you're watching "newsline." south korean president is marking the 20th anniversary of his country's diplomatic relations with china. he met the chinese president in town on monday. they spoke about a number of issues including north korea and a deadly incident at sea. the presidents pledged together to work for peace and stability on the korean peninsula.

but they agreed it would be different to resume discussions with north korea right away. they said the nation's new looip leadership is less likely to move forward with dialogue at this stage including the six-party talks on its nuclear program. they also spoke about the fatal stabbing of a south korean maritime captain. he promised to prevent future incidents by educating fishermen. south korea and china have seen a 30 fold increase in trade since 1992. the president said he hopes to declare the start of free trades talks with china by march. three north korean men who were lost at sea for three weeks are now many the custody of officials from their country. they went out fishing in mid december in a small boat. their engine failed and they drifted into january these waters. the men left monday from an airport in southwestern japan. they were handed over to north

korean officials. japan coast guard officers found their wooden boat on friday. they discovered the body of a fourth man on board. the survivors say their crew mate died of exhaustion. the men deny they defected and push to secure their return home. the japanese and the north korean sides worked out the details of their repatriation. iran says it will begin enriching knew ran yum at a new plant. iran's nuclear chief said a nuclear enrichment plant will produce uranium with a purity of 20% in the near future. western intelligence agencies discovered the facility three years ago. located underground, the enrichment plant is well protected against possible military attacks from israel and other nations. the country is already enriching

uranium at another facility in central iran. the activity could lead to the production of nuclear weapons. iran has been transferring centrifuges to the new facility since last year. the latest move to advance the nuclear program is likely to cause tensions with the united states and europe. more observers from the air glade will be on the ground in syria. the group the trying to stop the government's deadly crackdown on opposition protesters. human rights activists say stronger action is needed. members of the arab league gathered sunday in cairo. qatar's prime minister spoke after the meeting. he said the arab league agreed to nearly double the number of observers to 300. around 160 arab league monitors have been in syria since december. but human rights activists say the observers have failed to

stop the crackdown. the activists say the issue should be referred to the u.n. security council right away. but nhk has learned some members of the arab league are reluctant to do that. anwar ib ham's long league fight is over. a high court in malasia acquitted the leader on charges of sodomy. the court found the man not guilty of having sexual relations with a man, that's illegal in malasia. anwr has denied the charge since he was indicted four years ago. he called it a political conspiracy. anwar was deputy prime minister when he was ousted from power 14 years ago. he and the prime minister had disagreements over economic policies. 00 appeared before thousands of supporters after the ruling. he expressed a willingness to take over the country's top job.

>> the decision that i made prime minister is not the decision of the judiciary. it is the decision of millions of people. >> the acquittal is expected to give a boost to an alliance of three opposition parties. anwar leads one of them. the ruling front coalition has been in power since malasia's independence from britain in 1957. the opposition blocked significantly increased seats in parliament in the 2008 general election. voters in taiwan head to the polls in less than a week. the candidates who want to be their president are making their final appeals. they rallied over the weekend with hundreds of thousands of supporters. tin couple bent president of the ruling national party marked sunday in tie pie. he and his supporters filled a main street and walked for five kill merits. he says the economy has been reenergized since he took office

in 2008 due to improved relations with mainland china. >> translator: i'm capable, experienced, brave and not corrupt. i'm the one who should lead taiwan at a time when the european credit crisis is affecting this island. >> his main challenger is of the opposition democratic progressive party. she's also held a large rally in central tie pie. she is taiwan's first female presidential candidate. she's promising to appoint people to government positions without regard for party affiliation if she's elected. >> translator: -- can stabilize taiwan. >> each side says 300,000 of their supporters took part in

events held across the island sunday. ma has secured the support of prochina corporate executives in recent days. but many taiwan ease remain unhappy with the government because of income disparity. voters head to the polls this saturday. daimler is cooperating to produce gasoline engines in the united states. the japanese auto workers will be making the engines from mercedes benz and infinity vehicles. a spokesperson says the auto maker will begin producing the engines in 2014 in its plant in tennessee. the alliance of nissan and renault allowed for the use of same parts and bodies. it would meet daimler's need for engines to maintain car production in north america. it will satisfy nissan's plan to

use its existing engine factory more effectively. auto makers around the world are trying to use tie ups to cut costs. for example, germany's bmw agreed last month to supply diesel engines to toyota. made in japan umbrellas have become rare. it has difficulty competing with lower priced products from overseas. but there's one company that's not giving up. they are making them with the latest technology and design to create a new fad. >> reporter: japanese are very particular about their wet umbrellas. on rainy days umbrella bags are placed at shop sbrabs. it's considered impolite to carry an umbrella that might get others wet. ordinary umbrellas have a water repellent coating. but the coating wears off over

time. this umbrella was created with etiquette in mind. one shake is all it takes to shed every drop. this stay dry umbrella was developed by a small company with only 15 employees. unlike ordinary umbrellas the material used in a stay dry type actually sheds water. lotus leaves provide a clue. water droplets that fall on the leaves turn into balls and roll off. it's possible to see in a microscopic level. there's a texture on the leaf surface that repels water. but developing a similar texture wasn't easy. they first wove a material that was textured like let test tus

