three quarters. >> translator: we expect the economic recovery will be more clear as domestic demand and consumption remain steady. but we still need to closely monitor the downside risk in overseas economies. >> now, the numbers coming contrast to the ones japanese leaders enjoyed just a few months ago. they've seen demand from abroad fall for cause and other projects, and they're not sure what they'll see down the road. nhk world reports. >> reporter: yokahama port boasts the highest volume of trade in japan. but they have had fewer exports over the last few months. exports to china and other countries have been sluggish. that's clouding the economic picture.

this transport company ships machinery parts abroad. they say exports in the first nine months of this year were down about 5% from a year before, and that's despite the weaker yen. company officials say an economic slowdown in the asian region is a factor, and that growing number of japanese manufacturers move the production basis abroad. >> translator: the outlook is uncertain, so it looks like business owners are waiting to see what happens. >> reporter: public works projects are propping up the economy as exports remain sluggish. the number of such projects has surged due to a need for reconstruction in areas hit by the march 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

and the government is creating various infrastructure projects to boost demand. construction companies are getting yet another boost. >> tokyo! >> reporter: the 2020 olympic games in tokyo. and now the capital will need to build new accommodations in the city for international guests. but the surge in demand is creating a new problem. this is a future site of an olympic facility. the tokyo metropolitan government plans to invest about $100 million to build it. city officials put out a call for construction firms to bid on the project.

but not a single one came forward. the price the officials set was too low. this construction firm also held off on bidding for public projects. operator kitigawa is worried about the sharp rise in government projects. his concerns stem from surging construction costs. growing the demand means higher prices for building materials, including cement and steel. the work force in the sector also fell 20% in two decades. kitigawa says he is having trouble hiring enough workers. >> translator: governments are announcing almost twice the number of projects. firms like mine can't keep up. we're not ready.

>> reporter: some say buildings may not be able to boost the economy with increased activity. >> translator: we might see some problems if construction companies are stretched too thin. it could slow private sector capital investment, which is part of the government's growth strategy and much needed construction in disaster-affected areas could be delayed. >> reporter: all eyes will be on how the government tries to speed up economic growth without relying on public works projects. nhk world, tokyo. mitsubishi corporation is making inroads into china's fast-growing market for medical supplies. industry sources say the japanese trading firm is teaming up with chinese state run drug they will start to supply drugs

in shanghai. it will then move to other cities. mitsubishi plans to introduce a procurement system that allows hospitals to cut costs and manage more efficiently. other wholesalers are pushing up costs. they are aiming for $2 billion in sales in the first ten years. china's billion-dollar medical sector is growing more than 25% a year. this is thanks to the country's aging population and the rise in the number of wealthy consumers. now, people who breed ornamental koi in the industry has seen the industry come back to life. an earthquake nearly wiped out their livelihoods, but many breeders have recovered, and they're celebrating a rebirth. >> reporter: this is the district of naguma city. this is a major producer of koi for 200 years. recently the breeders were

preparing for a competition here. teneka grows koi. the growth of his fish reminds him of how much his district has recovered from the disaster. naguha's earthquake struck nine years ago. it was a major setback for koi growers. all the breeding ponds in the yamakushi area were destroyed and many koi were lost. teneka lost about 5,000. >> translator: both the pond and my home were destroyed. it was enough to make me weep. >> reporter: teneka tried to spawn and hatch eggs while he was living in temporary housing. it took two years, but he succeeded. for teneka, this meant a new

beginning. teneka hoped that his koi would help him win first prize. >> wow, they're big! >> reporter: they started out as fries just 5 millimetres long, but they've grown to more than 80 centimetres, more than teneka had hoped for. he was sure the fish were big enough to contend for top prize. >> translator: i want lots of people to see the koi, and it would be great if everyone

thought they were beautiful. >> reporter: in october, the 60th annual competition took place. japanese breeders export roughly 70% of their koi. the ones from yamakushi are world famous. so judges from around the world were keen to see how well the local koi breeding industry had recovered. tanaka showed them the koi that gave him so much pride. the judges carefully examined each fish's shape and coloring. tanaka's koi won two first prizes. judges praised the fish for their size, appearance and

brightness of color. >> very good. it's the first time i've come here. >> koi breeder developed very well. koi quality also many good koi. >> translator: my goal is to put even more effort into breeding these fish. i want them to be the very best in japan. >> reporter: tanaka will keep raising koi and selling them at home and abroad as a sign that his district is back on its feet. every morning, investors turn their attention to asia. the tokyo market leads the way and markets around the world follow. >> from the decision that could change the course of an economy. >> to the latest business trends. >> up to the minute market reports. >> an analysis by specialists from around the world. >> get all the latest business news and insight every day here

