here in japan it's 7:00 p.m. on a wednesday. i'm james tengan. welcome to nhk "newsline." the u.s. president has delivered his first address to congress. donald trump revisited many of the themes he campaigned on, but with the country even more divided since he took office he tried to lay out a more positive path.

>> what we are witnessing today is the renewal of the american spirit. >> trump spoke about enforcing immigration laws, warning not doing so would cost jobs and lives, and he signaled new action. his previous immigration order triggered protests and was blocked by the courts. >> we cannot allow a beachhead of terrorism to form inside america. we cannot allow our nation to become a sanctuary for extremists. that is why my administration has been working on improved vetting procedures, and we will shortly take new steps to keep our nation safe and to keep those out who will do us harm. >> he addressed multiple issues including repealing obamacare, dealing with crime, and what he called national rebuilding.

>> i will be asking congress to approve legislation that produces a $1 trillion investment in infrastructure of the united states financed through both public and private capital, creating millions of new jobs. >> on foreign policy, trump reiterated what he wants from allies. >> we expect our partners, whether in nato, the middle east, or in the pacific, to take a direct and meaningful role in both strategic and military operations, and pay their fair share of the cost. have to do that. >> lawmakers' reactions throughout trump's speech diverged sharply by party. trump ended with a call for unity. to enact much of what he's outlined, he'll need members of congress to be on the same page.

during trump's address hundreds gathered in front of the white house to express their opposition to his immigration policy. the demonstrators are angry over the controversial executive order to temporarily ban the entry of people from seven mainly muslim countries. >> there's no evidence that people from those countries are trying to cause us harm. this seems to be based on fear and it's not based in our american values. we are a country of immigrants. that's who we are and that's who we should remain. >> immigrant thing ises horrifying. my father was an immigrant, her mother's an immigrant, we're a nation of immigrants. where are you going to draw the line? it's repulsive what he's doing. >> many u.s. media outlets have been credit contractual of the trump administration but this time their taupe was milder. nbc described his address as the most presidential so far. the broadcaster said trump made a greater effort to reach out to americans in his speech than he

did during his inauguration address. cnn said their poll of people who had watched the speech suggests that nearly 7 in 10 viewers think the president's proposed policies would move the country in the right direction. another of trump's media targets, the "new york times," said his speech offered a more optimistic vision of america and what he called the promises ahead. abc was more critical. it said the president's speech offered a host of familiar themes from his campaign, including building a wall along the country's southern border with mexico. two women accused of killing the north korean leader's half brother have been charged, and if convicted could face the death penalty. indonesian police brought them to court under heavy protection. the women, an indonesian and a vietnamese, were detained after kim jong-nam was attacked at kuala lumpur international airport and died. police believe they smeared a toxic nerve agent over his face. their charges identify the

victim as a man who held a north korean passport under the name of kim chol. they told the court they understood the contents of this charges. their lawyers met reporters. >> she said, "i'm innocent." >> they are innocent. >> the women claim they thought they were taking part in a tv prank, but prosecutors suspect they knew the material was toxic because they had been instructed to wash their hands afterwards. police say four other suspects from north korea have returned home. they've demanded pyongyang hand them over. they want to question an embassy staff member and an employee of the state-owned airline. the victim's body is at the center of a diplomatic row between malaysia and north korea. pyongyang is claiming it but

malaysia's health minister says unless they can obtain dna samples from the family to positively determine the identity of the body, it will not be released. south korea's prime minister has stressed his country will abide by an agreement with japan on those referred to as comfort women. huang, serving as acting president, delivered a speech to commemorate the movement for independence from japan's colonial rule that lasted from 1910 to 1945. >> translator: the two countries should are the the spirit of the agreement in implementing it. both sides must take efforts to ease the women's suffering and restore their honor and dignity. >> japan and southth korea reacd an agreement in late 2015 that calllled for japan too provide about $9 million to a foundation to support the women.

