it's a monday nights in japan. i'm james tengan. welcome to nhk "newsline." here are some of the stories we're following this houring. political maneuvering, opposition leaders are calling for japan's prime minister to resign after news that he plans to postpone a consumption tax hike scheduled to take effect next april. a new chapter, people in hiroshima share their thoughts

on the first visit to the atomic bombed city by a sitting american president. my grant workers in china are trying to learn vocational skills before computers take their jobs. political maneuvering is intensifying before the current session of japan's diet comes to a close on wednesday. prime minister shinzo abe intends to postpone a consumption tax hike by more than two years. opposition parties have responded by agreeing to submit a no-confidence motion against the cabinet. the current plan is to raise the tax next april. abe laid out the reasons for the postponement in a meeting with the leader of the junior ruling coalition party komeito. he explained that during the g7 summit, held last week, he and other leaders expressed the shared view that there is a real risk of the global economy slipping into crisis. he said he believes that raising the consumption tax from 8% to

10% should be put off until october 2019. komeito leader said he would discuss the matter with his party colleagues. >> translator: i had the impression that the prime minister is firmly determined. >> abe hinted that the tax hike might be postponed during the closing news conference of the g7 summit. he stressed that japan should contribute to global economic growth by utilizing all of the economic policy tools agreed at the meeting. but members of his liberal democratic party who prioritized fiscal discipline are reluctant to push back the hike. >> translator: we won the last election by making it clear that we would raise the tax in a year and a half. if we postpone it again, mr. abe would need to resolve the lower house, and seek voter approval through an election. >> the finance minister says

he's concerned that a delay could affect efforts to expand social welfare programs. the leaders of four opposition parties agreed to jointly submit the no-confidence motion tuesday to the lower house. >> translator: the cabinet pushed the security laws through the diet and it's trying to amend the constitution for the worse. these are grave challenges to constitutionalism, and pacifism. the failure of abenomics is expanding the wealth gap and poverty. >> he said to put up a fight in an election if the prime minister decides to dissolve the lower house. nhk world has been following the issue, and we have some insight. >> we just heard taro aso's comments but members of abe's ruling bloc have mixed opinions on their leader's decision. while many of his colleagues understand the timing change, some worry about the explanation to voters. they're concerned if it's not adequate, it could draw

criticism that the decision is being based solely on party interests. others say the hike should be carried out as planned. they say it is necessary for social welfare programs, and strengthening the country's finances. so abe has been discussing the issue individually with leading members from his ruling bloc to help them better understand his decision. and as we heard before, opposition parties are responding quite critically. they've been saying recently that the hike should be postponed or canceled, and they're condemning a comment made by abe in 2014. that was when he dissolved the diet to call an election. he said he would, without fail, go ahead with the tax raise in april 2017. so opposition members now say that abe's decision proves that his economic policies, dubbed abenomics, has failed. one senior member says that when

they put forward the no-confidence motion, they want to point out examples that speak to the character of abe's cabinet. one example is how they say abe emphasized the sluggish global economy at the g7 summit to try to conceal his failed economic policies. a delay in the consumption tax hike could impact some of the government's key policies. for more we turn to gene otani from the business scene. putting off the consumption tax height would be a -- to keep security programs running. the move to raise the rate from the current 8% to 10 is required by law the government will need to pass another bill to have the delay approved. the national debt now totals nearly $10 trillion. one of the world's highest. the delay could affect japan's efforts to shrink that amount. japan's primary balance deficit for the fiscal year is predicted to reach $135 billion, the government is aiming to balance the budget by fiscal 2020 excludeing debt service and costs. this target will be difficult to achieve without that extra money

generated by a higher consumption tax rate. the finance ministry puts the foregone revenue at over $50 billion a year. there's also social security. min city officials were planning to use additional funds to expand welfare measures. other programs could suffer such as financial support for child care centers. checking the markets. tokyo stocks rose to a one month high on reports that the consumption tax hike may be delayed. for the details we go to our business reporter who is at the tokyo stock exchange. >> a possible delay in the sales tax high lead to news. investors bought export-related shares as the yen weaker against the dollar. let's see how stocks ended on monday, may 30th. the first time in one month that the index closed above 17,000.

the broader topix gained 1.2%. the dollar yen will head to one month high as janet yellen said a rate hike would be appropriate. looking at individual stocks, the weaker yen benefitted exporters. in particular automakers perform strongly. honda and nissan rose more than 3%. toshiba shares climbed by more than 6%. investors are awaiting confirmation that prime minister abe will delay the consumption tax rise. they'll be eager to see japan's household spending data due on tuesday. phoebe, thank you very much for that. trading was not active in the rest of the region as the u.s. is closed for a holiday.

