hello, you're watching "newsline." i'm sherry ahn. the united nations is pushing north korea to improve its human rights record. the u.n. human rights council has adopted a resolution expressing serious concern about ongoing violations in the country. the resolution was submitted by japan and the european union. the document highlights north korea's abductions of japanese and other foreign citizens and its torture of political prisoners and defectors. it urges north korean government to improve the human rights situation in the country. the north korean delegation

denounced the resolution, as lies and fabrications. the chinese and russian representatives also expressed opposition. but the council adopted the resolution by consensus. japanese government officials say they expect a silent deal to supply nuclear power technology to turkey. the agreement is a chance for japan to remain a world leader in the nuclear industry. japanese and turkish government officials held nuclear cooperation talks earlier this month. japanese officials say they reached broad agreement. japanese officials were negotiating to supply nuclear technology to five countries before the fukushima disaster last march. their talks with the turkish government are the only ones they've been able to restart. now it's time to check on some of the stories we've gathered from broadcasters around asia -- we begin with this item sent by tvb in hong kong. >> jim has spent more than two decades working to improve conditions in developing countries around the world.

i do not think that the world bank could have a better leader. >> kim is a korean-born american and a pioneer in the treatment of hiv and tuberculosis. he's likely to get the job when the current president steps down in june. the past 1 is presidents of the -- 11 presidents were involved, criticizing what they see as an american stranglehold on the job. japanese financial regulators have regulated the offices of asset management firm aig investment advisers. the company is under investigation for allegedly losing more than $1 billion in pension funds. the securities and exchange surveillance commission conducted the raid on the tokyo-based firm on friday. commission officials say aig covered up huge losses, fabricated investment statements to show profits, and tricked new client into signing up for contracts. aij had contracts with 104

pension funds and other firm as of the end of last year. officials say aij aconstitutional lated losses every year in government bond futures and other trading, losing about $1.3 billion in client money. today, the company has ready access to only around $98 million. aij's president told the surveillance commission that he wanted to collect and operate funds to recover the losses. the commission plans to look into details of aij's fund management operations and possibly file criminal charges against him and other officials. neem japan are taking time this two week remember lost loved ones. every spring and fall they celebrate and pray for the souls of the deceased. on this week's "road ahead,"

we're looking at how one sake brewer is marking the occasion. one man had to rebuild his business after the march 11 disaster. his belief in the power of sake, a sacred drink in japan, is helping him and others move forward. nhk world's tanaka explains. >> reporter: this may look like a typical bottle of sake, but it comes with an incredible story. it was made by master brewer saw suzuki. for nearly 200 years his family brewed rice in the coastal town of namiye. when last year's tsunami destroyed everything he owned it looked like the end of his career. but suzuki held on, and this winter he's been doing what he does best. >> translator: there isn't a

better time for me to brew sake. >> reporter: the march 11th tsunami washed away his home and brewery in namie. brewery. in namie. then the accident of the nuclear plant, the government designated part of his town a no-entry zone. >> translator: i felt the explosions at the plant ruined everything i owned. even my identity. >> reporter: suzuki felt like giving up. but months after the disaster, workers in the fukushima prefecture gave him a call. they reminded him, they had a sake sample from his brewery. the yeast helps give the drink an original taste and bouquet. getting that call made suzuki's decision to restart his business easier. he also received letters of encouragement.

fans wrote saying they missed his sake. some called it a taste of home. >> translator: i made up my mind to continue brewing sake. >> reporter: suzuki took a financial risk, and bought a vacant brewery last november. about 100 kilometers away from namie. earlier this month he brewed sake with rice harvested in fukushima. he made 650 bottles and sold them all to shops in the prefecture. >> translator: many evacuees don't feel like they can move forward. i want them to have fond memories of the deceased when drinking my sake. >> reporter: this woman is one of many who's happy suzuki is

still brewing sake. she used to run a bar in namie, but was forced to leave. she reopened her business in another city. >> translator: i've missed the sake so much. >> reporter: her customers feel the same way. some of them are also evacuees from namie. >> i'm so happy. i'm enjoying this taste of home. >> translator: i love this sake. i can't stop crying. it's so amazing i can drink it again. >> reporter: suzuki is determined to keep his fans happy. he doesn't know when or even if he'll be able to go back to namie to rebuild his family's

200-year-old brewery. >> translator: i will continue to make sake as the power to unite people from namie. even though we're living in different places. >> reporter: a lofty goal, but one he's confident he can achieve bottle by bottle. nhk world, nagai. here's now your extended weather forecast. ♪ weather forecas

♪ and that's all for now. i'm shery ahn. join me again at the top of the next hour.

-- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

it's usually a very quiet and lonely place, but on the day of the show, it bustles with people. good evening. the village men start to gather at the village center. they are preparing for the puppet show. we puppets haven't had fresh air for quite a while.

the men respect us puppets as gods. although they enjoy themselves preparing for the puppet show, they never seem to forget their devout feelings. >> translator: to you think they'll get angry if i use double-sided tape? >> translator: yeah, i think they would. why don't you tie up the wrist using this string? >> translator: yeah, that should to the trick. >> translator: this isn't very good. >> as you may have noticed already the preparation is being done by the men. the old tradition does not allow women to take part in the show. rehearsals begin in the show. this puppet show began 1,300

years ago in order to comfort the souls of those who died in battle. the puppet show is called kugutsu-no-mai, and kami-sumo, wrestling of the gods. ♪ ♪ i, the evening star, and my partner, the morning star, are responsible for watching over the whole performance. all kinds of gods appear in the

performance. this is isoranokami, who lives in the sea. they say whoever looks at its face is doomed. there are also other gods such as the god of flutes, the god of drums, and the god of swords. >> translator: your arm's too low. the other one's tilting too much to the left. >> the puppeteers aged 14 to over 60 are called odoriko. the ten of them are responsible for the puppeteering. look at the expressions on the faces of the puppeteers. so serious.

