here in japan it's 7:00 p.m. on a wednesday. i'm james tengan. welcome to nhk "newsline." here are some of the stories we're following this hour. searching for survivors. rescuers are looking for people missing in northern japan a day after a powerful storm hit the region and killed 11 people. safety first. a government commission in japan says the country's elevators

need higher maintenance standards after fatal accidents. and future inspiration. a camp in a former disaster zone offers students a different way to look at science. rescue crews are looking for people missing in northern japan the day after a powerful storm hit the region. typhoon lionrock whipped through tuesday killing 11 people. three others are missing. police say they found nine bodies at this care facility. they believe all of them were residents in their 80s and 90s suffering from dementia. local authorities failed to issue an evacuation order for the area. the flood waters were too powerful to escape. >> translator: the water level surged in just ten minutes. and they were trapped. one of our staff was holding a resident, but couldn't save the

person. we are awfully sorry. >> reporter: elsewhere in the prefecture, an elderly woman was found dead in a house hit by flood waters from the river. an elderly man was found dead along another river. northern parts of hokkaido were drenched with more than 300 millimeters of rain. that's more than a month's worth of rainfall. land ministry officials say over a dozen rivers in the area overflowed causing widespread flooding. one town in central hokkaido was inundated by a record 500 mill miters of rain. waters in some of the region are still very high. there are reports north korea has executed a vice premier and punished another high-level official. if true it would be the latest in a series of moves from the leader against members of his

party. >> translator: we learned kim yong jin has been executed. and kim yong chol has been ordered to be revolutionized. >> south korean government officials say the vice premier was investigated for not being serious enough during an assemblies session in june. he's believed to have been killed in mid-july by a firing squad. kim yong chol was taken to a camp for alleged abuse of power. the efforts are seen by kim jong-un to tighten his grip on power. south korea's unification says the north appears to be turning away from kim. urging other member states to get tougher on north korea. besho asked them to impose questions in response to

pyongyang's nuclear tests and missile launches over the past decade. a u.n. committee has asked nations to submit reports detailing what they're doing to implement the sanctions. besho says 52 members have -- >> there have been some specific cases where we've seen some good implementation from states about sanctioning north korea. >> he urged the others to follow suit. diplomatic sources say china submitted its report last month and will be critical to the success of the sanctions. now onto business news. japanese ministry agencies have filed their budget requests for the next fiscal year starting in april. gene otani joins us with details. >> japan's total budget applications are expected to exceed 100 trillion yen or

nearly $1 trillion for the third straight year. the largest request comes from the health, labor, and welfare ministry. it has asked for about $300 billion. this is to cover pensions as well as costs for medical and care services. these are expected to grow with japan's aging population. the internal affairs and communications ministry asked for about $162 billion, much of this will be handed to local governments. the land, infrastructure, transport, and tourism ministry requested about $65 billion to spend on public works and other projects. a record $50 billion request comes from the defense ministry. this is to strengthen measures against the launch of ballistic missiles to require intercepter missiles for egypt's ships. bonds have prompted the ministry to request about $240 billion. japan faces financial

difficulties with the debt exceeding $9.7 trillion and the sum continues to grow. two japanese oil whole sellers agreed to merge. they say they'll launch a new holding company. the officials say jx holdings president will become the president of the new integrated firm jxtg holdings. >> translator: we aim to establish a globally competitive group. and maximize its value. >> the plan is waiting for approval from the fair trade commission. the companyy sames for december. if successful the new firm will launch next apriril. several hundred jobs are likely to be cut after the merge. also expected to streamline refinery facilities. brand names and logos of their present businesses will stay

unchanged for the time being. three major japanese firms have teamed up to offer more convenience to tourists. the new venture includes simplified luggage delivery by means of the online cloud. clinics maker panasonic, jtb, and d door to door delivery fir will start a trial of their system on thursday. travelers with jtb arriving at tokyo's haneda airport will send luggage directly to their hotel. yamata holdings will work it on the cloud syststem. machines t to be f fitted at 27 hotels. inquiries will be conveyed to hotel staff in japanese. the companies aim to launch the service this fiscal year.

checking the markets. speculation of a u.s. rate hike led to a stronger dollar and with it a rise in the nikkei average.e. giang nguyen reports. >> hawkish comments on tuesday sent the dollar higher which fueled investor sentiment here. let's look at the closing levels in tokyo. the nikkei gained nearly 1% ending at 16,887. the broader topix also rose 1.3%. the nikkei 225 reached a more than two-week high and locked a second monthly gain. the dollar jumped to a one-month high against the yen. the greenback alsoo got a boost from data showing u.s. consumem confididence at a one-year high. the gain in the dollar was especially helpful for shares of exporters. mazda motor added 4.8%.

