it's the top of the hour. thanks for joining us here on nhk "newsline." tensions are rising in the sea of japan again. officials in tokyo say a north korean submarine has fired another ballistic missile. the launch came hours ahead of meeting. officials say the submarine was located off the port city of sinpo.

and they estimate the missile traveled 500 kilometers before falling into the sea. it entered japan's air defense identification zone landing just outside of its exclusive economic zone. >> translator: this was their first missile launched from a submarine to e enter japan's ai defense identification zone. it is an act of unforgivable violence and poses a great threat to our security as well as regional peace and stability. >> prime minister abe called the launch a clear violation of u.n. security council violations. he says japan will work with the international community to respond firmly. officials in seoul also issued a strongly worded statement. >> translator: we firmly condemn north korea's nuclear and

missile provocations which threaten the peace and stability of the korean peninsula. >> u.s. state department officials condemned the latest launch as well as previous missile tests. pyongyang was at the top of the agenda at the foreign ministers meeting here in tokyo. the top diplomats said they will work together to exercise self-restraint. japan's foreign minister fumio kishida met with his chinese counterpart wang yi wednesday afternoon. >> translator: north korea's provocation is absolutely unacceptable. we filed a strong protest.t. we agreed our three countries will lead efforts by the u.n. security council and the international community to urge the north to refrain from

provocative acts and security coununcil resolution. >> translator: china will continue to uphold the goalsls making the koreaean peninsula nuclear free. and of resolving issues through dialogue and consultation. we continue to uphold our position of the need to maintain peace and security on the korean peninsula. >> translator: this year north korea has been rapidly advancing its nuclear andnd ballistic missile capabilities as it showed this s morning from a submarine. i emphasize the u urgency of the threats that signal the possibility of additional nuclear tests and preemptive nuclear trikes. >> the ministers also said they would work towards setting up a three-way summit before the end of the year. japanese defense minister says the country's self-defense

forces will begin training for new duties under revised security laws. the laws came into effect in march and allow japan's right to collective as self-defense. >> translator: our operations are almost completed. each section will be starting various kinds of training under the new security rules. >> ministry officials have been working on the code of conduct for the sdf. it stipulates the scope of their operations and their use of weapons. one unit will head to south sudan in november for u.n. peace keeping activities. and will start the new training on thursday. defense ministry officials have not yet decided whether to allow the unit to engage in the armed rescue of peace keepers and the joint defense of their barracks. a magnitude 6.2 earthquake has struck central italy leaving at least ten people dead. the number of casualties may

rise as rescuers dig through the rubble for survivors and victims. the u.s. geological service says it hit at a depthed a amatrice. >> translator: on one side the whole wall fell, but it didn't hit me. the wall on the other side also fell and again didn't hit me. it collapsed just next to me very close. but luckily it missed. then the whole ceiling above me came down. i just barely managed to put a pillow on my head and luckily i wasn't hit. >> about 2600 people live in amatrice which is known as a popular summer resort. numerous buildings there have collapsed. local media outlets say many residents are trapped under the rubble. authorities are urging people to

leave the area as powerful aftershocks are expected to continue. the u.s. government says it has a formal extradition request from turkey for the islamic cleric fa tu la gulen. gulen is thought to be the head of the network that attempted a coup last month. >> i wouldn't characterize the request as relating to the coup the attempt. >> the spokesperson said the request was for other reasons bubut didndn't get details. has been a thorn in the side for the two countries. the u.s. rejected a previous request handing him over for the obeying extradition procedures.

vice president are joe biden is set to meet with turkish president recep tayyip erdogan. japan's regular authority is to instruct power plant operatorors to check iff plantse a steel with higigh cararbon coenent. the mateterial can be damaged me ealy. the ststeel in some paparts of reactor undnder c construct inn france wasas found to contain me carbon than it should. thee regulators a are to strucke opererators to check the manufacturers of the reactor walls and other equipment that is important for ensuring safety. the operators have to report their findings by the end of september. the regulators say if any plants were found to have used the components in question, they will investigate w whether they meet a safety standard they have

set. time now for a check on the markets. tokyo shares made up for yesterday's losses following gains on wall street and a pause in the yen's advance. our business reporter giang nguyen has more. >> the dollar gained against the yen. data showed u.s. home sales in july jumped to their highest mark in neararly nine years. the exchange traded funds are also bosting sentiment. let's look at the closing levels. the nikkei added 0.6% closing at 16,597. the broader topix climbed 0.7%. now, the yen's rise is giving export heavy companies a bump. toyota added 2%. and nissan was up 2.7%. topping the list of gainers was

