it's 7:00 p.m. here in japan. i'm james tengan. we start off with a look at some of the stories we're following. in his upcoming meeting with the american president, japan's prime minister hopes to build a strong bond. a pitched battle. donald trump indicates he may take the growing legal case over

his controversial travel ban to the supreme court. and keeping it cool. people in northern japan are lining up to save for an all-white winter spectacle. the annual sapporo snow festival. japan easiest prime minister says he hopes to build trust with donald trump when they meet friday and it seems the new mesh president feels the same way. the u.s. has officially announced shinzo abe is going to trump's private resort in florida. a spokesperson says it's sending a good signal. >> this is a testament to the importance the united states places on the bilateral relationship and the strength of our alliance and the deep economic ties between the united states and japan. >> trump and abe are slated to travel together on air force one after their first meeting at the white house. the u.s. president also plans to host a dinner and play a round of golf with the japanese leader. >> i will be the greatest jobs producer that god ever created.

>> one major issue the two will discuss is trade. trump has criticized japan's auto market, saying it's closed. he's also accused the country of manipulating its currency through financial and foreign exchange policies. that has caused alarm in tokyo and put it on the defensive. but abe is going in with the aim of forging a strong bond. he hopes that can help resolve some of the issues and he's expected to propose a plan to promote growth and create jobs in the u.s. that will involve infrastructure investments and the other projects. >> a u.s. federal appeals court has held a hearing over trump's controversial travel ban. the judges heard arguments by the administration and the state of washington, which is challenging the immigration restrictions. the appeals court will likely announce its decision this week. the hearing by the ninth u.s. circuit court of appeals was conducted over the phone. a lawyer for the administration urged the court to reinstate the travel ban.

>> congress has expressly authorized the president to suspend entry of classes of aliens when it is necessary or when otherwise it would be detrimental to the interests of the united states. >> the state of washington warned there would be more confusion if the ban is restored. >> it has always been the judicial branch's role to say what the law is and to serve as a check on abuses by the executive branch. that judicial role has never been more important in recent memory than it is today. >> trump's executive order imposed a temporary ban on entering the u.s. for all refugees and people from seven predominantly muslim countries in the middle east and africa. last week a federal district court in washington state blocked the order nationwide. the trump administration took the case to the appeals court. trump suggested he will take the case to the supreme court if necessary.

>> we're going to take it through the system. it's very important. it's very important for the country. regardless of me or whoever succeeds at a later date. we have to have security in our country. >> in congress, homeland security secretary john kelly admitted he should have delayed the rollout of the ban. >> i should have delayed it just a bit so that i could talk to members of congress, particularly the leadership of committees like this, to prepare them for what was coming. >> kelly defended the ban as a necessary measure against terrorist attacks. he said the administration is not considering adding more countries to the list. as trump's travel restrictions remain on hold, many people are rushing to the united states. at an airport in cairo, families of syrian refugees gathered to leave. this man and his family are on their way to chicago. they were notified they could emigrate last month after fleeing war-ravaged syria three years ago.

but trump's immigration order had put their plans on hold. >> translator: i panicked because it happened after we had sold all of our belongings. now i'm happy and want to learn english in america, send my children to school. >> with the court's decision coming soon, many fear the order could suddenly be enforced again. the world of sports is japan's defense minister says the country's self-defense unit in south sudan is enforcing peace keeping according to regulations and no fighting is taking place where sdf personnel is deployed. activity logs of the sdf unit from july contain the word "fighting." >> translator: the document does include the word "fighting" as a general term, but it does not mean acts of combat in a legal sense.