minebea and taiyo yuden jumped 11% and 5% respectively. mi the move comes amid a cooling market and competition from china and south korea. investors are now eyeing friday's u.s. jobs report. they'll be looking at more indications of whether a near term hike is likely. i'm giang nguyen reporting from the tokyo stock exchange. and moving to other markets in the asia pacific region. the shanghai composite finishing at 3,085. analysts say better than expected earnings results from companies boosted shares. some investors stayed on the sidelines ahead of the country's manufacturing activity data due out on thursday. the benchmark manages third

straight month of gains. in hong kong, the hang seng retreated by 0.2%. the index still up 5% for the month as plans for a stock trading link with shenzhen lifted sentiment. the jakarta composite up by 0.4%. lower oil prices dragged the resource heavy benchmark down to a near seven-week low. here's a look at some of the other business stories we're following. athletes at the 2020 tokyo olympics and paralympics must also battle the japanese summer heat. organizers in central tokyo today enlisted former marathon runner to test out new paving materials. two types of heat reducing surfaces are under consideration. one reflects infrared rays from

the sun and the other holds water. they were ch cooleler than the untrtreated roadad. japan's industrial output in july remainss the same. as for june, despite the stronger yen. output last month stood at 96.9 against a base of 100 in 2010. production of passenger cars and many vehicles continue to show a recovery. output had fallen after the april earthquake in kyushu. cosmetics fell in july though they were robust in june. this week we're b bringing u a special feature on beating the heat focusing on three traditions that highlight how people work and play at this time of year. in our second installment, we'll take you to outdoor concerts in japan. they're getting more popular and not only among music lovers. ♪

>> reporter: this two-day music festival is held in the small northern city of otaru. more than 16,000 people from around the country came to see performances by around 100 acts. music festivals have become synonymous with summer in japan. ticket sales has nearly doubled in the past decade. >> translator: this is the third time we've come since my child was born. at first he used to cry but now he enjoys it. >> translator: it's cool. the food's good. the music's good. it's the best. >> reporter: some festival goers like to camp out overnight. and this year there was a place where they could brush their teeth. >> translator: i couldn't brush this morning because i was watching a performance. i just brushed my teeth and i feel much cleaner. >> reporter: some people consider the experience special

enough to share online. and that't's music to thehe ear the toothpaste and toothbrush company that sponsored the booth. >> translator: the booth is more popular than we expected. we hope our brand will make new connections through people sharing this fun experience. >> reporter: companies that make clothing and equipment for the great outdoors were also on hand. satoshi eto is in marketing. >> translator: did he buy anything this year? >> translator: i bought a simple tent that takes 15 seconds to set up. >> reporter: the company has created a product with music fans in mind. a poncho with a transparenthood for watching performances in the

rain. and water proof shoes attractive enough to wear every day. back in tokyo, eto and his staff shared what they learned. >> translalator: i was asked ife sold socks. maybe intereresting socks will sell. >> translator: there were lots of people wearing low cut shoes. fashionable socks might be worth a try. >> translator: we want to be on the cutting edge helpiping customerers while anticipating e kinds of products they'll need. >> reporter: hundreds of thousands of fans flock to music festivals every summer in japan. and next year, too, companies looking to caughter to that trend hungry market will be following close behind. >> and you can catch our report again online together with a

full transcript. look for nhk world and business wrap. that's a look at business news. i'll leave you with the markets. two fatal accidents involving elevators in japan prompted a consumer safety panel to investigate. and those findings have just been released.

as nhk world reports, they're taking a tough stance on manufacturers and building owners. >> reporter: it's a report years in the making. a consumer safety panel looked into the fatal elevator accidents in japan and the recommendations are simple. maintetenance and commmmunicati are key. >> translator: we think that improving maintenance procedures and developing guidelines for keepingg a consistent level of maintenance are effective. >> reporter: the report is related to the death of 16-year-old ichikawa. in 2006 he was trying to get off an elevator inside a tokyo condo. but it suddenly went up as he was stepping off and he was crushed.

investigations focused on the elevator manufacturer. the government enforced stricter safety measures for all elevator manufacturers. but they only apply to new elevators. then in 2012 there was a similir accident involving another schindler elevator in which a woman was killed. it prompted ichikawa's mother to ask safety commission officials to open their own investigation. >> translator: i believe making fufull use of the report will b the key. i want firms to make their elevators safer based on the accident so that my son did not die for nothing. >> reporter: the report notes that the brakes on the elevator were worn out. it also says schindler didn't provide enough information to the company that took over

inspection work. and it recommends the ministry ensuring elevators that they're easier to maintain. since 2013, an agency that manages rental housing has been trying to boost the safety of all elevators but the promise is slow. this is just one of the sites. >> translator: we need remodel as a safety measure. we're trying to carry out the work steadily. >> reporter: the work r require elevator to be out of service for a long period of time. it means a big impact on residents. particularly those living with physical disabilities. another factor is the high cost of the work. tens of thousands of dollars per unit. but infrastructure ministry officials say the work is urgent as only about 20% of japan's

