and have systems to operate the vehicles remotely. the officials plan to amend the road traffic law and study other measures. they'll call on would-be operators to start test runs on roads in special zones designated by the government. japan's resona bank will reenter the u.s. market. it's teaming up with an american bank. it will team up with san francisco-based bank of the west

later this month. the mid-sized lender has branches in 19 states. res owna will assist automobiles and i.t. related businesses borrow money from the bank. the japanese bank was placed under effective state control in 2003 after the government injected public funds of about $18 billion at current rates into the bank. resona closed its new york office the following year and pulled out of the u.s. market. here is a look at other business stories we are following. sales in japan's department stores in april fell 3.8% from the same month last year, marking the second straight monthly decline. purchases by foreign visitors dropped for the first time in more than three years on a slowing chinese economy. the earthquakes in southwestern japan also hurt sales. japan could be on the verge of seeing more visitors from spain. top officials from the two countries have reached an open skies agrgreement that willl gi

the airlines greater freedom to set the number of flights and routes. spanish care ye . japan's crude steel output in april rose 1.2% from a year ago marking the first rise in 20 months. industry officials say redevelopment in the tokyo area for the 2020 olympics is behind the recovery and construction demand but production for export remains weak due to falling prices of steel products in the global market. that's a look at business news. i'll leave you with the markets.

people in taiwan are embarking on a new era. >> taiwan's new president has taken the oath of office. >> tsai is a very down to earth character with an impressive educational background. she studied in united states and britain and was a university professor. in her new role she is facing increasing pressure from beijing. tsai and her democratic progressive party scored a decisive victory in january's

elections. they were able t to stake out a firm power base in the legislature. during campaigning, tsai was crititical of the nationalist party foror pushing pro-china policies too far during its eight years in power. she won over many young people who want taiwan to re-define its relationship with the mainland. ♪ ♪ >> big c crowds have gathered i central taipei too hear what tsi is planning for the island. >> translator: i declare to the people of taiwan, i am deeply committed to putting forward a wide range of reforms to create a better future. [ applause ] >> now we are joined by

professor matsuda from the university of tokyo. professor, tsai is setting to lead taiwanese people into a new era. but what are the big issues she'll take up first? >> i think she raised how to reform taiwan's economy. especially she is focusing on the younger generation. because young generations are not well treated economically in taiwan. so that's why the movement in 2014 occurred and showed the feelings. her strong will to safeguard taiwan and propping up thehe importancece of taiwan. thatat's very impressive points >> i see. and another point of interest was what tsai had to say about relations between china and taiwan, but beijing has been

pressuring her to acknowledge the so-called 1992 consensus. chinese leaders say the two sides agreed that taiwan and the mainland belong to one china although each side has a different definition of what that really means. let's hear from tsai about the issue. >> translator: in 1992 the two sides met and arrived at some consensus done in a spirit of mutual understanding and seeking common ground while setting aside differences. i respect this historical fact. >> what is your take on her speech? >> i think that the president tsai is very cautiously and indirectly mentioned about the cross strait consensus in the -- in 1992. she also mentioned about the existing -- she is going to

accept the existsting repubc of chinina constitutional order. r.o.c. constitution in principle covers both mainland china and taiwan, but existing constitutional order means that the government in taiwan only responsible to the people in taiwan. literally. so it can be interpreted as one-china and also virtually independent taiwan. so this is very ambiguous, but i think that it m matches the minimum requirement of beijing. >> thank you so very much professor matsuda for your inside. the governor of tokyo says he will ask legal experts to

review records that show how he used funds meant for political activities. he is facing allegationsns thate may have used some official funds for private e purposes.. >> translator: i i would like t express my deepest apology for causing concern and troublele wh so many people including the residents s of tokyo. >> masuzoe used funds to cover hotel costs during family trips. he says he held meetitings at h hotel room but has not disclosed who attended them. he also bought worksks of art, some of them through online auctions. he has not explained how he used them for political activities. >> translator: i will ask thirird-partrty expererts t to thoroughghly revieiew expenditu of my political funds. i will make corrections if necessary and do my best to win back public trust. >> masuzoe said he is ashamed for coming under suspicion but

didn't give details about his spending. he stressed he'll do his utmost to fulfill his duties. world leaders tackling globalal iues at one of japan's most historical sites. an uncertain economic environment. rising terrorism threats.. and climate change. the group of 7 industrialized countries addressing challenges, finding solutions, and setting new goals. don't miss our special coverage, g7 summit, right here on nhk "newsline." here in tokyo we can expect fair weather throughout the weekend. it's currently 18 degrees celsius. sayaka mori joins us for this hour's update starting with t t southwhweste u u.s. >> texas has been dealingng wit an extremely wet spring so far. last month heavy rainfall caused the historic flooding in the

houston area, and this week persistent rain has been causing flooding in many places. we have some video coming out of the south of the state. southern texas was hit hard by heavy rainfall thursday, leading to flooding and slippery conditions. a semi truck overturned due to the flooded areas. trucks were also seen attempting to drive through areas filled with water, and at least one sinkhole was reported in alice. the region has seen a lot of wet weatheher during the month of m, creating flooding problems and major water damage. now, there is a low pressure system and a couple fronts still located over t the south of tex and into the florida peninsula. so more rain is anticipated. not just rain. there is a potential for damaging wind gusts as well as large hail in a similar area. now, florida has been continuing with heavy rain. eastern areas had 340 millimeters of rain since the beginning of may. that's a

record-breakaking amount for th time of year. flash floods could happen across the tennessee area as well. across the upper east side of the united states. we may see snowfall in areas like california, oregon and alberta. mo s snow is expected and also strong winds probably up to 100-kilometer per hour wind gusts. temperatures will be in the teens for seattle and vancouver. very hot in denver at 27 degrees. sd warming up to 22 in the u.s. capitol on friday. across india we have been watching this system, a cyclonic storm. this system is packing winds of 65 kilometers per hour. it hasn't intensified since yesterday but it's expected to intensify through the next several hours. the system will likely hit bangladesh or myanmar dururing e ekenend as a cyclonic storm.

high winds and tororrential rai are expected in the area. last week over 60 people are killed by lightning strikes, the weather hasas been very babad, more rainfall and more winds are expected as we go into the weekend. now, temperatures will be as follows. not too hot, thanks to the rainy weather in places like colombo. you'll see rain there continuing into next week. landslides occurred several days ago in sri lanka so heavyvy rai could hamper recovery operatioions. it was a hot day across many parts of japan, especially hoe ca caida. a a high of 32 degrees. not and dry weather will continue across the area. across the south due to the

seasonal frontal system, more rain expected for china, taiwan as well as the southwestern of japan. rain should continue in naha but other than that staying dry. up next is your three-day forecast.

. as we approach 28 minutes past the hour of 7:00 p.m., thar

the france 24 newsroom. it is 1:00 p.m. here. the headlines this hour. egypt expresses sadness over the plane crash of flight 804. the military says it has found debris from the airbus. we crossed to cairo for the latest. suspect salah abdeslam goes before judges.