The Danish Parliament approved a controversial law. And preventing child abuse. Forensic medical scientists are stepping in. Officials have begun work on a terminal that will transport people at record speeds. Theyre building the first stop for a train. They are starting work on a train that will run up to 500 kilometers per hour. They plan to put the magnetically levitated train into operation in 2027. The line will cover nearly 300 kilometers and cutravel time by about an hour to just 40 minutes. The officials held a Ground Breaking ceremony. They said the terminal will be about 40 meters underground, directly below the station for the shinkansen bullet train. Translator were going to go all out, but well also be mindful of safety issues and environmental concerns. And well work closely with the local community to get this done. The company is avoiding expensive property purchases by laying the track 40 meters below ground in urban areas. They say the train will be mostly straight. To allow the train to get up to its top speed. Construction of the train in the other end will start in months. Japans emperor and empress have received a warm welcome in manila. Theyre on a state visit to the philippines to mar60 years of normalized relations between the two countries. A welcome ceremony took place at the president ial palace on wednesday. The philippine president aquino greeted the emperor and empress. The imperial couple visited once before, 50 years ago when they were crown prince and princess. They listened to a performance by local people playing bamboo instruments. Later they visited a tomb and paid tribute to unknown filipino soldiers who died in world war ii. The front of runner in the u. S. Republican president ial race has threatened to pull out of a debate. Most likely i wont be doing the debate. Trump is angry that the moderator of the debate will be fox news anchor megyn kelly. Last year she asked him about his treatment of women. Instead, he will hold a fund raiser. Lets see how much fox will make on the debate without me. His position has earned criticism. Ted cruz has issued a challenge to the billionaire businessman. Now, if mr. Trump is scared to face megyn kelly, then i would ask that he at least show the respect that is owed to the men and women of iowa. Cruz says if trump is unwilling to take part in the televised debate he would invite trump to take part in one on one debate with him. The latest car sales data is in. And jogene otani joins us. The contest to be the top global automaker has been settled for another year. Figures show japans toyota mote he was the big est seller in 2015 for the fourth straight year. Toyota officials reported that their group, which includes daihatsu and hino sold 10. 15 million vehicles worldwide last year. Yet thats down 0. 8 from a year earlier and the first decline in four years. Toyotas sales in the u. S. Were robust. But sales in japan were sluggish partly due to a tax hike. Germanys volkswagen sold 9. 93 Million Units last year. The automaker held the top position in sales for the first half of last year, but a diesel emissions scandal affected volkswagens annual figures. Toyota set their global sales target this year at 10. 11 million. They expect an increase in domestic sales. With a robust performance from their mainstay hybrid models. But theyre predicting a fall in thailand, indonesia and other emerging countries due to economic slowdowns. Foreign auto makers are looking to rev up business in iran. One of them is mitsubishi fuso. Its the first to announce plans since the economic sanctions were lifted. It signed a contract with a dubaibased firm to be its distributor. Iran is one of the largest vehicle markets in the middle east and logs sales of around 1 million new autos every year. They halted almost all such operations during sanctions over Irans Nuclear program. Checking the markets, tokyo stocks rebounded strongly. For the details, we go to our Business Reporter at the tokyo stock exchange. Stocks here are very much moving with the swings in oil prices. The nikkei surged, which was also bosted by the rally on wall street. The nikkei managed to end above the 17,000 mark and finished up 2. 7 to close at 17,163. It wiped out a 2. 3 loss we saw on tuesday. The broader topix also gained nearly 3 . Now looking at the market movers. Shares on suzukier outperformed, shooting up 11 on a report of a partnership and capital tieup with toyota. Although both car makers have denied this. Apple suppliers japan display and sony are up higher. The companies saw record revenue and its best results yet in china. Alps electric is down 1. 4 after having its target price cut. All in all marks were high. They suspect the bank of japan will announce more monetary easing on friday. Chinas shanghai composite extended losses to close at a 14month low. Industrial profit figures came out, and they were down 4. 7 in december compared to a year ago. Australia was back from a holiday, snapping three days of gains. Banking and Energy Shares led the losses. Seouls kospi rebounded sharply, the hong kong advanang seng adv. Toshiba is seeking damages of about 27 million from five former executives in a lawsuit over accounting irregularities. The officials include three previous president s. The firm had initially sought 2. 5 million. Toshiba Officials Say the company has incurred additional losses, including fines to regulators for falsifying the financial statements. Tourists to tokyo have a new shopping option. An airportstyle, dutyfree store has opened in the capitals ginza district. Its the first such store outside airports in okinawa. Customers pick up their purchases when they leave japan through haneda or horita airports. It can be tough for small startups to succeed. This weeks business profile outlines three young entrepreneurs who are beating the odds. In our second, we feature a man who has built his own Small Network and is helping other Small Enterprises along the way. Keiko aso reports. Reporter this is made from a single carved length of pipe. It emits a soft grow that mimics natural sunlight. This is the main material in this wireless battery charger. The grain makes it beautiful as well as useful. Both products have Won International awards for their simplicity and