i'm james tengan in tokyo. welcome to nhk "newsline." prime minister shinzo abe is hosting myanmar's aung san zusu kyi in tokyo. in the meeting abe stressed his commitment to supporting the new government. abe commended myanmar's nation building efforts such as freedom, democracy, respect of human rights, and the rule of law. he said both japan's public and private sectors are ready to support myanmar's new government as a friend. aung san suu kyi said she is writing a new chapter in her country's history. she is relying on japan to help her country move forward. she said japan's relationship in the past had helped her build stability. abe said they will encourage japanese firms to invest more in

i'm james tengan. we start out with a quick look at some of the stories we are following. final decisions to come. the international olympic committee says top leaders will decide shortly on venues for the 2020 tokyo games. >>> helping children with cancer. a private foundation is offering aid to youngsters diagnosed with thyroid cancer in the wake off japas 2011 nuclear accident. >>> and another side of conflicts. a japanese an mitted film shows how people carry on with life during wartime. >>> we'll soon know the final venues for some of the sporting events at the 2020 olympic tokyo games. they try to contain ballooning costs. representatives of japan's central and local government, the international olympic commity and the tokyo organizing committee met on sunday. they discussed a range of venues for canoeing, volleyball and swimming events. a task force estimated the cost for the games as a whole could be more than $30 billion, four times the original estimate. officials considered two options for hosting the rowing and canoe/kayak events. it's building a new venue nea

i'm james tengan in tokyo. we start off with a quick look at some of the stories we are following. >>> diplomatic tour. japan's prime minister is traveling on a seven-day trip abroad and meeting with a number of world leaders. >>> and apec takes a stand. leaders from the pacific rim vow to fight all forms of protectionism. >>> japanese prime minister shinzo abe is nearing the end of a whirlwind seven-day diplomatic tour. over the last week he sat down with a number of world leaders to talk policy, including u.s. president-elect donald trump. >> reporter: shinzo abe arrived in new york and headed to trump tower for his first meeting with donald trump. it's extremely rare for a japanese prime minister to meet with an american president-elect. abe's visit was apparently in line with growing concerns in japan over trump's campaign remarks. trump floated the idea of allowing japan to get nuclear weapons and he also said japan should pay more for hosting u.s. troops. plus trump said he wants to dump the transpacific

earlier james tengan talked with nhk's senior correspondent. he's been covering the korean peninsula for years. >> kengo, how are they reporting it in south korea? >> well, every news program in the country seems totally occupied by this scandal. the press coverage is heating up. some are saying they used to pass through the president office without being checked. choi lost one shoe during the scuffle at the prosecutor's office. other papers reported the shoes were made in italy and cost about $600. people there think the privilege is special and extends beyond their reach. they suspect she's getting rich unlawfully and was treated too well by president park. so they are feeling angry and resentful. >> the prosecutors are expanding their probe. even officials at the presidential office are being targeted. what are the prosecutors looking for? >> yes, there are two points of interest. one is whether choi was improperly involved in the political policy making process. she may have used her knowledge about contents in the leaked confidential state

i'm james tengan in tokyo. welcome to nhk "newsline." prime minister shinzo abe is hosting myanmar's aung san zusu kyi in tokyo. in the meeting abe stressed his commitment to supporting the new government. abe commended myanmar's nation building efforts such as freedom, democracy, respect of human rights, and the rule of law. he said both japan's public and private sectors are ready to support myanmar's new government as a friend. aung san suu kyi said she is writing a new chapter in her country's history. she is relying on japan to help her country move forward. she said japan's relationship in the past had helped her build stability. abe said they will encourage japanese firms to invest more in myanmar. he's also expected to promise to help stabilize the country's domestic security. myanmar's government forces have been fighting for decades with ethnic minority rebel groups. >>> on wednesday aung san suu kyi met with members of the local myanmar community. >> reporter: the long line of people waiting for aung san suu kyi. in the sfront

