here in japan it's 7:00 p.m. on a tuesday. i'm james tengan. welcome to nhk "newsline." police in a town west of tokyo are trying to find out the motive of a man arrested after a deadly knife attack. they believe he planned the rampage at a care home for people living with disabilities. 19 people were killed and 25 others were injured.

j jason ho reports from the site. >> reporter: ambulances raced down the main street trying to save the victims of one of the worst mass killings in the country's history. police believe a former employee of this care facility broke in through a window. he allegedly tied up a staff member before going after the nearly 150 residents. there are people with intellectual disabilities ranging from 18 to 75 years old. not even an hour later, the suspect had turned himself in to police. family members are grieving and outraged. >> translator: the victims are people with disabilities including very young people. i'm angry that the suspect did this to them. >> reporter: for residents in this normally peaceful mountain town, it's shocking beyond belief. this boy says the people at the facility were part of the community. every year the neighbors met with them to celebrate a summer festival together. >> translator: i know some of

the people caught up in the attack, so this is really sad. >> reporter: police allege this is the killer. satoshi uematsu is 26 years old. one woman says she would see him around town. she doesn't want to be identified on camera. >> translator: the suspect used to greet people nicely, but he seemed to change some time around this spring. >> reporter: authorities say he worked at the facility for more than three years and say he told them he doesn't currently have a job. police found three knives in his bag. some covered in blood. they say he had given a letter to the police officer guarding the lower house in february. the same month he stopped working at the facility. he said he wanted people with disabilities to disappear. uematsu was sent to a hospital but released after 12 days. there will likely be questions

about why he wasn't investigated in the first place and whether any of the deaths could have been prevented. jason ho, nhk world, sagamihara. his letter detailed accounts of his plan. investigators say the letter contained the name of the care home and another facility the suspect was targeting. uematsu said he would tie the staff up with zip ties and he would attack at night when there were fewer of them to deal with. he said he would turn himself into police after killing 260 people. police in tokyo immediately alerted officers in uematsu's neighborhood. sagamihara city officials said three days after that he told his colleagues people with severe disabilities should be euthanized. the care home alerted police the

next day. they had uematsu committed to a hospital. he tested positive for marijuana. he was diagnosed with cannabis psychosis and disorder. but they released him 12 days later. a doctor examined him and decided he was no longer a threat to others. today four months later, uematsu walked into a police station and announced that he had carried out his plan. nhk has obtained footage from a camera near the site. the man captured is believed to be uematsu. it shows a car drive near the facility at 1:30 a.m. tuesday. the man exits from the side. he opens the trunk and takes something out. he then walks in the direction of the care home. just over an hour later, the man can be seen running back to the car carrying what looks like a

bag. then he drives away. police say they believe this black car was used by u.s. matsue. it was parked outside the police stati station. blood can also be seen all over the vehicle's steering wheel. japan's top government spokesperson has expressed his condolences to the relatives of those killed. suga also promised to take action. >> translator: we will work with all relevant ministries and agencies to come up with measures to ensure that nothing like this can happen again. >> the u.s. national security council issued a message of support. it says the u.s. offers its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed in the heinous attack. and the fact it happened at a

facility for those with disabilities makes it all the more repugnant and senseless. foreign ministers of the asia pacific are in the laos capital for the summit. the focus is on whether they can unify on the south china sea. >> reporter: nhk has obtained a copy of the draft statement. it says some foreign ministers are concerned about the situation in the region. they mentioned china's increased activities in the south china sea, but the draft doesn't directly mention a ruling by a u.n.-backed arbitration tribunal in the hague. neither does a joint declaration

issued on monday. the july 12 ruling denied china's claims to most of the south china sea and that upset the leaders of the asian g gian. a key figure of the asean meetings, wong yi maintained that firm stance during talks on the sidelines. he met with the u.s. secretary of state john kerry on monday for the first time since the ruling. he spoke to reporters taking the time to reiterate his country's stance on the matter. >> translator: asean has made clear that it will not value the ruling. or take a specific stance on the issue. china and the asean member nations think a curtain should be drawn on this issue. >> reporter: ministers of japan, the u.s., and australia held their first strategic discussion in years. they agreed that disputes should

be resolved peacefully. >> translator: japan will work with the u.s., australia, and other countries in a series of meetings. >> reporter: the situation on the korean peninsula is another hot button topic here. foreign ministers from japan, the u.s., and north korea join arf discussions. the draft will be obtained most foreign ministers have expxpresd grave concerns over north korea's s nucleaear developmene program and missile launchehes. it also mentitions thehe deplol of a u.s. advanced missisile defense system to s south korea. the draft says some foreign ministers have also voiced concern over that. and that's believed to reflect china's viewpoint. the host of the meeting, the laos foreign minister will hold a news conference on tuesday and he'll l wrap up the asean meetis in the even. i'm roslin delyn debhavalya.

