musashi's philosophy is still very relevant in the world of kendo today where emphasis is placed not just on technical refinement but also on training of the mind. hello there, welcome to "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. first a look at the headlines. rescuers in central japan are work cautiously to reach stranded climbers as mt. ontake continues to spew smoke and ash. pro-democracy demonstrators in hong kong spent the night blockading the city's financial district. and americans are rediscovering a healthy, cheap,

and more sustainable drink right at their fingertips. rescuers are struggling to reach climbers still trapped on mt. ontake in central japan three days after the volcano erupted. their search operations have been slowed amid fires the volcano could become more active. police say 12 people are confirmed dead and 24 others were found without vital signs. the volcano straddles nagano and gifu prefectures. as of tuesday morning it was still spewing smoke as high as 400 meters from the craters. 800 firefighters, police and ground self-defense force personnel are taking part in the rescue. they're trying to reach the people found near the summit not breathing and whose hearts had stopped. a hiker on the mountain posted this video on the internet. it shows rocks and ash raining down. the hiker hid behind boulders when the eruption began. and then took shelter in a nearby hut. one of the victims, a

23-year-old, took this picture two hours before the eruption. he was severely injured by flying rocks and died from his injuries. his friend -- is still missing. his father has been calling his mobile phone. he still has hope his son will be found alive. >> translator: i don't mind even if he's seriously injured. i just hope he survived. >> rescuers believe some people are still unaccounted for on the mountain. pro-democracy demonstrators in hong kong are digging in and refusing to leave the streets. they spent the night blockading the city's financial district. they're protesting a plan by leaders in beijing to screen candidates for the city's next chief executive. clashes between protesters and police on sunday left 52 people injured. on monday, more than 10,000 people blocked main roads and thousands more occupied two entertainment districts.

elementary and junior high schools were closed and banks shuttered some of their branches. the number of protesters is increasing in the lead-up to wednesday's national day celebrations. >> we have a simple message, is that we just want our democracy and fair voting of choosing our chief executive of hong kong. just simple and nothing more. >> white house press secretary josh ernest said the u.s. government supports the protesters' objectives. >> we have been very consistent in voicing our support to the people's republic of china for universal suffrage and for the aspirations of the hong kong people and we're going to continue to do so. >> he indicated that the issue will be on the agenda at a u.s./china summit meeting in november. pro-russian separatists in eastern ukraine says they have found 400 bodies buried in mass graves. the separatists say the graves

are in areas that were once controlled by ukrainian government forces. a separatist leader in the city of donetsk told russian media that about 350 of the bodies are those of civilians. he suggested they may have been killed by government troops. the pro-russians will ask the -- organization for security and cooperation in europe to investigate. osce monitors have visited locations where separatists last week reported finding a number of bodies, including civilians. the separatists said the bodies were outside donetsk and in places previously held by government forces. the separatists took control of the area in late august on september 5th they reached a cease fire agreement with ukrainian officials. afghanistan inaugurated a new president, former finance minister ashraf ghani will lead the country. he'll governor alongside his former rival abdullah abdullah. the former foreign minister will take on a role similar to prime

minister as the country's chief executive. ghani and abdullah had been locked in a fierce political struggle. attention is now focused on whether they can overcome the deep rift to jointly run the government. in monday's inauguration ceremony, they agreed to share power to try to end the turmoil. >> translator: all people of afghanistan are heroes and the national unity government will represent everyone. >> translator: as a team in the form of the national unity government which is based on political agreement, we are committed to taking important steps in bringing change to all levels of the political and governmental infrastructure of the country based on cooperation, mutual trust, honesty, and acceptance. >> ghani beat abdullah in the runoff election in june, but

