here in japan it's 7:00 p.m. on a friday. i'm james tengan in tokyo. witnessed the conclusion of $2.5 billion worth of deals between their governments and businesses. prime minister shinzo abe said they agreed to start talks on joint economic activities on four russian-controlled islands.

the two countries never signed a peace treaty after world war ii. >> translator: we have to put an end to this abnormal situation in our generation. vladimir and i have confirmed our strong determination to do that and express our commitment in a statement. we have agreed to begin talks on a special system for joint economic activities on the four islands. this is an important step towards the conclusion of a peace treaty. >> translator: prime minister abe has proposed setting up a special mechanism for joint economic activities on the islands. it's important to use the mechanism as the basis to move

closer to a final resolution of the peace treaty problem. if someone says russia is prioritizing economic relations and putting the conclusion of a peace treaty on the back burner, that isn't true. for me, signing a peace treaty is most important. >> the leaders say the economic activity could involve industries like fishing, tourism and health care. japan refers to the islands as the northern territories. it maintains they are inherent part of its territory and were illegally occupied after the war. moscow says they became part of russian territory as a result of it. abe also said the two agreed on humanitarian grounds to consider allowing elderly former japanese residents access to the islands. the residents want to visit their ancestors' graves. former residents of the

island shared mixed feelings after watching abe and putin's press conference. >> translator: we haven't been allowed to visit the island freely, so this at least is a step forward. >> translator: i am disappointed there was not even a schedule for when and how the island's issue would be resolved. i urge my government to continue negotiating with the russian government to bring back the four islands. >> nhk world tamoka joins us in the studios. what are we to take away from the summit? >> emphasizing where the two leaders share common ground. he is closer to achieving his long-held goal. received talks of importance of peace treaty with russia and he maintains japan's stance on the

northern territory while recognizing that putin feels strongly about his own country's stance on the matter. he said if they keep going on like this, the issues could not be resolved. putin also said in the press conference that the most important thing is to conclude a peace pact. he added with the cooperation, they could enhance their country's strengths. >> before the summit, abe said he was determined to solve the territorial issue during his time. what headway did he make towards that goal? >> well, as we heard, abe said this summit is one key step towards that goal. but it's not going to come easy. let's first consider the joint economic activities on the island. tokyo has been saying it won't allow japanese to conduct business there because it could be regarded as submitting to

russia's jurisdiction. following thursday's talks, a russian spokesperson said the activities would be conducted under russian laws. they are set to discuss a special rule to conduct such activities, but it might be a difficult task. and, also, when a reporter asked putin about territories, the japan alliance saiding security should be taken into consideration before a peace pact. they said they will meet again near russia next year. i'm sure the talks will continue. >> thank you. meanwhile, in the press conference putin said he would work for a nationwide cease-fire in war ravaged syria. accuse russia of war crimes in aleppo people have been rescued from rebel-held areas of the city in an operation that is expected totake days.

thousands are still trapped. they began rolling out thursday and the first 1,000 people arrived in the city's suburbs. it's part of a deal that allows the government to take control in the city after years of fighting. the u.n. says some of them will head for turkey, but most will move to a nearby province, still widely controlled by the opposition. president bashar al assad calls renewed control of aleppo a significant development. he said the liberation of the city has changed the situation in syria. but the u.s. secretary of state had stronger words. >> the assad regime is actually carrying out nothing short of a massacre. and we have witnessed indiscriminate slaughter. >> kerry said assad must resign to allow for a political

transition. in another major story involving the russian president a senior white house official has suggested putin was directly involved in interfering with the american election. washington announced in august that they were responsible for cyberattacks in june. the servers were hacked and led to leaks of party officials' e-mails. the white house deputy national security adviser pointed to vladimir putin's involvement in an interview with msnbc on thursday. he said he doesn't think things this big happen in the russian government without putin knowing about it. he also said russia had been carrying out cyberattacks in europe in a bid to sway election results. washington is considering countermeasures. white house spokesperson josh earnest also addressed the issue. >> russia was engaged in malicious cyberactivity. >> in response to these emarks

