welcome to "newsline." it's wednesday, august 31st, 8:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. both diets have elected the new leader of the democratic party yoshihiko noda as the country's 95th prime minister. >> translator: the house of representatives has decided to

appoint yoshihiko noda as prime minister of japan. >> the lower and upper houses named noda as japan's sixth prime minister in five years. noda was elected democratic party president on monday. he will replace naoto kan who has occupied the country's top post since june of last year. noda is working to select cabinet members. now, here's a closer look at the new man taking the reins in japan. >> reporter: noda acquired his plan to become lawmaker after -- >> translator: i want to end the culture of many politics. >> reporter: he was elected to the diet in 1993 as a member of the now-defunct party. notice of a makeshift podium in front of a train station for two decades to appeal to voters?

sheba prefecture. he did this everyday until he joined the cabinet last year. >> translator: i often see noda distributie inine inine ining lt of the station. >> reporter: in the hope of accelerating the change in e in party. he lost the election but gained national recognition. noda attracted attention as a future leader along with former foreign minister mihara. he became finance minister when the dpj took power in 2009. he was promoted to the post of finance minister in june of last year when naoto kan became prime minister. one of the biggest challenges he faces is a strong currency. the yen surged to a record high against the dollar earlier this month. japan's monetary authorities intervened in the currency market in an attempt to apply

the brakes. >> translator: carefully monitoring the market will take decisive action if necessary. >> reporter: noda was one of the first lawmakers to announce plans to run for leadership. during the race for party leader, noda repeatedly expressed his attention to tackle fiscal consolidation head on. >> translator: in the difficult global financial situation, international attention is focused on whether japan is prepared to make efforts to maintain fiscal discipline. i don't believe the japanese government can evade fiscal reconstruction any longer. >> reporter: noda lost some of his supporters after maehara joined the race. in order to win, he had to rebuild his strategy. >> translator: i will work hard to push this country's politics forward.

we have the heavy burden of a surging yen, deflation, and finance reforms. i will shoulder all of them. >> noda has a big job ahead of him. earlier shery ahn spoke to nhk world senior political director. >> what is the first order of business for the prime minister? >> noda has to pick his cabinet members. he'll pretty likely use these appointments as an opportunity to ease friction with the democratic party. noda has already given a promotion to a member of the camp that didn't support his leadership. koshiishi will be the secretary general. the most important post in the party.

>> noda has many challenges ahead. two of the biggest are managing the ongoing nuclear crisis, drawing up a new energy policy. what can we expect from him when it comes to these two tasks? >> noda supports the idea of reducing japan's dependence on nuclear power. request but he says the nuclear power plants that have passed so-called stress tests should be restarted 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 sources. but he doesn't have any concrete plan for how to supply enough power without relying on atomic energy. >> a tricky situation when it comes to nuclear power. for the last couple years, we've seen japan go through this what we might call a resolving door prime minister leadership. how long can we expect mr. noda to keep his job? >> well, it will all depend on

how much support he can win back for the government. you know, the political situation hasn't changed a bit. noda will also have to face a divided diet where he cannot pass bills without help from the opposition parties. noda says he will do his best to get the opposition to cooperate. because he knows his administration will be cornered sooner or later if he cannot pass important bills. but the main opposition leader of the democratic party wants a general election because it believes it can beat the ruling dpj. the most important bills for noda will be the ones to enact next fiscal year's budget. if these bills don't pass, the government will not be able to carry out its policies. next april could be a crucial time for noda. he may be forced to resign or call a general election if he

cannot win cooperation from the opposition by then. in that case, the japanese public probably won't accept another new prime minister without a general election. >> and this ongoing political uncertainty is no doubt taking a toll on japan's foreign relations. one example, the schedule summit talks with president obama that had to be cancelled because naoto kan seemed likely to resign. what can we expect from mr. noda when it comes to diplomatic relss? >> expected to hold summit talks with china, the u.s., and south korea this year. already held up by further political change. all of these countries as well as russia will have presidential elections. or a transfer of power in 2012. on top of this, noda will need

to deal with the rise of nationalism in china, russia, and south korea. japan is involved to reduce disputes with the countries. so the new foreign policy abilities will definitely be put on test. >> and before we let you go, mr. noda has been talking about raising the income tax in order to fund reconstruction efforts. will he be able to address that issue any time soon? >> i don't think so. noda is also in favor of consumption tax hike to finance increasing social security costs. but finding a consistent within the democratic party won't be easy. more than half of the dpj members might come out against the tax hike if their minds turn to the possibility of a general election in the near future. and that's possible. >> thank you for coming in.

