welcome to nhk world "newsline." the president of iran says he intends to solve the dispute with western nations over his country's nuclear development through diplomacy. mahmoud ahmadinejad made the comment in a feature interview with nhk. ahmadinejad is visiting the u.s. to attend the annual u.n. general assembly. he says iranian scientists are

producing uranium enriched to 20% to use it for the radiological treatment of diseases such as cancer. western leaders say the production of such high-density uranium could help iran develop atomic weapons. ahmadinejad is emphasizing his country's nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. >> translator: obviously, we are opposed to nuclear weapons. our slogan is all countries should have the right of peaceful use of nuclear power. all countries should eradicate nuclear weapons. >> ahmadinejad says if western countries provide iran with uranium with around 20% density, his country will stop its production. he suggests iranian negotiators are willing to compromise in nuclear talks with six countries, the five permanent members of the u.n. security council and germany. the discussions are stalled.

>> translator: our negotiating stance has been that if western countries provide 20% enriched uranium, we have no intention of producing it. we've made many proposals to western countries, and i hope the negotiations will continue. >> analysts say the president's push for dialogue over the nuclear issue results from his desire to break the deadlock. western nations are pressuring iran with economic sanctions, and israeli leaders are considered a military attack on iran's nuclear facilities. the united states and 33 other countries are taking part in a large-scale military exercise in the persian gulf. it's one of the world's key oil transport routes. the u.s.-led military drill comes amid a deepening rift between iran and the west over tehran's nuclear development program. our crews spent time on board a u.s. support ship and a japanese minesweeper to take a firsthand look at the drill.

sho beppu reports. >> reporter: this u.s. navy support ship was built 41 years ago and was due to be decommissioned earlier this year. it was originally used for land troops, but it has been since equipped for minesweeping duties. it has been deployed in the region since june. the ship is at the center of the naval exercise, which is aimed at strengthening the ability of the participants to keep shipping lanes open in the persian gulf. iran has threatened to choke off ship traffic passing through the strait of hormuz in the gulf. >> the exercise area is approximately 45 to 50 miles off of bahrain, and we are -- >> 80 miles. >> -- 80 miles from the iranian coast. >> reporter: speed boats of the

iranian revolutionary guard play a key role in the country's strategies in the persian gulf. crew members on the ship practiced firing warning shots while we were on board. in the drill scenario, two suspicious vessels are ignoring warnings and coming closer. the 12-day military drill is the largest ever held in the persian gulf. japan, which depends heavily on middle eastern oil, is among the 34 nations taking part in the exercise. the country's maritime self-defense force has sent a minesweeper and its supporting vessel to take part in the drill. the international mine countermeasures exercise is taking place here at the persian gulf. behind me you're seeing the two vessels joining from the japanese forces.

the crew on board japan's minesweeper practices finding and destroying mines. a mine-destroying device is cast into the sea at the site of a suspected mine. the device approaches a mine, sets off an explosive nearby, and destroys the underwater bomb. >> the drill is being conducted to send a message to iran and also to israel, a key u.s. ally in the region that has called for a strict line to be taken with iran. >> how might you refute those remarks? >> well, i think it's important

to understand that we talk daily with our partners here in the region, and we talk about the things that we can do in partnership to make sure that we are ensuring that the region remains stable. so we're going to continue to do that. we're going to continue to engage with them. >> reporter: the u.s. military, together with its allies, aims to demonstrate its ability to fend off an iranian blockade off the strait of hormuz. the show of strength is apparently also designed in part to discourage israel to resort from resorting to carrying out a military strike on iran. show bep pew, nhk world, in the persian gulf. chinese organizers have called off a ceremony this week to mark 40 years of diplomatic ties with japan. representatives of both nations were supposed to gather in beijing, but government leaders can't get past their differences over who owns a chain of islands in the east china sea.

nhk world's michitaka yamaka reports. >> reporter: chinese and japanese officials were hoping to mark four decades of diplomacy. they have held a ceremony once every three years since they normalized the relations. this is the first time the ceremony won't go ahead as scheduled. a chinese foreign ministry spokesperson claims that the cancellation was a result of japan's naturalization of the senkaku islands. >> translator: the ceremony was supposed to be a major opportunity to further develop china-japan ties. however, japan's purchase of the islands violated china's sovereignty and caused hurt feelings among the chinese people. the move gravely undermined bilateral relations. >> reporter: relations were

difficult ten years ago too. japanese prime minister koizumi had just visited the shrine. his visit angered many chinese. still, chinese leader hu jintao attended the ceremony. this year the two sides couldn't overcome their differences over the islands. protesters across china have shown how they feel about the senkaku over the past two weeks, and the government leaders could have come under more criticism if they had allowed the ceremony to go ahead. members of the communist party would hold their national congress later this year. they gather only once every five years. and the political analysts say chinese leaders could have jeopardized their standing in

the party if they had attended the anniversary ceremony. >> translator: japan hurt our feelings by nationalizing the islands. the chinese government made the correct decision. >> translator: both countries are responding too harshly. they need to be more level-headed. >> reporter: chinese media say organizers will hold ceremonial events at an appropriate time. their report did not say those events had been canceled. the media say china's stance on building friendship with japan is unchanged. however, the cancellation of the ceremony suggests that may not be the case. michitaka yamaka, nhk world, beijing. japanese prime minister yoshihiko noda has urged chinese

