2013. It killed 6 people and left 39 others injured. Chinese authorities concluded the incident was caused by a Group Seeking independence for the xinjiang uighur autonomous region. A terrorist attack has been thwarted at the Louvre Museum in paris. A man armed with a knife attacked a soldier on guard at the popular tourist attraction. The man was carrying bags as he tried to enter the museums shopping area. The soldier shot and wounded the attacker after he pulled out the weapon. Translator we wanted to get to the louver but saw the baggage and found out there had been an attack on a soldier translator this kind of attack on an authority is unforgivable. Reporter local media said the man shouted that god is great in arabic. Translator an officer providing security at the Louvre Museum was assaulted in the attempted attack. Which we believe was terroristic in nature. Hundreds of tourists safely evacuated from the museum. Prosecutors suspect the man acted alone. They say his backpack didnt contain any explosives. The new u. S. Defense secretary is on his first foreign tour. After visiting south korea, james mattis is now in japan and has met with Prime Minister shinzo abe. They discussed a number of regional concerns. The Prime Minister spoke with mattis soon after his arrival in tokyo. Translator i do have a hope also and im convinced that together with you and also President Trump we will be able to demonstrate the unwavering alliance between japan and the United States both to the public inside japan as well as outside japan. I want there to be no misunderstanding during the transition in washington that we stand firmly 100 shoulder to shoulder with you and the japanese people, mr. Prime minister. Mattis also said the two allies are facing a number of Security Issues is such as the threat posed by north korea. They discussed pyongyangs Nuclear Program and its repeated firing of ballistic missiles. Abe obtained something he wanted from the defense chief, the u. S. Commitment to help japan defend a set of islands in the east china sea. Japan controls the Senkaku Islands. China and taiwan claim them. Mattis explicitly said the Senkaku Islands fall within the scope of the bilateral security treaty. That means the two countries will defend the islands in the event of a military aggression. Mattis also had the same message for foreign minister fumio kishida. Translator secretary mattis said the u. S. Will oppose any unilateral attempts to infringe on japans administration of the Senkaku Islands. Chinas Foreign Ministry reacted sharply to the meeting. A spokesperson released a statement stressing that the islands belong to china, and he urged the u. S. To change what he calls wrong opinions and not destabilize the region by complicating the issue. Pyongyang was at the top of the agenda when the u. S. Defense chief met with south Korean Counterparts earlier in the day. And he delivered a stern warning to the north korean leadership. Mattis met south Korean Defense minister han minkoo in seoul. My use of Nuclear Weapons would be met with the response that would be effective and overwhelming. Han said the bilateral talks will send the strongest possible message to pyongyang. Translator secretary mattis visit to south korea and our meeting show our strong determination to respond to north Koreas Nuclear and missile threats. South korea says the defense chiefs reaffirmed the u. S. Commitment to defending the south and making use of all available deterrents including the nuclear umbrella. Officials also say theyve agreed to deploy a u. S. Missile Defense System known as thaad by the end of this year in south korea. Earlier on friday, pyongyang issued a statement saying the system is driving the Korean Peninsula to the brink of nuclear war. North korea also demanded that the u. S. And south korea cancel their annual joint military exercises scheduled to start next month. It warned that unless the exercises are canceled, pyongyang will enhance its Nuclear Capabilities and other defenses. Officials in south korea say it appears that the head of north koreas secret police has been dismissed for corruption and abuse of power. The dismissal is expected to instill fear in senior officials and weaken the governments grip on citizens. Its likely to further destabilize the regime. The Officials Say kim won hong was likely removed from the post of state security minister in midjanuary. They believe many of his senior staff have been executed. Kim was a close aide to the countrys leader. Hes believed to be behind the investigation, detention and special military trial that led to the execution of kim jonguns uncle jang song thaek in 2013. Kim last appeared in news when he accompanied the leader on a new years day visit to a mausoleum that houses the bodies of the countrys previous leaders. A special prosecutor in south korea investigating the influence peddling scandal surrounding President Park guenhye has tried to raid her offices, but the president ial office prevented the search. The Investigation Team arrived around 10 00 a. M. Friday, the day before they received a search and seizure warrant naming park as a bribery suspect. The team has been preparing to question the president in person and the aim of the raid was likely to gather more data. It would have been the first raid since the special team was formed, but they say the president ial office refused to grant them access to the compound citing security concerns. Under the countrys law, military facilities and other areas that handle confidential information cannot be searched without approval from the person in charge of the location. A spokesperson for the special