coming to you live from our studios here in tokyo, this is nhk "newsline." i'm james tengan. here are some of the stories we're following this hour. lasting legacy. people in southwestern japan have been looking back and paying tribute 71 years after a fierce battle during world war ii. swift reaction.

japan is joining other nations in urging the u.n. security council to condemn north korea over the latest missile tests. whether britons open a door to brexit or not. people in southern japan remembering one of the bloodiest battles of world war ii. 71 years ago today the imperial japanese military ended major operations against u.s. forces in okinawa. a quarter of the population was killed in the battle. more than 4300 people participated in an annual ceremony at the peace memorial park in the city of itoman. u.s. ambassador to japan caroline kennedy was among those who attended. at noon people observed a moment of silence.

this sixth grader read a poem about how they are grandfather was wounded in the battle of okinawa and her wish for the future. >> translator: i think the loud cries of the cicadas are not the anguish of the victims of the war, but they are the long lasting cries for peace, flying toward the vast skies to let us know how great and important peace is. >> okinawa governor read a peace declaration. he brought up the recent death of a local woman. a former u.s. marine working at an american base is suspected of killing her. >> translator: because of the vast u.s. military bases here, incidents and accidents have occurred repeatedly over many years. people in okinawa are shaken by the recent heinous and violent crime and are feeling uneasy and very angry.

>> onaga reiterated his call for a reduction of okinawa's burden. the prefecture hosts a large proportion of american military facilities in japan. resentment against the u.s. presence has been on the rise, driven by the woman's death. many residents also want washington and tokyo to scrap a plan to move a major u.s. base to the northern part of the island. they want the air station out of the prefecture altogether. prime minister shinzo abe's administration says the relocation is the only viable option but that it will try to reduce okinawa's overall burden. >> translator: we must take seriously the fact that, even now, more than 70 years after the war, okinawa carries a major burden of hosting u.s. bases. the entire country will continue to do what it can to reduce that burden step by step.

>> abe also said his government would take necessary measures to stop violent crimes in the prefecture. our chief correspondent is in okinawa. he has been covering issues in the prefecture for many years. earlier he explained the mood in the prefecture this year on this day of remembrance. >> reporter: i would say the mood surrounding the ceremony is little different from usual. anger over u.s. bases is surging again. it was triggered by the april murder. the 20 years old young local woman was killed, and the suspect is former u.s. marine working at the base in okinawa. and also, the long deadlock over the u.s. military facility called futenma air station, which is behind me, is also worsening the situation. the japanese and american governments agreed in 1996 to move the base to a remote

coastal area within okinawa in the hopes of minimizing its risk. but there has been many delays, and the move still hasn't happened. okinawa's governor insists it should be moved outside the prefecture completely. he has gone to court to fight for that. and he is getting support from people. last sunday, tens of thousands of staged a massive rally to protest the april murder. they are also demanding all u.s. marines withdraw from okinawa. and in addition, they're calling for the revision of the status of forces agreement, which states the status of u.s. forces in japan. people say it grants too many privileges to u.s. military personnel. while the larger majority does want to see futenma moved, the community and the prefecture are sharply divided over the

question of where. most support a plan to relocate futenma within okinawa but others protest locating the base in the prefecture altogether. there is also another split in the population here in okinawa. there is some benefit from the bases to some. japan pays rent to local land owners on behalf of the americans, and those people have benefited substantially. the americans also hire local people to work at their facilities. as campaigning for a national election kicks off, the base issue is a major one for people here. many people that i spoke with say the japanese leaders must work harder to improve the situation. if they don't, they say many

people in okinawa will feel that okinawa is once again being sacrificed in order to protect the rest of the country. just like what happened 71 years ago. north korea state-run media say the country has succeeded in test-firing a ballistic missile. the news came one day after pyonang t tested two missiles. the official newspaper says the country's leader supervised the test. the paper says the missile reached an altitude of around 1400 kilometers and then reached its target areas in waters some 400 kilometers away. the newspaper quoted kim as saying, we have the sure capability to attackk in an overall and practical way. kim's statement was aimed at u.s. operations in the pacific.