relations between the countries have taken a downturn since a civic group placed a statue of a girl symbolizing the women in front of the japanese consulate general in pusan last december. that prompted tokyo to recall its ambassador. since then the south korean government has urged municipal officials in pusan to remove the statue. the defense chiefs of the u.s. and south korea have been discussing how to deal with north korea. jim mattis and han min-goo spoke by phone and agreed to coordinate their policies closely. mattis said the u.s. is steadfast in its commitment to defending south korea. he said the u.s. will counter any attack on an ally and he warned there will be an effective and overwhelming response to any use of nuclear weapons. han said the joint exercises have greatly contributed to maintaining peace and stability on the korean peninsula. he said this year's drills would

be on a similar scale to last year's, which were the largest ever. the exercises will take two months and are aimed at dealing with north korea's nuclear and missile threats. they'll also use scenarios targeting the north korean leadership, including kim jong-un, and rehearse attacks on nuclear and missile facilities. the drills will include e compur simulations and landing operations by marines from both countries. share prices in tokyo showed strong gains after trump's speech. gene otani is here with the details. >> tokyo stocks surged in the afternoon. some investors bought shares on trump's comments about a large infrastructure package. our business reporter has more from the tokyo stock exchange. >> trump said he will ask congress to approve $1 trillion in infrastructure investment. a weaker yen boosted their

sentiment. take a look at the closing levels this wednesday, march 1st. the nikkei 225 added 1.4%, finishing at 19,393. the broader topix gained more than 1.1%. trump's suggestion of the trillion-dollar package lifted construction machinery makers in japan. komatsu and hitachi among them. trump also named sosoftbank amo those he creates with job-creation in the u.s. mazda motor and panasonic showed gains from fed sources indicating an interest rate rise as early as this month. outside of japan, markets across the asia-pacific showed limited reaction to donald trump's speech.

hong kong's hang seng index edged higher after days of losses. indonesia shares were down 0.4%. the shanghai composite inched higher to 3246. the official manufacturing pmi rose to its highest in three months, beating market expectations. that supported investor sentiment. singapore gaining to 3122. investors picked up bargain shares after three days of losses. banking shares led the gains. a government survey shows japanese companies have been seeing higher earnings. finance ministry officials say ordinary profits for the october to december last year hit their highest quarterly level in over 60 years. 30,000 firms earned almost 21 trillion yen. or over $183 billion during that period.

that's up nearly 17% from a year earlier in yen terms. companies also spent more on upgrading their facilities. capital investment rose to over $96 billion during the same period. that's up almost 4% from a year earlier. it's the first rise in six months. officials say manufacturers of smartphone components boosted production capacity to keep up with brisk exports. a rise in demand for construction of office buildings and other commercial property also pushed up the figure. japan's ministryy of ecocon, trade and industry wants to help domestic firms expand into the global aircraft manufacturing market. the ministry has signed a memorandum with the french government to have japanese companies deepen their ties with airbus. officials of the two governments and airbus attended the signing ceremony. the deal calls for regular meetings between france-based airbus and japanese firms with technologies that can be used for next-generation aircraft.

the trade ministry will also offer financial support to japanese firms expected to do business with the european aircraftmaker. airbus officials say they are seeking innovative technologies to develop airplanes for the future. they say they hope to find new partners in japan. qatar is wooing japanese businesses for opportunity in the country ahead of the 2022 world cup soccer finals and other sporting events. representatives from about 30 japanese firms took part in a seminar in the capital doha. the japanese side promoted products for sporting facilities including their construction materials and new building technology. qatari officials say they'll be placing more orders for infrastructure projects. these include an expressway to a sports stadium.

>> there's a market. so everybody is provide iing. japan could be one layer. >> delegates also visited one of the world's largest indoor sports facilities. they were briefed about a plan to double the s size of the ven. qatar will also host world championships in gymnastics and track and field as well as swimming. here's a look at some of the other business stories we're following. japanese electronics make er fujitsu will reduce the pay of seven of its executives for bid rigging. this penalty comes after the fair trade commission determined fujitsu was involved in price fixing for communications equipment sold to power companies.

