welcome to nhk world "newsline." finding places to dispose of radioactive waste from the accident at tuck tuck fukus hi minch daici has been a struggle. officials have proposed a site north of tokyo. the proposal is the first of its kind and they've made to a preeffectural government in

tochigi prefectures. they outlined the plan to the governor. the central government is responsible for disposing of radioactive wash and mud in nine prefectures. levels of cesium exceed the standard. tochigi prefecture is storing 900 tons of radioactive waste at sewer and other areas. the national forest in yaita city is large enough and far enough from residential areas for storge. the government wants to store radioactive waste in drums in underground concrete facility and dig wells to check whether radioactive materials are seeping into ground water. the government says the level of radioactivity in the air would not exceed 100th of one millisievert. the maximum annual amount not considered damaging to human health. >> translator: we need to courteously explain to the residents why the place was chosen. we'll do our best to get them to understand the facility will be safe.

>> the proposal has raised tension among people in yaita city. >> reporter: someone has to take the waste. >> translator: i worry. i have a small child. >> yaita mayor tad etashi endos the plan came out of the blue. >> translator: i will support the local residents. >> the government plans to win local consent by holding briefings for a local residents and start construction around summer of next year. the government also plans to ask other prefectures this month

about sipping accepting radioactive waste. the governments of japan and tokyo are competing to buy some land that's already under dispute. japan controls and wants to purchase the senkaku islands. in the east china sea. china and taiwan claim the territory also. t the senkakus were surveyed from the ship. the japanese government prohibits the team from landing, so team members conducted their survey from their ships. some conducted the study around the largest island. >> translator: we will use the data for the purchase and good use of the islands. >> tokyo governor shintaro ishihara ordered the survey. he says he'll join the team on a return trip next month. he's demanding the government allow them to land. a group of hong kong activists land on the islands last month. japanese authorities arrested,

then deported them. japanese officials say they reached an agreement to buy the islands. they plan to push through paperwork to nationalize the territory by the end of september. diplomats with the chinese foreign ministry have criticized japan for all activity around the islands. >> translator: we have already made a harsh protest against the japanese side. their unilateral actions are illegal and invalid. >> hong said the japanese government's effort to increase its claim to the islands by nationalizing them is of no use. government officials around the region are watching to see what happens. earlier nhk, who has covered japanese politics for years, shared her insight. >> how is the government reacting to the survey? >> well, a government official say the surveyors exercise restraint by not trying to land. they had warned the team not to step foot on the islands.

but the governor says he and the team need to go ashore to conduct a thorough survey. so we'll have to wait to see what they do then. >> how do you think the central government will handle that situation then? >> the government wants to purchase the islands before another survey by the end of this month. nhk learned the government was already in negotiations when governor announced his plan to buy the islands. government officials say they have agreed on a purchase price of about $26 million. >> what do you think the government will do then? >> the government wants to avoid a rift with tokyo. prime minister yoshihiko noda discussed the issue with governor ishihara last month. ishihara said he would support the government's purchase with one condition -- he wants the government to build shelters on the islands for crews of fishing boats. he may raise a fuss if the government refuses. but government officials said they plan to build a lighthouse

on the island and conserve the environment. >> they want to keep the peace. why would they refuse the request? >> they're weighing how this would play out for china. organizers in the communist party are preparing for a scheduled leadership change this fall. so it's a sensitive time. building a facility would aggravate the situation and government officials want to avoid that dynamic. they believe once they nationalize the islands they'll be able to establish effective control over them. so the government intends to proceed with the purchase with or without consent from tokyo. new car sales in japan remain on a solid uptrend. they rose 12% from a year earlier.

this marks the 11th straight month of gains. an industry group says 370,000 vehicles were sold in japan last month. but the pace of increase slowed down from recent months when government subsidies for buyers of ecofriendly cars boosted sales. honda sales went up 38%, while toyota marked a 20% rise. nissan suffered a 6% drop. the automobile dealers association says sales in the coming months are uncertain. that's in part because the government subsidies may end in the near future. japanese companies are preparing for a huge pacific coast earthquake and tsunami, following renewed warnings about another powerful quake 18 months after the march disaster last year. the government last week released detailed damage estimates for a magnitude 9.0 quake. the report warns a tsunami of more than 30 meters high could hit some coastal regions. the total death toll could

exceed 320,000. success can y suzuki motor will shift a development plant inland from the coast in the next four years. it will also break up a coastal manufacturing hub for car engines by year end. the aim? to minimize disturbance to production. toyota motor is considering setting up a levee at a seaside plant in central japan and electronics giant panasonic will move critical operations to higher floors. they make l.e.d. panels and lithion panels. family mart plans to build ten distribution centers over the next three years. in case some lo gistic centers don't function after a quake and tsunami, they plan to ship

merchandise to disaster hit areas from unaffected facilities. and aeon will install power generators in 100 large stores in areas where damage is expected. it plans to complete preparations in eight years. beforazilians enjoying the d to economic stability and the things they are buying to get there. car dealers sold more than 3 million new vehicles last year. european and u.s. automakers investing in brazil two decades ago. now japanese producers trying to find their place in the market. we report from sao paulo. >> reporter: u.s. a weekday morning at this u.s. car dealer on the outskirts of sao paulo. but the shop is full of customers.

