♪ past, present, future. people gather in okinawa to mark the 40th anniversary of the end of u.s. control and to talk about plans to reduce the american military's burden on local communities. welcome to nhk world "newsline." the southern okinawa islands have been at the heart of japan/u.s. relations for decades from world war ii to the u.s. handover on may 15th, 1972, to now 40 years after the transition. a time when american military bases still take up large parts of the main island.

residents and leaders came together against that backdrop to commemorate the anniversary and look ahead. about 1,200 people attended a ceremony at the okinawa convention center. among them japanese prime minister yoshihiko noda, okinawan governor hirokazu nakaima, u.s. ambassador to japan, john roos, and local representatives. noda used his speech to stress his government's efforts to strengthen okinawa's economy and said he's committed to change. >> translator: i'm fully aware of the heavy burden u.s. military facilities are imposing on people in okinawa. i reiterate my determination to reduce the burden on the prefecture quickly, visibly, and specifically while maintaining the deterrents. >> the remarks by u.s. ambassador to japan john roos touched on the impact the

military presence has had in okinawa. >> as it has in the past, our alliance continues to be indispensable to our future, and we, as americans, recognize the sacrifices the people of okinawa have made to keep this critical alliance strong. >> for many islanders, the return of okinawa offers the promise of stability and basic human rights under the japanese constitution, however, some also say it marked the beginning of another age of hardship. nhk world met with a man who led a protest movement in the 1990s aimed at getting american military bases out of the prefecture. he gave us his take on life in okinawa since the 1972 handover. >> now, 86 years old, ota served as okinawa governor from 1990 to

1998. after surviving the war, he devoted hisself mself to studie try and understand why his islands had to make such a great sacrifice. during his tenure as governor, the okinawan's people anti-u.s. sentiment exploded after the rape of a teenage girl by three u.s. marine soldiers. in 1996, after a series of negotiations with the pentagon and tokyo, ota won a concession. the u.s. agreed to withdraw some bases from okinawa, including the notorious futenma marine air station. however, after the governor retired from the politics, the base issue became deadlocked over where to relocate it.

>> the question so strongly that okinawa military bases should be cut down, but this was not done. so now great disappointment and anger toward the central government. local people here, they are -- >> anything has changed about the issue of the bases? >> nothing has changed at all. even worse. >> ohta survived the battle of okinawa as a soldier. he said the sacrifice of a third of the island has made him determined to eliminate military bases from his homeland. >> i'm afraid unless the people

understand the terrible experiences of local people during the battle of okinawa, they cannot understand why local people are strongly opposed to the u.s. military bases. we believe that local people will be protected by the japanese defense forces. but we were wrong. because japanese defense forces soldiers killed the local people. they ordered mothers to kill their child, simply keep quiet, so that they wouldn't find out by the enemy forces, you know. so we saw it. such terrible things, which we never dreamed of. so we are very much disappoint ed. the military does not protect

civilians when the war occurs, you know. >> ohta is frustrated by the indifference of the majority of japanese towards the u.s. military presence, which could lead to the permanent establishment of bases in okinawa. >> japanese government always says u.s.-japan security is so important. it is in the national interests of japan. and in order to maintain peace and security of the asia pacific regions, u.s. military bases on okinawa are indispensable. however, even though they insist that the u.s.-japan security is so important in its national

interest interests, they do not want to bring in military bases into their own backyard, you know. >> what do you think about that? >> this is nonsense for us, because if it is national interests, you know, they should sha share. in the name of democracy, democracy, majority rules, you know. so okinawa always lose -- we will not be sold unless those majority pay attention or take it as -- take okinawa province as their own province. >> ohta says an increase in a number of young islanders who can clearly say no to what they see as an unfair burden could achieve an okinawa without bases. >> we watch the current

situation, voices of okinawa should be independent if the central government tries okinawan people as they used to, we will not be there any longer. central government has to listen to the minority groups, people like okinawan people, you know? this is, i have hope that today will change. >> u.s. officials are calling the anniversary a milestone. state department spokesperson victoria nuland says okinawa played a crucial role in bilateral ties. she added the geographic location of the islands makes them important for ensuring regional stability. she also acknowledged the impact that u.s. military bases have had on local communities and that there are various complex

issues involved. nuland said the u.s. hopes to strengthen relations with local residents through people to people ties. she held a resilience of the u.s.-japan relationship. a u.s. official spoke about the handover of some facilities in okinawa to japan. deputy assistant secretary of state jim zumwalt says the transfer would ease the prefecture's burden of hosting the bases. >> i don't have a date in mind but i this i it would be soon. there's no obstacle to returning. >> zumwalt referred to a part of camp zukeran and three other areas u.s. authorities agreed to return to japan last month. japanese and u.s. officials also agreed to relocate about 9,000 marines stationed in okinawa to places outside of japan. both sides separated the issues from the plan to relocate the u.s. futenma base. zumwalt suggests american officials wanted to do that so they could work quickly to move the marines.

