>> translator: there is no doubt that takeshima is part of japan, both in terms of history and international law. >> welcome to nhk world "newsline." prime minister yoshihiko noda has made an appeal for calm. noda stressed the importance of maritime territories for japan. he said authorities will ensure stable control over remote islands and increase security in the waters around them. he said government officials will make better efforts to explain japan's stance to the international community.

noda criticized south korean president lee myung-bak for his visit two weeks ago to the takeshima islands in the sea of japan. he urge south korea again to accept japan's proposal to refer the issue to the international court of justice. >> translator: south korea unilaterally occupied the islands after world war ii. the question is whether this act was justified and in line with international law. what's important is to adopt a peaceful and diplomatic approach based on international law and justice. >> noda said it's important for both sides to keep a wider perspective in mind. >> translator: wise people of south korea are important partner and neighbor with whom we share common values. we need to remain calm despite our different positions. >> the south korean foreign ministry spokesperson has responded to noda's remarks.

>> translator: prime minister noda repeated an illegitimate claim over our territory. it clearly belongs to south korea. historically, geographically and in line with international law. we condemn the remarks and urge the prime minister to immediately withdraw the claim. >> the dispute over takeshima became front page news again earlier this month after the south korean president's visit. >> reporter: lee myung-bak is the first south korean president to ever step on to takeshima soil. south korea has controlled the island since 1954, despite japan's protests. the japanese government strongly denounced lee's visit. it reiterated that the islands are japanese territory. several days later, lee stated that if japan's emperor akihito was to ever visit south korea, he would first have to apologize for the koreans who died

fighting for independence from japan. the tit-for-tat dispute worsened in the days that followed. japan's government announced it wanted to bring the case to the international court of justice. but south korea rejected the move saying that no territorial dispute exists. then last friday, japan's prime minister yoshihiko noda sent a letter addressed to the south korean president calling for a peaceful settlement of the dispute. the south korean government refused to accept the letter. on thursday this week, a south korean diplomat in tokyo tried to hand back the letter to japan's foreign ministry but he was not allowed to enter the premises. on friday, japan's finance minister june azumi said japan will consider postponing plans to buy south korean government bonds. the two countries and china gred in may to buy each other's bonds to deepen economic ties.

azumi says he will observe developments for the time being. later on friday, japan's lower house adopted a resolution protesting lee's visit to takeshima and demanding that south korea's occupation end soon. >> nhk world's kengo okomota has been covering territorial issues between japan and south korea for years. i spoke with him a little earlier. i started by asking him about the timing of noda's remarks. >> i think noda felt he had to go on record and explain his position in his own words to take a firm stance. japanese government officials feel they have not been as assertive as south korean counterparts. >> what do you feel about noda's tone today. >> yes, gene, i think the prime minister chose his words carefully. he emphasized his position that he has a responsibility to protect the country. but he said it serves no one to stir up public opinion.

he said he would try to resolve of the issues through diplomacy. >> what factors led to such a rapid deterioration? >> elections are looming in both countries. president lee myung-bak does not have to face voters himself. his term expires in february. by law he cannot seek another term. still he wants to hold on power for his party. we should point out many south koreans still resent japan for its colonial rule. the government in seoul is opposed to making any concessions over the islands. on the japanese side, president lee's visit and his remarks about the chinese emperor angered japanese. so did south korean's return of noda's letter to lee. many here agree that it was outside the norms of diplomatic protocol. noda's administration finds himself less and less popular

and more vulnerable to criticism. i think noda doesn't want to be seen as weak-kneed in his actions. >> where do things go from here? >> yes, japanese and korean officials have postponed a number of scheduled meetings. apec members will meet next month in russia. that would prevent diplomats on both sides with an opportunity to discuss these issues. but officials from japan's foreign ministry say under current circumstances, such a meeting would only lead to arguments. >> prime minister noda also explained japan's position on the senkaku islands. earlier this month, activists from hong kong landed on one of the islands. the senkakus are uninhabited islets in the south china sea. noda says china started to lay

claim to islands after the 1970s when the possibility of oil deposits was raised. he says the senkaku are an integral part of japan, both historically and under international law. noda also emphasized that unlike takeshima, there remains no territorial issue to resolve over the senkakus. the lower house has adopted a resolution condemning the landing and calls the act extremely regrettable and says the government should do all it can, including increasing security to solidify its control over the islands. a court in norway has handed down a verdict for the man responsible for carrying out the country's worst ever mass murder. anders breivik has been sentenced to the maximum 21 years in prison. but a preventive detention clause means he'll likely spend the rest of his life in jail. the court ruled the 33-year-old defendant was sane enough to be aware that he was committing a crime. in july 2011, breivik detonated a bomb in central oslo.