investors are cautious about a possible rate hike by the fed. hong kong up by up i .21%. shanghai closed at 2822. factory activity data comes out later this week. indonesia 4836 gaining .44%. financial and energy shares lead the gains there. domestic auto production fell in april for the first time in two months. earthquakes forced some makers to halt assembly lines. eight major automakers made about 8,000 vehicles in japan last month. that's down. t suspended work temporarily due to earthquake damage at a parts

supplier. mi governments around the world are trying to tackle the problem of drunk driving. major japaneses stro s electron maker are trying to do their part making products that will detect alcohol on people's breaths. engineers are working together on a car key with an embedded sensor. the driverer breathes on the ke for three seconds. if the key detects alcohol it won't start t the car. they are adding smartphones to the equation. company officials say the device will compare the reading with past data and display warnings on the user's smartphone. if they're getting drunk they're given advice. it will display the time needed for the user to be sober again and demand is growing for

alcohol-detecting devices. the u.s. government is moving to support manufacturers developing products that can help reduce drunk driving. the more restaurants in japan are catering to people avoiding fattening food. they are coming out with low calorie dishes madee with healty ingredients. one example is a leading chain specializing in a japanese pancake. it's normally made from a variety of ingredients including vegetables, meat, and seafood and topped off with plenty of mayonnaise. the chain added more vegetables to the dishes. the pancakes are unfairly seen as unhealthy food packing lots of calories. >> translator: people don't know it's a balanced food. we thought it would be possible to attract wider range of people by using healthy as a keyword. >> a leading ramen chain opened

the restaurant in april catering to health-minded customers. the noodles contain half the normal sugar content. others substitute the noodles for pieces of to ffu. according to the chain is customers who want to limit their sugar intake say they appreciate having new healthier choices. let's take a look at the business calendar for the week. on tuesday japanese officials tell us what happened to household spending in april. the same day indian government posts gdp numbers for the first quarter of the year. on wednesday we have china's factory data for may. this is a survey of purchasing managers and manufacturing companies. the same day japanese ministry officials will release a quarterly survey on the company's activities. it include capital investment. oil ministers will meet in

vienna. we'll see how opec responds to the recent gains in crude prices. every monday we ask an expert. south asia is at the growth center of the economy. in this edition we hear from a senior economist. had he's expecting the upcoming gdp figures to show solid growth continuing. >> translator: i expect india's gdgdp grew 7.3% in the january-march quarter from the year before. almost the same as the october-december period. the agriculture and service sector saw relatively good growth but weaker industrial output weighs down on overall crude. >> he expects more of the same in the second quarter and he says the economy to pick up even more speed after july.

>> we expect the economy to expand in the second half of the year with the government raises salaries for public workers. the pay hikes which are predicted to account for 0.4 to 0.5% of gdp will encourage government employees to spend more especially those living in urban areas. i expected gdp will grow 7.5% for a full year. a modest expansion from the year befor before. >> he commented on india's need for a long-term stable grgrowth. hehe said the key to achieving that is to reform the tax system. >> translator: so as to accelerate development, the country needs to implement reforms that encourage investment and develop t industries. particularly india needs performance complex in direct

tax systems which experts say discourage investors from putting money into the country. attention is now focussed on whether the parliament will approve the law later this year to introduce and direct taxation. that's it for business news. i'll leave you with the markets.

u.s. president barack obama made a historic pilgrimage on friday to hiroshima. tourists and survivors of the 1945 atomic bombing of the city have been sharing their reactions to the visit. nhk world's takafumi terui reports. >> reporter: over the weekend, hiroshima's peace memorial park was crowded with people, reflecting on friday's visit. >> translator: i was really moved by president obama's speech. i thought i should come and visit. >> reporter: many also visited the peace memorial museum. it was the first stop of obama's trip. and while it wasn't open to media, the museum's director says obama seemed to show special interest in paper cranes folded by a survivor who died of leukemia at the age of 12, a decade after being exposed to radiation from the bombing. obama also wrote a message in the visitor's book calling for peace and a world without

nuclear weapons. and he himself reportedly folded two paper cranes and left them on the table. the display touched other foreign visitors, too. >> we have to learn from our history, so the living, teaching about the cost, and also about when people gather for peace, something beautiful, some transformation can happen. >> reporter: in his speech, obama reiterated the message he left in the visitor's book. >> among those nations like my own that hold nuclear stockpiles, we must have the courage to escape the logic of fear and pursue a world without them. >> reporter: one of the listeners who was moved was emiko okada. she was hit by the bomb at theh age of 8. >> translator: obama spoke about the people beneath the mushroom

cloud, and all the precious young lives that were taken. i thought he understood really well what happened in hiroshima. and nagasaki. >> reporter: but not everyone was so happy with what they heard. >> translator: i expected d oba to comment more clearly. i wanted him to say more concrete things. >> reporter: survivors want to see the world rid of nuclear weapons. but many still exist. one study puts the amount at more than 15,000, spread among nine couountries. mainly the u.s. and russia. but recent tensions between them have hindered the disarmament process. during obama's time in power, the u.s. has destroyed around 700. one of the smallest amounts since the end of the cold war.