al he wi alejandra santos bought a new car for the first time last month. it cost clothes to $19,000, close to what she and her husband make in a year. she is paying for it in installments. >> translator: it's so comfortable to drive and it's affordable to me. the seats are very nice. and the design suits my taste. >> reporter: some economic stability has prompted brazilians to buying new cars. compacts account for 60%. most of them from europe and the u.s. one leading u.s. carmaker has unveiled 1,000 new compact models over the past year. cheaper than any vehicle of its rivals but price isn't the only factor.

>> translator: we are making new cars in brazil for brazilians. we design and equip cars to suit brazilians' taste. that's why customers here are buying our cars. >> reporter: japanese automakers focused on selling midsized cars to high-income owners. they only captured 10% of the market. so the people at toyota opened up compact car plant in early august in the state of sao paulo. the plant produces a model designed for emerging economies. the car rolled out at a price of $25,000. >> translator: brazil has a population of 200 million.

it also has competent and serious workers, and, of course, rich underground resources. i see infinite possibilities there. >> reporter: a survey suggested brazilians value quietness in the car. so the people at toyota are marketing the measures that they have taken to make their vehicle sound proof. still, outside their cars they are making a lot of noise. in the market they say is full of opportunity. nhk world, sao paulo, brazil. here are the latest market figures.

sawri is a species of fish and very popular. markets are brimming with the silver catch. people in another country, meanwhile have developed a taste for sari in recent years. vietnam. a pleasing development for a fishing port in hokaido and rising exports aren't the only reason. we report. >> reporter: new arrivals in nemaru, japan's biggest sari report. this will be the home for the next three years.

they are all from vietnam. the 16 women are here on a vocational training program. they get a warm welcome from their new employers. it's not easy recruiting young workers in neamaru. >> translator: i'm counting on the vietnamese earnest attitude. >> translator: i'm sure we will need all your support for things we don't know or aren't accustomed to. >> reporter: nearly 80,000 pounds of sari were unloaded in namaru last year. vietnam's fast-growing economy makes it a promising market for japanese fishermen. in vietnam, meanwhile, people see japan as more than a trading partner. it's a growing source of jobs.

japanese manufacturers are setting up more and more factories in the country. japanese language schools are thriving. >> translator: if you can speak japanese, you will have no trouble at all getting a job. >> reporter: and there is nothing like landing a job to hone language skills. vietnamese are here to hone fish cleaning skills, but many have sights set on other dreams. >> translator: my dream is to become a japanese/vietnamese interpreter. >> reporter: fish processing is definitely a new field after she worked in an office. the trainees spend their breaks chatting with the other workers.

the japanese staff say the workplace has livened up since the newcomers arrived. >> translator: they are in very high spirits. i enjoy working with them. >> reporter: but the trainees have their fair share of challenges living in nemaru. including the weather. they were already wearing thick coats when they arrived in june. they know the hokaido winter will be a real test. the trainees live together in company-owned accommodations. no matter how tired they are after work, they spend the evening studying japanese. >> translator: i keep a diary to improve my japanese. adverbs and characters are hard to learn. >> reporter: dinner time is a high point for residents. here is why.

fresh haikado fish, spiced wi d condiments from vietnam. >> translator: i work har each day, i keep doing my best to make my dreams come true. >> reporter: other companies are considering accepting vietnamese trainees and hopes are high that more young people will help revitalized the small fisheries found in japan. nhk world, nemaru, hokkaido. from tackling street crime to fighting terrorism, police in pakistan live with risks every day. the life-style takes its toll. nhk world's nassar as islam with today's threat to pakistan's finest. >> reporter: u.s. tough being a policeman in pakistan.

