back against syrian kurds. japan's government has formally approved unilateral sanctions against north korea. it endorsed a set of measures drawn up last week by the national security council. the move is in response to a recent launch. >> translator: we are implementing measures based on the concepts of dialog and pressure and action for action. we are seeking comprehensive solutions to issues, kluge abductions and north korea's nuclear and missile programs. >> the measures include a ban on all port calls by japanese ships and other ships that have been to north korea. the government will now ask the diet to approve the steps. the cabinet ministers also approved stronger financial restrictions. money transfers to north korea will be blocked and organization and individuals involved in the country's nuclear and missile programs will have their assets frozen. some travel restrictions are already in effect. people linked to a pro north korean association are not allowed to travel. and president obama signed new sanctions against north korea. the sanctions will freeze the assets of any person or ban them from entering the u.s. congress overwhelmingly approved the bill. while some countries have imposed sanctions, the u.n. security council still hasn't. china has a key role in the talks because of its close ties with pyongyang. earl earier, miki yamamoto spoke with a reporter in beijing about the stance. beijing does not seem as aggressive as the u.s. or japan. will that continue? >> it's highly likely that china's stance will remain on the cautious side. but there have been some new developments. the foreign minister has publicly criticized pyongyang. >> translator: the nuclear tests and satellite launch both violate the u.n. security council resolutions. north korea should pay the price. >> the tone in the chinese media is also changing. this newspaper is affiliated with the chinese communist party. so it likely lists the views of authorities. one cites that with regard to the nuclear test, many consider them a bad neighbor. rather than a friendly partner. another article can be taken as a warning, saying that china should prepare for a worst-case scenario on the korean peninsula. i asked an expert about his take. he sees ties between north korea and china beginning to crumble. >> more chinese public consider north koreans not of strategic asset but a strategic liability. i think our clear influence on pyongyang weakened quite a lot in the past three years. the economic aid to pyongyang accounted for a high percentage of china's aid. now is very low. >> so this change in tone on the chinese side, is that going to allow the security council to move towards a consensus? >> there are still hurdles that member countries need to overcome before they can agree on a resolution. one is a plan by the u.s. to deploy missile defense systems in south korea. china opposes the plan, saying the intent of the u.s. is not just to counter threats from north korea but also to challenge china. >> military impact will force chinese to do something, increase our system. economic sanctions, no problem. diplomatic isolation, no problem. but military behavior should be very cautious. >> even officials say china has an advanced missile defense system on an island in the south china sea. the island is controlled by china, but it is claimed by vietnam and taiwan. as the security council works toward a new unified policy on north korea, a key question will be whether the u.s. and china can find the common ground. >> that was nhk's reporter in beijing. japanese leaders say their own surveillance backs up the u.s.'s reports about china's missile systems. >> translator: china previously said it had no intension of using facilities on the islands for military purposes. we expect beijing to get a clear and more convincing explanation of what it is doing. >> nakatani says china's action are a cause of concern for the international community. turkey's government is blaming syria's kurdish forces for an attack in ankara. nhk reports. >> reporter: the blast at killed 328 and injured dozens more. i'm near the site of the explosion. as you can see, police officials have everything sealed off. this is a normally busy area. the parliament is near here. so are many government offices and military facilities. >> translator: i want these terrorist attacks to end. the government needs to take tough ever measures. >> reporter: the turkish prime minister said a man linked to theyrian kurdi mility h be identied a theuicide bomber. >> transtor: tkey will track wn all those who are involved in the attack and bring them to justice. >> reporter: kurdish forces in syria have told nhk that they have absolutely no involvement in it. turkey had suffered a spate of terrorist attacks over the past months. some have been blamed on islamic state militant group. others on another kurdish group. this one, a separatist group had been fighting for independence. the kurds are a large ethnic group within their own country. they mainly live in arias strir straddling the borders of turkey, iraq and syria. on one hand, turkish troops have conducted raids against the kurdish separatist group. on the other, they've also been shelling kurdish forces in the northern part of syria where the militants are pounding their influence. >> our main concern is security of our country. we have the rights to protect turkey's security, and that's why we can do whatever we need to protect the country's security. >> reporter: but the kurds in syria are being supported by the u.s. in its war against islamic state militant group. and