welcome to nhk world "newsline." india has raised the stakes in the arms race. it launch aid missile that's capable of reaching beijing. here is patchari raksawong in our bangkok studios with the details. >> a range of 5,000 miles, bringing the chinese capital within reach, which could spark renewed it tensions between two of the main geopolitical rivals. new a report from new delhi.

>> reporter: indian defense ministry sees the agni-v launched wednesday. it successfully hit the target in the southern indian ocean. >> i sincerely hope that in years to come our scientists and technologies will continue a lot more to promoting self-reliance in defense and other walks of national life. >> as recently as november, india successfully tested a midrange ballistic missile agni iv. it is said to be capable of carrying nuclear warheads. the agni iv's range of 3,000 to 4,000 kilometers is enough to strike most major cities in

china, but the agni v is capable of hitting targets up to 5,000 kilometers away, including beijing and most other parts of asia. defense ministry claims the agni v is also capable of carrying nuclear war heads. but that claim is open to question. it's uncertain whether india has the technology needed to downsize nuclear warheads for long-range delivery. india is on a drive to modernize its armed forces. the country's military budget this year is up 17.6% from 2011. india says the missile is for defensive purposes only. the agni v will undergo further testing for possible deployment within two to three years. india media hailed the lauf eeds

historic saying that india joined the nuclear power missiles. it is likely to cause particular concern in china with which india is engaged in a lingering territorial dispute. nhk world, new delhi. >> we spoke to a defense analyst about india's missile test. he is a correspondent with james defense weekly in new delhi. he told nhk by telephone it could have implications for security across the region. >> so, india is very concerned with the chinese missile capability and it is also concerned with chinese presence in the indian ocean. china is developing an aircraft carrier, china is developing nuclear submarines. so the overall chinese military development is a source of tremendous concern to india. the relations between india and

china of political, diplomatic and economic have improved over the last eight to ten years. trade is booming, it is about 50 or $60 billion. there's a lot of political and diplomatic exchange, but at the same time there's an underlying tension between india and china because of the outstanding border dispute. india and china have a border dispute, which is one of the longest running disputes in the world. india is very concerned about pakistan and china's close military and nuclear relationship. because both are old friends and there is a lot of military and nuclear cooperation between the two sides. so the increasing concern of indian security planners is a two-front collaboration between pakistan and china. >> that was raul bedi, a correspondent with jane's defense weekly in new delhi.

the reaction in china to india's missile launch was restrained. liu weimin called for continued friendship and cooperation. >> translator: china and india are leading emerging nations. we are not rivals but cooperative partners. >> liu did not comment on the impact the missile test could have on chinese security. observers say china's calm public reaction is designed to aid negotiations over its border dispute with india. we'll be back late iron in the broadcast. for now, it's back to you in tokyo, gene. >> patchari, thanks. tokyo electric power company will have an outsider as its new chairman. under the new leadership the utility will start to formulate a plan to turn around the troubled business in the wake of last year's nuclear disaster at the fukushima daiichi plant. kazuhiko shimokobe will become the new chairman.

he is a lawyer and chairman of a steering committee of a state-backed nuclear compensation fund. he accepted the offer for the post on thursday. >> translator: i will do my best together with all the employees and take tepco in the right direction. >> shimokobe is versed in compliance issues at companies. in 2006 he was a member of an independent panel investigating a high-profile window dressing scandal, which involved the internet firm live door. he also headed a third-party panel heading the cost management and finances after last year's nuclear accident. the new chairman will play a crucial role in drawing up tepco's turn around proposal. the plan is a condition for the utility to receive public funds over $12 billion. tepco must submit the plan by mid-may. japan's nuclear network is running on empty. the only reactor still in operation goes off line for maintenance and safety checks in

about two weeks. government leaders have promised to seek local approval before units are started because of what happened at fukushima daiichi. two reactors in ohi could be the first to start. a new nhk survey suggests more than half the people living in ohi support the plan to fire up the units again but only a third of the citizens in neighboring areas are in favor. nhk conducted the telephone poll last weekend. the results showed 54% of people in ohi support the plan to restart the reactors. 37% are against it. only 32% in neighboring municipalities back the plan. 60% oppose it. the survey asked whether they're concerned that restarted reactors could be damaged and release radiation into the environment. 71% of people in ohi said yes. so did 84% of their neighbors. the poll also asked whether the government has done a good job of explaining to the public about the safety of restarting

the reactors. 29% in ohi said they had, as did 19% of their neighbors. >> translator: i'm concerned about the livelihoods of many neighbors who work at the ohi plant, but safety should be fully confirmed before the reactors are restarted. >> translator: the host town enjoys various benefits from the nuclear plant, but neighboring municipalities do not, so their opinions must be heard. >> there's no set date for when the two reactors at the ohi plant will go back online. the utility that operates the facility says people in japan will face an energy shortfall this summer if the units are not restarted. in afghanistan, support for the presence of foreign troops is on the decline following a string of scandals. another embarrassing incident is now you putting the u.s. military under even more pressure. once again, here is patchari raksawong in bangkok with the details.

