hello there and welcome to nhk. it's friday, september 27th. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. japan's prime minister has stepped into the spotlight at the u.n. general assembly to weigh in on some of the world's most pressing foreign policy challenges. shinzo abe gave his take on the situation in syria and the threat posed by north korea.

we have details. >> reporter: like many leaders, prime minister abe took up the prolonged turmoil in syria. he started his speech condemning the chemical weapons attack against civilians in the country. he said the japanese government strongly supports efforts of the international community to destroy the stockpiles of these weapons. abe also promised more humanitarian support for syrians inside and outside of the country. >> translator: i would like to announce that the government of japan will newly provide additional humanitarian assistance to syria and surrounding countries of approximately 60 million u.s. dollars and implemented right away. >> reporter: abe also brought up japan's neighbor, north korea

which he said remains as a threat to the region. he expressed strong resentment over north korea's nuclear program. he also condemned the country's stance on the unsettled issue of the north abductions of japanese citizens. >> translator: north korea's nuclear and missile development cannot be condoned. japan also maintains serious concerns with regard to other weapons of mass destruction that north korea is likely to possess. we demand that north korea return every japanese national it abducted without exception. while in office, i am determined to resolve this issue completely. >> reporter: abe also devoted a lot of time to showing his commitment to empowering women.

he said women's participation in society is crucial to ensure economic growth. he has drawn criticism for a speech he gave in new york and highlights the larger scale of chinese defense spending and denied being a right wing militaryist. he contrasted that with defense spending in japan. >> my government has increased its defense budget only by 0.8%. so call they if you want, a right-wing militaryist. >> chinese foreign ministry spokesperson criticized abe and urged him to focus on the words that team in china and other

countries have about japan. >> translator: japanese leaders should sincerely address concerns of the international community, face up to their country's history and take meaningful action to earn the trust of other countries. >> hong also criticized abe for saying that he wants to make japan a proactive contributor to peace. he said japanese leaders should not create tension or confrontation as an excuse to build up their defense forces and change their policies. the chinese use of drones has put officials in tokyo on guard. one of the aircraft was spotted for the first time over the east china sea. some of the latest drone hardware developed by china and other nations is on display in beijing. about 200 businesses are showcasing their business and technology. the institutes work together to

develop their own drones. they featured one they say can fly for 40 consecutive hours. the aircraft has an 18 meter wingspan and is capable of carry ago 350 kilogram payload. >> it will sell well overseas. >> also on display, a model of the drone shown to have stealth capabilities. russian officials are scheduled to take action on the future of four islands both countries claim. he recently returned from a visa free visit to two of the islands. he say the trip renewed his resolve to have the territory returned to japan. he released a statement.

it said the comment runs counter to an agreement between leaders to engage in calm dialogue on the subject. the ministry suggests that if japanese politicians continue to make such comments, it will reserve the right to restrict their visa free travel. iaea director has discussed leakage of water at the fukushima daiichi power plant. he was interviewed ahead of his scheduled visit to japan in october. >> translator: it is not sufficient even if japan says we have been monitoring levels of activity and we will release the data to the world. it's crucial for japan to conform to international standards and cooperate with bodies from the planning stage. >> the agency is considering

specialists on the mission. crews at the plant are facing yet another challenge. they say an underwater barrier designed to prevent the spread of radio active materials has developed a tear. nhk world's kunihiro yamamoto takes a closer look at the damage. >> reporter: prime minister shinzo abe visited fukushima daiichi last week. an official with operator tokyo electric power company offered assurances. >> translator: the orange barrier over there is called a silt fence. we think it's effective in containing radioactive water. >> reporter: this is what tepco says now. >> translator: damage was found in the silt fence near reactors five and six. >> reporter: the silt fences are

made of polyester. they are installed near intake canals and other areas in the plant's port. they're suspended like curtains and held down with weights at the bottom of the sea. tepco officials say the barriers are effective to a certain extent in preventing radioactive water from escaping the port. the fences also keep silt from clogging water intake systems. in all, crews have installed seven of them. >> translator: the silt fence has torn, but we don't think the situation will have any immediate effect on contamination within the port. >> reporter: the same barrier ripped in april. engineers blamed high waves. they haven't said what caused

this recent tear, but this week a severe tropical storm has been picking up waves along the coast. tepco officials say workers found no abnormalities in other silt fences, but this latest development shows the barriers are vulnerable and require constant monitoring. kunihiro yamamoto, nhk world, tokyo. time for the latest in business news. the government and central bank officials in japan have a goal of ending nearly two decades of deflation in nearly two years. one gauge of whether they're on track is the consumer price index. the latest prices have been released. how's it looking? >> a good part of it seems due to a more expennive imports, and abe is seeing further signs that japan may be emerging from

