welcome to "newsline." i'm michio kijima in tokyo. people in japan pay one of the lowest rates of consumption tax in the industrialized world, just 5%. government leaders need money to pay for a social security programs, and they say they'll have to double the tax rate. prime minister yoshihiko noda and his cabinet approved a bill today that would make that happen. in doing so, noda put his job on the line.

>> translator: i think the people understand the necessity in the consumption tax increase. we can work together to change the policy, if we look at the big picture, not just the politics of this. >> the legislation would increase the consumption tax in two stages. it would rise to 8% in april 2014, then to 10% in october 2015. the bill would ease the burden on low income earners by giving them tax waivers and cash handouts. those in the main opposition party, the liberal democrats, could not wait to step in with their complaints. they're demanding a general election before the diet votes on the bill. >> translator: dissolving the lower house before general election will naturally lead to resolving the problems we now face. we'll discuss the bill when it is submitted to the diet. >> members of the ruling party

don't support the idea. some of them have already handed in their notices of resignation. nhk world's senior commentator masayo nakajima is here to give us some perspective on this story. so how necessary is this extra tax revenue? >> well, noda wants to reduce the government's spending deficit. but the extra tax revenue still won't be enough to balance the budget. you know, japan's fiscal standing is the worst among developed nations. its debt is twice its gross domestic product and it's facing rising social security costs, too. some economists are concerned that it could face a similar fate as greece and italy. but noda's plan is facing strong criticism from opposition parties and even among members of the ruling democratic party. they insist noda has not fulfilled his promises of maintaining fiscal discipline

and making social security system more sustainable. japanese voters are critical, too. they want more cuts to wasteful government spending before raising tax. >> translator: before the government raises the tax rate, it has other things to do. >> translator: we have no real choice, but it means less money for my family. i'm not happy. >> how will this pushback affect noda's plan to pass this legislation? >> it's going to make things more difficult. you know, japan's diet is divided. the opposition controls the upper house, so the government needs the opposition's help in order to pass bills. you know, lawmakers are expected to vote on the consumption tax hike bill in june. and even if the bill makes it to the upper house, the main opposition leader of the democratic party and the new komeito say that they will not cooperate. that the prime minister is

trying to get their support in exchange for calling a general election. he knows that the ldp wants to regain power through election. >> and what happens if prime minister noda can't get the bill passed? >> well, noda has staked his political career on passing the bill before the diet wraps up in june. if he loses the bet, he will have to either resign or call a general election. if noda opts for an election, his party will almost certainly lose its lower house majority, and even lose power. both the prime minister and the dpj are unpopular now. if he does not resign, even after failing to get the bill enacted, he'll be replaced in september at the dpj's leadership review. you know, japan has had a revolving door of prime ministers in recent years. and now it might have another one sooner or later. >> we'll wait and see what happens then.

masayo nakajima reports for us tonight, masayo, thank you for your insight. japan's self-defense forces have been ordered to shoot down any part of a rocket that enters japanese territory. north korean leaders say they'll fire off a rocket next month to put a satellite into space. officials from japan, south korea and elsewhere say the launch is a cover to test technology for a ballistic missile. nhk world world's takeshi kurihara reports. >> reporter: japan's defense minister naoki tanaka issued the order on friday after meeting with ministry and sdf officials. the plan was then approved by the government's security council. the sdf will deploy patriot antiballistic missiles that will be set up on islands in okinawa prefecture and in the tokyo

metropolitan area. the sdf will also position aegis destroyers in waters around okinawa. the destroyers are fitted with sm-3 interceptors. the north korean rocket is expected to fly over the southern island chain of sakishima southwest of okinawa's main island. the government says there is little possibility the rocket or parts of the rocket will fall on japanese territory. it says the shootdown order is meant to deal with any contingency. japan introduced a missile defense system in 2003. it was to prepare for the possibility of a ballistic missile launch by north korea. in 2009, the government issued its first intercept order ahead of a missile launched by the north. but the rocket posed no threat as it flew high over japan and there was no need to fire the missiles. the self-defense forces will also deploy rescue teams on the southern islands.

