welcome to "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. first a look at the headlines. more emerging workers are joining the search for the missing after landslides in hiroshima. u.s. president barack obama has condemned islamic militants who executed an american journalist and vowed to continue air strikes against them. and people in the u.s. cafe business call the latest coffee trend the third wave and more and more americans are riding it. rescue workers in hiroshima are still struggling to find people missing in landslides.

record rains fell in western japan early wednesday, softening the ground. several hillsides gave way. 39 people were killed, 7 others are missing. firefighters, police, and ground self-defense force personnel worked through the night in the debris. the landslides destroyed several homes and they knocked out power and water to others. so many people have been forced to move into emergency shelters. >> translator: there was a tremendous sound. then all of a sudden, the landslide caved in the entrance, bathroom, and kitchen of my home. >> translator: the neighbor's house crashed into my front door with a jolt. i thought i was dead. >> more than 200 millimeters of rain fell in three hours. that's more than the average for the entire month. three boys, aged 2, 3, and 11 are among the dead. a firefighter died trying to save one of them.

some people are questioning the emergency response. residents began reporting mudslides around 3:20 a.m. municipal officials issued the first evacuation advisories almost an hour later. many people in hiroshima are in a state of disbelief. at least 25 people were killed in the district of yagi. >> reporter: people here are work for a second day to find a neighborhood turned upside down. i'm surrounded by mud, pools of water and debris. the mud here is sticky. and people have seen landslides before. still, many are shocked by what they saw come down from above. some have had their water and power cut off. some look anxious as they watch the rescue crews do their work. but more help is on the way. about 2500 police officers, firefighters and self-defense force personnel joined those

already here. they are searching for the missing here and in other areas as well. takafumi terui, nhk world, hiroshima. officials at the u.s. central bank are discussing changes of interest for everyone from small businessman to traders at big financial institution. ai uchida joins us from the business desk. >> what the people at the federal reserve say can move markets. that's why investors are always looking into policymakers' comments to glean what the fed might do next. for years they kept the interest rates near zero but they hinted that a strong recovery in the job market could lead them to change their approach. the policymakers released the minutes of their meeting last month. many of them said the labor market is improving faster than they had expected and they said it might become appropriate to begin removing monetary policy

accommodation and raise interest rates sooner than they anticipated. but some policymakers argue there are still too many people who remained unemployed for a long time. and they point to others who have not managed to get a full-time position. most of them agreed they need to make sure the labor market and the overall economy are improving. then they could decide to raise rates. many investors had been expecting rates to go up in the first half of next year. but some are reconsidering after reading the latest minutes. economists keep an eye on how many orders china receives every month. in august factory activity in the world's second biggest economy faced a slight sesback. a reading above 50 indicates an expansion on a monthly basis. a figure below 50 shows a contraction. the august index came in at

50.3. now the index is down 1.4 points from july's final reading of 51.7. let's see how investors are taking in the numbers. they sold tokyo and sydney stocks straight after the pmi figures were released. but tokyo and sydney remain in the positive for the day so far. tokyo looks set to extend its winning streak to a ninth day, sydney, to a sixth. but the hang seng ran into selling pressure on the weaker than forecast factory activity in china. the index opened lower this morning and is down half a percent at the moment. now let's turn to currencies. the minutes from last month's federal reserve meeting and

the u.s. currency higher against the yen and the euro. the dollar is now back at 5-month eyes against the yen in the upper 103-yen range and against the euro, the dollar is closest to its highest level in almost a year. the euro is also weaker against the yen and fallen to seven-month low. the number of foreign visitors to japan has hit a record monthly high. some have been attracted by a weaker yen. others, from southeast asia, are finding it easier to get visas. officials at the japan national tourism organization say last month more than 1.2 million tourists came to japan. that's up 26% from a year earlier. the number of visitors from mainland china and indonesia more than doubled and the figures for travellers from malaysia and the philippines were both up more than 60%. last year the number of foreign visitors exceeded 10 million for the first time. tourists can now find more

flights in and out of tokyo's inner city airport, narita and more cruise ships are docking at japanese ports and people in the tourism industry are seeing another banner year. colombia is shaping up to be one of the success stories of latin america. people there have seen some improvements to the security situation and they've seen stable economic growth. and that's starting to attract the attention of foreign businesses. nhk world's kenji mcculley has more. >> reporter: colombia has about 47 million people. the economy has been growing at more than 4% for the past several years. must office towers and shopping centers are going up and basic infrastructure, hospitals, and homes are expected to improve in the coming years. foreign companies see business opportunities in this trend.