the work is hard, hot and dangerous. islamist extremists are out to make trouble. as a cop, you are on the front lines. over the past ten years, violence has killed more than 5,000 members of the police and security forces. the pressure of the beat along with poor life-style help create another deadly problem. obesity. about 40 persons of the 175,000 strong punjab police force is officially overweight. some cops can barely break out of a job. fed up with all of this flab, police chiefs in punjab are cracking down. they have issued a ruling against fat. a policeman's waist can no

measure no more than 96 centimet centimeters. this is no random number. the police chief who chose it, it's ideal. why? because it's exactly his trouser size. >> translator: we have to fight against well-trained terrorists. our goal is to discipline our overweight policeman and get them back into fighting shape. >> reporter: every morning now, policemen roll up to the gym, hoping to roll back the calories. they have been told if they don't trim the fat, they will slim their chances of promotion and spurn their professional standing. the effort? to make some cops sweat. >> translator: with a body like this, i can't chase after criminals, and i run out of breath quickly. it's hindering my work. >> reporter: at 1 0 100 kilos,

mohammed said he would be a little on the plump side. he is looking at 23 centimeters of fat between him and his goal. >> translator: i gained weight, because i would eat late at night and go right to bed. also because of job stress. i didn't think they would make an official rule, but now i have no choice but to diet. >> reporter: the officer says he piled on the pounds after being given a desk job and fewer chances to move around. he is now walking to work and not taking the car. at home, he goes jogging or does other exercises to push himself harder. at dinner, instead of four pieces of chapati bread, he makes due with one. he might wish he could turn back to the clock.

26 years ago, he weighed 40 kilograms less. but naim says he is not just losing weight to obey orders, he wants his children to have their wish, a slim and dashing dad. >> translator: it's not cool to be so fat. he looks like a lazy worker. i hope he loses weight. >> translator: my family wants me to slim down, the healthier i am, the more i enjoy my time with them. now i workout, have more stamina, and feel fitter. >> translator: the plim olicemf pakistan have signed on for a new fight, the front lines of fat, and the enemy is everywhere. nhk world, lahore. showers followed by sunshine, repeat that several times a day. that's how it's been here in japan.

we have the latest from mai soji. >> across much of the country, about 90% of japan is under advisories and warnings for thunderstorms. especially in the afternoon and evening hours. watch out for southern weather changes for the next couple of days. this is due to the air masses that are clashing overhead due to the upper level low. and the moisture surging from all of these ridges of height pressure system. really strong high pressure systems still in the east of this country. we're talking about 80 millimeters in an hour short time heavy rain. we have a report in tochigi prefecture. it is continuing in the same amount of hefty rainfall amounts. accumulation, as much as 100 meters and associates with frequent lightning and damaging gusts. watch out for that in the

evening hours especially. toward china, northeastern areas will see heavy rain that will be slowly and gradually moving towards the east, however, things will taper off in southeastern areas. again, into the korean peninsula, the rain ban will be moving in. cooler air dropping temperatures, good news for some areas. in the china peninsula, wet or unstable conditions for the next few days. especially in and around northwestern thailand. a report of 140 millimeters in the past 24 hours that has accumulated in the regions. more rain to come in the very unwelcomed areas. back at approximate 33, now at 32. tokyo, looking at 31 degrees.

and things pretty warm at 21 degrees for your tuesday. let's move over to the americas. isaac was the topic last week. another tropical system, this is leslie, which is over the atlantic, moving toward bermuda and that will be intensifying into a hurricane as we progress toward the end of the workweek. a close eye on the system. wind gusts packing up to 111 kilometers per hour. remnant low of isaac is still around these regions, ohio river valley, scattered showers and thunderstorms. meanwhile, in the wake of that, things hot and dry. and then msture surge from this jaunt. good thing, this is moving away from land mass. baja peninsula and mexico, will be feeling scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon hours and that could be severe at times. temperature wise, looking at 40

degrees in oklahoma city. it is september, but on your labor day, things will really be scoring hot in the southern plains and the lower mississippi valley moving over to the european continent, things really messy over italy especially. thunderstorms, warnings and advisories, and across the british isles and scandinavian peninsula, wet and windy. 20s for highs. lis bo here is our extended forecast.

doraemon, one of the most wildly recognized character in chinese culture. the stubby robot cat sent from the future is celebrating a birthday. thousands of fans lined up in kawasaki south of tokyo, waited to take a picture of the statue of the character.

>> translator: a took a day off from work. but i wish i could also be here 100 years from now. >> reporter: the mayor of kawasaki issue issued a special residency card. >> local residents celebrated the birthday in hong kong. a giant cake made for the occasion, used bean jam pancakes called doraiaki. this replica set with diamonds, worth about $1 million. >> translator: this event has nothing to do with diplomatic tensions between japan and china. we should treat them separately. >> viewers in hong kong got their first look at the tv version 30 years ago. we'll be back with more updates in 30 minutes. i'm gene otani in tokyo. thank you for joining us.

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