major businesses across japan are kicking off their seasonal recruitment drives. the activities are targeting college students who will graduate in a year from now. an ongoing national labor shortage means it's going to be another seller's market. firms are holding meetings to explain their business activities and hiring processes. interviews are scheduled to get under way in june. rice is often served in a bowl, but it is increasingly appearing as bread and cakes. nhk world reports on the trend. >> reporter: this bakery in kumamoto prefecture is always filled with customers. they are flocking here to buy bread made mainly from brown rice flour. brown rice wasn't used to make bread until recently. it's difficult to process. this baker developed the first technology to do so.

it makes a brown rice flour base. brown rice bread is more nutritious. it has more vitamins and minerals than n ordinary brerea made from whwheat. >> translator: if it's healthy and also tastes good, there's nothing to complain about. i think that's better. both for my kids and for me as well. >> reporter: the bakery was started by a company that sells farm machinery. machine sales have fallen with the decline in the number of farmers. the company is trying to support ricece producers by promomoting use off brownwn rice flour in bakery products. >> translator: we need to work with farmers for our mutual benefit. we're trying to create a win-win situation by developing new markets that support farmers' products.

>> reporter: demand for rice flour is growing, especially overseas. in germany and britain, it is estimated that 1 of every 100 people suffers from celiac disease. they cannot digest the gluten protein in wheat. european supermarkets have shelves dedicated to gluten-free products. the currenent global market t i worth about $9 billion and is expected to grow. this rice flourmaker in kagoshima spotted a business opportunity. kojo started developing a rice flour for use in bread and cakes for people who can't eat wheat. kojo set out to make a bread from rice flour alone. he tested 400 batches of rice flour over a two-year period.

and finally created a blend that made the bread rise quickly. >> translator: it was a difficult task. i i was tossing it over in my md almost every night. >> reporter: last december kojo took his rice flour to germany. he even prepared traditional stollen cake to appeal to local tastes. >> translator: this stollen is delicious. it tastes just like stollen made from wheat. >> reporter: people were impressed with the taste. kojo's rice flour started selling. >> translator: i think there's no limit to the possibilities. my company will be working to promote rice flour and other japanese food traditions around the world.

>> reporter: kojo's rice flour is now available at 170 supermarkets across germany. >> you can catch our report together online together with a full transcript. look for nhk world and "business wrap." that's a look at business news. i'm going to leave you with the markets.

we're coming to you live from tokyo. japan's emperor akihito and empress michiko are in vietnam for a six-day visit. so far, the trip has included a meeting with the country's president and there's more to come. nhk world has the details from hanoi. >> reporter: the emperor and empress started their official visit by attending a welcome ceremony hosted by the president and his wife. it's their first overseas trip since the emperor alluded his fish to abdicatete office in consideration of his gradual

decline and phphysical conditit. the imimperial couple chatted wh ththe president and his s wife for nearly 30 minutes.s. >> reporter: the emperor and empress dedicated flowers to honor vietnam's founding father, ho chi minh. vietnamemese media report the state visit is a historical milestone. they say it opens a new chapter of friendship and cooperation between the two nations. people in vietnam also welcomed the imperial couple. >> translator: i hope we will further promote cooperation and

mutual exchanges. >> reporter: the emperor is expected to deliver a speech at a welcome banquet tonight. and the imperial couple will meet with the wives and children of former soldiers of the imimperial japanese army who remained in the country even after japan's surrender in world war ii. nhk world, hanoi. a group of japanese researchers has for the first time drawn up ethical guidelines for the use of artificial intelligegence. the move comes amid the rapid development towards autonomous a.i. the japanese society for artificial intelligence set up a committee three years ago to come up with the guidelines. and the group's 4,000 scientists decided on them tuesday. >> translator: the ethical guidelines are a good starter for discussion. we're hoping to create a.i. that

will benefit people from all walks of life. >> the guidelines say it's possible a.i. could be misused or abused and that scientists must make every effort to ensure it's put to beneficial use. they also called for prohibiting the direct or indirect use of a.i. to harm people. the group points out the possibility that artificial intelligence could increase inequality in society and stresses the importance of programming it to follow their guidelines. tokyo officials have revealed details of a report that outlines contamination concerns at the city's iconic tsukiji market. the report looked at the history ofof the site as part of the process to rereuse it after planned market relocation. it found the site housed a laundry facility for the u.s. military after world war ii. there are concerns toxic chemicals used at the facility leaked into the soil.

