second chance. a japanese court grants a retrial in a high-profile murder case. welcome to nhk world "newsline." govinda prasad mainali has spent the last 15 years behind bars. the nepalese man has been serving a life sentence for the murder of a woman in tokyo. but the tokyo high court has approved a retrial. he has been released and transferred to an immigration facility. she was found murdered in a tokyo apartment in 1997. govinda prasad mainali lived nearby and had keys to the place. police arrested him two months later.

a district court found him not guilty in 2000. a high court reviewed the case and it decided circumstantial evidence including an eyewitness account proved that mainali committed the crime. in 2003 the supreme court upheld that decision and handed him a life sentence. mainali filed for a retrial in 2005. dna tests last year showed bodily fluids found on the victim and hair at the murder site belonged to someone other than him. the presiding judge said if the dna results were presented at the earlier trial, the decision would have been different. prosecutors have appealed the decision to retry mainali. they also asked the court not to release him, but the court denied that request. mainali was in japan illegally when he was arrested. he has been moved to a facility operated by the immigration bureau. immigration says it will deport him to nepal after the hearings. japan's retrial system does not

require a defendant's presence in court, so the procedure is expected to move ahead even if mainali returns to nepal. mainali's family has waited years to hear something like this. they were outside the courthouse when the decision came down. nhk world has more. >> reporter: this is how supporters of govinda prasad mainali learned of the court's decision. his wife and two daughters got the news they were waiting for. they held each other and were overcome with emotion. >> translator: finally we're getting closer to the time when my husband is released. a time of joy will come to my life again. i thank all of you. >> reporter: mainali's lawyers and supporters spoke after the decision came down. one of his lawyers delivered his message. >> translator: i can never regain my time i spent in jail for 15 years. prosecutors have finished dna

analysis of all samples. i hope they don't prolong the time i have to stay in jail any more. >> reporter: his family says they will be able to live together back home. >> i think i will spend my life with my father happily and live a simple life so that i can share my happiness. >> reporter: after mainali was arrested, his wife traveled to japan ten times to appeal his innocence. she says she feels the urge to take her husband back home every time. this court decision has given her hope that may finally happen. nhk world, tokyo. >> mainali's family in nepal were also jubilant of the news. a supporter in japan telephoned mainali's older brother to tell him of the court's decision. his mother also was waiting for

the news. >> translator: i'm very happy. indescribably happy. after the long hardship at last he'll likely get out of jail. i believe good things will happen from now on. >> mainali's mother also said she hopes to see her son back home soon. prime minister yoshihiko noda is a little closer to his goal of hiking japan's consumption tax. the two main opposition parties now say they are ready to discuss tax and social security reform. the liberal democratic party and new komeito announced their decision a day after democratic party secretary-general azuma koshiishi hinted the government was ready to compromise if that meant reaching agreement by june 15th. ldp president sadakazu tanigaki announced the decision at a meeting of party executives. they agreed to demand the government put the revised bills to a vote before the current session of parliament closes on june 21st.

the new komeito party also decided to join talks on the reforms. the party had refused to even enter the debate over increasing the consumption tax. a series of rituals and ceremonies have begun for prince tomohito of mikasa. the cousin of emperor akihito. prince tomohito died on wednesday at the age of 66 after a long battle with cancer. the emperor and empress paid a last farewell at the prince's residence in tokyo. following a ceremony to lay the deceased in a coffin, the crown prince and princess, among other imperial family members, offered their final respects. before his death the prince indicated his funeral should be as simple as possible. he was concerned that japan continues to struggle with financial difficulties and is still rebuilding after last year's disaster. respecting these wishes, officials of the imperial agency say they are considering a

modest funeral and burial. many japanese people have been expressing their sadness over the loss. more than 1,000 visited the prince's residence by thursday afternoon to sign the condolence book. the funeral service will be held on june 14th at the prince's eldest daughter princess akiko serving as chief mourner. the ceremony will be open to the public. syrian residences say pro government forces have killed more than 80 people. mostly women and children, in a village near the central city of hama. residents in hama told nhk by videophone on thursday that government security forces first arrived in tanks and armored vehicles on wednesday and attacked the village of about 150 people.

>> translator: five houses were destroyed. militia men killed 22 children. >> 88 people were killed and some of the bodies were set on fire. they say many of the villagers who survived the attack were taken away by the pro government forces. syria state run media offered a different account of what happened. it said police were fighting terrorists who had attacked the village killing all of them. it also said two police officers were killed in the fighting. militia loyal to assad killed at least 100 people two weeks ago and that attack on the town of houla. the violence in syria continues despite the presence of u.n. monitors to verify the impolicemention of a u.n. peace plan. u.s. officials have gradually shifted toward demanding that assad be removed. secretary of state hillary clinton has stressed the need for a full transfer of power. clinton made the remark at a

meeting on syria in istanbul. representatives of 15 western and arab nations as well as european -- as well as the european union took part. a u.s. official said clinton proposed a new strategy for syria including a transition of power that would eventually include free and fair elections. the united states is also seeking a u.n. security council resolution to impose sanctions on the assad government. but they will need to get support from russia and china. leaders of china, russia and four central asian countries said they oppose any military intervention to stop the violence. nhk world's susumu kojima reports from beijing. >> reporter: the six leaders adopted a joint statement in beijing on thursday. at the end of the two-day summit of the shanghai corporation. chinese president hu jintao and vladimir putin took part.

