i'm yuko aotani from tokyo. first the headlines for this hour. >>> the japan coast guard is on alert as chinese fishing boats are gathered in the pacific. the crews are suspected of illegally harvesting coral. >>> the ministerial conference of the asia pacific economic cooperation forum is about to begin in beijing. officials from japan and china are trying to arrange a bilateral summit on the sidelines of the meeting. >>> and ahead of the apec summit an american expert shows his insight into the situation in east asia and japan's foreign policy. >>> japan coast guard authorities are increasing their presence near islands in the pacific. they've spotted as many as 100 chinese vessels in the area, and they suspect the crews are illegally hunting for coral. jewelry made from red coral fetches high prices in china. coast guard authorities have seen a dramatic rise in the number of chinese vessels off the ogasawara and izu islands. they suspect more than 200 crews have been illegally poaching coral since september.

i'm gene otani in tokyo. critics here are our top stories.re our top the second jihadist in the beheading video is confirmed to be a frenchman. the news has shocked the public. plans for more jewish settlements in the west bank sparked palestinian anger in a region already on the edge. the head of the company that operated south korea's ill-fated ferry is sentenced to 10 years in prison after his manslaughter conviction over the disaster that left more than 300 dead.

the year tokyo hosts the olympic games. in our series, "testing japan's english" we look at some of the challenges that people face, along with their own solutions in learning the language. i dropped by an indian school, that's becoming increasingly popular with japanese children. >> one, two, three -- >> reporter: this school is not in new delhi, but in downtown tokyo. the day begins with yoga. it's supposed to boost energy, as well as concentration. advanced math classes are common in india. they start learning multiplication from 4 years old. in most japanese schools, that starts from 8. shojin is a seventh grader. he transferred from a local japanese school three years ago. at first, he spoke very little english. but today, he doesn't have a problem communicating with his classmates. >> "b" or "a" -- see. >> reporter: i.t. classes are also compulsory here from kindergarten. at the age of 12, they start learning visual basics, a subject often taught at the high school level in japan. and by graduation, they can manage to

>>> welcome to nhk world "newsline," i'm gene otani in tokyo. here's a look at some of the stories we're following this hour. >>> japan's supreme court justices have ruled last year's upper house election was held in a state of unconstitutionality. but they didn't nullify the vote. >>> protests spreading in the united states over a grand jury's decision to clear a white police officer who fatally shot a black teenager in ferguson, missouri. >>> and overfishing is posing a threat to young eels. cause for conservation measures are mounting before they disappear forever. >>> japan's supreme court justices have been taking a closer look at last year's diet election. they ruled a disparity in the value of one vote was in a state of unconstitutionality. the upper house election was held in july 2013. tokyo had the highest number of eligible voters. more than 10.5 million. they were casting ballots for five diet seats. that's a little more than 2 million potential votes per lawmaker. totory prefecture had fewer than half a million voters. they were cas

i'm gene otani in tokyo. gg99Ññç >> the doctor who conducted sterilization procedures that left 14 women dead in india is now under arrest. he had been in hiding since saturday, saying he is a scapegoat for the government-backed surgeries that went horribly wrong. mexico is rocked by another day of angry protests. to astrators set fire southern state congress over the presumed massacre of 43 students . a shaky landing for the european robot lab that made an historic touchdown on a comment -- comet wednesday. it is now reportedly working well although

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for staying with us. >>> today's asian voices comes to you from china. a focus is on the software industry. can it become a mainstay of the chinese economy? nu soft corporation is one of the newest software companies in china and has 80 offices worldwide. it offers a wide range of services from car navigation systems to software for cell phones to health care services in rural

>>> welcome to "newsline," i'm keikichi honda in tokyo. here are some of the stories we are following this hour. japanese prime minister shinzo abe is expected to meet with chinese president xi jinping on the sidelines of next week's apec meeting. >>> concerns agreeing over possible damage to japan's marine environment caused by a flotilla of chinese ships. >>> and the first japanese nuclear plant to meet stricter government requirements is now a step closer to going back online. the leaders of japan and china are likely to meet one-on-one early next week. government officials from both nations have agreed to arrange their meeting on the sidelines of the asia pacific cooperation forum in beijing. it would be the first official summit between the two countries since may 2012. prime minister shinzo abe has been seeking a meeting with chinese president xi jinping. and he's been laying down the groundwork for the talks. he sent a senior government official to china this week for coordination. the head of national security secretariat met with

