it's 10:00 p.m. in tokyo, welcome to "newsline". a swedish poet has been awarded this year's nobel prize for literature. >> he gives a fresh access to reality. >> announced the winner thursday. tomas transtromer. he's the winner of this year's nobel prize for literature. >> the nobel prize in light tur goes for 2011 is awarded to

swedish poet, tomas trans. through his images, he gives us fresh access do reality. the swedish academy in stockholm announced the winner on thursday. he was born in stockholm in 1931. he made his literary debut in 1954 with a collection entitled "17 poems." considered one of the leading poets of his generation. the academy says his poems are characterized by economy, concreteness and sharp metaphors, his works have been translated into more than 60 languages, some of which he translated himself. 103 nobel prizes in literature have been awarded since 1901. the seventh native swede to do so will receive about $1.45 million in prize money.

an outpouring of sadness for steve jobs. people in tokyo react to the death of apple's founder. and former ceo. steve jobs is being called many things tonight. visionary, a wizard, a genius. the man who gave the world the iphone, the ipad and a host of other inventions has died. he was 56. people around the world are remembering his legacy. >> translator: steve jobs was someone that lived by his own rule. stay hungry and stay foolish. looking at him and his way of life that i decided to start up may own company. he was my moral support in life. >> translator: i just came here out of gratitude to him. i have been using his products for ages now and it has been fun. i'm grateful and want to say thank you. >> announced announced on

wednesday that jobs had died. it said on its website that apple has lost a visionary and a creative genius and the world has lost an amazing human being. the company staff also mourned said his spirit will be forever the foundation of apple. born in california, jobs founded the firm in silicon valley in 1976. his revolutionary products made personal computers more friendly and accessible, especially to young adults. his strategy created a worldwide computing boom. an internal conflict among executives pushed jobs out of apple in the mid 1980s. he was gone nearly a decade and apple suffered a downturn. jobs surprised the world by making a comeback as the company's consultant. and his innovative gadgets successfully revived apple. jobs created a splash in 2001 when he released the ipod music

player. it changed the lifestyles to listening to music. >> people don't even want to start a company, they have an idea they want to express out in the world. you have to be passionate about it because it is so difficult. >> jobs unveiled the iphone/smartphone in 2007. the ipad tablet computer followed in 2010. both became big-hit products around the world. they introduced a new concept of a touchpad. steve jobs' charisma won apple employees and consumers. apple is now the world's largest company in terms of market capitalization. jobs battled cancer the last several years of his life and resigned as ceo last august and said he could no longer fulfill his duties as apple's top executives. apple fans in china are paying tribute to steve jobs wednesday.

an apple store in shanghai, largest on mainland china set up a makeshift memorial for jobs at his storefront. some people visited and laid flowers for him. >> i'm a systems engineer. jobs was like a god to me. i'm sorry that i lost my icon. >> translator: i believe apple will be all right. because the spirit of jobs is instilled throughout the company. >> apple has five stores in shanghai and beijing. the company's smartphone, iphone, ipad tablet are popular items among young chinese. japan and china have agreed to the two countries need to increase their defense exchange as part of efforts to promote closer bilateral ties. japanese defense minister, ichikawa met with china's ambassador to japan at the ministry on thursday.

chen expressed the hope that they will stay in close touch so as to deepen trust and friendship in a variety of fields. ichikawa agreed and said, their countries will mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic normalization next year and that he will work to enhance the defense exchange with china. chen invited ichikawa to visit china as soon as possible. ichikawa agreed to try to schedule an early visit. after the meeting, chen told reporters that as neighbors, defense exchange are vital. >> translator: it is important that china and japan improve their security relationship. in order to avoid any inadvertent misunderstandings in the future. a government panel is calling for japan to temporarily ease its radiation safety limits of one millisieverts per year. the panel said it will be difficult to restrict exposure in some areas near the crippled

fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant. the board met on thursday and proposed setting an interim exposure target. it says the limit should be between one and 20 millisieverts, in line with recommendations by the international commission for radiological protection. the panel advised that the target be lowered as decontamination progresses. it says levels could be determined by region and the residents should have a voice in setting the limits. >> translator: setting an interim radiation limit doesn't mean the local residents can be exposed up to the limit. it would be an interim target and decontamination work will be conducted to lower the radiation levels. in other news, one of japan's most powerful politicians is on trial. former democratic paurt leader, ichiro ozawa is facing charges in connection with a political funding scandals. nhk world's mitsuko takes us

through ozawa's first day in court. >> reporter: many people lined up for a chance to witness the first day of ichiro ozawa's trial. they took part in a lottery to win a gallery seat available to the public. it's a sign of how much attention this case is getting. >> translator: i came here because i want to find out exactly what the truth is. >> reporter: security was tight in and around the court building. dozens of photographs and tv crews are staking out a position to capture the best image of ozawa's arrival. the hearing started at 10:00 a.m. ozawa is accused of ordering his aides to falsify a financial report involving a

