it's the first meetiting of its kind in 27 yearars. it marks the first of diplomatic ties to the country. japan's diet members once developed a stratategic rerelationship that benefits bo coununtries. and lawawmakers met t the chair of the congressman committee. john called on both countries to reflect on history and drive the relationship in the right direction. the outgoing u.s. secretary of state made last minute efforts to urge south korea to improve it's relatioionship with japan. tensions have heightened over hihistorical matters. john kerry spoke on the phone with the south korean foreign minister. kerry reportedly told him that the ties are important but the continued cooperation of tokyo, seoul and washington. and he promised to improve his country's relations with japan. relations soured over the installation of a statue in front of the japanese conciliate general. the figure symbolizes people referred to as wartime comfort women. japan demanded the statue be removed and recall it's ambassador and general in protest. the u.s.

elephant rides, festivals, and camps are a must for thousands of tourists who flock toto thailand each yearar. but beyond the happy smiles, there is a dark reality behind the origin of these elephants. a brutal trade that experts claim threatens the survival of some of the world's last remaining populations of asian elelephants. >> we traveled to the region of chiang mai in northern thailand, home to many of the elephant camps enjoyed by tourists. >> there have been recent sites basesed in africa watching elephantnts, among other t thin, for a veryry, ryry lontimeme, whereas in asia there's very little e research has been n do. very little has been said about the dramatic drop in population. no one would have any idea that this species isis also endanger. >>ohohn roberts s runsn elelepht camp. he was one ofof the firsto recognize the link between the supply of elephants for the tourism industry and elephant hunting in the wild. >> we've beenumpiping up andd dowwn saying, , if you buyuy an elephant, you''re prprobably tag ananother elepephant out of thte wild. we realized very early on that bu

he told nhnhk world what kind o growth can be expected this yearar. >> measures are in place. it's the most important case when assessing the economy. >> we expect that china's economic growth rate for 2017 will be 6.5% or higher. most likely betweenen 6.5 and 6 which i think is sufficient. i'm more focusused on what i ca three major deficiencies rather than the growth rarate. the first is the economic efficiency which is to see whether our labor productive has increased and whether consumption is boosting the economy. the second one is social efficiency which is to see i if more job versus been created which leads to social stability. the third one i wish to ememphasize is environmental efficiency. if all three are well come bienbie combined it will be all right even if the growth rate dips below 1.65%. >> one of the biggest concerns is trade. that's because officials haven't been able to meet their goals for several years now. from 2014 to 2015 the government wanted total trade volume to grow. in fact it droppeded from 2015 2016. falling nearly 7% by november. >> it's also u

expected to offer new cars at half the price of its main model sometime between the latter part of this yeararnd 2018. japanese automaker toyota has an edge in hybrid technology. it plans to begin mass producing electric vehicles around 2020. nissan motor already aggressively promotes electric cars and is now trying to increase their range. authorities in china and europe are also aiming to toughen regulations on exhaust emissions. >>> japanese business people are setting their sights high this year. several companies plan to enter the fast-growing field of launching mini rockets and micro satellites. the small spacecraft are getting attention as their low cost offers new opportunities. venture company interstellar technologies is developing mini rockets. it plans to launch one to an altitude of more than 100 kilometers in march. it will be the first to be launched solely by a private japanese firm. a small company specializing in micro satellites. they can be as many as ten centimeters long. they will photograph wide areas of the earth. the government agrees that space is the place to be for

>>> and a hundred yearars from , we e look back at these times, there'ss gonna be e some profofd thingsgs that are e said aboutut americicans livingng right nowo. andd hopefully they say good thingngs. and thahat's--- i wanant to be part o of that.. >> at this point, maybe i've brainwashed myself, but at this point, i can't even imagine anything more important than growing food. >> this is it. teach these guysys how to farm. ththey can fefeed themselves. they can n feed the community. theey can feed their family. they can have sustainable life through sustainable agriculture. >> to transition from m a battlefield to a farm field is almomost makes m more sense e tn transisitioning ininto, like,, dilbert's cubicle or a classroom of 18-year-old kids who have never seen anything but, you know, reality tv, you know? and when you've gone out and seen the world and had your friends die in your arms, you're coming home and you're 26 years old, and you're looking for where's my place in this life? wewe feel l like this is a plac, you know, where you can take a l those things that you brorought int

