treatment from the government. and taking a traditional taste to the world. one company's promoting an essential ingredient of japanese cuisine. but must overcome unique challenges in overseas markets. there was a large power outage in tokyo on wednesday afternoon. tokyo electric power company said at one point about 350 households were affected. the utility says a fire broke out at one of its facilities near tokyo. an underground cable was damaged. it's investigating whether the fire caused the outage. no injuries were reported. about 200 traffic signals were not working and officers were deployed to direct traffic. some people were trapped in elevators. government offices in central tokyo were also affected. the tokyo high court an district court were without power for about 30 minutes. official s had to reschedule soe of the trials. hanada was in a meeting. they looked surprised but continued talking. former chinese soldiers have staged a protest in beijing. many are unhappy with the lack of jobs. about a thousand protesters gathered in front of the defense ministry building. veterans of the 1979 war against vietnam were among the demonstrators. they say they cannot find jobs and their lives are hard. former soldiers have held protests before, but demonstrations on this scale in the capital are rare. police stood by as the rally continued late into the night. president xi jingping is overhauling the military and their capabilities. south korean media are warning of the dangers of traveling to osaka in western japan. they're responding to an incident last week when a japanese youth kicked a south korean boy at a popular tourist spot. the south korean consulate on tuesday warned its citizens to take extra care at night. media reports also referred to a case where a japanese sushi restaurant served too much wasabi to foreigners at an outlet in osaka. osaka is a popular destination for south korean travelers to japan. the japanese tourism said about 1.17 million korean people had an overnight stay in osaka prefecture last year. two car makers are looking at joining hands in a wide range of fields. gene otani has the latest on that and the other top business headlines. >> japanese automakers toyota and suzuki say they are considering collaborating in areas situation the environment and safety technology. examples include ecofriendly vehicles that come with big rnd costs. toyota president akio toyoda announced the move at a news conference. the automakers say they hope it will boost in the global analyst market. ways of sharing its environment friendly technology with other car makers. they say suzuki wants a partner to help it develop advanced technology. after suzuki cut ties with volkswagen. executives at fujitsu say they plan to cut up to 2,200 jobs in europe. they say the move is part of a strategy to strengthen the firm's business in new fields such as artificial intelligence and the internet of things. the officials say they plan to slash up to 1800 jobs in britain and ireland as well as 400 jobs in finland. the cuts will affect workers who were hired locally. operations in europe currently include data management. the job reduction has nothing to do with britain's vote in june to leave the european union. tokyo shares ended lower after wall street indexes saw their biggest declines in a month. john ladue reports from the tokyo stock exchange. >> a week start to the u.s. earning season has dampened global market sentiment. industrial materials led losses after alcoa's weak earning results. the nikkei closed down 1.1% and the broader topix lost 1%. the benchmark has lost much of its gains with most sectors ending in the negative. following alcoa's weak results in the u.s., shares of steel makers in japan were also hit hard. both shares of jfe holdings and nippon steel and metal closed lower. the financial sector was also among the worst performers. ended in the negative. on the currency front, the dollar lost ground during tokyo trading hours. many traders were buying the yen as a safer asset. john ladue reporting from the tokyo stock exchange. looking at other asian markets, the kospi ended up by just a fraction ending at 2,033. although samsung electronics continues to fall three days in a row, halted production of the smartphone following reports of it catching fire. in taiwan, the taiex closing at 9,252. some analysts say they may benefit from the stop of samsung's galaxy note 7 output. meanwhile the shanghai composite fell 0.2%. hong kong's hang seng also declining by 0.6%. the latest data on capital spending by japanese companies shows some firms were somewhat cautious toward investment. machinery orders for august fell for the first time in three months. officials at the cabinet office say it was a 2.2% drop from the previous month. the figures exclude the sh shipbuilding and power sectors. the number for non-manufacturers was down 1.9%. the economists at the cabinet office see the lower numbers in august temporary. calling it a reaction to a high amount of orders in the previous month. they're keeping their assessment unchanged saying orders are picking up. a venture firm andnd a university in japan say they have developed a new system that harnesses geothermal power. members of the project team say they'll start a trial run later this week. people from japan new energy and kyoto university created the technology. >> translator: japan is a volcanic country, so we believe we have abundant reserves of geothermal energy. we hope to m make use of them t contribute to p power generatit. >> geothermal power usually involves pumping up hot water and steam from underground. they use river water diverted to pipes that run under ground. the heating water is brought to the surface and is used to create electricity. they hope t to put it into practical u use twowo years fro now. here's a look at some of the other business stories we're following. car sales in china rose 26% for september compared to last year. the figure has topped 20% for three straight months. more than 2.5 million cars were sold in september. pushing sales of small and ecofriendly cars. hundreds of wholesalers and growers are displaying