♪ welcome to "newsline." i'm keikichi hanada in tokyo. here are some of the stories we're following this hour. french police are continuing their massive hunt for two brothers suspected of carrying out the attack on the "charlie hebdo" weekly. honda executives in the u.s. have paid $70 million in fines for failing to report safety issues. turning the page.

the people who run some japanese libraries are eyeing help from businesses to give book lovers a better experience. and children in tokyo are expanding their imagination at an interactive digital playground. tens of thousands of police officers and investigators in france are working to encircle the country's most wanted men. they're hunting the two brothers accused of carrying out the deadly attack on the satirical publication "charlie hebdo," which left 12 people dead. nhk world's craig dale is track developments. craig? >> reporter: well, french authorities have mounted a huge search effort for the suspects who they say are armed and dangerous. they're looking for cherif and said kouachi, french-born citizens with algerian roots and radical islamist views. we've learned they were known to authorities and on a u.s. no-fly list. one of them reportedly trained with al qaeda in yemen. police are scouring towns and villages north of paris in their search for the brothers. they've gone house to house in

some places. they believe the suspects could be holed up in a residence or even hiding in the woods or in caves. the men are accused of killing 12 people in their attack on "charlie hebdo" including a police officer who was wounded and then execute. he was muslim by the way. a "charlie hebdo" reporter who survived told french media he saw a lot of blood. "i saw horror," he said. the victims included editor in chief stephane chonnier or charb, a famous cartoonist under police protection. and his colleague george cabu. they were aware of the threats they faced because of "charlie hebdo's" content which poked fun at politicians of all triepz different religions and islamic extremism. their deaths have shocked and angered france. president francois hollande led a moment of silence on thursday and people across the country joined in. the french see what happened as an assault on freedom of expression but also their core value, liberty. many thousands have rallied in paris and beyond to show their resilience. they're holding up signs that say "je suis charlie."

i am charl carrie. in another display of solidarity the managers of the eiffel tower shut off the lights on thursday night. but this attack hasn't just touched a nerve in france. menz of the british parliament paused for a moment of silence and some held up "je suis charlie" signs. people gathered in cities across europe, in rome, lisbon amsterdam for example and as far away as rio de janeiro, all conveyed the same message, that freedom of expression must not be silenced by radical forces. we're also seeing tributes in various publications. the "new yorker" has dedicated the cover of its next issue to what happened. and cartoonists around the world are producing edgy images to show they won't back down in the face of this kind of threat. world leaders are speak out too. some are calling for a multifaceted response. >> our response to brutality and extremism cannot be limited to military action. military action. important as it is. we must engage in wide-ranging efforts, including by addressing the conditions that give rise to

such poison in the first place. >> the u.n. secretary-general is alluding there to the challenges muslims face in europe from a lack of employment to discrimination. the french are aware some of their fellow citizens have become radicalized for various reasons. hundreds have gone to syria and iraq to fight with islamic militants and some have returned. french authorities have warned of home-grown attacks by these individuals or other radical elements. but the overwhelming majority of france's sizable muslim population says the attack on "charlie hebdo" does not represent the religion. and they're calling for non-violence. now, the surviving members of "charlie hebdo," the surviving staff say the publication will go on. their lawyer says they will print 1 million copies of next week's edition. they usually print 60,000. >> thank you very much, craig. there's been another shooting in paris. police are investigating whether there's any link to the killings at "charlie hebdo." french media say a man fired an

automatic rifle at police on thursday morning. one female officer was killed and a civilian employee was wounded. the gunman fled the scene and is still at large. french interior minister bernard cazeneuve visited the site of the attack. the shooting took place in southern paris amid tight security in the french capital. the u.s. and cuban governments are working to restor restore a relationship that's been severed for more than half a century. u.s. officials say the obama administration will send a senior official to cuba later this month to begin negotiations. a state department spokesperson said assistant secretary of state roberta jacobson will head a delegation of u.s. diplomats. the team will travel to havana on january 21st and 22nd. a spokesperson said jacobson

