here in japan it's 7:00 p.m. on a wednesday. i'm james tengan in tokyo. welcome to nhk "newsline." it's official. donald trump is the u.s. republican presidential nominee. the real estate tycoon has secured his spot after a delegate count at the republican national convention. >> donald day trump have been received the majority of these

votes entitled to be cast at the convention has been selected as the republican party nominee for president of the united states. >> party leaders held a state by state roll call on tuesday in cleveland. trump took 70% of the delegates. indiana governor mike pence was officially confirmed as trump's running mate. trump appeared via video link to address the convention. he said he was proud to be the nominee. >> we're going to win the presidency and bring real change and leadership back to washington. >> republican party leaders will get behind trump and his campaign slogan "make america great again." but the party remains divided with some mainstream republicans unwilling to back their party's nominee. speakers at the convention have been calling for unity and focusing their attacks on

presumptive democratic nominee hillary clinton. a foundation towards comfort women will be launched next week. the south korean government will set up the foundation. it aims to help restore the honor and dignity of the women. japan will contribute about $9 million to support the effort. sources close to the foundation's preparatory committee say it will be inaugurated on july 27th now that activities and members have been decided. professor kim is expected to discuss at a press conference next wednesday. civil activists in south korea continue to oppose the agreement and despite a request from japan, there's still no prospect of a statue of a girl being removed from seoul.

it symbolizes the comfort women. north korean media are reporting kim jong-un provided field guidance for tests that simulated strikes on south korea. the ruling party's newspaper shows kim watching the army's strategic force. state media reports say military personnel rehearse hd on ports and airfields that host u.s. nuclear hardware. they say the exercises also involved checking a nuclear warhead detonator at designated altitudes. the reports don't say where or when the drills took place. north korea fired three missiles toward the sea of japan. pyongyang has been expressing anger at an agreement between washington and seoul to deploy an advanced u.s. missile defense system in south korea. officials in the north are

adding concerns to the border as a way of sending out coded messages. they've resumed broadcasts of encrypted numbers. a method they once deployed to intercept from overseas. the broadcasts went out in the early hours of june 24th and july 15th. the first was three and a half minutes long. the second 12 minutes. in each case the broadcaster introduced the messages as assignments for so-called exploration. south korean officials are describing the development as regrettable. >> translator: we hope the north will quickly desist from this outdated attitude and take actions that will contribute to the improvement of south/north

relations. >> south korean media say the attempt is more likely to wage psychological warfare. some people in china are calling for a boycott of american fast food restaurants. they're reacting to the fact washington is urging beijing to comply with a recent ruling on the south china sea. an international tribunal dismissed china's historical claims in the region. the woman was urging people not to eat american food. the video is reportedly filmed at a kentucky fried chicken restaurant. another video shows people calling for kfc and mcdonald's to leave china. online posts are filled with similar posts. a communist newspaper has called

for restraint for the assertion of china's sovereignty. boycott campaigners are facing online criticism of their own. in tourism japan continues to be the destination for many foreign visitors. gene otani has the details and other business headlines. >> the number of visitors to japan in the first six months of this year topped 10 million. a record for a half-year period. officials say more flights and cruise ship visits helped boost the numbers. the japan tourism agency says over 11.7 million people came to the country between january to june. that's up a little over 28% from a year earlier. visitors from mainland china rose over 40%. travelers from south korea were up more than 30%. total spending by foreign travelers between april and june posted a record for the quarter. but the expenditure per visitor

was down nearly 10% at about $1500. the figure fell for the second straight quarter. the higher yen slowed demand for expensive items. the chinese government was also a factor. increased duties on foreign goods that travelers take home. checking the markets, the nikkei average closed lower breaking a six-day winning streak for the index. the drop comes as a rally on wall street shows signs of petering out. phoebe amoroso has the details. >> after the nikkei gained over 9% last week, many investors decided to take some money off the table on wednesday. the nikkei fell 0.25% and the topix slightly lower. revised downwards the global growth for next year. we saw low eer commodity prices.

jfe holdings down 4%. and nintendo crashing 12%. that's despite pokemon go would finally go live in japan on wednesday. shares of nintendo have more than doubled over the past seven sessions on the game's record-breaking success. looking ahead, analysts say that a fair amount of caution as japan's corporate earnings season approaches. investors will also have an eye on the european central bank policy meeting coming on thursday. phoebe amoroso at the tokyo stock exchange. let's move to the other markets of the asia pacific region. china, the shanghai composite closing at 3,027 extending its losing streak to a third day. analysts say steady gdp figures released last week lessened hope for further stimulus. investors are waiting for more clues on the economic outlook. let's move to sydney. gaining by 0.7% finishing at