despite turkey's crimes, washington says it has yet to determine who is behind the latest attack. >> we have urged and will continue to urge turkey not to engage in cross-border shelling. >> reporter: turkey is a member of nato, which means it expects to be backed by its ally, the u.s., but the u.s., along with russia are relying on kurds in syria to keep up the fight against the islamic state militants. the confusion may only serve to worsen the situation in syria. nhk world, ankara. legislation has expanded the role of japan's self-defense forces will go into effect next month. but some are throwing up roadblocks to keep that from happening. representatives from five parties, including the largest opposition democratic party and the communist party submitted bills to the diet. they argue that the legiation, ich would allow japan to exercise its right to self-defense clearly violates the constitution. >> translator: we will work together to scrap the leslation th the bking from t public. >> the oosition mp is tang up t validitof the ls ead of aupper hoe election. it. 13 asians nations have set up international organization called amro. they attended a ceremony to mark the upgrading in singapore. they have analyzed fiscal and monetary policies since it was set up in 2011. the aim is to prevent another currency crisis. former japanese finance minister is amro's first director. the 13 member countries already have a multi-lateral currency swap arrangement in place. it makes funds available to cash-strapped nations during financial crises amro is to give advice on that and other issues. the plan to increase flights between japan and u.s. will be finalized in may. there are currently just eight return slots between haneda and the u.s. cities. they will increase this to 12 by cutting early and late flights and putting on ten day team return flights instead. japanese and american airlines will divide up the new slots easte evenly. daytime flights connects haneda to the mainland united states are expected to take effect this autumn. the nikkei posted a gain. we go to our business reporter mayu yoshida at the tokyo stock exchange. >> tokyo stocks declined on the last day of the nikkei's best week this year. and many investors are still skeptical over the world economy and the drop in oil prices also weighed on investors' sentime s sentiments. the broader topix closed lower by 1.5% on friday. houg however, the nikkei jumped and that's best week since october 2014. we saw things really strengthen. the euro yen dropped to a two and a half year low. so we saw selloffs in result of the yen. but the energy-led stocks of -- market players are still cautious over long-term crude oil prices. many investors poured their money into safer assets, for example, japanese government bonds. yields on the ten-year jgb went into the negative. main topics at an upcoming meeting are expected to be oil and chinese policy. i'm mayu yoshida reporting from the tokyo stock exchange. moving on to other markets, in shanghai, the index rallied earlier in the week. gaining 3.5% for the week. taiwan continued to rise throughout the week. the tech shares supported gains. indonesia dropped by 1.7%. banking shares fell after they cut their key interest rate. sydney declining by .79%. energy shares dragged down the index from yesterday's two-week high. here's a look at some of the other business stories we're following. officials at the japan department store association say january sales were down nearly 2% year on year. sales around the country totaled about $4.7 billion. they attribute the drop to warmer weather. japanese car makers mazda and mitsubishi have filed new recall notices or faulty takata air bags. it will affect nearly 1.9 million vehicles for mazda and mitsubishi nearly 836,000. the decision was made after takata admitted defects in some of its products in the u.s. last month. aso says u.s. monetary policy will be discussed next week. investors are focussing on how the federal reserve communicates on interest rates with the markets. every day, tons of food is thrown away in japan. some businesses think that's a shame. they're taking the concept of meaning too precious to waste and turning it into cash. >> reporter: this is tsukiji's fish market. one of the largest in the world. it handles about 1700 tons of seafood a day. but wholesalers struggle to sell some products. >> translator: if the customer next to you at a restaurant is eating this rock fish, wouldn't you think that yours is kind of small? so the small one is a tough sell. >> reporter: masahiro is a restaurant owner who has sported a business owning. he buys the leftover seafood and sells it at discount prices. >> translator: i'll cook them up well. >> reporter: his restaurant uses the waste not want not philosophy a selling point. but deciding the menu can be tricky. nobody knows what the raw ingredients are until the day starts. >> translator: i take a look at the ingredients and decide the best way to cook them, such as boiling or stirfrying. >> reporter: the restaurant opens at 5:30. >> translator: today we have crab with broken legs. they were caught this morning. >> reporter: this crab is an expensive treat served at high-end restaurants. the broken legs make these look a bit less appealing. but there's no difference in quality. small rock fish are perfect for customers who prefer modest portions. tuna tails are used in a stew dish. >> translator: if you eat this at another restaurant, it will be much more expensive. >> translator: i agree with the idea. >> reporter: food prices at this restaurant