greece's political parties are again trying to cobble together a coalition government in a last ditch effort to avoid new elections. the move follows a fresh proposal from the country's president, but the talks look set to collapse. president karolos papoulias on monday proposed including private sector experts in government after the three biggest winners on the may 6th elections repeatedly failed to agree in coalition talks. the leaders of all the countries political parties with the exception of the communist and ultra rightist party are debating the president's proposal, but the radical left coalition, which won the second most seats in the election, has already said it does not support the plan. the party opposes austerity measures and has played a key role in the coalition talks. a senior member of the third largest pasok party told nhk that two pro austerity parties

back the president's plan, but that an agreement is now unlikely. francois hollande has been sworn in as the new french president. in his inaugural speech, he said he was confident the country could overcome its many challenges. hollande arrived for his inauguration ceremony at the elysee palace in paris on tuesday morning. he was greeted by president nicolas sarkozy. hollande was then sworn in as the first socialist leader to assume french presidency in 17 years following francois mill raund. mitterrand. >> translator: france it is a fh unemployment and diminished competitiveness. and europe is struggling to emerge from the crisis. but i would like to stress that this is not a predetermined path as long as we're bound by a common will. >> hollande will visit germany later in the day for talk with the country's chancellor angela

merkel. hollande has criticized merkel and plans to deal with the european debt crisis. he says they lack economic stimulus measures. disagreement at the heart of europe's economy has raised concerns in financial markets. the eurozone economy showed no expansion in the january to march quarter as austerity measures squeezed growth. the european union statistical office said that the first quarter gross domestic product remained flat from the previous three months when gdp shrank 0.3%. the area's economy remains under huge pressure. among the 17 nations in the zone, italy's economy shrank 0.8%, marking a decline for the third quarter in a row. spain did 0.3%, falling for the second consecutive quarter no comparable quarter to quarter available are available for greece. its economy contracted 6.2% between january and march from a year earlier.

in contrast, germany's economy bounced back to expand 0.5%. brisk export growth helped the region's economic powerhouse. the latest gdp numbers show germany's economic strength helped bolster the performance of the debt ravaged region as a hole. they highlighted the growing disparities among the eurozone economies. chinese officials say foreign direct investment in the country fell for the sixth straight month in april. largely due to the credit crisis in europe and stagnant domestic demand. the commerce ministry announced foreign investment last month was little more than $8.4 billion, down 0.7% from a year ago. out of total foreign direct investment, activity from the eu was down by almost 28% between january and april this year from the same period last year. >> translator: various costs are on the rise in china. and this weakens the country's ability to attract foreign investment.

>> china relied on foreign direct investment as a driving force for its economy. it feared any continuation of the economic downturn may spread concerns about the country's outlook. japanese consumer confidence weakened in april for first time in just over a year since the march disaster. analysts attribute the slump to a government cut in pension payments. the cabinet office said the index was 40, down 0.3 points from march. the figure is based on a monthly survey of over 6700 households nationwide. the slump in confidence was mainly put down to a reduction in pension payments starting from april. the cut will be adjusted in line with falling prices of goods. slow auto sales have been tagged as reflecting consumers pessimism. but the cabinet office says it sees some positive citing robust sales of high end goods at department stores. officials say they will closely follow how the european debt problem and power shortages this summer further weigh on

shoppers' sentiments. japan's honda motor developed a unicycle people can ride almost as freely as walking. the new personal mobility device called uni-cub is 75 centimeters tall and runs on electricity. it uses honda's robotics technology that has produced human identify robot asimo. the unicycle moves in the direction where the weight is put. but it maintains its balance and even rotates and moves at a speed of 6 kilometers an hour. it is a little faster than people's walking speed. the unicycle can be manipulated with devices like smartphones. honda is hoping to use it at airports and other commercial facilities starting next month the device will be used on an experimental basis to make sure it is safe. >> translator: this technology has great potential to make people's lives better and more fun. all right, let's take a look

at the latest market figures. indonesia is facing a serious energy short fall. there is simply not enough supply to meet the needs of its expanding economy. as a solution, the government is hurrying to tap into an abundant resource deep underground. nhk world went to see the front

line of geothermal power. >> reporter: this steam is like the breath of the planet. produced by magma about 2 kilometers below the surface. the power plant is the newest and one of the largest geothermal power stations in indonesia. it will soon start operating, a symbol of geothermal revolution taking place in indonesia. >> we have almost 40% in the world. we still have a use. >> reporter: the island of indonesia has volcanos. the country boasts some of the largest geothermal resources in the world. unlike wind or solar, geothermal

can run 24 hours a day. it produces almost no carbon dioxide. and for indonesia, it is also a potential solution to the country's dependence on imports of foreign oil. >> we have problem with the production of oil. and the oil production decreasing about 9% a year. we know that this is the place where geothermal resources, so they need to be developed for electricity. >> reporter: indonesia has an ambitious plan to increase geothermal output eightfold by 2025 to 9,500 megawatts. that's the equivalent of 9 or 10 nuclear power plants.

