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Donald Trump Invites Duterte To White House; A Family Torn Apart Between North and South Korea; American Troops Patrol Turkish-Syrian Border; French Labor Unions Split Over Strategy Going Into Presidential Second Round Vote. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired May 01, 2017 - 08:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[08:00:23] IVAN WATSON, HOST: I'm Ivan Watson in Hong Kong. Welcome to News Stream.

Donald Trump's controversial invitation, his Philippines counterpart is invited to the White House despite human rights abuses.

Also, an exclusive from inside North Korea. Meet a family torn apart, but still clinging to hope that they'll one day be reunited.

And tension in the fight against ISIS as American troops patrolling the Turkey-Syria border. We have a live report to explain.

He's been accused of major human rights violations for ordering a vicious war on drugs that has killed thousands of people. But now Philippine

President Rodrigo Duterte has an invitation to the White House extended personally by U.S. President Donald Trump in a phone call over the weekend.

The White House argues it needs all the support it can muster to counter the growing threat from North Korea.

Speaking at a news conference on Saturday, Mr. Duterte had this to say about tensions on the Korean peninsula.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RODRIGO DUTERTE, PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES: It behooves upon America, who wields the biggest stick, just to be a little prudent and patience. We

know that we are playing with somebody who is letting go his missiles and everything. I would not want to go into his mind, because I really don't

know what's inside. But he's putting mother earth, the planet, to an edge.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Now, Duterte certainly is not one to shy away from controversy. He has used slurs to describe the pope and Barack Obama. And last year he

provoked global outrage when he made a comparison between his war on drugs and the holocaust.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DUTERTE: hitler massacred 3 million Jews. Now, there is 3 million drug addicts. There are. I'd be happy to slaughter them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Now, I must note Duterte later apologized for those remarks, but he also sparked alarm when he and to confess to killing suspected criminals

when he was mayor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DUTERTE: I did kill. I was only three months mayor in 1988. At least I kill to protect people. I am not here a dictator killing my political

opponents to stay in power.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Now, let's remind you of how many people have actually been killed in the war on drugs in The Philippines. According to the Philippines

National Police, the war on drugs has been linked to more than 7,500 deaths since Duterte took office last summer, more than 1,000 of those were

believed to be vigilante killings.

Now, let's dig deeper into President Duterte's controversial record. Joining me now is Phil Robertson from Human Rights Watch. Thank you very

much for joining via Skype.

Now, you and your colleagues have been highly critical of President Trump for this phone call to President Duterte, some mentioning you'd be inviting

a self-confessed killer into the White House. Why is this Philippines president subject of so much criticism?

PHIL ROBERTSON, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: Well, I mean, Duterte says he's been fighting hard to get rid of his country of drugs, but the reality is he's

actually pursuing a murderous war against the poor that we've seen result in the violent deaths of thousands

of Filipinos. I mean, you're inviting someone like that to the White House. In most cases you would be trying to figure out how to not meet

them at the UN then give them a red carpet welcome at the White House I think is really beyond the pale.

I mean, we have found that there is an ongoing unlawful pattern of illegal conduct in these killing, and these are being encouraged directly by

Duterte. He has called on the police to kill drug addicts. And guess what, it's happening. And it's happening on a daily basis and it's

particularly targeting the poor.

So, Duterte has a lot to answer for. You know, there is a lot of discussion about having him brought before a Human Rights Council at some

sort of independent international investigation.

So to invite someone like this to the White House saying that this is all about North Korea, I

don't think really passes the laugh test. I think that there's something else going on.

WATSON: But Phil, we do have to keep in mind the fact that Duterte is a democratically

elected leader. He continues to enjoy high public approval ratings despite criticism from human rights groups like your own. Does that show that

Filipinos don't really make a big priority out of human rights?

ROBERTSON: I think that that - I think that there's a lot of reasons why he continues to have high popularity ratings, part of it is that he's not

from the elite population, part of it is because he's from other parts of the Philippines and the south, part of it is also connected

I think to his straight speaking style.

But I think that if you examine what is happening in these killings, there's a lot of people who are very unhappy and there are a lot of people

intimidated to speak out about this. I mean, we see an internet troll army really going after anybody who says anything on social media about Duterte

in a negative sense. So, we have seen that ourselves. We have experienced

that ourselves.

So, people are being intimidated, people are fearful. And I think that that is certainly also

an issue that has to be taken into account.

