north korean authorities conducted an underground nuclear test last week, and they're threatening more action. the head of the foreign affairs will head to china. japanese diplomats say he'll

call on the chinese to help adopt a new u.n. security council resolution, authorizing more sanctions against north korea. he's also expected to ask to persuade north korean authorities not to conduct anymore nuclear or missile tests. the problem is chinese leaders urge their allies to hold off on the test, but president north koreans did it anyway. now some people in china want their government to rethink their relationship. here's more from beijing. >> reporter: north korea conducted the nuclear test while people in china were celebrating the lunar new year. a spokesperson for china's foreign ministry criticized the action. >> translator: we have released a strong statement regarding north korea's nuclear test. we have made it clear that china is resolutely opposed to this kind of action.

>> reporter: this footage was shot in a city in northeast china. people can be seen strolling and going about their business across the border in north korea. the close proximity of the two countries raises concerns in china that its neighbor's nuclear program could undernine security. xi jinping has opposed the nuclear tests. he discussed peace and security on the korean peninsula with a special envoy from south korea. he said china continues to maintain that eliminating nuclear arms and prevents per forrations of mass weapons.

>> translator: china should be tougher on north korea. nuclear weapons are deadly. i think we should solve this problem by imposing diplomatic sanctions. >> translator: china is too lenient on north korea. our national security and interests are at stake. we should stand more firmly against the north koreans. >> reporter: but many of china's newspapers took relatively cautious positions on the issue. one called for tightening sanctions against the north. china has not shared close ties with its neighbor, but now that china has achieved the world's second largest gdp, it's got priorities to maintain steady economic growth. tensions created by north korea's nuclear program could threaten that goal. >> we spoke with our reporter in

beijing and asked how china is reacting. >> chinese officials seem stunned and bitter. a chinese expert on security issues explains. >> translator: right up to the last china's foreign ministry had tried to talk the north out of the test. north korea's action amounts to a diplomatic challenge against china. china has lost face diplomatically. it's an extremely troubling incident for chinese officials. >> there is only so much china can do to influence what north korea decides, but china can still have some influence with its exports and food aid.

for instance, after taking into account international reaction, china could cut energy supplies and limit trade. this would result with provocative pressure against the north. but harsher sanctions are believed to be a long way off. he's the professor again. >> translator: it's the north korean people who would have to pay the price for sanctions. spring will soon arrive in north korea. it will be an off-crop season, and the supply of crude oil will be tight, so china will carefully study what sanctions to take. >> chinese officials want to avoid driving the north korean regime into a corner. that would result in the country's collapse. they fear that would cause a

massive number of north koreans to pour into the northeast. the result would be chaos. the chinese are seeking a negotiated settlement to the north korea nuclear program through the six-party talks. the chinese are long-time allies of north korea. they also share the talks. china will try to bring a peaceful settlement to the nuclear program. ron madison is here with the latest on the data that's out. >> yeah, trade between the two economic power houses really taking a hit, gene. in fact, japan posted a record trade deficit with china last year. that is due to strained bilateral relations and also a slow down in the chinese

economy. officials at the japan external trade organization say that the trade deficit came to more than $44 billion. that's just about double the amount in 2011. the shortfall topped the previous record set in 2005. exports to china amounted to nearly $145 billion. that was down more than 10% from the previous year. it was the first drop in three years. now, falling exports of cars and construction machinery were the main factors here. on the other hand, imports from china rose 3% to roughly $190 billion. that was attributed to growing imports of smart phones and food products, including meat. let's see what happened on the markets here in asia. stocks were pretty mixed this tuesday. not a lot of clear direction out there today. the nikkei shed 0.3%. shanghai stocks down 1.6% today

while hong kong shares lost 1%, sinking to a one-month low. european shares are looking like this. they are trading higher today on better business sentiment data out of germany. london is up by 0.3%. we have gains of 0.75% in france. the dollar is losing ground against the yen after the japanese finance minister denied the central bank would buy foreign bonds. the dollar/yen right now at 93.50. the japanese companies are teaming up to win a contract for taking part in a giant offshore oil development project in brazil. they have set up a joint group to build a huge oil rig. the group includes five

machinery makers and shipbuilders. >> translator: we have established this group hoping to provide a place where enthusiastic engineers from various companies can come and work together. i hope they will pool their knowledge and ideas and help develop the technology that we need. >> well, as a first step, the group will develop technology for building a facility called the logistic hub off the coast of rio de janeiro. that's where the brazilian government's $100 billion oil development project is under way. this oil field is located some 2,000 meters under the sea and several hundred kilometers offshore. they're hoping to build a rig the size of three soccer fields combined. it would be equipped with living quarters for 200 workers and big storage facilities for equipment. the development of seabed