>>> here in japan it's wednesday night, i'm james tengan. u.n. security counsel is voting on new sanctions for north korea. the aim to punish pyongyang for its nuclear and missile tests. negotiations got under way in september after north korea conducted its fifth nuclear test, but the u.s. and china-led talks were drawn out. security council members finalized a draft resolution last week. an annual cap on coal exports. china is major importer of the resource from north korea. the sanctions will also ban exports of copper, nickel and silver. foreign companies with offices and bank accounts in north korea will be forced to close. the measures also urge u.n.-member countries to limit the number of staff. >>> meanwhile, the u.s. wants to impose a new sanction of its own. the embargo will cut north korea's earnings. target companies suspected of sending laborers abroad. a u.s. government source teld told nhk they want it in the sanctions but china opposed. arrangements are under way to coordinate with japan and south korea. the u.s. will announce ano

>>> live from our studios here in tokyo, i'm james tengan. shinzo abe announced missile systems on islands claimed by japan. claimed to push forward when he meets next month with russian president vladimir putin. abe commented on a report that appeared in russian media on tuesday. advanced surface taship missile systems were installed on two of four russian held islands. the government maintains the islands were illegally occupied after world war ii. prevented tokyo and moscow from signing a peace treaty, a step that was never taken at the end of the war. >> translator: the four islands are an inherent part of japan's territory. through a diplomatic channel they launched a protest with russia. their military expansion with the mission deployment is incompatible with our stance and is deplorable. >> the missile system present a diplomatic headache weeks before putin is due to visit japan. the decade's long issue is a thorny one but said that through the meeting with putin he ames to create a win/win situation including in economic terms. >>> s

i'm james tengan in tokyo. welcome to nhk "newsline." we start off with a quick look at the hour's top stories. fighting for survival. south korea's president apologizes to the nation for her role in a scandal and says she'll cooperate with any investigation. >>> a real deal. the paris agreement on climate change is now international law. more than 190 countries and territories have agreed to follow the framework. >>> and in a land known for its endearing mascots, we visit a company that creates designs with just the right amount of cute. >>> south korea's president says she'll cooperate with investigators on a corruption scandal involving her friend. park geun-hye once again apologized. >> translator: i am again deeply story from the bottom of my heart for causing so much disappointment and concern. i will sincerely comply with the prosecutors' investigation if it is needed. i will even agree to submit to a special investigation. >> this would be the first time that a sitting south korean president is subject to such an investigation. p

>>> it's a thursday night here in japan, i'm james tengan. welcome to "newsline." select a special prosecutor to investigate park geun-hye. park's friend has been accused of abusing her frepdiend's powe. here's a report from seoul. >> reporter: the bill was passed by an overwhelming handful this afternoon. only a handful vote against it. two open candidates for the position, both were chosen by the opposition party. will have to choose which one will be the special prosecutor. the added title of special gives more investigative powers. the position is independent. will have the authority to look into suspected illegal acts by senior government officials, including those who may be in positions to influence legal props. a special prosecutor will have 120 days to conduct the investigation with a special team. meanwhile, seoul prosecutors have been reportedly trying to question president park ahead of this weekend. south korea is reporting that park's lawyer has said that she will cooperate with prosecutors next week. so as far as getting the president to sit down for

>>> live from our studios here in tokyo, i'm james tengan. we start out with the hour's top stories. >>> a new reality. donald trump begins to prepare for the united states and people in the united states and outside are coming to grips with his presidency. >>> amid hopes the president-elect will spark the u.s. economy. >>> while they become a step closer to freeing the tpp deal, the newly president-elect opposes it. >>> donald trump is trying to show he is ready for the white house. he began laying the groundwork for his presidency. local media say trump has instructed his transition team, including new jersey governor chr chris christie to draft blue prints for his administration. the president will brief his successor on the transition process. >> i had a chance to talk to president-elect trump last night, about 3:30 in the morning, i think it was. to congratulate him on winning the election. i invited him to come to the white house tomorrow and to talk about making sure there is a successful transition between our presidencies. >> not my