a leading japanese electronics maker sells elevators in colombia. it holds 30% of the market. >> translator: the colombian economy is growing strong. and the construction business is solid. elevator sales are increasing along with growth in the construction business. >> reporter: still, the competition is heating up with rival european and chinese makers. so the japanese firm offers precision maintenance of its elevators as an added service. regular maintenance is essential to keep elevators running. the firm has experienced engineers living in colombia to train local employees. this man is a 30-year veteran. here, he is explaining how to

use a device to check the elevator cables. >> translator: look. here's a defect. even a tiny scratch doesn't go unnoticed. the company is trying to boost its market share with its advanced technical expertise. >> translator: he takes good care of us. he teaches us how to maintain the quality of our product. >> translator: the local staff learn quickly. now they can do everything on their own. >> reporter: but operating in this country is still a challenge. employees need police protection when they travel to a job. colombia used to be one of the world's worst countries for kidnapping and murder.

public safety has improved by extreme caution is still needed. the company takes every precaution to keep employees safe. all vehicles have bullet-proof windows. drivers also serve as body guards and carry guns. analysts say further improvements in public safety will determine whether japanese firms advance further into the colombian market. >> translator: urban areas are becoming more secure. but the crime rate in less populated rural areas is still high. so we need to keep an eye on the situation. >> reporter: the japanese government is speeding up plans for an economic partnership with colombia. as the country's ties grow stronger, japanese firms expect

public safety in this potential market will too. kenji mcculley, nhk world, bogue that. that's the latest in business for this hour. i'll leave you with a check on markets.

u.s. president barack obama is refusing to stop air strikes against islamic militants who beheaded an american journalist and are threatening to kill audio. he spoke on a day that members of his administration revealed special forces tried to rescue american hostages in syria but failed. nhk's craig dale is tracking more for us. >> they won't say whether james foley was among the hostages that the special forces tried to rescue. they are saying that an operation to save americans being held in syria with members of islamic state was unsuccessful. foley is among dozens of journalists who disappeared in sear yeah. his family was working to obtain his release for two years. the militants released this video online. they said they decided to make good on their threats because of the u.s. air strikes against them in iraq. a masked man beheaded foley. president obama calls it a

brutal murder that appalled the world. he says that the militants have killed, raped and enslaved people in syria and iraq and their victims are overwhelmly muslim and he says they are a cancer that must be extracted. >> friends and allies around the world we share a common security and common set of values that are rooted in the opposite of what we saw yet and we will continue to confront this hateful terrorism and replace it with a sense of hope and civility. that's what jim foley stood for. >> the u.n. secretary general, ban ki-moon called the murder a abomb midable crime. he says that they must be brought to justice and foley's parents, diane and john also spoke. >> he was strong, courageous, loving to the end. we just highly recognize our little boy. he just -- he was just a hero.

>> and you know, from the videos, his last words were i wish i had more time. to see my family. >> the militants are holding other hostages and threatened to kill at least one of them, another american freelance journalist if obama doesn't stop the air strikes but the president has refused to do that. so u.s. war planes and drones will continue to hit islamic state targets in iraq. however it is unclear whether the operation will be expanded the sear. the leaders would need a request with bashar al-assad. still despite the complications they are not ruling out military operations there. already, polls taken before his death suggested the ma vort of them support air strikes in iraq against islamic state.

david cameron is expressing concern about the nationality of the masked man who carried out foley's beheading. >> we have not identified the individual responsible on the video but from what we've seen it looks increasingly likely that it is a british citizen. now this is deeply shocking. >> president obama wants to talk about the issue of foreign fighters in syria and iraq. also, french president francois hollande will call an international meeting to figure out a plan to deal with islamic state. >> thank you very much, nhk world's craig dale. a video on youtube shows haruna yukawa being destained. he was in syria doing research. an opposition group leader says

they are using a mediator to negotiate with members of the islamic state and proposing a prisoner swap. yukawa was slightly injured but has received treatment and is in good health. officials at the japanese embassy in neighboring jordan are trying to confirm the facts. south korean and japanese government officials have argued of late over their views of territory and history. south korea's next ambassador has promised to improve relations. yoo heung-soo is a former lawmaker with close ties to japan. yoo took time to speak with japanese reporters in seoul before starting his new job. he is scheduled to leave for tokyo on saturday. he spent his childhood in kyoto and studied for a year there during university. he served as seoul's secretary general of the korea-japan

parliamentarian's union. and during that time he built up an exchange program with politicians. >> translator: relations between south korea and japan are at the worst ever. but they'll get better. as the saying goes after the storm comes the calm. >> yoo said he wants to play a role in establishing relations that are oriented tshdss the future and he said he wants to develop a fraternal relationship between the two countries. some japanese lawmakers are looking for help in bringing people abducted by north korean agents back home. they know diplomats in mongolia maintain ties with their counterparts in north korea. they asked the mongolian foreign minister to look into the matter. the lawmakers headed to the capital to celebrate 40 years of cultural exchanges between japan and mongolia. they asked foreign minister luvanvandan bold for his help with the return of japanese abducted decades ago. north korean authorities