semiconductor maker screen holdings up 7.76%. that's after deutsche bank raised the target price and gave it a buy rating. overall trading volume was low. investors are in a holding pattern before a meeting later this week. reporting from the tokyo stock exchange. officials at the cabinet office have flagged weak spots of the economy. they say the economy is on a moderate recovery while weaknesses can be seen recently. the report says private consumption is almost flat as consumer confidence appears to be on pause. consumer prices are also described as flat. that's a revision of previous assessments. the word rising has been omitted for the first time in 16 months. nissan motor has become japan's first automaker with a

car with self-driving technology for highway traffic. the minivan uses high resolution cameras to recognize vehicles and markings between lanes. the car can accelerate, brake, and navigate traffic in one lane. it can also keep a safe distance from traffic ahead of it. but drivers must keep their hands on the wheel. the price tag starts at around $29,000. foreign makers including audi have already launched high end models in japan with similar technology. other japanese firms such as toyota and honda are working on their own systems. japanese government officials are taking a step towards their so-called i equal pay for equal work initiative. in a bid to narrow the gap between permanent and temporary workers. centers are set to open next year.

temporary workers usually earn less pay and have more job uncertainty compared to their full-time counterparts. third party consultants will be available at the new centers. they will advise companies looking to introduce equal pay explaining how to compile employment rules and other procedures. the officials say consultants will also offer advice to people working temporary jobs. the labor ministry plans to request a budget for $11 million for the project. let's see how the markets are fairing. here are the latest figures.

. india's long-standing fondness for curry is legendary but that seems to be changing as the young broaden their horizons. two entrepreneurs from japan are aiming to cash in on that spending power and promote japanese cuisine in india. >> reporter: young indians use social networking websites to exchange thoughts on popular restaurants that don't sell curry. they also hold regular dining events. they're helping the food business sharply. about 30% more restaurants opening each year. >> everyone's wanting to try

something different. and everyone wants to see something that's not already available. i think all these other cuisines. >> reporter: entrepreneurs from japan are hoping to cash in. naajima opened near new delhi. one of the popular items is salmon roll. it's $2 to $7 per pack. sales are growing. 3. >> here is your order. >> thank you. >> reporter: this family says they often order delivery sushi. >> we used to live in australia. we used to eat a lot of sushihin australia.

we come back and miss it. but this is fantastic. >> translator: indians' taste has been changing rapidly since people have access to new information. we consider the growing interest in japanese food a business opportunity. >> reporter: akimoto specializes in ramen noodles. he opened a restaurant in southern india. the biggest challenge was to come up with a menu for vegetarian which is said to account for one-third of india's population. akimoto uses stir fried vegetables. simmering them far long time to create a textured soup. this is the product of akimoto's five months of trial and error. it costs about $8 a bowl.

>> i'm vegetarian. for the first time i'm going to have vegetarian japanese style ramen. it's very yummy. i really like the flavor, the balance. i've never had something like this before, so it's very nice. >> reporter: when the shop opened, about 20% of customers were indians. but akimoto says that has risen to almost half. and that the restaurant is full most evenings. >> translator: it's a rare opportunity to be the first to enter such a large market. i'm determined to not let it pass me by. >> reporter: as 1.2 billion indians explore new cuisine, the almost limitless business opportunities are drawing restaurants from around the world. nhk world, new delhi.

japan's confectionary industry has experienced a drop in sales in recent years. so to make up the difference, business owners are starting to look to other countries. >> reporter: people in hong kong head for this shop to satisfy a sweet tooth. it features more than 600 types of japanese confections. they're imports wi, so they cos half they would in japan but buyers are not deterred. taste and variety or the main attractions. they also cite another consideration. >> translator: i feel safe eating them because they're from japan. >> translator: they're beautiful and delicious. >> reporter: hong kong is a burgeoning market for japanese sweet shops.

back in japan, the city of toyohashi. it's benefitting from the overseas attention and just in time. sales are down two-thirds from their peak in part because of the shrinking domestic population. chinese tourists often arrive in bus loads near the end of the da i. toyohashi is halfway between tokyo and osaka. the number of overseas visitors to the city is five times what it was fooive years ago. these people dropped their luggage and went on a shopping spree. they went to a drugstore where they could shop tax free overnight. makeup and over the counter

medicine are popular items. as are japanese sweets. people who buy often do so in bulk. >> translator: i'm going to share them with my friends. >> translator: i really like matcha flavored sweets. >> reporter: toyohashi is happy to oblilige. >> translator: international tourists buy lots of sweets. i hear they find the products delicious and safe to eat as well as affordable. >> reporter: they decided to capitalize on the word of mouth and sell their products overseas. they selected hong kong as their first market. they asked a store that specializes in japanese sweets to set up a toyohashi corner. the tasting event was held to gauge reactions. the goal was to discover what

