welcome to "newsline." it's tuesday, august 30th, 8:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. the new leader of japan's governoring democratic party yoshihiko noda is to be elected at a session of the diet tuesday afternoon. the democratic party held a leadership election on monday with five candidates running for the topmost. noda beat kaieda in a second round runoff by 215 votes to 177.

>> translator: as a result of the runoff election, we elected yoshihiko noda as our new party leader. >> all members of the kan cabinet will resign at a cabinet meeting on tuesday. noda has been working to select party officials and cabinet members. after winning the party leadership on monday, noda told colleagues that he wants to lee the election fight behind and unite the party. he indicated his attention to give major post to party members who supported other candidates in the leadership election. noda says he plans to select the party's secretary general first and hopes to announce his choice within a few days. so who is yoshihiko noda? here's a look at the man about to become japan's 95th prime minister.

>> reporter: yoshihiko noda as elected to the lower house of the diet in 1993 as a member of the japan new party. he became a dpj lawmaker in 2000. he ran in the dpj leadership election in 2002 in hopes of speeding up a generational change in the party. he lost the election, but gained national recognition. noda became finance minister last year. one of his biggest challenges has been a strong currency. the yen surged to a record high against the dollar this month. japan's monetary authorities intervened in the currency market in an attempt to put the brakes on. >> translator: i'm carefully monitoring the market. i'll take decisive action if necessary. >> reporter: noda was one of the first of the dpj lawmakers to announce plans to run for the leadership.

he was confident of support from most of the party executives. >> translator: the two biggest challenges for japan right now are rebuilding after the disaster and dealing with the global economy. we need to bring people with different knowledge and skills together. i want to spearhead that effort. >> reporter: noda lost some supporters after maehara joined the race. >> we asked people on the streets what they expect of the new leader. >> translator: i don't want the tax rise, but it is needed to rebuild after the disaster. >> translator: noda should stay on as prime minister. for more than a year. he should change his party for the better.

>> translator: he oversaw market intervention forrer in market. had he done it much earlier, the yen might be much lower now. i hope he works hard in everyone's interest. >> we also asked for the thoughts of evacuees and residents in disaster-struck areas including fukushima. >> translator: i want noda to clarify whether evacuees will be able to return home. >> translator: if present circumstances continue, i can't foresee my future. i want noda to tell people what measures he will take. i want him to immediately carry out what he pledges. >> translator: i want noda to create jobs for people who lost work in the disaster. >> translator: i want noda to visit the disaster zone, see the

devastation, and understand how the evacuees feel. >> many expectations there for the next prime minister. earlier michio kijima asked to put the results of the dpj results into context. >> what type of policies will noda pursue? >> the biggest will be managing on ongoing nuclear crisis and mapping out a new energy policy that reduces japan's dependence on nuclear power. prime minister kan became unpopular and the dpj lost public support largely because of how he handled the march 11th disaster. noda says the nuclear power plants that have passed so-called stress tests should be restarted or continue to upgrade in order to fulfill japan's electricity demands. he also insists that this

country should start increasing the amount of energy it gets from renewable source us. but he doesn't have a concrete plan for how to supply enough power without relying on atomic energy. noda also has to address this country's sluggish economy. which was already sluggish even before march 11th disaster. he also has to rein in the surging yen. >> what will noda have to do on the farm policy front? >> he needs to repair the relationship with the united states. prime minister kan recently cancelled his official visit to the united states for talks with president barack obama. because of the ongoing uncertainty here. the biggest issue between the two countries is the relocation

of the -- in okinawa. he will find it difficult to move forward because of position to moving the base to another part of okinawa's main island. >> what about noda's plan to help japan finance its debt and also increasing social security costs? >> well, noda wants to cut this country's debt through tax reform. he says the government must raise the tax to cover the escalating social security costs. that hike could happen in the not-too-distant future. noda also wants to temporarily raise income taxes to pay for disaster reconstructions. >> now for the big question. what about forming a grand coalition with the opposition? >> this issue has been discussed in the dpj because the party has a majority in the lower house but not the upper house. and the democrats are split over forming a grand coalition.