this is in case there are any injuries caused by the falling debris. takeshi kurihara, nhk world, tokyo. japanese officials are urging chinese authorities to use their influence with north korea to stop the launch. the foreign ministry chief met with wu dawei in beijing. wu is china's delegate to the six-party talks on the north korea program. china has long been the north's closest ally. wu said the chinese are doing all they can to establish stability in the region. sugiyama warned north korean officials not to go ahead with their plan. >> translator: if north korea goes ahead with the launch, it will be a clear violation of u.n. security council resolutions banning all testing of ballistic missiles. so we have been strongly urging

the north not to make such a violation. >> sugiyama says wu outlined the diplomatic efforts but declines to say whether this would violate the u.n. security council resolutions. he expressed grave concern that debris could land on his country. north korea said the second stage of the rocket will fall into the pacific ocean around 130 kilometers northeast of luzon island in the philippines. >> where, no one is exactly sure of the trajectory of the missile. similarly, debris from the launch may potentially land in our territory. this needless provocation not only in the korean peninsula, but in our entire region. >> the president said the use of ballistic missile technology in any launch violates u.n. security council resolutions.

the philippines has diplomatic relations with north korea, but has condemned pyongyang for its past nuclear tests and missile launches. north korea has reportedly test-fired two short-range missiles. the test is not believed to be connected to the rocket launch. south korean government sources say units in the north launched surface-to-ship missiles thursday from a base in the northwestern part of the country. the missiles were directed over the yellow sea west of the korean peninsula. they're thought to have a range of about 120 kilometers. south korean sources say the launches were likely aimed at testing the range of the anti-ship missile which can be applied to long-range ballistic missile technology. political analysts say they see this as a warning to south korea and the u.s., following their joint amphibious landing exercise on thursday. about 9,000 troops took part in the drill in south korea.

as uncertainties in the middle east are causing crude oil prices to soar, u.s. energy secretary says many countries are still debating whether to release their emergency oil reserves. >> i would just say that it is an option that certainly on the table, no decisions have been made. it depends, again, on a lot of things. and so one has to just stay tuned. >> steven chu made the comment to reporters in tokyo on friday. he had attended a nuclear security summit in south korea earlier this week. chu referred to the possibility of major economies may release their stockpiles of oil in case supplies tumble worldwide. chu says such a possibility has been discussed, but no specification discussions have been made. and he added he will continue to monitor the situation. npo officials say they have found illegal labor practices like extremely long working hours at plants in china run by taiwanese firms for i.t. giant

apple. the fair labor association says investigated the labor practices at apple's request. a taiwanese firm foxconn has been producing iphones and ipads for apple in china. the association surveyed over 35,000 employees at three plants in china. the group says the investigation has revealed multiple violations of chinese labor laws including unpaid wages. it has criticized both foxconn and apple for poor working conditions at the plants where it says employee suicides have continued. apple announced it accepts the survey results. foxconn says it will hire tens of thousands of new workers by july next year to reduce working hours at the factories. a couple of japanese economic indicators for february came out this friday. let's start with how the job market is looking. the unemployment rate improved slightly. the internal affairs ministry says a seasonally adjusted jobless rate stood at 4.5%.

that's down 0.1 percentage point from january. the number of people without jobs was about 2.9 million, while people with jobs stood at over 62 million. separately, the labor ministry has said job availability also improved. it marks the ninth straight month of increases. 75 positions were available for every 100 job seekers. the labor ministry went on to say the overall job market is showing signs of improvement but says a mismatch between supply and demand remains in the disaster hit northeast. japan's industrial output in february fell by 1.2% from a previous month. that's a fall for the first time in three months. the industry ministry said on friday that the seasonally adjusted output index for factories and mines stood at 94.1 in february compared to 100 set for 2005. this was mainly due to lower production of digital products