president-elect dopled trump tweeted if russia was hacking why did the white house wait so long to act? now on to business, tokyo stocks extended their rally on the stronger dollar. more on that and other headlines. >> investors in tokyo are in a buying mood following the u.s. federal reserve rate hike. marked the ninth day of advances. more from the tokyo stock exchange. >> the dollar's rise accelerated after the fed said it could raise its key interest rate three more times next year. that's supporters exporters here. the nikkei added 0.66 and the index rose more than 2%. broader toppix gained. a ten-month high against the yen on thursday to the upper 118 level. export related shares and semi

conductor issues like tokyo election trn, foster electric and mazda motor showed strong gains. pushed up financial shares on wall street. mitsubishi financial group and sumitomo mitsui. i'm giang gnguyen. sentiment was mixed. concerns about capital outflow to the u.s. still. the shanghai comp zt up by 0.2% finishing at 3,122. the index plunged on the week. worst weekly fall in eight months. the dollar remains stronger to emerging currencies. the people's bank of china set

the midpoint rate against the green back at the lowest level in more than eight years. the japanese government has held its first meeting to discuss an event that the prefecture of osaka hopes to host in 2025, the world expo that is. the meeting was attended by experts in related fields. they include professoror off ky univerersity who won a nobel pre for hihis studies. osaka governor explained the prefectural government basic concept of its plan expo 2025. he said the event would be held under the theme of the health of humanity and the challenge of longevity. some participants said issuess f poverty and famine should be included in the theme to win support from many countries, including developing nations. expos combine entertainment and education with a wide variety of exhibition, activities and shows. japan hosted several events in

the past. in 2005, a prefecture attracted more than 22 million people around the world. the meeting confirmed its plan to file a draft report before osaka can officially file its candidacy. japan's retail giant ion will mark a turn around for the general merchandise business. once a flagship store of a leading japanese supermarket chain. the first four floors opened on friday targeting working mothers and senior citizens. the lineup of perishable food products has been expanded and a food court has been added where shoppers can dine and relax. the most profitable japanese supermarket in the 1970s and '80s. during its hay day annual sales at the store reached about $170 million. but with growing competition, sales around the country

declined. last year became a wholly owned company of aeon. officials hope to change that by renovating their stores around the country and offering products that specific target the local market. officials from japan and the european union have been sitting down to gather to discuss an economic agreement. they're making last-ditch efforts to reach a broad agreement by the end of the year. some in japan's ruling party is worried about the possible impact. the group of members associated with agriculture issues has passed a resolution urging protective measures be taken. the move comes as eu negotiators impose steep tariffs on agricultural tariffs and food. cut duties on pork, lumber and dairy products such as cheese. in our final installment of local goes global, we look at a

small firm in central japan that is helping build affordable housing overseas by exporting it clean technology. the secret is its building bricks instead of being baked in large ovens, the bricks are produced without heat. that means no discharge of pollutants and less of a health threat to workers producing them. >> reporter: it is known for making ceramics and tiles, but these days, output of its signature products is only a fraction of what it was at its peak. he owns a factory with five employees. he began the business producing tiles but led him to develop a new kind of brick. the main material is waste left over from the pottery making process. the kind of material that usually gets thrown away. the material is mixed with special chemicals and cement.