and noaa, the national oceanic and atmospheric administration, have confirmed 2016 was the hottest yearar on record, totopping the previous record set in 2015, which h topped the previous recd only a year earlier. this mararks the first t time in recorded human history that the earth has smashed previous temperature records three straight years in a row. scientists with the u.s. national snow & ice data center have also announced global sea ice levels are at their lowest point in recorded hun n history. the unprecedented warming of the planet due to human caused climate change comes as oklahoma attorney general scott pruitt underwent his confirmation hearing to be the head of the environment protection agency. pruitt has long denied the overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change. dozens of people protested outside his hearing. at least three were arrested, including lakota water protector joann spotted bear, who was arrested while in prayer. this is scott pruitt being questioned by vermont senator bernie sanders. sen. sanders: so you are applying for a job as administrator for th

right now at 10, a three yearar old is dead after choking onon food at daycare. for how long did it take forke them to realize he was suffocating.suff personal information, privateora files passed along with a sociao worker with a heavy load to ato total stranger.ge the exclusive details and why she's still on the job. plus, show me the money.ey. thousands of people in one maryland county are about to see a jump in pay. the details right now on fox5 news at 106789 we begin tonightw in the district where a threethe year old child died today afterr choking on his food at a daycare, i'm tony perkins and i'm shawn yancy. it happened inside the labor department. fox5 spoke with the child's grandmother about the tragedy.rb as a parent, i can't imaginean' what this family must be going through. >>reporter: a lot of grief,ef, shawn. they want the answers because of course they weren't there and they want to know how exactly this all went down and if pand protocol was followed.foll both local and federal law enforcement agencies were involved. it all happened at the depar

jujust as s in a fraud case, ory other drug case you might have prosecuted it appears over the yeararsimmigrationon law is important to be consnsistently d effectctively e enforced.d. should itt not?t? >> i b believe all of ouour laws should be consistently and effectively enforced and within the confines of the constitution. one code that was sally yates in 2015 at her confirmation hearings. being questioned by jeff sessions, specifically on the very issue over which she is now been fired. liz holtzman, your response? >> of course the irony is overwhelming. i want to go back to the point that was made by the white house when they attacked her. i thought she showed enormous courage in standing up for what she believed was right and in talking about the law will step that is the department of justice. what does the law say? we're law-abiding country. the president of the united date in attacking her in the white house statement said she was weak on illegal immigration. that is that her job to be strong or weak on immigration. her job is to be strong on the law. he did not care about the

i've been in a bar middle activist for about 25 yearsrs -- environment activist for 25 yearars.the past, we were acting in a framework with respect for democracy, respect for science, stronger grasp on reality then president trump is indicating. his actitions yesterday on the pipeline as well as trying to muzzle the environmental protection agents thehe demonstrate a complete disregard for indigenousus treaty rights, complete disregard for environmental laws that exec of orders and memoranda's do not change. those pipeline still have to go to the clean water act. thee complete disrsregard for democracy. millions of people have voiceced oppositition to these pipelines. perhaps most troubling is complete disconnect from reality. the vast majorority of thehe wod scientists say it percent of remaining oils need toto state underground. the last thing we should be doing is investing in more pipeline. it is terrifying that he thinks this is an apappropriate directn to move our country in. amy: and t the argumument he mas this means more jobs? >> this is one of the few things i do agree

another change in the new yearar especially for anyone whonyone lives or visits the city of gaithersburges are nowan bd anned.ned. in public buildings and also als public spaces that includes ince parks stores restaurantss st schools theaters, too.s thea, to the new law went into effect yesterday.ster bars clubs and retail tobacco shops have an exemption.em >>> who is to blame for, oh, mariah carey.ar >> such a talker. tal >> i feel forker.>> feel forker. >> we'll talk about it. >> and pour star seems to know, what she's saying about the ordeal erin just ahead.he >> we'll break that one downone but first the holiday shoppingay season may be over for most of the u.s. but retailers are still cashing in.ill ca details of their gift thathat keeps on giving coming up right now. migraines steal moments from my life. so i use excedrin. it starts to relieve migraine pain in just 30 minutes. and it works on my symptoms, too. now moments lost to migraines are moments gained with excedrin. [heartbeat] when heartburn hits, fight back fast with tums smoothies. it starts di