leaves. it repelled water droplets, but final particles leaked through the gaps. plugging the gaps caused droplets to stick to the surface like on a plate of glass. water proofing and water repellant were incompatible ideas. >> translator: our tests failed again and again. everything we tried just didn't work. >> reporter: their string of failed experiments led them to superfine polyester. the threads are 1/5 the thickness of those in ordinary umbrellas. this creates a highly dense texture. by increasing texture density they find a place where water proofing and water repellant could co-exist. during production, great care is taken to make sure the stay dry

umbrellas function properly. water must roll off the arc easily and material taughtness needs to be exact. skilled hands make sure everything is just right. the umbrella costs around $380 u.s. plastic umbrellas can be bought for only $1.5. the stay dry umbrella is 300 times that price, but it's so popular that demand far exceeds production. >> translator: there's no need to create something that already exists. only new things are needed. >> he started off as a sub contractor to a major manufacturer. but the company was left without work when manufacturing facilities were sent abroad. faced with that dilemma, he chose a new path, production

invention. the company motto is meet customer demands no matter how difficult. this philosophy has inspired a whole new line of umbrellas. >> since we came to the edge of collapse, we've had to move forward a single step at a time. >> a company reinventing itself with a new type of umbrella could be an example for businesses facing rainy days ahead. the japanese government is implementing some of the lessons learned following last month's earthquake and tsunami. it's launching a national database for food, water and other essentials. it wants to do a better job at distributing key items during times of crisis. government workers didn't have a firm grasp on the available commercial food stocks and supplies the days after the march 11th disaster. consequently they spent a lot of time and went through a lot of trouble securing urgently needed

goods. the economy traded industry ministries spokesperson say they're planning to launch an online system about 40 distribution firm wills cooperate to help maintain a nationwide inventory. it's expected to allow local and central governments to quickly assess the amount of available stock in each region. >> the system will help predict when and where supplies can be shipped. allowing the central and local governments to respond to shortages ahead of time. >> the national database is expected to be launched before the end of this year. hundreds of volunteer firemen died in japan's march 11th disaster. a fire brigade has dedicated its new year's ceremony to 27 members who lost their lives. many of them while leading residents to safety. the ceremony began on monday with a moment of silence. the community brigade had 2300

members at the time of the disaster. commander said although the brigade's mission is to protect citizens, he's still deeply sorry so many firefighters were lost. >> i hope you will re-affirm the importance of the mission and devote yourselves to it. >> the new year then featured a parade of 20 fire trucks whose cannons released water at full force into a river. 254 volunteers perished in the disaster. the government's fire and disaster management agency plans to review the duties of community brigades. one idea is to excuse volunteers from assisting evasions in the event of a massive tsunami. in the aftermath of the march 11th disaster, surviving were in urgent need of food, shelter and basic supplies.

even now they still require help, but the needs have changed. and support groups have refocused their aid. >> reporter: a photo shoot. it looks like a wedding day, but the smiling couples are all disaster survivors. and the wedding cake was eaten some time ago. in all 24 couples turned up to re-enact the key day in their lives and replace precious photographs lost in the disaster. the photo session was organized by a nonprofit group that mainly supports children in foster homes. this woman is the project's leader. in the wake of the tsunami, her group joined in the emergency relief effort. it provided food and helped clear away debris. slowly but surely, the survivors got back on their feet, but she noticed that each time she visited the disaster area, people were smiling less and

less. >> translator: the most important thing now is mental health. so i started thinking about what we could offer besides goods. >> reporter: she learned that a common cause of depression was the loss of family pictures. she thought that a professional photo shoot might help bring some cheer to people's lives. the group spent four months looking for businesses willing to offer their services for free. 30 answered the call including hair salons and wedding dress rental shops. no corners were cut. they even brought in a consult tann't to teach the subjects how to smile for the cameras. one of those helping out in the wardrobe department is a survivor herself. before the tsunami she had worked as a seamstress. >> translator: i'd like to help

in whatever way i can. >> reporter: she lives with her family of four in temporary housing. the tsunami took away her home, her belongings and all her treasured photos. she and her husband have decided to join the wedding shoot. >> translator: you know, what's gone is gone. we have to move forward. the new pictures we are going to take will become our new memory. >> reporter: the day has arrived. it's time to turn back the clock. a professional hair and makeup team spend an hour preparing the brides. the women are transformed. she hasn't been to a hair salon since the disaster. details are important. she has chosen a pink dress like the one she wore at her wedding.