some say it's necessary for the government to pass bills. others are concerned that the party could be forced to review its platform. noda is rather positive about forming a grand coalition. he says the dpj should be realistic about the divided diet. the new leader knows very well that his government will be cornered. if it cannot pass important bills. however, the main opposition party prefers to have a general election because it thinks that it can beat the dpj and regain power. >> the key political question in this leadership race is who did the democratic party support? >> right. basically it came down to this. if you are loyal to ozawa, you voted for kaieda. if you are not, you voted for

noda. very simple. ozawa controls the biggest faction in the dpj. he has been called the king maker of japan's political world over the last few decades. and during this party leadership race, he tried to emerge again as king maker by supporting kaieda. but in the end, noda succeeded in gathering votes from lawmakers who are opposed to ozawa's way of doing business. however, until party struggles subside, the new leader will have to deal with crucial issues. plenty of japanese people are saying that the new prime minister should have been elected based on his ability and policies. not because of the decision of a king maker. >> now that the dpj has a new leader, what happens next? >> well, lawmakers of both of the upper and lower houses in

the diet have to approve the new leader as prime minister. and that's expected to happen on tuesday. the dpj has a majority? the more powerful lower house. so its new leader noda will almost certainly become japan's next prime minister. he will then form his administration. this involves choosing cabinet members. and he's supposed to be party executive post as well. >> could the dpj regain support under the leadership of noda? >> well the approval rating may go up a bit with e the new leader. if public support for noda rises, that would make it -- make forming a grand coalition a bit easier. it would be difficult for the opposition parties to refuse a popular prime minister's offer to walk together. however, even though noda is a hard-working politician, japanese people don't know him very much.

so noda might find it hard to get high approval rating. >> thanks. appreciate it. >> well, noda's election as head of ruling democratic party has caught the attention of other international media. they're focusing on his low profile and the long to-do list he'll face once he becomes prime minister. china's central television provided live coverage of monday's leadership election. a broadcaster called noda a dark horse. noda isn't as well known in china as some of the other contenders. central television says if he's elected prime minister, he may make the diet function better. but it adds that he will have difficulty reaching a compromise with the opposition parties. state-run television in rush is

a is reporting noda will face a tougher task as prime minister. it says he will have to shoulder a heavy burden of had the crisis, ballooning debt, and a deteriorate b economy. cnn is noting it will be the sixth prime minister in five years. it points out the new dpj leader isn't known well by the public but he's expected to make headway. "newsline" is the place to turn to for the latest on japan post-march 11th. we have two segments offering two unique perspectives on the fallout from the earthquake and tsunami. "nuclear watch" brings you insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis. and "the road ahead" examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline. a north korean cargo

passenger ship banned from docking in japan has been repurposed as a sightseeing vessel. regular services between yangsan. north korean residents of japan used the vessel for trips to its country. barred from entering the ports after missiles were shot into the sea of japan in july 2006. some say north korea will test run the off-duty ship close to the chinese border and the resort of malkungan. hoping the route will attract chinese tourists as there are no signs of japan lifting its ban. one of the world's largest tidal plants resumed full operation in south korea on

monday. the 254 megawatt plant will use the tides. the facility is located facing the yellow sea. ten generators have been placed on the bank that separates the sea and lake. at the opening ceremony on monday, the president said the plant marked the start of a new era of natural energy in south korea. south korea plans to build four more tidal plants but some environmental groups are opposed to the plant arguing it may effect the ecosystem by changing the flow of sea water. the japanese government plans to end early the power cutting requirement imposed on large scale electricity users. power shortages were expected this summer as many power stations were damaged or suspended due to the march 11 disaster. major electricity users were

asked to reduce their energy consumption by 15%. in the tokyo electric power company area, they plan to end it two ek woos ahead of schedule. it says the peak summer heat is over and the possibility of a power crisis is low. the government will also end the power-saving requirement in areas damaged by the disaster two weeks earlier than scheduled. however, it's asking companies and households to continue to save power voluntarily. the government will announce the plan on tuesday. libya's national transitional council says it's searching for over 40,000 civilians missing. authorities of gadhafi were holding them in contention. since antigovernment forces took control of tripoli. the bodies of about 50 civilians have been found in a warehouse in the capital.