5,488 to the highest level in seven months. but lower commodity prices weighed on resource related shares there. hong kong hang seng index rebounding with most ending in a positive. singapore also hitting a three-month high there up by 0.9%. many japanese companies aim to enter the cambodian market as they're expected to grow further. one of them is daiichi life insurance. nhk has learned that the insurer decided to open a representative office in the cambodian capital phnom penh. after gaining a license to do business there. daiichi executives are believed to have made the decision because cambodia is a southeast asian country with steady

economic growth and a young population. life insurance products weren't even availilable there u until years ago. japanesese life insurers have bn looking overseas. life insurers in japan have also been affected by the start of a negative interest rate policy in february by the country's central bank. here's a look at some of the other business stories we're following. japanese parcel delivery firm yamamoto transport i is teamingp with dena in a trial using self-driving cars. executives say the vehicles will run from next march. they'll be fitted with storage lockers. a traditiononal japanese ho spring has opened in the heart of tokyo. the luxury old style hotel

occupies a new building. it has 84 mat rooms and a natural spring spa. the operator says the main target is tourists and business people from overseas. more than 90% of eyeglass frames in japan are made in just one area. that's along the sea of japan. but competition from cheaper foreign products is hurting the subcontractors forcing them to innovate. and as this next report shows, some are launching their own brands. >> reporter: sabai city is a famous producer of frames for eyeglasses. their fair was their way to show products. >> translator: producers must team up to reach out to a wider range and people and show what the city can do. >> reporter: one company has found a new lease in life by

taking its own eye wear brand directly to customers in tokyo. glasses with futuristic designs are on display. >> translator: the frame looked eccentric. i was put off at first then it fit perfectly and didn't look bizarre at all. >> reporter: the company has been in business for 80 years. for most of that time it produced frames for other retailers. that business model was lucrative but vulnerable to economic swing. managing director began shifting the focus to producing and selling his company's own brand. >> translator: i'd seen severe ups and downs since i was a child. of course we don't mind making frames on contntract, butut w w wanted to create something closer to our hearts, something we can call our own. >> reporter: the firm aggressively expanded sales

channels by visiting retailers around japan. the brand also won fans by winning international prizes and now accounts for 80% of the company's sales. profit margins are high. business is recovering. another maker focused on elderly customers. these reading glasses are just two millimeters thick when folded. they are dubbed paper glasses. they're pricey for reading glasses starting more than $100 a pair. but salales are growing 30% a yr since their debut four years ago. a parts maker in sabae is b behd the product with orders slumping after the collapse of lehman brothers it began making and selling products under its own name. the patented thin technology followed.

>> translator: there were cheap reading glasses everywhere, but nobody was doing what we wanted to do and there was demand. so we made the leap because we knew demand for reading glasses would grow. >> reporter: the small army of eyeglass frame makers are suffering from tighter competition. the way out for some is to lose the subcontractor tag and sell under their own name. >> that's it for business news. i'm going to leave you with the markets.

turkey is widening its crack down on people linked to the man it blames for friday's failed coup. employees including teachers and police officers have either been suspended or dismissed. authorities have also revoked the licenses of two dozen tv and radio stations. investigators have detained over 8600 peoplee including senior military officers for questioning. the government said on tuesday that the death toll from the coup attempt standnds at 240. including 173 civilians. they blame a movement led by u.s.-based cleric fa fatullah gulen. turkey has made an official request to the u.s. for the extradition of gulen.

gulen has denied any roll in it. researchers have attempted to re-enact a voyage that could have brought japan's earliest people to the archipelago. they braved the open seas in a primitive type of vessel. we were there to watch the epic journey unfold. >> reporter: it took a lot of effort to make this grass boat seaworthy. they also needed to make the journey as authentic as possible. they brought on board the same food their ancestors probably did and put on ancient screens for protection from the sun's rays. 75 kilometers between the southern japanese islands.

how people originally got to the island chain from taiwan. so they came to believe the seashells they found at the site were the key. they think ancient barges could have used grass in boat making. they dried and bundled the grass eventually crafting it into six meter long vessels. their original launch date was pushed back because of bad weather. but on sunday they set out. the boats moved slower than researchers had expected. at about two kilometers per

hour. and the paddlers had to fight strong currents to stay on course. eventually letting mother nature win. they had to rely on modern technology for more than half of the journey. they cut loose for the last ten kilometers and used human power. the boat is finally in sight. ancient people migight h have m different boats from this one to cross high seas. the crew renewed their respect for their ancestors' courage right after hitting the shore. >> translator: we know where the island is located and we have data on the wind and waves. ancient people didn't have such things. > translator: we wanted to solve the mystery, but i feel like it's deepened instead. there's no doubt that ancient people made the journey. so we'll keep searching for the answers.

