. > cl ee- re tbunuea technology from japan. amid persisting concerns about safety. welcome to "newsline," i'm michio kijima in tokyo. the japanese and vietnamese prime ministers reconfirmed moayil rcseapes nlear reactors dpitehaappene the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant. prime ministeroshiko noda

met in tok wh theietnamese primministerha two nuclear reactors to vietnam. the leaders confirmed that japan ojt.d cooperate in vis eyrose ns lrn t fm they agreed on joint mining of rare earth minerals in vietnam. vietnam b merein dan f electricity in its rapidly-growing economy. japanese scheduled to start operating in 2021. japan has been helping treat nam train engineers to build nuclear plants and has proposed financial support. japanese experts say other

countries are expected to demand more thorough safety from japanese nuclear technology following the fukushima nuclear crisis. in northern bangkok residents continue to struggle against the floods and massive volumes of floodwaters continue their relentless advance on the city. the heart of bangkok escaped significant damage over the weekend. but residents of other areas have not been spared from the worst floods in half a century. the government was forced to move its flood relief operation center from waterlogged don muang airport to central bangkok. the waters followed and monday reached about two kilometers north of a new crisis center. even so, thailand's prime minister said she remains confident that inner areas of the city are safe.

>> in the province of ayutthaya to the north, the industrl statof raja has been under water for more than three weeks. officials said on monday that a full recovery wouldn't be poss until next ring. that caused dismay amongst the japanese companies that are the park's key occupants. supply chains from thailand have severely disrupted, and the economic damage is mounting. some academics put the cost of e disaster at $11 billion and rising. with the thai government struggling to cope, mistrust is spading amongst both companies and citizens. japan jumped into currency markets monday to grab hold of the soaring yen. government leaders intervened to halt the yen's rise against the dollar, the third such move this year. >> translator: we intervened in the currency market. as i said, we took firm action to tackle speculative moves behind the yen's advance.

>> this comes after the dollar hit a record low against the yen, dipping to 75.32 yen earlier on monday in sydney trading. investors were buying the yen out of worries over the u.s. economic outlook and expectation that the u.s. central bank will take additional monetary easing measures. the japanese authorities have been concerned that a stronger yen will squeeze exporters' profits and slow down the recovery from the march 11th disaster. despite the intervention, the dollar continues to lose ground against the yen in european trading. earlier on monday, the u.s. currency has surged nearly 4 yen to climb into the mid-79-yen level after japanese authorities stepped into the market. right now, the dollar is trading at 78.02 to 03 yen. market participants say japanese authorities bought a substantial

amount of dollars to send a message that they are determined to stop the yen's further advance. they added, however, that the market action apparently has not made a fundamental difference in the yen's uptrend, but has been triggered by the uncertainties over the u.s. and european economies. now, tokyo stocks fell on monday. the decline came despite japan's currency market intervention that pushed the dollar up against the yen. the benchmark nikkei average slipped below the 9,000 level to close at 8,988. that's down 62 points or 0.69% from last friday. market sources say share prices rose temporarily after the currency intervention halted the yen's advance against the dollar. stocks trended lower in the afternoon, however. sources said many investors felt that the impact of the solo intervention would be limited. the osaka district court has sentenced a man to death on

charges of arson and murder, raising the issue of whether hanging goes against japan's constitution. the judge in the case ruled that hanging is constitutional. article 36 of the constitution says the infliction of torture by any public officer and cruel punishments are absolutely forbidden. >> translator: it's a heavy burden for lay judges to determine whether hanging is cruel. >> in july 2009, the man, sunao takami, used gasoline to start a fire at a pinball parlor in osaka, killing five people and injuring ten. the unemployed takami was charged on murder and other charges. takami's lawyer argued that he should not be held accountable for the crime, but the judge said he is responsible. the judge said capital punishment is by nature cruel in some respects, but the question of whether hanging is a preferred method remains open. he said it is not unconstitutional because people

sentenced to death have committed crimes that deserve capital punishment and that they should accept both mental and physical pain. >> translator: i was concerned about the defense's claim that execution is cruel, but i felt relieved when i heard the sentence. >> the defense lawyer indicated there will be an appeal. >> translator: it's a serious problem to rule that people sentenced to death should accept pain. >> the court spent two days discussing whether hanging is constitutional. a former psecutor at the supreme public prosecutor's office testified in the trial. tsuchimoto has witnessed state executions. >> translator: a death row prisoner stood on the gallows and prison officers opened the floor from the control board. such execution is cruel and cannot be accepted from a human perspective.

