welcome back to nhk "newsline." i'm kanako sachno. there's been angry reaction to the japanese defene minister's visit to a shrine . it was her first official visit since assuming the defense portfolio and it came a day after she accompanied the prime minister on his trip to pearl harbor. >> traranslator: u.s. president

barack obama visited the atomic bomb city of hiroshima earlier thisis year and the jajapanese e minister has paid tribute to the war dead in n waii's peaearl harbor. i visit here looking to the future with hopes of building peace for japan and the world. >> visits to the shrine by japanese officials spark criticism from neighboring countries. south korea's government was quick to react. >> translator: seoul cannot condone the visit by a japanese politician in a responsible position to the shrine. it glorifies japan's colonel rule and war of aggression. >> he says japan can only win the trust of its neighbors by

facing its history. she was asked ahead of time about expected a angry reaction by south korea and china. she said the acts of expressing gratitude to those who dedicated their lives to their country would be understood by anyone regardless of their historical views. nhk has learned that the u.s. military wants to resume midair refueling training of controversial aircraft in early january. the drills were suspended after an osprey crash landed in southern japan earlier this month. the osprey was destroyed when it wentown in s shallow waters off the coast of okinawa prefecture. the u.s. military says the crash was caused when an osprey propeller hit a hose on an air tanker during a drill. the fleet of aircraft was grounded after the accident for a safety review. flights were resumed less than a week later after officials said they didn't find any problems.

the u.s. military told the japanese government it would resume refueling training afaft taking a number of steps including a review of traiainin procedures and conducting flight simulation exercises. the japanese government has asked the u.s. to provide an update on the enhanced safety measures before restarting the drills. an earthquake hit t north o tokyo on wednesday night, shaking some buildings and causing minor damage. the japan meteorological agency estimates that the tremor had a magnitude of 6.3. >> traranslator: thingngs fell top of me when the quake hit. i got a nasty shock. >> officials at the nuclear regulation authority say there were no abnormalities at nucuclr power plants or related facilities. weather officials urged residents around the epicenter to stay alert.

they say quakes of the same strength could occur in the next few days. 'tis the season for holiday traffic. as 2016 comes to a close, many japanese are heading to either their hometowns or get aways for the new year holiday period. the exodus from major cities began on thursday. train operators say many shinkansen bullet trains are fully booked. some travelers are taking advantage of a new line linking tokyo and the northernmost prefecture of hokkaido. translator: i'm going back to hokkaido to rest at my parents' place. the new line is very convenient. >> many domestic flights from tokyo are also packed full. passengers have formed long lines at the city's haneda airport. the airport near tokyo is also busy with travelers going abroad. >> translator: i'm going to the maldives. i'm looking forward to see something there.

>> translator: we are traveling to sri lanka. >> translator: i want to enjoy local cuisine because i love sri lankan food. >> the airport operator says on thursday alone around 50,000 people are expected to leave for destinations overseas. china and japan have agreed to move forward with talks on a new free trade deal. the decision comes as it's looking more likely that the agreed upon tranans-pacific partnership is dead in the water. officials from both countries met in tokyo on wednesday. they agreed to advance talks on the regional comprehensive economic partnership. the 16-member countries in the new deal would include japan, china, and southeast asian countries, but not the united states. u.s. president-elect donald trump has said he plans to kill the tpp accord once he's in office.

the agreement required u.s. approval to come into effect, which is why countries are looking for alternatives. china wants to make rcep the basis for trade rules in the asia-pacific region and they say japan wants the deal to enable free trade at the same level as the tpp. checking now on the markets. tokyo stocks ended lower on a stronger yen. ramin mellegard has the details from the nhk market studio. >> lower share prices in new york weighed on overall sentiment in tokyo most of the sectors were lower. also as the dollar fell against the yen. let's have a look at how the two major indexes closed out thursday, december 29th. 1919,145, down 12%2% for the nikkei and the broader topix, 1,518, down 1.2%. now, on to individual stocks, toshiba tumbled by double digit

percentage points for a third day in a row on continued concerns over huge losses coming from its nuclear business in the u.s. also some credit agencies cut the company's ratings. now, softbank shares also fell, although donald trump praised the company's ceo for adding 8,000 jobs in the u.s. through its subsidiaries. howewever, some ininvestorors a concerned this could weigh on its earnrnings. on the flip side, shares of takata surged d on news the maks of airbags couould settle charg by paying up to $1 billion. we have only one trading day left i in tokyo this year. we'll keep you updated up until the close on friday. ramin mellegard, nhk market studios. authorities in china's far western uygur region are

investigating a deadly bombing. attackers drove into a facility and detonated explosives. two people were killed and three others wounded. the bombing happened wednesday in the southern part of the region. the three attackers were shot and killed. authorities have not yet released their identities. violence has occurred in the region between uygur and chinese. china has completed a new high-speed rail link between shanghai and another city in the country's southwhwest. footage of a train was shown on television. it has a top speed of 350 kilometers per hour. the new service covers the more than 2,000 kilometer stretch in around 11 hours. the chinese government plans to build railway lines connecting the area with laos, vietnam, and myanmar.

