thank you for joining us on this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm raja pradhan in tokyo. a memorial service has been held at pearl harbor that pulled the united states into world war ii. [ bell tolling ] ♪

>> around 3,800 american veterans and their relatives gathered on a pier overlooking pearl harbor on wednesday. the attack on december 7, 1941, killed more than 2,400 people. at the memorial the head of the u.s. pacific command spoke to the crowd about moving past old battles. >> today, we work with allies and partners across the globe to protect those hard-won freedoms including our staunch ally japan. reconciliation turned once-bitter enemies into the closest of friends. >> u.s. president barack obama underlined that, saying in a statement he looks forward to meeting japan's prime minister at pearl harbor later this month. obama also said he and his wife michelle joined the american people in remembering those who gave their lives on that day. president-elect donald trump also expressed his condolences. in a statement he says the sacrifice of victims reminds americans of the great cost paid

to secure their liberties. he says that inspires them to rise to meet today's challenges. before the memorial, the head of the u.s. pacific command sat down for an exclusive interview with nhk. harris stressed the u.s. alliance with japan will remain solid under the trump administration, and he talked about regional threats. >> i'm very confident that our commitments and our obligations under our treaty with japan will not change just because the president change. >> during the campaign, trump made a number of controversial statements on the alliance. harris said the fact that former enemies are now the closest allies can serve as an example in the world. he then noted two recent updates to the alliance. >> under the new peace and security legislation and the new defense guidelines, japan is able to do more in the military space, as well. that means that japan and the

united states will be able to work together in many areas. >> japan's new security legislation came into force in march. it allows the country to exercise its right to collective self-defense. the two countries also revised their defense cooperation rules last year for the first time in 18 years. as the security environment in the region becomes increasingly complicated, we asked the commander what worries him the most. >> the most imminent threat that i worry about daily is the threat from north korea. because you have a ruler up there in north korea who is on a quest for nuclear weapons, the means to miniaturize them. it's been a long road for one survivor of pearl harbor. he found a way to overcome the deep scars left on him.

nhk reports. >> hello. >> reporter: welcome. he is a 95-year-old former marine. he survived pearl harbor. >> get to your battle station on the double. this is the alal thi. i esmamated out t 32odies s went flying through the air. >> reporter: he was serving on the "uss west virginia" when janenese military planes suddenly attacked. more than 100 u.s. troops on board were killed. it affected him deeply. and after the war, he felt not only sadness, but resentment toward the japanese. it took him 31 years to tell his wife his story. the couple was visiting the area.

>> i said, sweetheart, i never told you this before, but i was here on december 7th. and so that sort of lifted a burden from me that i had been holding in all that time. >> reporter: visiting the memorial, he was taken aback. he saw a japanese woman shedding tears. his wife ran to talk to her. >> wanda hugged her and said, you shouldn't be, because your people were doing exactly what they were told to do, the same as my husband did what he was told to do. >> reporter: after retiring from military service, he tried to understand the reasons behind the war. gradually, he came to see that japanese soldiers were just as powerless as he was. >> i reacted just the way i was

trained. i didn't stop and think of any destruction to myself. aloha. >> reporter: at his age, he knows he doesn't have much time. so he's sharing what he's learned with the younger generation. >> to keep it constantly in the memory of our people, as to what took place and how they should be alert to see that it never hahappens again. >> i actually like how he doesn't necessarily hate japanese, while you would believe most other people do. i also feel like people will have to learn from us right now and later in the future. >> reporter: he says his most important lesson is to think for himself, regardless of what the

government says. >> my whole idea is remember what happened here and keep your mind alert. >> reporter: later this month, leaders of two countries that once fought each othther in the devastating war are scheduled to visit hawaii. hedley said it's only natural to gather to pray for the soul of the victims. nhk world, hawaii. the impeachment motion against south korean president park geun-hye has made it through another procedural hurdle. members of parliament are set to vote on it as early as friday afternoon. the speaker r took the first st by announcing the motion.