on "newsline." egyptians have lived for the past three months under a state of emergency, and they've been forced to abide by a nightly curfew. but the country's military leaders say they'll return to the way things were. the generals removed former president mohamed morsi in july. his protesters were out every day demanding he be reinstated. the city cracked down, and in august they declared a state of emergency and the curfew. state leaders say both measures will end on thursday. morsi is being held on charges that he provoked murders of demonstrators that protested against him. >> translator: egypt will never recover until everything that happened because of this coup goes away. >> mostly supporters continue to stage protests against the interim government. and there's been little sign of any reconciliation between the

two sides. japan and france have enjoyed strong ties for years. foreign and defense ministers from the countries are looking at ways to strengthen cooperation on security. they decided to sit down together, something their predecessors never did. japanese prime minister shinzo abe and french president oland agreed on such talks when they met in june. the ministers are expected to meet in france sometime early next year. they're expected to discuss how they can better share intelligence on terrorism and explore how they can develop defense equipment together. the japanese ministers are also expected to request something from their french counterparts. they want to be notified before the french export any equipment that could be used for military purposes. last year a french company sold a device to china that helps helicopters land on ships. japanese officials believe chinese forces will use it in waters around the group of

islands in the south china sea. japan controls the senkaku islands. china and taiwan claim them. now, hong kong authorities have stopped a boat carrying a group of activists believed to have been heading for the senkaku islands in the east china sea. the islands are controlled by japan but claimed by china and taiwan. the activists held a news conference in hong kong before their departure. >> translator: this time we are going to the nonsha islands to fish. if we can't catch enough fish there, we will head for any chinese territory where we can take good catches. >> the 15-member group includes members of the taiwanese media and the action committee for defending the dayu island. that is the name for the senkaku islands. the members signed a document waiving any liability claims for injuries resulting in activities claiming sovereignty over the islands. the boat left hong kong on

wednesday. but about 30 minutes after it sailed, the group says a hong kong maritime authorities and police stopped the boat. the officials inspected the ship and towed it to a police facility. they suspect some of the passengers are on the ship illegally. in august last year, members of the group landed on one of the disputed islands. many japanese love to dig into a bowl of natto, soybeans fermented with bacteria. but many visitors have trouble getting used to its gooey appearance and a smell some find unappetizing. but this appears to be catching on in france thanks to a frenchman. here's his story. >> reporter: at a supermarket in northern france, customers are

tasting natto. although french people are familiar with japanese food, they don't very often come across natto. >> it is sticky, but it looks like it's good for your health. i'll buy some. >> reporter: the supermarket didn't import it from japan. a frenchman made it in france. a package costs about $5, more than imported natto, but desire has doubled in the past year. they've seen the province region of southern france. it's here that he makes natto. he set up a small factory in his home. he makes natto by hand. the only soybeans he uses are organically grown. he discovered natto for the kids when he was in tokyo. at first he was taken aback by the sight and smell. but ultimately, the unique taste

won him over. he studied the food every day. 17 years ago, he returned to japan because he wanted to learn how to make his own natto. he chose the prefecture where most natto is made. >> translator: it was really complicated. it took me a lot of time, actually, to master the cooking, everything. >> reporter: eventually he saw

the food go to japanese living in france, but many buyers have been the french. now he makes ground natto, which is less sticky and easier to eat. he invites friends for a taste. it is natto paste on bread. they add tomatoes, salad and radishes. voila, a new kind of salad. >> translator: when i saw the natto, i didn't like the way it looked. but when i tasted it, i thought it was delicious. it goes well with bread. >> translator: my dream is introducing natto to the people of france. someday i want to be called the king of natto. >> reporter: he says he hopes the french will soon see natto as a part of their cuisine.

we'll see if his dream ferments. nhk world, france. time to take on the weather and the world, including the updates of the storm heading towards vietnam. >> the storm that battered southern phillipines is now over the south china sea. the surface level istill a little warm so it could intensify the system into a tropical storm before it hits land masses here across central vietnam. but whether it becomes a tropical storm or not, the winds will be quite gusty and also the high waves will be created around the coastal regions, and that combined with the heavy rain about 200 millimetres in localized areas, that could trigger low-lying coastal floods. also the gusts will be very -- the stormy conditions will be prevailing into saturday.