>> shocking photographs emerge that appear to show u.s. soldiers posing with the remains of dead insurgents. senior u.s. officials rush to denounce the actions of the soldiers and promise an investigation. nhk world reports. >> reporter: the los angeles times published a photograph in its wednesday edition. the paper said they were taken in 2010. officials tried to limit the damage. u.s. defense secretary leon panetta in brussels had a meeting and denounced the actions of the soldiers. >> i strongly condemn what we see in those photos as has general allen. that behavior that was depicted in those photos absolutely violates both our regulations

and more importantly our core values. >> reporter: as a string of incidents of u.s. troop in afghanistan has strengthened anti-u.s. american sentiment. they have been accused of burning copies of the koran and in one case killing villagers. in brussels, they decided on wednesday to stick to the planned withdrawal of troops by the end of 2014. >> let me stress that there is no change whatsoever. it is in the interest of the whole international community to see strong and highly capable afghan security forces take full responsibility for security by the end of 2014. >> reporter: that statement by

the nato execusecurity general the same day that they say the country will need at least $4.1 billion a year from international community to maintain security after foreign troops leave. nato is due to discuss long-term aid for afghanistan at a meeting in the united states next month. but many members of the alliance says financial difficulties of their own. for them, the afghan mission looks increasingly hard to effort. said amir, nhk world, kabul. multiple attacks in kabul on sunday and monday were among the worst violence afghanistan has seen in weeks. the taliban has now released a video of militants it says played a role in the offensive.

the footage was apparently filmed before the attacks began. the militants say they are acting in retaliation for recent misconduct by u.s. soldiers. >> the taliban posted photographs and video footage online of 30 men it says executed the attacks. they're presumed to have died during the fighting. one man in the video warns there will be more attacks. he says many of his fellow militants will rise up to get revenge for the actions of the u.s. military. the taliban is apparently trying to win support among the afghan people by being seen to take revenge for the recent misdeeds of u.s. troops. and that will wrap up our bulletin. i'm patchari raksawong in bangkok.

more than 1.3 billion consumers drive the second largest economy in the world. china grew by more than 8% in the last quarter. still, the engine of growth is slowing down. and with all those people, the cause may surprise many, a shortage of labor. >> reporter: migrant workers have been helping china to keep high economic growth as the world's factory. but now, those workers are in short supply. china's labor population has reached the limit due to the country's one child policy. the labor shortage is becoming serious nationwide, and makers are facing difficulties getting low cost workers. this is having a serious impact on business. >> translator: even when we get orders, it is difficult to meet a deadline for delivery because of the labor shortage.

>> reporter: to meet the needs of factories that are suffering from the worker short fall, a new type of business has emerged. staffing agencies dispatch migrant workers on demand. these workers engage in relatively simple work such as packaging for several weeks. factories have to pay more to get those helpers from staffing agencies than hiring migrant workers on their own. but factories emphasize they need the labor. >> translator: we have been trying to improve our employee welfare, such as housing. but it is difficult to resolve the labor shortage by ourselves. >> reporter: the number of staffing agencies is rapidly increasing in china. an agency in shen zen, southern

china, set up a large scale worker site and keeps several thousand people at peak times. the agency hires migrant workers as employees at wages higher than what they usually get and then dispatches them to client factories. the agency receives more than 10% of the workers' wages from the factories. this system is also good for migrant workers. that's because they can avoid risks such as factory managers disappearing without paying them. >> translator: generally our income changes depending on how busy the work is. but working through the agency is good. as we can get a stable income. >> reporter: sales people at the staffing agency visit factories that are suffering from a labor shortage. they negotiate working conditions and staffing fees. >> translator: 50 workers, ratio of men to women?

>> translator: 50/50 would be nice. >> translator: we need young workers under 35. >> reporter: the agency asked for staffing fee that is several hundred yuan higher than the amount the factory manager proposed. since the agency didn't back down, the two sides failed to reach an agreement on this day. >> translator: firms beg us to dispatch workers at lower wages. they say they're suffering financially due to soaring raw material and labor costs. but we cannot lower our fees. >> reporter: the average monthly income of migrant workers rose over 20% last year from the previous one. wage increases continue and are becoming a burden for employers. china seems to have reached a turning point in its growth model.

south korea is known as a super power in the field of cosmetic surgery. noses are bobbed, wrinkles eliminated, warts removed. south korean surgeons do it all. and there is never a shortage of clients eager to change their appearance. nhk world anna jung reports. >> reporter: i'm now at a cosmetic surgery station in seoul, they display their products and technologies unique to south korea where public interest in plastic surgery is high. more than 100 businesses took part in the exhibition. customers and members of the public check out the latest technology. this machine scans faces and produces the results in 3-d. it can simulate the results of an operation.

