hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm raja pradhan in tokyo. here's a look at top stories we're following this hour. prince miksa dies. the uncle of japanese emperor akihito has passed away at the age of 100. at your service. self-driving trucks may soon make parcel deliveries hassle

free. and a turning point? nuclear and non-nuclear weapon states are divided as members of the u.n. committee plan to vote on a resolution to ban the weapons. japan's prince miksa has died of heart failure. the uncle of emperor akihito was 100 years old. prince miksa was the younger brother of late emperor showa whose given name was hirohito. he was admitted to the hospital in mid-may after suffering acute pneumonia. he's been in and out since due to issues including heart problems and further pneumonia. he is survived by 19 imperial members. prince miksa was the fifth in line to the imperial throne. four men now hold the right to the succession. re's a lkk back on the past prince miksa took through life. >> reporter:rirince miksa was born in 1915 as the fourth son

of emperoror taisho. shshe was staff officer with the perial army. he served at the imperial general headquarters in tokyo. after the war, prince miksa wrote that he hadn't been fully aware how evil wars were and that the fact always makes him remorseful. he went on to become a historian majoring in ancient history at the university of tokyo as a research student. he had a long career teaching at a number of universities. he also devoted himself to improving international relations. he had especially close ties with people in turkey. a country he became familiar with through his studies. >> emperor akihito and his family have started seven days of mourning. other members of the imperial family will be in mourning

anywhere from 7 to 30 days. prince miksa's wife will stay in mourning for three months. some events already scheduled for the emperor and empress in the coming weeks have now been canceled. they include a visit from philippine president rodrigo duterte. more details are emerging from a political scandal involving south korea's president and a close friend of hers. according to the country's media, president park geun-hye's confidant choi soon-sil meddled. south korean newspaper spoke to choi a business person in the middle of another scandal. choi confirms she gave advice on editing park's speeches during

the campaign in 2012. she also said she had access to documents up into the inauguration. she said she was only helping park convey her feelings better and wasn't aware it would cause problems later. choi denies all other allegations like ones the media reported wednesday. they say choi had access to documents with this meeting in japan. it happened before park took office. the documents contained information about sensitive diplomatic issues that strained relations between the countries. as the allegations were raised, investigators searched the offices of two foundations linked to choi. park acknowledges that she received help from her long-time friend and has apologized to the public. this scandal could be a severe blow to park's popularity which according to polls is low. japan, the united states, and south korea want to push north korea harder to give up

its nuclear and missile programs. senior diplomats agreed to work together to try to get the u.n. security council to adopt a resolution imposing more sanctions against pyongyang. the diplomats met to discuss their policy on north korea. they're collaborating to bring about an effective u.n. resolution that's acceptable for countries cautious about more sanctions. >> translator: it is very important that the security council adopts a flawless resolution with substantive contents which represents the will of the international community. >> this is a focus on substance, not on a schedule. and we are determined to have the strongest possible resolution emerging from new york. >> translator: the international community should impose

effective sanctions and pressure on the north. so the country will have no choice but denuclearization of the korean peninsula. >> the security council has been discussing new sanctions against the north after the country carried out its fifth nuclear test in september. china which has a strong influence on pyongyang remains cautious about strengthening sanctions. japan and south korea could soon be able to counter north korean threats more effectively by sharing knowledge. south korean officials say they'll restart talks with japan in hopes of sealing a deal to share security information. the two governments agreed four years ago to sign what they called the general security of military information agreement. that's a set of rules for sharing and protecting each other's classified information. south korean officials then came under fire from lawmakers for negotiating in secret. they asked the japanese to postpone the deal. japan and south korea have been