>> whether japan should continue the practice of hanging remains a controversial issue. the world population has reached seven billion. the united nations says it will celebrate the birth of all babies born on monday as the seven billionth member of the human race. the u.n. says humankind has more than doubled over the past half-century from three billion in 1959. it adds the size ofumanity i expect tnue i rid growth a wil billion by the end of this centur the united nations says inhabitants of asia, the most of any continent are projected to reach 5.2 billion by the mid 21st century. the african population is due to expand to 3.6 billion, triple the current number by the year 2100. but the size of industrialized nations, such as those of japan and europe is forecasted to fall

because of low birth rates. the average birth rate in those nations stands at 1. 7. which is short of the 2. level required to maintain a steady population. the united nations warns that the growing number of people is likely to worsen problems facing the international community. they include poverty in developing countries, water shortages and heavy urbanization. a number of so-called seven billionth babies have been born here in japan as well. including areas hit by the march 11th earthquake and tsunami. byir wghingver 2,500 grams was born in tokyo on monday. around 20 days before her due date. >> translator: i knew today was historic, but i never imagined my baby born on this day. >> she is a tsunami survivor. the ground floor of her house

was inundated. so she had to spend days on the second floor without going to the hospital. tnsto my baby girl survived the disaster, soy believe she can overcome anything. want her to grow up strong and healthy. japan finds itself at odds with many in industrialized nations when it comes to dhirld in cases of divorce. the legal system grants custody to a single parent. usually the mother. courts in many other nations grant joint custody. so parents here fight serious custody battles. some even abduct their children across international borders. some say the laws need to be changed. nhk world has more. >> reporter: these parents say they are being cut o of their

children's lives. they are demanng joint custody and visitation rights. >> translator: my wife took our children and has rarely let me see them. i've even considered suicide. nothing is worse than having your own children kept from you. >> my husband took our son five years ago and disappeared. i don't know where they are now and i can't do anything about it. >> reporter: kevin brown also feels powerless. >> children needoth parents after divorce be happ >> reporr: brown is a s. citizen. he man thuple had a s three years later, but they separated in 2007. brown says his wife took off with their son. heontacted the police, who told him they could do nothing.

he finally found them six months later. now he can see his son, but only about once a month. brown says that is not nearly enough time. not only can he not see his son more often, his wife was granted sole custody by the urt. cldn e kind of shaped or molded by how their pents eat them, and i won't be -so fa i have not been a b par of my son's life. >> reporter: others are in a similar situation. this man says he spent less than 15 hours with his young son over the past 2 1/2 years. he was working in the u.s. in 2009 when his wife took their 5-year-old back to japan for a holiday. they never returned.

his wife then asked for a divorce. >> translator: i hardly see my son, who for me, it's the most important thing in the world. our ties have been cut. it's sad and heartbreaking beyond words. >> reporter: hirata returned to japan last year and moved into an apartment near his wife and son.hedyor vit,utheoyev ces hita fout r stody, but in late september, a family court sided with his wife. the judge said the children shouldn't have to endure a change of environment.

>> translator: i'm not part of my son's life. i can't even walk hand in hand with him. i'm so sad. i feel like everything's been taken away from me. >> reporter: some lawyers say manyarents who cannot see their children are suffering from depression. one foreigner who was in the middle of a custody battle with his wife ended up getting his son and committing suicide. these parents will continue to appeal that the separation between husband and wife should not imply a separation between parents and their children. atsuko iwasaki, nhk world, tokyo.