the paper did not mention when or where the missile was launched. north korea fired two missiles from its east coast on wednesday. they were likely a new type of the ballistic missile known as the musudan. japanese officials note one of them reached an altitude of more than 1,000 kilometers. self-defense force chief says he will stay on the alert. >> translator: the launch demonstrated a certain level of capability for an intermediate range ballistic missile. it is extremely worrying for japan's security. >> kawano says north korea seems to have chosen a higher trajectory to reduce the distance the missile flew horizontally.

people in britain are taking part in an historic referendum. they're weighing in on whether their country should remain in or leave the european union. the latest polls suggest the race is too close to call, in a vote that has bitterly divided the nation. one opinion poll shows the leave camp with a 1 point leave over the remain camp, but another survey suggests the opposite. pro eu campaigners say a decision to leave would jeopardize the current's economy and security. prime minister david cameron is one of them. >> thank you very much. anyone in any doubt should be voting remain tomorrow. this is a choice not just for this parlrliament, thehe next f years, the next ten years. it is the choice of a lifetime for people in our country, particularly young people. >> in the brexit camp, former london mayor boris johnson and others say the eu imposes too many regulations. they argue that the free movement of people within the

bloc has brought too many migrants to britain. >> this is about our democracy. i really hope that people who are thinking about how to vote tonight and tomorrow will rememberer that thihis chance w come around again. and the status quo is not on the ballot paper tomorrow. >> both sides briefly suspended campaigning after the killing of a pro eu lawmaker last week. the country's electoral commission says a record of more than 46 million people are eligible to vote. voting will end at 10:00 p.m. on thursday and counting will begin immediately. the final result will be announced on friday. market players are staying focused on the british referendum on whether to leave the european union or not. gene otani joins us from the business desk for more on that and other headlines. investors have remained on the sidelines as they await the results of the british referendum. toxic stocks closed higher on thursday on cautious optimism

that people in the u.k. will vote to stay part of the eu. for the details. our business reporter phoebe amoroso reports. >> polls show the stay camp has been gaining in momentum. that gave investors a little risk appetite. the nikkei closed at 16,238. the broader topix gained 1.1%. a slight weakening of t the yen lifted exporters. taking a look at individual stocks. sharp was a standout performer with shares up 6.4%. that's on reports of restructuring plans. the base and materials sector led the gains in higher oil prices. jfe holdings jumped 5.6%. the dollar recovered slightly against the yen, hovering in the mid 104 yen range in tokyo trading. investors may be holding their

breath until the results of the r referend referendum. nerves are running high. moving on to other markets. in china the shanghai composite closed lower by.5% at 2891. many investors sold their shares to book profits after the index regained a 2900 mark wednesday. sydney's s&p rose 0.2% ending at 5280. the basic materials and mining sectors gained on higher prices for iron ore. other markets ended mixed as investors traded cautiously ahead of the referendum in the u.k. seoul's kospi lost 0.3% but the hang seng gained more than 0.3%. britain's decision on whether to leave the eu or not could give global spillover effects. michael ingram, market analyst

at bcg partners, joins us from london to give us insight on the economic impact of the referendum. michael. what will happen to the global markets and the european economy if brexit actually happens? >> reporter: well, i think it will be an incredible shock. certainly markets have had a very good run over the recent week or so. sterling has had its best week in six years. and it's now at a year -- 2016 high. nobody is really pricing in any chance at all of a brexit vote by tomorrow morning. so if we do indeed see that -- and the polls are still neck and neck over here -- i think it would be a shock. we're going to see a big move on sterling. even if it doesn't happen, people are expecting not much upside, but an awful lot of doubt downside. maybe 20% according to george soros. it will impact equity markets

