the search is on. leaders of the winning party in greece look for a coalition partner as they prepare to pull the country out of crisis. welcome to nhk world "newsline." members of greece's new democracy party are savoring their election victory, but the celebration won't last long. new democracy supports the austerity measures greece signed off on to win bailout funds from the eurozone. now party leaders need to find a coalition partner and find one fast if they want to implement the spending cuts and start digging the country out of debt.

nhk world's jun takahashi reports from athens. >> reporter: antonis samaris says the time for adventure is over. he told voters greece's place in europe should not be put in doubt. >> this is a victory for all europe. i call upon all political parties that share those objectives to join forces and form a stable new government. >> reporter: political parties went into the election divided over whether to implement austerity measures. officials from the european union and international monetary fund monitored spending cuts in return for the billions of dollars in aid. the coalition of the radical left led those opposed to austerity. party leaders argue the package of spending and job cuts only brought greeks more pain.

the party finished a close second with around 26% of the vote. >> translator: we'd like to play a major role as an opposition party. >> reporter: so now samaras faces another round of talks to form a coalition. he is expected to pick his former partner in the pasok party once again. pasok came in third. the two parties won a total of 162 seats of the 300-seat parliament. together they would have a majority. >> translator: if we really want greece to remain in the eurozone and get out of the crisis for the benefit of every greek family, we need a government by tomorrow.

>> reporter: samaras urged the greeks during the campaign to choose the path of austerity. the result should put them back on the road. >> translator: let us wish the new government success. greece needs it. >> reporter: world leaders are already discussing what happens here. they are gathering in los cabos, mexico, at the summit of the group of 20 nations. they share the notion that greeks must follow through on their promises of austerity. now they share another thing, a sense of relief. jun takahashi, nhk world, athens. let's take a closer look at the political path greeks took to get here and what the austerity measures mean for their lives moving forward. the austerity program centers on reducing government expenditures through spending cuts and tax increases. greek leaders would slash pensions by about 20%. they would also cut 150,000 jobs

in the public sector. on top of that, they would raise more tax revenue by increasing the value-added tax, or v.a.t., to 23% and implementing a new property tax. public opposition to these austerity measures still persists. opponents view them as too tough, especially in light of the country's current financial situation. greece's gdp shrank in 2011 for a fourth consecutive year. its jobless rate marked an all-time high of 21.9% this past march. more than 50% of people under the age of 25 are out of work. >> translator: we greeks are suffering. our pensions have been cut, and suicides are on the rise. >> it was an unpopular stance. still, the former ruling two-party coalition supported austerity measures. it failed to win a majority in last month's parliamentary elections. the radical left coalition made a stunning advance winning nearly five times more seats than it had before the vote.

it's firmly against the austerity program. the parties that came in first, second, and third in terms of seats each led coalition talks in succession, but they failed to narrow their differences on austerity. that sent greek voters back to the polls over the weekend. to get a handle on what's next for greece and the global economy, business desk anchor ron madison spoke a short while ago with an expert on eu issues. >> mr. hayashi, nice to speak with you. >> the leader of the new party has his hands full. he has to form a coalition government, among other things. the leftist leader is still vowing to push ahead with his anti-austerity ideas. what do you think is going to happen next? how successful will the new coalition government be? >> i think the point is how quickly or how smoothly the winning parties will form the coalition cabinet as soon as possible.