multimillion-dollar land purchase made by his political funding organization. the court took a recess after sitting for about two hours. early on, ozawa pleaded not guilty to the charges. he spoke for about ten minutes, insisting he knew nothing about the crime. >> ozawa is accused of falsifying financial reports with three of his former aides, the case involves a $5.2 million land purchase made by his political funding organization. he xiao waugh argued in opening statement that the trial should be halted immediately. he also condemned the prosecution. he said they are abusing their power and trying to end his political career. the prosecutors counter that ozawa as aware his aides falsified a financial report. they said ozawa loaned more than $5.2 million in cash to his political funding organization so it could purchase the land in question. the prosecution argues lower

house member ishikawa, who was ozawa's aide at the time, told ozawa the money should not appear in the financial reports to avoid public scrutiny. the prosecutor said ozawa approved the idea and asked ishikawa to deal with it accordingly. last month, a lower court found ishikawa and two other former ozawa aides guilty of falsifying accounts. time to check on some of the stories we've gathered from broadcasters throughout asia. we begin tonight with this item sent by mcot thailand. thai prime minister, yingluck shinawatra, said her government will guarantee to rice growers a minimum $666 per ton for their produce. part of her election manifesto promise. addressing 600 provincial governors in back kong on thursday, she said the scheme would improve the lives of farmers. she asked officials to insure that only general farmers

benefit from the scheme. thailand is expected to produce about 25 million tons of rice this year. china's premier, wen jiabao has stressed the way to insure the stable growth is by supporting the country's medium and small-sized businesses. wen's comments came during his visit to an eastern province, where a large number of businesses have shut down due to a shortage of funds. the premiere urged banks to increase lending to small businesses. amid tightening monetary policies, smaller businesses are finding it hard to secure loans because banks prefer to lend to larger companies. india and austria have signed two deals to promote cooperation in the field of science and technology in railway transportation. the agreements were signed after indian president met with her austrian counterpart, heinz fisher in vee on wednesday. the two leaders discussed

various issues, including expanding the united nations security council, terrorism and india's relations with its neighbors, especially pakistan and china. the indian president said the partnership between india and austria will benefit the people of both countries. many young people are taking to the streets across the united states, in new york 28 people were taken into police custody. as thousands took part in anti-wall street demonstrations. construction workers and teachers from labor unions joined the rally at a park near wall street on wednesday. the park has become a base for those protesting economic disparity in the country. the protest group numbered several thousand as they marched close to wall street. >> we want it to end. we cannot bend any more. it is time to write our own future. >> demonstrators said too many

americans have lost their jobs and their homes. that the movement will help it change society. 28 people have been detained for trying to breach a metal fence and for clashing with police. the waves of protest reached washington. more than 50 people marched on capitol hill calling for congress to narrow income gaps and to end the high jobless rate. >> we're focusing on politicians' greed in getting money from the same people we bailed out. we expect them to help. >> i'm angry that the unemployment especially young people's unemployment is often portrayed as being our fault. when really, it's 1% of the state of the economy behind this. >> people in smaller cities are joining the movement. in santa barbara, california, about 20 people, including local students, took to the streets. >> the tax money and taxpayers money is not going to the right places. not going to the right resources. it is not coming back to the

community. and we need to build community, our else this country will not prosper. >> a website encourages demonstrations said rallies have been or will be held in more than 400 cities around the country. tonight's fourth installment in our series on refugees focuses on cambodia. we asked one former refugee, who escaped the country's long conflict, how she feels about her homeland today. more than one-fifth of cambodia's population or at least 1.7 million people died in less than four years in the latter half of the 1970s, during to massacres and forced labor under the khmer rouge. many others escaped to foreign countries. the u.n. high commissioner for refugees says 230,000 cambodians were permanently displaced during the conflict that began through the pol pot era.

many settled in france, north america and australia. a senior surviving leaders of the khmer rouge are now on trial on suspicion of genocide. this woman lost her family and came to japan at the age of 15. she now works as a peace advocate, telling others about her experience. we asked her views on her homeland at this key moment in its history. nhk world's tanaka has the story. >> first, my father was gone. then, my oldest brother. and in the end, my mother and sisters disappeared. >> reporter: she is now 46. she was born in phenph everyone an, the seventh of eight children. her father was a civil servant, and her mother, a teacher.

their comfortable life came to an abankrupt end when the khmer rouge took pair. they were separated into different communes. her parents and four of her siblings didn't survive. ponnereth and two of her brothers escaped to a refugee camp. they headed to japan where one of their sisters was studying. >> translator: in japan you don't have to worry about getting killed. it's a great thing. i thought i could survive whatever happened, because my life was not in danger. >> reporter: even though she was already 16, ponnareth entered elementary school and studied her way up until finally at age