as the tempo of the music accompanying the puppet show quickens, the komi-sumo begins. sumo wrestlers divided into east and west sides appear on stage. these wrestlers are also gods. the battle depends on the enthusiasm of the puppeteers. ♪ now for the climax, a 66-centimeter-tall wrestler, the tallest god and grand champion giron-sama, appears from the east. and opponent, the grand champion

of the west, also appears. the atmosphere is heating up. sumiyoshi-sama is only half the size. sumiyoshi-sama is quite powerful despite his appearance. in the end, all the gods of the east charge toward sumiyoshi-sama. i, the evening star, back up sumiyoshi-sama with what small strength i have. ♪ a great triumph for ♪ ♪ a great triumph for sumiyoshi-sama, and that's the

end. don't you think the show went quite well? >> translator: leave sumiyoshi-sama on stage longer. he retreated too quickly. oh, boy, it's fun. >> translator: don't you think the sumo part is amusing? we just don't hold the puppets up straight, but we shake them like this, then the puppets look more alive. and you also pull the strings on them then their legs go up. they move like this like they're actually wrestling. >> translator: actually moving them, you feel that you just can't lose. the puppeteers get so excited when they get ahold of the puppets. >> it was already past 9:00 when rehearsals ended, but nobody would go home. they discuss how they could end the performance smartly.

>> translator: sumiyoshi-sama is facing sideways, the audience thinks the sumo wrestles will come out. when sumiyoshi-sama is facing the audience, they'll know it's over. >> although the men look as if they're having great fun, it isn't just the fun that's kept the show going for 1,300 years. yoshiyuki, who's in charge of the puppet show, never misses his morning prayers at the shrine. the puppet show must have been passed down for generations, because the villagers still respect the gods.

♪ yoshiyuki has been taking part in the puppet shows since he was in elementary school. he used to be a puppeteer but started playing the flute accompanying the show when his older brother retired ten years ago. ♪ ♪ isn't he good? i, the evening star, enjoy dancing when he plays the flute. ♪ this flute may look easy to play, but it's hard not to run out of breath playing in such a high pitch.

>> translator: even another minute longer and i'm going to faint. >> in the actual performance, the flute continues for an hour. so they decided to have four people take turns in playing. karuma ono takes over for yoshiyuki. it is his first try. ♪ >> translator: maybe it's the pressure. he sounds a little awkward.

>> translator: oh, my hands are numb. they feel funny. like after sitting with my legs tucked under. >> oh, my, another young one. this is fuga, karuma's 13-year-old son. now, let's see him in action. ♪ >> that's good. your flute sounds really good. keep it up.

the sounds of the flute can be heard from this house. the onos are practicing at home. >> translator: my fingers won't move properly. my son's a much faster learner. so difficult. >> the father and son practice, copying the video yoshiyuki made for them. karuma moved to this village three years ago. he took part in the puppet show and became complcaptivated by it. >> translator: when i took part the last time, i thought, wow, the flute's so cool. so when they called for new players, i volunteered, but i never imagined it was so difficult. >> translator: it's really fun when you improve and you can play more and more. >> how do you feel about playing with your father? >> translator: well, he's like a

rival to me. but i guess it's kind of fun being able to practice together. ♪ >> all the puppets' clothes and props are straightened out before the puppet show. >> translator: you can't tell if it's a man or a woman. >> this puppet is said to doom anyone who sees its face. they decide to replace the paper on its face since it is so old. >> translator: oh, no, i can see its face. >> the men have been told about the curse since childhood. and they still seem to believe the legend.

after days of rehearsals, it is now the day before the puppet show. ♪ after all the hard practice, they have the timing down perfectly. >> translator: can you see his head from over there? >> the men double check and make sure that the heads cannot be seen from the audience. >> translator: you can see it here. no, you'll have to bend down a little more. that's it. >> the odorikos have to endure a half crouching position for over an hour.

>> translator: more clattering. yeah, yeah, that's right. ♪ the longer the better. >> on the first day of rehearsals, the sumo part lasted for less than ten minutes, but with the enthusiasm of the odorikos, the sumo part became longer as they rehearsed. all the odorikos held their arms up high as long as they could and maneuvered the gods. >> translator: here we go.

♪ >> translator: how many minutes was that? >> translator: 90 minutes. >> all that effort. my arm's so stiff. i definitely can't keep it up any longer. my hand's gone numb. that was 80 minutes. >> translator: i know you can keep it up another two minutes. >> translator: another two minutes? >> finally, the day of the show. the village women cleaned up the shrine early in the morning. >> translator: it's really

amusing. once every three years, we only watch. we women don't do anything. god will punish us if we take part. >> the shrine is bustling with people, although it is a weekday. people have heard about the puppet show and have come from all over the country. the village children sit in the front row. the show is about to begin. ♪ fuga looks as good as the other adults playing his flute.

♪ and now for the climax -- ♪ ♪ >> they successfully exceeded the targeted 20 minutes for the sumo part. the children enjoy the performance and applaud the hardworking puppeteers.