But members of opposition parties are critical. Theyve called the deliberations insufficient. They say more time is needed before a vote. Translator we agreed that every point was discussed and every question was answered. Translator i told them it will lead to Serious Problems in the future. If the bills clear the committee, theyll go before a full session of the lower house on thursday at the earliest for a vote. And if they pass lawmakers will send them to the upper house. The Prime Minister and members of the ruling block want to see the legislation enacted by late september when the current diet session ends. Foreign ministers have iran and six world powers have spent months negotiating tehrans nuclear program. And theyve now reached a landmark deal. The agreement limits Iranian Nuclear development in exchange for relief from economic sanctions. We have reached an agreement on the Iranian Nuclear issue. With courage, political will mutual respect, and leadership. This is an historic day also because we are creating the conditions for Building Trust and opening a new chapter in our relationship. Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad zarif says the ministers will continue to Work Together to implement the deal. Translator i would like to stress that iran will never produce or develop Nuclear Weapons. The deal would allow u. N. Inspectors to press for visits to Iranian Military sites as part of their monitoring duties. But access may not necessarily be granted. Tehran would have the right to challenge the request and an arbitration board come poessed of iran and the six powers would decide on the issue. The arms embargo will remain in place for five years and sanctions relief will be gradual. They will be lifted when the Energy Agency has confirmed iran has limited Nuclear Development. But it could be restored if iran violates the agreement. Iranian president Hassan Rohani called the deal mutually beneficial. Translator this is the beginning of a new era. Rohani says it has affected peoples lives. And the implementation of the deal will remove distrust. U. S. President Barack Obama Says the agreement is significant for world peace. Because of this deal the International Community will be able to verify the Islamic Republic of iran will not develop a Nuclear Weapon. This deal meets every single one of the bottom lines we established when we achieved a framework earlier this spring. Every pathway to a Nuclear Weapon is cut off. But israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu sees it differently. He regards irans Nuclear Development as the gravest Security Threat to his country. Our concern of course is the Islamic State of iran is going to receive a sure path to Nuclear Weapons. Netanyahu says iran would be able to get funds to pursue its aggression and terror in the region and around the world. Leaders of the u. S. Opposition Republican Party oppose the deal reached by the six world powers in iran. They say the Obama Administration has made too many concessions in iran. The deal that we have out there in my view from what i know thus far, is unacceptable. Its going to hand a dangerous regime billions of dollars in sanctions relief while paving the way for a nuclear iran. Boehner says hell do everything he can to defeat the accord. Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell says the iranians will be able to maintain thousands of centrifuges and entrench their nuclear capability. The Republicancontrolled Congress could disapprove the agreement after scrutinizing it. If it does so obama is expected veto the rejection. All right. Just taking you back to the story we presented earlier, a push by japanese Prime Minister shinzo abes administration to transform the countrys Security Policy is on course to clear a major legislative hurdle. A special Lower House Committee of the diet has just opened and members will vote on bills that would allow japan to exercise the right to collective selfdefense. Now, members of the Ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its Coalition Partner komeito called the vote. Members of abes cabinet presented the bills to the diet in may. Lower house lawmakers have spent more than 110 hours discussing them. But members of opposition parties are critical. Theyve called the deliberations insufficient and said more time was needed before a vote. Now, if the bills clear the committee, theyll go before a full session of the lower house on thursday at the earliest for a vote. And if they pass lawmakers will send them to the upper house. The Prime Minister and members of the ruling block want to see the legislation enacted by late september when the current session of the diet ends. Once again, a special Lower House Committee of the diet has just opened and members will vote on bills that would allow japan to exercise the right to collective selfdefense. Well bring you more details throughout the day as they come into us. Now, moving right along, japans