The russian president s trip to japan is bringing attention to a territorial issue that has remained unsolved since the second world war. A u. S. Military official says an osprey pilot opted for an Emergency Water landing after trouble during midair refueling training. The osprey went into the sea off the city of onaga on tuesday. Lieutenant general nickelson the chief of u. S. Force s okinawaki. A hose from a refueling plane was severed and hit its planes. The pilot had to choose whether to return to base or perform an emergency landing. The pilot decided that making controlled decent into the water would be safer. Translator such an incident should never have taken place. I cant live here as long as the situation continues. The mayor of onaga inspected the coast near the accident. Translator ive long before opposed to the deployment of the osprey aircraft and my anxieties have now become a reality. People here cannot feel safe. The u. S. Military began deploying the aircraft at the base in 2012. A total of 24 are now deployed there. This is the first time an osprey has had a major accident in japan. Translator the incident is truly outrageous. Ive summoned Senior National government officials. Ill strongly convey the views of the people of okinawa. The Prime Minister says the accident is regrettable. Translator i think the First Priority is insuring the safety of the osprey. Nickelson was asked by a reporter about whether he would apologize for the incident. We have regret. We regret this accident, but we do not regret the great work of our great pilot and the decision he made not to endanger the okinawa people. I think we must understand that. He added that the u. S. Will suspend the use of the osprey aircraft until their safety is confirmed. It acts as a fixed wing aircraft and a helicopter and there are plans to use more of them within japan within the coming years but its Safety Record has many concerned. Deploy ten to a base on the outskirts of tokyo by 2021 and the selfdefense forces plan to use 17 to create an amphibious Rapid Deployment unit. Including in may last year when an osprey burst into flames after a crash in hawaii. Two marines were killed and 20 others injured. Officials in japan are busy plepairing for a visit by russias president on thursday and friday. A key topic in his meeting with Prime Minister shinzo abe will be a longstanding territorial dispute over four russiancontrolled islands. Cooperation in areas like the economy to build up mutual trust. Japan maintains they were illegally occupied after world war ii. The dispute is why the two countries havent signed a peace treaty. Putin says russia and japan should sign one, but earlier this month said this. Translator we believe we have no territorial issues at all. It is only japan believes has a territorial problem with russia. Moscow maintains the islands became part of russian territory as a result of the war. Recently struggled with low oil prices and sanctions over its actions in ukraine. Its keen on cooperation in the far east, but it stresses any Economic Activity on the four islands should be conducted under russian sovereignty. Nhk world is in the city where summit will take place. Im close to the hotel where the leaders will meet. I saw a sign across the city. It is clear there has been a lot of preparation for the russian president. Banners in both japanese and russian saying that the city welcomes the summit and the visitors side has also been printed in several languages for the delegates and media. The city in western japan is relatively small with a population of about 35,000. But it is hugely significant for both abe and putin. In the early 20th century, many russian soldiers were killed when their fleet was destroyed in the sea of japan. And the bodies that washed ashore were buried here. Residents still hold an annual memorial service. Abe also has ties to the city. Its part of his constituency. Its also where his fathers grave is. With all these vips, security is a top concern for police here. They plan to deploy as many as 4,000 officers to ensure nothing goes wrong. Kurando tago, nhk world. Former residents of the islands have spent decades waiting for a resolution. For one japanese man he is holding out hope for an agreement but fears time may run out. Nhk world has the story. Reporter even though he was only a child, he says he will never forget that feeling. He wasas born and brought up on the island one of the four russian islands japan claims. This is his chilildhood village. At the time about 600 people lived there. His f family owned a cannerery. On thehe morning o of augustt 2 1945, the soviet army came to his village. Translator we always thought our enemies were the americans. We never imagined the russians wouldttttack us. We couldnt undedetand whahad d happened. Reporte t two years later mikami a his famil wer foed to leavthe isnd. Reporter mikami didnt see his village, again, for another 59 years. He got to return for a brief visit in 2006 thanks to a special arrangement between the two countries. But what he remembered as home was home no more. He decided to put his emotions into a short poem. Translator so much time had passed since i was deported. Reporter today the average age of the islands former residents is over 81. Over the years, more than 10,000 have died. Every december former residents come to tokyo for a demonstration to demand the return of the island. This year, their slogans were much less aggressive than usual. Protesters didnt want to create an obstacle for a leader summit. Translator i really hope the issue will be solved soon. Translator many of my friend from the island have passed away. When i visit their graves, i really dont know what to say to comfort them. Reporter mikami used to attend the parade every year, but this time he couldnt for health reasons. Always on his mind is the question of the best solution for both japan and russia. Translator it was hard for us to be deported from the island. If the russians dont want to leave the islands, let them remain there. Reporter mikamis solution is to help everyone live together, but for that to happen, an agreement between countries is needed. Translator i hope the leaders wilill continue to discs ththe issssue and