>> local government and opposition forces clashed fiercely in july. nearly 300 troops and civilians died. japan's self-imposed restrictions limit sdf operations to areas where a cease-fire is imposed. >> translator: we do not believe there were acts of combat carried out as part of international armed conflict such as killing and wounding people or destroying things. therefore, we believe our principles on peacekeeping operations were maintained. >> the sdf records were released on tuesday. defense ministry officials had said the logs had been destroyed, but this week the officials said the documents had been found in a department that hadn't been checked. a special adviser to the united nations says last month saw more than 52,000 people flee ongoing ethnic violence in south sudan for neighboring uganda. the adviser says he's gravely concerned the situation could result in mass atrocities.

u.n. special adviser on the prevention of genocide released a statement on tuesday saying the refugees are coming mainly from southern parts of south sudan, including the area that is a focus of ethnic violence between government and opposition forces. the u.n. says many of those displaced describe killing of civilians, destruction of homes, looting and sexual violence. it says government forces have reportedly restricted access by u.n. peacekeepers to the area and have prevented civilians to the border from escaping to uganda. an mhk reporter quotes south sudan saying government soldiers are killing civilians. south sudan's president salva kiir denied any such incidents last month in an interview with nhk.

he instead accused the rebels of slaughtering women and children. a country club near tokyo that's set to host golf at the 2020 olympics is under fire for its membership rules. women are not allowed to be full members, and that's got people calling for change. >> reporter: in japan, there are many golf lovers. over the past week, the sport's been getting extra attention. but it's got nothing to do with the game itself. >> translator: i think it's a bit outdated. >> reporter: what she says is outdated is a policy that's been in place for decades. the 80-year-old kasumi country club is taking heat for barring women from becoming full members. as the host golf club for the

2020 tokyo games, that's something critics say is unolympic. the controversy has surprised the men at the club. >> translator: it's an extremely troubling situation for us. we are suddenly involved in a political controversy. >> reporter: club officials say they explained their policy to the ioc two years ago. the clubub says ile women cannot be full members, they can still be part members.s. they say that allows them to play more than 90% of the days through the year. the head of japan's sports agency says that's not good enough. >> translator: i believe the olympic events should be held at a club where men and women are equal under its rules. >> reporter: historically, golf country clubs have been

male-only areas. but times have changed. three years ago, the world-renowned golf course, st. andrews in scotland, opened its doors to women. some of the world's most-prestigious golf clubs have also joined in changing their ways. this golf expert agrees things are changing, but says you can't force a club to alter its rules. > translator: there's a trer for even private clubs t to eradicate discrimination. but it's something the board membmbers must decide. >> reporter: we put in an interview request with the coununtry club but no board memr was made available. anan official did say they wanto take time to hear from their members so they haven't set a specific timetable for a decision and added they need further direction from the ioc.

meanwhile, female golfers say something needs to change. >> translator: i think there's no choice but to change the venue if this issue continues to get bigger. >> translator: we better stick to the principle of gender equality, whicich is the origig olymympic principle. they have time to change the rules. >> reporteter: if the membershi rules don'n't change, japan cou end up going as far as reviewing the plan for which club will play host for the olympics. shinsuke ide, nhk world, tokyo. u.s. meat industry executives are urging president trump to open bilateral trade talks with japan. the move comes ahead of the summit scheduled for friday between trump and prime ministsr shinzo abe.

officials at the national cattlemen's beef association and the national pork producers council association have sent a joint letter to the president. they say japan is their highest-value export market for both beef and pork. the two groups say they want deals to replace the transpacific partnership. they had been pushing for an early implementation of the tpp. the letter says the tpp could have netted them an annual increase of over $1.2 billion in exports as well as 9,000 u.s. jobs due to higher sales stemming from lower tariffs. japanese electronicsmaker sharp is considering building a plant in the u.s. to make liquid crystal displays. the proposal follows calls by president trump for more investment and jobs in america. the sharp executives say they aim to start construction in the first half of this year and have the production lines moving within three years. they add that their parent company, taiwan's hon hai precision industry, also known

as foxcon, will be covering some of the costs. they'll ask other japanese firms to pitch in as well. the head o of hon hai, terry go said last month he's thinking about investing more than $7 billion in the u.s. to build an lcd factory. u.s. trade authorities say u.s. trade authorities say cheap chinese materials used for paving roads are hurting american makers. officials have decided to impose punitive duties on the synthetic products. it will be the first new tariff on chinese imports under president trump. officials at the u.s. international trade commission announced their final determination on the case. they say the chinese government subsidizes manufacturing and the products are sold at unfairly low prices in the u.s. the commerce department will impose an anti-dumping duty ofo 372% on the materials. the department may also add a tax of up to 152% to offset the effects of beijing's subsidies.