at least eight russian athletes will miss the olympic games following the coununtry's doping scacandal. and ththat number could rise. >> translator: i set the rate but it's already obvious there are more. >> officials say the barred athletes include yulia efimova. she won a bronze medal in the 2012 olympics. the ioc said anyone who's been sanctioned for doping in the past will not be eligible for the rio games. the head of the committee indicated that a new national team will be formed this week. nhk has learned that the japanese government plans to provide a fund as early as next month to south korea for those known as wartime comfort women. the deal is part of a decision

reached to resolve the situation. their intention to implement the agreement. south korean officials say the foundation will be set up this month. the agagreement says japan will provide it with about $9.4 million. japanese officials told nhk that south korean president park geun-hye expressed when she met shinzo abe in mongolia earlier this month. however, the south korean government has not yet responded in the tangible way to japan's requesest to remove a statue of girl in front of the japanese embassy in seoul. the statue symbolizes the comfort women. police in northern india are investigating the alleged gang rape of a tourist near a p popur himalayan resort. they've arrested two men and are

searching for more suspects. the woman was driveven t to a seclududed location where she w raped by two of the six men in ththe car. she was then abandoned at the site. >> translator: the accused arer in the a age groupup of 17 to 2 years old. we havav alerted the whole district. and we are looking at all the security footage. arresting them is our utmost priority. >> the town at the foot of the himalayas is a draw for foreign visitors, but it's not the first such crime targeting tourists. app american woman was gang raped there in 2013. the fatal assault of a student inside a new delhi bus sparked mass protests and the enforcement of stricter laws. but the attacks against women

continue to be reported across the country. the head of japan's major telecom company has met with the prime minister of the uk. gene otani joins us with the details and other business headlines. >> softbank group ceo and british prime minister discus d ed son's plan to purchase. son reassured the prime minister that he would not move arm's headquarters out of britain and he'd double the workfkforce the over t the next five years. >> translator: prime minister may welcomed softbank's commitment to england. especially after brexit. she said this move would bring a sense of security to british businesses and the entire country. >> concerns are mounting in the

british market that the recent brexit vote could lead firms to move operations out of european countries. son says may pledged to do her best to ensure that investors could invest in britain with confidence. a draft package of new economic measures. they include aid for small and medium sized firms to prepare for a brexit fallout. the package includes actions to restore areas damaged in the 2016 earthquake in southwestern japan as well as to improve response to natural disasters. it also recommends reducing the number of years that people must pay into the national pension system in order to receive benefits. and it calls for using low-interestst loans to speed u development of a high speed train line by eight years. the cabinet could approve the measures next month. turning to the markets, tokyo stocks closed lower on a stronger yen and the drop in oil prices.

for the details, our reporter phoebe amoroso reports from the tokyo stock exchanange. >> with wall street breaking its winning streak, many traders are going for the yen. on top of that, both the u.s. and japanese central banks will make policy decisions this week. some investors are holding off making any bets until then. let's see the closing levels this tuesday, july 26th. the nikkei fell more than 1.4% closing at 16,383. and the broader topix was also down 1.4%. the stronger yen took a toll on export-related shares. alps electric ended down almost 5%. the lower oil prices hit energy-related shares. inpex down 3% and jx holdings fell 1.8%. but one strong performer was sosoftbank group up 3%.

that's after u.s. carrier sprint reported better than expected revenue. investors remain risk adversed ahead of those key policy meetings. they're still waiting to hear details of a stimulus package from the japanese government. i'm phoebe amoroso from the tokyo stock exchange. let's take a look at china shanghai composite. up by 1.14%. shares gained on the lower oil prices. south korea's kospi also up 0.8% to finish at 2,027. central bank data showed the economy grew 0.7% for the april to june quarter. hong kong's hang seng index also joining 0.6%. sydney's index up by just a fraction. here's a look at some of the

other business stories we're following. two japanese parts makers tdk and nhk spring are under investigation for alleged antitrust violations. nhk spring is not related to nhk broadcasting. the case involves components used in computer hard disk drives. sources say the two firms have allegedly colluded to rig the selection process and fix prices. the cost of corporate services in japan rose again in june. bank of japan officials said the services producer price index was up 0.2% from a year earlier. the cost of hotel rooms in japan dropped along with visitor numbers after the recent earthquakes. the prices there are going up as foreign tourists return. al

al also. thailand car sales down 0.4% from the previous year. toyota suffered an 11% decline. honda was down 1.5% while isuzu had an increase. total auto sales are expected to fall 7.5%. the fourth annual consecutive drop. sturdy and colorful backpacks have become popular outside japan. but here elementary school children use them to carry textbooks and supplies. and even though school enrollment is on the decline, the market for these bags is going strong. nhk world's sakura koima has more. >> reporter: the new school year began just a few months ago, but these japanese families are already planning ahead for next year. this department store offers 150 versions of this symbol of

japanese childhood. some come in bright colors. or with decorations that reflect the user's interests. others are produced in collaboration with famous brands. the average price is about $600. that may seem like a lot, but with japan's birthrate declining, many families have more to spend on individual children. >> translator: we want to find something that will last a long time. >> translator: prices have been going up over the past few years. people care more about pleasing their children than finding the cheapest items. >> reporter: this profitable market has attracted a luxury car manufacturer. the company rolled out its first model this year. it includes durable, lightweight carbon fiber materials like those used in automobiles. and costs around $1400.