abdullah raised the allegation of mass fraud and threatened to establish an alternative administration. a possible split in afghanistan prompted u.s. secretary of state john kerry to mediate between the two sides. kerry proposed the formation of a unity government based on the result of a u.n. monitored audit of all ballots by the election committee. after his inauguration, ghani called for dialogue with the taliban to tackle afghanistan's biggest challenge of improving its security situation. government officials in japan have released some figures that give some insight into the state of the economy. they say in august, the labor market showed signs of recovery. officials at the internal affairs ministry say the unemployment rate fell to 3.5%. it's the first time in three months it's gone down. the number of people with jobs

rose by 530,000 from a year earlier to more than 63 million. the number of people without jobs fell by 400,000 to about 2.3 million. it's been declining for 51 months. labor ministry officials say the ratio of job offers to seekers was unchanged at 1001. -- 1.1. there were 110 positions available for every 100 people look. there have been more jobs than job seekers for ten straight months. there were more openings in the hospitality sector as well as medical care and social services. managers at plants are seeing less activity on their factory floors. they reported a drop in industrial production in august. government officials say factory output fell 1.5% from july. it's the first decline in two months. the officials say there was a slump in production of vehicles as well as electrical and other machines.

they expect output to rise 6% in september then drop 0.2% in october. japanese consumers became more frugal after the con sempgs tax went up in april. officials at the international affairs ministry say spending fell again in august. it's been declining for almost 5 months. officials say households of two or more people send about -- down 4.7% in yen terms from the same month last year. they say purchases of air conditioners plunged almost 50% and those for pack an tours fell more than 17%. analysts credit bad weather for the results. but officials say the fall in spending was smaller than in july and the impact of the tax hike is softening at a moderate pace. the data on industrial production and household

spending were weaker than what many had expected. that's hurting investor sentiment in tokyo. the nikkei average is down 1.25%. a pause in the yen's weakening is weighing on a wide range of shares. stocks of trading companies are sharply lower. sumitomo corporation slashed its outlook due to a lost shale project in texas. analysts arising tensions in hong kong are causing some traders to put money into safe haven assets like the yen. but others are buying the dollar. they believe the green back is likely to rise further due to an upbeat economic outlook. and now let's look at other markets around asia. the conflict in hong kong is

sapping investors's appetite for risk. the hang seng dropped to its lowest level in two months and still falling. down 1.12% so far today. in mainland china markets the shanghai composite is well, up half a percent and trading now at 2,358 and in seoul the kospi index is currently down about 7/10%. it's trading hands at 2012. the people at one of japan's biggest convenience store chains are look to expand up market. lawson executives are preparing to buy high-end supermarket siejo ishi. managers at seijo ishi operate about the 120 stores in tokyo as well as central and western japan. they specialize in imported and upmarket goods. lawson launched a chain of small supermarkets this year with only a handful of outlets.

japan has more than 50,000 convenience stores. lawson executives run about 12,000 but it's they have seen their earnings go down. since the consumption tax went up in april. the executives plan to cut costs by combining buying and shipping operations across all outlets and they hope to boost their engines by expanding their customer base. now to some news for visitors to japan. more souvenirs and gifts are becoming tax free. the duty free system will expand on wednesday. currently shoppers at duty free stores don't pay tax if their purchase exceeds 10,000 yen or $91. from october 1st that minimum will be cut in half. and a list of duty free high tells will be expanded to include food and cosmetics. retailers in tourist spots

across the country are already preparing for that change. >> reporter: in the fushimi district of kyoto this liquor shop carries 500 types of sake. strong competition from supermarkets and convenience stores has driven its sales down by more than half over the past ten years. so the shop owner has set his eye on foreign travellers. >> translator: this is a seasonal sake for autumn. >> i like just the picture. >> translator: it's very good. >> reporter: many foreign tourists visit the district to tour sake breweries. the shop owner decided to apply for permission to sell duty-free goods at his shop. with the help of local students

he made a card in chinese explaining how the system works. he will use the card to inform customers they must present their passports at payment. >> translator: we sell not only sake but sake glasses and other souvenirs. this change in the duty-free system is a great opportunity for us. another store is looking for ways to increase revenue by encouraging customers to take advantage of the duty-free deal. this souvenir shop in fukuoka attracts around 300 crean tourists every month. the best-selling item in the store is this soy sauce. but each bottle brings in 320 yen. the manager and staff are discussing what else they can recommend to customers to help them get to the 5,000 duty-free