part of an effort to spur growth. china's high speed rail links now extend over 20,000 kilometers. that's the longest in the world. a passenger train has derailed in northehern india. authorities say 62 people were injured, some of them seriously. railway authorities say the 15-car trainin came off ththe ts near the city of kanpur. the train was t traveling from west bengal to rajastn. there was reportedly dense fog in t t area at t the time of th deraililment. >> traralator: no o passengers e left in the derailed carriages or in the e ones that fell into the canal.l. everyone h has been rescscued. everyone has been sent t to the destinatioions after first aid d refrfreshments. >> india has one of the world's largrgest railway networks, but accidents s cur frequeuently du

to aging equipment and safety management. in november, 145 people were killed when a passenger train derailed also near kanpur. u.s. secretary of state john kerry says israel's construction of new settlements is jeopardizing peace in the middle east. kerry made the rebuke in a speech on wednesday. >> the israeli prime minister publicly supports a two-state solution. but his current coalition is the most right wing in israeli history with an agenda driven by the most extreme elements. the result is that policies of this government which the prime minister himself just described is more committed to settlements than any in israel's history. are leading in the opposite direction. they're leading towards one state.

>> he also noted that having palestinian state isis virtuall impossible unless settlement construction is stopped. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu called kerry's speech almost as unbalanced as the u.n.'s anti israel resolution. they passed a resolution last week calling for israel to stop construction of settlements in the west bank. the u.s. abstained from the vote, allowing it to pass. in response, u.s. president-elect donald trump tweeted, "stay strong, israel. january 20th is fast approaching." that's the day trump is to be sworn in as president. while reconstruction work continues in coastal parts of japan following the 2011 tsunami, many residents are still trying to rebuild their lives. helping to raisese spirits is a longstanding local event. nhk reports. >> reporter: this annual event is not a race.

nearly 1,000 participants this year choose between four tours of the city to enjoy the views of nature as well as areas in the reconstruction. it's been going on for years and the city government will launch this after the area was leveled by the 2011 tsunami. this 90-year-old has come every time to cheer the bikers on. >> translator: i brought pictures from last year. >> translator: i'll be waiting for you next year. >> reporter: organizers have added other activities. they conducted the special city tour the day before the main event. this person came from singapore to race here for the first time. he says he wants to witness the reconstruction process with his

own eyes. he looks at the buildings that were once used as a load station. the 40-meter high tsunami submerged almost all of it. they also entered an area that is off limits to the public where the damage was left unchanged. this huge amount of land is being preserved as a memorial park. >> reporter: this person is the local resident and will be staying with a new area. he tells about the city with sing porian monument. >> translator: after the tsunami, there was n no place t hold our events or meetings. it was hard on our spirits.

this magnificent h hall was bui because singapore donated a large amount of money. we feel very grateful. >> reporter: she is being hosted at a relative's house because the home was destroyed by a tsunami. she and her family went from one shelter to another and eventually ended up living here. >> translator: i'm very happy and grateful to be able to take care of others. i got to where i am thanks to the support of many people. ♪ happy birthday dear ang-san >> reporter: and after finding out about ang's 45th birthday, she secretly bought him a cake.

on the day of the event, okamoto gave ang a sendoff at the starting line. >> translator: please tell the people of singapore that we are grateful to them. >> if i choose to stay in the hotel, i will be alone in the room waiting for a race today. what i heard from the host and what i heard on the tour i get to learn more about the restoration effort. >> translator: when i meet with visitors and have a good time, it boosts my spirits. the accumulation of these experiences help us to move forward little by little. >> reporter: the scars left by the tsunami are still deep, but like okamoto, many residents think with these kinds of interactions they can turn the corner.

seigi ishikawa, nhk world. japan's auto industry provided much of the horsepower for the country's post-war economic growth. cars were being made in japan much earlier than that, though, as our next story shows, an innovative model from the 1930s is back on the road. >> reporter: the first compact four-wheel drive auto to be mass produced anywhere in the world. manufacturing stted in 1936. the former imperial army used the vehicles foreconnaissance and communication. when the war ended, production stopped. of the 4,700 cars that came out of the factory, only six were known to still be around. a few years ago, another one turned up at an auto repair shop in kyoto. this man owns the business. the car was manufactured in

1938. nagata's father bought it around 1955. >> translator: back then a four-wheel drive vehicle was rare. i still remember staff members taking it for a spin in their free time. >> reporter: eventually the car wore out. three years ago, a nonprofit group offered to revive it. the head of the organization visited to check on the vehicle's condition. the prognosis was good. >> translator: automobobiles ara way of undererstanding industri history. i want to restore the car so future generations can learn from it. >> t translator: more thanan anything i want people to know that this unique automobile was

made in japan. >> reporter: the car was transported to another city for restoration. original parts were used whenever possible. here's the engine as it was. after disassembling it, the team members concluded they could repair most of the parts. they also were able to rescue the door by replacing the bottom part with new steel plates. the driver's seat couldn't be salvaged. some other items, however, were switched out for components found at auction. they had been confiscated by the soviet army during the war. engaging this lever while pressing a button activates the turn signal. after two years, the car was ready to roll. the team refashioned the body's