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." >>> japan's prime minister is back in tokyo from a diplomatic tour abroad to face some challenges at home. shinzo abe's preparing to tackle the biggest one head-on. political analysts say he's almost certain to postpone plans to raise the sales tax, and they say he play announce as early as tuesday that he'll dissolve the lower house. government officials want to put the tax up from 8% to 10%. they had plans to do that next october but abe has suggested he'll put it off to april of 2017. he said the tax is meant to raise revenue, so it's pointless to increase it if that hurts the economy. the prime minister said decisions bearing on the day-to-day lives of ordinary people sh

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for staying with us.óóññ >>> today's asian voices comes to you from china. a focus is on the software industry. can it become a mainstay of the chinese economy? nu soft corporation is one of the newest software companies in china and has 80 offices worldwide. it offers a wide range of services from car navigation systems to software for cell phones to health care services in rural

i'm yuko aotani in tokyo. first the headlines at this hour. >>> investors have pushed the nikkei to its highest level in seven years and the yen has plunged against the dollar. >>> u.s. president barack obama is trying to overcome a low approval rating and boost his party's chances in the final sprint before election day. >>> and setting up a business abroad can be a challenge. but south korea has introduced a new visa to help foreigners cut through the red tape and get ahead. >>> policymakers at the bank of japan are expanding their monetary easing policy. they're going to buy even more government bonds than they are now. and stock investors are on a buying spree. tokyo's benchmark index hit 17,000 this morning. that's the highest level in seven years. the nikkei ended the morning session at 17,071. that's 4% higher than the close on friday. the market was shut on monday for a public holiday. ai uchida joins us from the business desk with the details. what's happening now? >> two things surprised investors by

i'm gene otani in tokyo. ññ x -- collect for 12 years, there has been a standoff between the west and iran over its nuclear program, a standoff that was meant to be settled by a deadline tonight. biggestooking like the chance in years to resolve this crisis, but reports coming out throughout the day seem to say it is another extension and not a deal that would come out of the talks. to get a little bit

i'm gene otani in tokyo. here's a look at some of the stories we're following this hour. >>> bank of japan policymakers have sent tokyo shares soaring by announcing they'll ramp up their monetary easing program. >>> japanese and north korean officials have wrapped up two days of meetings over the abduction issue. the government officials say a new probe into their fate offers a fresh perspective. >>> and more and more people in japan are putting on costumes and carving pumpkins as the spirit of halloween takes hold. >>> bank of japan policymakers announced they're going to crank up their monetary stimulus program in a bid to hit their inflation target of 2%. it's the first time boj officials have expanded their stimulus since they launched in the april of last year. they say they're worried they won't be able to reverse japan's deflationary mind-set unless they take action. the policymakers voted in favor of the move 5-4 at a board meeting. they say they'll ramp up their purchase of japanese government bonds.

there are bombs for tokyo. pacific for the 1500 miles towards the heart of the enemy, their tokyo 20,000 feet the low. making sure -- the aircraft plan is the main target. and this height, results are difficult to record. you can see some of the bombs landing far below. there was a much closer view. -- the jets had a much closer view. japan does not take this treatment lying down. b-29's blaze back. is caught spinning from the sky. the japs delta hard blow, but in spite of it, tokyo has a lot more coming to it. alt a hard blow. >> i think there's a lot of things. initially, my thought my -- my thoughts are on this idea of richer prosody. does the attack on pearl harbor -- my thoughts on this are with reciprocity.e does the attack on pearl harbor allow us to do things differently in the context of the law of war? >> the idea that we can. not necessarily that we can , they talkcause about how they have all these 9's, double digits or something, and they have how many bombs in them? they say the main target is thi

i'm raja pradhan in tokyo. >>> voters in japan have a date to mark on their calendars. abe dissolved the lower house of the diet and set a general election for december 14th. abe has been in office since december 2012. he says he's seeking public support for his economic policies known as abenomics. [ speaking foreign language ] >> reporter: the speaker of the chamber declared the dissolution. the campaign starts on december 2nd and people will cast their ballots 12 days later. prime minister abe is framing the vote as a choice between abenomics and other alternatives. >> translator: through the election campaign, i would like to ask the people whether our economic policies are right or wrong. i'd like to ask the public whether there are any other options. >> reporter: abe says his government has increased employment, income and corporate profits. he said his economic policies rectified excessive appreciate of the yen and put an end to hallowing out of industries and revitalized smaller businesses. he said aben