the good news i could tell you is that the phillipines will be seeing a lot less rain; however, any additional rain across the phillipines, that includes devastated areas in tacloban, could collapse loose some buildings and also cause secondary damages. now, across the subcontinent of india, we also have another cyclone which is going to be heading towards northern tamil. this is over bengal right now. it could intensify into a deep depression and could make landfall by saturday. by friday night, and this looks like it will be bringing stormy conditions to the coastal regions, especially in eastern lower locations in india. the indian meteorological agency is already advising people to take action, so tomorrow evacuation is likely. now, across japan, we're looking at sunny skies here in tokyo. really a beautiful blue sky is

what we're seeing right now, but let's enjoy it while we can, because we have this system moving in that's going to be covering much of japan with very wet weather and patches of heavy rain at times and associated thunderstorms. that will be improving from the west with sunshiny day in the afternoon hours. it looks like we're going to be seeing this continuing from tonight and into tomorrow across much of the contour region and the temperatures will be warm across much of japan, and that excludes the contour region. we have a low pressure system just south of contro which is pushing warm air to the north. we're likely to see 13 degrees. again, a chilly day for us. parts of japan are seeing warmer skies. senda, for example, will hit 16

degrees. a little bit of a drastic difference here. across europe, the spiral of clouds are still there, lingering in certain places, southern italy and the balkans. finally that will be tapering down by friday afternoon. that is until another round of wet weather comes down and covers much of italy. we have a low pressure system that is carrying an associated front. that will be pulling into france and the low countries bringing some thunderstorms, so paris, you're looking at thunderstorms in store at 10 degrees for your high. aso at 5 degrees. by friday it looks like it's going to be a stormy event. across the americas, we're still talking about that chill spill in the eastern half. we're likely to see temperatures go into the minus range at the lowest, but temperatures will be improving in los angeles, midsummer range there. i'll leave you with the extended forecast.

bitters battle to purchase a flawless pink diamond that went on the block in switzerland. when the auctioneer's hammer came down, the egg-shaped gem fetched about $74 million. a record price for any gemstone. the auction took place in a luxury hotel in geneva. the buyer remains anonymous. >> congratulations. >> the diamond weighs 59 carats. it's one of the largest gems of its kind ever found. miners found it in africa 14 years ago. the auctioneers did not say in which country. >> the winning bid surpasses the previous record of about $46 million of a diamond auctioned three years ago.

that is all for this edition of "newsline." thank you very much for joining us.

tavis: good evening evening from los angeles, i am tavis smiley. tonight, a conversation with oliver stone. the writer and director of some of the most successful movies in recent memory. his recent film "jfk" was the in 1998.y released it is now in re release on blu- ray and in select movie theaters. we are glad you joined us for a conversation with oliver stone coming up right now. ♪

>> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. tavis: oscar-winning writer, producer and director oliver stone has never shied away from controversy from his screenplay for "midnight express" which won him the first of his three

boards. he tackles one of the most controversial stories in america. "jfk was quote has been re- released on blu-ray and in select theaters. realized kennedy was so dangerous to the establishment. is that why? >> that is a real question, isn't it? why? the how and the who is just scenery for the public. -- it keeps, cuba asking theng from most important question. why was kennedy killed? who benefited? who has the power to cover it up? tavis: welcome back, first of all. is there anything about what you

1991 with "jfk" that you have rethought, the regret, that you would do differently? >> i looked at it a few days ago and i feel it is a strong film, especially on the evidence base is, the autopsy, -- on the evidence, the ballistics, the autopsy. we don't try to make it into a false hero. he show that the case was always soft but that he brought out a lot of evidence that was later used in became important. tavis: a lot of things -- it occurs to me every time i see it with castingo do and you directing and a lot to do with their gifts and their talents, but the acting in this just holds up. these guys are so gifted.

sutherland and costner, the entire cast, tommy lee jones. >> everyone is a face. is incredible. gary oldman as oswald. i love the cast. --re were seven signposts there were signposts. it is a competent story and the audience could lose some of those signposts. you remember who the people are. to ask if youoing thought this project may have been received different leave he did not have an all-star cast of a with less recognizable cases. we might've gotten lost in the storyline. >> i think it helped a lot. it was a fun movie in terms of tension. it keeps your interest. it grips you. it was a rough opening because, although we got eight nominations, oscar nominations, and two wins, it was a