leaders to take a broader perspective. he said a breakdown in relations between the world's second and third largest economies could harm the global economy. he made the comments in an interview with the "wall street journal." noda said the demonstrations against japan have made china less safe for japanese citizens and businesses. he said that's deeply regrettable. noda said he's concerned about reports that chinese customs officials are performing tougher economics on goods from japan. he said that could deter foreign investors. the rising tensions between japan and china over the senkaku islands are hurting bilateral private sector economic exchanges. a high-level japanese delegation has decided to put off a visit to beijing at the last minute. it was due to start the tour on tuesday. officials of the japan-china economic association say they decided to postpone the visit on monday. they explain that's because it has become uncertain whether the delegation can meet chinese leaders as planned. the annual visit has continued uninterrupted since 1975, even

after the bilateral relations cooled down in the past. officials say, however, that japan business federation hiromasa yonekura and toyota's chairman plan a visit to beijing on a personal basis on thursday. the two chairmen are expected to hold talks with with chinese leaders. the association may rearrange their trip once the tensions ease. stories of tragedy and loss in the middle east touch the hearts of people around the world. one in the palestinian territory seven years ago touched a japanese doctor so much he wrote a book on it. minuro kamata read an article in the newspaper about death of a boy and he sat down and wrote "ahmed's relay of life." >> 12-year-old ahmed lives with his family in the occupied

palestinian territories. one morning, he sets out on errand wearing his best holiday clothes. a bullet hits ahmed in the head. it was shot by an israeli soldier. ahmed is rushed to a hospital. 48 hours later, it's clear he won't survive. the doctor suggests to ahmed's father that the boy's organs be donated. >> but remember, donors cannot control who will receive the organs. it could be a palestinian. it could be an israeli. >> after much long, hard thinking, ahmed's father reaches his decision. >> i agree to donate all of his organs, even the heart. >> it turns out that the recipient of ahmed's heart is an israeli girl the same age as him.

>> when someone you care for is taken, if you just try to get retribution, you will be caught in a chain of hatred. there are other ways of fighting besides weapons. >> minora kamata researched his books by visiting the places where those events happened. nhk world has more. >> reporter: he's had his book translated into both arabic and hebrew. his hope is that it can spread ahmed's father's message, calling for an end to the cycle of hatred. first, he went to see ahmed's father to give him a copy of the book. this was the first time he had read the book about his son.

>> i wrote the book because i felt ahmed's death ought to be a step towards peace. >> translator: i hope this book will do something to change our situation here. >> reporter: kamata was key to find out how the book would be received by the local people. he invited a group of palestinians to read it. the response was not what he had opened for. >> translator: the problem isn't hatred towards israelis. the problem is they've occupied our land. >> translator: they don't recognize our rights or our dignity, and they don't look like they're ending their occupation. their attitude of intolerance is unacceptable. >> reporter: the situation remains too i highly charged.

the message of the book did not really reach the audience. >> reporter: if the situation here doesn't change, people will never accept ahmed's father's message. that really struck me. >> reporter: later, kamata went to visit the israeli girl who received ahmed's heart. she is 19. ismail was also looking forward to meeting her again. >> translator: if my son were alive, he would be the same age as her. i feel ahmed is with her in some way. >> reporter: samah has kept a picture of ahmed on the wall of the living room. she says she looks at it every day and feels deeply grateful. she is now studying to be a nurse. she wants to give something back to contribute to people.

>> translator: i want to help people who are sick and hurt return to good health so they can go back to their homes. >> reporter: there was one question that he wanted to ask samah. >> translator: i feel more confident now that my book may help to open up new possibilities. >> kohe, the palestinians who read kamata's book did not seem to appreciate his message. why do you think he found such resistance? >> the book appeals to readers to break the chain of hatred, but the reaction at the book reading shows that the root of the problem is not simply hatred. for palestinians, the overriding issue is the continued occupation for the palestinian

territories on the west bank and gaza strip. the number of israeli settlers in the west bank is growing all the time. and the economic blockade at the gaza strip remains firmly in place. this is the daily reality of the occupation for the palestinians. at the book reading, they made it clear as long as the occupation continues the chain of hatred will never be broken. >> minoru kamata seemed hopeful after his recent visit, but he also understands the difficulties. tell us a little bit about the situation on the ground. >> even now, the progress against israeli occupation in the west bank are being held every week. and palestinians are continuing to die in clashes with israeli military that tries to put down the continuing arrest. israeli forces also detained people without a warrant and sometimes even put them prison. meanwhile, the peace process

remains deadlocked, and at the present there is no sign that things will improve. >> nhk world's kohei tsuji in jerusalem. south korea's president says he disputes the islands. he was speaking in fusan at a ceremony for south korea's coast guard. he mentioned his recent visit to the islands. >> reporter: when i visited, i felt very reassured to see your strong determination to protect south korea's territorial waters. >> tensions in northeast asian waters are rising. he says his country is strengthening security around

