it's the top of the hour. welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm james tengan. we start off with some developing news. toshiba's subsidiry westinghouse said it will file for

bankruptcy. gene otani joins us. >> toshiba says it will file chapter 11 bankruptcy as it tries to rebuild its financials. toshiba is expected to log a loss of about $6 billion this year. they plan to sell their majority stake in westinghouse and remove the subsidiary from the consolidate consolidated. tokyo stocks

phoebe amoroso has more. let's take a look at the closing levels for this tuesday, march 28th. nikkei finished at 19,202. the broader top ix rose 1.3%. oiler developer inpex and showa shell both closed higher. shares bounced back after a weaker yen, including sumco, panasonic and tokyo electron. but toshiba continued to struggle, closing down .5%. the nikkei was able to recover some of its losses from monday's session, but investors are still waiting for clarity on how and when trump will implement his fiscal stimulus plan.

i'm phoebe amoroso, reporting from the tokyo stock exchange. most other markets also ended higher. hong kong's hangseng gained. after the gdp figures were revised up slightly from the initial readings. sydney's s&p/asx index closed up. oil prices also supported the increase but the shanghai composite fell for the second day down .43% to 3252. the country's central bank skipped fund injection for a third straight day. workers in japan, cap on overtime hours and fairer treatment for nonregular

employees. the plan limits annual overtime to 720 hours and monthly overtime to less than 100 hours during a so-called peak month. revised c conditions for medica doctors are still under consideration. employers in construction and transportation will be grant aid five-year moratorium from the reforms but will not be exempt in the future. the plan will also promote the equal pay for equal work initiative, including allowing nonregular workers to sue for unfair treatment compared with regular employees. they will draft revisions to related laws. japanese electronic makers are creating some of their latest smart phones in india, the second largest market for the gadgets. competition is already fierce there, and the companies trying to attract customers by using next generation technology.

panasonic has introduced new smart phones equipped with a virtual assistant. they are developed and produced in india, analyzing user behavior. panasonic gave up on its consumer smart phone business once in 2013. the firm is hoping their new technology will gain new customers. >> our idea is to move beyond selling commodities and how do we make life more easy and more convenient. and we are working on building applications. >> another japanese electronics maker, sony, is planning to introduce high performance, high-priced phones ninda. india's smartphone market is now bigger than that of the u.s. part of the explosive growth comes from the country's prime

minister promotion of cashless policies. it led to an increase of devices that handles electronic money. that's a look at business news. i'm going to leave you with a look at markets. a high court is allowing a power utility to reactivate two nuclear reactors in central

japan. the court overturned the earlier suspension of operations that had been put in place due to safety concerns by residenents thee area. in march last year a district court ruled consi electric didn't sufficiently explain how it would deal with accidents. the high court ruled based on the latest science, and that they have met necessary measurements against earthquakes and tsunamis. locall resesidents showed their discontent. >> translator: only the court can stop the political momentum that will leadad to the restartf the political reactors. the court has failed to recocognize its role and

responsibility. >> the power company is now allowed to restart the reactors. >> translator: we will continue to put priority on people's safety and restart the number three and number four power plants. >> company officials say it will takeke a month to restart the plant as workers need to reinstall nuclear units. japan has decided not to attend the first round of u.n. talks on nuclear negotiations. an atomic bomb survivor had some harsh words.

nuclear powers have boycotted discussions. the aim will be to oppose nuclear weapons on the ground that they violate international law. the u.s. ambassador to the u.n. says no one believes north korea would agree to a ban. >> today when you see those walking into the general assembly to create a nuclear weapons ban, you have to ask yourself are they looking out for their people? did they really understand the threats that we have? >> the outlook for full disarmament has dimmed with u.s. president donald trump saying if other countries maintain nuclear arsenals, so will america. ngo groups also took part in the nuclear weapons bans negotiations. nhk world spokeke to one e of t

orgaganizationons. >> reporter: although the first sessions began without nuclear powers, one participant said the meetings are just a starting point. >> it's designed not to eliminate the weapons but to put pressure on those who currently possess weapons to honor their obligations and eliminate them in future negotiations. so the fact the nuclear weapons states are not participating is unfortunate, but that's the reality we've been living with for the last 40 years. >> reporter: the doctor reprpresents a group of health care workers called international physicians for prevention of nuclear war. the group educates people about nuclear weapons there a medical perspective. he says leaders don't understand the consequences of using nuclear weapons. he says even limited use could dedestroy the environment, possibly resulting in n a massi famine. >> we need to get people to understand that these weapons are essentially suicide bombs.