delation. consumer spaced higher prices in august for the third month running. internal affairs ministry officials said the index was up 0.8% over last year. the fastest rise in almost five years. the index does not include volatile fresh food prices. consumers mostly paid more for energy due to rising crude oil prices and a weaker yen. drivers paid about 13% more for gasoline. residents saw electricity bills go up by nearly 9% and paid 5% more for gas. investors may find some release after the dow jones industrial average broke a five-day losing streak in new york. the closely watched index ended at 15,328, up a third of a percent. to see how stocks are reacting here, let's go to ramin at the tokyo stock exchange. give us the details. >> little bit of a mixed picture

here. straight to the opening levels and you can see why. the nikkei is marginally in the negative. so, however, in the u.s. of course, fundamental factors really did play into the positive close for the dow. on thursday in the u.s. could be a little bit more upbeat than a lot of analysts were expecting with the americans number of americans filing for unemployment benefits unexpectedly falling. some see possible resolutions to the u.s. government debt ceiling issue as well as political issues over syria, so we'll keep track of those as well. abe is seeking an additional stimulus package in order also to support the sales tax hike that is also being planned and another focus is going to be the auto sector there. analysts expecting u.s. auto

sales to decline. we'll keep track of auto sector shares and related shares as well. of course, chip related shares have been in focus this week with tokyo electron and add van test hitting the headlines about mergers and earnings forecasts, so that needs to be looked at as well. >> and currency markets remain a focus for tokyo investors. where do we stand for this friday morning? >> has seen a little volatility. 98.87 dollar has gained overnight due to the encouraging job claims. data that i just mentioned, so we should expect exporters to decline. 133 to 140 remained in a range. watching out for the political situation in italy. that's also a factor, which may

play into the single currency. but for now, again, little bit of a mixed opening with the nikkei negative and the topics, yes, the nikkei in the negative and the topics in the positive. >> thanks a lot for that update. japanese leaders are planning to balance a planned tax rise by offering tax cuts to businesses. they're offering incentives worth $16 billion. government officials are finalizing the economic package for the end of the month. they're offering cuts to firms promoting capital investments, corporate reorganization and higher wages. that's expected to total $7 billion and they intend to scrap a tax to help rebuild affected areas one year earlier than planned. officials are also reviewing a tax on automobiles bought by

companies. the u.s. justice department is coming down hard on nine japanese auto parts manufacturers in connection with separate conspiracies to fix prices. the firms and two executives have agreed to pay $740 million in fines. >> although these cartels operated totally independently, they all had one thing in common. they targeted u.s. manufacturing, u.s. businesses and the united states consumers. >> attorney general eric holder said the cartels inflated prices of more than 30 different auto parts. the parts were sold to u.s. automakers and installed in cars put on domestic and international markets. the nine manufacturers include hitachi, mitsubishi and m its uba. he said the ongoing investigation is the largest ever by u.s. antitrust regulators and that does it in

business for this hour. i'll leave you with a check on markets. an executive from novartis has apologized to people because of a scandal involving one of the company's popular drugs. administrators have said some clinical data used to promote diovan may have been

manipulated. it's used to treat high blood pressure. a former employee took clinical tests at medical schools. to make it seem it is more effective in other medications in sprenting strokeses and angina. david epstein visited the health ministry along with the head of the firm's tokyo unit. house minister said the revelation had caused anxiety and confusion among patients who suffer from high blood pressure. he discussed the issue in a closed door meeting. according to the ministry, epstein said novartis played no part in the data manipulation and that management within the aware of the actions. a health panel is expected to issue a report on the allegations on monday. emergency teams tried to help survivors o a powerful earthquake in southern pakistan have run into trouble. they've come under attack.

the 7.7 earthquake happened on tuesday. authorities say it killed more than 350 people and injured about 600. military officials have outlined the dangers of the rescue operation. they say rockets whizzed past a helicopter that was surveying the disaster area. the head of the national disaster management authority and a high ranking military official were on board. later in the day, soldiers helping with rescue operations were shot at. no one was wounded. accept ratists in the province are believed to be behind those attacks. researchers say more than 6,000 languages are spoken around the world, but warn more than half are in danger of disappearing. one is the language of the inu. originally from the island of

hokkai hokkaido. but they have fought to keep their heritage alive. they've had to work especially hard to preserve their language. it has no written form and only a handful of people speak it. ♪ she is an ethic inu from hokkai hokkaido. she teaches expressions to children in her community, but still, she feels she's not going enough to preserve her culture. >> translator: when i was a little girl, my grandmother would speak to me in inu.

