the final stop for the hokuriku shinkansen will be kanazawa. business owners there have been pretty busy upgrading, expanding and promoting their attractions. >> reporter: a number of restaurants have opened in the kanazawa station building. they're trying to offer something new and different to attract people who will arrive on the bullet train. this restaurant chain specializes in daimin. one special feature is the bowl. they are lacquer ware a traditional craft kanazawa is known for. the lacquer ware bowls are decorated by grooves carved in the wood. this is based on a technique found in the region. lacquer ware is not familiar to most people these days. so the restaurant manager hopes the bowls get customers a taste for the local culture. >> translator: it's kind of classy. >> translator: now i feel like i'm in kanazawa. >> reporter: some companies have branched out into new types of businesses, prompted by the bullet train launch. these include a construction firm. it is now operating a hotel business. this facility has just opened near ka

recent opening of a bullet train line helped push up the price of land in front of the station in kanazawa by more than 17%. construction of hotels and commercial facilities has been booming near the station. >> tourists fro other countries have been making a beeline for japan due to the weaker yen. the number spiked last month during the lunar holidays and set a monthly record. officials at the national japan tourist organization say in february 1.4 million people visited japan up from a year ago. the's the highest since officials began collecting data on this back in 1964. the number of tourists from mainland china more than doubled to 360,000. hong kong rose about 70% to 110,000. both numbers are record highs. tourism officials say the upward trend is likely to continue. they expect more to visit for the cherry blossom viewing season which is right around the corner. >>> well the earthquake and tsunami of march 2011 damaged factories and infrastructures at many companies. now managers are better prepared to deal with disasters. >> reporter: workers at this plant produce things for cars.

. >> reporter: kanazawa was later hospitalized for six days in critical condition. 90% of those affected at kodenmacho station became sick after. this man was in charge of decontamination efforts after the attack. >> translator: the plume of gas lingered in the confined space of the underground station. the effects of the attack were amplified. mainly because crowds of people remained in the closed space. >> reporter: the terror attack was the first time a chemical weapon was used on people in a major city. and officials say this information will help to ensure something like this never happens again. nhk world, tokyo. >>> two japanese ministers are denying receiving improper funding. they're the latest to be questioned on money in the diet. three of prime minister shinso abe's ministers have quit over scandals since october. justice minister yoko camp cow way and yoshio mochizuki were asked about political donations they had. the law bans donations within a year. he said he didn't know the company was going to receive public funds. >> translator: the decision to grant the subsidies was