tokyo electric power company has discovered five active faults near the crippled fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. tepco made the discovery after the government requested utilities and nuclear agencies to re-examine faults around nuclear plants. the directive followed a strong earthquake from a fault that was thought to be inactive some 50 kilometers away from fukushima daiichi. tepco said tuesday geological deformations were discovered suggesting they are active. the utility says it will continue drilling to investigate the faults though it believes any tremors would be within the plant's capacity. besides tepco, two nuclear agencies have reported nine potentially active faults near their nuclear cities in ibake

prefecture. the company responsible for the worst accident in decades has a new plan to help people affected by the disaster. the compensation package will cover damage caused by the fukushima daiichi meltdown between march 11th and the end of august. >> tepco announced the details on tuesday. they're compiled on august 5th. the compensation includes travel expenses for government-ordered evacuations within fukushima prefecture. it adds $65 per trip per person. lodging fees up to $104 a night for evacuees will be covered. tepco says it could pay more than the standard amount in some cases.

the utility is also offering about $1,300 a month for mental suffering. people dealing with injuries or illnesses related to the evacuation will get the same amount for medical fees. lost income will also be covered. tepco has set up an initial compensation package. it will finish delivering that money on september 11th. it expects to start paying people as early as early october. it will also compensate farmers, fishermen, and small and medium sized businesses. tepco has already paid about half of what farmers have claimed in provisional compensation. the utility did not disclose an estimate of how much this new reimbursement is planned to cause.

>> translator: we want to receive compensation as soon as possible. we don't have a home. and we can't live without money. >> translator: we don't have clear prospects for the future. so i'm still worried. the march 11th disaster. the september 11th attacks. two anniversaries, one source for in-depth coverage. join nhk world for japan six months on and 9/11 defining a decade. beginning september 5th. then on sunday september 11th we'll mark the anniversaries. 2:30 p.m. japan time for the 3/11 disaster. in other news, libyan's opposition leader has urged the foulers of muammar al gadhafi to surrender before friday. if not they will opt for

military action to put them under control. the head of libya's national transitional committee jalil spoke to supporters on tuesday. jalil said the ousted leader remains a threat to the libyan people until he's placed in custody. gadhafi's regime has collapsed since rebels seized control of tripoli last week. supporters are maintaining resistance in his hometown of sirte. the ntc is continuing talks with loyalist tribes on a peaceful solution while mobilizing troops around where gadhafi is set to be hiding. join a mine sweeping drill in the persian gulf with united states and british forces for the first time. the drill will begin in mid-october. the defense ministry says that msdf was invited to join the drill by the u.s. and british navies. they have been holding such

exercises on an irregular base. it will deploy the mine sweeper with 180 crew members on board. japan first joined mine sweeping operations in the persian gulf in 1991 soon after the cease fire in the gulf war. it's believed japanese participation is aimed at securing waterways in the persian gulf that are crucial for japanese oil shipments. next we go to our bureau in bangk bangkok. the united nations is warning asian countries about a major bird flu alert. a mutant strain of the deadly virus has the potential to cause an outbreak if the region. the world health organization reported recently that a 6-year-old cambodian girl died

from avian influenza. the agriculture organization issued a statement calling on the international community to increase surveillance and preparedness for a possible outbreak. experts are especially concerned because of a variant found in vietnam and china that seems to sidest sidestep vaccines. the disease has killed 531 people around the world since it was first detected in 2003 according to figures from the who. experts say five of the six countries where the virus is especially entrenched are in asia. the places most at risk are vietnam, indonesia, bangladesh, india, and china as well as egypt. in cambodia a trial of

genocide has run into problems. the age of the four defendants is raising questions about whether a judgment can ever be reached. >> reporter: the brutal regime was established in the mid-1970s in the war-torn indochina peninsula. it is accused of slaughtering more than 1.7 million people through forced labor and mass killings. the tribunal set up by the united nations and the cambodian government is trying four people who once held senior posts. they include nonchi, second in command to its leader. he was the lead behind the regime's philosophy of forcing millions of people out of the

cities to work on communal farms. but the average age of defendants are over 80. they are concerned they are not well enough to stand trial. two of the defendants including nonchi attended a hearing on monday to examine the state of their health. >> translator: even when i'm forced to continue to sit or sleep or watch tv, i can't understand. it means that with these problems, i can't concentrate and listen. and i can't understand. >> reporter: 85-year-old nuon left complaining of a headache underscoring the difficulties.