deal. >> that's a total of 4,000 yen. but we are 1,000 yen short. >> five bottles of soy sauce and three of perfume. >> what else would you suggest? >> for a girl, i would recommend a bottle of plum wine. >> add the 1800 dollars bottle of plum wine and the title is 5,800 yen. >> translator: a customer can talk to our staff and together come up with 5,000 yen worth of items the customer is happy with. it might not be that difficult to reach the target if we focus on customer satisfaction. >> reporter: major supermarkets selling a lot of tax exempt products are gearing up for october 1st. on this day, store staff are going through practical training.

they are learning how to input the data of a duty-free purchase into the cash register. and also the procedure for scanning passports. >> translator: remember the customer is here for a short stay. open their passport, check the entry stamp and put their arrival date in the computer. >> reporter: also duty-free items need to be packed in a special bag or box. it has to be sealed until the tourist leaves japan. the staff learn how to pack the merchandise in the containers properly. >> translator: i'll go back to my store and review the procedure and then teach the other staff. >> translator: we're doing our best to prepare to welcome foreign tourists. we expect the number of visitors to increase leading up to the 2020 tokyo olympics. >> reporter: when the new duty-free regulations come into

effect, many shopkeepers are hoping more foreign money will help fill japanese cash registers. and here's another check at markets. in other news, the decommissioning of the crippled fukushima daiichi nuclear plant is stepping up. the number of workers on the project and related work has doubled in the past year. the plant operator reports there

are other 5,000 people on average at the site each day. the battle to deal with contaminated water at the site required increasing manpower. tokyo electric power company says there is no labor shortage at present. its contractors have over 10,000 workers on their books. but analysts say more workers will be needed when work gets under way to remove nuclear fuel from the damaged reactors. tepco says it plans to improve working conditions by reducing radiation around the plant and simplifying hiring procedures. more and more americans are turning on their taps. they're being shown the impact bottled drinks can have on the environment and they're being encouraged to make better beverage choices. nhk world's kazuya omachi explains. >> reporter: the brooklyn bridge is one of new york's most popular tourist spots. this summer, new water faucets were installed here.

they proved popular with both adults and children. and, of course, with dogs. the faucets were part of a two-month campaign to promote drinking water. they were set up in places around the city creating oasis for city dwellers. >> tastes fresh. >> it tastes fresh. >> reporter: americans are not known for drinking tap water. so why is it suddenly becoming so popular? one reason is the growing awareness of the environmental impact. the old used for creating plastic bottles each year could produce 100,000 cars. new york wants to cut down on plastic bottle use by promoting tap water. attitude toward health are also changing. in a country where half of the population is considered to be

obese, people are beginning to accept that water is healthier. there has been an image change, too. the city has a sampling station to test the water quality. samples are taken and analyzed for around 50 different components to check that water is potable. new york has some of the strictest water standards in the world, and its drinking water is known for being fresh and clean. >> this is the best alternative. it's healthy. it's cheaper. and it's more sustainable than bottled water or sugary drinks. everybody enjoys the high quality drinking water in new york city. >> reporter: the tap water trend is catching on in colleges, too. the university of california berkeley was one of the first campuses to ban the sale of bottled water. instead, it's installed water stations.

