us on this edition ever "newsline." it is friday, june 29, 8:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. the u.s. supreme court upheld president barack obama's healthcare reform law. the court ruled on the legislation on thursday saying that the individual mandate, the requirement that americans buy health insurance or pay a tax, is constitutional. more than 20 states had challenged the law. >> today's decision was a victory for people all over this country whose lives will be more secure because of this law and the supreme court's decision to

uphold it. >> the verdict means obama's health care reform stays in place giving him a huge boost in his re-election bid in this autumn's presidential vote. the opposition republicans are expected to ramp up their campaign to retake the white house by promoting their policy of scrapping the law. companies in japan are constantly searching for rare earth metals to create products millions of people crave. smartphones and hybrid cars are just a couple of examples. but a supply of these minerals is limited. university of tokyo scientists might have solved that problem. they say they found substantial deposits of rare earths in japanese territories. potentially enough to last more than 200 years. this brown powder is dried mud taken from the seabed near minami-torishima island. the island is some 2,000 kilometers southeast of tokyo. the researchers say the mud contains high concentrations of rare earths. >> translator: if we can develop

the rare earths, it will have a great global impact. >> rare earths are a key resource for japan's high-tech industry. companies use them in hybrid vehicles and liquid crystal displays. but the minerals are only found in limited places. the u.s. geological survey says china accounts for 97% of the world's production. chinese government officials cut exports of the minerals by 40% in 2010. they said they were protecting the environment. in september that year, a chinese fishing vessel collided with japanese patrol boats. exports of rare earths to japan have been sporadic ever since. japanese firms started to look elsewhere for supplies. the university of tokyo scientists carried out a seabed survey. they analyzed the mud samples and discovered the high concentration of rare earths. they estimate the area of mud covers at least 1,000 square kilometers within japan's exclusive economic zone. they think it contains some 6.8

million tons of rare earths. but the minerals are nearly 6,000 meters below the surface of the sea. no one has ever mined at such depths, so new technology is required. engineers suggest using oil well drilling equipment. they would lower a pipe from a ship to the ocean floor. then they would blast air through this pipe forcing mud and sand up to the surface. they estimate crews could haul up some 15,000 tons of mud every day. >> translator: this is not something that we can do on our own. it will be very important for all of japan to cooperate. >> the researchers plan to ask the government to carry out tests to set up drilling technology. one troubled firm making a change at the top is tokyo electric power company. tepco's new chair say he's committed to reforming management and regaining public trust following the fukushima daiichi nuclear disaster which

began in march of last year. shareholders and customers are hoping the talk is more than just spin. kazuhiko shimokobe spoke thursday in tokyo. he took on his new job as chair a day earlier at tepco's annual shareholders meeting. >> translator: tepco is a huge monopoly and has failed to pay attention to customers' needs and social trends. i will make sure tepco listens carefully to outside criticism of its corporate culture and that every tepco employee takes into account our customers' needs. >> tepco has been attacked not just for its handling of the fukushima disaster but also for unilaterally imposing price increases. shimokobe is a 64-year-old lawyer. he served as chairman of the government-backed nuclear-damaged liability facilitation fund that helped tepco compensate disaster victims. he added it will be very hard for tepco to restart reactors at

its idle plant in kashiwazaki-kariwa, niigata prefecture without consent from the local community. the new tepco chair had an appointment with the governor of fukushima prefecture on the second day on the job. yuhei sato asked shimokobe to ensure the safe decommissioning of tepco's crippled reactors. the government also wants the utility to compensate people affected by the nuclear accident. governor yuhei sato, shimokobe and president naomi hirose met in fukushima. shimokobe apologized to residents in the prefecture for the difficulties caused by the meltdowns and explosions at the nuclear plant. sato said people feel renewed anxiety whenever problems have occurred at the plant. he said 160,000 people are still living in temporary housing. the accident has caused extensive damage to all sectors in fukushima prefecture. sato handed a written request to the two tepco executives and he

demanded the decommissioning of all reactors in the prefecture, the swift disclosure of information, and the payment of compensation. hirose said he will try to meet the request, even if it takes a long time. people in japan's northeast are focused on overcoming the challenges of the 2011 disaster. but it won't be easy. they have to rebuild homes, entire communities. we will show you their successes on "the road ahead" on wednesdays at 1:00 p.m. here on "newsline." . military person will have begun what they call in the china sea thp they think the territory holds reserves of oil and gas and they insist all of it belongs to them. the problem is the vietnam ma hemnes believe the same things. nhk world reports from hanoy.