they are believed to have been killed just before gadhafi forces fled the city. those pro-gadhafi soldiers are still putting up a fight in the hometown of sirte. oppositions are deploying tanks. it hopes to launch an interim government soon to start rebuilding the country. but fighting could continue because the whereabouts of gaddhafi are still unknown. a month has already passed since japan's women's soccer team won the world cup. but the enthusiasm hasn't faded. it's even bringing major change to a town steeped in tradition. hiro morita has more on that. >> reporter: mimaska is a old

town at the foot of the mountains in western japan. nowadays, it's got a new claim to fame. two members of the world cup winners. nadeshiko japan. won praise around the world for her two goals and four assists in the tournament. >>. >> translator: nice to meet you. i see as a goal keeper you keep yourself in good shape. and as for you, actually you're smaller than i thought. >> translator: everybody says so. >> reporter: both players belong to the local soccer club yunogo

belle. they are the leaders mentally and strategically. it was created years ago by the private sector and the municipal sector. but miama is the only on a provisional contract. the others have to give up work so they can devote their full attention to the sport. fukumoto is employed as a staff member of the athletic association. she takes care of various projects including publishing news letters for the yunogo belle fan club. we visited the club's marketing department. the only person we found there was the executive manager. why are you by yourself? >> translator: we're pinched

financially. i wish we could hire more people. >> reporter: three years ago the club's main sponsor that put its names on the uniforms withdrew. women's soccer was only drawing an average of 800 spectators per game. 1/20th of the men's league. but the world cup victory changed that. many fans now come from around the country to see the new stars. citizens drew a mural celebrating the world cup victory along the river. it's now become a tourist attraction. >> translator: here's the nadeshiko lunch. >> reporter: on the lookout for new sponsors. he hopes to includes the annual

budget of $600,000 by 50%. one company he approached makes chemical products. >> translator: if your company's name is here when players are interviewed, you'll get great exposure. >> reporter: after an hour of negotiations, a new sponsor signed a three-year contract. >> translator: the players work to overcome difficulties to win the world cup. so we want to support them. >> translator: this will help out, but there's more to be done. >> reporter: shopping areas are getting behind the players in their own way. at this beauty parlor --

>> reporter: popping up all over the hot spring town. >> translator: what's up today? >> translator: we're making new yunogo belle goods. >> reporter: operators of hot spring inns with going to sell things with the player images. proceeds will go to the team. >> translator: so you want to help stabilize the players' financial support? >> translator: it's a win/win situation for soccer and our town. >> reporter: everybody is looking for support here. and the activity is adding to the momentum to revitalize the community. it's a real team effort.

and now let's take a look at the market figures. hello there. time now for your weather update. we got a large storm system churning its way over the pacific. this will be a typhoon slowly approaching the mainland b.

throughout your tuesday it is calm and settled. turny cloudy across the north. in and around tokyo as early as late tonight. we have that typhoon talas that's right now impacting ogasawa. it will go in the northerly direction making landfall here in western japan sometime on friday. after that continue to move in a northerly direction across northern japan. meanwhile, we've got this lingering showers across northeast china. the korean peninsula. that's going to be tapering off in the next 24 hours. southeastern china also looking at pockets of heavy showers as well as high waves in place. that's thanks to tropical storm nanmadol. which packs winds of 80

kilometers per hour. due to make landfall here on the province this night fall. then becoming a tropical depression by thursday. as you can see, strong winds continue to impact areas near there. also that ongoing rain could be a bit of an issue. we're looking at upwards of 100 millimeters in these areas. also it continues to pull in that -- enhance that monsoon for the northern philippines as well. we're looking at high risk of flooding and landslides. 39 in chongqing today. another hot day for you. now over towards the americas, remnant of what was hurricane irene is bringing significant rains to parts of quebec, canada. the tail end of the system also bringing thunderstorms to north carolina and virginia as well. the plains states dealing with plenty of showers in and around

montana, saskatchewan looking for thunderstorms to break out tonight. temperaturewise, hotting up in houston. 39 degrees. it is going to be chilly in seattle at 19 celsius. now over towards europe, we have a large low pressure system that continues to move slowly across northern europe here. looking very windy and thundery across germany, poland and into the baltic states. looking cloudy for the british isles as well. but mostly dry. sunny skies towards the south. and for the most part of central and eastern europe covered by this high pressure system. we're looking at dry weather. good bouts of sunshine as well. as we head into the afternoon, we could see isolated thundershowers through italy into the west coast of the balkans. 28 in rome. 22 in vienna looking showery out here. and 18 degrees in london with cloudy skies. all right. here is your extended forecast now.

more than 200,000 visitors climb mt. fuji every year.

that's the most beloved mountain in japan. this season 300 children are tackling the 3,776 meter peak. the kids came from siama city. 100 kilometers from the mountain. they started their first mt. fuji journey monday morning with a loud yell. on the way to the seventh station, they cheered each other. some pushed their friends on to keep going. >> the children stayed overnight at a lodge near the summit. they'll climb to the peak on tuesday. it's a really tough climb, that one. amazing. that wraps up this edition of

"newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us.