and autos. it says index will rise in march and the upward trend will continue. the production activities are expected to rise 2.6% in march and 0.7% in april. meanwhile, consumer prices rose in february, posting first rise in five months. the internal affairs ministry said the consumer price index was up 0.1% from a year ago. an increase in the prices of televisions pushed the index up and this is the first increase since 2006. prices in energy costs were also a factor that purbd up the index. the index does not reflect latile fresh food prices. household spending rose in japan in february for first time in two months. the internal affairs ministry said that households of two people or more spent about $3300 on average during the month. that's up 2.3% from a year ago when they adjusted for inflation. spending on automobiles rose significantly as people took advantage of an incentive

program for ecofriendly car purchases. families also bought more drugs and medical masks to combat a seasonal influence of outbreak. ministry officials expect household spending to remain firm in the coming months. they point to the incentive for ecofriendly cars and improving employment conditions. and here are the latest market figures. time to check on some of the stories we have gathered from broadcasters around asia. we're going to begin tonight

with this item sent by dvi, india. a four-day international arms show opened in new delhi. about 560 firms from about 30 countries including russia, france and the united states and israel are showing off their latest weapons, defense equipment and technologies. india's defense ministry has been organizing the event since 1999 with a goal of promoting the country's indigenous defense industry and attracting foreign investment. india is the world's largest importer of weapons. it is expected to spend about $40 billion on defense equipment this year. senior asean officials gathered in phnom penh for a conference to raise awareness about physically challenged people. the cambodia delegate said most disabled people in his country suffer from acute poverty and also lack education and health care and suffer from gender inequality. according to the world report, about 1 billion people or about

15% of the global population suffer from various kinds of disabilities. the mongolian government organized an art exhibition in the capital to mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties with japan. the five-day event is showcasing the art work of about 60 high school students including paintings and japanese dolls. the occasion will also see the printing of celebratory postal stamps, high level mutual visits and traditional arts performances by both countries over the course of the year. for most chinese born to poor farming family the odds of getting a college education are just about zero. unless something is down they'll miss out on the benefits of china's all-advancing economy. on this report from guangzhou province we see something is

being done for some young chinese. nhk world's kengo okamoto has the story. >> reporter: 18-year-old sun susu is the eldest daughter in a farming family. they live in a mountain village. when she was a small child, her father lost his eyesight. her elder brother left home to work in the city after graduating from junior high. twep he between helping with the family and household chores, susu managed to finish senior high. about two years ago her mother became ill and died. since then the family has found it harder to make ends meet. susu wanted to study at university to become a doctor. she passed the entrance exam of the university she most wanted to attend. but susu wasn't able to pursue her studies.

>> translator: my family would have had to borrow money for my tuition. i didn't want them to do that. >> translator: i blame myself for not making it possible for my daughter's study at university. >> reporter: more than 5 million residents of guizhou province live in poverty. the region has the lowest per capita gdp in all of china. last year, a private college opened in a mountain community. it lies 50 kilometers south of the province's central city. 200 students from all over are enrolled in the three-year program. many students are having trouble with the cost of living. they can't afford three meals a day, but why can they study at college?

that's because they have free tuition. su wei founded the college. he's been involved in teaching i.t. for over 30 years. an i.t. business group in taiwan funds the college. it screened applicants on the basis of their academic records. it also considered the families' financial status. susu met the criteria and was admitted. last year, nearly 90% of the students, including susu, did not have to pay tuition. she lives in a dormitory, and the college pays part of her living expenses. >> translator: we must help these people free themselves from poverty, providing a good education, and job opportunities is an effective way of doing that.

>> okay, diana number two. >> reporter: the college puts a high priority on teaching english. about 30 volunteers who support sun wei's aims have come from countries like the u.s. and britain to teach english. >> it's true they don't have a lot of money but these students are very rich in their hearts and in their minds. they have a desire to really do more and to really try to be more. >> reporter: i.t. firms also play a hand in helping the students get ahead. before now, the students had never had access to i.t. now they each have a laptop computer leased by the college. susu is studying hotel management.

