ravaged by rain, an unprecedented downpour soaks southwestern japan and residents struggle to clean up. welcome to nhk world "newsline." the rain has been falling so hard and so fast on the japanese island of kyushu that the ground just can't keep up. much of the deluge isn't being absorbed. it is triggering flooding and mud slides. at least 11 people are dead and 15 others missing. nhk world mitsuko nishikawa reports. >> reporter: this is the sometimes brutal reality of

japan's rainy season, towns and villages littered with torn up trees and vegetation, twisted train tracks, and streets that look like swampy, muddy messes. the last time this 72-year-old resident faced a cleanup like this was 25 years ago. >> translator: we have to get this mud out quickly. otherwise, it will get sticky and then harden. >> reporter: the rain started coming down around dawn in most places, and it came down hard, pelting the ground and lashing buildings. people woke to find usually calm rivers have turned into warring torrents. crews tried to keep the water at bay, but in some areas they just couldn't. rivers swamped neighborhoods. and rescuers had to go in with boats to whisk away residents.

in some cases, they had to drop down from the sky to save people. whenever people got a break in the rain, they started cleaning up. families scooped water and mud out of their living rooms. and crews attacked piles of rubble. this is what it looked like when employees of this cell phone company arrived at work this morning. >> translator: i don't know whether we ourselves will be able to deal with this situation. >> reporter: people in this part of japan have dealt with these annual rains for generations. still, when faced with a mess like this, history provides little comfort. mitsuko nishikawa, nhk world. the korean peninsula and the south china sea are two security flashpoints with potential to

unsettle the entire asia-pacific region. both have been on the agenda at this year's asean regional forum in cambodia. dhra dhirakaosal reports from the forum in phnom penh. >> it brings southeast asia today with global powers like the united states and smaller regional states like north korea. it is a rare opportunity for diplomats to be invited to the same event as their kourpt counterparts from pyongyang. the other big topic of the week, how to resolve simmering disputes among nations surrounding the south china sea. delegates from 26 countries and the european union gathered thursday afternoon in phnom penh. the north korean foreign minister was closely watched by the international media. it is the first time the regime of kim jong-un has sat down as

at an international conference with the united states. the other member countries of the stalled six-party talks also attended, including south korea and china. the nuclear issue has gained urgency since april when north korea launched a rocket. pyongyang claimed it was clearing a satellite. the south china sea territorial dispute was expected to be the other big topic of discussion. china's position is that disputes should be solved bilaterally between nations involved, thereby, denying the united states an opportunity to intervene. but the u.s. has been pushing china to join a multi-lateral framework with asean claimants to draw up legally binding code of conducts. u.s. engagement with groups such as the asean regional forum reflects a shift in foreign policy under the obama administration. the asia-pacific is now the focus of american economic and military strategy.

that means potential flash points including the south china sea are of increasing concern to washington, especially when it comes to the military presence of china. nhk world's anthony yazaki reports. >> reporter: u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton arrived in phnom penh on wednesday afternoon. the first item on the agenda was a meeting with the foreign minister from asean where they exchanged views on the region's most delicate topic, the territorial disputes over the south china sea. >> i ask in my country why i put so much emphasis on asean, i tell them we work with asean on issues of central importance to the united states from maritime security to economic growth. >> clinton plans to step down as secretary of state by the beginning of 2013.

during her tenure she has attended the asean regional forum every year. using it to underscore washington's interest in the south china sea issue. this being her last arf, clinton is eager to make progress. she has been on a whistle stop regional tour before arriving in cambodia. on tuesday she was in vietnam, one of the asean countries currently in dispute with china. there she had the opportunity to hear the opinions of vietnamese leaders about how the united states should face china over the issue. the united states says it wants maritime disputes settled peacefully through diplomatic means but at the same time, it is stipg its ability to respond to the expanded military activities of china. one priority is intensifying surveillance of chinese military vessels. as such, the u.s. navy has