department officials had decided on the rates during the obama administration. turning to the markets, tokyo shares edged higher higher. for detail wet go to our business reporter at the tokyo stock exchange. >> share prices here were choppy throughout the day despite gains on wall l street. investors w were eyeyeing a sum between japan and the u.s. later this week and political uncertainties in europe also kept traders on edge. but positive earnings ultimately pushed stocks higher. let's take a look at the closing levels this wednesday, february 8th. the nikkei 225 gained .5% and closed above the 19,000 mark for the first time since public 1st. the broader topix rose by about the same margin. among the outstanding stock performers was asahi glass with a jump of more than 9%.

sharares of mitsubishi chemical holdings and trading house matsui and company were also sharply higher after upward revision of their earnings guidance. checking on currencies, political uncertainty capped overnight games in the dollar which moved in a tight range against the safe haven yen. currencies will be on ininvesto' minds as prime minister abe meets with president trump on friday in washington. market players are concerned about trump's recent criticism of the yen and his trade policies. we move on to other markets in the asia-pacific region. the shanghai composite ended at a one-month high at 3166. worries over the country's foreign reserves capped gained. seoul's kospi ended at 2065. losses in market heavyweights like samsung dragged down the

index. hong kong's hang seng rose by 0.7%, an increase in capital from mainland china boosted the index to a 15-week high. sydney rose for a second day to add .5%. here's a look at some of the other business stories we're following. a a tie-up between ntt doco and britishsh media perform gro will stream live results fromm laterhis momonth. about 130 types of sports events will be available. they include major league baseball and german top-division bundesliga soccer. japanese finance ministry officials have announced the country's second-largest current account surplus on record. the figure for 2016 came in at over 2012 yen about $184

billion, up 26% from 2015. it's the largest surplus since 2007. contributing factors include lower energy costs and cheaper imports on a stronger yen. suggling japanese electronics firm toshihiba is planning further cuts to all executive pay. this comes in the wake of massive losses stemming from the company's u.s. nuclear power busineness. toshiba started cutting executive compensation two years ago after an accounting scandal came to light officials say the company will also consider withholding executive bonuses in fiscal 2017. the number of taxi users in japan has plummeted by 25% over the last decade. and taxi companies are eyeing the capital's growing numbers of foreign tourists to help fill the gap. nhk world's daisuke azuma reports. >> reporter: last week, taxi firms across tokyo changed their fare structure.

most taxies operating inin the center of the city have slashed their base fare to 410 yen for jujust over a kilometer. that's nearly $3 less than the old fare, which ran for the first two kilometers. the new rate is intended to encourage more people to take short trips. operators hope families with small children or the elderly will take cabs more often. the taxi industry is especially pinnnning its hopes on foreign visitors. 24 million tourists a year now visit japan. but one survey found nearly six in ten thought tokyo taxis were too expensive. although distances differ, the starting taxi fare in new york is $2.50. in seoul, it's $2.63. companies in tokyo hope that by bringing down the base fare in

line with other cities, they can encourage more foreign visitors to jump into cabs. >> it would be good if the prices go down. >> it will make more people use them. >> yeah. >> reporter: the languagage babarrier is another reason why foreign visitors sayay they don use taxis in japan. one taxi compapany has created smartphone app that lets people callll for a cab even if they he no japanese languagege skills. usining the app is easy. just choose your pickup point and destination on the map. when the driver receives a request, the customer is given the reservation number and the approximate e waiting time. last month this taxi firm started the services in chinese and korean in addition to english. >> translator: we're hoping that customers use this simple process to call a cab. since all they need to do is check where they are with their

gps. >> reporter: another taxi firm is trying out the new system with tech giant kddi and others to launch a service by 2020. they're installing voice translation systems in chartered taxis. >> the temple is in front of you. >> reporter: when the driver or passenger speaks into a microphone, a computer gives a translation in text and out loud. >> i am interested in some good restaurants in this area. >> there are many inexpensive restaurants. what would you like? >> the idea is good and the system works well for the small questions and for fast questions.