i'm yuko aotani in tokyo. first the headlines for this hour. >>> pro-democracy demonstrators in hong kong are debating how to move forward two months after they first took to the streets. >>> officials at opec have decided not to cut crude oil production, oil production, despite the recent plunge in the price of crude. >>> and japan's golf industries facing a crisis. greens owners are developing new strategies. >>> pro-democracy demonstrators in hong kong are debating how to move their protests forward. friday marks exactly two months since they first started occupying parts of the territory's busy districts. the hong kong government has shown no signs of giving in to their demands by wednesday. authorities had cleared barktds from one of the three main protest sites following a court order. some point out that support for the protesters among hong kong residents appears to have dwindled as the standoff dragged on. a student leader says a new course of action will be worked out in a few days. he was released o

tokyo staying dry with sunshine high of 17. looking at chance of rain for manila coming up friday. >>> another area dealing with rainfall is western europe. see this spin of cloud cover. that's a low pressure system coming on shore of the peninsula driving moisture down toward north western africa. we're concerned about flooding with this system because the rain harpper cyst ent earlier this week and continuing on few days. when you have an extended period of rainfall, that becomes a problem. rain madrid and lisbon through thursday. back toward the east, high pressure keeping the skies dry. warsaw you'll see high of 1. negative four in moscow and flurry activity through thursday. now an area seeking lots of snowfall is over the north eastern portions of the united states because of a low pressure system that's clearing the area. i want to show you video coming out of this region. heavy snow and cold wins cause traffic disruptions in north eastern u.s. during the busiest travel system of the year. the in southern maine, cars sli

tokyo stocks rose about 17,000, the highest level in

the tokyo market leads it is way. marketses around the world follow. >> from the decisions that could change the course of an economy. >> companieses at the forefront of change. >> up to the minute market repor reports. >> analysis from specialistses from around the world. >> get the latest business news every day here on "newsline." >>> leaders of the soes association of southeast asia nations agreed to stick to diplomacy on disputes. they have gathered with other countrieses in myanmar and they are sitting down for a series of key summit meetings. the country's capital is under tight security. myanmar is the chair nation for the first time since it joineded in 1997. territorial disputes were a focus on wednesday. four member states, the philippines, vietnam, malaysia and brunai have competing claims to the south china sea . china says it has the right to control almost all of it. the asean leaders agreed to accelerate negotiations for a legally binding code of conduct with officials in beijing. shinzo abe stressed t

their shining bellies are filled with alms for tokyo. bombs for tokyo. north across the pacific for 1500 miles toward the heart of the enemy. but then tokyo, 20,000 feet below. make sure that military justice are followed. the aircraft plant is the main target. and at the site, through heavy clouds, results are difficult to record. but you can see the bombs landed far below. ps had a much closer view. but japan does not take this treatment lying down. b-29's blaze when the japs hit back. one of the raiders is not spinning from the sky. the japs dug a hard blow. when they struck at this airfield. but tokyo has a lot more coming to it. >> i think there's a lot of things we can unpackaged their rere. initially my thoughts as logan to the idea of reciprocity, ok, does the attack on pearl harbor allow us to do things differently in the context of the law of war? >> it gives us the idea that we can. it does not necessarily that we can justify the cost -- -- because, did you want to look at as a 1:1 trade-off. them attacking pearl harbor would mean that we have

tokyo stocks rose about 17,000, the highest level in seven

it's friday, november 7th, i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. a conference of the asia pacific economic forum will begin friday in beijing. on the agenda is the formation of a regional trade block called the free trade area of the asia pacific. leaders from 21 countries and territories will attend the two-day meeting. they're expected to discuss whether to set a time frame for establishing the trade block and will issue a joint statement saturday. japan and china are making last minute arrangements to realize a bilateral summit. prime minister abe wants to hold his first meeting with the chinese president. the foreign minister will attend the talks. he'll also try to arrange a meet meeting with china's morn minister. official frs the two countries are discussing the agenda of the possible summit. the chinese side is starting to show positive signs toward holding a dialogue. abe is among the world leaders heading to beijing for the summit. analysts will be watching whether abe will hold face to face talks with chinese and south korean leaders. ri