Business Community has been closely watching the Iranian Nuclear issue. Ramin mellegard joins us now from our business desk. Ramin, japan and iran once had close economic ties but, you know relations have been affected by western sanctions. Exactly. Japan used to obtain around over 10 of its crude oil imports from iran. But bilateral relations had been overshadowed by the tough economic sanctions imposed by the u. S. And european countries. Now, Japanese Business leaders say a resolution of the Iranian Nuclear issue will bring a stable supply of crude oil. Japan had to withdraw from a project to develop the oil field. One of the largest oil deposits in the middle east. In the past five years japan has cut its imports from iran by more than half. Iran responded to western sanctions by threatening to cut the strait of hormuz at the mouth of the persian gulf. That triggered a rise in crude oil prices and a jump in gasoline prices in japan. But many Japanese Business people say the deal could pave the way for japanese firms to enter iran which is rich in resources and has a population of 78 million. Greek government officials reform bill to parliament. Leaders from the eurozone countries are demanding legislation by the end of wednesday. Thats the condition for starting talks on a new bailout worth around 90 billion. After the bill was submitted, Prime MinisterAlexis Tsipras told a broadcaster he signed an agreement he does not believe in but he said hes obliged to go ahead with it to prevent greek banks from failing and to save the country from a disaster. Greek media reports say about ten lawmakers including cabinet ministers oppose the legislation. Civil servants and medical workers have called for a 24hour strike on wednesday. Public transportation is likely to be disrupted and some hospitals may close. With support from opposition lawmakers, tsipras is likely to secure the parliamentary majority he needs to pass the legislation. Now lets get a check on the markets. Investors on wall street shrugged off disappointing june retail sales figures. It dropped 0. 3 from the previous month and it was the first negative reading since february. We saw the dow industrial average rising 0. 42 and the nasdaq was up 0. 65 . Now, for more on how markets here are trading lets go to mai yoshida at the tokyo stock exchange. How is it playing out . They say they feel the situation in the euro situation is calming down. The focus turns to asia where there are actions that could corner earnings. Lets see how tokyo is kicking off this busy day. Another strong kickoff here in tokyo. Stocks are opening higher for a third day in a row. The nikkei is opening half a percent higher. 20,487. And the topix is also up half a percent. The longest streak for s p 500 since january. The retail data spurred a timing on higher rates. So they will look at the timing of rate hikes when federal reserves janet yellen will speak to congress. Weak retail data made investors wonder whether the u. S. Economy has been Strong Enough for a widely expected rate hike in september. And we also have another central bank chief speaking today. Thats bank of japans kuruda. So we have two central bankers speaking today. Or will be in focus. Before we talk about china, i also want to touch on Energy Sector as oil was a significant focus overnight. The west texas intermediate rose after six world powers and iran struck an agreement over Irans Nuclear program. It followed a rebound in oil prices. So well keep track of its japanese peers. Ramin . And mayu lets talk about china now. Were expecting a slew of data today from asias biggest economy. What are investors looking at . Well the biggest focus will definitely be on chinas Second Quarter gdp because investors want to know whether the chinese economy, the momentum in the chinese economy is slowing down or not. And the results may not only impact china, but also its trading partners like australia. The Australian Dollar is inching up. Meanwhile, the dollar is regaining a little bit against the yen. It fell below 123 following numbers from the retail sector. But now its around 123. 25. So the key words of today will be chinas gdp and two speeches from central bankers in japan and the u. S. Thats it for now. Back to you. Central banks and china. Thank you very much mayu yoshida. Now, people in rural japan are watching their towns decay around them and their communities dwindle and age. Residents of tokoshima prefecture are graying fast. People over 65 make up more than a quarter of the population but are working hard to turn things around. In our threepart series, we look at businesses using unique ideas to breathe life back into the countryside. First up we meet farmers who harvest garnishes that are part of japanese cuisine. Theyre part of a flourishing industry thats helping to drive the local economy. Reporter its just a finishing touch, but japanese cuisine wouldnt be the same without it. A shimmering green leaf. To add flavor and seasonal beauty. 