the vote must happen by sunday. opposition lawmakers want the president to go because of an n inflfluence peddling scandndal ththat's enraged citizens. >> translator: we, the members of the democratic party, mustt pass the impeachment even at the sake of our popolitical liveves. >> three opposition parties say they will resign en masssse if e motion f falls. at leastst 28 members of the ruling party must vote in favor for the motion to pass. so an anti-park faction holds the key.y. those members say they disagree with a part of the motion and are demanding it be removed. it mention park's handling of a dead lly ferry disaster in 2014s one of the reasons to impeach her. they are c calling on the opposition to o focus only on t current scandal.

issue a warning months before a busy inintersection in western japan caved in. the road near a m major train station collapsed early last month. auththoritieies blamed workk on subwbway system. thee city h held a meeeeting wih expertrts in august and discuss aa design change that involved digging the tunnel deeper than initially planned. this was taavoid ground soil containing water. there was still a risk of a cave in even with the design change. another expert said it could sink if water got into the cracks. residents remain concern. >> translator: such a thing should never happen, again. >> translator: a thorough investigation is necessary taprevent similar incidentnts. >> the central government is expected to look into the changes to the construction plan.

the details on that and all the other top headlines. >> the people at japanese telecom giant kddi have done a deal to acquire internet service provider big globe. the arrangement will give them a chance to expapd their business in a new direction. telecom firms struggle with sluggish smartphone sales. kddi will biglobe and make it a wholly owned subsidiary around the end of january. it started out 20 years ago under electronics firm nec. the buyout is expected to make kddi japan's second internet service. kddi officials say they hope to grow their internet business with biglobe by using their

respective customer basis and business expertise. tokyo stock prices continued their climb after another stellar session overnight. the dow jones and s&p 500 and that pushed tokyo shares to an 11-month high. details from the tokyo stock exchange. >> wall street provided the upward momentum that lifted markets here for a third day. investors brushed off some disappointing japanese gdpicata and they were encouraged by strong trade data from china. the closing levels for this thursday, december 8th. the nikkei 225 added 1.45%. ending at 18,765. the broader topix ended above 1,500. bond yields declined from their recent peaks. now, on to major movers tokyo

electric power company surged more than 17% hitting the day's limit. investors cheered at the news that the government is increasing its loan to tepco up to $120 billion. the company faces enormous costs to nuclear added at the fukushima plantnt andnd softftb rose 5.5%. reporting from the tokyo stock exchange. moving on to china. the latest trade data showed exports in november returning to positive growth. it was the first time in eight months and a reflection of growing global demand. imports grew this way up 6.7% from a year ago. even with the upbeat figures, the shanghai comzit slid.

energy and construction related shares dragged down the index. buth south korea joined the global rally and the kospi advancing almost 2% finishing above that 2,000 mark for the first time in four weeks. another record high for shares of samsung electronics helped lift the index. overall the rest of the asian pacific region was mixed. indonesia rebounded from wednesday's loss following the strong earthquake. singapore inched down on profit taking after hitting a 13-month high. japan's ruling partieies ha approved a series of major tax reforms in a bid to drive growth. the revisions will take effect from the next fiscal year starting in april. one of the biggest changes will affect the tax credit scheme for married couples. increase the participation of women in the workforce. they can get a deduction if

their spouse makes less than $9,000 a year. many women limit their hours to ensure their husbands remain eligible for the credit. the coalition wants to raise the threshold tamore than $13,000, meaning women can work longer without causing their husbands to lose the deduction. another big change wilill t tar alcohol. currently the governmnment leve different, levees different taxes on beer and depending on their malt context. the tax on beer is the highest. the tax rate at 50 cents per 350 milliliters. that change will occur in phases over about ten years. the forms will also extend tax breaks for eco-friendly cars. the criteria they have to satisfy will be stricter. the coalition hopes another measure will attract more

foreign tourists out of big cities and into rural areas. it will allow duty-free exempsons on sake and. allowing airports to have duty-free shops and rival areas. the goal is to encourage people returning from abroad to buy goods at japanese airports rather than overseas. government officials hope this will help boost domestic consumption. honda motor is betting on the largest auto market to deliver big results for years to come. the firm has begun work on itst sixth factory in china. executives held a ceremony to mark the start of construction which had cost about $430 million. honda expects the plant to role out new cars in the first half of 2019. it will be equipped to make plug-in hybrid models and cars. the plant will raise honda's annual capacity in china by 10% to 1.25 million units.