>> translator: one of our car customers bought a bag for his new grandchild. >> reporter: some companies are hoping that offering an inside look at how these products are made will increase their popularity. at this quiet rural spot in japan, customers are lining up for something extra. they've come to get a closeup look. here the entire process takes place under one roof. from cutting the leather to polishing the finished product. potential customers can watch the craftsmen and interact with them as the new bags take shape. >> translator: what do the white check marks mean? >> translator: i'm looking for parts that can't be used. this area came from under the leg. it's too soft.

>> translator: i'm convinced this place makes good products because they put so much time and effortt into them. >> translator: i want customers to ask questions so they'll be completely satisfied. >> reporter: the company's approach is paying off. sales hit $9 million in 2015. ten times more than a decade ago. as this classic backpack continues to evolve, manufacturers are learning that a combination of creative marketing and customer outreach can generate big profits from small packages. sakura koyama, nhk world. and that's a look at business news. i'm going to leave you with the markets.

japanese authorities are warning people not to get too caught up in the pokemon go craze. the mobile game was released with a lot of fanfare in japan last week. there are already numerous reports of game-related accidents. police pegged the number of accidents so far at around 36. they also say 71 people have been ticketed or cautioned while playing the game. at this railway station in the country's southwest, there are now regular announcements warning players to pay attention

to their surroundings. in northern japanese a university student was playing the game near a highway and came face-to-face with a bear. he was a i believe to get away from the animal unharmed. one local gogovernor, thoughgh, happy about ththe craze.e. he says his prefecture's sand dunes may become famous as a pokemon hunting ground. >> translator: the game is lots of fun and visitors are welcome to play here in a spirit of adventure. >> local officials say they plan to come up with a set of guidelines they want players to enjoy playing pokemon go without harming the natural environment and disturbing others. the mania is affecting other societies as well. parents are worried about letting their children play in parks because of the increase of the number of adults flocking to them. gamers end up on the public greens as they search for rare monsters. some are even packed with adults at night. others are reacting to the phenomenon in a positive way.

some parents say their children who usually stay at home during summer break are now eager to go outdoors thanks to pokemon go. nhk "newsline" comes to you live from tokyo where we're having intermittent rain with a current reading of 25 degrees fahrenher celsius. sayaka mori has the latest. >> it's like a tropical steam bath across the eastern united states. it's been hot. the high rose to 34 degrees in new york on monday. it felt like 44 degrees. high temperatures were set on monday. it's going to stay hot. into wednesday heat will likely linger. because the humidity's quite high, there's a chance for thunderstorms into the next three days. stay safe and stay cool.

so quite hot across the east. and cooler air is meeting with hot air from the south. so there's your chance for thunderstorms across the u.s. midwest. and there's another spot of hot weather across the southwest. this is not good news. a wildfire is spreading over parts of california. the so-called sen fire broke out on friday. since then 13,000 he can tears of land have burned. the blaze ranged through a town regularly used for filming movies onlyly 10% have been contained. the cause is still under investigatation and rarain is n anticipated in califorornia. heavy rain is falling where rain is definitely y not needed. so we are looking at more rain to fall across china and severe flooding is already taking place over the north. i'm going to take you to hubei

province. 800 millimeters of rainfall has fallen since monday in some places here. over 160 people have been killed and over 100 people are still missing. about 15 million people have been affected by heavy rainfall in china so far this season. more rain is expected for parts of china especially the northeasanand mo r rain is expectedoo fall across north korea after 1000 millimeters of rain could fall. so that could cause some flooding. rain is falling across parts of japan and may also spread to the eastern half of the country as we go into tomorrow. hot weather. take a look. 38 degrees on wednesday with a chance for thunderstorms. staying quite hot throughout the week. heat is also building across western japan. 36 for the high in kumamoto on friday. but it's been cool in tokyo. 27 degrees on wednesday. but starting thursday it's going to b be heating upup. i think the rainy s season w wi likely come to ann end soon.

fifinally o over towards t the china sea, the tropical storm has just formed over the south china sea. this is the third tropical storm for the western pacific typhoon system. the system could hit the hainan area as we go into tomorrow morning and then could hit the north of vietnam by thursday local time. quite a lot of heavy rain is likely to o fall. 'r're anticipating up to 150 millimeters of rainfall which could cause some flash floododss well as landslides. winds are going to be qte strongs s well. that's it fromom me now. here is your extended forecast around the globe.

and that wraps up this hour's nhk "newsline." be sure to watch "newsroom tobq

>> hello and welcome to the program. i am claire pryde. these are the top stories. a priest killed in northern france after two men entered a church carrying knives. they were later shot by police. francois hollande is in the town . the vatican has condemned what it called -- a knife attack in japan as a facility for disabled people leaves 19 pe