WATSON: And certainly one of his most outspoken critics, Senator De Lima, has been jailed last February in what she claims is politically motivated,

though it is said to be related to drug money and drug offenses and corruption.

Let's go to the Trump administration now, because President Trump seems to have a certain affinity for some of these polarizing strong men. The

Egyptian president comes to mind. And recently he called the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan

before the dust had even settled on a controversial referendum in Turkey granting that president sweeping new powers.

So do you see a broader pattern from the Prump administration when it comes to these self-styled strong men around the world?

ROBERTSON: Well, I think what we're seeing is a complete abandonment of any sort of commitment to human rights as a core principle of U.S. foreign

policy. There's been a longtime bipartisan consensus around issue of human rights dating really back to the 1980s where human rights was considered

one of the core pieces of any foreign policy decision. And it seems that the Trump

administration isn't abandoning this. And these high-profile invitations to people like el-Sisi to Duterte, the call to the president of Turkey,

these are, I think, significant indicators of Trump's foreign policy failings on human rights.

I mean, we're I think in for a really rough ride when we talk about what the U.S. is going to do and who they are going to be inviting to the White

House over the next four years.

WATSON: All right. Phil Robertson from Human Rights Watch live from Bangkok. Thank you very much. Thought White House officials have pointed

out that the Trump administration fired cruise missiles at Syria in response to human rights abuses and alleged chemical weapons there in their

defense.

Now, if you find Donald Trump's invitation to President Duterte surprising. You may be even more surprised to hear how he describes another strongman.

On the same day North Korea conducted another missile test, Mr. Trump had this to say about the country's young leader.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRSEIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: At a very young age he was able to assume power. A lot of people I'm sure tried to take that power

away, whether it was his uncle or anybody else. Obviously, he's a pretty smart cookie. But we have a situation that we just cannot let -- we cannot

let what's been going on for a long period of years continue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Despite that, Donald Trump says he will not rule out the use of military force against North Korea.

Alexandra Field is live for us from Seoul right now. Now, Alex, the saber- rattling, it definitely continues. That long awaited U.S. aircraft carrier Carl Vinson it seems to finally be in Korean waters.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT; Yeah, it certainly sends a message, Ivan, because you know at this point, whether or not you believe that

military action and the risks associated with it could be part of President Trump's plan in reigning in North Korea. It certainly is clear that part

of his plan is at least to show the threat of military action.

And what embodies that better than the presence of these warships off of the peninsula participating in training drills with the South Korean

military, despite the fact that North Korea has continued to object to these kind of exercises, Pyongyang sees these exercises as preparation for

invasion, to the U.S. this is flexing of muscle, a show of defensive forces, a deterrent effort to stop Pyongyang from committing the kind of

hostile acts and provocative measures we've seen as recently as this just weekend when they conducted that failed missile launch.

The strategy that has emerged from Washington in recent days and recent weeks has been to call for greater diplomatic measures deescalate on the

peninsula and to call for stricter and harsher economic sanctions against North Korea.

But at the same time, you have had this buildup of military assets in the region, which is clearly

designed to back up this threat, which President Donald Trump does repeatedly make that there could

be military conflict. He said just last week there could be major, major conflict if the situation is not deescalated here.

And again, he is leaving the door open now for the possibility of some kind of military action. He was, in fact, asked in an interview over the weekend

what would happen if North Korea conducted another nuclear test, the country's sixth nuclear test. His answer was, we'll see.

So Ivan, we'll see.

[08:11:10] WATSON: Deliberate ambiguity there.

Speaking of the buildup of military assets, let's talk about THAAD, that controversial missile defense system that has been put in place recently in

South Korea. It's a topic of debate in the impending presidential election in South Korea, but we're getting conflicting messages from the White House

about who is going to pay for it now. Can you explain that?

FIELD: Yeah, and this is really an amazing turn of events, Ivan. Because as you point out, this has been a political issue domestically. The

country is very divided over whether or not this U.S. designed missile defensive system should have been installed here. He had about 50 percent

saying that they were for this system, but about 40 percent saying they were against it.

So it has been a key issue in the elections, but the government that is in power right now, the acting president, had signed off, or had agreed to

carry through with an agreement that was made prior to the acting president taking office that THAAD would go forward, that this system would be

installed. And officials from the U.S. and South Korea had both come out in recent weeks saying that this process was being expedited in order to

counter mounting threats from North Korea. They said it was critical to get this thing installed and to get it operational within just a matter of

days.

