"newsline." it is tuesday, august 28th in tokyo. gop opens their convention and then just as quickly closes it. organizers cut the four-day schedule down to three. they will restart the convention later in the day. delegates will nominate former massachusetts governor, mitt

romney, as republican challenger to president barack obama. romney will make a speech to accept the nomination on thursday, the final day of the convention. delegates will nominate congressman paul ryan as his running mate. the most recent washington post abc news poll suggests romney has overtaken obama. the poll puts him ahead by 1 percentage point. japan's coast guard has released video of hong kong activists landing on one of the senkaku islands. police from japan's southernmost okinawa prefecture arrested them earlier this month. china and taiwan claim the islands in the east china sea. the video shows coast guard members warning the activists not to enter japan's territorial waters. the ships use a water cannon when the protesters ignore the warning. they try to stop the activist boat by firing water in front of it. two people on the boat throw

what appear to be concrete bricks at patrol vessels. then the activists get close to the island. two vessels try to force their boat to change course by closing in on either side. japan later deported the 14 activists. japan's ambassador to china has become a victim of an odd incident on the streets of beijing. ambassador uichiro niwa was traveling without a security escort on a highway in the chinese capital. two vehicles forced his car to a stop. then a man got out of one of the vehicles and grabbed the national flag attached to the front of the ambassador's car. ambassador niwa was not hurt in the incident. the japanese embassy has launched a strong protest with the chinese foreign ministry. the japanese embassy says it took note of the license plate numbers of the two cars and a photo of the man who stole the national flag. they say they passed on this information to chinese

authorities. chinese officials say they sincerely regret the incident and say they will take measures to ensure the safety of japanese nationals in the country. japan's prime minister yoshihiko noda will send a letter to chinese president hu jintao to call for calm high-level talks on bilateral and regional issues. government officials say noda will express concerns over reactions of the chinese people to the territorial dispute over the senkaku islands. noda will stress the importance of strategic mutually beneficial relations between japan and china. the two nations commemorate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties in september. noda will call for bilateral issues as well as north korea and other regional matters to be discussed calmly by senior officials of japan and china. japan's senior vice foreign minister will hand the letter to a chinese official during his

official official visit to beijing on tuesday. people in north korea have heard the voice of their leader for only the third time since he succeeded his late father in december 2011. state-run television broadcast a speech criticizing military drills being held by south korea and the united states. [speaking in foreign language]. kim warned that if a single shell is fired into north korean territory, its military is ready to wage an all-out counteroffensive. political analysts say the speech is an effort to strengthen unity and demonstrate kim's leadership at home and abroad. now a quick look at some of the other stories we're following here on "newsline." starting with the scrutinizing of soviet era documents on japanese detainees in siberia.

russia is planning to allow japan access to its archives on the transportation of japanese detainees in soviet era labor camps. japanese officials will examine about 2,000 files stored at the russian national military archive in moscow. the documents include the names of previously unknown detainees as well as details of incidents that took place en route to siberia. about 53,000 japanese died in soviet labor camps. the burial location of 18,000 of them is unknown. the operator of fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant is studying how to remove fuel rods from the crippled facility. tokyo electric power company examined one unused assembly removed in mid july. it says it found no significant damage or change in the rod's shape. the utility plans to examine the fuel pellets inside the rods in the coming days. more than 1,500 assemblies remain in the water.

cooler of the number 4 reactors. tepco executives expect to begin removing them next year as a step toward decommissioning the reactor. they also plan to build new tanks to store the contaminated water. tepco says the plant is producing 400 tons of contaminated water per day. this is partly because the groundwaters entering the reactor building through cracks in walls. s entering the reactor building through cracks in walls.is entering the reactor building through cracks in walls.s entering the reactor building through cracks in walls.is entering the reactor building through cracks in walls.s entering the reactor building through cracks in walls.is entering the reactor building through cracks in walls. the existing tanks are already 85% full. the measure will boost storage capacity by 170,000 tons. the company says that should be sufficient until november of next year. officials talking nuclear safety in vienna are eager to hear what their coworkers have to say. they are discussing standards at plants. the atomic energy agency is hosting representatives from 75

countries and organizations. they are party to organizations of nuclear safety. officials say they should learn from the accident at fukushima daiichi. >> it is essential that all of us maintain our sense of urgency -- >> japan's lead delegates said a government agency in charge of nuclear safety failed to respond effectively after the accident. the officials said the japanese government will set up a more independent organization to ensure the safe control of nuclear energy. thousands of children were in the area at the time of the nuclear disaster at fukushima daiichi. the japanese government wants to find out how they were affected. it will conduct thyroid tests on children outside the prefecture. it will compare the results to