>> so forming the coalition government is the main task. >> yes. >> how quickly, realistically, do you think that they can do that. >> yes. definitely until the end of june, this month, because their main task is to get the money from the eu, the imf, to pay the greek government bonds. so concerning the repayment schedule in july, i think the end of june is a critical point for the political issues. >> okay. i guess also speed with this will also keep the confidence of both investors and voters. >> right. yes. i think the response of the financial market is just a shortfall. i think the financial players are thinking this is a good occasion for them to reverse the accumulated position to --

afterwards, they are just watching what will happen. as i said, especially, how rapidly the greek parties will form the coalition cabinet. i think it tends to be negative. they want to say again. that might lead to the contention to the other european countries, especially spain. >> can't let you go without getting your thoughts on another big story today. of course, the g-20 summit is coming up. european leaders and leaders from around the world will be discussing ways to contain the european debt crisis. >> yes. >> what's going to be their most urgent task? what do you think will come out of the g-20? >> for urgent task, i think it is very urgent, essential, for both the developed and developing countries, especially the central bank of these countries, to provide enough

abundant funds to the financial market in order to avoid the so-called second -- i think this is urgent short term. but at the same time, i think it is important for them to discuss the long-term issues like a banking union or the integration of the financial regulation. so it would take time to complete such a framework, but it is very important or necessary to discuss now to make the target to achieve such framework. >> mr. hayashi, very good to get your insight on this. thanks for being with us. >> thank you very much. >> hideki hayashi, chief researcher of eu studies in tokyo.

the muslim brotherhood has declared victory in egypt's first presidential election since the fall of hosni mubarak. they say their candidate mohammed morsi is the first popularly elected civilian president. vote counting continues the poll on saturday and sunday. morsi ran against ahmed shafiq. a former military commander who served as mubarak's last prime minister. morsi says he's ready to serve all egyptians. members of shafiq's camp said it would be abstourd believe their opponents, egypt's election administration committee, plans to announce the official results on thursday. meanwhile, the supreme council of the country's armed forces issued new amendments to the country's interim constitution on monday. they stipulate that parliament's power to draw up legislation and approve budgets will be transferred to the army temporarily.

a committee to draft a new constitution will be organized by the army. the amendments forbid the president from interfering with the military's budget or personnel affairs. the interim military administration says it will transfer power to a civilian administration this month. the moves to strengthen the military's authority have angered young egyptians and the muslim brotherhood. a large rally to protest the amendments has been called for tuesday. chinese astronauts took another small step forward in their country's mission to build its own space station. the shenzhou-9 capsule carried a crew of three droked with an orbiting space laboratory. the event marked a couple of firsts for china. the shenzhou nine linked up with the tenggong 1 module. engineers at a ground base carried out the docking by remote control. they've been adjusting the spacecraft's orbit since its

liftoff saturday. they went inside the space lab. two of them are men. the third is a woman. liu yang. she's the first female chinese astronaut to go into orbit. they'll perform a manual docking and carry out experiments during their 13-day mission. the link-up in space marks china's first manned docking. it's the third country to do this after the united states and russia. chinese leaders are aiming to build a permanent space station by 2020. diplomats are meeting in moscow to argue over the future of iran's nuclear program. representatives of seven nations are in the russian capital. it's their third round of negotiations since april. they are trying to sort out their differences over the iranian government's uranium enrichment program. eu foreign policy chief catherine ashton and iran's top nuclear negotiator saeed jalili are participating in the two-day discussions. negotiators from the united states, russia, china, britain, france and germany are taking part as well.

the group is sometimes referred to as the e-3 plus 3. >> what the e-3 plus 3 is looking for and hoping for is that the iranians will seriously engage on the set of proposals that we put on the table in baghdad. >> foreign officials want iranian scientists to stop enriching uranium to 20%. experts say once the material is at that concentration, it's much easier to enrich it further so it can be used to develop nuclear weapons. iranian authorities insist they have the right to use atomic energy for peaceful purposes. they are calling for international economic sanctions to be relaxed. but u.s. and european leaders plan to impose further sanctions targeting iranian oil exports by the end of june or early july. north korean authorities are warning they are prepared to take action if the u.s., japan and south korea go ahead with planned naval exercises.