sharing information on north korea via the united states. the top government spokesperson in tokyo sayss japan wants to restart the talks asas soon as possible. >> translator: cooperation between japanan and south koreas vital foror dealing with north korean nuclear and missile issues. the japanese government wants to pupursue moree security c coopen that includes quickly concluding the information agreement. >> still, analysts say many south koreans resist the idea of cooperating with japan on security. they say that's because of japan's past rule. a japanese electronics manufacturer says it's finalizing a deal to integrate its pc business with a chinese firm. gene otani has the details on that and other headlines in business. >> japan's fujitsu says it's in final negotiations with china's lenovo group over its pc division. the deal to integrate the two businesses would be a strategic

partnership. it would enable the japanese firm to focus on other aspects of its operations. >> translator: lenovo is a strong lender that runs a global pc business. we think working with them will make us much more competitive. >> fujitsu o officials say unde the arrangement, the firms will coopoperate on research development, design, and manufacturing. fujitsu hopes to get support from the bank of japan to carry out the deal. sources say fujitsu wants to integrate the businesses by march. they say lenovo is likely to have a stake at the end of that month. turning now to the markets. the nikkei has snapped three days of gains. some investors have taken profits as dismal corporate performance reports trickle in. giang nguyen reports from the tokyo stock exchange. >> share prices in tokyo edged

lower in choppy trading. even the slightly weaker yen didn't help nudge into positive territory. the nikkei 225 lost 0.3%. closing at 17,3,336. thee broader topix ended slighty in negative territory. canon was lower by 3% after cutting profit forecasts on the back of a strengthening yen. the popular messaging app line lost more than 6% after results missed expectations. on the flipside, nintendo reversed earlier losses. that's despite the game maker cutting its earning forecast by a third. but investors still expect recovery in its core business ahead of the release of its new nintendo game syststem next yea. investors will be watching figures on friday as we head into the policy meeting of the federal reserve next week. though many market players do

not expect it to raise the rate before the u.s. presidential election. giang nguyen reporting from the tokyo stock exchange. let's move to other markets of the asia pacific region. shanghai composite, 3,112 closing number. a weaker yuan weighed on sentiment. in the philippines, the index ended down by almost 0.7%. it's extending its losing streak to a sixth day now. many investors are concerned about president rodrigo duterte on relations. indonesia adding 0.3%. australia down 1.2%. a fall in oil prices dragged down the index to its lowest in nearly six weeks. connoisseurs of cutting edge

technology are enjoying the latest in virtual reality and other innovations at a tokyo expo. dozens of new devices are on dispsplay at the national musicf emerging s science and innovati. thisis system beams light from different angles to create three dimensional images. and a virtual reality headset that fools wearers they're walking in a straight line when they're not. >> translator: in the past it was something you wanted to do in a chair. we wanted to expand on that. now people are able to walk or touch their way through virtual worlds. >> the expo runs until sunday. > here's a look at some of te other business stories we're following. executives at samsung electronics say operating profits were down 30% in the three months through september. profits from smartphones and other i.t. devices plunged 96%

yearar on yearar. samsung was forced to halt production sales of its galaxy note 7. following reports some were overheating and catching fire. japanese e-commerce firm has announced a low cost service for phones. it says it will charge a fixed amount of $30 a month which will include the device. they said for customers who need to use data, the plan will be cheaper than any of the offerings from any of its rivals. hands-free driving is noo longer a fantasy. self-driving cars are already on the roads. today we start a two-part report on how this technology will mark a turning point in everyday life beginning with public transport. >> reporter: self-driving vehicles are coming to the netherlands slowly but surely.

there is no driver's seat. instead it has sensors and cameras. they steer the bus and also identify other vehicles on the road. including bicycles. city officials hope to place self-driving buses at the center of a new public transport system. >> we think we will need another year, two years to go -- to come to a fully operational system. >> reporter: autonomous buses won't need bus stops. users can get on and off wherever they want. officials say robot buses will reduce traffic congestion. >> i'm sure not everyone owns a private car like this but can use it when it's needed. because in the long run it can replace private cars. i think that will be a big difference everywhere.