decided to employ its most advanced unmanned surveillance aircraft to the region. still under development, the nq4c triton will be based in guam and should be fully operational by the second half of 2015. the triton flies at an altitude of 20 kilometers, much higher than most conventional aircraft. it can collect intelligence across vast areas and will be able to closely monitor the movement of chinese military vessels. >> the reality of it is increased attention to the asia-pacific and increased attention to the rise of china. there are many ways to accomplish that. one way is to shift combat forces obviously. another way, obviously, we're talking about today is to shift isr capabilities. >> reporter: the united states is publicly calling on all countries involved in territorial disputes with china to resolve their issues

peacefully. however, the u.s. also believes that holding a military advantage over the chinese will help keep beijing's ambitions in check. this has been anthony yazaki reporting for nhk world in phnom penh, cambodia. the united states and north korea were among the delegates at the asean forum. the meeting was in many ways the highlight of this week's agenda. let's bring in nhk world for her analysis of this meeting. starting with north korea, what have participants been saying about the nuclear program? >> the issue received special attention for two reasons. first, because of the north's effective missile launch in april this year and, second, because this was the first time since kim jong-un took over as leader that a north korea cabinet minister attended this sort of conference. all the members of the stalled six-party talks on north korea's nuclear program were present on thursday. japan, united states, south

korea and others conveyed to north korea the international community's desire for a stable and nuclear-free north korean peninsula. but the reclusive state was prepared and knew how to respond. asean is a friendly audience for north korea. all ten asean members have formal diplomatic relations with the north. pyongyang took advantage of the stage. it was able to clear state its position regarding the nuclear issue and indicated it's open to holding talks with other countries. but the top priorities for north korea are rebuilding its economy and stabilizing the regime of kim jong-un. >> turning to the south china sea issue, what developments have emerged regarding disputes over sovereignty there. >> on the eve of the national forum, asean countries and china agreed in principle to start drawing up a legally binding code of conduct and china remains cautious.

it doesn't want to sign on to anything that would limit activities. at thursday's meeting the united states strongly pushed all countries involved to accelerate work on the code of conduct. concerns remain that china may try to prolong the discussions and make the rules ineffective. but for now, u.s. pressure seems to have worked by pushing asean to move forward and keeping china in check. >> thank you very much. the asia-pacific is one of the world's fastest growing regions. instability here risks upsetting the entire global economy. a nuclear-free korean peninsula and peace in the south china sea are crucial goals for the international community. this week's meetings have underlined how important it is that nations come together and compromise to find lasting solutions. that's all for our special coverage of the asean meetings here in cambodia. thank you for joining us. i'm dhra dhirakaosal.

myanmar used to draw the kind negative attention north korea gets. but that changed once its leaders started implement regforms. now u.s. president barack obama is recognizing the southeast asian nation's transformation. he's conditionally eegs investment sanctions. obama says the decision is a show of u.s. support for the country's transition to democracy. his administration considered relaxing restrictions when myanmar held by-elections in april for its national assembly. his secretary of state hillary clinton hinted in may this policy change could be coming. but obama says american businesses are still concerned about a lack of transparency in myanmar's investment environment. he also says several companies will stay on the sanctions list. they include military related enterprises. those guilty of human rights abuses and firms trading arms with north korea. obama says u.s. firms will be required to provide detailed

disclosures about their business transactions in myanmar. representatives of western nations are launching another appeal to the u.n. security council over syria. they are trying to win approval for a tough new package of sanctions against the administration of bashar al assad. the conflict between the syrian army and anti-government forces has dragged on for 16 months. nhk obtained a draft document outlining the proposed sanctions. it addresses the u.n. observer mission in syria. it demands an end to all violence and condemns the government for its continued attacks on civilians despite agreeing to a u.n. cease-fire plan. the draft threatens the assad administration with sanctions if it does not comply with the cease-fire within ten days of the resolution's adoption.

it also calls for a 45-day extension of the u.n. cease-fire monitoring mission. the mandate expires on july 20th. the heavy violence forced observers to temporarily suspend their activities. this new draft revolution counters another one russian representatives circulated tuesday. that document calls for the u.n. to extend its observer mission by 90 days without the threat of sanctions. u.s. ambassador to the u.n., susan rice, argued a binding resolution must be in place before an extension is granted. for the current mission known as unsmis. >> simple rollover of unsmis without the council being clear that it is prepared to put the full political weight that we have behind these observers on the ground and behind implementation of the annan plan is insufficient. >> this new development in the plans to corner syria is expected to trigger another confrontation between russia and western members of the u.n.