this ct machine scans bones and muscles. the pictures help surgeons with their operations. as well, visitors receive free laser surgery. >> translator: korean women tend to believe that real beauty is what's left after you take off your makeup. >> reporter: cosmetic surgeons in south korea performed about 770,000 operations in 2010. that's about 1.2 times more than the year before. each year more people take an interest in this kind of surgery. more than half of seoul's plastic surgeons apply their trade in this area. it is called the beauty belt. more than 200 government certified clinics are packed into this part of the city. this 30-year-old is on her way

for treatment. she's getting married next month and decided to improve her looks. she's undergoing laser treatment to get rid of wrinkles and spots on her face. five treatments costs almost $800. >> translator: there is going to be a photo shoot and i want to look as beautiful as i can. >> reporter: this 27-year-old, a university student, has also decided to enhance his looks. when he launched his i.t. business last year, he decided to remove people's scars from his face. >> translator: i represent the company. so i will make a lot of presentations to audiences. if i can get rid of my facial imperfections, i think i will be able to perform with more

confidence. >> reporter: he is just one of the growing number of men who have had cosmetic surgery in recent years. as well, more people from all sides of the country are coming here for cosmetic surgery. today, a 27-year-old master student arrives from china. this clinic has a section exclusively for foreign clients. interpreters help out. patients feel less stress because they can communicate in their own language. >> translator: there are a lot of plastic surgeons in china. but since most of them use the names of korean doctors and clinics, i thought i might as

well go to korea for the surgery. >> reporter: a clinic opened in this hotel for nonkorean patients. the doctors operated on more than 1,000 nonkoreans last year, about 50% more than the year before. the clinic wants to attract even more business from nonkoreans. >> translator: our research also focuses on sensibilities toward cosmetic surgery outside of asia, in places like europe or the united states. >> reporter: south korea's cosmetic surgeons aim to attract even more patients from home and abroad. with so many people concerned about their appearance, the doctors' prospects look good. anna jung, nhk world, seoul. south korea sees cosmetic surgery as an important part of its strategy to attract medical tourists from abroad. the number of such visitors

reached 110,000 in 2011. and the objective is to boost that figure to 300,000 by the year 2015. a special agency has been established to arbitrate cases of medical malpractice. here are the latest market figures.

we now have mai shoji for a look at the weather forecast. mai? >> yes, thank you very much, gene. well, we had a very overcast coverage here in tokyo throughout the day today. for friday, the eastern half of japan will still be looking at some cloudy conditions. but southern half of japan will be seeing scattered showers across much of these regions. now, the scattered showers here in southeastern china, these are still lingering. and the moisture gets intensified as we progress in towards friday. now, there are rainstorm warnings posted again, much of these regions where we have them colored here. guangdong province, we have a report of 89 millimeters of rainfall accumulation in the past 24 hours. and additional of 100 millimeters could be see around guangdong and fujan provinces. the land is very saturated

already. the ground moisture is so high that there is no need for any more additional rain, but unfortunately this is going to be continuing for the next -- into saturday morning. by the weekend, things are going to be tapering off, but the system actually will be moving toward the northeast, over yellow sea. as it travels over here, it will be intensifying, making its way toward the korean peninsula and then next taking aim towards southern half of japan by saturday evening. indochina peninsula looking at pop-up thunderstorms here, where we really need the precipitation is here in northern thailand. the temperatures are already up to about 40 degrees or even more in some regions. bangkok, a look at your temperatures, shaping up like this, 36. but tokyo we're looking at just 14 degrees. still cannot get rid of those coats yet on friday. let's head over to europe now. we have a system that will be pushing into finland, the low

countries, and this system will be bringing us some few scattered thunderstormic activity which could accompany with hail and gusts. also here, battering the similar areas for over a week now, the italian peninsula and the balkans will be battered with few thunderstormic activity which could accompany with hail gusts and damaging winds and locally heavy rain too. but across much of the west and the central portions, still this system lingers over the british isles, bringing continuous wet and windy, unstable conditions. now, we are very concerned with the -- in and around london especially. london marathon is gaining popularity. 46,000 people or more participants for this year wondering what the forecast is like. so, yes this is what it is going to be shaping up until sunday, which is the kickoff at 9:45 a.m. local time. temperatures in the low teens, favorable for the marathon

runners. but, well, we have scattered shower chances across the four days into sunday. now, let's move in towards antarctica and show you these flock of penguins preparing for winter now. south of the antarctic circle, the winter lasts for six long months. researchers studied the population of emperor penguins in the southern continent. earlier estimates have their number around 300,000. but the new data shows that the true figure may double that. all right, i'll leave you now for your extended forecast.

we'll be back with more news in 30 minutes. i'm gene otani in tokyo. thanks very much for joining us on nhk world.

.