>> translator: i'm lost for words. >> reporter: it has quite an effect on her husband. he hasn't seen her like this seance since the day they exchanged their marriage vows 22 years ago. >> you look very beautiful. >> translator: we hardly recognize each other. he's like a different person. >> reporter: the couple can't wait to get their photo. they plan to hang it up on the wall as soon as they move into their new home. >> translator: it was a really fun experience. i feel like we're starting a new chapter in our lives. >> reporter: a moment of happiness. refrozen in time. >> translator: every day there are different needs to be met. even if we only make a small contribution, we would like to

continue providing support. a wedding is important, but turning 20 is a big deal in japan. it's considered the start of adulthood, a time when people can vote, drink and smoke. come of age day is celebrated on the second monday in january and this year japanese students invited young chinese to take part in the festivities. about 40 people attended a coming of age ceremony monday. among them japanese who turned 20 in the past year and chinese who are about the same age. japanese students organized the ceremony and the consulate general in shieng high provided support tvms one of the events to mark the 40th anniversary of normalization of diplomatic ties between japan and china. >> translator: i am thinking about what i can do to help my

country. in the future, i want to become a bridge of friendship between japan and china. >> some participants wore kimono or chinese dresses. others drew calligraphy, performed traditional music and played games. >> translator: i'm interested in japanese culture and had to be able to wear a kimono. >> the japanese government says about 1.2 million people in japan are celebrating their coming of age. now let's turn for an update on sumo. >> just like the opening day of the new year's grand sumo tournament in tokyo, on day two all eyes were on newly promoted player. if he is nervous, it doesn't

show. then again the 25-year-old has never lacked confidence. facing a player who was once a giant killer but age and injuries have taken their tolls. the newest player finishes off the veteran. on this coming of age national holiday, he looks like he's come around and turned into a fine player. the other homegrown japanese was stunned on opening day. so he wants to bounce back from that embarrassment here on day two. bounce is the operative word in this matchup. a strong grip then follows it up with his favorite belly bashing. he evens his record. of course, the king of the ring

his short-term goal is to win his 22nd champiop which would tie him for fourth place. the mighty mongolian lost in 2004. of course, seven and a half years later, everything has changed. he stops his opponent in his tracks at the initial charge. the number one decides he'd rather take flight than fight. he's so flustered that he loses his balance. he goes to a push down. all five won on day two. what you can count on every day is we'll have sumo highlights for you here on "newsline." now to world weather. monday was a coming of age day. it was a very nice dry day here in folk owe for those young adults out to celebrate the day.

is this nice weather going to continue throughout the week? well, it looks like it is going to be staying fairly dry for sure. in fact, we've had some dry air warnings posted for the best part of a month along the pacific edge of the country. certainly was pleasant and sunny today for the national holiday. we're seeing snow showers continuing along the northwestern edge, the normal pattern for winter here in japan. the continent is looking dry. much of china, mongolia and the korean peninsula seeing high, dry conditions and seasonal temperatures. we are running into a couple of showers in the southwest. not going to be anything too significant. in low lying areas rain and mountain snow showers. more activity to the south. we've got a couple of low pressure systems are helping to enhance the northeast monsoon across central and southern parts of the philippines. we'll see heavy rains and thunderstorms for the next 24 to 48 hours.

temperatures are going to be just about on average down to the south manila and bangkok in the low 30s. we're seeing about the 20 mark for tie pie and hong kong. a couple of 9's in hong kong. cool in beijing at 3 for the high. let's go now to north america. many of you again seeing a fine and uncomplicated day weatherwise across the belly of the united states. we do have a pacific system here. this one probably bring some heavy rain to the coast. inland areas maybe seeing some freezing rain, mountain snow. what you'll certainly moats is going to be the wind. gusts up to 100 kilometres per hour with this system. down here to the south we've got another couple of things going on. anywhere from eastern texas up through the mid-atlantic you've got rain, thunderstorms. it's going to be most severe for the gulf states. and then to the west of that system we're talking about new mexico as well as western texas you're going to be seeing some significant snow.

maybe ten to 20 centimeters. 20 centimeters in some places. as for the system up here in eastern canada that's going to be some widespread snow showers through ontario and quebec. fairly warm day for you in toronto at 5 degrees. 6 in new york city. the warmth continuing winnipeg as well. farmly warm here. we're seeing the low 20s to mid 20s for l.a. as well as houston, mexico city and miami. let's go now to europe for a quick look. another pacific -- atlantic system coming in across the british isles up towards the north. mostly rain that's farmly warm. gusts up to 80 kilometres per hour that will be pushing into western parts of the skand knavian peninsula. first of all into norway that goes. this system is going to be bringing some significant amounts of snow across central and eastern parts of europe. southern parts of austria and

the alps, at least 20 sent meres of snow. but accompanied by gusts again up to 80 kilometres per hour. that will definitely be potentially impairing visibility there up in the mountains. this one down here coming in from turkey into syria that's going to be some heavy thunderstorms. heavy rain as well as mountain snow, too. eastern and central locations looking fairly chilly. just about the freezing mark for moscow as well as stockholm. a couple of 6s in berlin. all of that cold air funneling right down into athens down to 7. parts of serbia, croatia some significant snow. out to the west a few degrees warmer than usual for london, paris and madrid and liz don. here's your extended forecast.

more news at the top of the next hour. please stay with us on nhk world.