their products at an international flower expore near tokyo. the organizers say there's an interest for flowers that can thrive in hot weather. computers can withstand water, but researchers are working hard to develop water proof circuit boards. nhk world explains. >> reporter: something you don't see every day. a circuit board being submerged with goldfish. it operated inn water for three months. this is an associate professor at the national institute. he's working to make computers water proof. he thinks the efficiency can be radically approved by placing in water. it will also increase power consumption. thauz they need a lot of electricity to keep cool. >> translator: a circuit board creates heat. the temperature rises to about 80 degrees celsius. but when placed in water, it falls to a constant 30 degrees. unless the board is cooled, the whole computer could stop working. >> reporter: this in tokyo is one of the largest in japan. the operation runs computers for companies arounund the clock. about a quarter of the power consumed at the center is used to cool the computers. the center's annual electricity bill is roughly $1 million. >> translator: if we fail to cool them properly, the computers shut down. so we give that a lot of attention. >> reporter: his team has been testing water resistant metals for three years. the circuit board is coated in resin but it short circuited as it was placed in water. they tried covering it with the metal box but water leaked inside. nothing worked. then they found a factory in chibaa prefecture. this compapany d develops a coa resin using polymer. the water resistant coating is just 0.1 millimeters thick. but the company had never ththought about usining the coa in this way. >> translator:r: protecting a board complpletely submerged in water was an interesting way to use our technology. >> reporter: water proof computers are not only more easily being completely cooled, but they could be hooked up to wind power generation plants. in late august, the team came to a water front test site to exam two computers that were placed under water. one was still working but the other was a butt worse for ware. it appeared to have short circuited. >> translator: we think it's possible that the shellfish may have eaten through the coating. >> reporter: they sunk new boards coated with a stronger resin. >> translator: we h hope to pla computers s in the sesea, in la or any other kind of natural environment. that's the future we want to create. >> reporter: to develop circuit boards that can work under water for three years. the average life of a computer. nhk world. >> and you can catch our report again online together with a full transcript. look for nhk world and business wrap. that's a look at business news. i'm going to leave you with the markets. more child victims are reported in attacks in syria both in areas controlled by the government and anti-government forces. intense fighting resumed after a cease-fire broke down last month. a brbritain-based human r right group sayays russian aircrafaft raided aleppo on tuesday. it says at least 25 people including 5 children were killed. syria's state run news agency said shelling by oppositionn forces hit a schoolyard in a southern city. it said six people died and five of them were children. the human rights group says 99 people died across syria the previous day. on saturday the u.n. security council failed to adopt two rival resolutions for stopping the violence. with russia and western nations rejecting each other's proposals. indian prime minister nanarendra modi has taken a swi at pakistan for supporting extremist groups. modi was at a celebration for the hindu festival of dushera when he made the swing. >> translator: those who can help and shelter to terrorism won't be tolerated anymore. >> h he also said terrorism is e enenemy of humanity and calleler unityy among indians to stop it. modi's remarks were triggered by last month's attack on an indian army base in kashmir. 19 soldiers were killed. it's believed the gunmen were members of a pakistani militant group. following the attack, the indian army conducted what it called surgical strikik on milititantsn the pakistani controlled part of kashmir. it has heightened tensions between the two countries. now people in thailand are praying for the recovery of their country's king. the royal household of thailand said his condition was unstable. the news has many worried about the country's stability. nhk world has the details. >> reporter: the 88-year-old monarch has been in and out of hospital for the past several years with major health difficulties. doctors say his condition became unstable after preparing for dial sis dialysis. and the royal household urged him to suspend all functions the next day. the king is widely respected in thailand. many people have been outside his hospital in bangkok and visiting temples to pray for his healalth. >> translator: i hope he will recover soon and he can continue to be the thai people's father. i can't imagine a world without him. >> translator: over the years the king has done so much for thailand. we are deeply grateful. >> reporter: the king ascended to the throne in 1946 when he was a teen. he has ruled thailand for 70 yess becoming the world's longtt reiining monarch. he has worked to t tackl porty, delolop rurareaea andnd has served a a unified figurure duriring times of f political crisis. in 1992 when the military and pro-democracy groups clashed, he summoned the leaeaders of both sides to end the turmoil. the announcement comes at a time when thailand is still politically deeply divided. the constitution stipulates the king may appoint to take over his duties. but people are concerned about what will happen next without their icon of stability. nhk world, tokyo. japanese food has made a mark around the world and if one company has its way, it'll become even more common. katsobushi is tried bonito fish. our next story is about taking the regional specialty across the sea. >> reporter: company officials celebrate the opening of their new factory in france. it won't be making traditional french goods though. instead, a