The Financial Times group. They say it will be the largest efr acquisition of an overseas firm by a Japanese Company. Nikkei will pay 344 million pounds. Translator i hope ft and nikkei will Grow Together based on a common perspective as global media that cover europe the United States and asia. Nikkei chairman says that in order to keep growing, the company must focus on digitalizing and globalizing. He said the Financial Times is nikkeis best partner for promoting globalization and shares many of the same values. Kita says he trusts the staff of the Financial Times. He says nikkei will respect the independence of the editorial rights of the ft staff. Founded in 1888 Financial Times is one of the worlds leading economic newspapers. Its circulation was 737,000 last year with 70 of that from online subscriptions. Nikkei issued its first paper in 1876. The firm says the total number of print and Digital Subscribers is over 3 million. The paper is suffering from shrinking revenue. They have been trying to improve their digital operations to capture new sources of revenue. Analysts say this trend is prompting the shakeups. Pierson is a publishing giant. It plans to pour more of its Management Resources into that area after unloading the Financial Times which it has owned since 1957. Piersons chief executive john fallon said the company will now be 100 focused on the Global Education strategy. Media executives in the u. S. Have also been busy shaking up operations. The chief executive officer of i. T. Firm amazon. Com bought the Washington Post in 2013 for 250 million. An american businessman paid 70 million for the boston globe and its related assets. The newspaper had been under the new york times. Highprofile acquisitions are certainly making headlines here. Gene otani from our business desk joins us with news about another Japanese Company which is about to mark a significant step in its International Growth strategy. Well, this deal is not as high profile, but the dollar amount is quite big james. Yasuda Life Insurance company. The move comes as the Japanese Company is declining. The contrast is expected to see growth in the years ahead. The meiji yasuda plan to get the transaction worth 5 billion. Translator the acquisition will help to expand our Group Operation and profit base. We want to improve customer benefits and strengthen our domestic Life Insurance business. Stancorp was founded in 1906 and is based in oregon. Its one of the leading firms in the u. S. Market for Group Benefit insurance with over 6 million customers. The groups total premiums or revenue came to agent 4 billion in 2014. That would boost meiji yasudas revenues to 31 billion. They have already taken stakes in insurers in thailand and indonesia indonesia. Mitsubishi motors is getting ready to shut down production lines in the United States. They plan to focus at factories in thailand indonesia, and other asian countries. Sources say mitsubishi will end production at its only u. S. Factory in the state of illinois. Negotiations to sell the plant are expected to begin with other automakers. Mitsubishi has been rolling out Sport Utility vehicles at the plant, but the facility made only about 60,000 vehicles last year due to sluggish sales in the u. S. Market. Thats about half the plants capacity. Sales to u. S. Customers will continue. Mitsubishi will export japanesemade vehicles to the market. The automaker sold its plant in the netherlands three years ago. It will become the first japanese automaker to withdraw from production in both the u. S. And europe. Its time to check the markets. Stocks in japan fell after a surprise slump in manufacturing data out of china. Our Business Reporter gives us more details from the tokyo stock exchange. The protesting Managers Index shows the Manufacturing Activity contracted at the fastest pace in 13 months. The benchmark nikkei average ended down more than 0. 6 closing at 20,544. And the broader topix dropped. 5 . For the week the nikkei fell 5 and wiped out gains from earlier in the week. As for stocks moving the market today, companies with high exposure to china were among the hardest hit. Take a look at fanuc. They dropped nearly 1. 8 . Itochu also declined 1. 8 . It was a mixed picture among exporters. Mazda motor was down 1. 4 but Casio Computers gained 2. 8 propping up the nikkei. And sumitomo raising 2. 5 . As we head into next week investors will be watching Japanese Corporate earnings. Theyll also be looking to see if chinese officials will commit to more economic stimulus. Giang nguyen reporting from the stock exchange. Worse than expected numbers dragged down stocks in the ai sh pacific region. The shanghai composite dropped about 1. 3 to snap a sixday losing streak. They managed to post a gain of nearly 2. 9 . In light of the weak factory data analysts say investors are hoping for further stimulus measures from the government. Traders in south korea show concern about the economy of the countrys largest trading partner china. Its the lowest closing number in two weeks. The index lost about 1. 5 for the week. Most other markets in the region ended lower. Hong kong retreated from yesterdays gain finishing the day with a decline of more than 1 . And losses to a third day. It has been dragged down by lower commodity prices. South koreas economy has slowed down. Growth for the last quarter was near 0. 3 . The figure for the april to june period decelerated from 0. 8 growth in the first quarter. It came in a touch lower than Market Expectations of 0. 4 . For more insight, Ramin Mellegard asked a professor in seoul about his view. Its been a very bad number this quarter because the reduction in consumption from the epidemic and drought in the areas. Then theres the continuing economic slowdown as well as the falling exports weve seen throughout this year. So all those have been adding up to very bad numbers. The government has been staking a lot of its political reputation on achieving 3 or higher growth this year. So far in six months this year weve only achieved 1. 