cooperative competitors. russia's president meets with his chinese counterpart to talk about how their countries can both benefit from stronger ties. welcome to nhk world "newsline." vladimir putin is welcoming world leaders to russia's far east ahead of this weekend's apec summit. he's given a special greeting to china's president hu jintao by meeting with him first. hu is the first leader putin met in vladivostok, their countries

share a border 4,000 kilometers. earlier, i spoke with nhk world's kaori nagao who is in vladivostok covering the apec meetings. >> reporter: the leaders covered a wide range of matters from economics to international relations. >> reporter: at the top the agenda was economic relations. they agreed not only to increase mutual trade and investment, but also to enhance the cooperation in areas such as energy and

high-tech development. after the meeting, president putin made a keynote speech at apec's business forum. the three-day business forum is being held alongside apec sessions. businesspeople from 500 leading pacific rim companies attended friday's meeting. >> kaori, russia seems to be placing special emphasis on its far east, which borders china's northeast. as you reported earlier, russia has spent around $21 billion in

infrastructure projects there over the past five years. >> reporter: that's right. businesspeople are closely watching what russia will do next. one-third of the people, the companies, attending the forum were chinese. i asked several chinese attendees what they think about the economic relation with russia. >> so coming here as a chinese businessman, you know, to learn more and also to find opportunities to work together. and i think that's, you know, china has a lot to offer for russia and so does russia. >> russia, we are a close country. that's far east is -- it has a big potential. >> chinese business leaders are expecting that russia's development in its far eastern borderlands will benefit their activities. what about china's government? >> reporter: hu jintao wants to

strengthen economic relations with russia. china's economy is slowing down, due to europe's credit crisis. russia's far east has great potential, both as a supplier of natural resources to chinese businesses, and as a market for their products. chinese officials underscored the need to cooperate with russia. >> translator: russia has accelerated development in the far east and eastern siberia. this development could also benefit neighboring nations, including china. >> reporter: i have attended several press briefings held by apec's delegations. many speak of the need to strengthen trade relations with china. the influence of chinese economy in the region is growing tremendously. this includes the border area between china and russia.

suifenhe is a small town on china's border with russia. there are signs in russian everywhere, and the streets are so full of russian people, it looks as if it could be in russia. every year around 500,000 people visit from across the border, five times the town's population. most of them are from russia's far east and they come to shop for chinese-made clothes and shoes. >> translator: chinese products last long, and they're well designed. >> translator: i bought many things for my husband and our kids. i'm really satisfied. >> reporter: as china gears up for the economic boom in

russia's far east, more russian speakers will be needed. this language school is expanding its facilities with assistance of the local government. by next year there will be 1,000 students learning russian here, over three times the present number. the effects of russia's booming far east province are being felt as far away as beijing. this clothing manufacturer has developed a brand aimed at the russian market. the company's best-selling items are down jackets. since opening a new showroom for russian customers in 2010, business has boomed. this year sales are up 40%. >> the economic boom in russia's far east is a big opportunity for us.

i think it holds a great potential for the future of both china and russia. >> reporter: the companies are already finalizing its lineup for next year. it is confident that offering a greater variety will boost their sales farther. china is trying to capture the momentum created by the rapid development of russia's far east. on the other hand, russia -- russians are increasingly alarmed by china's strong production capacity and cheap labor. even so, they say chinese investment is essential to promote the development of far east. i think russia and china is trying to maintain mutual beneficial relationship. but at the same time, they are engaged in a struggle for influence in the area the two

countries share. >> all right. that was kaori nagao in vladivostok. she will be covering the apec summit saturday. u.s. president barack obama has made a bid for re-election at the democratic party's national convention in charlotte, north carolina. he told the delegates the vote in november is a choice of a generation, and he called on supporters to join him again. >> our problems can be solved. our challenges can be met. the path we offer may be harder, but it leads to a better place, and i'm asking you to choose that future. >> barack obama wrapped up the democratic national convention by asking voters to consider what the election is all about. >> on every issue, the choice you face won't just be between two candidates or two parties. it will be a choice between two different paths for america. >> obama delivered his message

to delegates and to millions of americans watching on television. he responded to voters' concerns about the economy, promising 1 million new jobs in manufacturing over the next four years. >> yes, our road is longer, but we travel it together. we don't turn back. we leave no one behind. president obama's message provided a book end to several days of speeches by prominent democrats. obama's gift for speaking helped sweep him into power four years ago. he acknowledged that the road may be harder now. earlier, yuko otani talked with toshohiro, a professor of politics and economics. he's an expert on american politics. >> thank you very much for joining us. what was your overall impression of obama's speech? how did he differentiate himself from mitt romney? >> as always, he ignited the

arena, but the crowd in the arena was his supporters. i don't think it was a difficult task for him. the question is how his message will translate and penetrate outside of the arena, and he did frame the election as a choice between two stark world views. i think as president clinton put it yesterday, it's a choice between we're in it together philosophy, that's the democratic philosophy, and you're on your own philosophy, which is the republican philosophy. the conservative vision is a small government vision of the country. >> this time around, obama is entering as an incumbent. how will he reach out to voters this time compared to his last presidential election four years ago? >> yes. he can't run on the vague notion of hope and change as he did four years ago. the key phrase, the key term the obama campaign is sort of focusing on this time around is forward. and i think the subtext of course is that if you choose the romney/ryan ticket, you would