kind of sweets would have the most appeal and then to develop new products. that kind of feedback was just what a shop in toyohashi wanted. it's produced a new kind of cake. >> translator: the product is low in sugar and flavored with maple syrup. seems to suit asian preferences. >> translator: it's much better, isn't it? i think we can go with it. >> reporter: confectioners have their eyes on chinese and southeast asian markets, places where economic development has increased buying power. >> translator: people in other countries have a sense of flavor different from ours in japan. i want to understand those differences. >> reporter: understanding can then lead to products that attract even more customers. the purveyors of sweets from toyohashi aim to make themselves

into confectioners for the world. the noh theater transition dates back for years. performers must go to great lengths to promote their art to foreign audiences. >> reporter: visitors from around 30 countries are learning the basics of the art form at the national noh theater. more than 160 people tried on the iconic masks and walked on the rehearsal stage here. >> the end of the stage. if you go over, you fall down. >> i felt really unstable when i was walking around and thought i was going to fall. but really good at the end. >> reporter: the organizers believe anyone can appreciate

noh by focusing on the unique style of staging and music. even if they can't understand the words. participants tried their hands at traditional japanese instruments. they also practiced chanting together. >> i don't think that japanese have this opportunity so i feel really lucky to experience. >> everyone enjoy, i feel.

so i enjoy. >> reporter: even this amount of training paid off when the participants became the audience. >> because we practiced it, when they started singing, we could hear it. and although we cannot understand the japanese, we remembered the phrase. so it was very interesting. >> i really like the different noises and the sounds of the music. it makes such cool noises.

>> yeah. >> translator: dancing, chanting, and playing the instruments gave our foreign guests a deeper understanding of the art form. i hope experienceses like this n help more people overseas learn to appreciate noh. >> reporter: workshop organizers are hoping to transform noh's reputation to something anyone can enjoy. nhk world, tokyo. nhk "newsline" comes to you from our studios here in tokyo. it's time now for our world weather with sayaka mori. a strong earthquake hit central italy. what do weather conditions look like for the region? >> yeah. currently it's sunny and the temperature is about 20 degrees. so conditions are quite ideal for search and recory operations out there. and it seems it's going to stay dry and warm as we go into the next several days. take a look at the two-day

forecast for amatrice. warming up to 28 degrees on your friday. but notice temperatures at night could be cool. only 15 degrees. so those temperatures chilly for those staying outdoors. now, for the rest of europe, staying mostly sunny across many portions of the area. there's a chance for large hail and heavy rainfall at times for the northwest corner of the iberian peninsula. so watch out for severe weather conditions. now, temperatures are going to be as follows. scorching hot in madrid. 35 degrees. and it's going to stay hot as we go into the rest of the work week. and paris is heating at 35 degrees. 30 degrees for london with partly sunny conditions. rome at 33 degrees. athens couldld see thunderstorm with 31 degrees on your hump day. now, across japan we are seein spotty heavy showers for central

and w western japan. chiba prefecture had about 50 millimeters of rain in just one hour. so roads have turned like rivers in many places. ououds likee these were seen through portions of japan including tokykyo. we will see spotty heavy showers into tonight. meanwhile there is a strong system just south of the country. this is lionrock. a strong typhoon now packing 144 kilometer per hour winds. this system will likely intensify to a very strong typhoon by friday. and the system will likely head toward the south at 15 kilometers per hour. that's going to slow down into the weekend. then it is expected to make a u-turn into next week. there's a possibility that this system could hit central japan as a powerful storm sysystem. it's not certain yeyet, but we will keep you posted on the progress.

now, we are looking at some rainy conditions across japan -- across tokyo on sunday into monday. possibly into tuesday. but before then, we are looking at sunny weather. temperatures in the mid-30s on thursday. now, osaka, the highs could remain in the mid-30s. thousands of people were taken to the hospital because of heatstroke in seven days. scorching hot conditions to prolong for the next three days at least. now with down towards the southern hemisphere, heavy rain has been hitting parts of the sydney ararea. in fact, about 110 millimeters of rain has fallen over the past 24 hohours. we stillll have severe weather warnings in place for surrounding areas. watch for strong rain and winds. into thursday night things will be looking up in sydney. we are looking at temperatures 16 degrees on friday and dry conditions expected next week. that's it for me now.

up next is your three-day forecast around the globe.

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>> welcome back to the france 24 newsroom. time for 60 minutes live around the world. i'm genie godula. ♪ genie: a 6.2 magnitude earthquake hits central italy. at least 38 people have been killed so far with rescue teams racing to dig out survivors. turkish warplanes gourmet syrian border camp trying to clear it of islamic state militants. turkish tanks have crossed into syrir