up to about 50 centimeters in hokkaido hokkaido. good for the skiers and going to be a lot of risk for avalanche so snow falling off the roofs and be aware of those aspects. out here across the bigger picture, mongolia northern china, as well as the korean peninsula looking at some clear conditions with the high pressure system blanketing overhead but here likely about 70 millimeters of rain fall due to the ridge of the high pressure pulling that moisture from the south. scattered thunderstorms prevailing in the philippines and indo china peninsula. 28 degrees and sunny skies and the north, frigid temperatures at seoul. 0 degrees is for your high today. your morning low marked minus 6 degrees already at minus 10 in yue land bah tar. this is where dangerous life threatening cold could target north central to eastern canada. high pressure system sits over here and this is your three-day outlook. really bitter cold will be continuing throughout your friday and into saturday even. chicago take a look at that. that's minus 20 degrees. th

saying in their quarterly assessment hokkaido is showing signs of slowing activity but kept the overall assessments unchanged. they downgraded assessment for factory output in hokkaido and raised it on semiconductors and other goods. they kept the personal spending unchanged in all of the regions and say the impact on last april's consumption tax hike is easing up. >>> japanese companies are paying less for goods they buy and sell for each other. the producer price index fell in december. it was the second straight monthly decline. officials say the index last month stood at 101.9, down 20% from 2013. it dropped in december but not by as much including the consumption tax hike. when that index is factored it it actually rose 104.8. officials attribute the fall to a drop include oil prices that has lowered the price of gasoline and other petroleum products. they released the figures for the entire 2014 calendar year saying it rose 3.1% from the previous year with the tack hike factored out it grew 1%. energy is driving up the cost of raw materials and they're passing along those costs. >

i think eastern hokkaido that's going to be combined with the winds. looking at some blizzard conditions for a few of you out here. still in the downtown area and even extending to the coast. five to eight centimeters. the closer you get to the coast the less likely you're going to be seeing any decent accumulation, maybe just a few flurries, but farther inland that's where you're still going to be seeing the snowfall through the rest of the day and even into the evening hours. let's take a look at your temperatures. tokyo with a high of 3. still having the snow showers here in the morning hours. seoul up to 1. partly cloudy skies. but if you think it's cold where you are, ulan bator, minus 12 there. sunny skies. but i'm sure that's not really helping out very much with those temperatures well below the freezing point. over toward europe now, we still have the low pressure area centered in the scandinavian peninsula but around it just a massive circulation continuing to kick up snowfall down toward germany. we actually have some video coming out of eng

nhk world's yuki takama reports. >> reporter: this airport is a main gateway to hokkaido. many tourists fly in from tokyo from one of the larger cities. this year there are a lot more visitors than usual. a look at the international departure hall tells you why. the international security check point has a long line of foreign tourists getting ready to board their flights home. most of the visitors are from china, south korea and southeast asia. travelers go through the airport in record numbers. in 2014, nearly 1.5 million, that's 20% more than the previous year. the cheaper yen has made traveling in japan more affordable. as well, more kinds of goods are now duty-free, including food and cosmetics. after using the ski resorts and hot springs, many foreign tourists look forward to shopping. >> very many, yes, very good, very nice. i love. >> cheaper than shanghai. >> reporter: the departure hall is lined with souvenir shops crowded with travelers enjoying their final moments in japan. some shoppers buy enough goods to fill a cardboard box. >> translator: many foreign tour

so that snowfall will continue for the western side of the tohoku region and also into hokkaido.meanwhile back toward the west into china, this high pressure is very dominant bringing in that northerly flow so we will see cold temperatures, some windy conditions and that flow will create instability as far south as the meli peninsula, and that cold air may even bring some frozen precipitation into southern portions of china. high of 4 in seoul on saturday. 10 in tokyo. 9 in beijing. 20s down toward manila. cold temperatures also continuing for a good portion of the united states, as high pressure is driving down that chilly air from canada. we are looking at some wintry precipitation, some snow for the northeastern portions of the united states into southeastern canada. so toronto, new york, d.c. you will see some snowfall as we go through friday and again into chicago we're looking at temperatures at negative 14 with a windchill factor down into negative 20s. we're wrapping things up with a look at australia because the asian cup has started and it's going to continue as we go i

warnings for heavy snow winds and high waves are in effect in hokkaido gusts up to 155 kilometers per hour were reported wednesday afternoon. now as high as three meters of snow is on the ground in aomori prefecture and authorities are advising people to stay on the alert for avalanches and snow related accidents because on top of the fact that the snow is falling, it's not necessarily snow that compacts very easily which means it can also move along very easily in the process, and that's where the danger can take place. so please make sure you're aware of the situation especially as this low pressure system continues to bring in the sea-effect snow along the mountains, and the northern portions of japan. on top of that the windy conditions, not only is the low bringing this chilly air but the high pressure located over northeastern china, those two interacting with each other really blowing the winds down here and really suppressing the temperatures in the process. the snow will continue though as we go in to thursday. i think eventually this low will depart from the area but until t