functionality. This man has been engaged in every step of their development cycle, from initial concept and blue prints to marketing. Translator whats most important for me is to make Industrial Products that can change peoples lives or provide uss with a new experience. Thats the core of my philosophy. Reporter he first worked as an engineer at a major firm, but he wanted to pursue his vision of making products that could help people charge every day problems and make life a bit more convenient. Translator when i worked for a big company, it was difficult to make things i really cared about or meet real social needs. I wanted to communicate directly with consumers, thats why i decided to go out on my own. Reporter he created his own web of small manufacturers to make his dream come true. The desk lamp represents the combined effort of 15 different suppliers. This major processing factory produces auto parts and also makes the lamp frame. He had asked the firm to delop a special technology to bend pipe into precise, seamlessly beautiful curves that are perfectly smooth. At the point where the pipe bends, there has to be enough room to accommodate parts such as cables, weights, and an l. E. D. Chip. He made sure each piece is produced to the most exacting standards. To achieve this level of perfection, the team produced nearly 100 prototypes. The benng technology alone took six months to develop. All this effort has paid off. 2,000 lamps were sold in the first two years of production. Translator thanks to our role in making his product, more and more people are becoming aware of our technology. Were getting famous and growing right along with him. Were very happy to cooperate. Translator more manufacturing firms operate all over the country. That makes the environment extremely favorable for Companies Like ours. But now we could be at a turning point. Some of that expertise is leaving japan. If we could take advantage of it re, japanese manufacturing could regain its power. Id like to make that happen. Reporter he hopes that his products will find their way into homes overseas. Translator our products embody the excellence of new, made in japan technologies. Were eager to see if theyll be appreciated in places with different cultural traditions. Reporter simple ideas from a dedicated entrepreneur, sharing it with the rest of the world. Keiko aso, nhk world. Tomorrow well bring you part three with a look at a robot helping people make more meaningful connections. You can also watch this series on the nhk website. Follow the link at the bottom of the screen. Thats it for business news. Im going to leave you with markets. Denmarks parliament has approved a bill that would allow the confiscation of valuables as payment for shelter. The controversial decision will take effect next month. Reporter Denmarks Parliament passed the socalled jewelry bill on tuesday. Translator the argument is that denmark doesnt do its bit we absolutely do our bit when it comes to refugees in europe. We absolutely do our bit. Its not a secret that when we stand here today its because we wish to take a smaller share. Reporter under the new law, Asylum Seekers will be allowed to keep cash and other possessions worth up to 10,000 krone or 1500. The rest will be seized and used to pay for their shelter. Sentimental items such as wedding rings will be exempt. More than 20,000 people applied for Refugee Status last year in the country of 5. 6 million. A growing number of danes feel that spending on refugees is eating into public services. And some are expressing support for the legislation. It does sound like a harsh way of doing things but i guess if they have to live in denmark, maybe its also fair enough that they pay. Reporter the law is not only designed to have refugees pay their own way, its also aimed at curbing the number of Asylum Seekers in denmark. Opponents of the law held a rally in copenhagen. The new government is threatening people. We are like animals. Dont have any rights. We dont think this is constructive for integration. We thinkhis is wking aga inteation. Reporter some say the law reminds them of confiscation of possessions of jews by the nazis. The United NationsHigh Commission for refugees condemned the bill. It runs the risk of fueling sentiments of fear and discrimination rather than promoting solidarity with people in need of protection. Reporter denmark is not alone in its actions. Switzerland and certain german states have also started confiscating assets of refugees. Meanwhile, the flow of refugees from the middle east and africa continues. U. N. Chief ban kimoon has taken an unusually strong stance on the longestrunning conflict in the middle east he criticized israel for its occupation of palestinian territories. The remarks drew a strong criticism from benjamin netanyahu. Ban spoke in palestine. Delegates from about 50 countries took part, including japan. He condemned recent attacks by palestinians against israelis, but said they are understandable. As oppressed people have demonstrated throughout the ages, it is a human nature to react to occupation, which often serves as a portal of hate. Netanyahu said that they want to murder jews simply because theyre jewsnot to advance peace or human rights. Tensions between the two sides have been on the rise since october. One flash point has been a site in jerusalem thats holy to both jews and muslims. More than 170 people have died in the violence. Wherever you might be in the world right now, an International Group of scientists says it is still three minutes till midnight. The bulletin of the atomic scientist report that the hands of the Doomsday Clock which symbolizes the likelihood of global disaster remain exactly where they were a year ago. The scientists cited some positive developments over the past year, including the deal to curb Irans Nuclear blow gram and the paris climate agreement but they also mentioned setbacks. Such as conflicts in iraq and syria. Translator the decision not to move the hands of the Doomsday Clock in 2016 is not good news but an expression of grave concern that the situation remains largely the same. Scientists created the Doomsday Clock about 70 years ago. The hands are now closer to midnight than theyve been since the end of the cold war. Reports