>> translator: i'm hoping this system will help attract more customers from various countries. >> reporter: the 2020 tokyo olympics is expected to send the visitor numbers soaring, and taxi companies are working hard to make sure they are ready. daisuke asuma, nhk world, tokyo. >> you can catch our report again online together with a full transcript. look for nhk world and "business wrap." that's it for business news. i'm going to leave you with the markets.

people from around the world are making their way to hokkaido in northern japan to take in a dazzling winter display. they're heading to sapporo for an annual festival features hundreds of snow sculptures and much more. nhk world's sayaka mori is there to check out the displays. >> reporter: hello. at the moment, the temperature is right at the freezing point. it's biting cold. but that's not keeping the crowds away. back behind me is one of the star attractions at sapporo's snow festival. it's a gigantic snow culp tour. it's 20 meters wide and 11 meters tall, and get this, it took 500 truckloads of snow to make it. it's amazing. we're in the heart of sapporo. it's where most of the action is taking place. there are roughly 200 ice and snow sculptures for this year's

event and the majority of them are located here. now the theme of the sculpture changes every year. and at this site, the organizers chose to recreate a scene from the japanese video game called "final fantasy 7." it's a big hit around the world, so that's drawing attention from quite a lot of tourists. now every year, 2 million people come to this event and over 100,000 of them are foreigners. the winter season is especially popular for those who come from asian countries that don't get snow, and they're not just here to see ice sculptures. actually at another venue a bus ride away from here, people can enjoy all the fun that snow has to offer. for those enjoying the powdery white stuff for the first time, there's a perfect photo opportunity.

the organizers have prepared nearly 20 types of outdoor activities. for people who feel the need for speed, there's a 100-meter-long snow slide. and if you're feeling artistic, there's a chance to learn how to make a cup out of ice. >> translator: we can't experience this in taiwan. it's very well organized. >> it's something new. we don't have it back home. it's nice to play around. >> reporter: the organizers have made sure to accommodate the growing number of foreigners. >> translator: we're aiming to get even more people to come to our snow festival. >> reporter: after a long day playing in the snow, hungry visitors are in for a treat. hokkaido is just as famous for its cuisine as its frosty winter weather. tourists can sample a wide

variety of food statalls set up along the venueses. here's one that caught my eye, a seafood platter, including shells,, shrimp, and abalone, al kinds of delicious delicacies. so fun in ththe snow, a mouth-watering meal. these are some e of the things u can enjoy at this site. the festival runs through sunday, february 12th. it's definitely worth checking out. >> sculptures are especially breath-taking at night with all the illumination. stay work, sayaka. thanks for that report. here's the three-day world weather outlook.

people have been flocking to see the sumptuous interior of the state guest house in tokyo after it opened for public viewing last year.

the building is designated as a national treasure. it was built in 1909 and is mainly used for state guests. the government made the state guest house open for public viewing all year round last april. to help attract more foreign tourists. officials say around 540,000 people visited the building from april through december. most were japanese. the officials say they'll try to attract more visitors from other countries. this room is called the asahino ma, or morning sunlight room. it's where state guests meet the emperor and empress.s. the room opened to the public last week. it will be closed for about two years from next week for renovations. >> translator: i usually see the state guest house from outside. this was my first time to see the inside. it was just awesome. >> translator: i really felt as if we were in europe. it was wonderful.

>> an official says he wants people who visit the guest house to enjoy its many beautiful rooms. and that's itvp

>> here in the french capital you are watching live from paris on france 24. guilty as charged. the russian opposition leader is found guilty at a retrial for embezzlement charges meaning that he can't challenge president putin in next year's election. no end in sight as protests in romania continue for eight consecutive days. the government is facing a vote of no-confidence in the parliament. mogadishu is on