winter pressure pattern, which is typical, but likely to see up to 40 centers of snowfall around hokkaido. temperatures in tokyo, not bad at 15 degrees. very mild conditions but on wednesday, it could drop to possibly single digits. seoul looking at that arctic chill at minus 1 degree for your why on tuesday. of knews line. thank very much for joining us. >> hello, and thanks for tuning in to the show. we have a festive start to the program today so let's find out what is on the way. la fete de lumieres lights up lyon. leap of faith. the daredevil stunts of scottish trials biker danny macaskill. ancient world -- we visit the roman town ruins of herculaneum. the 8th of december marks a french, lyonnaise tradition that has become known as the festival of lights. back in the 17th century, when the city was struck by the plague, residents promised to pay tribute to mary, the mother of jesus, if the town was spared. and so, for centuries, locals held an annual candlelit procession in her honor which in

then the next time they say they want to visit hokkaido. if they like it they want to try other places like kushu. there are many people like that. >> reporter: the travel agency has adopted a different approach for promoting tours to japan. it searches for frequent visitors to the country as japan experts and asks them to advise others on how to get the most from their visits. this woman has visited japan more than 60 times. she shares information on picking up bargains. >> translator: i bought all of these in japan. >> reporter: she says some of them were just a third of the price that they sell for in taiwan. she writes a blog sharing ways to find bargains, listing the products and the best places to buy them. >> translator: shopping in japan is getting more attractive. i hope people will find my shopping experience useful. >> translator: we want more people to become japan experts and we want to find as many of them as possible. >> reporter: but not everyone in taiwan is happy about the weaker yen. this tea shop in taipei is very popula

tohoku region with snowfall and it should intensify even further and affect the western half of hokkaido as we go into the weekend. this is going to be a very heavy snow event. we're expecting winds -- snow of up to 50 sent meters into saturday evening. and then gusts of nearly 130 kilometers per hour so blowing snow will reduce visibility. traveling is going to be very hazardous. and then across the other side of japan we'll also see heavy snowfall probably up to 40 centimeters of snow for tohoku and hokuriku region in the next 24 hours. snow and winds will continue to affect the north as we go into early next week. but tokyo and kagoshima will see sunny weather continuing for the next three days and temperatures are going to be not bad. now, across the americas snowy is still falling over the northeastern portions of the united states and southeastern canada. and we have another spot of snow over the four corners region. winter storm warnings and advisories are widely posted and the gloomy conditions will likely continue into your next week. into the weekend, i should say. and glendale

waves up to 5 meters and snowfall in hokkaido. 30 to 40 centimeters. and then the low departs from the area and we will see improving conditions. 11 for the high in tokyo on saturday. 6 in seoul. 4 in beijing. again that rain in hong kong down toward the southern portions of the area where temperatures ss topping off at 18 degrees. we're talking about a lot more rain fall in europe down to the mediterranean sea we go into italy we have this low pressure system spinning and bringing in all that moisture with it and dumping it over the southern portion of italy and along the coast of the balkan peninsula we are looking at the possibility of seeing some severe weather excessive rainfall part of the equation along with strong winds and gusty conditions. some large hail cannot be ruled out along with some isolated tornadoes and thunderstorms. so be prepared for another wild start to the weekend, as we go in to saturday. rain does extend up toward the north into warsaw vienna and kiev and some snow into moscow. temperatures quite chilly in the single zing it

high of only 3 degrees on wednesday, 7 in tokyo, and then snow coming back into the picture for hokkaido as we go into thursday and friday. now, some people in japan are taking a very different approach to the very cold weather. i want to show you some video where did is the start of daikon or the coldest weeks of the year. a unique event is held on this particular day each year in opens for perfect health. the annual hot water fight festival held in the prefecture early this morning. the festival has a history of 400 years. 50 men joined in under freezing temperatures, snow flurries falling at 5:00 a.m. hope you have a good day wherever you are. here's your extended outlook. >>> that's "newsline" for this hour. i'm gene otani in tokyo. çñ? ' arch -- suffers from social and ethnic apartheid. this following the worst terrorist attacks in decades. shinzo abe thousand not to give in to terrorism after the islamic state threatens to kill to japanese hostages unless it pays a $209 ransom with knee two hours. -- within 72 hours. and a u.n. member is objected in the central african r