security council. japan's central bank has decided to maintain its current monetary stance saying the nation's economy is recovering despite global uncertainty. the bank of japan announced the unanimous decision after its two-day policy meeting ended on thursday. policymakers cited the european debt problem as the biggest concern. they also pointed to china's economic slowdown affected by its close trade ties with europe and uncertainty about the outlook of theus economy. despite these rinks, the boj policy board concluded japan's economic recovery is picking up due to demand for reconstruction in areas hit by last year's disaster. policymakers acknowledge the need to keep a close eye on the situation in europe but maintained its outlook the economy in japan will gradually improve. the bank said it will maintain the current size of its asset

buying and lending program but will fine tune it to ensure the current monetary easing is effective. leading japanese advertising agency dentsu is to buy out british ad agency aegis group. the two companies reached a deal worth $4.9 billion on thursday. under the terms of the agreement, dentsu will purchase all outstanding aegis stocks by december and make the british firm a wholly owned subsidiary. aegis is well known as a leading european ad agency and has a presence in 80 nations, mainly in europe and latin america. it's strong in context sensitive online advertising. the ad market in japan has recently shown little growth due partly to a declining birth rate. dentsu aims to expand its global reach by focusing on emerging economies that are expected to show higher demand for advertising. here are the latest market figures.

members of japan's coast guard spent another day chasing away chinese ships from their country's territorial waters. they say foreign fishing vessels again ventured toward the senkaku islands. japan controls the territory, but china and taiwan also claim it.

the latest incident happened thursday a day after three chinese fisheries surveillance ships briefly entered japanese waters near the senkakus. the five uninhabited islands are in the east china sea. coast guard officials say one of the boats left the area, but the other 2 1/2 gated just beyond the border. they say one of the two boats then re-entered japan's territorial waters off uwasiri island. they spite fourth chinese patrol boat thursday about 40 kilometers northwest of the senkaku islands. coast guard personnel warned the vessel by radio not to enter japanese territory. the boat's crew responded they were patrolling inside chinese waters. the senkaku issue has created friction between japan and china for years. it has sometimes made relations frosty here in asia, especially in the area of defense. but elsewhere in the world, the dispute is more of a distant concern. off the coast of africa, both countries are working together to confront a common enemy. nhk world's toru nakai explains.

>> reporter: these are some of the most dangerous waters in the world. somalia pirates patrol the gulf of aden looking for easy prey. it's an important international shipping route. so leaders from japan and 19 other nations have deployed naval vessels and patrol aircraft to the area. the self-defense forces allow the media on board its pc-3 aircraft. the plane gets intelligence from the air. we are about 45 minutes into our flight. we took up from an airport in djibouti north of somalia. that's where the sdf has its operation base. soon an sdf destroyer comes into

view. it is escorting a cargo ship. after awhile, we spot a chinese naval ship. the crew on the japanese patrol plane makes radio contact with the vessel. >> translator: we asked each other if there was any information on pirate activity. >> reporter: japan's self-defense forces are cooperating with chinese troops in their daily operations of the coast of east africa. but that cooperation doesn't always extend to asia. this pc-3 aircraft belongs to an sdf unit in okinawa. pilots there use the plane to carry out surveillance activities near the senkaku islands in the east china sea. japan controls the islands.

but china and taiwan claim the islands as their own. i ask the pilot about the sdf's competing missions when it comes to dealing with china. >> translator: i think we need to share information because we have a common interest in fighting piracy activities. >> reporter: this list shows the schedule of escort activities. the sdf coordinates with china, india and other countries in taking turns to protect ships in the area. >> translator: we share information with the militaries of china, india and the u.s. i believe that protecting japan-related ships in this area will contribute to safeguarding the japanese economy.