not just in the u.k. but also within europe we may be back to where we were only a week ago at february lows. >> are you saying we can expect less impact if brexit doesn't happen? >> yeah. i think there iss a lot of g go news already priced into the market. and actually, if you look at where consensus is among market strategists, for euro stococks, for instance, they expect very little upside from where we are currently trading, maybe 5%% or so. so i have no doubt that, if a remain vote is indeed confirmed tomorrow morning in the u.k., that there will be a reflexive move upwards. that may be as good as it gets. this all comes against the backdrop of a global economy which continues to struggle. >> you mentioned global economy. we're especially concerned here in the asia-pacific region. how will it impact our side of the story halfway around the globe from the u.k. with and

both without a brexit? >> reporter: well, as i said, i think the risks are somewhat asymmetric at this point in time. the market will be particularly sensitive to an out vote materializing. and of course, very close to home, you are going to see a big risk off trade. you're going to see further appreciative pressure on the japanese yen, which is also already causing some problems, and, you know, more deflation repressure piled on the japanese economy. it's within a bigger picture where china is pursuing it's self-vaul self-evaluation. et cetera. my view is, if we do get a brexit vote tomorrow, it will be a big market shock but it will merely catalyze some fairly unsupportive dynamics which are already in place.e.

>> worst-case scenario, and best-c-case scenario. please tell us. >> reporter: worst-case scenario we're all living in caves this time next year. for me, i thinknk there is more down-side risk. it's always difficucult too put time scale on this sort of thing. we could see a 10% to 20% downside playing out in the event of a brexit outcome. in terms of upside, well, maybe 5%, possssibly 10% in selective markets. but agaiain, wouldld those gaia sustainable with the global dynamics that are in place at the moment? i think probably not. >> okay. michael, thanks very much for that. michael ingram at bgc partners. government officials in japan are worried that a vote in favor of leaving the eu could hurt t their economy too. they fear it will spark a rush to buy the haven yen causing the currency to surge. japanese exporters would be the first to bear the brunt. government officials say it

would dampen investment and spending. mizuho research institute estimates that is currency surge and a slump in stocks could squeeze gdp by up to 0.8%. analysts say, if britain does leave the bloc, companies with operations in the u.k. may have to pay tariffs in their trade with eu members and they say the movement of people and goods to and from britain could also be restricted. here is a look at other business stories we're following. shareholders in japan's sharp have approved a plan to rebuild the struggling firm under a new owner. they've backed a deal agreed by executives to sell the business to taiwan's hon hai precision industry. sharp will get an injection of $3.7 billion to become a subsidiary of the taiwanese company. u.s. authorities will impose aunt-dumping duties on chinese and japanese steel products used in car panels. they'll slap tariffs of more

than 260% on the chinese goods and roughly 70% on the japanese ones. u.s. steel producers say chinese firms more than tripled their exports to america in 2014 b by cutting prices to unfairly low levels. being noisy in a cinema is usually against the rules, but a new approach to movie watching in japan actually encourages people to make a racket. it's proving very popular. >> reporter: a long line of young people in front of a movie theater. some are dressed as anime characters. and their bags are stuffed with mini firecrackers. the theater is showing "girls and punzer" a movie about girls who practice tank warfare as sport. the audience is allowowed to wa light batons and set off crackers.

they say that letting off the crackers gives them the sense ththat they are figighting alone the girls on screen. when a popular character appears, they go wild. it's like the first appearance of a star at a pop concert. [ chanting ] >> reporter: the audience members say the movie is more enjoyable when they join in. >> translator: it feels as if we are creating the movie together, and that's what i like best. >> reporter: this kind of experience is prompting directors to create movies at a tailored for responses. one hit the screen recently. "king of prism" iss an animated movie that depict boys striving to become stars. it's popular with young women. the film has pauses b between t lines to invnvite audieience reresponses. it goes l like this..