have to sort of go backwards. his record or accomplishments of the past four years are very controversial, i think, so the unemployment rate hovering around 8%. the obama care did create a division within the country. so he had to show in his speech how he would govern differently, but he didn't quite do that, in my opinion. >> i see. now this race for presidency, according to recent polls, show that it's a very close one between obama and romney. how do you expect the final stages of the campaign will unfold? >> i think it's going to remain tight until the election day. i understand the job numbers for august will be coming out friday, so it depends on how the number is, but it might overwhelm the euphoria of the democratic convention and president obama's speech. and it's been told that many people have already decided who they're going to vote for in this election. so the task of the two camps will be sort of consolidating

their base and at the same time trying to sort of convince the small voters left in the middle. so that's going to be the strategy for the two camps, i think. the state of the u.s. economy will be front and center in the lead-up to the presidential election. the latest economic data reflects the two sides of this story. the job creation was much lower than expected. officials at the labor department say nonfarm payrolls expanded by 96,000 jobs in august. analysts were expecting more than 120,000 jobs to be created. the manufacturing sector lost 15,000 jobs. this is mainly due to layoffs in the auto sector. the unemployment rate edged down to 8.1%. investors are closely watching the u.s. central gink see if it will change its monetary policy next week given the mixed results of the job data.

a series of strong earthquakes in southwestern china has killed 50 people and injured more than 150. local authorities say more than 100,000 residents have been evacuated. china's state-run media say a magnitude 5.7 quake hit an area between the provinces of yunan and guexo. a magnitude 5.6 tremor took place about an hour later. the focus of the first quake was 14 kilometers underground. the second one occurred at a depth of ten kilometers. the earthquakes triggered landslides and caused many houses to collapse. many residents were seen staying outdoors immediately after the tremors. the hardest hit area is the mountainous region in yunan province. it's home to 550,000 people, including 16 ethnic minorities.

south korea has extended an olive branch to north korea in the hopes of opening up dialogue. the country's unification minister says he has opened talks to discuss relief aid for flood damage in the north. he told parliament that officials from the south korean red cross asked north korea to hold working level red cross talks. north korea's state-run media reports that about 500 people died or remain missing as a result of floods caused by heavy rains in june and july. the media also reports that a typhoon last month destroyed about 45,000 hectares of farm land. north korea has recently been increasing its criticism of south korean president lee myung-bak. analysts in seoul say they hope to resume talks through the aid talks. north korea has not yet responded to the request. the latest exercise by south korean security forces is

expected to further inflame a diplomatic dispute with japan. soldiers and police are taking part in a drill around takeshima islands in the south china sea. the japanese government claims sovereignty over the islands. south korean military personnel and maritime police are involved in the exercise. the drill is aimed at preventing anyone from trespassing on the islands. south korea staged a similar exercise about twice a year. the last one was in february. the current drill is on a smaller scale than originally planned. marines canceled a landing exercise at the last minute, and the maritime police are playing a leading role instead of the military. south korean officials have also reduced the number of vessels taking part. they say the exercise is not intended to prepare for a fight with a friendly nation. japan has launched a protest against south korea's military drill. a japanese embassy official in

seoul visited friday. the south korean foreign ministry. he said the maneuvers near japan's territory violate its sovereignty and called them unacceptable. the south korean official reportedly brushed aside the protest. the two diplomats also discussed ways to mend bilateral ties. japan's prime minister says he's ready for a second term in office. yoshihiko noda says he plans to run in the ruling democratic party's presidential election. dpj members will vote in two weeks' time. noda announced his candidacy friday. he expressed his determination to lead japan as it faces a number of pressing problems. >> translator: there are tasks that have yet to be finished and cannot be left as they stand. i bear the responsibility of dealing with japan's many challenges. they include a comprehensive reform of the tax and social security systems, as well as

leading the country to recovery. i want to continue carrying the responsibility of what this country needs to achieve now and in the future. >> noda has led efforts to double the consumption tax to 10% by 2015. he admitted there was some difficult times during the current session of the diet. but he says he has proven it is possible to work with opposition parties and vowed to bring about change with determination. people in japan's northeast are focused on overcoming the challenges of the 2011 disaster. but it won't be easy. they have to rebuild homes, businesses, entire communities. we'll show you their struggles and their successes on "the road ahead" every wednesday at 1:00 p.m. japan time here on "newsline." the japanese government says it's making progress in eliminating the debris caused by last year's disaster. the earthquake and tsunami generated some 18 million tons of waste across three prefectures in northeastern