resources is in progress around the world on the back of strong economic growth in emerging countries. already companies in south korea, china, and other countries are participating in overseas offshore oil development projects. this is the first joint effort by japanese companies to win a contract for such a project. fewer visitors came to japan from overseas in january. the japan national tourism organization estimates that about 670,000 tourists and business people visited japan last month. that's down 2.4% from a year earlier. the first year on year decline since february 2012. officials say the number dropped because this year's lunar new year fell in february and not january, like it did last year. mean while, visitors from australia, thailand, and vietnam

set a record high for january. officials note the yen's decline was behind the rise. the commissioner of japan tourism agency says they knead -- need to try to increase tourists from southeast asia. >> translator: southeast asia is a region where the population will grow, and there will be more middle class people who can afford to travel abroad. and the people responsible for promoting japan abroad are trying to sell it as a land of endless discovery. officials in some communities are finding ways to help overseas people experience it and get their share of the tourists. >> reporter: north of tokyo is trying to bring in more foreign travelers. the area has many historic sites. >> translator: a noted buddhist

priest is enshrined here. >> reporter: this is part of a tour for people living in the area. the group also tried some local specialties. from deep fried potato cutlets to ramen noodles. these items may be local favorites, but will foreigners like them? city officials want to win more foreign visitors and turn tourism into a key industry. the city's tourist numbers are down to one-third of what it was before the 2011 earthquake. but the city has much work to do to prepare for more overseas guests. >> translator: foreigners who can't speak japanese won't understand the guide's explanations. it won't be fun for them. >> translator: it would be helpful if historic sites had

information in english too. >> reporter: the tour participants have given the city a lot to think about to improve its tourism industry. >> translator: japan is aiming to have 10 million visitors this year, but we realize our city needs to make a lot more effort to welcome foreign travelers. >> reporter: around the country, local governments are trying to think of new ways to welcome people from abroad. officials in tokyo hope to make the area's large number of traditional public baths a key attraction. >> translator: hi, i'm boris. i've just arrived in japan. have you ever taken a japanese public bath? >> reporter: they're producing a promotional video to give foreigners key tips on japanese bathing manners. there are some rules to observe. it is traditional in japan to

wash the body thoroughly before taking a dip in the tub. the owners of over 50 public baths in the ward gathered for a seminar. >> please make sure to deposit any valuables at the reception. >> reporter: what should the bath operators do if foreign visitors do come? the managers practice some key phrases that should come in handy. is. >> translator: i'd be happy if i could express my appreciation to foreign customers in their own languages. >> translator: by raising awareness among public bath managers, we hope to attract more visitors from abroad.

>> reporter: the industry is realizing it needs to be more internationally minded. local communities are taking the initiative in creating new ways of attracting overseas visitors. >> all right. that's going to wrap it up for biz this hour. let's check in now on the markets.

people in central russia need more time and more money to deal with the damage caused by last week's meteor crash. shattered glass injured hundreds of residents. government officials say repair work will take nearly a month to complete and cost millions of dollars. the meteor exploded on friday before hitting the ground. the resulting shock wave blew out win dose adows and damaged . officials estimate the damage at around $33 million. they say workers are replacing windows at schools, but they know walls aremain severely damaged. the governor has told officials to buy glass and other building materials to buy materials from nearby areas to speed up the work. >> translator: if larger

fragments are found, it will be of great interest for people who research asteroids and comets. >> the excitement isn't limited to scientists. residents of a village nearby are rushing to the fields around their homes, hoping to cash in. many villagers say they saw small objects falli ining from sky after the meteor exploded. they say they found meteorites in the snow-covered field. they say the fragments are magnetic and gave off a burnt smell. after radiation readings seemed normal, they collect the the meteorites. >> translator: i saw the meteor coming, and it fell over there. it was this big and was already cooling down when i found it. >> translator: i want to sell it while people are still interested. i will use the money to buy milk for my baby.