they say they'll strengthen their own defense capabilities in retaliation. a north korean foreign ministry spokesperson criticized the upcoming drills. they are scheduled to happen thursday and friday off the korean peninsula. the "uss george washington" will take part. the aircraft carrier is based in japan. the american military commander in south korea revealed last week he asked the u.s. defense department to deploy more attack helicopters to the area. the u.s. and south korean foreign and defense ministers also agreed last thursday their countries will work with japan to improve coordination to defend against north korean aggression. the north's foreign ministry spokesperson called that decision and the upcoming naval exercise open provocation. and blamed the u.s. for increasing tension in the region. the philippines and china have been locked in a standoff in the south china sea for two months. both countries are pulling out of the area. but the territorial dispute has

not been resolved and tensions may continue. tratia at our bangkok bureau has details. >> china is withdrawing its vessels from the south china sea following an announcement by the philippines. the chinese government gave poor weather in the area as the reason behind the move. the standoff in waters around scarborough shoal erupted in april. both the philippines and china claim sovereignty over the uninhabited shoal. on saturday, the philippine government ordered a coast guard ship and another vessel in the area to return to port to avoid an approaching typhoon. chinese foreign ministry spokesperson hong lai welcomes the move. he said at a news conference on monday that china will send a vessel to chug chinese fishing boats in the area to safety. >> translator: two philippine

ships left the waters early saturday morning. china hopes the tension will further ease and both nations will restore cooperative relations. >> however, the spokesperson expressed china's intention to continue claim over the shoal. adding that the country will continue to monitor surrounding waters. tensions have temporarily eased but the cause of the confrontation has not been resolved. the territorial dispute will remain a sticky issue between the two countries. economic growth in vietnam is catching the eyes of the world. another key factor attracting foreign investors is deposits of valuable minerals. japan is reaching out to vietnam to help it step up production and also secure its own future supplies. nhk world's akiko ishihara has more. >> reporter: japan has high

hopes for vietnam as a supplier of rare earth elements. the two countries have established a joint research institute in hanoi to study the minerals. officials from both countries expressed their hopes for the prosperity of its opening ceremony on saturday. >> translator: the completion of this center is a test toomt the cooperation of japan and vietnam in the fields of science and technology. it will lead to bilateral collaborative relations. >> the institute researches the chemicals used to extrapolate minerals. the data will be put to good use. two japanese trading houses and a vietnamese company will use the research to begin finding rare earth minerals next year in the northwestern province. >> translator: this project is

crucial because it enables vietnam to develop as a rare earth producer and also enables japan to acquire important minerals. >> rare earth minerals are essential in high-tech industries. they are used for applications such as enhancing the performance of electric vehicle motors and digital camera lenses. china accounts for more than 90% of global production of rare earth. but it is tightening control over production and exports. the country says it is taking steps to protect its resources and environment. analysis points out china's intention to use the regulation as a bargaining chip in negotiations with other nations. substitutes for rare earth elements are being developed, but demand is high and the rush

to secure supplies of rare earth is heating up due to rapid growth in emerging economies. more countries are likely to make efforts to build a win-win relationship with potential suppliers. akiko ichihara, nhk world, hanoi. >> and that wraps up our bulletin. foreigners who move to japan sometimes face challenges. learning the language is one of the biggest. not being able to speak japanese can make newcomers feel restricted. it's something the country's 210,000 strong brazilian population understands. many came to japan to find work. however, they say searching for a job or just getting around is tough because they can't pass the japanese driver's license test.

but new changes mean that roadblock is coming down. nhk world's ritsuko imahashi explains. >> reporter: since april 2nd, it's been a lot easier for brazilians living here to get driver's licenses. they are now allowed to take the written test in portuguese. >> translator: it's great. now i can take my children to their kindergarten and also drive to work. >> reporter: there are about 3,500 brazilians living in suzuka. iwai has a job packing car parts. he has a brazilian driver's license issued during a short trip home five years ago. but he cannot use it in japan. a license issued abroad is only valid in japan if you can prove you lived in the country where

it was issued for at least three months afterwards. iwai left to brazil a month after he got his license so he had two choices. either go back to brazil for another two months or apply for a japanese license. as a contract worker, he's afraid of losing his job if he's away too long. so he decided to try for a japanese license. but he failed many times because the written section could only be taken in japanese or english. >> translator: having a driver's license will be a great help if i'm laid off and need to look for another job. it will make life much easier in many other ways, too. >> reporter: since 2008, jobs have been hard to find.