1 growth so thats bad news for the government. And how do you rate the efforts of the government which has basically been trying to stimulate the economy with a variety of spending packpackages . If those efforts have fallen short, what else can policy makers do . The government is planning to pass a supplementary budget which will hopefully give a boost to the economy the second half of the year. And government has been trying to institute some structural reform measures and introduce things such as peak wage systems so the older people can stay employed for longer and introduce some tax breaks for rnd and small and medium sized enterprises. The problem is that the Monetary Policy has not been very effective this year. Probably because the high Household Debt as well as very pessimistic view for the consumers and the investors this year. So that remains a problem. Speaking of which where do you see the economy heading for the second half of the year . Not only that but into 2016 . There has been some bright spots in the first quarter. The Construction Industry seemed to have picked up in the first quarter. But in the Second Quarter its not as good. And consumption has been falling because of the mers epidemic. Thats not good news at all. Then theres other signs that aggregate demand is very low. For example, the rises in prices for industrial goods have been very weak this year. So that also signals that theres a very low aggregate demand. So unless the supplementary budget can really pick the economy up its going to be a bad year this year. Government officials have decided on a major shift in japans infrastructure policy. They say they will focus on maintaining older structures instead of building new ones. The Infrastructure Ministry has conveyed a decision to a panel discussing a plan for bridges, roads, and other structures. Under the new policy the Ministry Urges local municipalities to draw up by 2020 concrete plans on how to manage these structures. Each municipal government then will make its own decisions on whether to replace or repair a facility. The ministry also urges facing depopulation to end provisions of Sewage Treatment and public housing. Thats it for business news. Ill leave you with the markets. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic Games begin in exactly five years. People across japan are taking part in an event to mark the countdown. A 1,000 kilometer relay race has started. A hundred runners set out from a park on the first stretch. Among them was nako takahashi. The relay will end in tokyo on august 7th. Prime minister shinzo abe has urged his cabinet members to speed up preparations for the games. Translator we will make the jut most effort for a new National Stadium and make sure its completed in time. I hope it can be a landmark for people around the world to share their dreams and hopes. The government will draw up a plan that includes security measures against terrorists and cyber attacks. The United States has stepped up pressure on north korea. Officials with the Treasury Department say theyve added a singaporebased company to their sanctions list for supporting pyongyangs illicit weapons shipments. The sanctions were imposed on senat shipping company. Transactions with american firms and individuals will be banned. Treasury Officials Say senat helped a north Korean Company ocean Maritime Management to secure crewmen. In july last year the u. N. Imposed sanctions on the north Korean Company for transporting undeclared military equipment from cuba to the north in 2014. John kerry appeared before congress to ask lawmakers to support the Nuclear Agreement with iran. Republican senators responded with harsh criticism. Congress has until middecember to decide whether to approve it. With the u. S. If they were to walk away from their partners were on our own. Our partners will not walk away with us. Kerry said the agreement will benefit the u. S. And its middle eastern allies. Republican senator marco rubio criticized the agreement. This deal provides billions possibly hundreds of billions to a regime that according to the director of National Intelligence directly threatens the United States and our allies. Most republican lawmakers say they will not approve the agreement. A proisrael lobby group has been calling on lawmakers to reject it. China has the Worlds Largest population and the highest number of people with diabetes. Officials at the International Diabetes federation say more than 380 Million People are known to have the disease globally. About a quarter of them are chinese. A beijing hospital is getting ready to provide japanesestyle medical services to help those people. Nhk worlds ayumi takahira has the stories. Reporter this woman was diagnosed with diabetes five months ago. She spends most of her time at home. She says shes thirsty and tired all the time. She believes her diet may have triggered the disease. Translator my family eats meat for every meal. If i cook too much i eat more than i need. I also use lots of oil for stir fry dishes. Reporter shes trying to eat more vegetables and got more exercise but she wants professional help to fight the disease. Translator i know people who have diabetes. Some have trouble with their eyes or legs or unstable blood pressure. Im worried because these symptoms are all life threatening. Reporter a new hospital is being built in the capital city to help patients. Its sponsor sd by a Japanese Company and a Japanese Firm may also contribute. It opens later this year and is set to be beijings first hospital to provide diabetes treatment the japanese way. In japan, each patient is treated by a team made up of doctors, pharmacists, nutritionists, and a foot care specialist. A group of medical professionals from japan recently visited the hospital to show how it works. Yoko izuka leads the team. Shes been working as a diabetes specialist in tokyo for 20 years. She was born in china and lived there until she finished high school. Izuka has always wanted to act as a bridge between the two countries. Translator i am very thrilled and excited i believe that both our staff and the patients will be off to a good start at tomorrows event. Reporter the staff offered free consultation to preregistered patients for two days. More than 150 people signed up. They were eager to learn more about the disease and how to treat it. Their doctors havent provided them with that information. Translator i would like to ask the doctor about my daily diet and exercise. I also want to know about medication. Reporter jung first talks about her medical history and symptoms. She then meets with a pharmacist to discuss medication. Next a nutritionist explains what she can eat and how much. He uses models that have been modified for chinese food. Jung jungs last stop is a foot care specialist. Reporter