>> translator: chien yeah actions are illegal. the mining fields that china is trying to develop lie within vietnam's exclusive economic zone. >> vietnam acted on deploying in the china stae. the controversy focuses on an area of 160,000 square kilometers bp. the sector is closer to vietnam than other contested areas. officials say they are already surveying the same prefecture for the government. the foreign minister said the actions of its oil company are

ready to make. >> translator: we hope vietnam will stick to the common ground, refrain from take actions that may complicate and aggravate the disputes and stop all of the activity encroaching on china in relevant sea areas. >> last week the power adopted a law with sovereigntior islands. the same day, china laid its administrative status. maritime author announced that four chinese ships left port on tuesday to the disputed area. with both sides stressing their claims, competing plans in south china sea, add to original tensions. nhk world, hanoy. tension between south ree krooea and japan over a few tiny

islands is surfacing again. south korea's ruling party have visited the takeshima islands. they are at the center after the territorial dispute of japan. party officials traveled on thursday by helicopter and patrol boat to the islands in the sea of japan. they spent several hours on the island. officials inspected accommodations built by the south korean government and encouraged the guard stationed there. these includes visits to islands in the yellow sea, off the western coast of the korean peninsula, and to the demill tarrized zone, which divides north and south korea. the japanese government launched a protest with south korea over the visit. minister and deputy chief at the japanese embassy in seoul visited the south korean foreign ministry and expressed

dissatisfaction. kurai encouraged them to reconsider their actions. western sanctions the only complicate international negotiations over his country's nuclear program. the u.s., eu, and other world powers want to t.bring in scientists. speaking to tokyo -- to nhk in tokyo, the minister is a foreign ambassador to japan. he is taking part in negotiationes with five permanent members of the u.n. security council and germany. he says the u.s. and europe must recognize iran's right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy. >> is t is a big misunderstanding if they think that iran is under pressure by the sanctions. no. not at all. yes, sanctions have been costly, as sanctions have caused extra

expenses for us, but they haven't been able to, you know, to force iran to give up its rights. he points out that iran's nuclear program has become a matter of national pride. because the country has been able to independently build related technology. he says iran will never give up any part of its achievement but is prepared to make it transparent enough to answer any questions. japan will allow the u.s. military to deploy osprey aircraft on the southwestern island prefecture of okinawa despite growing local opposition. chief cabinet secretary osamu fujimura explained the plan to a ruling coalition lawmaker from okinawa. fujimura said residents oppose the deployment of the mv-22 osprey at the u.s. air station because the aircraft crashed several times recently. he replied japan had planned to

ask the united states to delay the deployment and was unable to persuade the country. he said u.s. officials will provide notification of the final deployment plan on friday. the japanese government will give its consent. the united states plans to conduct test flights of the osprey at the u.s. marine corps iwakuni station in yamaguchi prefecture in late july. however, current discussions indicate that the u.s. will wait until the latest crash investigation results are released. the new president panasonic says the company will reform its core television production lines to make them more profitable. the japanese electronics maker posted the worst ever losses in the fiscal year through march. kazuhiro tsuga remarked on thursday when he pledged a speedy restructuring of business. he said tvs fail to make profits despite large sales.

the business recorded losses for four years in a row, although televisions have long been at the center of panasonic's home appliances sector. >> translator: it's very important that we remodel our company. to one that sticks to profitable fields as soon as possible. otherwise, our status in the world will deteriorate all the more. >> the president said the company will reduce the number of tv models and outsource their production to other companies. the people at google are hoping their new focus on hardware pays off this week as the company rolls out its first tablet device. the internet and software giant is taking aim at firms like apple and amazon for a share of the market dominated by the ipad and kindle. nhk world's misato ishikawa has more.

>> reporter: google unveiled their new product at an ikea conference in san francisco. it is developed with thaiwanese manufacturer acor. >> and here it is. nexus 7. >> reporter: this is google's first public offering. the company has taken a punch in pursuit of apple, which claims a 60% market share in tablets. the device's selling point is its size. the nexus 7 is more compact than the apple ipad. and the price at $199 is less than half the cost. >> music, movies, books, magazines, apps and games, all the great content from google play right at your fingertips.

>> reporter: last week, microsoft announced it would start selling its own tablet. online mega store amazon also enjoys sales with its kindle released last year. analysts say google's aim is to build sales into the lower end of the market first. google's tablets hit stores in the u.s., canada and the uk in mid july, although a japan release is yet to be announced. but experts predict the number of japanese users will grow rapidly pushed by the spread of digital books and other popular applications. >> translator: mobile phones are a bit too small to read on. but it's too much trouble to start up a computer every time. tablets have potential in japan. digital books will take off in japan this year and awareness of

tablets will increase. tablets' share of the world pc market is expected to grow to about 10%. i believe it's going to be a good segment. >> reporter: japanese consumers will be hoping the google tablet is worth the wait. now let's take a look at the market figures.

a fashion trend born in japan is catching on abroad. it's inspired by school girls and the uniforms say where -- an iconic one is found in films on tv and in comic books. now it's being scene on the street and in the runway. so if you think school uniforms are a strict fashion freedom, this report might make you think again. here is nhk world's rinarekano. these girls in the neighborhood look like they are on their way it class. they are wearing school uniforms or safe gu. but it's not a weekday. it's saturday. >> is this your school uniform?

>> it's a pretend uniform. >> i'm not wearing one for school. trance tans this is something i picked out on my own. >> these pretend uniforms have no affiliation with any particular school. it's functional clothing that's become fashionable. girls who like to mark themselves as school girl are putting their own twist on tradition. wearing the outfits on week ends or to go out. anna picked up on the trend. the high school senior says it's much more fashionable than her other option. >> translator: my actual school uniform is not very cute. so i wanted to wear other styles. >> this is her mandatory school uniform. it includes a long skirt, tie and sweater vest. compare that to the pretend uniform wardrobe she's built up with trading with friends and buying on-line. she's collected more than ten pieces, allowing her to create different combinations by mixing and matching.