>> reporter: over in japan, another project is focusing on self-driving taxis. an i.t. company is planning to start opeperations in 2020. company officials believe there's a big need for self-driving taxis. especially in areas with aging populations. >> translator: total autonomous driving is possible. advancements in transportation can make life more convenient. it will bring about a revolutionary change in people's lifestyles. that's for sure. >> reporter: this town has a population of about 17,000. more than half are senior residen residents. many depend on public buses to get around but services are limited. people who don't own cars have a

difficult time going shopping. executives from i.t. company think self-driving buses are the answer. they've come to talk to residents. >> translator: there are taxi drivers who are in their late 80s or even older. that's the reality here. >> translator: some people have given up their driver's licenses so they have no means of transportation. >> reporter: this man is 82 years old. he's a patient at the hospital seven kilometers away. his 77-year-old wife drives him to and from the hospital. they say self-driving taxis would make their lives much easier. >> translator: a robot could

take us to hospital. >> translator: that would be great. >> reporter: but there are still obstacles to overcome. roads are narrow. and many have no guardrails. lines are almost invisible. the sensors are not ready to cope with this kind of terrain. >> translator: self-driving technology must advance further to operate under these tricky conditions for many people in these parts of the country to benefit. it's a challenge we must overcome. >> reporter: self-driving vehicles are advancing by day. but it looks like infrastructure still has a way to go. nhk world. >> tomororrow in part two, we'l

take a look at a driverless delivery service. 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. the practice of freezing human eggs to improve female fertility is increasing in japan. nhk conducted a survey of clinics across the country and for the first time it gives a picture of how many women are choosing to freeze their eggs. nhk world reports.

>> reporter: this woman is in her 40s and works as a nurse. she doesn't want to be identified because she worries criticism for her and her child. she paid roughly 1 million yen or $9500 to a fertility clinic to freeze her eggs. she hoped to marry and have a family. >> reporter: the later got married and tried to have a baby with no success. later she got pregnant through freezing her eggs. her child is now 3 years old.

published a new guideline in 2013 to allow the option. but don't recommend it to healthy women because of potential risks. they also say the possibility of getting pregnant is low and the impact on babies is still unclear. an nhk survey of medical institutions in japan reveals that just over 1,000 healthy women have had their eggs frozen. 85 tried to get pregnant using them. and 12 actually gave birth. part of the reason for making the choice is the tendency toward later marriages. the average age for a woman in japan to give birth to her first child is just over 30 years. that's more than a year and a half older than a decade ago. a survey shows the birthrates using in vitro fertilization dropped to less than 1%. this woman h has mixed feelings about her decision.

>> reporter: but she also had this to say. >> reporter: one expert says the procedure is rising in popularity because of difficulties for young people in japan to have children. >> translator: the practice is spreading, but people should be given a chance to know more about it and discuss whether it's right forthem. aa survey should also b be conducted to f find out how effective the procedure is and how it affects the lives of women. >> reporter: experts point out freezing eggs is not a simple solution for getting married later in life. because of the risks in the procedure and the low success rate. but as having children becomes more difficult, it seems more

japanese women are willing to try. nhk world, tokyo. a u.n. committee will vote thursday on a draft resolution calling for a legally binding treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons. the draft is the first of its kind. nhk reported on wednesday that the american government urged some allies to oppose it. the draft was submitted to the u.n. general assembly's first committee on disarmament by nearly 50 countries. it calls for negotiations on a treaty. the draft reflects frustration and a sense of crisis shared by non-nuclear states. they see the current disarmament framework as no longer being effective in pressing nuclear states to reduce their arsenals. the united states and other nuclear powers oppose the draft and say others should face up to the reality of the current security environment. >> rejecting security considerations related to nuclear weapons leaves no room

for discussion on effective measures. >> japan is under what's known as the u.s. nuclear umbrella and has yet to declare a position. >> the precise recommendation of human conferencsequences should taken into account in a balanced manner. >> atomic bomb survivors f from hiroshima and nagasaki are visiting. they hope it will pave the way for abolition of nuclear arms. the united nations says more than 10,000 people have fled mosul amid fierce fighting. ten days have passed since the iraqi military and kurdidish forces begegan an offensive t t recapture the city frorom the islamic state group. iraq military sources say governrnment forces and kurdish militias have seized more than 90 towns and villages around