mahmoud ahmadinejad attended as an observer. the statement declares the shanghai group is against military interference in the affairs of the middle east and north africa. it also rejects any forced handover of power or sanctions and stresses that progrblems should be resolved with dialogue. this comes in the wake of the arab spring. analysts say china may fear the exit of assad may open the door to more western dominance of the region. susumu kojima, nhk world, beijing. japan is promoting its visit japan campaign at an

international tourism expo in seoul. the four day korea world travel fair kicked off on thursday with 60 countries participating. about 20 japanese organizations are exhibiting at the event. jr east railway is using 3-d video to promote tourist destinations in the northeast. some concerns were divorcvoiced the fukushima daiichi disaster but it attracted a lot of south koreans. >> translator: i often watch japan's beautiful scenery on tv. now i want to actually visit japan to see the places on the 3-d video. furano city is promoting its gorgeous natural scenery. the area was used recently as the setting for a popular south korean tv drama.

>> translator: i want to promote japan's great tourist destinations and attractions at this expo. and i hope our efforts result in many south korean tourists coming to japan. >> the japan national tourism organization says it's planning to welcome over 9 million overseas visitors this year. and we have news of a japanese electronics maker that is boosting production overseas. sharp will build a new plant in indonesia. this facility will more than double its output of refrigerators and washing machines in southeast asia's fast growing market. the groundbreaking ceremony was held outside the capital jakarta on thursday. sharp will invest $125 billion to integrate its existing plant in jakarta with the new plant. when completed in 2015, the combined capacity to make refrigerators and washing machines will be over 4.3 million units. that's larger than any other sharp factory worldwide.

foreign executives are seeing gold in silver. japan has the highest proportion of elderly citizens in the world. experts predict that by the middle of the century, 39% of the population will be the elderly. managers at one of the biggest companies on the planet see business opportunities in this market. >> reporter: ge health care is one of the top makers of diagnostic imaging equipment like ultrasound systems, mri machines and ct scanners. it is a subsidiary of general electric. the company set its sights on the rapidly aging japanese market. it is developing and manufacturing medical equipment in japan. two years ago, ge health care came up with the slogan, silver to gold. it started developing products to meet the special needs of the so-called silver community.

>> i think it will be much more broad health care needs in society, primary care, home health. that's our strategy. >> reporter: here is one product that reflects the strategy, a pocket sized ultrasound scanner. it can produce images of internal organs using sound waves. the price, $12,500. by comparison, the machine is used by hospitals can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. the benefits of the portable scanner can most fully be seen during house calls. the government is promoting home health care for its rapidly graying population. there is eager demand for doctors who make house calls. 1,000 units of the portable ultrasound machine are currently

in use. this doctor is visiting a patient who suffered heart failure five years ago and became bedridden. he confirmed the patient's heart beat is nearly stable. but he found a black shadow that appears to be an accumulation of fluid. he explained to the patient's wife that cutting down on liquids and salt in his diet could alleviate the buildup. >> translator: i could see his heart beating clearly. i was relieved. >> translator: thanks to this compact scanner, the level of treatment we can provide during house calls is close to the care we can provide at hospitals. i believe this does a lot to help overcome patients' worries. >> reporter: ge is also putting its efforts into making medical devices more elderly friendly. last year the company developed

an mri machine for use on arms and legs. it is for elderly people who are prone to arthritis. patients formerly had to go inside a confining tube-like machine. but with the new mri, they can sit in a reclining chair. the only parts of the bodies that go inside are the legs or arms. >> translator: patients used to have to stay still for a long time. that was a great burden for the elderly. this machine offers a more comfortable environment for them. >> i think aging society is going to be an issue for everybody. it is an acute issue for japan. but it will be very important issue for china tomorrow. so once we really work hard to

establish the business model in japan, we will be able to export that business model to other parts of the world. so by doing that, i think we can re-establish the position of japan in the global marketplace. here are the latest market figures. north korean leader kim jong-un has made military security and nuclear development his country's top priorities since taking power. but the north is also seeking ways to rebuild its tattered

economy. that's capturing the attention of some business people in europe. nhk world reports. ♪ >> reporter: a new restaurant opened in the dutch capital of amsterdam in february. pyongyang restaurants with north korean cuisine. establishments featuring north korean dishes are popular in china and southeast asia. but this may be the first such eatery in europe. >> the food is very nice. and it is special for us to see the dancing and the music. >> reporter: north korean waitresses work at the restaurant. a nine-course dinner costs 79 euros or roughly 100 u.s. dollars. the business' dutch operator

says north koreans overshore showed keen interest when they first heard the idea. >> north korea needs money. and at the moment, they don't receive enough money. so of course there will be more opportunities. >> reporter: ading to the international monetary fund, north korea's top trade partner is china, its historical ally. the eu ranks fourth. this man has spent the last two decades trying to strengthen europe's trade ties with the north. he's dutch business consultant paul tia. back in the 1990s, he wanted to outsource computer software development overseas to save costs. he came across a north korean company. he has worked on developing ties with pyongyang ever since. for the past three years, he has

organized and led annual trade tours in north korea. >> the political relationships are not very well. and for this reason, they are forced to go to europe. and europe is a little bit between the united states and i would say other countries. >> reporter: tjia says timing might be right for european businesses to pursue opportunities in the north. china has been a manufacturing hub for europe. but chinese labor costs are rising. north korea's labor costs are about half of china's. tjia recently explained other pros and cons of doing business in north korea to european textile industry officials. 30 people attended the closed door session.