japan. japan's environment minister goshi hosono says the debris has been incinerated, buried or recycled. the ministry says it's making progress in striking agreements with other prefectures to take in part of the waste. but officials also report delays in recycling incombustible debris. hosono wants to accelerate the program by involving more prefectures. the government has given itself two years to complete the disposal. community counselors help people across northeastern japan recover from trauma. they support survivors of last year's disaster. but many of them are quitting, leave something people without the care they need. nhk world's nao sato has the story. >> reporter: yuko haga is making house calls. she works as a counsel for the local government in

minnami-sanriku. she listens to the problems of residents and checks on their health. >> translator: hello. how are you? >> reporter: haga lost her father in the tsunami. he was a firefighter, one of many who died trying to help people escape. she returned home to live with her mother who survived the disaster. >> translator: the survivors open up and talk to me as they know i had a similar experience. i feel rewarded doing this job. >> reporter: minami-sanriku has hired 170 counselors. many work part time. most are disaster survivors themselves. but the government is finding it harder to provide this important service. about 40% of these counselors have quit in recent months. ironically, the reason is the recovery taking place in the region.

many people are going back to their old jobs. mariko abe is one of them. she quit her counseling post in march to reopen her clothing shop. her new shop is in a temporary housing complex. >> translator: many people were sorry to see me leave, but i am very happy i can open my store again. >> reporter: minami-sanriku is not the only community struggling to find counselors. resignations have cut the front line workforce by 20%. >> translator: i'm glad some people can return to their original job or workplace, but we don't have enough counselors. i am worried about the future. >> reporter: the great hanshon earthquake in 1995 highlighted the important role counselors

have to play. the quake itself killed more than 6,400 people. then came the post-disaster tragedy. hundreds of survivors who died alone in temporary housing. 1 1/2 years has passed since the march tsunami. experts say survivors are now more vulnerable than ever. haga is happy with her job, but she is facing a decision. she was a hairdresser before the tsunami. she knows that is where her future lies but still finds it hard to quit her job as a counselor. her father died trying to save people in her hometown. she feels it's her duty to take care of the survivors. >> translator: it is difficult

for me to decide on my future. to tell the truth, i am caught between this job and my plan to be a hairdresser. >> reporter: a small consolation in her case is that whether she returns to hairstyling or continues counseling, her clients can always count on a trustworthy friend. she's determined to stop the tsunami from taking more lives. nao sato, nhk world, minami-sanriku. for an update an the weather forecast, here's mai shoji. mai? >> looks like again we'll be having unstable conditions over japan. much of japan will be seeing those isolated thunderstorms to pop up, especially during the afternoon and evening hours due

to the low pressure system and the moisture surge. however, northern japan will be seeing some clear weather. it will be brief relief, however, though. we have a low pressure system that is distributing a lot of hefty rainfall over the korean peninsula. that's going to be bringing about 30 millimeters in an hour type of sudden bursts of rainfall. and then you can see that that will be next taking aim toward hokkai hokkaido. as it en routes toward hokkaido northern japan again, we'll be finding those isolated thunderstorms and heavy rainfall. but rain actually in tokyo considering the total amount that we should be seeing that this time of the year inspect the past two months, tokyo has only seen 32% of that. so some locations are actually wanting those rain to fall. however, yet again these isolated thunderstorms only come to pop up in the confined areas. so we may actually not get the rain where we want it. heavy rain, however, will be found here in central china.

wuhon especially, you may see 250 millimeters in the next 24 hours. generally speaking, these series of low pressure systems will be moving towards the east and bringing about 100 to 150 millimeters of rainfall accumulation. tokyo looking at 31 degrees. yet again, another hot day for us. and lots of 30s in the tropics. ulaanbaatar, though, just 19 degrees for the high on your saturday. moving over to the american continent, let me show you where the hurricane leslie is moving towards. yes, it is moving towards bermud abut it looks like it will be just skimming the edge of the eastern coast of this island. looks like it will be intensifying into a category 2 status before it will be reaching toward the canadian maritimes. next target is that storm surges and rip currents are still going to be on the dangerous level. in fact, across much of the atlantic coast. so do watch out for that. the gusts already picking up to about 148 kilometers per hour. now across the north american

region, the great lakes will be finding yet again this cold front passing through this region. so under that and ahead of that system, tornadic activity cannot even rule -- be ruled out. gusts of 100 kilometers per hour and hail the size of golf balls could possibly be erupting and targeting some of your regions, especially down towards the south of the great lakes region. behind that cool air will be seeping in and dropping those temperatures down. you can see denver here, 23 degrees. you can recall yesterday that was 32 degrees so what a drastic drop. you'll be finding the same story here in the oklahoma city area. 36 degrees for your friday. but on your saturday, that will be dropping, plummeting about ten degrees. so mid-20s to be found there. all right. moving over to the european kont flent, things are pretty fine and hot and dry. mild temperatures across much of the eastern portions, but it will be very hot in the iberian

pae peninsula. toward the scandinavian peninsula, the atlantic storm will be bringing you wet and windy conditions. paris, london, warsaw, you'll be feeling very warm temperatures. in fact, paris, you'll be seeing 30 degrees on your sunday. so we had a taste of that autumn weather and then back to summer again. but moscow, a different story. it will be plummeting into the low teens for your two-day outlook. here's your extended outlook.

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