>> reporter: the pause after the line allows the audience to converse with the character. that's not all. there are subtitles for the audience to read out. the movie aims to draw in young women by making them feel they are dating the on-screen characters. word of mouth is creating a buzz about the movie. it initially opened at 14 theaters but is now running at more than 100 cinemas nationwide. the box office of around $6 million is far better than expected. >> translator: i've probably seen it 16 times or so. being able to enjoy a live show for about $15 is a good deal, and i am happy to pay. >> reporter: an expert on

consumer trends says the movie seems to have caught the imagination of young people. >> translator: they consider kw cost effectiveness in everything, not just in terms of money but time and effort. these movies take place at local theaters and are a good value for young people. >> reporter: some have been surprised at the success of movies that encourage audiences to participate. one lesson is that it's possible to make a hit with a novel idea, and without a huge investment. that's a look at business news. i'll leave you with the markets.

you're watching nhk "newsline" coming to you live from tokyo. jonathan oh joins us starting with southwestern japan. >> at the moment it looks like that we are seeing a little break in the rainfall. at least for the next few hours. i think that we're going to be dealing with drier conditions. the reason why we can tell that is, as we look at the satellite perspective, these clouds are all rain clouds. they had a lot of rainfall with them. it's now all pushing to the east and you can see clearing over the area. that's at least going to allow folks a breather throughout the evening hours into the day on friday. we do have a chance for rainfall coming back into the picture as we go into the next day. but for the moment it looks like we're dealing with temporary dry conditions. now, we did see a decent amount of rainfall all across the

central portion of japan as well -- i mean, we're talking about 41.5 millimeters falling in just one hour. those are some of the higher amounts. further west we saw 51.5 millimeters of rainfall. as we go throughout the day on friday, we're looking out for the same stationary frontal boundary that lingers over kyushu. becacause of that we have the instability and trigger mechanisisms to bring back more moisture. some areas may not be dealing with super high amounts. but given the fact that the ground is so saturated with moisture, we're concerned that it may still trigger landslides going forward. we just need to keep an eye out for this friday and saturday. into sunday we may be dealing with drier conditions, at least for a day, which is much needed in the midst of all the heavy rainfall that's taking place. kumamoto, looking at rain again

into momonday. looking furtrther to the west io china, we're also dealing with serious rainfall problems. let me show you this dramatic video. this is going to really capture sosomething incrededible when i comes to what happened. wow! that was a three-story building near a river. it was flushed away because of the flash flooding in the area. torrential rains triggered large-scalale flooding and mud flows tuesday that caused damage to structures and forced 2100 residents to flee their homes. a kindergarten was surrounded by rising waters. after two hours of emergency rescue evereryone was able t to out safely. and thankfully, no casualties have been recorpoported.. look at all l that watater and moisture. we still see a lot more rain and water associated with this. it will eventually shift to the east and, yes, it will come into the picture for western japan once again. so it's going to be a wet few

days. thunderstorms into shanghai. rain in tokyo and rain in taipei into friday. we go over to india where, because of the southwest monsoon slowly movoving up to the north and west, we h had lightning storms this week, and so far at leleast 90 people h have been kd because of this. we still see the rainfall moving toward the north and west, but it looks like that the stormy situation, well, as the monsoon moves in, more rain, more storms will be a part of the picture. that is of concern right now. we are a bit behind when it comes to the southwest monsoon but it's making its way to the north and west. in northth america, storms blowg up. at least 15 tornadoes reports out of illinois. the system will be moving to the south and east which will bring a very wet day going into thursday for new york and washington, d.c. hope you have a good day wherever you are. here is your extended outlook.

a japanese man known to be the developer of the modern version of the othello board game died earlier this week. goro hasegawa was 83. in othello two players use stones painted white on one side and black on the other. they take turns plalacing the stones on a board. players aim to trap theirir opponents' stones between theirs and flip them over to make them the same color as their own. hasegawa developed the game in the e 1940s whwhen he was a sts. othello later became popular worldwide. as the head of the japan othello association, he worked for years to promote the game. the world othello championship isis set to be held in november for the first time in ten years in his home town. about a hundred players from 30 countries and territories are expected to take part. we'll have more updates for you at the top of the hour on "newsroom tokyo." in the meantime. stay with us here on nhk world.

>> the french history had d to endure.. you are watching france 24. these are the headlines -- our voting toits decide whether to stay in or out of the european union. live coverage from london in a minute. rebellious democrats in the u.s. hold around the clock sit in on the house floor demanding a vote on new gun control laws. the republican house speaker calls it a publicity stunt