it also notes a maintenance facility for small transport vehicles set up inside the market uses materials that could have contaminated the ground. officials failed to test for soil contamination during past construction projects at the site. tokyo's goverernor downplayed t findings.. >> translator: basically, the site in tsukiji is covered witi concrete or asasphalt. i bebelieve there is neitherer safety nor legal problems in the area. >> the reporort puts t the gove in an awkward position. she delayed the relocation of the markeket because off contamination issues a at the n site. she says the move won't take place until test results are finished at toyosu. jonathan oh joins us with a world weather report, starting with conditions in the u.s. >> w we are looking g at anothe actitive pattern as s we go throughout the day wednesday for those slightly toward d the eas. but nevertheless, looks like

it's going to be a very stormy several hours, especially during the afternoon. we have bebeen monitoring this particular pattern since monday, because we were coconcerned d t there were going to be some very powerful storms. and indeed on tuesday we had at least one fatality reported because of these storms. and close to 200 storm reports when it comes to damaging winds, large hail, and yes, even tornados. plenty of warm moisture coming in from the south and cold air coming in from the north and west. and we take a look at the jet stream pattern. the jet stream is literally a train track where we see the fastest-moving air currents higher up in the atmosphere. when you have the winds coming down from the north and then really turning, that's called a trough. because it literally looks like a valley. but what happens is with that turn, that means that we're seeing a collision of colder air

and warm air together, and that leads to the very unstable weather. here's a look at wednesday's outlook. this map may look familiar for you watching 24 hours ago when we were looking at a similar setup with the enhanced risk of storms further toward the west over arkansas, missouri, parts of illinois. that focal point has now pushed toward the east as this system progresses further toward the coastal areas. but still the enhanced risk bringing the possibility of tornados, large hail, and damaging winds. all of that will be the possibility, especially for the enhanced locations, the greatest possibility as we go throughout the day on wednesday. for those of you looking at ohio, down toward portions of mississippi, alabama, tennessee, and kentucky, be on the lookout for this. i do want to point out that even in the marginal severe storm risk areas, as far south as louisiana and north as portions of massachusetts, those areas should also be of concern. the same areas in terms of marginal risk back toward the west on tuesday also saw severe storm reports taking place. the same areas may be of concern. evenen into the carolinawewe're lookoking at the possilityty of veryry powerful storms.

snow in the north into portions of ontario and also quebec, southern areas of the provinces, be on the lookout for that. rain, 22 in new york. 26 in d.c. this is very prime type conditions when it comes to severe thunderstorms. be on the lookout for that. very warm air toward the east. back toward the west, separate system brings some rain. cold rain with possibly some snow as we go through wednesday in vancouver and seattle. meanwhile we look at what's happening over japan. relatively calm. that's about to change. we have a low pressure system developingng back over the korn peninsula.a. that's going to stir things and up we're goioing to see the possibibility of maybe strong thunderstorms s as we go into thursday. heavy downpours not out of the question. wet all day. then we're going to see that shifting to the north when it comes to snow possibilities for sapporo and akita friday into saturday. korean peninsula, japan, wet for the next 24 hours. back toward china, looking at relatively dry conditions as high pressure controls the weather. 12 the high in beijing. 17 chongqing.

a little drier in shanghai and taipei as we go through thursday. wrapping things up with a look at europe, we do have a very well-defeded upper-l-level low toward the north and a very active pattern back toward the west as this low pressure system comes onshore. we're looking at some possible strong winds and thunderstorms as we go through wednesday. hope you have a good day wherever you are. here's your extended outlook.

more updates and special reports at the top of the hour on "newsroom tokyo." for all of us herea a a vp

>> struggling farmers are skeptical about their true intentions. >> this is "france 24." time for 60 minutes live around the world. these are the headlines.s. conservative french presidential candidate refuses to withdraw from the race despite ongoing corruption investigationon agait him. his campaign has been plagued with allegations he paid his life penelope for a fake job. donald trump gives a speech to congress long on a unifying tone andwe