will meet with cuban officials to discuss such topics as reopening of embassies, embassy staffing, and visa issues. >> this is just the beginning of having a discussion about these specific issues and obviously an opportunity to talk about some of the logistical details. >> psaki also said cuba has begun releasing 53 political prisoners it promised to free. some republicans are urging the government to delay normalization talks until all the prisoners are released and cuba's human rights situation has improved. the united states broke off diplomatic relations with cuba in 1961. u.s. defense authorities have unveiled drastic plans aimed at cutting military standing. they'll shut down 15 bases in europe and return the sites back to their home governments. but they say the move won't affect their commitment to security in the region. defense department officials

announced on thursday plans to consolidate military infrastructure in six countries. they'll pull about 2,000 air force personnel from their base in mildenhall, britain, and they expect the reorganization will save the government $500 million a year. defense secretary chuck hagel said in a statement the measure will help maximize u.s. military capabilities in europe and support its nato allies. >> we are consolidating and reducing some existing support infrastructure in order to be more efficient, but we are not affecting our operational capability. >> the department also announced a plan to deploy f-35 joint strike fighter jet squadrons to britain starting in 2020. many european leaders have been increasingly concerned about threats from russia after the crisis in ukraine. a former president of peru has been sentenced to eight

years in prison on charges of embezzlement. alberto fujimori is already serving a prison term for human rights abuses. a panel of judges ruled fujimori must repay about $1 million of public funds. he was accused of diverting about $40 million to pay for favorable coverage in tabloid newspapers during his re-election campaign in 2000. the 76-year-old former leader claimed innocence during the trial. he said he had no knowledge of the payment and bore no responsibility. fujimori has indicted -- fujimori has indicated, rather, he'll appeal. the former president was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2007 for ordering security forces to kill citizens during a crackdown on leftist insurgents. the new sentence will not prolong the time fujimori spends

in jail, regardless of whether he appeals. global investors seem to have shed the negative mood they had at the start of this year, and they're taking the nikkei higher. let's get an update on that and other business headlines from ai uchida. what's going on ai? >> keikichi looks like the price of crude oil is dictating their mood. you might remember going into the new year a plunge in prices shook investors' confidence. they were afraid falling prices signaled weak growth globally. that's why we saw them go on a stock market selling spree. but now oil prices are holding a bit more steady and investors are growing more hopeful that officials from the european central bank will introduce fresh stimulus. all this is encouraging them to buy stocks back. ramin mellegard has all the details for us. hi there, ramin. what did you see this morning? >> well ai following the gains we saw on wall street tokyo stocks also got a bit of a lift here especially after having

recently been sold off. let's see how the morning wrapped up for the nikkei and toings. 17,255. up half a point for the nikkei. and the broader topix up a quarter of 1%. we saw shares rise in fast retailing. the operator of unionqlo stores says it jumped 65% in the quarter ending in november. one of the fastest shares on the nikkei accounting for about 10% of the retailing. so any movement in fast retailing tends to sway the nikkei. other retailing sector shares also seven & i holdings up 0.4%. it's going to come up with earnings after the close today. a big focus on the retail sector. other tech and consumer electronics shares also trading higher. we were tracking a few of them. nintendo and sony. also in the auto sector the likes of nissan honda, and toyota gaining as well as you can see there. some steam was taken out of the transport sector after a rebound in crude oil prices. so we did see some of those declining. japan airlines and skymark

airlines actually among some of the biggest decliners. let's have a look at currencies as well. the dollar-yen right now. it has been climbing from levels earlier this week. but it's pretty much stuck at the mid 119 levels ahead of the jobs data later today in the u.s., which really should give investors more guidance on the american economy. asian indexes, also a bit of a mixed data out of china. consumer prices for december rose from a year earlier but producer prices fell over the same period. hong kong's hang seng is up almost 1%, but shanghai's composite is lower. so indonesia and australia all trading higher. we'll see how that develops but that's all for me for now. back to you. >> thanks a lot for that update. well the people who represent employees at japan's biggest automaker toyota are asking for a pay raise. union representatives will push for an average monthly wage hike of about $50, about double what they got last year. toyota executives are

forecasting the biggest net profit in the company's history. union representatives want everyone to be rewarded. they'll announce their plan to members at a council meeting this month. toyota executives forecast their net profit for this fiscal year will exceed 2 trillion yen for the first time. that is about $16.7 billion. they say the weaker yen has helped deliver bumper sales in overseas markets. people in other industries will be paying close attention to the negotiations. they often make their decisions about pay rises based on what happens at toyota. well the people at another japanese automaker are also being linked to a record amount of money but this time for the wrong reasons. honda executives in the u.s. have reportedly forked out $70 million in fines for failing to report safety issues. regulators at the national highway traffic safety administration say the