70yearold haruku takaro grows garnishing leaves on her farm. More than 100 different kinds. Today she is harvesting heavenly bamboo. She has hung black netting overhead to block the sunlight. One of the tricks to leaf growing. Translator with too much sun, the leaves turn red and dont look good. Reporter this is decorative food. So the leaves must be vivid in color and a symmetrical shape. Translator Seasonal Items can enhance the enjoyment of our customers in the cities. Reporter takao lives in kamikatsu nestled in the mountains of tokushima prefecture. About 200 grow leaves in this area. 300 types in all. They are harvested according to color, shape, and size to meet exact standards. Leaf production is overseen by an agribusiness partly funded by the local government. This is the firms president. Demand for garnishing leaves fluctuates widely from season to season. Its his job to predict that demand. He talks to Restaurant Owners to monitor trends and visits markets to see what types of leaves are selling. Based on his findings farmers select what to grow and when to ship. Translator there are people who want leaves and they offer proper prices. We need to find more of these people and keep offering quality products. Reporter the leaf business has its roots in a town crisis 30 years ago. Cold weather had ruined the orange crop. The towns main industry. He works to help establish an alternative crop. One all the locals were familiar with. Today the leaf farmers generate sales of more than 2 million. And their leaves are finding markets abroad helped by the growing popularity of japanese food worldwide. He made his latest pitch in france. This paris restaurant already uses a few ingredients imported from japan. Irodoris president thinks theyll be interested in their leaves too. Hes brought wasabi leaves and a brochure in french that explains all about them. Translator this is edible. Reporter the wasabi leaf has a subtle sharpness. One of its characteristics. Translator it has a very delicate taste. It could go with with risotto. Reporter the chef seems interested. Translator it seems like hes convinced that unique products such as those from kamikatsu are worth using. Reporter yokoishi says the leaf business is branching out and france is just the start. His company is working on recipes so it can market the leaves in other parts of europe. And thats all for Business News for this hour. Ill leave you with a check on the markets. A japanese man who was trapped in north korea for more than two decades has urged the japanese government to make strategic efforts to achieve the return of other abductees. Former abductee kaoru hes see cay. North korea recently informed japan there would be a delay in issuing the report on investigations of abductees and other missing japanese. Hasuike says they have firm control of the abductees and should not need to carry out an investigation. Translator north koreas former leader kim jongil announced in 2002 that eight of the abductees were dead and four others never entered the country. Changing that position will not be so easy. The investigations are intended to reverse the earlier statement. Hasuike said north korea is trying to get as many concessions as it can from japan by playing the abduction card. He thinks a report has not been issued yesterday because the north feels the time is not right. Hasuike says the japanese government needs to take other steps apart from setting a deadline and imposing tougher sanctions. He said it needs to press the country for resolution by showing it is ready to offer some returns if pyongyang takes sincere action. Hasuike was abducted to north korea in 1978 and returned to japan with four other abductees in 2002. A Record Number of tourists visited japan last year. Over 13 million. They spent more than 16 billion. Another record. The countrys Tax Exemption program for International Visitors likely has something to do with that. And stores along the sea of japan coast want a share of the profits. Reporter ishikawa prefecture has been drawing more sight seers since the hokuriku bullet train opened in march. In the first four months a Tourist Information counter at kanazawa station has seen a 40 increase in people from overseas compared to the year before. Many of them arrive from tokyo aboard the new shinkansen line. Retailers of local handicrafts are seeking to register as taxfree stores. They hope that will convince travelers to spend time and money in their establishments. A shop specializing in japanese drums is among them. The development is something new in the companys 400year history. At taxfree stores visitors from abroad dont have to pay the 8 consumption tax for things costing more than about 80. So the tourists tend to spend more on goods and services. Small for my car. And small for my children. 