Prosecutor Says it is regrettable that the president ial office did not cooperate. Prosecutors have already indicted parks longtime friend choi soonsil and her close aides. U. S. Wrestlers have been banned from taking part in a competition in iran. Its in reaction to u. S. President Donald Trumps executive order denying visas to iranians wanting to visit the u. S. An iranian staterun news agency reported the Foreign Ministrys decision on friday. U. S. Wrestlers were due to attend the freestyle world cup scheduled for february 16th and 17th. But trump signed an executive order last week blocking the entry into the u. S. Of people from seven predominantly muslim nations for 90 days. Irans government described the travel ban as a blatant insult to muslims. Iran and the u. S. Severed diplomatic relations following the 1979 islamic revolution, but over the years wrestlers from the two countries have stayed in contact. In 2013 iranian and u. S. Wrestlers engaged in exhibition matches in an effort to keep the sport in the olympic games. Japans leading i. T. Firm rakuten has responded to President Trumps travel ban. It has advised employees that might be subject to the ban to refrain from traveling to the United States. The order temporarily bars entry to the u. S. For people from seven countries. Rakuten employs over 5,000 employees across the world. Its executives say it will help workers affected by the ban to relocate outside america with their families. Rakutens chairman and ceo Hiroshi Mikitani says he very much regrets whats happening in the u. S. He says his firm will continue to support diversity regardless of nationality or religion. President trump has taken swipes at japanese carmakers. He claims they benefit at the expense of american companies. Thats led japans Prime Minister and the president of toyota motor to discuss how to deal with trump. Prime minister shinzo abe and toyotas president akio toyoda met for nearly two hours over dinner. They were joined by chief cabinet secretary yoshihide suga. Abe said toyota is making significant contributions to the u. S. Economy. Translator toyota motor is making a large investment in the u. S. When the carmaker builds a factory there, its profits will lead to an increase in wages. What was discussed at the dinner table was not revealed, but sources say they talked about the present state of the automobile industry, the job market in the u. S. And japans efforts to help create jobs in the country. Translator we talked about current Economic Conditions and thought it was a good talk. Trump recently criticized toyotas plan to build a new plant in mexico. He said the japanese automaker may have to pay higher tariffs on its products unless it makes cars in the u. S. Trump is critical of japanese policies on automobiles and currency. Abe will visit washington to meet with trump on friday of next week. Trumps immigration restriction has many people talking about the Political Climate in the u. S. Even some companies are weighing in. At the start of the week, google honored the life of a japanese administrations policy. Nhk world reports. Reporter if you checked out the google home page on monday you would have seen an image honoring the birthday of civil rights activist fred korematsu. Given Donald Trumps ban on refugees and citizens is from certain muslim majority countries, the timing was no coincidence. The firm later issued a comment saying its concerned the new policy will prevent talented people from coming to the u. S. Korematsu was born in california in 1919. His parents were japanese immigrants. He was 23 years old when president roosevelt signed an executive order in 1942, a response to japans attack on pearl harbor. The order authorized the force removal of people of japanese descent from their homes. They were then sent to internment camps. Its estimated about 120,000 japanese americans were interned. Korematsu refused to go. He was arrested and sent to an internment facility but he filed a lawsuit saying his Constitutional Rights were being violated. That went all the way up to the Supreme Court but he lost. He continued appealing his case for decades after the war. In the 1980s, president jimmy carter started investigating the incarceration. Korematsus criminal case was finally overturned. I want to say that its quite a victory for me but also a victory for the 120,000 japanese that had to be evacuated and put in concentration camps. Korematsu said that he never again wanted to see the same thing happen to any american citizen of any race, creed or color. He passed away in march 2005. Reporting for nhk world, tokyo. In malaysia a mass rally was held on friday outside the u. S. Embassy to protest against president Donald Trumps travel ban against seven muslim majority nations. Patchari raksawong in bangkok has the details on that and other stories. Trumps order has also drawn fire in Southeast Asian countries. Muslim dominant malaysia is not subject to the ban, but people took to the streets voicing their concerns over what they say is a human rights violation. Around 200 people including opposition lawmakers participated in the gathering. Protesters called for a rescinding of trumps executive action. You see, the repercussion is that it is not limited only to the seven countries. This is beyond just immigration. Trump is actually inviting a new kind of clash of civilization between muslim and others. Which is uncalled for. Indonesia, the worlds most populous muslim nation, has also criticized trumps order saying it is wrong to associate radicalism and terrorism with a particular religion. Malaysian Prime Minister najib razak saw off on friday a ship