to achieve that goal, indonesia is working together with japan. in 2007, japanese geothermal experts conducted surveys across the archipelago to draw up a master plan. geothermal expert was a leader of the plan. >> translator: we work abroad to look for geothermal projects which can contribute to power generation for the country and its people. i'm happy to see definitive progress in indonesia being made by government agencies. >> reporter: the front line of geothermal power development is the island of sumatra. sumatra has massive untapped

resources. about 60% of planned geothermal developments are located on the island. here in the jungle, japanese experts is prospecting with special equipment. locating underground hydro thermal reservoirs is a critical part of finding locations for geothermal development. >> translator: we have a sense of pride because we can increase the probability of tapping into the hot steam reservoirs. >> reporter: in another province in south sumatra, construction of the newest geothermal power station is nearing completion. the plant uses japanese made turbines and generators. it was financed with official development assistance loans from japan, worth about $250

million. >> translator: in the near future, developments in sumatra will decide the fate of geothermal development in indonesia. we're happy to provide electricity for indonesian people. >> reporter: efforts are progressing to turn indonesia into a geothermal giant. as the world rushes to find alternative source of energy, power generated by the planet itself could be a solution. nhk world. this just in, the leaders of greece's main political parties have failed to strike a deal aimed at establishing a workable government. tuesday's talks focused on a proposal by greek president karolos papoulias to set up a technocratic government, but division over austerity measures aimed at balancing the budget prevented the parties from reaching a compromise. once again, the leaders of greece's main political parties have failed to strike a deal aimed at establishing a workable

government. tuesday's talks focused on a proposal by greek president karolos papoulias to set up a technocratic government, but divisions over austerity measures aimed at balancing the budget prevented the parties from reaching a compromise. mist and drizzle today in tokyo. robert speta has the latest on the weather forecast for here and elsewhere. robert? >> sunny skies are on tap for most of japan. after all those rain showers did move through the country on your tuesday here, even still some thunderstorms lingering across the southern japanese islands, going into wednesday. and also off towards hokkaido, an upper level disturbance continuing to linger here. an additional 80 millimeters of rainfall could fall here. but for the rest of japan, high pressure is ridging in from the west, some sunny skies are going to be accompanied by temperatures into the high 20s for you there in tokyo. now, did mention the thunderstorms down here towards the southern portions of the japanese islands. this is all to the frontal area

that is continuing to linger. this is a rainy season stationary front. will bring more rainfall, not only towards the southern japanese islands, taiwan and also southeastern china including hong kong here, you're going to be expecting some thunderstorm activity through the remainder of your workweek. now, south of this front, tropical weather does remain in place. in bangkok, high of 37. hong kong, 29. want to take your attention off to the west, into india. look at this premonsoonal heat here, new delhi, at 43 for your wednesday high. if you do have any plans on going outside here, do drink lots of water, stay hydrated and stay cool if at all possible. now, good news, though, going into the early part of june, the monsoon will start to kick up here and likely will start to cool down those temperatures. now, looking into the americas, we are seeing a frontal area move across texas. this is bringing some thunderstorm activity and also a risk of some flash flooding. but i want to take your attention a little farther down here towards the south, towards

western -- just west of mexico. we have the first tropical storm of the season out here. this is tropical storm oleta, moving west, away from central america. not expecting to impact any land areas. but pulling back the picture here, the desert southwest, you remain very hot, dry here. some fire weather warnings are in place for much of nevada, extending down towards arizona, while into the east, severe weather is continuing to potentially erupt here into the great lakes. some isolated thunderstorms could pop up here and these isolated storms that do pop up, though, they're going to be accompanied by gusty winds. large hail is going to be possible and also the threat of a tornado cannot be ruled out. farther towards east, another frontal system is pushing its way off the eastern coast. here in the carolinas, we saw a tornado yesterday. and unfortunately going into your tuesday, and then into wednesday, more severe weather can be expected as a copious amount of rain does continue to fall. bit end of the week, this is expected to move off to the

east, behind it cooler weather will be settling in. for the time being, temperatures looking like this, phoenix at 41. very hot there. winnipeg at 18. off towards the west, vancouver and seattle at 18 and 23. now into europe, the east here in the baltics, you've been continuing to see some rough weather. thunderstorms have been continuing to be reported here, actually up to 144 kilometer per hour winds were reported in bulgaria yesterday. now going through your wednesday, more rough weather is going to be expected as a system continues to spin here. also, seeing some foul weather, low countries including germany here, you've been see something heavy rainfall as a cold front continues to drift down towards the south. london and paris, both at 14 and 15 for your wednesday high. but look at this, your lows, london at 7 and paris at 6, really cool here. into the alpines, you're going to be potentially seeing some snow. farther to the south of this front, though, lisbon, you're seeing a low of 21, high is expected to be up there towards 34.

very summer-like for you there in portugal. here is a look at your extended outlook.

once again, the leaders of greece's main political parties have failed to strike a deal aimed at establishing a workable government. theountry will hold another parliamentary election. tuesday's talks focused on a proposal by greek president karolos papoulias to set up a technocratic government. we'll be back with more news in 30 minutes. i'm gene otani in tokyo.