Then, all of a sudden, you had U.S. President Donald Trump saying that South Korea should actually foot the bill for this billion dollar system.

This is a system that the U.S. very much wanted in place in South Korea not just for the protection of South Korea but for the protection of U.S.

assets in South Korea and as part of a wider strategy of defense for the region at large.

So, after President Trump said that, a lot of South Korean officials came out and said that wasn't the agreement at all. The U.S. was always

supposed to pay for this billion dollar system. They were simply supposed to provide the space for it, which they did.

Now, you have the national security adviser saying in fact the U.S. will uphold its end of the bill. They will pay the billion dollars, tried to

clear up the mess that had been created in saying that when President Trump suggested that South Korea should pay for this, that was a nod toward a

broader strategy that we've heard from the Trump administration before wherein they

have said that in the future they would be looking at shared spending on defenses for allies around the world. It's something we heard a lot about

on the campaign trail, hadn't heard about until now, Ivan. But THAAD going ahead as planned with the U.S. still paying for it - Ivan.

WATSON: Yeah, even though there are a lot of South Koreans who don't really want it there.

Alexandra Field, thank you very much for that update from Seoul.

One thing that gets lost in the reporting on North Korea are the stories of real people, thousands of North Koreans have managed to escape and defect

to the south. Last year, CNN's Will Ripley reported on one defector who is now in South Korea, but she says she wants to go home. Now, the North

Korean government has allowed Will to meet this woman's family. They are still in Pyongyang.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Seoul, South Korea -- tens of thousands of North Korean defectors have fled South since the late 1990s.

Kim Ryong-Hi (ph) is one of the rare few who's ever asked to do back. She came here thinking she could work for a while to earn money to pay for

medical treatment and then go home. But instead, like all defectors, she lost her North Korean passport, was made a South Korean citizen. Her old

home, just a 20 minute flight away, if you could fly. South Koreans are banned by their government from visiting or even communicating with anyone

in North Korea.

I'm taken to see Kim Ryong-Hi's husband and her daughter.

We sent a crew in South Korea to go speak with your wife and your mom and she recorded a video message that she wanted you to see.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm so sorry. Your mother is so sorry. I am so proud and thankful to see you all grown up confident and bright. I really miss

you. I really want to hug you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE; There are times it's hard (inaudible) my mother wouldn't like to see her like this. (inaudible).

[08:15:43] RIPLEY: I am also taken to meet Kim Ryong-Hi's aging parents. Her father is 75; her mother 72.

When you see her, I can't even imagine what you're thinking.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the first time I have seen her in six years.

RIPLEY: Since she left, her mother has gone blind in one eye. She's losing sight in the other. She worries time is running out; that she'll never see

or hold her daughter again.

They can't call, they can't e-mail, they can't even write a letter. No way to communicate. We let her husband and daughter use my phone to send a

video message back to South Korea.

Ryong-Gun (ph) tells her mother how she just graduated from catering school. Now, she's a chef. She hopes that some day her mother can taste

what a good cook she's become. She shows off their new apartment. They moved in here after she left.

No matter what's happening in the outside world, this is reality for this family and many others on the Korean peninsula. So many families divided.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON: It's a great report by Will Ripley and his team, but it's important to note the North

Korean government made this particular family available to CNN, because Kim is one of the few defectors who says she wants to go back to North Korea,

and that plays into the view that Pyongyang is trying to create and helps to discourage people from leaving.

But tens of thousands of defectors say they never want to go back. And rights groups say families of defectors are punished by the government,

some are exiled from the capital to live in the countryside, others are sent to labor camps.

Now, coming up on News Stream, the U.S. gets between Turkey and some Syrian Kurds. How the superpower is trying to deescalate the tension between its

two allies.

Plus, supplying troops in the fight against ISIS. We board a military plane flying to the front lines to keep them stocked up. That's coming up

next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:20:07] WATSON: Welcome back to CNN. This is News Stream broadcasting live from Hong Kong with a view of the harbor there.

Now, U.S. Marines are back in Afghanistan's turbulent Helmand Province for the first time in

three years. The NATO coalition ended combat operations there in 2014, but now at least 300 marines have been deployed to train and advise Afghan

security forces. The Helmand region has a strong Taliban presence and known as a center of the opium trade in Afghanistan.

American boots are on new ground not just in Afghanistan. They are now patrolling the border between Syria and Turkey. Patrols began after

Turkish airstrikes last week killed members of a Syrian Kurdish militia known as YPG. While, the U.S. considers the YPG an ally in the fight

against ISIS, Turkey says they are terrorists.