39, she received her high school diploma. ponnareth has a japanese husband and two children. but despite building a life in japan, she was haunted by the past. she visited the site in cambodia where her mother and sisters disappeared. were her head shaved according to local buddhist tradition, she presided over a memorial ceremony for her family and other victims. the ceremony was held with the help of local villagers. many of whom fought for the khmer rouge. it helped her move toward the closure she has been looking for. >> translator: they were just normal, gentle, old cambodians. it was very strange. i wondered how people could

change so much from one era to another. >> reporter: ponnareth has written books about her experiences. they've been published in five languages, including japanese, english and her native khmer. even know it's painful, ponnareth says telling her story helps people understand what cambodians endured. it also helps them to better appreciate peace. >> translator: people often thank me, saying it must be hard to bring myself to talk about my distressing experience. >> reporter: in september, a

refugee support group invited ponnareth to give a talk in matsumoto city. >> translator: i was just ten years old when i lost everything. not because of an earthquake, nor a natural disaster. but because of a human disaster called the cambodian civil war. >> reporter: to show a brighter side of cambodia, she and her daughter performed a traditional celebration dance. >> translator: i think it's a good opportunity to listen to someone who has gone through such horrible times. >> translator: i learned that there are people who just want to live a safe, happy life like hers. she really encouraged me. >> reporter: now, khmer rouge

leaders are finally facing trial. more than 30 years after the fall of the regime. not only people in cambodia, but also those who live outside the country, like ponnareth, are closely following the events. >> translator: we just want to know why they could take weak, innocent people's lives. why they had to go so far. i want to know. >> reporter: people torn from their normal lives who fled their home country hope that the past will never be repeated. they are returning to find out the truth about why the tragedy happened. nhk world. on friday we'll bring you our last part in our one-week

series on refugee, an interview with the u.n. refugee diplomat. here are the latest market figures. residents of a major city in northern japan are on the lookout for unusual visitors. in recent weeks, a numb of people have reported spotting bears in residential areas of

central sapporo, hokkaido. experts who examined the footprints of a sighted bear believe it is about 1.5 meters tall. >> translator: at first, i thought it was a customer and stopped my cab. but it turned out to be a bear. i was scared. >> the city's chiba ward, a bear was spotted walking on the grounds of a hospital just after midnight. police received eight reports of sighti sightings. police are on high alert an have mobilized more than 20 cars on a bear patrol. elementary and junior high schools in the area are urging students to walk together in groups on their way to and from school. the city of sapporo says there have been 23 bear sightings since last month. that's more than twice as many

as last year. an expert says acorns, an important food for the bears, are in short supply this year. it said last year's abundant food supply is another reason. >> translator: the number of bear cubs has increased, because of last year's good nutritional conditions. as hair habitat becomes more crowded, many bears are coming down to urban areas. mai shoji is up next with weather. hi there and welcome back. let's take a look at your weather conditions. starting off with asia. well, let's get on to taking a look at a video coming out from bangkok, thailand. this is north of bangkok, a temple has been inundated.

this flood affects more than two million people, casualties of 244 people. the shots are from the capital of bangkok, as you can see, people are trying to get home. driving through the rising floodwaters. it's very dangerous situation indeed. as we can pull back here, we can see that the rain is not going to be stopping. the southwest monsoon is being enhanced by a low pressure system, a remnant of nalgae, just around this area, lingering around the golf of tonken, it has been enhancing the southwest monday soons and it will be raining, locally heavy at times and strong winds in the coastal areas for the next couple of days. we have a low pressure system in vietnam that will be impacting much of the philippines with heavy rain at times as well as high waves in the coastal areas. this is high pressure system, which is a very dominant one, it will be bringing clear skies to much of the continent elsewhere. we have a potent low pressure

system moving into hokkaido and northern portions of japan, so heavy rain at times, isolated thunderstorms with small hail and gusts will be strong there as well. here are the temperatures, ulan bator at 20 degrees, pretty warm there. beijing at 25, and tokyo, looking at 24 degrees for our friday high. here in north america, a first winter storm of the season, which is moving gradually inland. in towards the northern plains. now, ahead of the system is where we're going to be seeing very strong winds. and as of now, the dakotas and wisconsin is alerted against fire weather. but this system will be pulling in, bringing moisture and some chances of thunderstorms to come. just around behind it, though, still, winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories are posted. and some higher elevations, especially around 3,000 meters or higher, we may see some snow accumulate up to 30 centimeters. but just around this area,

summery weather will be seen in the temperatures will rise. on friday, but as of now, new york still at 19 degrees. and oklahoma city, 29, so very hot. but on the other side of the jet stream, you're looking at vancouver at 14 degrees. here in europe you've got a couple of fronts coming into the central parts of the continent. this is a cold front which will be bringing very strong winds and also some rain. which may be heavy at times. here in the scandinavian peninsula, especially western coast of norway, we'll see strong gusts up to 85 kilometers per hour. plus strong winds, so higher elevations, we may see snow accumulate and it may trigger some traffic disturbance. the very strong winds in the british isles will be gradually diminishing. here are your temperatures, london, cooler than yesterday, down towards the mid teens. 16 degrees also in paris, but still, lisbon, pretty warm at 27 degrees. here are your extended

forecasts. that's our broadcast for this hour on "newsline."

we'll be back with more news in half an hour. i'm michio kijima in tokyo. thank you for watching. bye-bye.