people with diabetes can develop serious foot conditions. Foot care specialists check whether patients have Infectious Diseases like athletes foot or problems with their nervous systems. Translator i learned a lot today. The food i was told to stay away from is actually okay to consume. I just need to eat it properly. I must chew well and have a balanced diet. Reporter all translator all of the patients we met with were highly motivated to begin with. Given the correct knowledge, their conditions can be improved right away. Reporter iizuka also says its important to train local medical staff to provide services that meet japanese standards. Ayumi takahira nhk world. Thank you for that encouraging report. Our takafumi terui has been following the story. He explains why the treatments currently offered in china arent working. Many patients i met at the hospital said their doctors dont spend time explaining Health Conditions limited to them. So they have to rely on themselves for treatment. They find it very difficult and feel helpless. Also treating patients as a team like we saw in the report is unusual in china. Without looking into details of the patients lifestyle. The biggest advantage of Team Treatment is that a specialist spends time with the patient to determine the right remedy. So the patient knows exactly what to be aware of. Chinese doctors and medical staff were impressed by the treatment. Training local staff will be the key to providing the same quality of expertise and services to chinese patients. The japanese specialists would need to do so until the locals become able to train others. Once that happens, dr. Iizuka and her team can cut back on their visits and offer help only when necessary. Meanwhile, the japanese government has been promoting the export of the nations medical services overseas. So i think that in the future assistance needs to be set up for medical exchange between the two countries. That was our takafumi terui in beijing. According to japans traditional calendar this year, july 24th is supposed to be one of the hottest days of the year and it felt like that. Humidity spiked and the highs were in the mid30s celsius or mid90s fahrenheit. Not a day to be outdoors. Jonathan oh from the weather desk has the details. Hello. Yes, we did have to deal with thunderstorms that rolled through the area. We had rain out of the Korean Peninsula. A low pressure system that helped to surge energy into the central portions of japan. And that created some various lightning activities along with the thunderstorms rolling through. Heres a look at the radar during the time period it rolled through. The red box indicates the highest level of activity for lightning. You can see here as we cross over the tokyo prefecture and move into the metropolitan areas, we saw these heavy, heavy rainfall taking place. In fact some areas reporting up to 50 millimeters per hour rain rate. Thats really going to be a problem on the ground level. So people were ducking for cover trying to grab their umbrella to get from place to place. Now it looks like most of the activity for this cell is going to be moving away. But well still see developments that may bring rain into the evening hours. That low pressure system bringing up that moisture. Thats creating some of the activity. As we go into the weekend, we should see an improvement. And seeing the return of some very hot conditions for a good portion of japan. Meanwhile, were keeping an eye on halola. This system is a typhoon thats creating some rain into portions of kyushu. Lets look at video out of kagoshima. The waves already starting to pick up. At this point the system is not quite there yet. But some areas may be seeing close to five meter heights throughout the day saturday. At this point so far looking at one to three meter heights. Its getting rough out there even though the skies are clear. Well see the activity start to pick up as we go into saturday. Saturday is going to be the big time period as this system moves over the okinawa islands. As this time period goes into sunday, well be seeing that activity continue bing to be a part of the story. Now, as it continues to move toward the north and west its going to bring all that rainfall. Meanwhile, that warm air i was talking about is going to be part of the picture for the rest of japan. Highs in the mid to upper 30s. Now, were also looking at wet activity over into southeast portions of china. Bringing Copious Amounts of rainfall and extends into south asia as well. Some areas may be seeing close to 200 millimeters of rainfall over the next 72 hours. Again, wet weather coming up the Korean Peninsula extending down along the coast of china while warm weather returns back to tokyo with sunny skies for saturday. As you look at the forecast for europe, weve been dealing with some very strong storms that rolled through the area. We had heavy amounts of rain that caused problems on the roadways. And in fact part of that en shifted a car on top of a building right there. And now as we go into saturday morning, more active weather is going to be in place. And over into barcelona, higher threat for severe weather. Tornadoes are possible excessive precipitation, large hail. Meanwhile the heat is on for madrid and athens with highs in the mid30s. Take care of your health through the day. Hope you have a good day wherever you are. Heres your extended outlook. The stage adaptation by a novelest has opened in new york. The play being performed as part of the annual Lincoln Center festival. Members of the media were invited to see a stage rehearsal. The play tells the story of a journey made by a 15yearold boy and an old man who can converse with cats. The plot blends reality and fantasy. The performance in new york will run through sunday. The play is also scheduled to be performed in japan, singapore, and seoul. So people in those cities be on the lookout. Im james tengan in tokyo. Thanks for watching this edition of newsline. Overnments to intensify its operation against the Islamic State group. Turkey started bombing islamic positions inside syria. At home, authorities have arrested 290 people. The results for the president ial election in burundi are expected to be revealed this afternoon. President nkurunziza is likely to win a third term despite protests against his candidacy. And a hard Mountain Stage of the Tour De France takes place today. It is eight kilometers long