here in japan it's 7:00 p.m. on a friday. i'm james tengan in tokyo. welcome to nhk "newsline." okinawa's governor has lost his long-fought battle over the relocation of a u.s. airfield. he tried to block the government from moving the base within the prefecture. but a court decided he overstepped his powers. nhk reports.

>> reporter: okinawa governor onaga expressed anger. >> translator: i was shocked. the result will probably leave the root of the problem untouched. this unilateral ruling will likely trigger greater opposition from the okinawan people and unite them even more. >> reporter: the top government official welcomed the court ruling. >> translator: we understand the court ruled that the okinawa governor's decision to revoke a landfill work permit was illegal. based on this ruling, we hope to continue with the issue with integrity. >> reporter: the u.s. marine

corps futenma station has been an issue for decades. the base is located in the densely populated area. aircraft take off and land within meters of nearby houses. tokyo and washington want to move the base to a less populated coastal area of okinawa. but onaga wants it moved out of the prefecture altogether. okinawa hosts 74% of the u.s. military facilities in japan and onaga says it is too heavy a burden. the construction for the relocation plan was approved by onaga's predecessor. last year onaga revoked the permit saying his predecessor did not follow a proper process. his decision forced the two sides into a rare legal battle. central government versus prefectural government.

okinawa government officials say this court decision isn't the end. they say they'll take their appeal to the supreme court. ayako sasa, nhk world. to run train services in britain. gene otani has the story on that and other stories. >> a dutch rail operator has filed a joint tender. they are planning to run a rail across an area covering london and birmingham in central england. the bid is on the final short list. the other bidder is a consortium of british and french railways that operate the network. under the privatization of state run british rail, the government takes bids for the operator of each line. the two consortiums are expected

to submit proposals by the end of november. they'll come up with measures to tackle overcrowding during rush hour and improve passenger services. the winner of the four-year franchise will be decided around june next year. the japanese side will be helping judges recognize their control system known for its safety and punctuality. a major japanese life insurer has a twist. daiichi life insurance will promote for those fitter than average for their age. it will calculate a so-called health age by studying data collected through web traffic. medical insurance policies pay benefits when holders are hospitalized for cancer, diabetes, and other diseases. the premiums are determined by the policy holder's age. the sources say daiichi will set

rates according to the actual age. the reports will be used to assess their health age based on big data covering life expectancy, medical history, and other features. policy holders can expect a cut in premiums of 20% to 40% if their health age is found to be five to ten years younger than their real age. but others may have to pay more if their condition is worse. daiichi plans to launch the product in september through its subsidiary first life. it will be the first major insurer in japan to sell such a policy. nippon and other firms are considering similar products. checking the markets, nikkei snapped two days of losses ahead of central bank meetings. giang nguyen reports. >> shares riding a tail wind from apple's rise. the nikkei was up 0.7% closing at 16,519.

the broader topix snapped a seven-day losing streak and rose 0.8%. friday's gains didn't mask the fact that the nikkei had an uncertain week before the upcoming policy of the fed weighed heavily. the benchmark lost 2.6%. as i mentioned shares of japanese apple suppliers did a lot of the heavy lifting on friday after apple shares in the u.s. rose for a fourth day. alps electric surged more than 6%. japan display more than 11%. exporters didn't fair so well as the yen strengthened. toyota lost 1.7%. and fuji heavy dropped 1.3%. on monday we have a holiday here in japan and wednesday is decision day for the boj and u.s. federal reserve. giang nguyen reporting from the tokyo stock exchange. other markets in the asia pacific region ended higher.

many were relieved after weak economic data lessened the possibility of a rate hike next week. hong kong and china were closed for holiday. let's look at this australia index. rebound in oil prices supported the gain. shares in the philippines meanwhile bucking the trend down a little bit over 2%. 7,553 was that closing number. a wide range of shares were sold erasing most of thursday's gains. u.s. republican presidential candidate donald trump has given voters a preview of his economic policy. he says he would grow the economy up to 4% a year. >> over the next ten years our economic team estimates that under our plan, the economy will average 3.5% growth and create a total of 25 million new jobs. >> speaking in new york, trump

said the u.s. economy is stagnating and jobs are being lost. he blamed administration of president barack obama. he accused hillary clinton advocated a policy similar to obama's. trump repeated his intention for the free trade deal to protect jobs. trump is seeking support among middle class voters. but media say his growth target is unrealistic noting the economy has not grown 4% since 2000. here's a look at some of the other business news we're following. japan's wealth gap is widening. welfare ministry officials say income disparity among households for 2014 was the highest on record. the figure is measured by a scale known as the genico. a higher reading indicates a wider wealth gap.