executives accepted liability for the breach. they say honda didn't report more than 1,700 death and injury claims between 2003 and 2014. the executives blamed glitches in their computer software and data entry error. eight cases that went unreported involved defective air bags manufactured by japanese auto parts maker takata. the people who run japanese libraries are looking to start a new chapter in the user experience. they're aiming to give readers a better experience while they turn the pages in their favorite books. and they found a number of businesses that are eager to help. . >> reporter: japan has more than 3,000 municipal libraries. many of them are virtually silent places. but not this one. the sound of chirping birds and flowing water is designed to help visitors relax.

the library is also filled with a scent of eucalyptus, lavender or other aromas. >> translator: it's a bit different from conventional libraries. >> translator: the sound effects can shut out noise from the surroundings so i can concentrate on my reading. >> reporter: some municipal libraries are turning to companies to help create systems that are quick, easy and more enjoyable. a major textilemaker developed this white high-tech sheet that's laid on the bookshelves. each book comes with an ic tag. the sheet reads the data on the tag. library staff can then swiftly see if a book is on the shelf or out on loan. when a return book is put back on the shelf, the person who reserved it will automatically get an e-mail notifying them it

is available. then they can pick up the book and check it out by themselves electronically. no need to wait in line. >> translator: our technology is suitable for all kinds of libraries. so we'll aim for it to be used widely. >> reporter: in addition, some companies are looking for ways to allow users to borrow books without having to actually go to the library. a major printing company's group firm developed the electronic library. registered users can search for the book they want on the e-library website using their own computers or tablets. by inputting their user i.d. and password and selecting their desired title, the book will be displayed an their screen for two weeks.

the system allows users to read books for free without visiting a library at all. when the loan period expires, the book is automatically removed from the user's screen. some books can be borrowed by more than one user at the same time so people won't have to wait for new popular titles. this e-library system has been introduced at 22 libraries across japan. the company wants to raise that number to 300 in five years time. >> translator: our services were usually designed for people who actually visit libraries. but from now on, users who cannot visit will also be our customers. we want to provide them with services, too. >> reporter: this library now offers more than 3,000 books digitally but that's only a

fraction of its collection. the librarians say they want to get the consent of publishers so they can raise that number even higher. hopes are high that these new measures and other innovative features will get increasing number of people using libraries and enjoy more of their free time with books. >> government officials from japan and south korea want to mark a major anniversary by deepening their ties. they've agreed to collaborate on energy and tourism projects for the 50th year of normalized relations. japan's deputy foreign minister met with his south korean counterpart in seoul. they confirmed officials from both sides will work on energy ventures in other countries and they agreed to do more to boost tourism flowing both ways. nagamina called for an end to south korea's embargo on seafood from fukushima and seven other prefectures. officials introduced the restrictions over concerns of contamination after the nuclear

accident in 2011. ahn called on japanese officials to cooperate with a second round of on-site surveys next week. he said people in south korea need assurances that the seafood is safe to eat. that's the latest in business for this hour. i'll leave you with a check on markets. ♪ ♪ every morning investors turn their attention to asia. the tokyo market leads the way.

and markets around the world follow. >> from the decisions that could change the course of an economy. >> to the companies at the forefront of change. >> up-to-the-minute market reports. >> and analysis by specialists from around the world. >> get all the latest business news and insight every day, here on "newsline." japanese digital artists are giving kids a creative new way to have fun. they've built an interactive playground that expands the children's imagination. nhk world's mikiko suzuki paid a visit. >> reporter: japan's latest museum dedicated to science and technology. the special exhibition now under way has generated a lot of buzz. it focuses on developing children's imagination by letting them interact with digital art.