and if the states use them, they'll destroy themselves. >> reporter: a world without nuclear weapons is a long way away. he said it will take a lot more diplomacy to get there. he says continued public awareness and pressure could ultimately persuade companies. to give up their arms. emiko lenart, nhk world. malaysia's health minister says the body of the half brother of north korea's leader is still in kuala lumpur. whether it will be handed over to pyongyang is believed to be central to negotiations between the countries. they're trying to end a mutual travel ban put in place as diplomatic relations between them deteriorated. >> the body is still in the hands of the ministry. until such a time we get any information that it should be released or taken out, from the ministry of foreign affairs. and the embassy y department. >> the announcement poured cold water over speculation the

countries had reached a resolution to their standoff. that thinking was triggered by unconfirmed mededia rorts that kim jong-nam's body was moved and due to be flown out of the country. kim was attacked by a toxic nerve agent at an airport last month and later died. malaysia has not directly blamed the north but is investigating links to the country. amid escalating tensions over his death, the countries barred each other's citizens from leaving their respective countries, but two weeks ago, they started negotiating. malaysia is believed to be trying to secure the release of diplomats and their families trapped in pyongyang. north korea is thought to be demanding the handover of kim's body and to be pressing for the return of its nationals. they include those wanted for questioning in connection with the killing. police are investigating the death of a veietnamese girl.

the bodody off le thi nhnhat lis killed. there were signs of ststrangulation. they belieieve she may have bee abducted o on her way tochool friday morning. in febrbruary, the girl told on of her c classmates about a suspiciousus person. [ speaking foreign language ] >> a man who belongs to a local crime prevention group says volunteers used to see the girl on her way t to school but did t see her on the morning s went missing. >> translator: only locals would know the way around here. >> police are searching for information on suspicious people in the area. south korean officials say unidentified remains have been found while a sunken ferry was

being moved. the sewol sank years ago, killing mostly high school students on board. nine remain unaccounted for. it's not clear if the newly found remains belong to any of them. workers finished raising the sunken ferry last friday. they're preparingng to m move i a port aboutut 90 kilometers aw. an official with the ministry of oceans and fisheries announced a worker found the remains on the deck of the vessel that will transport the ferry. it happened as the sewol was being drained. the remains were not new, suggesting they could be from missing victims. all operations have been suspended while the deck of the transport vessel is searched.

some businesses here in japan are making inroads into a market catering to working women in high positions. >> reporter: these women are all ceos or managers. they're here for the launch of a new jacket. the firm that designed the piece aims to sell high-end business outfits to women in senior positions. it produced the item especially for these executives. it costs more than $700 just for the jacket. the stretchy wool is wrinkle free for greater comfort. there are five internal pockets. there's even a little pocket for lipstick. the target audience is impressed. >> translator: i like how i can put my business cards in the pocket. >> translator: it's really

versatile. i can wear it in different business situations. it's a new type of jacket and i would buy it. >> reporter: the clothing brand sent its designers to talk to the women and find out what they want. >> translator: many women in their 30s and 40s come to look for businesswear for management positions. we have a chance to design more clothes for these women. >> reporter: it's about 11:00 on a thursday night in central tokyo. most people in this business area are thinking about taking the last train home but some will be checking into this hotel instead. these women work nearby and are regular visitors to this hotel. these hotels are made up of small rooms. this one has more than 230. the room may look small but it's actually spacious. i can move around. inside is a single bed and flat

screen tv. each room has a s shade f for privacy. >> translator: it's clean and i feel safe here. and it's close to my office. i'm a frequent user. >> translator: i've got an early business meeting tomorrow so i'm staying here beforehand. >> reporter: traditionally, these hotels were geared toward men who needed a cheap place to crash but some are trying to change that. managers here have assigned one floor just for women. the showers have free toiletries like shampoo and body wash. there's even a lounge with a working space. you need an electronic key to enter the rooms and other facilities for better safety. it's around $30 a night, less than most business hotels in tokyo. >> translator: i want to provide everythihing for our customers they don't have to bring

anything. many people are using the lounge for work. i would like to install a fax and photocopier for them in the future. >> reporter: as japanese women taste greater success in the workplace, the opportunities for businesses will only increase. akiko okamoto, nhk world, tokyo. even people who don't keep up with opera know the name placido domingo. his performances have put him in touch with huge audiences across the globe. he held a recital here in tokyo. we spoke with him about how his relationship with japan developed over the decades, especially after the 2011 earthquake. ♪