To help explain this, let's bring in our Ben Wedeman. He's live in Istanbul.

So Ben, why now? What led to this deliberate American show of military force on the border?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ivan, basically the Americans are trying to stop what could be a serious military showdown

between the Turks on the one hand traditional ally, a fellow member of NATO and the YPG, which, of course, is critical to American plans to defeat

ISIS, specifically to retake Raqqa, the de facto capital of ISIS.

And because of the hostility between Turkey and the YPG - and we'll get to that in a minute and it's quite complicated, the Americans want to make

sure that there's not going to be a repeat of the kind of airstrikes we saw last week or that the Turks simply aren't going to cross the border into

Syria and attack the YPG, as, of course, they are attacking the PKK, which is the Kurdish Workers Party in Turkey, which has been fighting a

separatist war against the Turkish state since 1984. Of course the Turks consider the YPG to essentially just be the Syrian branch of the PKK, if

that's clear - Ivan.

WATSON: Well, I think it reminds me of 2002, Ben, when the U.S. was about to invade Iraq in 2003 and the Iraqi Kurds were allied with the U.S.

suddenly turned their guns around towards Turkey, another ally of the U.S. and it looked like a conflict could break out just

as the war against Saddam Hussein was going to begin.

Of course, now we're talking about a faction of Syrian Kurds. Why does Ankara hate these

Syrian Kurds so much?

WEDEMAN: Really, the Turkish concern is that what the Americans are doing now is, yes, they are working with YPG, the Syrian Kurds, to defeat ISIS,

but obviously the Syrian Kurds perhaps have dreams of some sort of Kurdish state within Syria itself.

Now, if that happens, of course, this will only encourage separatist sentiments and movements among Turkey's Kurds as well, particularly the

PKK, to form their own state, carve it out of the Turkish state.

So the Turks simply don't want to see the creation of some sort of Kurdish political entity on

their long border with Syria in addition to the fact there is a de facto Kurdish entity in Iraq as well. So, that is their main concern, the

possibility that this war that they have been having, they have been fighting against PKK since 1984 will intensify as a result of American

support for Kurds in Syria - Ivan.

WATSON: It's a really tangled web of alliances. Ben Wedeman, thanks for helping explain some of it.

Now to a part of the against ISIS that we do not often see, our Frederik Pleitgen got an exclusive look at the mission to supply those fighting on

the frontline.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An explosive but also vital cargo for American and allied forces fighting

ISIS, munitions bound for Iraq.

(on-camera): And, apparently, it's rockets that are being flown into Iraq. It's going to deliver munitions to some of the frontline troops.

(voice-over): We're riding along on C-130 Hercules taking off from a U.S. air base in an undisclosed location in the Middle East. For the crew,

flights like this one are common but never routine, they say. For security reasons, we can only identify the crew by their ranks and first names.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just maintain vigilance. Situational awareness are big when there's always other things going on. Everybody gets pretty task

saturated. So, we just make sure that we keep our focus on getting the mission done.

[08:25:08] PLEITGEN: The Iraqi army backed by U.S. forces is fighting an intense battle, trying to oust ISIS from its largest stronghold, Mosul. As

the war intensifies, the troops unleash more firepower and need new ammo to come in fast.

That makes cargo flights like this one so important. Landing is the most dangerous part. The C-130 is vulnerable as it flies low over the Iraqi

countryside. The crew wearing helmets and flak vest in case they take enemy fire. The aircraft's commander, who we can only name as Colonel Buck, has

decades of experience.

COLONEL BUCK, UNITED STATES ARMY: Obviously, flying in a war zone, you know, the danger of getting shot at is always there. But we're always

prepared for that. We train hard for that. So we're ready for anything that pops up.

PLEITGEN: Unloading only takes a few minutes, the engines running and the plane and its cargo secured by two heavily armed soldiers. Then the C-130

takes off again, ready for another mission to keep up the fight against ISIS.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, reporting from an undisclosed U.S. air base in the Middle East.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON: Let's take a look now at South America, specifically Venezuela where the president hiked minimum wage another 60 percent as the country

struggles with a severe economic crisis and political chaos.