i'm james tengan. welcome to nhk "newsline." authorities in fukuoka have sealaled off a road because of sink hole. there are no reports of injuries direct lly related to the accident. the hakata district hosts the busiest train station in the region. officials say construction was under way on a subway line where the incident occurred. they say workers were digging a tunnel when water began flowing in. gas has been shut off to the area to avoid leaks. up to 800 houses and businesses were without power, including parts of fukuoka airport. >> translator: i was surprised because it was so dark. >> translator: i was inconvenienced. i want this situation rectified as soon as possible. >> phone and internet services are down. some atms are also out of service, and banks were not able to do transactions. there were two other sink holes related to the subway project. one in 2014. it was just 500 meters away. >> translator: we're very sorry for causing the accident again and failing to make use of past experiences. >> workers have starte

>>> it's a thursday night here in japan i'm james tengan. a senior white house official has welcomed a new intelligence sharing pact. the agreement will allow tokyo, seoul and washington to boost cooperation which will help counter threats posed by north korea. in a statement, ned price says the u.s. will continue to work closely with its asian pacific allies otowards denuclearizing the korean peninsula. his country may push had u.n. security counsel to impose on the north. the nuclear and ballistic missile programs through the u.s. the new pact will allow for direct exchanges between them. it's expected to speed up information sharing and sharpen responses to north korea's activities. many south koreans are opposed to the pact. another reason they're upset at their president, park geun-hye involving a long-time friend. prosecutors have issued another request to interrogate park, this time by next tuesday. the president's lawyer has refused repeated requests. prosecutors have raided some conglomerates and the headquarters of the national pen

i'm james tengan in tokyo. welcome to nhk "newsline." >>> people in japan's northeastern toe hoe cue region are on alert for another strong quake. a magnitude 7.4 tremor hit off the coast tuesday morning. >> translator: large furniture didn't fall over, but books and things did. i wasn't seriously hurt, but as i was evacuating, i pulled a muscle in my lower back. >> japan's meteorological agency initially told residents to evacuate over fears of a tsunami. officials say waves almost 1 1/2 meters high hit the coast and forced rivers to flow backwards. this video was filmed by a woman in miyagi prefecture. in neighboring fukushima prefecture, parts were devastated by a tsunami and nuclear accident five years ago. >> translator: i felt strong shaking, but it was weaker than the earthquake in 2011. i thought something terrible might happen, so i tried to escape to higher ground right away. >> local community centers were designated as shelters. in fukushima prefecture alone, thousands of residents piled in. there a

i'm james tengan. we start off with a quick look at some of the stories we're following. >>> more time needed. south korean president park geun-h geun-hye's lawyer says he isn't ready for his client to be questioned. >>> new duties. japan's cabinet says the self-defense force unit heading to south sudan will be allowed to protect civilians with weapons if necessary. >>> and under investigation. law enforcement officials in russia have detained the economic development minister on suspicion of accepting a bribe. >>> there's been a delay to a planned inquiry into south korea's president's connections to a corruption scandal. it was originally expected that park geun-hye would sit down with prosecutors on wednesday, but that's not the case. our reporter kim chan-ju joins us from seoul. can you give us the latest? >> reporter: president park got a lawyer on tuesday. his job will be to defend her against allegations that she has links to a scandal involving her long time friend and close aides. park's lawye

i'm james tengan.tart off with a quick look at some of the stories we're following. >>> more time needed. south korean president park geun-h geun-hye's lawyer says he isn't ready for his client to be questioned. >>> new duties. japan's

i'm james tengan in tokyo. welcome to nhk "newsline." prime minister shinzo abe is hosting myanmar's aung san zusu kyi in tokyo. in the meeting abe stressed his commitment to supporting the new government. abe commended myanmar's nation building efforts such as freedom, democracy, respect of human rights, and the rule of law. he said both japan's public and private sectors a

i'm james tengan in tokyo. bye for now. 8úxúo#qÑ ♪ welcome to the france 24 newsroom.ok at headlines we are following. french conservative space off in a television debate before the first round of a presidential primary. the race tightens. the japanese prime minister, shinzo abe, meets with donald trump as barack obama is on his final foreign trip in it the eu.