honda intended to start work on the factory last year, but put the plant on hold over cononcer about china's economimic slow down. the presidedent s says he's confident the marketas potential for further growth. a group of physically disabled children has gone on an excursion to the other side of japan without leaving the classroom. using the latest in web casting technologygy the students got a close-up look with a business with 150 years of history. i.t. term oki electric industry set up the program and the technology acknowledged the students in tokokyo to s see in a factory on the western shoulder. the students listen as wororker explain the production process and then they peppered them with questions. they used tablets to communicate.

>> translator: i felt like i was righght there. i want to learn more about other seasonings such as sugar or salt. >> translator: with networking, we hope to provide more opportunities for children to take part in social activities. >> rural areas across japan are expecting popules decline to promote their local dishes at a town regathering festival. but this year it takes on a brand-new format. nhk world reports. >> reporter: fried noodles. dumplings. rice cracker soup. volunteers from nearly 60 municipalities across japan have gathered in tokyo to cook up their local dishes. while the festival might look like a food market with a

carnivalesque twist, the volunteers at each store are actually selling much larger. their hometowns. i'm at the b-1 grand prix, an annual event that aims to promote town regeneration in areas suffering from depopulation and decline. >> b-1! >> reporter: "b" stands for brand. with each town promoting its local brand through a local dish. the previous winners have seen strong financial gains. one grand prix winner reached close to $30 million in just eight months after the event. many others also saw more tourism and boosted sales of branded products through tie-ups with convenience stores. tawada, a city in northern japan which won gold in 2014, has gained even more than that. some younger residents decided to seek work in their hometown rather than move to larger cities. >> translator: i think the event has made young people much prouder and feel more connected to the city they're from. now they want to stay. >> reporter: but people running

the event are not satisfied. they say the emphasis has been too much on the food and not enough on the towns. what's more, it had previously been held in the countryside with the majority of visitors from nearby areas limiting the nationwide reach. for the first time ever the tournament is being heldld in tokyo to gain a wider audience. the event also sees a new collaboration between local governments and local food organizations, with both working together to appeal directly to visitors. this year's theme is, the town i want to go to, live in, or support. it's not just the taste of the food that counts, it's also the hospitality that comes with it. oga city in northwestern japan has a sharply declining population. it fell by 12% in the past five years. they're cooking up local soul food. seafood noodles fried in a fish sauce made from japanese sand fish.

that's not all. the entrance to the booth is manned by two demon-like creatures known as oni, which are intangible cultural properties from the city. these help lure the visitors to the display of local sightseeing areas. >> translator: oga is a wonderful town, so we want people to know it's a great place for tourism as well as our tasty fried noodles. >> reporter: kishiro on the northern island of hokkaido already has a robust tourism industry, as it boasts good access to a national park. but the problem of depopulation remains. volunteers are trying to turn visitors into residents. with photos of the beauty they have to offer, and of course with a tasty local dish, fried chicken. each visitor is given chopsticks to register their votes. we asked visitors how they felt about places they voted for. >> translator: i voted for kotsura.

i'm familiar with it because my friends live there and the noodles are spicy and delicious. >> t translator: i voted for otaro. i really want to go. we even got booklets. but i'm not sure about living there. >> reporter: organizers say this year's b-1 grand prix saw around 200,000 visitors. kashi city in western japan took the gold prize for their octopus dumplings. kishida won the bronze. but the organizers note that winning the grand prix is not the end goal. >> translator: participating in the event will help promote the areas to a wider audience but it won't solve all the problems. it's up to local residents to draw up a town regeneration plan. >> reporter: the organizers hope that the new collaboration between local governments and local food promotion groups will provide a platform for future town regeneration projects. they hope that the greater focus on town hospitality will attract new residents beyond a few