mosul. some of the troops are as close as four kilometers from the city's center. it forced about 10,500 people to flee by wednesday. the u.n. warns that as the battle moves into urban areas, the number of refugees could rise to 200,000. u.n. officials say the refugees are mostly women. witnesses say the men are being detained or killed in battle. there are notably few boys between 14 and 18. officials fear the islamic state militants are planning to use them as human shields. people living along the u.s. west coast are seeing intensive rain and strong gusts with a number of systems lingering in the region. or meteorologist jonathan oh has the details for there and elsewhere in our world weather report. >> hello. we have been monitoring the pacific northwest over the past several days when it comes to heavy rain and strong winds.

it looks like the system will extend further into the south in california. now, for the past several days, we've had series of low pressure systems moving by the pacific northwest and the coastal areas. and then taking off toward the north and northwest. but there is one particular area of low pressure that has now come on shore moving past both washington and oregon and now a cold front attached to that is bringing in a lot of moisture into california. in one aspect, it's helpful. because we're dealing with droughtt into the statate. but on the flip side, w we are looking at strong winds and heavy r rainfall from ti to o time. so be o on the lookout heree fo some p potential flash flooding from time toimee extending from san francisco to los angeles. now, i think southern californ,, you'lll see more of that rainfall late thursday into friday. and that' whehenhe heaviest of the activity will take place. be on the lolookout for that. someme places further t toward north, however, may be dealing with up to 80 millimeters of rainfall over the next couple of

days. so just be aware of the weather situation as you go forward in time. rain and also cool temperatures. 13 vancouver. 15 in seattle. we also have another low crossing over the great lakes. that's bringing in chilly temperatures and rainy conditions from toronto to new york. some of these rain pattern may lead to stronger thunderstorms because of the instability. be on the lookout for that as we go through the day thursday. meanwhile, it was a sunny day here in tokyo. and across most of japan we saw a bit of a breezy day as well. further to the north, it was a bit windy and we are seeing some scattered snow showers from time to time and a bit of flurry activity. we have high pressure that is ushering in a northerly flflow. ththat's going to keeeep teereratur c cooler as we go through the rest of this week. some areas may see as little bump of temperatures by saturday as moisture comes into japan. but then behind it we have a cooloff. we're going back to the teens here. looking at more flurries in

sapporo coming up on sunday with a high of 5. now, moving slightly toward the west, looking at the bay of bengal,, keeping an eye with ths storm that seems to bebe deteriorating but stitill somewt organized. lookoking for the posbibility o seeing some strong winds along with heavy rainfall. it's going to be a bit of a squall pattern as we go forward in time. into saturday as well. now, wrapping things up with a look at what's happening in europe. focusing on italy because of what's happened in terms of the earthquakes there. the weather situation is not helping either. a system is pushing away from the country. nevertheless, looking at the possibility of damaging winds, flash flooding, and large hail because of the possibility of severe thunderstorms. that low will then move to the south and east toward the balkans. that's goingoo b bring rain int places l like athens. but at least for the next 12 hours or so, we are looking at

some unstable weather over italy. i mean, look at this. rome looking at thunderstorms with a high of 22 degrees. 12 in vienna. looking at wet weather into athens. then further to the north and east. more cold weather in kiev with a chance of snoww through the day. hope you have a good day wherever you are. here's your extended outlook.

and that wraps up this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm raja pradhan in tokyo. "newsroom tokyo" will bring you the latest at the top of the

genie: hello and welcome to the program. i'm claire pryde. belgium's government finally reaches an agreement with regional politicians for the trade deal with canada to go ahead. the agreement was meant to be signed this thursday. the 2016 sector of prize. they were kidnapped by the islamic state group in 2014.