welcome to "newsline." i'm keiko kitagawa with the late ef at this hour. he made an pale 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 surged 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 says it's important for both sides to keep a wider perspective in mind. >> translator: wise people of south korea, our 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 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. fighting erupted in friday in northern lebanon as the conflict in syria continues. nhk world filed this report from tripoli. >> reporter: tripoli in northern lebanon is the country's second largest city on the mediterranean coast. sectarian confrontation has been intensifying in the eastern part of the city reflecting the conflict in neighboring syria.

this is a road that leads to the eastern part of tripoli. as you see behind me, soldiers are deployed, looking to streets with checkpoints. the lebanese army deployed troops and tanks in the area to bring the situation under control. but fresh fighting erupted on friday between muslims supporting syrian president al-assad and sunni muslims who support syria's antigovernment forces. they have also turned to kidnapping members of opposing groups, including leaders. muslims clergyman was killed on friday bringing the death toll in the recent violence to 13. more than 100 people have been wounded. residents fear the spread of violence to other part of the city. >> translator: today i heard

sounds of shelling, not just gunfire. i am afraid. >> reporter: lebanon experienced a civil war for 15 years starting in 1975. religious and ethnic lines remain. many are concerned that the violence will lead to further sectarian tension within the entire country. sho beppu, nhk world, tripoli. >> a shooting outside the empire state building in new york on friday left two people dead and nine wounded. nhk world reports. this is the empire state building, one of the biggest tourist atracks. police blocked off the building after the morning shooting. a 58-year-old man from manhattan shot his former boss dead. he then exchanged fire with

police officers and then was killed. the shooter lost his job as an accessories designer at a company in the area about a year ago. according to investigators, the suspect's 45 caliber pistol can fire up to eight rounds. they are looking into the possibility that some of the wounded were caught in the crossfire. [ inaudible ] >> no idea. i wasn't counting. everyone just took off. >> i'm concerned because i work in the empire state building. if i would have came earlier, i could have been hit or killed. >> i think the economy is so bad, and i think a lot of people are upset and they're angry. >> this has been the third major shooting in the united states this summer. new york city mayor, michael bloombe bloomberg, a proponent of gun law stresd the point. >> we are not immune to gun

violence. >> the crime rate in new york city has been declining in recent years. residents and visitors alike were shaken by the shooting. nhk world, new york. >> german chancellor told greek prime minister he must stick to his commitment to cut the deficit. she gave no sign to give him more time to meet the tough terms of the international bailout. they met in berlin on friday. he said he wanted more time for financial reforms because the economy is slowing aun unemployment rising. >> translator: we're not asking for more money, just for more time to get the money coming. we feel as though we have been under water for a long time. we need time to breath. >> she showed no sign of giving greeks that time to breath.

>> translator: i want greece it stay in the eurozone. but for that, it needs to stick to the terms for rebuilding its economy. >> officials at eu and international monetary fund will issue a report on greece by next month. merkel says she will make a decision on the plea for more time when she's seen that report. japanese defense officials are checking the safety of an aircraft u.s. commanders plan to deploy in japan. they say a crash in morocco in april was caused mainly by human error. japanese experts went to the united states to study the safety record of the osprey. defense officials compiled a report based on their findings. u.s. marine corps commanders plan to deploy.

osprey in okinawa. residents don't want the aircraft because after crash in morocco and another in the united states. japanese officials say the accident in morocco was caused mainly by human error. they say an inexperienced copilot moved the rotors forward from a skyward position without checking the tail wind. they say the copilot also controlled the control stick too far. officials say there is no evidence that mechanical defect caused the crash. government leaders in tokyo plan to brief leaders next week. they also plan to have japanese experts on what caused the crash in the united states. they will make the final assessment of the osprey safety. here is the three day world weather forecast.

that wraps up this edition of "newsline." i'm keiko kitagawa in tokyo, thanks for watching.