the figure for 2014 was 0.5704. it was up nearly 0.017. a major factor behind the change is the increase in elderly households on lower incomes. apple has launched its latest model phone. the iphone 7 appeared in stores on friday in japan and elsewhere around the world. people formed long lines outside the apple outlet in shibuya district. the doors opened at 8:00 a.m., two hours earlier than usual. the phone has features specifically for japan including an electronic payment function. a subsidiary of apple in japan was ordered to pay $120 million to local tax authorities. sources say the bureau found the japanese unit of itunes failed to withhold income taxes as required when it sent part of

its profits back to ireland as licensing payments. sources say the japan unit has paid the back taxes as ordered. apple has declined to comment on the issue. forget what your parents told you about eating slowly. some japanese businesses are encouraging customers to beat the clock. they're trying to add a sense of fun to the food they serve and they're creating a lot of buzz along the way. >> reporter: according to the staff at this restaurant, the delicate flavor of this morsel quickly disappears. that means they should be eaten no more than 40 seconds after leaving the grill. >> translator: it's as exciting as a sporting event.

>> translator: we run the food out to customers. we want them to enjoy the whole experience. >> reporter: some people will travel a long time for a few seconds' worth of eating pleasure. this shop takes pride in its 100-year tradition of hand made rice crackers. similar products can be found throughout japan. so the owner was looking for a fresh way to attract customers. he invites them to eat one of these delicacies piping hot and within 58 seconds. >> translator: the basic principle won't change, but we have to change our sales method to adapt to changing times. >> reporter: i'm in the market

about 150 kilometers from tokyo. the only way to get here is on foot or by car. but on weekends people from all over japan come for a special treat. and this is what they are flocking here to eat. they have only 30 minutes to slop it down. 90% of this unique treat is local water that's renowned for its quality. the water starts seeping out the second it hits the plate. making it is an exacting process. staff carefully measure and simmer the ingredients at the

optimal temperature. >> translator: we make sure to sell our product to customers at just the right time. >> reporter: initially the shop is full on a good day. then reviews of the product went viral. now about 1400 servings sell out in a few hours. news of this confection continues to spread on the internet. and it has spawned imitators around the world. >> to try the original. >> reporter: a marketing expert said the speed eating trend is just one example of the long shift from food as a form of sustenance to a form of entertainment. >> translator: eating now involves the whole process of going out to try something new, sharing the experience with others, and encouraging them to

eat it too. >> reporter: by emphasizing the need for speed, the food retailers are giving their customers an experience they can talk about and lend a new meaning to the term fast food. keiko tomura, nhk world. and you can catch our report again online with a full transcript. search for nhk world and business wrap. that's the business news i'm going to leave you with the markets. japan and the united states have agreed to work together to

step up deterrents as north korea moves forward with its nuclear and missile programs. at the pentagon on thursday, japan's defense minister met with her u.s. counterpart for the first time. they discussed a range of security issues. i rks nada expressed japan's criticism of the north's recent test and says they pose threats to national security. ash carter responded by saying the u.s. is to provide deterrents to japan. >> translator: it's important for japan to work for a world without nuclear weapons as it's the only country that's had atomic bombs dropped on it. but we recognize that considering the circumstances, nuclear deterrence is also necessary. inada also spoke to carter about chinese incursions into

japanese waters. inada and carter said they are worried about china's presence in the seas. japan controls the senkakus. the japanese governments says they are an inherent part of their territory. china and taiwan claim them. the leader of the opposition party has picked a heavyweight figure for her principal aid. renho chose noda as the party's secretary general. >> translator: i believe mr. noda's experience makes him uniquely qualified to take on the government of shinzo abe. >> party members approved the proposal with applause. noda was the last prime minister in the government of the current party's predecessor the dpj.

he suffered a major loss to the liberal democratic party. >> translator: i decided to accept the challenge as a way to take responsibility for my political career. >> other party executives will be decided next week. russian border guards are inspecting a japanese fishing boat that was operating off of one of four russian-held islands claimed by japan. they say it was carrying a catch that was not properly recorded. the boat had permission from russian authorities to catch saurry in the area based on an agreement between the two countries. russian border guards inspected the ship nearly island of shikotan. they said they found mackerel that was not recorded in the record book. the boat is heading to another

island kunashiri for further inspection. japan maintains the islands are an inherent part of its territory. t china celebrated one of its biggest holidays on thursday. the mid-autumn or moon festival. at night families gather, lanterns are lit, and everyone gazes at the harvest moon while eating moon cakes, a symbol of happiness and togetherness. people also give the pastries to relatives and friends to express gratitudes. but today they are getting a new twist. >> reporter: crowds gather at this restaurant on the lake in central beijing to get a glimpse of the full moon. the restaurant offers a special

moon cake dessert. others choose to enjoy the view from the boat. one of the evening's highlights is to eat moon cakes. a traditional pastry shaped like a full moon. >> translator: it's fantastic. it's my first time to see it from the lake like this. >> reporter: moon cakes are an important part of the mid-autumn festival. reflecting this in china, makers developed all kinds of high-end moon cakes. but a few years ago the central government banned giving moon cakes as gifts. the market plunged.