launched another investigation into the fates of more than a dozen japanese abducted or missing. bold said his government would do whatever it can. mongolian officials hosted talks between japanese and north korean officials several times. in march, they provided a venue for the meeting between the parents of one of the abductees and their granddaughter who was born in north korea. north korean agents kidnapped -- in 1977. her parents don't know what became of her. america's big-name coffee shops are familiar sights around the world. but on their home turf, smaller specialists outfits are giving a run for their money by offering what the coffee giants cant. nhk world's -- reports. >> reporter: franchise coffee shops are a familiar sight in

most u.s. cities but portland, oregon has a lot of small cafes run by independent owners. in many the barista prepares the coffee manually. about a year ago, a resident began tours to taste the best blends. they are so popular they are now offered five days a week. >> everything is good. very educational. >> reporter: while mass produced coffee still dominates the market, more people are starting to prefer coffee that baristas prepare by hand. a cup of java costs about $2.75. that's about 50% higher than what the chain stores charge. just the same, speciality coffee are becoming popular. the shops that sell it are called third wave. the second wave followed in the

1990s. that's when major chains that serve strong coffee sprung up across the country. now the number of third wave cafes is growing in the u.s., especially in cities. >> they understand the whole process from beans to cup. and it's worth the time and worth the cost to come here. >> reporter: james freeman runs several of these third wave shops. he opened the first 12 years ago as part of a pursuit for fine coffee. he says japanese coffee shops made an impression on him and this is reflected in his establishment. >> i'm thinking of -- in tokyo open since 1948 making coffee one cup at a time roasting in small batches and labor intensive. >> reporter: he says he wants to promote delicious good quality coffee around the u.s. so he makes a point of training

his staff to make superior coffee. rookies get one-on-one training from a veteran barista. they learn how to grind beans, how much water to use and how to pour hot water. staff carefully select coffee beans. they buy them from specific farmers in particular regions. to ensure good flavor only beans roasted within the last 48 hours are used. many people come here even though they have to wait longer and pay more for their drink than at major chains. so far, freeman has opened 13 shops in new york and other places. >> a lot of the customers end up going to our shops something that is smaller or more hands on. everything is more difficult. i would say, smaller batches, more hands on, i feel gives us a

better result. a more delicious result. >> reporter: it's plain to see, americans are riding the third wave in their pursuit of first-rate coffee they're willing to pay more for a better tasting experience. nhk world, los angeles. time now for a check of the weather. people in west africa are dealing with heavy rain and deadly floods. mai shoji joins us. >> residents in west africa are dealing with heavy downpours. floods have occurred in and around this region. take a look at a video coming out from this district. deadly floods caused by seasonal rains have plagued niger this week. at least 24 people have died and 6,000 homes have been destroyed.

the niger river burst its banks forcing thousands a evacuate around the city. the floods have devastated the infrastructure making water and food supplies scarce. authorities have appealed for emergency aid calling for $100 million to assist in recovery. i'm afraid to tell you that about 300 millimeters of rainfall fell over the course of the last week and an additional 100 millimeters could be pounding the locations that the video came out from and anywhere around the western coast of west africa flooding could occur with the seasonal rain that could persist into mid september. now across japan where the deadly flood occurred in hiroshima the good news is that thankfully the rain will be weakening, which is going to be departing from the location. but another system will be a lot of rainfall across northern kyushu now. 150 millimeters will fall into friday morning.

and another -- about 120 millimeters of rainfall here around tohoku especially around akita prefecture we have had 45 millimeters in just an hour span. and that could lead to flooding or landslides. i'm afraid to tell you in forecasts there are 60 millimeters of rainfall that could fall in one hour. a sudden burst of showers is not helping to make the situations better. across western japan and central locations of japan especially, kanto region could see up to 100 millimeters of rainfall. the ground is very warm. the daytime heating as well as the upper cold air, the combination of those two could force to generate thunderstorms. and more rain to be falling across south korea. about 200 millimeters of additional rain could fall due to the seasonal band and low pressure system. which is quite active. the front stretches into southern china. we may see a little bit of the

showers across the area where the flood has not alleviated yet. 33 in beijing. it's really hot out here. above the average range. and 34 still in tokyo. another round of danger with heatstroke. here across eastern areas of the u.s., again, thunderstorms will be ignited in the mid atlantic states and that's likely to pull away from the great lakes region. but thunderstorm warnings are in place in parts of tennessee. 97 kilometers per hour gusts and very heavy down hours are possible. another area with severe thunderstorms will be in the dakotas and into nebraska. we may see flooding occur. we have flash flood warnings in place in northwestern montana. we have chance of thunderstorms across the florida peninsula again look messy in atlanta, miami, d.c. and new york. and in central locations such as denver marking 31 degrees. i'll leave you now for your

extended forecast.

and that wraps up this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us.

. good evening from los angeles i'm travis smiley. tonight conversation with a true legend david crosby. and one-fourth of the a i claimed group crosby stils nash and young. she just released his latest album in 20 years. entitled kroz. a conversation with rock and roll hall of fame inductee david crosby coming up right now.