the college is tying up with major hotels and i.t. firms ready to employ graduates. it's a good incentive for susu to achieve her goals. >> translator: i'm really happy, getting higher education on such a beautiful campus. it's like i'm dreaming. i'm determined to study even harder to please my blind father. >> translator: our students have good characters and work hard. they're controlling their destiny. they can turn things around. i hope they'll be able to use what they learn here to land jobs and become respected members of society. >> reporter: sun wei's college ensures students in this out-of-the-way part of china won't be left out of the country's expanding world.

let's get a check of the weather from mai shoji. mai, it seems that tropical storm over the south china sea is nearing cities in vietnam. what is the latest? >> yes, michio, that's absolutely right. over the south china sea, you can see the symmetrical circulation. this is the tropical storm pa c pakhar, it is moving slowly toward the coast of vietnam and will be making landfall overnight to sunday. tass does so, because the water is very warm, above 28 degrees, it will be intensifying as it does so. and after making landfall, it will be weakening as it moves inland. now, already, gusts are reaching 108 kilometers per hour and once the primary threat from this storm is that in the next 72 hours the amount of rainfall accumulation is going to be staggering, about 300 mill meeters in the coastal areas, already picking up waves too. so a lot is going to be happening in the next few days and it is very slow moving one,

so the prolonged accumulation could lead to some flooding and also landslides, mud slides. also, very staggering amounts of accumulation is detected here in luzon, in the philippines, eastern seaboards are picking up waves as well because the moisture is all the way surged toward this. so as long as this stays over water, philippines will be targeted with very heavy rain as well. talking about wet and windy condition here in japan also. we had a very nice day here in tokyo with temperatures reaching up to about 19 degrees and lots of sunshine, but tomorrow, things are looking very different and kanto region we may see winds up to about 72 kilometers per hour and the wet condition we're talking about, 80 millimeters in the next 24 hours, just in the kanto region. in tohoku, we're seeing some wet weather already, accumulating there, but gusts will be remaining here in northern japan. the wintry pattern will be left behind. so sunday we may even see some blowing snow up here in

hokkaido. temperaturewise, tokyo, looking at 16 degrees. then beijing at 17, reaching up there. meanwhile, in the tropics we're looking at chances of thunderstorms in manila at 30 degrees. let's head over to the americas, the pacific northwest will be battered with very gusty and also coastally heavy rains yet again, targeting the oregon and northern california coasts in the next few hours. accumulation could be as much as 120 millimeters in some areas. and winter storm after winter storm these areas have been battered by very heavy rain. so avalanche risk, also mud slide, landslides, rock slides. these are all going to be very high concern here and accumulation of snow could be staggering amounts as well in the cascades and blowing snow, gusts reaching up to 100 kilometers per hour. these are all going to be very huge concern. gusts are very, very strong ahead of this system as well.

and denver reaching up to 25 degrees. both combined, here in and around these regions, well, there is -- alert against fire danger weather. now, let's head over to europe, talk about a lot of low pressure system covering much of eastern european continent. that will bring a lot of gusty conditions here as well as wet weather and gusts will be very strong here in germany as well as poland. out towards the iberian peninsula, things are going to be looking wet with scattered thundershowers. but it is not going to be enough to ease off the drought condition. lisbon at 20 degrees. looking at athens reach up to 21 degrees, but with wintry mix precipitation here in moscow at 3 degrees. here is your extended forecast.

once again, the top story at this hour, japanese prime minister yoshihiko noda and his cabinet approved a bill that would double the consumption tax to 10% by 2015. in doing so, noda put his job on the line. >> translator: i think the

people understand the necessity in the consumption tax increase. we can work together to change the policy, if we look at the big picture, not just the politics of this. >> the legislation would increase the consumption tax in two stages. it would rise to 8% in april 2014, then to 10% in october 2015. the bill would ease the burden on low income earners by giving them tax waivers and cash handouts. those in the main opposition party, the liberal democrats, could not wait to step in with their complaints. they're demanding a general election before the diet votes on the bill. >> translator: dissolving the lower house before general election will naturally lead to resolving the problems we now face. we'll discuss the bill when it is submitted to the diet. >> members of the ruling party don't support the idea. some of them have already handed in their notices of resignation. 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.