traditional japanese staple. locals try katsobushi made in france for the first time. >> translator: it could work with french cuisine. it's inspiring. >> reporter: kastuobushi is made from bonito. the fish is cut up and boiled. it's then smoked for a long time, an essential step to ensure it's completely dry. it's been a major product for centuries. a company from there decided to build the factory in france. part of their hope to share it with the world. >> translator: frenchh cuisine s the best in the world, , i think katsuobushi will be among the best created in the world. that's why we chose france. >> reporter: but there are issues. europe has banned imports of japanese katsuobushi. that's because of the way they've infused and built flavor. the burning of the fish to do that creates carcinogens or cancer-causing substances. the japanese fisheries ministry says its research shows the amount is minuscule. it also says they're not water soluble so the health risks are said to be small enough to overlook. despite some of the concerns, one producer says many chefs are looking f forward to using the ingredient. >> translator: they told us as soon as it's available, they'll use it. the boom in popularity of japanese food is pushing the need for dashi stock and ka t. >> reporter: one month after the completion of the factory in france, it's producing katsuobushi that meets the world food safety regulations. by using a different machine from the traditional one, french manufacturers can avoid contaminating the product. but the modified technique doesn't produce a flavor that meets japanese taste. >> translator: we don't want to be considered a lower quality prododuct that is produced outse of japan. >> r reporter: so their next challenge is producing katsuobushi that can meet both safety and flavor standards. >> translator: wow. great. >> translator: its quality is getting close to japanese katsuobushi. we canan definitely make produc that are similar to those we produce in japan. we're almost at that stage. >> reporter: officials are planning their first shipment in november. bringing them closer to their goal of spreading the essence of japanese food around the world. tropical coastlines. lush farmland. modern cities. kyushu in southwestern japan has a rich history and unique traditions. once a gateway for foreign trade, kyushu profited and developed. today it remains a key business hub. but the region boasts one of the region's largest active volcanoes and is prone to natural disasters. discover the faces of kyushu right here on nhk "newsline." moving onto weather, cool areas with snowfall. sayayaka mori is h here with th latest. >> autumn is here. bringing some snowfall up in the higher elevations. we have some video coming out of finland and also the alps. this is the ruka ski resort located in northwestern finland. it opened over a month earlier than usual. snow saved from last winter and the recent cold snap made it possible to open the slope. meanwhile some ski resorts in austria also recently opened after a storm brought nearly 1.5 meters of fresh snowfall. we will see snowfall in parts of the region and eastern portions of europe. meanwhile, there's a chance of thunderstorms again for the balkan peninsula and black sea region. there's a slow moving low pressure system. this system has a history of causing a tornado in greece and more severe weatather is expect fofor the area. anotheratatch o rain is coming ininto the iberian peninsula an this system will likely move into the south of france and the north of italy. snow is expected for the alpine region and temperatures are going to be at follows. in the single digits in places like berlin and warsaw. more rain is expected in berlin on your wednesday. now let's go to japan. a typhoon is m moving away from japan, so that's good news. we have a cold air mass blanketing many portions of the country. we had the coolest morning of the season in many places including in tokyo. low was 14 degrees which is the coolest of the season and the coldest part was sugadaira where it was the freezing point. 19 degrees in tokyo for the high. but as we go into the weekend, temperatures are going to be quite warm and it's going to be sunny. so beautiful weekend iss ahead f us. now let's go to the south. there's a tropical depression near the philippines. this will likely s stay h here awhile. will likely intensify and hit the north of the l luzon areaa we go into the weweekend. heheavy r rainfall and winds ar expected. may also affect mainland china into next week. we'll keep you protested on the progress. there's another tropical disturbance i want to bring up. this is nicole. the system will likely hit bermuda as we go into thursday. powerful winds and storm surge could lead to coastal flooding and up to 125 millimeters rain is on the menu for you. across the continent, there's a low front affecting areas from quebec towards the texas area. this area will cause thunderstorms and also the risk for hail, thundersrstorms, and alsotornadoes. now, back behind it cooler air is coming in. temperaturesrere cooling down significantly. across the west, the first in a series of ooberer stormrms will likely reach the pacific northwest by wednesday night. so after that, heavy rain is expected into the weekend in places like seattle as well as vancouver. temperatures are going to be as follows. 17 in seattle and vancouver at 14 degrees. 21 in chicago, but that could cool down by about 10 degrees into thursday. all right. that's it for me now. here's your extended forecast from around the globe. visit our website for feature stories and special reports. more news coming your way at the top of the hour on "newsroom tokyo." in thebbb genie: this is "france 24." time for 60 minutes live around the world. img genie godula through these are the headlines. the lawyers of the main suspect from the paris attack last november say they will no longer depend him. salah abdeslam has systematically refused to answer questions since his transfer here to france six months ago. dramatic footage from syria shows a boy being pulled from the rubble in aleppo after new airstrikes pound the city p