tests already under way in fukushima. healthcare officials discovered lumps in one in three children in the prefecture. radio active iodine can accumulate in glands of children and raise their risk of developing cancer. so healthcare professionals are testing all children age 18 or younger. they will reach 38 thousand of them bit end of march. they didn't diagnose anyone with kearns but found lumps in 38% of those tested p.m. prefecture officials explain that lumps can be found in healthy children. still, parent are concerned. thyroid checks will now be conduct owned 4,500 children in three areas outside fukushima. researchers will compare data with results from fukushima. doctors seeking to abolish nuclear weapons ended a three-day convention in hiroshima on sunday. they discussed how to pass on to future generations experiences of the atomic bombings of

hiroshima and nagasaki. some of them have very personal reasons. nhk world's shoko koyama has the report. >> reporter: the doctors call themselves international physicians for the prevention of nuclear war. they hold their congress every two years. they chose hiroshima as the host city to remind the world of the nuclear bombing there. the ippnw's theme this year is hiroshima to future generations. by choosing that topic the organizers wanted to stress that the number of doctors who survived the blast and who can pass on their experiences is declining because of aging. one of the major events this time was the symposium of physicians of second-generation atomic bomb survivors. dr. koichi sameshima came from brazil.

his father is an atomic bomb survivor. >> translator: i'd like to report on my father's experience and to explain how the atomic bombings are perceived in brazil. >> reporter: his father was 16 years old when he was exposed to radiation while on a rescue mission to nagasaki. >> maybe in 10, 20 years, we will not see one survivor. we will not be able to hear the story about the terrible effect of the bomb. we have to do something to keep the memory about the horror of atomic bomb.

>> reporter: some members of the audience were moved by this testimony from abroad. >> i think his work is very important. i was very glad to hear about that. >> reporter: sameshima is determined to continue speaking about the experience of his father and other survivors in brazil. >> translator: i think brazilians don't fully understand the implications of the atomic bombings and exposure to radiation. i feel it's my responsibility to convey what happened at hiroshima and nagasaki. >> reporter: sameshima hopes that other people like him will take over from their parents and promote the cause of nuclear disarmament. shoko koyama, nhk world, hiroshima.

a court ruling sent shares of samsung electronics tumbling on the korean stock exchange, down 8% at one point. samsung's stock price started falling right from the opening. it closed 7.4% lower from friday. the decline came after a california court ruled last friday that samsung infringed on apple's patents on the designs of the iphone and ipad. it ordered the south korean firm to pay more than $1 billion in damages. south korean markets sources say investors were afraid sales of some of samsung's product may be banned from the u.s. market. but they predict the impact of the decision on earnings will be limited. and they say investors don't expect samsung shares to fall further. sales at regular and fast-food restaurant in japan were down in july. many people stayed home to watch

the london olympic games. the japan food services association says sales at 213 restaurant chains fell 1.7% last month from a year earlier. that was the first decline in two months. family restaurants reported a 1.2% drop and fast-food restaurants, a fall of 1.1%. cold beverages didn't sell well due to cool weather in the first half of july. sales at pubs and bars were hurt by the london olympics. they declined 7.1%. japanese university graduates are having hard time trying to land a good job. a government survey suggests that more than one out of five didn't find full-time work. the education ministry survey suggests that 357 thousand out of total of some 559 thousand graduates found jobs this spring. the rate of employment was 63.9%, that's up 2.3 percentage points from last year.

but the data also showed that some 22,000 students who have found jobs are nonregular employees. also about 19,6 hin a00 are par workers and 49,400 are still looking for work. when those students who are not trying to find work or in grad school are included, about 128,000 students or 22.9% find themselves in a tough job situation. greek leaders are trying to restructure their economy. and get themselves out of a hole. tourism accounts for about 15% of gross domestic product but many tourists are staying away and during the peak summer season. nhk reports from athens. >> reporter: the summer vacation season is full swing in athens. famous tourist spots including a temple, are open as usual.

but this year, the number of foreign visitors dropped sharply. >> translator: i was expecting to see more tourist but it is quieter than i thought. i don't see many people walking around. >> reporter: the main reason is big demonstration the greek people held to protest austerity measures. although people have not taken to the streets now, foreigners are still worried about security. the number of foreign visitors to greece is expected to fall by about 500,000 this year. tourism is no longer the economic engine it once was. some souvenir shops are starting to close. >> we have fewer customers this year. sales are down 30 to 40% from last year. most stores are having difficult

times. >> reporter: popular cruises to islands are also badly effected. fares have gone up, as the government has raised the fuel taxes despite of the austerity drive. a trip from athens to the popular resort island costs about $80. that's up more than 40% from last year mp is the beaches are normally packed but not this year. local hotels are facing the same situation. constantine, who manages one of the island's hotels, slashed room charges by 40%. but even such a bold step didn't help. just six out of 20 rooms were

reserved on this day. >> translator: it's impossible to keep our place open any more. i don't want to do this, but i think we have to let our six employees go. >> translator: he decided to close down the hotel in october. greece once had around 10,000 hotels, but since last year, more than 600 of them have been shut down or put on the market ppt country's tourism organization is clearly alarmed. >> translator: the important thing is what the tourists think of greece. tourism should improve next year, if the government projects a positive image for the country. >> reporter: the greek government is considering giving tax breaks and taking other