>> reporter: china has had delicate relations with countries such as japan and india. they are at odds over territorial claims and other issues. but off the coast of africa, those countries are putting those differences aside to fight a common threat of piracy and protect civilian ships. >> nhk world's toru nakai is back in tokyo. he came by the studio to give us her insight into his report on the gulf of aden. here's his conversation with yuko aotani. what can you tell us about this media tour example, the timing and the atmosphere with the sdf? >> yes, it happened in the same week the japanese government announced its plans to extend its anti-piracy missions off somalia for another year. defense minister yoshida

organizes the tour. the ones who accompanied me and the reporters were very nervous about our coverage, possibly irritating china. they carefully managed the event. they told us not to shoot close-ups of chinese ship markings, for example. and our plane had to stay at least 5 kilometers away from those ships. despite those bureaucratic concerns and despite the differences in the east china sea, the two sides and indeed cooperating closely off the coast of somalia. both countries studied their anti-piracy missions three years ago, but they only began working together this year. sometimes in cases like this, good will abroad can have an impact at home. so perhaps the cooperation off the coast of africa could help

relations here in asia. >> all right. thank you toru. that was nhk world's toru nakai. rain on and off throughout the day in tokyo. for more on the weather for here and elsewhere, here's robert speta. >> across most of japan here, we have been seeing this frontal area pushing off towards the east now and has been bring something very copious amounts of rainfall. let's take a look at what some of the reports have been over the past 24 hours here. about 508 millimeters there in central honshu. this is staying over the past 24 but a lot of these totals took place within a three to four-hour period. and that's why we have seen that resulting flash flooding and landslides. look towards the east in and around shikoku, toward the key peninsula. about 3 to 200 millimeters of heavy and intense rain has occurred here. even in the key peninsula. report of upwards of 117 kilometer-per-hour winds kicking up the seas about 3 to 4 meters high.

not only is the rain one of the worst parts of this, but also those high winds and heavy -- high waves out across much of this area. now what's causing this, though is that stationary boundary across much of japan. warm and humid air pumping in from the south. that's bringing all of this heavy rainfall with it. unfortunately, over the next 24 hours, it's not stopping in the near future. northern portions of kyushu could see another 200 millimeters of heavy rain even off towards the tokai region and moving into the tokyo area. already widespread thunderstorms popping up here. some places could see about 120 millimeters of rain in tokyo, a little bit less than 100 millimeters of rain due to the thunderstorms rolling through. definitely still a very dangerous situation out across this area. going to be continuing to keep you posted. let's look at this frontal area. you have it over japan. look off farther toward the west. in central and eastern china, the last 24 hours, you have seen upwards of 180 millimeters of rain. and it does look like an additional 200 could be occurring here where you see

those areas in the dark blues and even into the purples. that's indicating very heavy precipitation. flooding and land slides are going to be high at risk here. south of that, though in southeastern china, hot temperatures here. hong kong, 32. bangkok, in and around thailand have seen reports of above 100 millimeters of rain. some nearing about 200. so there's that risk of flash flooding across there. and over toward the philippines, 32. seoul, 26. tokyo up to 30 on your friday. accompanied by those rain showers. now over towards the americas, we have this frontal area causing some flash flooding concerns in and around texas. even monsoonal rains over towards southern california, over towards arizona as well. and also looking off towards the north, a front moving across the dakotas. this is bringing the threat of some severe weather. not getting in the rain and where you need it is in the central plains. already widespread crop loss, specifically to corn crop in this area due to just the severe drought that is continuing to

linger. and unfortunately it does look like no rain is in the forecast in the near future. denver, though, a high of 34. las vegas, getting near record-breaking temperatures there with a high of 42. salt lake city, making it up to 40. now in europe, though, across the british isles, you're seeing heavy rainfall. especially in the southern portions of uk. any flights going in and out of london, check it out ahead of time. heavy rain, even thunderstorm activity flaring up here due to this frontal area. this is dropping down the temperatures as it continues to push off towards the east. london, well below average with a high only at 17. a little bit warmer ahead of those fronts, as we get over to vienna at 19. then the warsaw at 22. kiev at 26. now here's a look at your extended outlook.

we'll be back with more updates in 30 minutes. i'm gene otani in tokyo. from all of us here at nhk world, thanks for joining us.