>> i fold it like this. >> she rolls her skirt five times, brings down her cardigan -- >> translator: and i'm done. >> the school uniform fashion trend started small, but it's growing. now new businesses, like this one, are trying to cash in. they're maybing their clothing to meet the growing demand. the people who run this store used to sell women's clothing only. but sales grew ten-fold once they started their own safe gu line. >> the customer came in wanting a cuter uniform, so we tailored just one outfit. then she told her friends. by word of moij mouth, it spread to two, three, four customers and so on. >> school girls crafted their latest line. >> the girls find inspiration from magazines, popular music

groups, and cartoon characters. >> within these boundaries, how far can i push it? how original can i be? how expressive can i be? so uniforms become a way for school girls to show -- to show off their own originality and to show off their own cuteness or their own confidence or their own strength even. >> now the world wants to get in on the safe gu trend. japanese uniforms created english web sites itcater to the growing number of foreign customers. they even have taken their iconic safeku fashion lines from the streets to the runways in china. >> we are proud that safeku fashion came out of japan. it's trendy and cute. i hope it spreads to the world. >> it is a trend high school senior, anna, will continue to follow but only for the near

future. >> translator: i only get three years for my high school experience. i will show everyone i'm a school girl, that's why i wear this everyday. >> many believe safeku is a symbol of japanese youth. so she will forgo the uniforms once she graduates and pass them down to her younger friends. she hopes they will experience the same glamorous school girl lifestyle and carry on the tradition. rina nakano, nhk world, tokyo. >> people in the japanese fashionened us try believe the word safeku will become part of the vocabulary, just like the words sushi, karaoke and anime have. where injury safeku? >> well, i have to confess. i used to wear that kind of safeku when i was a high school

student. >> i see. but not any more. i guess we're unfashionable. well people in tokyo aren't having to pop up their umbrellas, even though it's rainy season. we are having beautiful sunny days recently. what's in store for us today? >> catherine, it'll be sunny and warm. we thought it would rain today but an area of rain is staying over the water. so again, it's going to be sunny and warm with a high of 25 degrees in tokyo. meanwhile, the northern half of japan and the treeian peninsula are staying hot and dry. south korea has been dealing with the worst drought under a century but finally rain is coming down on your saturday as a new system comes in, you will likely see thunderstorms as well as gusty winds and you will see a line of thundershowers forming over central china. down towards the south, strong southwesterly monsoon flow has been producing lots of heavy rain in bangladesh, northeastern india as well as southwest coast of the indio in

bangladesh. lots of landslides occurred, killing at least 100 people. unfortunately, it's rainy season. so more rain will be coming down so that could make things worse. meanwhile, we've got this pink showing up. that means tropical storm, right now situated 0e6r the south china sea. but stormy conditions will likely continue across parts of taiwan. right now, packing sustained winds of 72 miles an hour with gusts of 108. so it has strengthened a little bit since yesterday. it'll continue to move towards the northwest northwesterly direction and hit -- actually, southeast coast of china by saturday morning local time. then continues to move inland. so an additional 100 millimeters of rain is possible in parts of southeastern china. but it's not good news because seasonal front line produced lots of heavy rain and caused flooding. let's take a look at some images

coming out on wednesday. flooding rain effecting southeastern china during the first half of the week and causing landslides. a duluth ever rain triggered landslides blocking roadways on some of the highways. can you see some workers are clearing the road and trying to make them passable. 100 mill meeters is likely over a span of 24 hours. so that could worsen the situation. all right, temperature wise, 33 in hong kong. should cool down to 21 degrees on your saturday. finally, let's go over to the americas. we have a line of thundershowers affecting parts of the midwestern states. and there is a risk of severe weather in the eastern portions of the great lakes region overnight thursday. out towards the west, we've got

a lot pressure system approaching the west coast of british columbia and pacific northwest. you will likely see light to moderate precipitation but the rain the not enevada, utah, colorado and wyoming where the rain is desperately need pepd we have bee talking about the central and eastern portions of the u.s., it looks like hot weather will likely continue on your friday, getting up to 33 in chicago and 37 degrees in new york city and 38 in atlanta. all right, here's your extended forecast.

our lead story this hour. the u.s. supreme court upheld president barack obama's healthcare reform law. the court ruled on the legislation on thursday saying that the individual mandate, the requirement that americans buy health insurance or pay a tax is constitutional. more than 20 states had challenged the the law. >> today's decision was a victory for people all over this country. whose lives will be more secure because of this law, and the supreme court's decision to uphold it. >> the verdict means obama's healthcare reform stays in place giving limb a huge boost in his reelection bid in this autumn's presidential vote. the republicans are expected to ramp up their campaign to retake the white house by promoting their policy of scrapping the law. and that wraps up this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo, thanks for joining us.