>> we're now joined by kazuyo tanase, a clinical psychologist who specializes in relationships between parents and children after divorce. we asked her about the current situation in japan with respect to custody disputes. the number of these cases exceeded 8,900 in 2010. that's more than four times the number in 1999. there are many reasons for this increase. a major one is more fathers are involved in child-rearing more actively nowadays. however, the system is still sole custody. that's quite clearly behind the times. >> oh, yes, japan is one of the few developed countries in the world to maintain this system. before 1980, most developed countries had a sole custody,

but empirical and longitudinal studies showed that maintaining contact with noncustodian parents is beneficial for children's wellbeing. that's prompted the change. one measure is why japan sticks to this system. it's because there is a strong belief that it's in the best interests of the child to be with one parent after divorce. so, it's quite common for courts to limit visitation for noncustodian parent to just several hours per month. some people are really worried about divorce cases where it's involving domestic violence and child abuse. so, in those cesweavto be really careful d have to

seriously pay precautions, i think. however, the system must be modified in many ways in japan to meet the needs of children of divorce. first of all, the current visitation system should be changed. parents with no custody should be able to spend a substantial amount of time with their children, like weekends and long vacations with overnight, not just several hours a month. secondly, couples shouldn't be allowed to separate or get divorced without a parenting plan in place. finally, couples should be able to choose between sole custody and joint custody.

kazuyo tanase is a clinical psychologist and a professor. time to check on some stories we've gathered from broadcasters around asia. we begin with this item sent by tvb, hong kong. hong kong authorities have come up with a plan to solve the territory's chronic shortage of land. dig huge caverns in the mountains. a study says rock caves could be used to relocate crematoria and other spaces, freeing up land for houses. mountains account for 64% of the country's total land area. experts say the idea is safe and won't damage the environment. hong kong's drainage services department has already moved one of its storage treatment plants into a cavern. the sri lankan government says gem and jewelry industry will be gem mining industry with

a history of 3,000 years. it produces about 75 varieties of precious stones. including sapphires and diamonds. in 2010, sri lanka exported diamonds and jewelry worth about $400 million, accounting for about 5% of the country's gross domestic od 600,000 peor in the gem mining sector. the turkish city of istanbul hosted a rock concert on sunday to rai funds for earthquake victims. 40 bands took part. the october 23rd quake in the eastern province of van left at least 600 people dead and affected 600,000 others. the funds collected from the sales of tickets, food and drinks will be donated to the turkish red crescent. concert organizers collected blankets, drinking water and tents for the victims. and here are the latest market figures.

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with fewer babies being born and people living longer, japan is becoming known as an aging society. many of those older people are staying active. a national sports festival for senior citizens took place this month, including one competitor old enough to be the father of some of the others. >> rorter: takamaru ota has been playing table tennis for 70 years, he's 93.

>> translator: my strong points are my serves and cuts. i try to make the most of these techniq techniques. >> reporter: ota was inducted into the army in world war ii, and sent to china. even during that period of his life, he workeoneveloping his athletic skill. he lives in a prefecture in southwestern japan. his profession involves the spiritual life. he's a buddhist priest. every morning he gets up at 5:00 to prepare for chanting sutras at 6:00. is a strong believer id nutrition. a mix of black beans, fruit and yogurt is one of his recipes for staying in shape. >> translator: i exercise and eat fish and lots of vegetables. i need to maintain my physical condition, so i can go anywhere,

any time. >> reporter: even so, ota says he started to feel like time was catching up with him when he hit 90. in particular, his knees started bothering him and he can't move the way he used to. but that hasn't deterred him. he's just changed his approach to the game. for most of his career, he played with a single-sided racquet to return the ball swiftly. but now he uses a reversible model. enables him to make contact without putting pressure on his knee. he's also acquired a new technique, a powerful smash accomplished by swinging the racquet down. in the middle of october, he

competed in the all-japan tournament for table tennis players in their 60s and beyond. his opponent was a relive youngster. 15 years younger. and -- wldt youno - hiknee chose t vermoment to start acting . ota lost in saight sets, but he gained confidence in his new backhand serve. >> translator: i'll tick to try new ways to play. i want to keep at it. 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 too. thank you for watching. bye-bye.