>> translator: the truth behind the massive killings cannot be determined without the trial. >> reporter: cambodia was once a peaceful country known as the per of indochina. will never be revealed unless the trial goes ahead. giving the age of the defendants, need to be -- if cambodians have any hope of discovering the truth about their history. nhk world. more than 30 years after the end of the pulpit regime, cambodia is enjoying a period of

economic success. but growth has been uneven and some rural areas left behind. now some have a chance to make money and use the most valuable asset. nature. >> reporter: two and a half hours drive, an oasis of calm. it's the ideal setting for what has become a tourism hub. one is to experience the life of a traditional cambodian farmer. where the electricity or running water is gone. it's a rare opportunity to feel connected with nature. >> since there's no, like you said, electricity.

it means that they're really trying to keep it basic. we like to escape the busy life of the city and just enjoy some nature once in awhile. >> it's wonderful. yes, it's wonderful. the students get a chance to see a very different kind of life. they live in the united states. it's a beautiful environment. >> reporter: cambodia's civil war took a heavy toll. it became scattered with land mines. villagers cut down trees to make money. an environmental ngo suggested ecotourism to improve the lives of the villagers. 32-year-old chong played a role.

>> i never thinking about. we protect the forest. then we have the rain coming every year. but if no forest, no rain coming. but we cannot do farming. >> reporter: he held a public meeting to encourage ecotourism. they've come to play a proactive role in rebuilding the village. they plan a tour to promote natural environment including a 30 meter water fall and a came inhabited by bats.

ecotourism draws many tourists. part of the money goes to preserving the forests. >> translator: i am very happy. i hope to see more visitors to our village. >> reporter: cham works as a guide. it gives him a stable source of income. >> after this i try. we welcome tourists to come visit here. >> reporter: ecotourism is becoming popular. for the village, it's a way to move from its tragic past toward a new future. nhk world. >> that's a good way for tourists to stay in touch with

nature meanwhile helping preserve the environment. thanks for joining. time now for our weather update. across asia we're seeing a lot of clouds building over japan from the west. also this large typhoon over the pacific. that is slowly but surely approaching mainland japan. typhoon talas maintained gusts reaching 180. right now it's moving in a westerly direction. of course it is expected to veer to the north and then aim for mainland japan. it could make landfall here early friday morning. anywhere along the pacific coast in central and western portions of the country. it continues to be a very large storm system bringing fierce winds to the ogasawa islands.

we'll feel the effects of the system, strong winds will impact central portions of the country starting tonight into your thursday. we're looking up to 250 millimeters to fall here. looking quite showery across northern japan as well today. meanwhile, rain band moving into northeastern china developing as it goes. and the far southeastern corner of china. nanmadol still with us. it continues to go towards the coastline here. looks like it will make landfall today as a tropical storm. as you can see, not much has changed. it's still the same area of taiwan that continues to bear the brunt of the storm. also heavy rain continues to impact the region. southern taiwan reporting 300 millimeters in the last 24 hours. additional rain will fall. looking at about a hundred

millimeters in some of these areas. risks of flooding will remain extremely high indead. over the next couple days, that will move slowly away from the region. as you can see for the northern philippines will continue to see southwest monsoon enhanced by that storm system. temperaturewise, got 30 degrees in hong kong today. hotting up to 39 in chongqing. in europe we have a large low pressure system lingering in the northern areas of europe. scandinav scandinavia, baltic states, poland, and germany looking unsettled. british isles is under a high pressure system. it will be generally calm out here. cloudy and cool again. then for central and eastern europe, it remains fairly settled. good spells of sunshine once again. just a couple of showers to watch out for. and we are starting to see that significant rain moving into the

iberian peninsula. cooling down in lisbon, 21. 18 in london. and berlin at 19 with cloudy skies. here's your extended forecast now.

and that wraps up this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks very much for joining us.