i'm gene otani in tokyo. gg99Ññç

i'm ross mihara in tokyo. >>> japan coast guard officials say a crack down on coral poachers appears to be working. for two months they've been monitoring and warning crews off islands south of tokyo. now they say the boats have all gone. >> reporter: coast guard officials stepped up nighttime patrols of the ogasawara islands. 1,000 kilometers south of tokyo. they were keeping track of chinese crews taking advantage of the darkness to enter japanese waters. the officials first noticed the boats in the middle of september. then they saw a dramatic increase late last month of more than 200 vessels. >> translator: poachers tear out the coral completely, leaving nothing behind. i don't know when we'll be able to harvest coral like we used to. >> reporter: the chinese crews are believed to be targeting coral varieties known as precious corals. jewelry made from it fetches high prices in china. fishermen there cannot harvest it because it is a protected species, so they come to japan. the japanese government discuss

>>> welcome to nhk world "newsline," i'm gene otani in tokyo. here's a look at some of the stories we're following this hour. protests are flaring up in cities across the u.s. after a grand jury cleared a white police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black teenager. >>> clearing hong kong's streets. authorities have okayed the removal of barricades at a site where protesters remain. >>> and, another plan to get radioactive water under control at fukushima daiichi. workers are filling in underground tunnels, after an earlier method failed. riots have been breaking out in cities across the u.s. after a grand jury decided not to indict a white police officer for the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager. the protests first flared in the state of missouri, where the incident occurred. several hundred people gathered in front of a police station in the city of ferguson, after the ruling some hurled stones at the building. others set fire to police vehicles, shops and restaurants have been looted and set on fire. police forces have responded

i'm kathryn kobayashi in tokyo. the foreign ministers of iran and six world powers have agreed to push back an important deadline again. they're trying to map oup terms for iran's nuclear program agreeable to everyone, but they say they'll need another seven months to resolve some big differences. ministers from the u.s., britain, france, china, russia and germany are taking part in the talks. they met with iran's foreign minister. they're trying to reach a broad deal that lets them focus on big issues now and worry about details later. they were hoping to reach it by midnight, but they couldn't find any middle ground on a range of issues, including the scale of uranium enrichment that should be allowed. they agreed to continue their negotiations until march. they are trying to turn it into something more lasting. they already missed the first deadline they set for themselves earlier this year. >> there are still some significant points of disagreement, and they have to be worked through. >> the major obstacle is th

i'm gene otani in tokyo. from all of us here at nhk world, thanks for joining us. >> seize the opportunity, that's the message from france's foreign minister to tehran, as iran's foreign minister prepares to leave vienna to head to tehran for consultations, this as talks continue in vienna just days ahead of monday's deadline for a final deal on iran's nuclear program. shaking up the american immigration system, barack obama bypasses congress to push through reform that could help millions of illegal immigrants get work permits. republicans, though, warn it will lead to more immigration rather than less. and britain's anti-e.u. party gets its second m.p. into westminster after a

i'm kayky chi hanada in tokyo. here's some of the stories we are following this hour. >>> republicans overwhelmed democrats in the u.s. midterm elections, winning the majority in the senate and taking control of congress. >>> japan's largest carmaker, toyota, has posted a record high operating profit in the first six months of this business year. >>> and for our series testing japan's english, we drop by an after-school program near tokyo where kids eat snacks, play and speak only english. >>> results coming in from the u.s. mid-term elections point to new challenges for president barack obama's administration. the republicans will have the majority in the senate. that means they will take control of both chambers of congress. >> tonight they said we can have real change in washington, real change. and that's just what i intend to deliver. >> the republicans entered the race with 45 senate seats. abc news projects they will come out of the election with at least 52. that will give them the majority in the 100-seat

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. >>> political leaders in japan are about to hit the campaign trail. members of governing and opposition parties don't have much time to prepare. prime minister shinzo abe is set to dissolve the lower house on friday. abe and cabinet members met on friday morning to sign official papers. they will set the election for december 14. the lower chamber will be disbanded in the afternoon and abe will hold a news conference. he has pledged to win the vote. he said he will speed up the implementation of measures and deliver the benefits of economic recovery to all corners of the nation. >> translator: i am determined to clarify whether the government's growth strategy is right or wrong. and whether there are other ways to replace it. >> the main issue of the election is abenomics, the prime minister's economic policies. le the last general election took place two years ago. >>> a u.s. congressional panel says china's advancing military capabilities will challenge those of america and japan. t