are 20% to 30% cheaper than average. he is confident that his concept can be expanded. >> translator: since i opened the restaurant, i learned that there are more waste not/want not products. i want to look for rice and vegetables, too. >> reporter: waste not want not is not just catching on in the food iustry. this clay is colored by the skin of a japanese citrus fruit. the peels are normally tossed away. but they can be mixed with clay to provide the color. coffee grinds are used for this color. the outer leaves of cabbages went into this one. the products have five varieties. the children's clay was displayed at an event in tokyo this month. the products have another unique feature. their odor. >> translator: it smells like cabbage. >> translator: i wanted to produce clay that people can play with while nurturing the idea that they shouldn't waste vegetables. >> reporter: the philosophy of waste not/want not is one that japanese people have long taken to heart. now, a new generation of business people is trying to give it a modern spin. nhk world. >> that's it for business news. i'll leave you with the markets. u.s. republican presidential candidate donald trump has received what could be one of the strongest rebukes so far in the campaign. pope francis has criticized him over his immigration plan. the pope was returning home from a trip to mexico. a reporter asked him about trump's pledge to build a wall along the southern u.s. border. >> translator: a person who only thinks about building walls wherever they may be and not building bridges is not a christian. >> trump quickly fired back. >> he's questioning my faith. i was very surprised to see it, but i am a christian. i'm proud of it. ay. for a regious leer to question a person's faith is disgraceful. >> the pope didn't say who american catholics should vote for, but catholics make up about 20% of the u.s. population. wonder how trump regards japan. "newsline" comes to you from tokyo where it's considerably warmer today. it's 59 degrees fahrenheit. for those of you planning to visit japan this weekend, jonathan oh has the forecast. >> hello. if you have any outdoor plans for saturday, you probably want to bring them indoors, because it's looking pretty wet. if you're planning to make a trip to the northern portion of japan, you may want to change your plans for sunday, because it will be a wet weekend throughout the country. it was a nice and pleasant day as you went through friday. the temperatures were pushed up and it was pretty pleasant. but now we're going to see a change coming into the picture, and some of that change may not only include rain but thunderstorms. a low pressure system may bring sea-effect snow as we go through the weekend. but the front down toward the soh is a wm front associated with developg low pressure system. that's going to bring the rain in. start being -- starting with the wester portions of japan. and northern portions will be seeing much more rain by late saturday into sunday. soeavy rai possibly even dealing with thunderstorms and strong winds. so be prepared for a potential for some strong thunderstorms as we go through the next 48 hours. and then we'll go back into a winter-type pattern. and then there will be a cool down as we go into monday. there's that low pressure system down through taiwan moving to the north and east. back to the west, high pressure's keeping most of china dry, and that's also, tending into the korean peninsula. as you go through saturday, 4 in beijing. negative 11 in ulan bator. and dry conditions in chong cheng and shanghai. and then tokyo looking at rain with a high of 12 for saturday. now, as we look at the forecast down toward the polynesian islands for tonga, and now extending into fiji, this is a severe tropical cyclone, winston, moving to the west at 17 kilometers per hour. we added this green track, pointing out the particular path here, and you see how it went down to the south, back to the north and east, over tonga and made a u-turn made its way closer to fiji, and we're concerned that we're talking about a big flooding problem, a few hundred millimeters of rainfall. as you go through the weekend. this system doesn't want to go away. residents all throughout this region need to brace. and i think we'll be dealing with major rainfall for some time to come. and it also has stronger winds as well. now, as we look at the forecast for north america, high pressure is dominating the eastern and southern portions of the continent. that's bringing some dryer conditions. a low pressure system is now pushing from the rocky mountains and is expected to move over the midwest. that's going to bring some fire danger concerns. low humidity as well for the rockies, and as we go throughout the day, wet toward the pacific northwest, 17 for the high in denver and dry for the east. you will see some rain with a high of 6. in toronto. we do have showers over in the eastern portions of the continent, and then a cold front will be coming onshore of the british isles. be prepared for wet and windy conditions. temperatures will be getting closer to the 10 degree mark on friday. but showers will remain over warsaw and vienna throughout the day. hope you have a good day where ever you are, here's your extended outlook. more updates and feature stories at the top of the hour on to the eus around reform talks. after hours of negotiation it, david cameron is looking for a deal to keep the u.k. in the block. the eu is struggling to stand united in the face of the migrant crisis. austria has new limits on asylum applications while puzzles calls in