then it's extruded under strong measure. the material turns into solid bricks, all without the use of fire. they adjust the strong as convensco conventional bricks, but much cheaper. sales growth has slowed, so he began looking for new opportunities. >> translator: the brick market in japan is limited, but bricks are a very important building material overseasas. in m many other countries, bric are an overwhelmingly popular material. the market is huge. >> reporter: he turned his attention to beng angladesh whi has a population of 140 million. so demand is very high. these bricks are made on the outskirts of daka. they're fired with low-quality coal and other materials that generate a significant amount of air pollution. the people who make the bricks are also exposed to dust and

other pollutants. and the work is grueling. >> translator: i felt there was a lot of room for improvement, of course, in terms of air quality. but also in the entire work environment. >> reporter: he wanted to promote nonfired bricks in beng banglade bangladesh. he teamed up with countries to write a proposal. the japan international cooperation agency or jica and it was $1 million to build a factory. the area didn't have the kind of industrial waste he normally used, but he found an alternative. in bangladesh large amounts of soil are removed from rivers every year to reduce flooding. the government was having a hard time finding places to dump it. >> translator: we ran our hands through the dirt and thought it would be an excellent material. we believe it would make good product. >> reporter: after repeated

experiments, he created a product that could be produced cheaply in large quantities. it's also extremely strong. the brickss cost around 8 cents each. about the same as ordinary bricks. he believes the new product will be competitive. and the bricks have caught the eye of bangladeshi authohoritie who are working to c clean up t enenvironment. >> the effect of this finding is the environmental pollution. so, we have no other option but to come out from -- nonfire are technaul that will help bangladesh to a great extent. >> translator: if we can make bricks by using soil flowing down stream, we'll be able to make them forever. i think it could become possible to export the product to

neighboring countries such as india. then it would be great to move farther a field. toto places like myanmar and nepal. >> reporter: him and his partners in bangladesh showing what is good for business can also be good for the planet. and you can catch our report again online together with a full transcript. look for nhk world and business wrap. i'll leave you with the markets.

tokyo's governor said the construction of a new olympic volleyball arena will go ahead as planned. the decision ends months of wrangling to cut costs for venues for the 2020 games. >> translator: in the enend, i' decided ththat the volleyball ge vevenue. thisis is not just to cut costs and i don't think the discussion on whether to change venues was a waste of time. >> it is in tokyo's waterfront district. the original proposal but the cost of the stadium will now be slashed by more than $55 million. she also said the district will be redeveloped after the olympics and the right to operatee the facility will be sold to the private sector. the governor has been reviewing several sports venues since she took office in august amid concerns about spiraling costs.

the decision means all the original locations will now remain unchanged. a mayor in okinawa to move a marine base to his city be stopped. he made the call after a u.s. military aircraft made a crash landing tuesday off the coast of nago city injuring two of the five crew members. delivered a letter to japan's defense state minister. he disputes how the accident has been characterized. >> translator: why the central government use the term emergency landing. the aircraft was smashed to pieces. i think the aircraft crashed. >> translator: in general, a crash uncontrol fall to the ground. i think that this case made to maintain the damage to a minimum. >> the u.s. naval safety center hass deemed the accident of the

osprey aircraft as the most severe on its assessment scale calling it a class a mishap. a marine corps spokesperson says the amount of property damage is estimated at $80 million. the osprey has been involved in a series of accidents in recent years. the american military says it will stop using them in japan until they're confirmed to be safe. a japanese company in the country's space agency are teaming up to explore the possibility of resource developments on the moon. tokyo-based venture firm ice phase concluded the agreement on friday. it will send a rover to the moon as early as next year. they want to find out what resources lie on the lunar surface. then they want to figure out a way to get them back to earth. this is japan's first detailed program for resource development in space. similar efforts are already undeder way in westerntions. novembe of l lt ar, t

u. enact a lawo all commcial use oresource retrved fm teroids. inebruary o ts year, luxenberg als aounced pl t devel asteroi resource > gmany h deported 34 afgh asylumseeks. tighning rules on accepting refugees to ease plic coerns. the dortees land in kul o thursd on a flit crtered by the germa gornment. th is tirst mass depoation since germany and afghanistan reached a new agreement in october. more than 1.1 million refugees and migrants have entered germany since last year. germans opposing the decision held protests saying afghanistan is not safe for the deportees. >> translator: i think it is right that we proceed with such measures in a responsible,