This is a desperate measure by the government amid skyrocketing inflation. But as Rafael Romo reports, it's probably not enough.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's the second time the minimum wage has been raised in Venezuela this year, and the 15th time

since President Nicolas Maduro took office in April 2013. In early January, there was a 50 percent increase. This time, it's 60 percent. It sounds like

very significant increases, but the reality is that it has become virtually impossible for the government to keep wages rising on par with inflation.

The International Monetary Fund forecasts inflation in Venezuela will rise to 720 percent this year. This means that prices for food, essential goods,

and medicines are skyrocketing, and most Venezuelans have trouble affording the products they need.

In addition to the minimum wage increase, the Venezuelan government is raising the food stamp allotment. What does this mean in dollars? At the

rate people exchange dollars on the street, the value is a little less than $47 a month. The new wage announced Sunday will apply to a range of

professions including teachers, doctors, firefighters, police, and military personnel. Venezuela has been shaken by violent protests in recent weeks as

opposition leaders face off with President Maduro and his supporters, who complain about delayed elections, a lack of respect for democracy,

shortages of basic products, and rising crime. According to Venezuela's Attorney General's office, nearly 30 people have died in the protests

including members of the country's security forces. President Maduro has been defiant, taking a confrontational tone with members of the opposition

and protesters whom he calls vandals and terrorists.

Rafael Romo, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON: Still ahead on News Stream, a deal to avoid a government shutdown in the U.S. Why President Trump may not be too pleased with the bill.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(HEADLINES)

[08:31:55] WATSON: The With the shutdown crisis averted for now, President Trump is tryng to revive the battle to repeal Obamacare. Our Joe Johns

Reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE PENCE (R), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think healthcare reform, repealing and replacing Obamacare, is just around the corner. But I

think we're close.

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The White House expressing confidence in the GOP's latest health care bill. President Trump trying to

spin the administration's efforts, saying they aren't pushing for a vote.

TRUMP: I said just relax. Don't worry about this phony 100-day thing. Just relax. Take it easy. Take your time. Get the good vote, and make it

perfect.

JOHNS: Despite calling out lawmakers by name at his Saturday rally.

TRUMP: And I'll be so angry at Congressman Kelly and Congressman Marino and all of our Congressmen in this room if we didn't get that damn thing passed

quickly.

JOHNS: The president falsely claiming that the new bill guarantees coverage for those with pre-existing conditions.

TRUMP: Pre-existing conditions are in the bill. And I mandate it. I said it has to be. We have -- we're going to have lower premiums.

JOHNS: When in reality, the draft bill would allow states to opt out of this requirement under certain conditions.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration is under fire for inviting the Philippines' authoritarian leader to the White House. Rodrigo Duterte has

led a deadly crackdown on drugs that's left thousands dead.

REINCE PRIEBUS, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: If we don't have all of our folks together, whether they're good folks, bad folks, people that we wish

would do better in their country. Doesn't matter. We've got to be on the same page.

JOHNS: The White House arguing that the U.S. needs the Philippines to combat the North Korean threat. As Trump's critics and human rights

organizations respond with outrage.

The president also raising eyebrows for again questioning if Russia is responsible for hacking during the 2016 campaign.

TRUMP: If you don't catch a hacker, OK, in the act, it's very hard to say who did the hacking. With that being said, I'll go along with Russia. Could

have been China. Could have been a lot of different groups.

JOHNS: Offering no evidence to discount the conclusions of his own FBI director and 16 other intelligence agencies.

President Trump marking his 100th day in office over the weekend with a campaign rally, reprising attacks on his favorite foe.

TRUMP: I think we would all agree the media deserves a very, very big fat failing grade.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON: We sure do, I guess. That was Joe Johns reporting from Washington.

Now, let's take a look at France, because French voters have just six days left to make up their minds ahead of Sunday's runoff in the presidential

election. The latest poll suggests the far right candidate Marine Le Pen is gaining slightly, though she still trails centrist rival Emmanuel Macron.

CNN's Jim Bittermann live in Paris. Great to see you, Jim. You're in the final stretch now. And it's May Day, it's Labor Day, so I guess the

candidates must be working hard to get the support of the very powerful labor unions, right or have they already sewn it up?

[11:35:11] JIM BITTERMANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, sort of.

Basically you're right, May Day, Labor Day, it's a big high holiday here in France. And everybody is out demonstrating today and participating in

marches. There's in fact two marches going on, three static demonstrations and two major political rallies all over Paris today.

I don't think either candidate feels that they necessarily have the vote from the left, the labor

unions sewed up. In fact, the labor unions are divided themselves. No one can quite bring they will

selves to say they want to vote for Macron.