he is optimistic that business conditions will get better over time. >> i'm maybe more positive about a new leadership than others. so my personal belief is that under the new leadership, we will see more improvements in both business and economic development. >> earlier my colleague shery ahn got some insights into new business tie-ups between europe and north korea. >> europe and north korea are both geographically and culturally quite distant. it is interest ing ing to hear

european businesses want to invest there. >> relations between europe and north korea run deep. many have diplomatic relation with north korea. the north has embassies in london and several other capital cities in europe and north korea's new leader, kim jong-un, wants it in switzerland. >> how does europe view north korea's nuclear development and missile programs? >> europe is seeking denucle denuclearization of north korea like japan, united states and south korea. but at the same time, european countries have been using their diplomatic ties with north korea to pursue their own agendas. this was demonstrated when the eu visited pyongyang in may 2001. the delegation came away with north korea pledge to temporarily freeze its missile tests. it appears that europe's strategy is to maintain pressure on pyongyang and at the same time pursue a policy of engagement.

>> and what about north korea? how does it view its relations with europe? >> there are three things to note. first, north korea wants to strengthen its ties with europe in order to avoid becoming overdependent of china. the north also wants to show japan, the united states, south korea, that it is not isolated internationally. third, north korea's government hopes the relation with europe will bolster north korea's current leadership. in other words, using european capital and investments to raise domestic living standards would enhance the leadership's credibility and increase its grip on power. >> do you think economic ties between europe and north korea will deepen? if so, how soon can we see that happen? >> that depends on the north's actions. earlier this year north korean officials revised a low on foreign investments on a bid to attract foreign capital.

but european leaders will become wary if there are any more provocative actions by the north. and kim jong-un's economic policy is not yet very clear. still, european businesses have high hopes for the young leader and the country's labor market. for an update on the weather forecast, here is mai shoji. mai? >> here in tokyo today we had a very nice, warm and sunny day. but looks like it is not going to be lasting too long. we're heading for a wet weekend here in kanto region. all right in kyushu, starting to rain. and of course the rain season has started there. an it is going to be impacting along the pacific coast as it brings some strong winds ahead of it too. especially in hokkaido with that remnant of mawar still impacting the coastal areas with 3 to 4 meters of high waves. it is not really going to be a great idea to take your boats out there. northeastern china as well as the korean peninsula will be looking at some rainy conditions

as well. and isolated thunderstorms could be popping up there as well. southeastern china still, yes, the seasonal front will be lingering there, sitting there for a long while. for the next several days, actually, and fujian province, a report of more than 100 millimeters has fallen in the past 24 hours. so the ground is very, very saturated. no more rain is welcome there, but additional rain will be falling. and also in the philippines, and indochina peninsula, we're looking at heavy patches of rain there as well. especially in southern thailand, we have been seeing more than 100 millimeters of rainfall accumulation there as well. so normal rain is welcomed, but, yes, high rk of flooding, landslides and mud slides altogether. tokyo at 27 degrees on our friday. going to be mainly overcast, but we may see some showers too. beijing reaching up to 33 degrees. moving over to the americas now, the pacific northwest and the british columbia will be seeing

some wet and windy conditions yet again. ahead of that, this is where we may see some severe thunderstorms and some thunderstorms actually could be generating tornadoes. so yet again in the northern plains, risk there lie from here all the way up towards -- for your thursday is where your severe outlook is. the primary threat could be hail of 3 sent meeters centimeters i which could down trees and power lines and also very heavy rain could be triggering the area. rain will be triggering the florida peninsula as well as the southern gulf states. the heaviest rain could be found here in northern texas as well as southern oklahoma in the next 24 hours. oklahoma city at 26 degrees temperaturewise. denver, 27 from 31, what we saw yesterday. seattle, well below average at 15 degrees. let's move over to the european continent. the british isles, you're going to be seeing some very unstable

conditions. very windy, gusts could reach up to about 110 kilometers per hour. and accumulation of rainfall here could actually total as much as 90 millimeters. the southwesterly winds are going to be impacting, especially wales and england. and that could actually down some trees and power lines as well. and make driving conditions pretty dangerous and hazardous. the front that is lingering there down towards the iberian peninsula, along it we may see some thunderstorm activity as well. but ahead of that system, clear skies finally for you out there in the balkan peninsula. vienna reaching up to 29 degrees. london on the chillier side at 17 degrees. here's your extended forecast.

we'll be back with more news in 30 minutes. i'm gene otani in tokyo.

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