many more foreigners in japan have been trying to get driver's licenses mainly to help in their search for work. because so many brazilians live in the prefecture, they introduced driving tests in portuguese. iwai finally was successful on his fourth attempt. >> translator: it was very hard because i had nobody to help me. >> reporter: the national police agency says driving tests can be taken in portuguese in 8 of japan's 47 prefectures now. there is little support for africans who are studying in portuguese.

in may, a brazilian-born interpreter has set up a group to help people who are planning to take the test in portuguese. they use japanese driving textbooks that he translated. many members of his study groups say they are overwhelmed by the huge number of driving regulations they have to learn. there are far more laws in japan than brazil. >> translator: there is only so much that an individual can do to help. it would be much better if the prefecture could provide assistance for brazilians and people from other places. >> reporter: as the prefectures have plans to introduce tests in portuguese after coordinating

with the local police and driving schools. ritsuko imahashi, nhk world. for an update on the weather forecast, here's mai shoji. >> we have been tracking this typhoon guchol. you can see a big spiral of this cloud formation. now it is steadily approaching the oak gnaw wan and imami regions. take a look at this video from naha, okinawa. you can see the drenching rain already with this stormy condition. it looks like it could down trees, power lines and also breaking umbrellas. you can see here, already breaking some umbrellas there. but this is steadily moving towards okinawa. we'll be moving overnight tonight. these regions. and then if we can pull back, i can show you this will be predictedly tracking in this northeasterly direction. this is guchol. wind gusts already packing up to

216 kph and that could produce some swarms -- storm swells as well as high waves. even in the eastern seaboard, the pacific coast could reach up to five meters so you don't want to be near these coastal areas. and here in the western japan pacific coast could top not a g surfing or being in the coastal areas. now not only this windy condition will be impacting the archipelago of japan. this is a zone of drenching rain passing through these areas. we're talking about up to 400 millimeters in southern sihkoku totalling up to about an additional 500 millimeters. so that could be as much as a meter as this storm passes through. and as for metropolitan tokyo, the population is about 13 million. people do rely on the public transportation but looks like this is going to be making a significant travel disturbance,

as well as downing power lines here in the metropolitan tokyo as well, which is going to be very, very dangerous situation. so we'll keep a very close eye on this system. now we also have this tropical storm talin over the south china sea lingering over the east of hainan area. packing up to accumulation of rainfall in these regions. and this is going to be moving towards southeastern china where the rainy season has been affecting these regions already. in taiwan. 190 millimeters has been reported in taiwan and some areas of southeastern china. in the past 24 hours. but looks like additional rainfall of about 150 could be possible in the next 24. and this is going to be a huge concern with further flooding situation. temperaturewise, take a look at this. a lot of rainy weather for us in this eastern continental asia. 25 in tokyo, reaching up to 33 in beijing. staying in the 30s in the tropics. moving over to the americas now.

well, we have a storm system moving through towards the great lakes region and still, we cannot rule out the possibilities of tornadic activity in minnesota and wisconsin. things are very dry and hot towards the lower desert region. take a look at this. temperatures reflecting here. phoenix at 45 degrees. even denver reaching up to 37. that's 10 degrees above average. not going to be helping contain the wildfire in new mexico. and in colorado. all right. taking a look at europe now, things are going to be pretty unstable over towards the north. but out towards the other side of the jet stream, really hot. take a look at this temperature here in athens. 35 degrees and ankara at 33. that's not going to be helping contain the wildfire in greece. okay. take a look at your three-day forecast.

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