curved shape and the original khaki color. >> translator: my mission has been making this car run again. that's kept me motivated to work hard all this time. >> reporter: auto enthusiasts turned out to see the fully restored car. >> translator: cool! >> translator: the body is round and smooth. it has a warmth that modern cars lack. >> reporter: nagata came from kyoto to watch the test run. >> translator: it's starting to move. wonderful. >> reporter: after decades, the engine was revving. >> translator: the car has been resurrected. i hope many people will get a chance to see it. >> reporter: eight decades is a long life span for any piece of

equipment, especially a car. thanks to the efforts of the restoration team, this one is like a kid again headed to the future in high gear. in a mass-produced world, artisans often struggle to compete, but some in a japanese tourist city have found a way. they have turned a traditional craft into new creations. nhk world reports. >> reporter: the pendant on this necklace is a powerful symbol. >> translator: you put it on your finger like this and push.

>> reporter: it is decorated with silk threads. these days, they have mostly fallen out of use. this woman makes the colorful symbols and turns them into jewelry here in her store. she said they are increasingly popular with foreign customers. >> translator: it's very detailed and sensitively worked. very beautiful. >> translator: it makes me very happy that overseas visitors like it when my decorative symbols are used as pendants or other jewelry. >> reporter: another local artisan creates lamp shades from washi paper. it's used to tie gifts and ceremonial envelopes. this material is used to make other items too. this object brightens the lobby of a local inn.

>> translator: my goal is to craft items that can be used by anyone, including peoplele from abroroad. i would like my work to become part of their daily lives. >> reporter: she is very particular about color. she orders custom made yarn in 133 shades with 15 varieties of red alone. her work has caught the eye of a fashion label. it has commissioned her to make cuff links. she discusses ideas with the president on the video call. >> so we're very excited about this collaboraration. and, you know, this is something that's very, very traditional and coming up with this line of cuff links.

>> reporter: these cuff links will debut in italy in january. >> translator: i want to come up with unique ways to use mizuhiki around the world, not just in japan. i'll be working hard to open up new markets. >> reporter: putting a modern spin on traditions, the artisans are injecting g innovation into their carts from the old days. residents in parts of southeast australia are dealing with sweltering conditions. our meteorologist sayaka mori joins us with details. sayaka? >> late december is typically the hottest time of year in australia. it has been extremely hot, in fact hotter than normal in parts of new south wales and queensland. the mercury hit 40 degrees on thursday. there's a high pressure system

and along the rim of the high pressure system northerly winds are flowing in. and heavavy rain is fallinin parts of victoria and sydney as well and that could cool things down as we go into saturday, but it's going to be another hot day in sydney on your friday with a high of 35 degrees. 2016 could be the hottest year on record for sydney. temperurures are expxpected to warm u up into the mid 30s as w go into the weekend for brisbane. let's go to asia. frigid cold air is in the north. the air quality level is quite bad across eastern portions of china and conditions will worsen as we go intnto the next couplef days in places s like jap.. acroross japan, sea efct s snows quite heavy. for the next 24 hours, this regionilill likelyy see an

additional 35 centimeters of snow and snow fell in part of kyoto and that created a beautiful scene. we have beautiful video out of the city of kyoto. in kyoto, the golden pavilion is covered in a blanket of snow. the roof of the unesco world heritage site turned white following the snowfall that started on wednesday. they were enjoying the view of the snow-covered temple. one woman said she is happy to see the symbol reflected. nice. now, temperatures expected to be warming up as we go into the next four days in kyoto. 13 degrees for the january 2nd on monday and tokyo will see quite warm temperatures on the first day of 2017. it's going to be march-like weather. across europe, a ridge of high pressure is causing beautiful weather across the west but there's a potent low pressure system over the balkan peninsula as well as t turkey. the system will cause widespread heavy snowfall and windy

conditions across many places. we will see heavy snowfall in many places and even athens could see some snowfall for the next three days. sleet is expected, as well, and kiev will see snonow persisting into saturday. let's go to north america. it's going to be quite well across the eastern areas of the united statetes. we mentioned severe weather across parts of the carolinas on your thursday. severe thunderstorms and large hail and even tornadoes. no wet weather is expected for both washington, d.c., as well as new york city. 7 degrees is the expected daytime high on your thursday in new york city. across the pacific northwest, chilly. five in vancouver with rainy weather. seattle will have 7 degrees with rainy weather. and across the south, nice and beautiful weather. for example, los angeles, 25 degrees with an abundance of sunshine on your thursday. that's it for now. up next is your three-day forecast.

that wraps up this edition of nhk "newsline."

i'm kanako sachno in tokyo. thanks very much for joining us. ú

>> a nationwide cease-fire in syria. the government in damascus has agrereed to put down its weapops starting at midnight. the cease-fire is being guaranteed by both turkey and russia. moscow says it will reduce its military presence in the country. bipartisanship. three u.s. dememocratic and republican senators including john mccain are calling for sanctions against russia. president barack obama is expected to announce a series of measures in response to allegations of hacking during the u.s. presidential election.