i realize now she wanted to pass on those thing to me. i was so stupid not to have realized ilt at the time. >> she and others visited new zealand to learn from the people. an ethnic minority with a spectacular history. british colonizers forced them to live like westerners. the language almost disappeared. but leaders came up with a method of preserving it. instead of books or papers or pens, teachers used colored

rocks. students learn words by forming shapes with the rocks or describing their property. >> translator: the method was really a breakthrough for me. i realize i have to do everything i can to keep the inu language alive. >> reporter: back in japan, she is hosting bird watching, an expert in the preservation of the language. members of two ethnic minorities created a show of respect. >> we can't all work together to help each other, what else can we do in this world? >> reporter: they decided to

tear up a series of workshops. students listen to and speaking words over and over until they can form simple phrases. on this day, scholars and researchers join in. >> it's an easy way to remember. >> i tried studying inu before, but didn't quite get it. this method helped me finally enjoy learning. >> reporter: participants also join a class. she speaks about the challenges shared by the inu. she says it's important to keep the language alive within the community to pass it along to

future generations. >> we understand what it is not to be able to speak. not to be able to speak one's own language. >> we must take the lead in restoring our language so that one day, when my daughter becomes a mother, she can speak it to her children and then her children to their children and on and on. >> reporter: she's committed to protecting her language. she considering it a purpose in life. >> it's time now for a check on the weather. it is a sunny morning in tokyo, but many people are wearing long sleeves. >> good morning. skies are clear and winds are

calm. that is actually ideal conditions for overnight. so many areas including tokyo are experiencing the coolest morning so far. minus 1 degree in parts of hokkaido. crisp and sunny weather by this high pressure system in the korean peninsula. if you are living in southwestern china, you'd be jealous of the nice weather in the north. will face another wet day. we have a tropical depression over the south which should become a tropical storm within the next 24 hours and will linger in the area for the next several days. drenching rain of about 200 millimeters or more across the western parts of the philippines for the next three days or so and the circulation is on the

parts of -- in vietnam, more than 100 millimeter is likely. so, flooding, landslides, all are going to be a big concern. temperatures are going to be a little bit chill you're sign across the area at 22 degrees with rainy weather. but seasonal temperatures across the north including beijing, seoul and tokyo. across the americas a low pressure system moves across the northwest dropping heavy rainfall and a cold front after affecting manitoba and nevada. heavy rain and damaging winds with possible into tonight. back behind there, there's still cold air enough to cause snowfall for the mountains and wyoming, colorado and utah. about 8 centimeters. a new system in british colombia, the pacific northwestern parts of the u.s. and northern parts of california into saturday.

and ahead of the system, we're seeing very clear conditions, mainly across the northeast, lots of sunshine and we can say finally good-bye to the rainy weather across the florida peninsula, so some sunshine will return in miami with a high of 31 degrees, and pleasant in the northeast. but chilly across the northwest, only 14 in seattle and 15 degrees in vancouver. in europe, two swirling clouds. one over the atlantic and the other is over eastern russia and western russia providing wet and windy conditions for the next few days. and this one is actually more substantial enough to cause heavy drenching rains so stay on the alert. rainfall from the alpine region down toward the balkan peninsula, only 70 degrees in stockholm. moscow at 60 with a low of 1. kiev up.

10 degrees, about 10 degrees cooler than seasonal. if you look at the south, much warmer than south. 29 degrees for you in madrid and 27 in rome and in between mild weather that includes munich, where octoberfest is taking place. a few degrees higher with cloudy conditions into the weekend, so enj enjoy the festival and beer. here's the extended forecast.

that's all for this degrees of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks very much for joining us.

. . captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> woodruff: battle lines hardened over federal spending today, a bill to fund the government looks set to clear the senate, but house speaker john boehner warned his chamber may block it. good evening, i'm judy woodruff. >> ifill: and i'm gwen ifill. also ahead, iran and the u.s. held the highest level face-to- face meetings in more than 30 years, each side reaching out to break the diplomatic ice. >> woodruff: and in film, in journalism, even on the farm, the interns work hard. paul solman reports on the legal debate over whether they should get paid.