shortly afterward he opened fire at a youth camp of the ruling labor party on an island near the capital. he was charged with killing 77 people. throughout the trial, breivik argued that he was acting in self-defense and that he was protecting norway from a muslim invasion. he maintained he wanted to deal a blow to the pro-immigrant government. the life sentence allows the court to detain breivik longer than the maximum 21 years to prevent him from repeating a serious crime. u.s. computer giant apple and south korean rival samsung have been waging legal battles around the world over the patents of their smartphones and tablet devices. now a south korean court has ruled that both of them infringed on each other's patents. the seoul central district court ruled on friday that apple partially infringed on samsung's mobile data transfer

technologies. it ordered the u.s. firm to pay about $35,000 in compensation to samsung. in another suit, the court -- the same court said samsung didn't copy apple's designs despite external similarities. but it ruled samsung did violate apple's patents on some touch-screen functions and ordered the south korean company to pay $22,000 to apple. the court also ordered an immediate stop to the in south korea of some of the two company's models, including apple's iphone and samsung's galaxy. but the ban doesn't cover the latest model just as iphone 4s and is not like three greatly affect the sales of the two firms. the apple/samsung face-off around the world is described as the largest court battle in history over patents. it all started in april last year when apple sued samsung in california. that immediately prompted samsung to file a countersuit. since then, about 50 court cases involving the two tech titans have been going on in ten

countries. courts in different countries have given different rulings. last september, a court in germany upheld apple's claim bang sales of samsung's tablets in the country. australia's highest court dismissed the u.s. firm's complaint last december and allowed samsung to continue selling its tablet devices. japan is also a battleground for the two. the tokyo district court is scheduled to hand down a ruling on friday next week. this court battle involves, among other things, patented over technologies for exchanging music data between smartphones and personal computers. people in the united states can get a taste of japanese beef once again. the u.s. has announced it will resume beef imports from japan. they were suspended over two years ago after foot-and-mouth disease was found in cows in southwestern japan. originally, beef shipments from japan were scheduled to begin last week after no new cases of the disease had been reported. they have been postponed, however, due to concerns about the effects of last year's

nuclear accident. u.s. authorities confirmed on friday that they had found no evidence of radioactivity in data supplied by japan's agriculture ministry. japanese dairy farmers plan to begin shipping two tons of beef to the united states by air at the end of this month. before the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, the united states had accounted for 10% of japan's total beef exports. here are the latest market figures.

people in many parts of china are seeing the ground beneath their feet disappear. droughts have parched the land year after every year. so residents have tapped more and more water from underground sources. then the land above collapses. nhk world explains. >> reporter: guangzhou city. it is about 200 kilometers south of beijing. there are little bumps on the road here. the road surface has collapsed in many places, too. people are so worried about this situation right now. the cause is long subsidence. many residents can't escape the effects of the collapsing land surface. these cracks show that several

years ago. many of the residents say they, too, have the same problem. a city official confirms ground surfaces that gave way triggered the cracks. >> translator: i am worried all the time if the situation gets any worse, my house will collapse. it's scary. >> reporter: officials have confirmed the phenomenon is taking place in a number of regions in northern china. the problem is spreading through rural districts. taoshin farms in the area. for 20 years his main crop has been rice. >> translator: this brick house holds a well affected by sinking land. >> reporter: he used to draw water from this well but it sank, along with the earth around it. now they are 20 centimeters

lower than before. the underground layer that held the water had collapsed. so tao could not draw any. farming in this area was already tough as not much rainfall here. >> translator: it's getting more serious year by year. i want to improve my situation but i can't find a solution. >> reporter: residents in beijing are also suffering the effects of sinking land. t they rely on the ground sources for two-thirds of their water. because they are using up so much, the risk of -- is increasing. city officials are pressed to find a solution. in july, they began enforcing a new regulation to limit water

use. the main targets are businesses that use a lot of water. if they use more than a certain amount, they pay an extra charge. officials hope this will reduce the amount of land that gives way. however, a water resources expert points out that limiting the use of ground water may reduce one problem, but it increases another. >> translator: to achieve economic growth, we have to overcome our water shortage. but beijing and the neighboring province must abide by water usage restrictions. so it's very difficult to strike a balance between economic development and water conservation.

>> reporter: water shortages are an urgent problem. chinese officials are now looking for answers. michitaka yamaka, nhk world, beijing. japan and the united states are considering boosting the defense capabilities in east asia. top japanese and u.s. military officials are discussing installing a more powerful radar system in japan to strengthen missile defense. ♪ the chief of staff of japan's self-defense forces met with the chairman of the u.s. joint chiefs of staff martin dempsey at the pentagon. they discussed nuclear developments in north korea and china's military activities. the military officials agreed to bolster cooperation for sta bill nit the asia-pacific region. they agreed to consider installing the powerful x-band radar system for early detection of a missile launch and its trajectory. that system is already in place at a self-defense forces base in northern japan to manage the

threat of north korean missiles. installation of the radar system in south -- southern japan would improve capacity to gather information on china's short and medium-range ballistic missile activities. japanese government officials are reconsidering their guidelines for deton taminating forests. radioactive materials enemy the fukushima daiichi plant have tainted soil and trees. environment ministry experts planned to limit the cleanup effort to forests within 20 meters of the communities and campsites in fukushima prefecture. the municipal leaders called for a wider decontamination zone. they say forests are essential to the lives of people who live there. they point out that forests make up about 70% of the prefecture. they say excludeing most of this area for decontamination effort would hamper reconstruction. local government and forestry industry officials will meet next week to exchange their views. environment ministry officials say they'll consider those views