after getting the chance to convey their message to obama, many survivors are watching g t see how much progress he will leaves office in eight months. takakafumi terui, nhk world. china is investing in robots but-- >> reporter: the agency is -- on tuesday they are looking for people with vocational skills. >> translator: more manufacturers are shifting to

automation. so we need engineers who can control the machines. >> reporter: there aren't many jobs for unskilled laborers like me these days. we're under lots of pressure. >> reporter: cheap labor has been the driving force of china's mass production. but leaders in beijing have shifted gears. they are pushing for more quality efficiency. that meant that many factories have to close. migrant workers are trying to pick up vocational skills. here the student learns how to handle computer-operated machinery. six months here --

>> translator: we've got more than 30 people on the waiting list. >> reporter: he is used to working in factories making shoes. but he could see a future for himself as a 32-year-old quit his job and enrolled in school. >> translator: skilled workers are the first -- to get a job i have to change myself. >> reporter: he has never used a cu computer before. it is new to him. >> translator: i would end up being a laborer if i d d't maka any effort. there are no job options i can

choose from. >> reporter: his wife is working and his two children are back in his hometown living with his parents. he's hoping one day he can start his own business and bring his whole family together. >> translator: i feel lonely when i sleleep at night. apapt better livively hood for sake of my parents, my children, and my wife. >> reporter: china's industry is undergoing a transformation and workers from all areas are trying to catch up with the changing. nhk world. nhk "newsline" comes to you live from tokyo where it's wet and cool with the current temperature reading is 18

degredegree s celsius. meteorologist sayaka morori joi us with ththe details. >> yes, tropical depression bonnie made landfall in sosouth carolina on susunday. it was a troropical storm righg before the landfdfall. bonnie d dropped tremendous amot of heaeavy rainfall, over r 200 millimeters of rain n fell in south carolina and charleston had record-breaking heavy rainfall. now, bonnie is a tropical depression. so winds are not too strong at this moment. but take a look. it's moving at a speed of only 2 kilometers an hour. i can walk foster than bonnie. so what would happen is significant heavy rain that could cause some flooding across the seaboard for the next 24 hours oror so. so until w wednesday afternoon, the carolilina coast will be buffeted by significant rainfall, and some strong g win, as wel now w across t northeasterern coast ofhe uninited statates, ts ararea will also see some heavy rainfall, and we have severe weather warnings in place across ontario.

so watch out for tornadoes, as well as thunderstorms. now, across the central portions of the united states, there's the potential for flash floods, as well as thunderstorms. we heard many reports of hail on sunday, and also one tornado in texas. now across the southeastern corner of texas, this is the area where significant flooding caused some damage during the weekend. i want to share some video coming out of the area. rescue efforts are under way in texas, after strong thunderstorms drove through parts of the state saturday. serious flooding, along with one tornado, destroyed several homes. there were evacuations and road closures through the area. there will be a chance for rainfall throughout the week, and six people have died in flood-related incidents in southeastern portions of texas. now more rain is expected through the rest of the work week across the southeastern areas of texas. now w across in europe, many lightning strikes affecteded ma areaeas of europe. in fact, over ten people are injurered in france due to lightning strikes, and one

polish man was killed. sisignificant flooding happenedn austria, as well. we have some footage coming out of austria. take a look at this. strong thunderstorms impacted austria over the weekend, bringing damage to homes and businesses in the easternmost state of the country. a total of 35 homes were flooded. large hail damaged farmland. snow plows were brought in to remove hail off roads. many floods and also landslides occurred across parts of europe, and more flooding and also landslides could happen because, as you can see, more rain is expected. there's a large area of low pressure still located over central portions of europe. so watch out for frequent lightning, large hail, damaging winds, and even severe wind gusts as we go in to monday and possibly in to your tuesday. temperatures are going to be extremely high across athens. the high could be 32 degrees, and also sunny weather, and across the north, moscow at 25 degrees, and quite warm for this time of year. in stockholm, 21 degrees for the high with abundance of sunshine for your monday.

across asia to hubei province you'll see heavy rainfall into yoyour tuesday, and there's a l pressure system enhancing the monsoon over thailand so totorrential rain isxpecected especially during the daytime hours. mostly dry across japan but gloomy weather across tokyo. that should be moving away as we go in to tomorrow and temperatures are going to be 26 degrees on tuesday. meanwhile seoul will see a high of 30 degrees on both wednesday as well as thursday. so watch out for heatstroke. all right here's the extended forecast.

people in thailand are mourning the death of an animal that symbolized their country's friendship with japan. hanako the elephant arrived in japan 67 years ago and died thursday in a tokyo zoo. about 40 people attended a ceremony for hanako at an elephant sanctuary. officials at the sanctuary said hanako inspired many japanese people to visit thailand. >> translator: hanako served as a bridge between janan and thailand >> the thai govevernnt gave hanako to japan in 1949, and she quickly became a star. many japanese people saw her as a symbol of peace after the

turmoil of war. hanako was 69, japan's oldest elephant. more updates at the top of ú

genie: you are watching "france 24." time for 60 minutes live around the world. i am genie godula. he these are the headlines. the iraq he army says it is moving into the stronghold state of fallujah. it surrounded the city week ago but has held off a full attack to give civilians a chance to flee. rescue boats contitinue to searh the mediterranean for survivors of a new series of migrant shipwrecks. more than 700 people are thought to have drowned the past week alone.