when the prob is solved, i would likee to ha a long s stay in my birthplace. Reporter for many of the islands former residents, its too late. But the few who remain wait in hope for the news thats been decades in the making. Midori anoki, nhk world. Okay. We now turn to the business and financial fronts. A survey shows s s some of the Largest Japanese Companies are expecting better days ahead. The details on that and all the other top business headlines. Business sentiment has improved at japans large manufacturers. The bank of japan reports a weaker yen lifted confidence in the board rooms of major exporters including automakers and electronics firms. It represents the business of those who say its good and those who say its bad. The sentiment for major monmanufactuturers was unchange atat 18 points. The survey shows the outlook is positive, but not as strong for the coming quarter. The index for large manufacturers is expected to be down two poioints at plus eight. Sentiments among nonmanufacturers is expected to worsen by two points to 16. Checking the markets little change in tokyo stocks with the nikkei average extending its gains. Trading volume was thin ahead of the policy decision. Caution gripped the tokyo market in the leadup to the feds big announcement. Most investors were careful to avoid big debt. Looking at the closing level the nikkei ended slightly up at 19,253. The highest closing level in 12 months. But the broader topix 0. 1 . Lets see how individual stocks faired when investors played it safe and companies usually benefit was no different on wednesday with utilities such as osaka gas and Tokyo Electric PowerCompany Making strong gains. S. Mitsubishi motors lost 1. 1 after they approved a new management lineup for the struggling automaker. Asahi Group Holdings fell 1. 4 after beer brands from anheuserbusch the price tag about 7. 8 billion was m much higher than expected. The focus is now on asian markets and how they will react on thursday to the feds decision im giang nguyen. The sense of caution prevailed on other markets across the asia pacific region. Hong kong ended flat and the shanghai comp zt slid nearly 1. 5 to finish at 3,140. Weaker commodity prices. Sydney outperformed the rest of the region and s p gaining by 0. 7 . 5,584 for the closing number there. Gains in financials and utility shares boosted the index to a fourmonth high. Heres a look at some of the other business stories s were following. Officials in japans government are expecting the economy to improve in fiscal 2017. Theyre work on a forecast for the annual budget that takes effect in april. A draft version is predicting gdp growth and lift earnings at exporting companies. They also expect higher salaries and more jobs leading to personal consumption. A Japanese Consortium for crude Oil Production in eastern siberia. Japan oil gas and Metals Corporation is working with Trading House and Oil Developer inpex. It will start tapping as early as this month. It will be supplied to russia and other asian markets. This week we start our threepart series on how Japanese Companies face with sclipging domestic demand are turning to foreign sales. Today we look at the strategy and trial and erroror process o an in aold sake brewery that is looking towards the rest of asia to save a tradition. Reporter this sake uses premium local rice and water to bring out its signature flavor. This is the seventh generation head of the brewery. Hes been committed to making highquality sake his entire life, but with domestic sake consumption down to less than a third of its peak more than 50 years ago, thats no longer enough. Translator peoples lifestyles and eating habits have changed. I think we have to react to that and move on to a different stage. Reporter he set his sights on charting New Territories in Asian Countries that have been enjoying rapid economic growth. He wanted to build his business abroad but also to keep his brewerys good reputation. That meant making some adjustments. Translator people in asia eat rice regularly so our sake could become popular in the region. We hope to expand our sales by entering markets. Reporter in order to produce sake that appeals to other parts of asia, he first teamed up with a local university. The professor agreed to help him figure out new strategies. He began by surveying tourists and foreign students about their preferred flavor of liquor. Many of the 120 people polled had a taste for sweet sake. Translator we may be able to expand the market for sake abroad if we come up with one that goes well chinese or other asian cuisines. Reporter he took the findings to heart and embarked on making a sweeter sake that would fit with spicy asian meals and figured out a way to retain the sugar content while keeping sakes distinctive flavor. He adjusted the furmentation process. His effort bore fruit. It goes well with spicy food. Yet, when you take a sip, you still instantly saver the distinctive flavor of rice. And another change is alcohol content. Its 3 higher. Thats to prevent flavor from thinning when ice is added to a glass. Something done in hotter climates. A student from malaysia was the first to sample the new product. Translator it goes down easily and its very sweet. I like it. Ive tried other type of sake but this is one is delicious. Translator my top priority is to show case our regional sake culture but were still in the developing stage. Ill do everything i can step by step. Reporter can this innovative sake capture the hearts of consumers across asia . Like the brewery, many other traditional japanese businesses may need to come up with global administra administrate strategies to survive. Many items in our daily lives from gas meters to cars to shoes will be connected to the net. An exhibition featuring the latest technologies has kicked off in tokyo. About 750 makers and organizations from japan and other countries are taking part. The japanese optics m maker is showcasing a pair off eyeglasse that uses the sensor to measure the blinking frequency of its user. It shows how hard the person is concentrating. The Company Expects the technology can help prevent drivers from dozing off at the wheel. An american semi conductormaker analyzes the fat and sugar content when