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. the organization of petroleum exporting countries has decided to maintain its crude oil output ceiling. the 12 member nation of opec made the decision on thursday. they agreed to keep their daily oil output target at 30 million barrels. some appealed if for a reduction to curb a further drop in price is. the appeals were overridden. crude prices have um tumabled more than 30% in the past six months partly due to u.s. shale output. at the gathering, saudi arabia argued that opec does not need to slash production target as current price fluctuations are only short-term ones. other delegations claimed crude prices will rebound as the recovery drives up demand for crude. in after hours trading in new york, futures prices fell below $70 a barrel for the first time in four and a half years after the opec decision. out of speculation that oil supply will be excessive. now, analysts are wondering where prices are headed. for more, let's go to ai. >> we spoke to a japanese analyst and he said

share prices in tokyo opened lower. analysts say the oecd's outlook for the japanese economy is weighing on investor sentiment. the nikkei still down by a quarter percent from tuesday's close. some investors are selling major exporter shares as the yen is slightly stronger this morning. let's take a look at currencies. the u.s. gdp figures were higher than consensus, but traders are still trading the dollar against the yen. the euro is stronger against both the dollar and the yen. robust business sentiment in germany is prompting traders to buy the euro. taking a look at other markets in the asia pacific, south korea's kospi, down by almost a quarter percent this morning. let's see what's happening in australia. the benchmark index trading up up 0.99%. i'll be back next hour with more of your headlines in business. here's a check on some other markets. >>> nhk conducted a survey to find out what people in japan think about an upcoming general election. results suggests the percentage of voters who are very interested ha

i'm gene otani in tokyo. here's a look at some of the stories we're following this hour. a family takes action. relatives of a centenarian who committed suicide after the fukushima nuclear accident will sue for damages. >>> the islamic state militant group has released what it says is a message from its leader calling for his supporters to take their fight worldwide. >>> and conflicts around the world have turned a record number of people into refugees. now, the united nations top expert offers his perspective. >>> the family of a man who committed suicide after the fukushima nuclear accident is taking action. the 102-year-old refused an order to evacuate his home near the fukushima daiichi plant in 2011. now his relatives are prepared to sue the company that runs the crippled facility. the village of iitate has been empty for over three years. it is 30 kilometers from the nuclear plant and one month after the accident, the japanese government ordered residents to leave. the day after the evacuation order, fu

the tokyo market leads the way. 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." >>> the chinese government is about to start cracking down on polluters. it's introducing stricter punishments that will go into effect in the new year. japanese manufacturers see an opportunity. they hope their products will attract the interest of companies in china. some 2,000 exhibiters are showing their latest technologies at an industrial fair in shanghai. among them are 60 japanese firms and regional governments who are displaying their products in the environment section. one firm has unveiled equipment that filters pollutants from factory emissions. another is displaying a purification system that removes pm 2.5 particles from the air. >> translator: i came by to se

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for watching. xxxx would you rather spend your weekend mowing your lawn - or relaxing in your backyard? when you choose native, drought- tolerant plants for your landscape, you can attract wildlife, stop using unhealthy pesticides, and save money on your water bill. a native plant is one that grows naturally in your area and climate. because it 's adapted to living there, it can withstand the heat, cold, and rainfall that's part of the natural system. native landscaping is every bit as beautiful as exotic plants that need constant watering and attention. and with native plants, you'll save money on fertilizers, too. for more information about creating a water- efficient, earth- friendly landscape in your yard, go to your local library or ater efficient ater efficient landscaping now that makes sense! >> hello and welcome to our latest edition of euromaxx - recent cases of people have shown that this is no longer a problem confined to africa. no matter where we are, we speak -- we suffer with potent

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for watching. xxxx >> hello and welcome to our latest edition of euromaxx - recent cases of people have shown that this is no longer a problem confined to africa. no matter where we are, we speak -- we suffer with potential outbreak of the disease. here is what we have coming up. sitting on edge, molly hopes for the best, but fears for the worst stop -- mali hopes for the best, but fears for the worst. and in china, fears for children.