46,000 yen. Great. I mean ill come here. The fact its dutyfree, that means i can buy more. The store i love it. Reporter the store loves it too. Sales are up. Translator customers are happy because they pay less at our shop. Now that weve registered as a taxfree store, we hope to draw even more people from overseas. Reporter the number of taxfree establishments in ishikawa is almost five times what it was just a year ago. Up to more than 140 at last count. Everyone a Convenience Store sees fit to join. Its near to bars and Hotels Catering to international tourists. Where i from malaysia. Reporter the shelves are stocked with local handicrafts. They include lacquercoated chop sticks from wajima and bookmarks made of gold leaf. Both have developed followings outside of japan. Tax exemption requires more of the clerks. They have to check passports and put purchases in the designated bags. Thats all part of the new job description. Translator put purchased items in special bags and seal them. Then tell the customers not to open them until they leave japan. Translator i wonder if ill be able to explain the importance of not opening the bags. Im not good at english but i can rely on the instructions written here. Reporter electronic appliances, cosmetics, and snacks are on peoples list of things to bring back. If ishikawas merchants have their way, traditional handicrafts will become musthave item tooss too. Meaning more trips to that part of the country. Visitors to japan are enjoying shopping in hot and humid weather conditions. Robert speta explains. Well we are going to be seeing a bit of relief in the latter part of the week. Unfortunately it is because we are looking at some heavy rainfall and a typhoon thats going to be coming into the picture. That storm in itself is also triggering pressure across japan. But look at the satellite picture. Clear skies out here today. The suns continuing to beat down. Actually, some areas weve been pushing temperatures well into the 30s. Look at that. 39. 3 degrees there in gunma prefecture. 41 degrees was the record two years ago. It shows you how hot it really is. Lets go to video out of that area where the temperature spiked near the 40degree mark. Temperatures are still continuing to rise. As well in fukushima prefecture. At least three people have died due to heatstroke. Eight people unconscious. More than a thousand people have been taken to hospital yesterday alone. This extreme heat will continue across most of japan tluz the rest of the day here on wednesday. Advising people like that child there to eat some ice cream, stay cool get in the water. Try to stay in some air conditioned areas if possible. Now, as we look ahead, though as i mentioned, the temperatures are going to be coming down. The reason is because we have take a look at these conditions in kochi. That typhoon continuing to approach. Nangka coming in from the south. Right now this is a strong typhoon. Winds gusting up to 216 kilometers per hour. Prior to landfall expect this to intensify and then slightly start to weaken as it approached shokoku. But also over towards the Key Peninsula as well, were going to be looking at a serious rain threat. In the past we have seen rain reports out here top 1,000 millimeters when typhoons come on shore. I dont think its going to get that high but still about 400 to 600 millimeters out here. And definitely a serious threat of flooding. Even over towards tokyo, scattered rain showers. Nothing typhoon related. But still vile weather. The monsoonal rains continuing to impact bangkok over towards manila. And i want to mention our other storm system. This is halola now tracking off here towards the west passing by wake island. And this one, its really stirring up the seas right now. Lets see whats going on over here towards the americas. Actually still severe thunderstorms erupting across much of the central u. S. Take a look at this photo monday out of kansas. A tornado there. What the bigger issue has been is the winds, the Straight Line winds with these storm cells which were blowing through across the northeastern u. S. Now were going to be seeing that continuing to track off. Theres still that threat of more Severe Weather at least through the rest of your tuesday heading into wednesday morning. And the temperatures are continuing to rise. You want to stay cool out here. Especially across the deep south. Take a look at new orleans. Into the 30s. With the heat index its going to feel well into the 40s out here through your wednesday. Ill leave you now with your extended outlook. And thats all for this edition of newsline. Im Catherine Kobayashi in tokyo. Thanks for joining us. o hello and a very warm welcome to global 3000, where this week well be covering one particular battle in the fight to curb a global epidemic. No, were not talking about a disease. This epidemic is a manmade outbreak of violence against women. Thats just one of the stories coming up on the program. Learning made fun how radiolessons are shakingup the classroom in pakistan. 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