steps to support the tourism industry. but that may be a tall order. after all, greece is barely managing to make ends meet with the financial help from the eu and imf. observers say failure to support a key industry may push the country deeper into the financial quagmire. nhk world, athens. >> a legacy of the second world war is set to be reborn. forced laborers build the thailand burma railway on the orders of the imperial japanese army. parts of the route were abandoned after the war, but now myanmar will lay new tracks. >> reporter: the railway originally stretched 415

kilometers and estimated 2 t would take five years it build. however it was built through forced labor through prisoners of war and local residents. it was also known as the death railway as so many lost their lives during its construction. the town impresent day myanmar was the starting point of the railway. a tower built by now defunk japanese army show the souls who lost their lives to construction to this day. remembering how the railway was built -- >> translator: the camp for laborers was then n an area with a malaria epidemic. in the north, each village had to often laborers. >> reporter: the railway was decommissioned after the end of

war. today, the steam locomotive are the only reminders. however bb democracy created the need for improved infrastructure in the country. as western nation eases sanctions on myanmar, the country is becoming a popular destination for foreign investment. to make the best of this opportunity, myanmar's government is able to build railways, to aid the movement of people and in the country and neighboring thailand. >> translator: when the railways revive, there will be a lot of opportunity for this town. it'll also prochity the people of myanmar as a whole. >> reporter: myanmar and thailand decided to work together to rebuild the railway.

their government of myanmar plans to begin salvage by the end of this year. the new railway is expected to encourage japanese companies that have been cautious about making roads to myanmar, mainly because of the lack of transportation infrastructure. >> translator: myanmar is almost completely isolated when it comes to shipping. currently, everything has to be sent in by the strait. if land transport is possible, companies in neighboring countries will have a different view of myanmar. >> reporter: expectations inside and outside myanmar, the only way this hasn't been used, will have driving economic development in the region. nhk world, myanmar.

a powerful storm is making its way to the korean peninsula. sigh aky mory join us now with the weather. it seems people are feeling the effect of the storm. what is going on there. >> that's right. southern portions are south korea are getting weakened because of a large typhoon and smaller typhoon. there are stormy conditions, there is unprecedented heavy rain with about 450 millimeters of rain in a span of 24 hours and they have recorded 550 millimeters of rain since monday. very heavy rain accompanied by thunder storms as well as gusty winds. over the east china sea, likely to hit near the border of north korea or south korea by this

afternoon or this evening local time and head towards the noorj east. so very strong winds and high waves up to 12 meeters is likely mainly along the west coast of the korean peninsula. in terms of precipitation, some places may be seeing as much as 250 millimeters or more, so that's quite a lot for this region. so flooding and landslides are highly likely here. and down toward the south, we can see a streak of heavy rain extending all the way up towards the north. this is typhoon expected to move over the east coast of taiwan over the next several hours. and then affecting eastern china. althrow, the worst part of the storm will remain over the waters, but additional 100 millimeters of rain is likely across the eastern portions of taiwan. not only taiwan but also

affecting china and fill feens by the western monsoonal flow so you will see intensifying showers throughout the day. as for temperatures, up to 29 degrees in taipei and 28 degrees in seoul, coming in at 34 degrees in tokyo, another sweltering day for you. moving into the americas, then we have been tracking tropical storm isaac. isaac is moving at a relatively slow pace over the gulf of mexico. it seems isaac will take almost a singular path that hurricane katrina took seven years ago. so right now, moving at a speed of 90 kilometers per hour, with sustained winds of 110 kilometers per hour, it will likely become a hurricane, actually category 2 hurricane before making land fall in mississippi or louisiana by late tuesday or wednesday morning local time. so rain fall could be 460 millimeters in parts of the deep

south. that's about three times more than rain fall for august for this region. very heavy rain is coming down. of course, in addition to heavy rain, gusty winds storm surge and weak currents are possible so coastal flooding is high lie likely here. as for the rest of north america, things are remaining quite wet across areas of the mid-atlantic region and southeastern u.s. out west, wet across the western british isles, windy conditions remain ideal for wildfires into your tuesday. as for temperatures heating up to 32 degrees in los angeles and 36 degrees in houston. here is your extended forecast.

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. we leave you with dramatic images of a cultural exchange. japanese actors will perform in israel for the first time. it is to commemorate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. the japan foundation will stage the performance in jerusalem on thursday and friday. actors will then take their show to tel aviv for two days. an actor impersonating a woman will dance in one of the two acts. the other will feature a dancer acting as a lion. popular actors will be included in the cast. the actors will also talk to audiences about kimonos and kibuki make-up. they have been under many nations around the world,

including the united states and mexico. he says he is excited to perform in israel where the culture is so different from japan. kabuki is a cultural heritage.