elevators meet current safety standards. and commission officials say that meansns the risk of simila accidents s remain. >> translator: we will monitor the progress of the workk to install safety devices. if promotional measusures fail produce enough results, we will take new steps. >> reporter: nhk world, tokyo. a camp for students in northeastern japan is offering them a unique learning experience. it combines real life lesessons with scientific exploration. >> reporter: it's a small robot but it's meant to give some big inspiration. students from thailand, india, and japan. they all travel to northeastern japan, an area still recovering

from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. they are here for a science camp. its purpose? to teach them about the disaster and then show how science could be used to help. they started with a tour of what was once an elementary school. the tsunami killed more than 80 students and teachers here. >> translator: there's a kind of flower bed. the victims were overtaken by the tsunami there. >> reporter: giving the tour is takihama, a former junior high school principal from a nearby school. >> translator: i wanted children to visit and see the site for themselves. i think there are things you can't express using words. i thought it could be helpful for their next step. >> translator: they also met with survivors.

over a meal they talked about the disaster as well as life after. >> translator: a huge tsunami surged. there was water everywhere. i saw houses floating and turning and then they were swept away. >> reporter: it was all an eye opening experience for the students. >> the stories are really sad because so much happens in such a short period of time. we should create something that will help people who cannot help themselves. >> reporter: and that's where science comes into play. back in the classroom, the students are given the task of designing miniature robots. the thought is that some day bigger more sophisticated versions will be used to rescue people when disasters strike. once assembled, the robots are programmed to navigate a track.

but it's no easy task. >> instead of moving along the line, it started to repeat whatever i would do. i will try my best to make my robot successful. >> reporter: after a whole day of trieal and error, the robots started to make it the whole way around. >> translator: when creating a robot, it is important to be clear about who will use it and how it will be used. i want the students to take a practical approach to trying to improve the world as engineers in the future. >> reporter: and in this group today could be the engineers behind the rescue robot of tomorrow. nhk world, miyagi.

jonathan oh from our weather desk tells us how japan's northeast is reeling in the aftermath of yesterday's deadly storm. jonathan? >> hello. we are seeing the departure of lionrock and that's bringing in some much calmer conditions which is much needed at this time as we have these recovery efforts taking place. notice no clouds to really talk about all across japan because the system took the moisture with it. and that's going to be helpful because with the elevated moisture levels when it comes to the rivers and also the waterways, we don't need any more rainfall going forward in time. the reason we're concerned about the water on the ground is because look at this. some of the areas in hokkaido saw about 300 millimeters of rainfall during the duration of the typhoon. and on top of that, we had some strong wind gusts in the area. that created some damage.

and all along the pacific coast of the tohoku region, also seeing high water levels with some areas seeing more than 250 millimeters of rainfall. so we are seeing things starting to calm down. we did see a windy start to the day for areas as the system was moving away from japan. now that the low pressure area is crossing over too china, we are going to see things calming down over the country. and thatat should help out with some of the rescue -- excuse me, recovery efforts at this point when it comes to the weather. we are seeing sunny skies in tokyo. a couple degrees warmer than the normal this time of year. also a sunnier pattern for thursday after the system moves over the system. it was a bit w wet as well. that will be moving toward beijing.g. now our sights are set over in the eastern pacific as we're watching a couple of storms

here. one of them is madeline. this is a picture for this hurricane from space. notice how impressive it was. it has weakened just a bit now, but it is still a potent hurricane as it moves toward the west at 17 kilometers per hour. the winds were 170 gusts at 213. areas there seeing a tropical storm watch. as we go throughout the day wednesday and into thursday, we're going to see some very stormy conditions. hopefully you took heed with the warnings that were being issued at the time. now we are going no not only see madeline impact but also hurricane lest ser is right on e coat tails of this system. it is still a major system right now. category 4 storm moving toward the west at 20 kilometers per hour. we are expecting a slightly northward tilt with this system as we go into the weekend. nevertheless, so close to hawaii that we are looking at an impact in terms of the highways of hef

va rainfall into the weekend. so this is nonstop action on wednesday continuing through thursday, friday, and into saturday with these two storms. so it's going to be a rough few days for hawaii as we go through the rest of this week. now, as we look at what's happening over in north america, we have a cold front crossing through the upper midwest into the great lakes. but we have two tropical depressions that seem to not know how to organize itself. nevertheless, still cacausing problems. the one over the gulf is expected to cross into florida. we do have tropical concerns there when it comes to the weather conditions. rainstorms on wednesday. and storms in oklahoma city over into vancouver through the mid-week period. hope you have a good day wherever you are. here's your extended outlook.

and that concludes nhl "newsline." aki shibuya will report on valor concerning jewish @ @ @ x x x @c

genie: you are watching "france 24." these are the headlines. the islamic state says one of its most senior leaders has been killed. abu muhammad al-adnani is thought to be the main architect group's biggest attacks in the west. a magnificent opportunity for peace. kicking off five days of peace talks, promising her government will guarantee rebel groups a full