>> people have been trying to sell the meteorites online. they've also seen collectors visit their village looking to make purchases. laboratory tests are usually needed to determine their awe then -- authenticity. western end arab nations are leading donor, but the present level of financial assistance is insufficient to meet their needs. palestinians are now turning to asia. they believe they can gain knowledge and experience from the region, which will lead to economic growth. >> reporter: these people in the gaza strip are jubilant after being provided new homes. saudi arabia financed the

construction. nearly half of the 4.3 million residents in palestine are refugees. they lost their land and homes through the establishment of israel and during arab-israeli wars. many nations have provided money through u.n. organizations for those in difficulty. assistance has built schools and hospitals, but palestinians want to change their dependence on foreign aid. last year the u.n. general assembly upgraded palestine's status to that of a non-member state. this has motivated residents to try and stand on their own, even under israeli occupation. the spotlight has shifted to the experience and technology from emerging nations in asia, which have achieved economic growth

after winning independence. >> money is important, but what's more important is education and knowledge. and we need to know how you have done that. we need to duplication your experience. >> reporter: this man is a farmer in the west bank. he crushes date palm leaves that grow in abundance in palestine. the leaves once had no use. >> translator: we just burnt them and threw them away before. >> reporter: but now he ferments them to feed cattle. they learned the method last year from experts who had joined a study program in malaysia.

japan provided the know-how to the country in the 1990s. it now costs him almost nothing to feed his cattle. he no longer buys expensive feed from israelis. he says that his sheep produce more milk and better quality meat. >> translator: it's important to learn from experience as well as to receive financial support. experience created more income. >> reporter: malaysian officials are now holding training courses for palestinians. the japanese government supports the efforts of countries that it helped in the past as they assist other nations in need. this man is a consultant who is assisting palestinians. >> translator: providing technology rather than goods and

developing human relations are very important. japan is good at this type of assistance. it's rewarding and gives us a great sense of achievement. >> reporter: still, the israeli occupation casts a shadow over these efforts. it affects over half of the west bank. israel imposes restrictions on construction involving palestinians. assistance from asia still faces many hurdles to clear. these barriers may turn into a path that lead palestinians to stand on their own feet once again. nhk world, the west bank and gaza strip. many expected rain, but lower temperatures led to snow in tokyo. rachel ferguson has more. >> hi there, gene. we saw a little snow, but only enough to reduce visibility that there were some delays and

cancellations at the airport. that precipitation is pulling away, but there will be heavy snow to come towards the north. maybe as much as 40 sent mecent in some places. there was some heavy snow yesterday. there were some snowstorm warnings. let's go and show you some video of what happened when that heavy snow came down. headaches for commuters doling with the results of that snowstorm. 17 centimeters fell, forcing traffic to just crawl along. the airport also closed during the height of the storm, resulting in cancellations of various flights. students probably weren't complaining. they got an extra day of vacation as the city postponed classes from tuesday to wednesday. now, things are looking like they're clearing up, which is good news for you. maybe not good news for the students, but there are going to be still some sleety showers continuing here for the next couple days, though temperatures

will generally be gradually improving. down to the south we go. let's talk about the heavy rain impacting the philippines. this is actually a tropical depression. it's going to be joined by very strong winds as well. in addition to in the next three day, almost about 200 millimeters of rain in some places. you'll see waves reach about five meters on the east coast. shanghai rising to 6 degrees tomorrow. tokyo getting up to about 9 degrees. seoul in for a chilly day, just struggling to rise above the freezing point. as we head into the americas, there will be a low-pressure system moving to the south along the pacific coast. it'll be bringing you mountain sno snow. pretty significant, in fact. in the south, showers reaching down into the california peninsula. very well-developed snowstorm here moving across the great lakes and also into ontario. you could see anything up to 25 centimeters of snow.

certainly icy roads and dangerous travel made worse by the strong winds gusting up to 70 kilometers an hour. along the cold front it's going to be thunderstorms quickly moving towards the atlantic coast, so we should be seeing conditions recovering for many of you in the east. however, temperatures are going to be sinking. anywhere you see in this purple, this is going to send a little bit further towards the south. chicago, minus 6. that's your high today. minus 23 in winnipeg. ahead of that storm, new york city rising up to 8 degrees today after a very chilly day on your monday. let's go now to europe. things are looking fairly quiet once again for the british isles and france. there is a low-pressure system down he down here. the storm just arriving over the atlantic. that'll arrive on thursday. lots of snow here across the northern tier of the continue

tent. it is light. down towards the south over the balkans and heading into turkey, there will be upper-elevation snow, rain, and thunderstorms for you. here are your temperatures. we have 0 in stockholm. minus 7 in moscow. towards the south, some temperatures in the lower teens. athens, 13 for you. 15 even in lisbon. here's your extended forecast.

we're back in 30 minutes with more of the latest. i'm gene otani in tokyo. from all of us here at nhk world, thanks very much for joining us.

have a great day wherever you are.