carrying tons of emergency supplies to the nation state which is home to many Muslim Rohingyas and has been at the center of a massive counterinsurgency operation carried out by the military. The ship loaded with 500 tons of aid was chartered by malaysian mulsim groups and charities. It is expected to arrive in myanmars biggest port city of yangon on thursday. Translator we wont remain silent. And we wont be satisfied with rhetoric. We want to make a statement that when it comes to the sufferings of the rohingyas, enough is enough. Enough is enough. Enough is enough. Allegations that Rohingya Muslims are persecuted in predominantly buddhist myanmar have angered muslims in neighboring countries. The counterinsurgency operation was launched after insurgents mounted deadly raids on police posts in october. The fighting has caused over 60,000 people to flee into neighboring bangladesh. The u. S. U. N. Human Rights Office said friday the crackdown has likely resulted in hundreds of deaths. Myanmar soldiers have been accused of summary executions, arbitrary arrests, rape and arson. The countrys government has denied the accusations calling many of the reports fabricated. Theres been a cash crisis in india. The government in november abolished the countrys two highest Denomination Bank notes, but theres an ongoing shortage of replacement notes and thats causing chaos. Taking advantage of the lack of physical cash, the government is pushing electronic money. Nhk world reports. Reporter these are shredded notes of rupees 1,000 and rupees 500 which have been demonetized by the government. These are the companies that manufacture plywood and have been receiving these notes. The old notes are shredded into fine strips. The factory collects about ten tons of the waste every day. The old money is combined with wood chips to make panels that can be used for furniture and other products. More than two months have passed since the large deno bills were abolished. While the old bills continue to be collected, the chaos continues. New bank notes arent being printed fast enough. People have to wait in line for hours in banks to withdraw cash. Often they wait in vain. Translator ive been waiting in line both yesterday and today. I wasnt able to withdraw any cash. Reporter the government is trying to turn this troublesome situation into an opportunity. Authorities have adopted the catchphrase Digital India to promote cashless transactions and limit the use of physical money. Translator paper money is a thing of the past. Banks can now be accessed through your cell phone. No need to line up at the bank anymore. Reporter in december, the Indian Government launched a nationwide campaign to create a cashless society. Public employees in delhi attended a seminar to learn how to use cash cards and emoney. Some voiced concerns. But there were positive responses as well. Translator i tried it out immediately, and it looked pretty good. Reporter one village has totally shifted to cashless transactions. This is a suburb of ahmedabad in western india. Its a small village with a population of about 1,200. No physical money has been used there since last year. Shopping is cashless, of course. People can pay with emoney from their Bank Accounts using mobile phones. Translator its very convenient as i dont need change. Reporter some residents say they are better off since the introduction of cashless transactions. This man is a cotton farmer. He has come to the market to sell his crop. He used to be paid in cash. But now he receives a check. Translator ill deposit my check at the bank immediately. Later on ill withdraw money that i need to buy fertilizer and other things. Reporter he used to spend all the cash he had at hand, but now he carefully considers if he really needs to buy something before making a purchase. This helps him save money. Translator i want to buy some new clothes for my wife and son and perhaps some jewelry. Reporter the governments daring move to demonetize high denomination bills is transforming peoples lives. Reporting for nhk world, new delhi. And that wraps up our bulletin. Im Patchari Raksawong in bangkok. Emerging economies, powers still struggling with poverty, citizens demanding democracy. The threat of violence, the push for peace, the shadow of conflict. Get news and insight on Southeast Asia every weekday live from bangkok only on nhk newsline. Japanese video game and Animation Companies are hoping to lure in new fans in india. Theyre displaying their products at an exhibition targeting the countrys massive number of young people. About 20 companies are taking part at the event in new delhi. Its supported by the japanese and Indian Governments. Visitors can try out the latest sports, martial arts and adventure games. And popular animated films including astro boy and black jack are being shown around the venue. About half of indias population is under 25. By 2022, the countrys entire population is expected to surpass that of china and become the worlds largest. Its a long way from tokyo to rural kenya and a very different culture. But one japanese musician has bridged that gap through her determination to learn a traditional instrument against all odds. Nhk world has more. Reporter the nyatiti is a Musical Instrument of the luo ethnic group in kenya. And only men have traditionally been allowed to play it. But eriko mukoyama has broken that taboo. In 2005 she became the first woman to master the nyatiti. Translator its an eightstringed instrument but you have bells and a metal ring attached to your feet. So its also a percussion instrument. And, of course, you sing, so its really more like being a oneman band. R