tourism booms. phoebe amarosa, nhk world, tokyo. >> that's business news. people claiming they suffer from noise from an air base near tokyo. now the supreme court has thrown out that ruling. the japan maritime self-defense force and the u.s. navy shared the air base. about 7,000 people living nearby sought damages for noise. they also asked for an end to flights at night. recognize the plaintiffs have sufferered continual sleep disruption and mental disstres because of the noise. they said self-defense points protect the public and has paid for homes to be insulated against noise. it's difficult to deem the flights inappropriate. the judge awarded $72 million in damages for noise in the past.

a g-cabinet secretary says the government will do what it can. >> translator: it's obvious those who use the base should do their most to minimize the impact of noise on people who live nearby. so we'll ask the u.s. to address the issue and to proceed with plans to transfer carrier-based aircraft to the base. >> the plaintiffs are not happy. >> translator: this is a great shame. the judiciary is not able to check the executive. >> the supreme court upheld a high court ruling that japan does not have the authority to suspend u.s. military flights. residents of central portions of bolivia have been waiting for any signs of rain after extremely dry conditions continue to threaten their lives. our meteorologist jonathan oh

has the details for there and our report. >> hopefullyly we'll see rain coming into the picture very quickly but it has been dry and caused issues into the central area of bolivia. you may notice on the satellili perspective towards the north and over to the east and south, we have theinter tropical convergence. we have a lot of air rising and the instability brings a lot of rainfall. it shifts along the equator. and that brings some rain. notice bolivia where we need that rain it's dryry and it's really causing that problem. this video tells the whole story right here. just take a lolook. not much in terms of water. it's jusust dry e everywherere e people are dealing with the worst drought in this region in 25 years. authorities have issued a national state of emergency as a prolonged drought has impacted the crop harvest and cattle and more than 177,000 families have been affected. in the town, residents performed

a ceremony to call on for rain by sacrificing. the recent booming of minining ojojects thahat requires aa lot water is worsening the situatation. we looook foforward in terms of forestst duringg the next 24 hours, i think we'e'll see some showers, especially down towards the south lifting towards the north and that will hope to bring some rain. i don't know if it's going to be enough to really help with the drought situation significantly, but at least there will be some rain in the two capitals of bolivia. a friday and saturday and it will cool off just a bit as we are into the meetteor logical month and we'll see the temperature still relatively in the mid teens as we go through this week. as you go to the north, the big story right now the low-pressure system in north america, specifically over ontario into quebec creating a lot of windy system because it's interacting with a system in the upper

midwesest. the northwesterly wind will bring a significant amount of snow possible for those nearby the great lakes. one area of snowfall we're looking out for and another one back towards the west into places like seattle and also into oregon. you'll deal with the possibility of some snowfall. winnipegeg, chicago and very chilly on thursday. rain houston to miami as a system moves through the southern area off the united states. quick look at what's happening. we've been watching a depression that has now. and for the next few days not really impacting landfall towards the west. india m may be impacted by this system by the time we go into the weekd,d, but thehe areas plplaces bacack to the east. you're still getting the sosoutherly flow from the syste and you'll be impacted in an indirect fashion and more direct over the weekend towards the central portion of i india o on east coast. wrap things up with a look at

east asia. a low-pressure system, a couple of them, coming out of the korean peninsula and moving over the sea of japan. that will help regenerate the sea effect snow as we go l late on friday into saturday and i'll bring some northerly and bring some snow into northern japan and then increase in the clouds into central portions of the country. 17th, though, very warm for tokyo as we go into friday. much cooler back towards the west. hope you have a good day wherever you are. here's your extended outlook.

that wraps up this edition of nhk "newsline." bring you the latest at the top of the hour.

genie: you are watching france 24. time for 60 minutes live around the world. i'm genie godula. these are the headlines. the former brunches minister -- budget mr. of france gets three years behind bars -- minister of france gets three years behind bars. he says he will appeal. eastern aleppo continues to crumble as