>> reporter: nhk world, okinawa. japanese idol group akb-48 is huge here in japan. the producers of the group are working with promotors across asia to launch local versions. but their efforts in china have kicked up a row over copyright. ♪ >> reporter: shanghai based group is widely popular throughout china. the producers created the group four years ago along with a local promoter. the shanghai group's success led a local company to set up a

similar group in beijing without approval from tokyo. they named the new unit bej-48. they built a theater where the girls appear regularly. fans flocked to their performances and they slap up all kinds of items that promote their favorite group member. >> translator: i've seen them more than ten times. >> translator: i love japanese style idols. >> reporter: the akb in the original group's name stands for tokyo akihabara area where it was born. akb-48 has become one of the highest grossing musical acts in japan. the 48 concept had spread. the originators have set up sister groups in many cities marketed under the catch phrase "idols you can meet." but t the new beijing unit cames

a complete surprise. the japanese side accuses the chinese group of violating its contract. it says bej-48 is not an official akb sister group. a representative of the beijing group wouldn't discuss the copyright issues. >> translator: senior management is handling the matter. i can't comment. >> reporter: the company that developed bej-48 says the idea evolved in china so no contracts were violated. ththe group receieived governme support through a tie-up with state-run television. >> translator: the group's activities has been arranged in a chinese way. i think they're chinese style idols. >> reporteter: this music teach ser a big fan of tokyo's akb-48. she says she's often moved by their dedication and efforts to

improve their shows. she said there's no merit to bej-48's claim that the group is an original chinese creation. >> translator: i hope the new chinese group will succeed, but the girl wills need to have a good relationship with akb-48 to learn the culture and message. >> reporter: a lawyer who specializes in china's copyright pracactices says foreign compans operating there need to be careful. they should insist on maintaining control of how their businesses will be run. >> traranslator: it's importanto spell out everything very clearly. otherwise your chinese p partne might say this isn't trademarked, copyrighted, or covered? the contract. they can steal your intellectual property before you know it. >> reporter: this serious dispute doesn't seem to be affecting audience enthusiasts.

but the argument going on behind the scenes could center a big impact own the future of the entertainment business across asia. takeshi imura, nhk world, beijing. >> wonder if they'll ever come up with a middle aged male version. you're watching nhk "newsline." i'm james tengan. skies are overcast here in tokyo with a temperature of 80 degrees fahrenheit. jonathan oh joins us with this hour's world weather outlook. >> we're seeeeing temperatures some areas reaching up to 40 degrees celsius. so it's going to be a bit warm for these areas as we go forward in time. we do have a slight shifting that will helpp to cool certain areas. but the heat will continue to be on for some other areas. and i'll give you the specifics in just a bit. let me show you some pictures coming out of madrid on monday. people trying to get in the

water fountains and keeping the bottled water and also keeping under the shade as much as possible. others over into london on tuesday saw temperatures in the mid-30s and so people were grabbing ice cream cones trying to enjoy it and try to stay cool in the process. or just enjoying the sunshine, getting a tan, while also reading as well. so there are different ways people are trying to find ways to either enjoy the heat or try to stay cool in the heat. the reason why we've been dealing with all this warm weather is we have a high pressure system that's really been pushing warm weather from the south. and the jet stream was lifting towards the north. we're seeing a slight change now. we do have a system coming out of the atlantic. that's going to bring some cooler temperatures further toward the north. but down toward the south, the heat continuing to remain in the area. so we will see the ridge of high pressure continue to bring warm weather into places like italy and also into portions of spain and france. you'll still be dealing with warmer temperatures. and then further to the north as we go throughout thursday,

that's where we'll see the cool temperatures dominating. the possibility of some rain and stormy activities into western portions of russia. as we go throughout the day we have the possibility for unstable weather. it'll bring the chance for some heavier rain bands. can't rule out hail and also tornadoes for these areas anywhere from portions of germany into england and also into the eastern portions of spain. and then also that trough will bring the possibility of thunderstorms into western portions of russia. here's a look at the forecast. still warm into madrid. high of 36 degrees on wednesday. 30 in paris. also london. in paris you may be dealing with thunderstorms from time to time. kiev also looking at wet weather througughout the day on wednesd. as you look at the forecast for east asia specifically more closer toward japan, we're keeping an eye on a tropical depression. some stations are reporting rain rates of close to 70 millimeters per hour.

that's not good news. we're still seeing this system continue to bring heavier rain bands. that will be something we'll watch through the overnight period because that's part of the problem. a low pressure area over into the northeastern portions of china still bringing a lot of rain. beijing may be dealing with 180 millimeters of rainfall over the next 24 hours. we do have high pressure also bringing in cooler air in the upper atmosphere into central portions of japan. so 24 with a chance for rain in tokyo as we go throughout the day on thursday. clouds in seoul and beijing with 27 degrees. highs in the upper 30s for chongqi chongqing. wrapping up with north america, we do have a stationary front that's going to destabililize t weweather patterern. we've already had problems in the dakotas. we'll see thunderstorms as we go throughout the day and we also are looking at temperatures in the mid-30s for atlanta. thunderstorm activity as far

north as chicago and denver through this week. hope you have a good day wherever you are. here's your extended outlook.

and that was this hour's news and weather from our studios here in tokyo. don't forget to watch "newsroom tokyo" at the top of the hour. a

income forl everyone. paris.s 1:00 pm here in latest global news. our headlines. killedrench soldiers are in libya, and that has been confirmed by francois hollande. officials say that militia shot down a helicopter near benghazi on sunday. 15 people remain between life