held over food. Translator we think the technolology can play a rolee making it easier food safety and its ingredients with preferences via the internet. The instrument can boost efficiency at farms because it can manage data that is used to determine optimum harvesting periods. You can catch our report online look for nkh world and business wrap. Thats a look at businesses. Ill leave you with the markets. Syrias main Opposition Force announced it will withdraw from aleppo. Its expected to soon declare it has seized total control of the city that has been the epicenter of othe countrys more than fiveyear war. Backed by russian air strikes, the government of assad has stepped up its offensive in aleppo, the largest stronghold. The representative of the opposition told nhk tuesday night that russia has agreed to the withdrawal. Under the agreement corridors will be set up to evacuate civilian before the withdrawal of opposition fighters. Russias ambassador to the yooup has been told military action in eastern aleppo is over and the Syrian Government has regained control. The u. N. Security council held an emergency meeting. Scores of civilians were killed in the battle. Translator the immediate test is to do all we can to stop the carnage. As the battle for aleppo concludes, i call on the syrian authorities and their a allies, russia and iran, to honor their obligations under International Humanitarian law. The Opposition Forces have vowed to keep control of aleppo but they now appear to be prioritizing the evacuation of civilians. Now for a story about a 6yearold boy whose dream of meeting his hero has finally come true. Amadi made International Headlines after this video of him in afghanistan went viral in january. His makeshift jersey had a number 10 on the back in honor of his hero Soccer Player messi. Here is the moment he had been waiting for a facetoface meeting with messi in qatar. They went for a friendly match against a team from saudi arabia. Amadi and his family now live in pakistan. They were forced to flee afghanistan after the story broke. His father reportedly said they received unknown threatening calls. A japanese car cargo spacecraft has docked with the International Space station. And capture is confirmed. Thehey caught it with a roboc arm. The docking was completed on tuesday. It wasas launched from the spac center in southwestern japan last friday. The crafts cargo includes lithium ion batteries which will become the main power source for the iss. Astronauts are scheduled to install them as early as next month. The vehicle has the new lithium ion batteries and its going to be really exciting. Early next year it will be used to conduct an experiment to remove space debris using japans technology. And here to tell us what the conditions are like weather wise here on earth is sayaka mori. Quite stormy this morning. Fishing boat capsized off the coast of western japan, still several people are missing. And it looks like waves are going to be quite high as we go into tomorrow across the sea of japan and also heavy snow is expected across the western flank of the nation. Now, strong winds will be coming in from the continent and it gets ample moisture from the sea of japan and clouds will form and hit the mountains and cause a lot of snowfall in the area like hokkaidodo and also the we will see heavy snowfall. Well see snowfall even in low lying areas across northwestern japan. May see rainfall on thursday. 10 degrees with Rainy Weather persisting to thursday. But sunny weather is expected to come back on your saturday. As for tokyo, it is going to be quite chilly. 10 for the high on thursday and down to 3. According to the Japan National agency it is going to be warm next week and sunny weather contntinues s into monday at le. Well see susubzero temperature persisisting into thehe weekeke. Talking about cold temperatures. Weree looking at quite freezin temperatures and also heavy snowfall across the northern united states. We have some video out of duluth, minnesota. A storm has affected the upper midwest with freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall. Hundreds of schools were closed and numerous Car Accidents were reporteded. Minnesota up to 30 centimeters of snow was recorded. Now, duluth expects a high of only minus 16 degrees celsius on wednesday with a wind chill value of a around minusus 30 des celsius. Under sh c conditions frost bite could happen in a matter of minutes but the animamal lookek quitite happy. Looking for heavy rainfall across western japan and ample moisture from hawaii will likely cause a lot of heavy rainfall acroross california and alslso oregon. Well see some heavy rainfall in california and also heavyvy snowfall in oregon. Gustsrere going to be quite strong, as well. 130 kililometers per hour. The combination o of snow and gusts could cause low visibility making for hazardous driving conditions. Temperatures are going to be as follows. 2 degrees in seattle and minus 1 degree in vancouver and much cold air is gripping the north and cold air will continue to go down to the south over the united states. So, temperatures are going to be extremely low as we go into the next several days. We are looking at temperatures below freezing in many places. Chicago will see the morning lows minus 16 degrees on thursday. Thats about 10 degrees colder than the average for this time of year. Washington, d. C. Will see the high or low of minus 9 degrees on friday. So, bundle up. Finally over in europe, freezing temperatures can be far across much of eastern europe. Cold air is gripping the east and also gripping parts of turkey and jordrdan. And actually two people are injured. More snow is expected for parts of turkey and also surrounding areas. Your morning lows are going to be freezing in ankara as we go into friday. Heres your extended forecast. To follow us wherever you go, download the nhk world app for free. Im james n you are watching france 24. It is 1 00 p. M. Lets get you up to date. Easternation deal in aleppo crumbles. Bombardments and clashes have started again. Rebelion reigns as fighters are waiting to be evacuated. Moscow and his temple say their president s will speak in the coming hours. It is to salvage a humanitarian crisis in easter