sensitive, but also in a defined and conquential way. >> the mass influx of migrants and refugees to the country have stoked concerns over safety. the recent arrest of an afghan refugee suspected of raping and murdering a student has caused public outrage. britain's finance minister has take an tour of a cutting edge robotics lab here in tokyo. philip hammond visited the institute of technology. he is in japan to resusure the country's financial concerns over the brexit vote. he hoped for cooperation in the field with japan as his country prepares for the ramifications of its exit from the eu. the british government plans to spend about $2.5 billion each year on research and development in robotics. artificial intelligence and related sectors over the next five years. well t looks like fair

weather will prevail for us here in tokyo over the next few days. other regions are dealing with frigid temperatures and heavy snowfall. sayaka mori has the details. >> heavy snow is falling on japan side of the country. cold air is coming in from russia and that is something tremendous amount of heavy rainfall in many places. we also had the first snowfall of the season in places like kyoto and sunny weather across the pacific side of japan including tokyo. tomorrow, the weather will improve across western japan but not the case for the northwestern flank of the nationon. you'll see more snowfall and powerful winds continuing at least into y your saturdayay. thee risk of avalanches is getttting higher and higher dayy day. so, please, watch out for that. now, these are your expected highs on your saturday. minus 2 degrees in sapporo. staying below freezing for your sunday.

snowflakes and tokyo is going to be a little warmer. 13 degrees for the high with plenty of sunshine and nice weather will continue across the west, as well. now, a couple of high-pressure systems are causing beautiful weather across many portion of china, as well as mongolia, but looks like haze will develop over the weekend in the beijing area. a tropical system over the south of the peninsula and this system will continue to catch rainfall in the south of thailand, as well as cambodia. have 27 degrees. 0 degrees in taipei and minus 7 for the high and also beijing 7 degrees. haze will develop on your saturday. now, let's go to north america. a plume of moisture is causing a lot of heavy rainfall in california and also ice across most of the pacific northwest. now, let's go to some video from portland. a major snow storm hit central oregon on wednesday bringing frigid temperatures to the area.

the storm caused traffic accidents and forced the closure of some streets and highways, which trapped thousands of drivers in gridlock during rush hour. schools, government offices and other facilities were closed as the storm moved in. no immediate reports of storm-related injuries. now, the heavy snowmaker is pushing towards the east. bringing more heavy snowfall across the northern rockies and along this cold front there is a chance for torrential rainfall, especilyly in california. looks like flash flood warnings are in place i manany places of the state. and as we go intoto friday afteternoon, the sun wl cocome t in los angeleses area, but, instead, the phoenix area will see heavy rainfall on your friday. across the opposite side of the united states, there is another potent system and this system is also affecting atlantic canada wiwith blizzzzard conditions. visibility could be near zero. so, please watch out for the very dangerous driving conditions. now, temperatures are as follows. minus two degrees for the high in new york city, as well as

washington, d.c. but temperatures are expected to go up as we go into saturday. in fact, washington, d.c., could have 11 degrees on your saturday. across the central portions of canada, minus 23 in winnipeg. we're just about 15 degrees coerer tha avevera for t ts me of year. e coldir wilontinue to moveown towdshe south into your turday. as we gointo suay, as well you'llee signicant mperaturehange i just couplef ds or . then11 deees wh high on frid down t mus0 on you saturday. that meaou're just 1 hours, ough, tempetures expected to go down by about 30 degrees. stay safe. here's the extended forecast.

for updates and special reports, be sure to watch newsroom tokyo at the top8úxúñgq

>> hello and thanks for joining us on "france 24." these are our top stories. the evacuation of thousands of civilians and fighters from aleppo is currently suspended following reports of what syrian officials call obstructions. extremely scurrilous is how the kremlin is describing accusations from the white house that vladimir putin personally meddled in the u.s. presidential race. and authorities in c w