this hopscotch set relies on computer graphics projected on the floor. the creators of this animation paid a lot of attention to detail. see what happens if i step on a frog. the creators behind this project are called team lab. their specialty is to leverage the latest technologies to breathe new life into traditional forms of art. this man founded team lab in 2001. he now presides over 350 digital artists. >> translator: parts of our traditional wisdom has been thrown away because it was

considered outdated, but actually some aspects of it are perfectly suitable for the new digital society. >> reporter: the interactive playground features 15 installations. each one of them offers a unique experience centered on a particular concept. this one is about establishing connections. blocks of different colors create a path for different things. red cubes for trains, blue for rivers, and green for roads. the focus is to allow children to develop their social skills while building networks together. one of the fascinating attractions here is this giant animated screen. why do children love it so much? because it brings life to their drawings. the children decorate an object among a set of predetermined shapes. once they feed it into a scanner, their object immediately pops up in 3d on the

screen. each child's imagination contributes to the atmosphere of the animated landscape. >> translator: whatever we do, each of our actions has a direct impact on the world. our goal here is to get children to feel through their physical experience that they share this world with other people. >> reporter: his bet is one day these children will change the world through the power of their imagination. mikiko suzuki, nhk world. and time now for a check of the weather. more than 1.5 million syrian refugees in lebanon and jordan are dealing with the severe weather conditions. mai shoji joins us with the details.

>> a deadly winter storm is sweeping across the middle eastern countries. people are dealing with not only harsh winds, the harsh temperatures as well as lashing rain and heavy snowfall. we have some pictures coming up from these districts. residents in jerusalem woke up thursday morning to a blanket of snow over the city. 5 centimeters fell giving a bright glitter over the walled city. on wednesday most schools were closed in anticipation of the storm. further north in jordan, thousands of refugees took shelter from the frigid weather. snowfall and high winds destroyed some of the makeshift tents people are staying in due to conflicts in the region. people crowded around the heaters and fires in the camps as temperatures dropped to freezing point. the average for this time of the year is around 13 degrees. and in southeastern lebanon villagers have died in a snowstorm in an attempt to make a dangerous trek. it's not going to be another day for a trek across these mountains because we still have that low pressure system lingering over the similar locations.

and it's going to again provide some frigid temperatures as well as really harsh conditions weatherwise. in israel, there are warnings for snow, strong winds, flash floods as well as high waves. really rough weather out there. and in jordan, likely to see heavy patches of rain to continue into sunday night. across turkey, where we have more than three-meter-high snow depths, likely to see that taper off. to the bigger picture, now a couple of wind storms. very massive storm system across the central areas of europe. low countries in norway will see gusts up to 120 kilometers per hour. some flights are already canceled here and a lot of flights canceled across the british isles. gusts could reach up to 160 kilometers per hour. that's some hurricane-force winds. not so much the precipitation we're worried of because it's a fast-moving system but a potent

one that will be bringing very strong winds. london escaping from the precipitation at 14 degrees. take a look at ankara. again, minus 8 is for your high. despite the sunshine. across here we're also talking about some frigid conditions across north central and into new england states. we have some images from new york city where the mercury hit minus 14 degrees celsius on thursday in the big apple. and the water fountain in the bryant park completely froze up. well, this biting cold weather will be continuing throughout your weekend. not so much of what we saw on thursday but still very chilly. in fact the wind chill factors may go down as much as minus 30 degrees. in jacksonville, where florida is famous for their sunshine, looking at some snow here on your thursday and into friday. out across the bigger picture, likely to see gusts very high and blizzard conditions in and around minnesota. down towards the south, here in san diego, in and around los

angeles, also 21 degrees for your high on friday. quite some nice temperatures out there. a quick look here in japan. winter pressure pattern still picking up. gusts reaching 100 kilometers per hour. that's likely to continue with more snow to pile up. we're talking about 50 centimeters anywhere across tohoku region. hokuriku up to 40 centimeters. to the bigger picture we go tokyo at 10 degrees, in the double digits. seoul, though, chilly at 2 for your friday. i'll leave you now for your extended forecast. ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ and that concludes this edition of "newsline."

i'm keikichi hanada. on behalf of our team, thank you for staying with us.

good evening from los angeles, i'm tavis smiley. tonight a conversation with nas on the 20th anniversary of the release of his groundbreaking album "illmatic." the innovative c.d. which captured the rawness of his life in new york in the 1958 80s is also the subject of "time is illnatic" debuting at the prestigious tribecca film festival. we're glad you've joined us. a conversation with nas coming up right now. ♪