amid the crackdown and lifestyle changes, moon cakes are coming up with new twists and traditional flavors. this confectionary was founded more than 200 years ago. its mainstay offering is a moon cake with classic ingredients such as chinese dates. but the maker is also putting a lot of work into creating flavors. one of this year's hits is a moon cake filled with sesame, pumpkin seeds, and chestnut. it's targeted at health conscious consumers. sugar has been cut by 10%. >> translator: traditional moon cakes are usually high in sugar. diabetes will also appreciate these.

>> translator: competition is tough. we must be confident that we've got what it takes. we have to make changes but also cherish our longstanding products. >> reporter: this bakery is selling new kinds of moon cakes. they are inspired by french pastries and feature butter in the mix. they are proving very popular especially we the younger customers. the cheese moon cakes are a particular hit. new fillings this year include blueberries and cranberries. >> translator: tradition can't remain the same forever. younger generations want something new every year. we're doing our best to meet their changing demands. >> reporter: now as china's economic growth slows, the moon

cake market is playing a role in exnding spending. >> translator: personal spending is expected to go up by 15% this year but competition is growing ever tougher. so differentiation is becoming even more important. >> reporter: china's moon cakes, the asian tradition has entered a fresh new phase. nhk world, beijing. nhk "newsline" comes to you live from tokyo where it's cloudy with intermittent rain. the current temperature is 75 degrees fahrenheit. jonathan oh is standing by with the latest update with a storm moving through the western pacific. >> right now it's continuing to move toward the north toward the okinawan islands. and it is expected to also brush by portions of taiwan in the southeastern portions of taiwan. something to look at closely. now, what was meranti has become

a low pressure system. but it has still left a lot of problems as it has passed through the area. let me show you some video from fujian province. an 800-year-old structure was seriously damage bid the waters. about 2.6 million households suffered blackouts as of midday thursday. the trees are lying all over the roadway because of the powerful winds. that's causing traffic problems. more than 1,000 soldiers and 700 militiamen did the cleanup throughout the city. strongest hitting the province since local meteorological agencies started to keep records back in 1949. so the system is now weakened into just a standard low pressure system. but it is interacting with a stationary front. and so that means more enhanced rainfall for areas north of shanghai as we go throughout the

next 24 hours. we also could see showers along this front. we do have a southerly flow coming in from malakas. now, speaking of this typhoon, here are the latest stats. it is a strong typhoon at this point with winds gusting to 216. moving to the northwest at 20 kilometers per hour. notice as it continues to move forward, it's going to move to miyako islands. the storm warning area includes portions of taiwan and even on the far eastern -- southeastern tip of china. so yeah. we're still seeing impacts from this storm awell as we continue to move to the north into the firstart of next week, we'll see it turning to the north and ea. xt week kyushu may need to be looking out for the system. some of the number we're looking at coming up saturday for okinawa prefecture,usts up to 234 kilometers per hour with

waves up to 11 mers high. account althe rainfall taking place into sunday, we could see up to 400 millimeters in some locations. so flooding is also of concern. so look out. starting with ishigaki, looking at rainfall. then for tokyo and osaka when it comes to the front and the southerly flow. we go now over to into the central pacific where hawaii has been dealing with some very heavy rainfall due to a spinup in this area. in honolulu 57 millimeters fell in 48 hours. to give you an idea of what that means, the average rainfall in september is 17.8 millimeters. flash floods posted in this area. you may still be dealing with some occasional flash flooding in some locations. thap rain is expected to continue from time to time for

thursday, friday, and also into saturday. now, as we wrap things up with a look at north america, we do have julius still spinning as a tropical storm. it's regained strength. look out for some strong storms from time to time as we go through friday. hope you have a good day wherever you are. here's your extended outlook.

for your thoughts and comments, just visit our website and click on contact us. be sure to watch "newsroom tokyo" at the top of the hour. 8ú

>> welcome to the "france 24" newsroom. eu leaders meet without britain to chart their post brexit future. this ester germany's angela merkel says the 27 member bloc faces a critical situation. fighting breaks out east of damascus despite a syrian cease-fire. we crossed to our regional correspondent for an update. hillary clinton is back on the campaign t a