of child abuse in japan have doubled in the past at any years. Nearly 90,000 cases were reported in 2014. A physician who has seen the worst is stepping in to stop an escalation of the violence. A warning, this story contains content that may be disturbing to some viewers. Reporter the professor specializes in forensic medicine. He has conducted autopsies on more than 3,000 bodies. That includes children who died from physical abuse. This boy died when he was 2. He had unnatural bruises on his cheek. His mother and her common law husband were eventually arrested. An x ray tells the story of another boy, at the age of 6 months. Translator this is a leg bone. Childrs bon areuite resilit. They dont normally snap like this. Reporter a Counseling Center had learned of the childs injury, but it lacked Firm Evidence that the jar was cause bid abuse, so it did not intervene. He wishes someone had noticed what was happening earlier. Translator children have the right to live from the day they are born. Its heartbreaking to learn about these cases. I feel a stron sense of indignation. Reporter at a Counseling Center in wakayama prefecture, when officials see a highly suspicious case of abuse, they separate the child from the guardian. Proof, houwever, is harder to find than suspicion. Taking children away from parents who want to conceal what theyve done requires evidence. But people at the center say injuries and bruises often cant be evaluated without medical expertise. Translator sometimes parents will say the scar or bruise was caused by an accident. In such cases, were hardpressed to determine whether that is true. Reporter thats why the center sought help from professor kondo. Translator establishing Firm Evidence leads to early recognition of abuse. Translator when the officials are considering separating a child fro the parents, they can rely on my opinion as evidence. Reporter the Center Brings kondo in when it cant reach a conclusion on its own. He already has been consulted in several cases. Including that of a boy with painful, red scars. After examining him, kondo strongly suspected abuse. Translator it was highly unlikely the scar was caused by normal circumstances. Reporter with that conclusion, the center decided to place the child in protective custody. Translator forensic medicine is not only about conducting autopsies. With Counseling Centers and doctors cooperating, i think we can detect cases at an early stage and prevent further child abuse. Reporter the signals are not always clear, but the message is critical. Newsline comes to you live from tokyo, where a mild winter has returned. As sayaka mori tells us in this hours weather update. Quite warm today, compared to what we have been experiencing over the past several days. Now the tokyos high rose to 13. 4 degrees. This number, what we normally see during mid march. And good news, warm conditions will likely continue into thursday. The expected high is 13 degrees. But the warm weather will not last long. As you can see, the highs could drop to the Single Digits starting friday, going into monday, and because of the high of 6 degrees on saturday, instead of Rainy Weather, we may see some sleet or snow, so winter hasnt gone yet. Now, according to the japan meteorological agency, starting february, going into april, we will see much warmer than average conditions across western and central portions of japan. Now, as for precipitation, right now, High Pressure system is in place, so looking quite dry across many parts of japan. With the exception of the northwestern part of the country. But things will change. Theres a frontal system over the southeast coast of china, and this system is expected to intensify and move into western japan on thursday. And then move into central japan on friday as well as saturday. Its going to be a wet weekend in the tokyo area. Now, as for the highs in asia, 4 degrees for the high in seoul and 3 in beijing with hazy conditions expected. And down towards the south, they will see a high of 31 degrees with partly sunny skies. Lets go to the americas. Right now, some patchy rain and snow is falling across the North Eastern side of the united states, where a record snowfall fell over the weekend. Meanwhile, theres a cold front passing through the florida peninsula, and this system could cause some severe thunderstorms on wednesday as well as thursday. You may even see some tornados as well as hail and thunderstorms, so please watch out for this Severe Weather. And across the opposite side of the continent, Rainy Weather once again across washington, oregon as well as british columbia, british columbia, especially Vancouver Island will see the heaviest rainfall. So watch out for flooding. And byhe end othis week you willee anoth potent stem to move in. So we are looking at wet weather to continue for the next several days. Now in los angeles and san diego, youll see much higher than normal conditions due to santa ana winds. Temperatures should be about 18 or 19 degrees. The highs could reach 24 degrees on both thursday as well as friday in los angeles. But with the arrival of Rainy Weather, temperatures will slide to the 20s. 20 degrees on your saturday. Now finally over in europe, then, the second winter storm of the week is affecting the British Isles at this moment, spreading rain and causing windy conditions and were looking at snow to fall across the northern areas, such as scotland as well as northern ireland. But things should improve bit lunch time hours across scotland. Meanwhile, Severe Weather is expected to affect germany and france on your wednesday night. But in the south, things are being looking dry. 12 degrees for the high in vienna and 12 for berlin with partly sunny skies, and across the southeast temperatures are expected to rise into the weekend. All right. Heres your extended forecast. And that was this hours news and weather from our studios here in tokyo. At the top of the hour is newsroom tokyo. So stay with us here on nhk world. Molly welcome to the france 24 newsroom. I molly hall. Frances Justice Minister resigns. Christiane taubira calls it quits as she voices her parisoval over controversial bid to strip citizens of nationality. President continues his visit first to italy, then to france, growing irans