the islands. a man who was once one of china's top police officers is going the jail for covering up a crime. judges sentenced wang lee-jun to 15 years in prison in a case that exposed chinese politics to worldwide scrutiny. he was an aide to bo xilai, the ousted communist party life of chongqing. weng was also the chief of police and deputy mayor of chongqing. he was found guilty of covering up the murder of a businessman by bo's wife, gu kailai. prosecutors accused him of defecting and seeking political asylum in chengdu. they also said he abused wiretapping laws and accepted bribes. xinhua news agency reports he bears grave criminal responsibility. he says the judges showed him leniency in sentencing him to only 15 years in prison. they apparently took into consideration his cooperation with the murder investigation. the trial revealed a senior

chongqing official slapped weng when he reported the 2011 murder of businessman neil haywood. sources close to the communist party say that official was likely bo xilai. china's leadership dismissed bo from the communist party after weng defected. observers are now waiting to find out how much bo knew about his wife's involvement in the murder and how the party will punish him. a court found gu kailai guilty last month of killing haywood and gave her a suspended death senten sentence. a man who escaped through an extremely narrow opening in a south korean jail has been caught after several days on the run. local media say the man relied on yoga skills he acquired during his previous time in jail. the 50-year-old robbery suspect was held at a police station in a southern city. he escaped from his cell last monday by squeezing through a food slot measuring 15 x 45 cent meters. police say he rubbed ointment on

himself to make it easier to slip through the narrow space. police apprehended the fugitive five days later after a large-scale manhunt. they say he had improved his fitness by taking yoga and boxing lessons during a long period of detention. here are the latest market figures. heavy rain in the philippines. meteorologist robert speta is here with the details. robert? well, yes, gene. out across much of the

philippines already widespread problems occurring here due to our typhoon gjelawat just towars the east. one person missing here. hundreds have been evacuated due to these rain bands pushing onshore, bringing an abundant amount of rainfall. now the storm looks like it's going to be continuing to slowly track there off towards the north, kicking up about five-meter-high waves near the coastline. so very dangerous for fishing traffic across this area. but also the heavy rains could even be moving in towards the manila plet row region. the storm system is not moving very fast at all. very slowly off here towards the north. you can see on wednesday and thursday. still just towards the east of luzon. that's going to continue to push those rain showers onshore. then going into the weekend across portions of taiwan, the extreme southwestern portions of the southern japanese islands, going to be wanting to watch

this storm system closely throughout the coming days as that track may likely waver going into the weekend. now, winds are currently at 270 kilometers per hour, so this is now considered a violent typhoon. but just east of it is a tropical depression expected to become a tropical storm in the next 24 hours. that's going to be moving off towards the north. good news with this storm system, though. see that stationary front? that's going to act like a wall keeping the storm from pushing east. unfortunately, this backgroundry is bringing widespread rain showers and thunderstorm activity in japan. reports in niigata, 52 millimeters in a one-hour period. on tuesday, those thunderstorms will continue to flare up due to the unstable nature of this, but behind it, high pressure will start to work its way in towards japan going into wednesday with fairer weather. but things will be cooling off. tokyo here on tuesday, only a high of 23. much cooler than we have been seeing in recent times. beijing with a high of 22. shanghai getting up to 27 on your tuesday. now over towards the americas,

continuing to watch a low-pressure area moving through the rockies. this is bringing some rain showers, even thunderstorm activity in some of the higher elevations in colorado. some reports of snow coming out of there today due to this low-pressure area. speaking of some cold weather, farther towards the east, see this cold front? that's diving in out across the plains out of canada, a big arctic blast is going to be following in behind it. actually temperatures down near freezing expected here on your monday, going into tuesday. chicago, you're looking at a high of 20 overnight. single digits, frost advisories for much of this region. have a jacket ready if you plan on going out through the overnight hours, but also those ice scrapers in your car. you don't want to be stuck with a layer of forecast on your windshield. in europe, the british isles, gusty winds are causing some travel concerns. in london, significant delays there at heathrow due to the strong winds gusting upwards of about 68 kilometers per hour. see those lines very close together. that's indicating that tight

rain. so very unstable weather indeed across much of the area. for the midpart of the week, this whole low-pressure area will slowly track towards the southeast, improving those conditions. but the temperatures are remaining autumn-like. 15 in paris, and 17 on your tuesday. now here's a look at your extended forecast. ♪

people are gathering in the indonesian capital jakarta for the annual japan festival. organizers have put on the week-long event since 2009 to promote friendship between the countries through culture and sports. nine indonesians played traditional japanese drums sunday at the opening ceremony. a japanese man who's been promoting friendship with indonesia for many years later thanked its people for helping restore areas in japan hit by the march twenty disaster. atso suzuki spoke by video phone from one of places hit hard by the tsunami. the event also featured a performance by jkt-48, indone a indonesia's version of the hit japanese all-girl pop group akb-48. 400 people sang together to

close the event to express support for the survivors of the disaster. we'll be back with more updates in 30 minutes. i'm gene otani in tokyo. for all of us here at nhk world, thanks for joining us.