what is the lesson of the firebombing of tokyo? the danger of nuclear weapons should not blind us to the destructive power of conventional weapons. the genocideught of 1994 killed more than half a million people. whenever victims died from machete attacks. 100,000 people died in the pilot is rocks iraq. of violence that has rocked iraq died in theeople violence that has rocked iraq. the fighting in the eastern congo has killed an estimated six many people. many of the victims died of malnutrition and disease. the destructive power of conventional weapons is not a reason to never use military force. it is a reason to consider carefully and not to underestimate their consequence. the destructive power of conventional weapons wpons is te reason why countries have a responsibility to protect civilian operations where they can. here's the question to consider -- what more should the international community be doing to prevent political warfare? i encourage you to weigh in with your answer on my blog, which he defined at cfr.org. thank y

tokyo share prices are showing a stronger -- monday's fall of nearly 3%. many are hunting for bargain stocks. the nikkei currently trading higher by more than 300 points. analysts say many investors are relieved to see the shock of japan's weak gdp did not spread to other economies. on to currencies now, they're gettinging back their appetite for risk and are buying back the dollar against the yen and that is after the pair showed volatile trading on monday and the euro is trading lower against major currencies. mario draghi mentioned the possibility of further monetary easing including bond buying. and let's see what's happening on other r markets in the region. south korea's kospi trading higher and in australia, we're seeing the benchmark trading basically flat this morning. 5,413. >>> executives at honda are showing off a prototype of a new environmentally friendly car. they say their vehicle is roomier and more advanced and advanced than previous models. the exec tytives hope the finished version of the car in 2016. they say the fuel cell is smaller t

i'm gene otani in tokyo. japanese prime minister shinzo abe has announced that he will dissolve the lower house of the diet this week. he says he wants to seek a public mandate for his decision to put off the consumption tax hike which is scheduled for next october by law. the general election would be held in mid-december. >> translator: since i am making a grave, grave decision for people's lives and economy, i have decided that i must swiftly seek the mandate of the people. i'm going to dissolve the lower house on the 21st this week. >> abe said he made the decision to postpone the tax hike after he studied economic indexes and opinions of representatives from various sectors. he says the preliminary gdp figures for the july to september period show the economy is not back on the growth trend. abe said it is pointless to raise the tax if it were to slow down the economy, burden people's lives, and decrease the tax revenue. >> translator: i would like to seek the public's judgment on whether the consumption

>>> welcome to nhk world "newsline" i'm gene otani in tokyo. the apec summit in beijing has ended after two days of talks. leaders agreed to make efforts to create a framework for a new free trade zone, which would cover the entire asia pacific region. analysts say china appears to have used its position as the host of the summit to boost influence in the region. this comes at the expense of the united states and japan. in this special "newsline" coverage, we'll be focusing on china's diplomatic maneuvering at the summit. the leaders of the 21-member apec forum have issued a joint declaration. it commits the apec nations and regions to study the feasibility of the new regional economic integration. it would be called the free trade area of the asia pacific. the statement says the results of their research will be compiled by the end of 2016 with the goal of setting up the new framework at the earliest possible date. >> translator: the apec leaders have agreed to promote a road map to create the free trade area in the asia pacific. this is a his

back in tokyo, the minister informed prime minister abe about what they were told. >> translator: the north korean committee members promised to carry out a thorough investigation. they agreed to look at the issue from new angles without regard to the outcome of previous probes. the committee said the scope of the probe will include a north korean agency that carries out special missions. >> japan's government believes at least 17 of its people were abducted by north korean agents in the 1970s and 80s. five were return in 2002. previously, pyongyang said eight abductees had died and four never entered the north. japan's chief cabinet secretary told reporters the new committee had not yet provided any specific information about the abductees' fates. in the talks the delegation sphresed then -- stressed the point that the japanese government considers the abduction issue to be its top priority. it sees pyongyangpyongyang's pra half step forward. the government hopes to receive at least an initial report by the end of the year. >>> despite the perception gap over the abduction issue, nor

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. >>> the u.s. midterm election results have transformed the political dynamic in washington. republicans have won a majority in the senate. they now have control of both chambers of congress for the first time in eight years. voters cast pal lots for 36 of the senate's 100 seats. republicans will hold a majority of at least 52 but a runoff in louisiana means the count won't be known until next month. all 435 seats in the house of representatives were being contested. republicans expanded their majority with 243 seats. republicans fiercely criticized president barack obama for what they called poor handling of islamic state militants and the ebola outbreak. he told voters he got their message. >> obviously, republicans had a good night and they deserve credit for running good campaigns. i'm eager to work with the new congress to make the next two years as productive as possible. i am committed to making sure that i measure ideas not by whether they are from democrats or republicans, but whether they