Now, one group of labor unions are saying they should have a united front against Le Pen no matter what. And in fact are suggesting Macron would be

the way to do that, vote for Macron. The other group of labor unions is saying they should have a united front to stop the National Front from

getting in but they are not saying how to do that.

Well, if they stay home and they don't vote or they vote blanc as they call it here, which is to say stuff the envelope with no ballot, then in fact,

that's a vote for Le Pen, because her voters are expected to come out in great numbers. And so the the undecided vote could become

very important here.

So, this is it is an important challenge forlabor unions but none of the labor unions would like to see Le Pen in according to their leaders.

WATSON: And do we get a sense of what the outreaches the candidates are making towards this important constituency? What policies are they

proposing to win their support, Jim?

BITTERMANN: Well, we've seen a number of things happen over the last week or so since the first round of this election. Marine Le Pen was out some

of the things that she's doing that is would attract the labor union basically talking saying that she's going to put up barriers against what

she calls out of control globalization, which just like in the United States is something that's blamed herefor the high unemployment rate.

But having said that, one opinion poll just recently indicates that 45 percent of the the French don't believe that either one of these candidates

can fully address the unemployment problem. So they are not getting high marks from voters. And, in fact, a number of people are undecided and may

very well just not go to the polls - Ivan.

WATSON: And Jim as you're speaking we've been watching live footage from one of those union rallies in downtown Paris. Thanks very much Jim

Bittermann live from the French capital.

Now, many of us have used emojis at some point during a conversation. I'm guilty. The cartoon icons have changed the way we express ourselves. And

coming up, we'll introduce you to the man who helped start this age of emojis. Stay tuned.

(COMMERCIALB REAK)

WATSON: Welcome back to the program. It's time to talk about emojis. They have almost become a universal language. These cartoon faces are

instantly recognizable. They're easy to understand, and have become such a cultural phenomenon that there's even a movie about them. I did not know

that.

They are the epitome of good, simple design. And in this episode of CNN Style we introduce you to the man who started the emoji craze.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[08:40:03] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Japanese design has asserted its value for centuries, influencing the world both culturally and technologically.

Don`t let appearances fool you. This may look like an average office, and Shigetaka Kurita may look like an average guy.

But odds are, he`s changed your life. Meet the man behind the emoji.

(on camera): Where do you get the ideas of emoji?

SHIGETAKA KURITA, EMOJI INVENTOR (through translator): The ideas originated from different places. One was from manga, which often uses simple signs or

designs to express emotions. It also came from pictograms and signage found on the street. At the time, the Internet was not common.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): The first emojis are far from what we use today. Kurita designed while working for telecom company NTT DoComo in the

1990s, using just a simple 12 by 12 pixograd, 176 original emojis were born. And so, was a new form of visual communication. The very first one, a

heart.

(on camera): When you were creating it, do you expect it to ever become such a universal language used by so many people.

KURITA: No, I didn`t think so. Soon after I made emoji, my mother began using them so I could imagine that emoji would be widely used in Japan.

But I didn`t think your mom would use it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): It`s this universal appeal that landed them in New York`s Museum of Modern Art`s collection last year, permanently

solidifying emoji`s place in art history.

(on camera): Are there any emotions that you think emojis can`t illustrate or not yet?

KURITA: An emoji is just a single picture, but it can help express most of our emotions. But if you`re from a different cultural background, you may

misunderstand the meaning of, say, an emoji face which might make communication difficult.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is there any characters that have become confused or have meanings that you didn`t intend?

KURITA: I made an emoji to symbolize a film projector, but it was misunderstood to be a puffer fish. I made "M" to mean metro or the subway,

but some people interpreted it to mean McDonald`s.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, I know emojis now have grown in numbers. But do you have a favorite emoji?

KURITA: I love the smile emoji the most. This facial expression is easy to understand. I found out once the smile emoji face was made, I could develop

other facial expressions from there. In a way, it was a very important design and all the people of the world would like it. I love it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thumbs up emoji.

KURITA: Thumbs up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: I'm told that the emoji movie is due out later this year. Rumor has it Sir Patrick Stewart is playing the voice of a very important emoji

character.

Now, don't forget to catch more on CNN Style's look at the creative minds of Japan. That will be this Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in Hong Kong.

And with that, that is News Stream. I'm Ivan Watson. World Sport with Amanda Davies is coming up next.

END