about 30 of them around the campus. students have their own bottles which they refill with tap water. >> it was just an easier way than having to buy each new water bottle every time. also, i like my water bottle. >> reporter: every time a bottle is refilled, a display shows how many plastic bottles are being saved. this system has proved so popular it spread to about 60 other campuses around this country. meanwhile, san francisco has become the first local authority to address the issue of water packaging. it has passed a regulation that would ban sales of bottled water at all city -- starting october. violators will be fined up to $1,000. >> people have a lot of pride in the drinking water in san francisco, so i think people are

largely supportive of it. i hope that the citizens of san francisco see the environmental problems with bottled water. >> reporter: the tap water trend is spreading. u.s. cities are now competing to provide the best water. high-end restaurants are even starting to serve tap water to their customers. it's a movement away from bottled drinks and back to basics. kazuya omachi, nhk world. it's time now for a check of the weather. people in southern france and northeastern spain are dealing with thunderstorms, heavy rain and severe flooding. mai shoji from the weather desk has the details. >> the border of spain and france seeing very severe conditions. we showed you pictures from southern france a little earlier and now we have pictures from barcelona, northeastern spain. this is what they're dealing

with now. while southern france continues to combat floods, the other side of the border is also dealing with rising river levels. in spain several rivers overflowed their banks with blocked roads and power being cut this parts of barcelona. high speed rail has been disrupted in the region. and emergency officials responded to over 400 calls due to the floods. orange alerts are in effect in the area. the second highest alert for europe. unfortunately a little more rain will be continuing. but the good news i can give you for spain and other areas as well as northeastern spain where the video came out from, that is tapering a little bit but it's moving towards southern france where we had about 300 millimeters of rainfall in just a day. and of which, 250 millimeters fell over the course of just three hours. severe flooding still continues here. and we're likely to see a little bit more rainfall but tapering off by your tuesday evening hours. high pressure system dominates

much of the rest of this continent. so clear skies in lots of these areas and very beautiful weather out here. but on sunday in bulgaria, these are some pictures coming out from there. take a look at this. a wintery picture already in the higher elevations where snow had accumulated on sunday in bulgaria. and in sofia, 22 degrees for the high with plenty of sunshine. it was only about 11 degrees on sunday, hence the higher elevations saw those wintery precipitation. but the eastern areas will have a chance to see the white stuff falling on your thursday. your morning low will be down to freezing point. so please watch out for that cold spell moving in. but it's still grueling here in the tropics with hot water and this is going to maintaining its status. this is feng-wong a tropical storm as it passes through the islands looks like it will be

sustaining winds at 100 kilometers per hour. so stormy conditions will be prevailing for the next 24 to 48. so into 72 hours it may even reach to the islands of okinawa in japan. so we'll keep a very close eye on this system as it progresses. tokyo at 28 degrees with partly cloudy skies. and down toward the south, scattered thunderstorms will prevail for a few days across the philippines. in the americas we are watching this system, it's a potent system traveling to the east. colorado we had a tornado touchdown reported, small hail and golf ball sized hail ha "v" been reported in and around denver. this system will move into south dakota and nebraska. there are going to be chances remaining with even tornado outbreaks. here across the states we're taking a look at temperatures as follows, messy conditions in

and around miami at 32 degrees. and chicago, 14 degrees. that's a drop from 27 on your monday. i'll leave you now for your extended forecast.

people in france will be getting a rare chance to see the works of an iconic japanese artist. -- sparked an interest in

japanese art among 19th century french impression insists. now one of his collect of works is heading for paris. hoksuai is a wood block print artist. about 700 prints and paint lgs go on display. they include south wind clear sky also known as red fuji and the great wave off kanagawa. visitors will also be able to see a collection of about 3,900 sketches called the hokus hokusai manga. >> our main goal is to show his main work in paris. this is where he received high praise as an artist.

>> the exhibit opens on wednesday and runs through mid january. and that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us.

good evening from los angeles. i'm tavis smiley. tonight first a conversation about a radical approach to alleviating personal debt with hannah appel. you can la assistant professor of anthropology. she's part of a group called strike debt that grew out of the occupy wall street movement which made headlines three years ago this month. what the strike debt activists are doing may just revolutionize with how we deal with debt in america. then we'll turn to a conversation with musician aloe blacc whose new cd has just leased and hit number four on billboard chart. he'll close out with a performance entitled "the man." those conversations and a performance from aloe blacc coming up right now.