winter weather conditions for the toe hocho region into hokkaido. this will continue on into wednesday. and with the proximity of the low north of japan, and the high coming out of northeast china, the two, because they're close to each other, the winds are really picking up. so we are expecting the gusting conditions to continue as we head throughout wednesday. also chilly temperatures are in the forecast. 10 degrees for the high in tokyo. negative 2 for the high in seoul. and 4 is also we're going to see as we go through wednesday in beijing. a little bit warmer down toward the south into manila and bangkok. chilly weather also a big part of the story in north america. we have high pressure in central portion of the united states. already, temperatures way below freezing in canada. this cold air is going to continue to move down toward the south, some snow is expected in the mid-atlantic states as we go through tuesday and the deep south, be ready by the time we go into wednesday, you're going to start seeing temperatures plummet into the single d

probably up to 30 centimeters for the hokuriku region up towards the hokkaido region. now snow will continue into the weekend, meanwhile pacific side will stay quite dry, but snow is picking up across the kanto region including the tohoku area into your friday. tokyo snow will be on the menu on friday with a high of only 4 degrees. snow is on tap in kyoto on your saturday. all right. that's it for now. up next is your three-day forecast. >>> we have been talking about the breaking news out of jordan. jordanian state television says the government is prepared to free an iraqi death row inmate. but it says only if the jordanian pilot captured by islamic state last year is released. the prisoner is sajida al rishawi. she has been sentenced to death for her role in the 2005 bomb attacks in the country's capital amman. jordanian authorities blame the violence on al qaeda in iraq. the predecessor of islamic state militant group. a video posted on the internet on tuesday demanded rishawi's release in the next 24 hours or both goto and the pilot would be killed. moaz kasasbeh

now the colder air will cause sea-effect snow over the eastern flank of japan from hokkaido down towards the hokuriku reeging probably towards 30 sent meters of snow in the next 24 hours. that will be combined with very gusty conditions. temperatures in tokyo up to 8 degrees during the daytime hours. now moisture and low temperatures are resulting in snowfall in inland locations of china. probably up to 15 centimeters in hunan province. now temperatures in shanghai at 6 degrees during the daytime hours. know is on the menu. so at the freezing point despite sunny weather and again tokyo 8 degrees for the high on wednesday. now finally over europe very unstable weather is continuing over the mediterranean countries. over the south of italy and the balkan peninsula and parts of turkey there's a chance of thunderstorms, and even hail for the coastal locations, and inland snow for the mountainous locations. patches of snow for central europe, but temperatures actually warmer than average. zero degrees for the high moscow minus 3 degrees, just a couple of degrees higher than normal. zero degre

so avalanche advisory in effect for the western portions of hokkaido and also the western portions of japan. so please be on the lookout for that. the snow will be picking up. we're talking about high amounts once again as we go into tuesday. possibly even into wednesday. temperatures topping out at 11 in tokyo. very different story on the eastern side of japan where we're going to see some sunny skies. 4 in seoul. 6 in beijing. chilly in ulan bator with a high of negative 10 on tuesday. cold weather also causing problems into the united states. and as we look at north america we have this low that's moving through the northeastern portions of the u.s. and it has caused icy conditions into pennsylvania new york all the way into maine and because of that, people having problems driving around because of the very slippery conditions on the roadways. that's something you have to look out for as we go through monday. another low pressure system coming in to the northern portions of the rockies. and that's going to bring some snowfall and some rain along the pacific coast. meanwhile, down

and the winds will pick up, bringing blizzard conditions to places like honchu, as well as into hokkaidoowers across that region. that's all the time we have here. but there's more news and headlines coming up. stick around. severe rheumatoid arthritis like me and you're talking to your rheumatologist about a biologic... this is humira. this is humira helping to relieve my pain and protect my joints from further damage. this is humira giving me new perspective. doctors have been prescribing humira for ten years. humira works for many adults. it targets and helps to block a specific source of inflammation that contributes to ra symptoms. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers including lymphoma have happened, as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have

that they have been trained but hokkaido. >> pam: will go to press printing 1 million copies instead go to the victims' families. >> pam: as the french nation mourns who were killed in the attack. thousands of people about their hits in a moment of silence. many of them holding up pence to support freedom of speech. >> grant: you will see some of the work here. some hopeful here are some to train their this tragedy in the netherlands. --per train this tragedy portraying this tragedy >> grant: >> grant: >> grant: here are some of the many cartoons paying tribute >> pam: what comedians are seen at about this tragedy. >> pam: that is next at 7:00 followed by entertainment tonight at 730. >> jacqueline: just 59 degrees in santa rosa. we are about four to nine degrees cooler than what we saw yesterday. is there a lawyer is an of facto tomorrow. no wood burning will be allowed this is the eighth day in a row and the fourth or 14th alert issued . the calls will continue as a move in tonight and tomorrow creek it will be on the call decide tomorrow occurred--. >> jacqueline: 59 degrees in ha