when revising their plan. many people who survived hiroshima in 1945 have a rather unusual name for the atomic bomb that fell that day. they call it pica, a japanese way of describing a flash and the sound of the explosion that follows. the word inspired an american poet. he's published a collection of poetry depicting the tragic consequences of the bombing. nhk world's tomoko kamata reports. >> reporter: the book is called "come search" in english. its 14 poems are illustrated with photographs of everyday objects that belonged to people who were killed by the bomb that destroyed hiroshima. the poems depict the moment the bomb was dropped and what happened to those who owned the objects. >> translator: i hung on the

wall of a barber shop in a bust ling corner of hiroshima. everyone looked to me. it was my job to tell the time. but on the morning of august 6th at 8:15, flash. >> reporter: the author of the book was born in 1967. he came to japan 17 years ago. he writes poems in japanese and has won a number of prizes. five years after he settled in japan, he visited hiroshima for the first time. he learned the word pica when a survivor described the bombing. >> that expression was invented by people on the ground in hiroshima and so when you say

picadon, the word itself puts you in that position. and you're looking up. so for me it was an important discovery when i first learned the word, it changed the way i looked at what happened in hiroshima. >> reporter: binard rented a room in hiroshima. he started visiting a memorial museum where items that belonged to the victims are stored. he selected 14 objects and began researching their history by interviewing relatives and reading documents. among the items was this pair of little shoes. they belonged to 14-year-old boy who was hit by the bomb while he was doing demolition work. the boy died three days later. >> on the morning of august 6th, when the day's work had just begun, there came a flash.

we protected toshioki's feet but the flash stabbed his face, his hands and his arms, body burned all over. he started walking upstream along the river bank, trudging, trudging, and at last, i am home. >> so in the book when i was trying to tell the stories of the 14 different objects, i was looking for a way to express that moment when the uranium fissioned 580 meters over the city. it's a moment that happens in every story. i have so many stories that i was given while i was making this book.

and all of these stories that i couldn't fit into the book. this book, especially, i feel like i've just begun working on this huge project. >> binard says he will continue to listen to the voiceless objects that, unlike their owners, survived that fateful summer of 1945. he hopes to tell more about what happened to tens of thousands of people whose own voices will never again be heard. tomoka kamata, nhk world. hot but some winds in tokyo today. the bay area has started to get some of the swells from the typhoon in the south. mai shoji with more on that and weather. >> we have the pacific high pressing overhead in much of the country here in japan. that's going to be lasting for a couple of weeks.

and that's actually affecting the typhoons just to be lingering across this region. especially this one. this is the tembin that hit southeastern parts of taiwan. take a look at this photo coming out from this morning when it swept across the region. toppling trees or actually unrooting trees, unroofing houses and a lot of destruction here this morning. it will be staying in the similar areas just over south china sea for the next couple of days. it will be looping in a counterclockwise motion. just sticking around here. it does have a slight possibility of enhancing and also intensifying into stronger system. but most likely it will be staying and maintaining as a strong, severe tropical storm. and it already packing up gusts of 162 kph. and that's going to be staying here. so stormy conditions will still be likely in the southern half of taiwan. but the rain will be tapering

off. that's great news. however, it will be enhancing the southwestern monsoonal flow down here in the western seaboards of the philippines. the rain will be accumulating yet again in the luzon area. it looks like the other system that we're tracking is going to bring buckets full of rain. it's going to be drenching amounts. just in the next 24 hours, most of the okinawa islands will possibly see about 100 millimeters generally speaking. but it could on top of that, add about 300 to 500 millimeters into sunday. now this we're talking about typhoon bolevin which has upgraded into a very strong typhoon status due to the warm sea surface temperature. that's going to be heading toward the main island of okinawa, possibly making landfall about sunday afternoon hours. and as it does come closer, already picking up the waves. even at this position, about 6

meters high, but that will be about ten meters high, waves, plus the storm surge, dangerous surf conditions. you really don't want to to be staying near the coastal regions at all. and the heavy rain some of thunderstorms could be severe. we cannot rule out the factors of tornadic activity either. let's move over to the atlantic now and talk about this storm which is heading towards haiti. it could possibly make landfall in the island of hispaniola probably on the border of haiti and dominican republic and that's going to be moving over land. still maintaining its intensity as a tropical storm until it hits gulf of mexico, the sea surface temperature here is pretty warm. that could boost it in a hurricane status. the rain will be some torrential amounts as well. total accumulation could add up to become about 500 millimeters due to this storm. where we really want that rain is going to be in and around the southern plains. so that could be a beneficial

rain towards the area where the ongoing drought condition is pretty severe. oklahoma city at -- in the 30s. and we're looking at a triplet of 30 in new york, washington, d.c., and atlanta. here into europe, still looking at this jet stream. so pretty self-explanatory. budapest, 35. look at athens at 40 degrees. but on the other side, just 20 in london. here's your extended forecast.

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