>> reporter: domingo has a voice known around the world. domingo is no stranger to japan. he has held recitals and appeared in operas here for more than 40 years. >> japanese public is -- they really love music. they really love opera. and the sensibility of the public is tremendous. >> reporter: the 2011 earthquake and tsunami set off a crisis of confidence among performers in japan. many musicians from overseas canceled performances, but domingo came to sing, just one month after the disaster. >> this concert, which of course is made fofor you to try to fin some moments of consolation. >> reporter: he chose the

japanese song for an encore. it means hometown. domingo sang in japanese and invited the audience to join in. ♪ >> i know it's a song that's very deep for the japanese people. the deepness of the music, it can help people, so then we could be together in a moment like this. >> reporter: the disaster reminded him of the hardships he himself endured some 30 years ago. domingo spent many years in mexico. a serious earthquake there in

1985 injured friends and relatives, some died. >> i'm living ththe tragedy ver close because i have my relatives under that building. >> reporter: domingo himself took part in rescue efforts and held benefit concerts for a year. >> one cannot explain the pain that happens and how many people there were in the same conditions t that people have bn now in japan, six years ago. >> reporter: at the recent recital in tokyo, he once again chose this song for the encore. ♪

>> just trying to say that whatever happens in life, we should -- we have to continue. so i hope that they recover. ♪ >> reporter: marie yanaka, nhk world. tens of thousands of people were evacuated in eastern australia, being pummeled by the

strongest storm in recent years. jonaththan oh has the details. >> at this point, the system continues to move over land even though the central area, the actual eye of the storm has made landfall, don't let that fool you. this storm has been making its impact late monday night throughoutut the mororning hour tuesday before the central point of the storm came onshore. now that it is onshore, it is slowly moving to the south and west. that will mean flooding rainfall and continued strong winds as we go into wednesday. take a look at this video from queensland in bowen. this is t the scenene of what t plplace throughout the morning hours. the story is ununfolding right here, can y you tell,, b by they rainfall and destrtrtion from the very strongg winds blowing through the area. some gusts were reported up to 106 kilometers per hour and more than 1 125 millilimeters of rail have been reported since yesterday morning.g. so, yeah,, it's a pretty seriou situation when it comes to this

particular system moving through the area. let me show you some of the other statsts of this storm tha will g give you an idea how strg debbie actually is. gusts at hamilton island were 262 kilometers per houour and m williamm we're seeing rainfall totals hitting 470 millimeters in 24 hours. that is a huge amount of water that's moving through the area. and we are concerned that this will continue to be the story as we go throughout the next couple of days. the systems moving southwest at 12 kilometers per hour, gusting to 205. and now it is a category three storm. the bigger threat, eventually -- and it still is, but it w will continue to o be -- the heavy rainfall. the winds will eventually die down, but thehe heavy rainfnfal will continue to be part of the story. so those of you in townwnsville mackay, some of you will be dealing with an additional 250

millimeters. some of you will see more than that as we go through the next couple of days. strong winds along with heavy rainfall continues on wednesday. we go into thursday, some places upup towards a north a little b sunnier but then we'll see that rainfall stillll stayingng arou till thursday and friday. stay on the lookout for that. we go to north america a and we have one low pressure area moving to the deep south. that produced some strong storms throughout the day on monday. another low is now developing in the desert southwest. that will move to the southern plains and lead to the possibility of stronong to seve thunderstorms for those of you locateinin texas, into oklahoma be on the lkk as you may even see a possible tornado along with strong straight line winds and maybe some large hail as well. look at the difference in the temperatures here we're expecting on tuesday. 20s from oklahoma city southward and in denver, that is going to really be a flash point as it goes throughout the day on

tuesday. in europe, much calmer. high pressure is the big story. we do have a little bit of moisture towards the north and east into portions of russia so we're looking at the possibility of seeing some snow in moscow on tuesday. 20s in places like berlin with sunny skies on tuesday. as we wrap things with a look in east asia, we have rain in southern portions of china and west of the korean peninsula. that will bring clouds as we go into wednesday. partly cloudy skies as we go to the middle of the work week. hope you have a good day wherever you are. here's your extended outlook.

for more news and special reports be sure to watch newsroom tokyo at the top of the hour. for all of usqwueeewep@1@x

>> hello. you are watching live from parents -- from paris on france 24. i am michelle with you for the next hour. amnesty international is pointing fingers at the u.s. led coalition in iraq accusing them of not doing enough to prevent civilian casualties in the ongoing battle to stamp out the islamic state group. 25,000 people forced to evacuate and 45,000 homes left without power. inyclone makes landfall north ns