welcome to nhk world "newsline." members of japan's self-defense forces are tracking a flotilla of chinese naval ships. they say the vessels approached japanese territorial waters west of okinawa. the disputed senkaku islands are located in that area, a territory japan controls but china claims. pilots with the maritime self-defense force air patrol spotted the flotilla tuesday. they found the ships about 49 kilometers off yonaguni island near taiwan. japanese defense ministry

officials say the ships moved north just outside japan's territorial waters. they say the vessels were headed to another contiguous zone off the senkaku islands. but then the flotilla headed west away from the islands. defense ministry officials point out the flotilla is the same one that passed through the oak. >> wa islands earlier this month. officials believered it was returning to china. international law allows warships to pass through another nation's contiguous zone. officials say it's the first time the chinese navy this year has been spotted around japan's contiguous zone off okinawa. china's state-run media ran a statement from the chinese defense ministry saying its ships were on training and sailing exercises which are legal and appropriate. the statement also says japan's recent dispatch of military aircraft to the area violates china's sovereignty. it urged japan to stop any actions that complicate the current situation. earlier i spoke to mow ji

o'hara, security analyst at ihs james. he's also a former navy captain of japan's maritime self-defense force. he specializes in china's defense and security issues. mr. oha da, what's your opinion on the latest action by china's navy vessels? >> of course that was not the official operations with the senkaku program. forced to return to base was unusual. of course they could choose the revised course, but they didn't. it means they were up to something by using this course. >> so according to what you think, you don't think this action is normal. now, what do you think are the intentions of china, then? >> yes. we have to consider about the two divisions. one is the central government,

central china deciding plot this course, it means they want to see or understand the japanese reaction not only from government or from -- of course also from the society. one more thing is they of course want to show their presence in this area. navy vessel is quite different from the civilian vessel. navy vessel, the meaning is quite different. and one another is the independent operation by lower-level command. they want to appear to central patriot action, patriot feeling. so it is much more dangerous. t patriot action, patriot feeling. so it is much more dangeroul to patriot action, patriot feeling. so it is much more dangerous. >> so they may be acting independently from what the central government is telling them. do you think there are any possibilities that the dispute between japan and china will actually escalate?

>> i believe the battle or fight will occur in this area in the future. because china at last did enter the most problematic area, and the japanese reaction is also very calm. so, it will not be the big problem in the future. but i think the japan and china, especially in military section, have to make effort to make more channels. for discussion, i think. >> all right. we thank you very much for your insight mr. bonji ohara. the commander of the u.s. pacific fleet says chinese naval vessels have the right to cruise in international waters, but admiral cecil haney says other nations have expectations. >> as we deal with maritime capability, it's not surprising to me china is an emerging

nation who would have maritime capability. we hope what they do with their capability is transparent. >> haney also commented on the senkaku islands dispute. he said u.s. leaders take no position in terms of sovereignty claims. he added the u.s. government wants a peaceful resolution to the issue. moves to boycott japanese products are spreading across china. the auto industry is taking the hardest hit. sales of japanese cars in china plunged in september. toyota saw its sales nearly halved compared to the same month last year. nhk world's akihiro ma coda reports. >> reporter: nissan motors unveiled their new precision car last month. especially for the chinese market. nissan is the top seller of japanese cars in china. the price for the 1600 cc

roundabout starts from about $11,000, almost the same as chinese model. nissan kept costs down by using more locally made parts. nissan executives hoped the new car launch would jump-start sales in the country. but the timing couldn't have been worse. anti-japanese sentiment is running high. company managers say the impact on sales has been larger than expected. >> this is the kind of crisis that we don't really like because completely outside of reach of companies. you know, political situations, very emotional between the two countries, and you're caught in the middle. >> reporter: japanese automakers have been forced to keep a lower profile since the senkaku issue erupted. that means no product promotion.

this motor show held last month is a key event on the industry calendar. but honda, mitsubishi and fuji all pulled out at the last moment. the situation is made worse by a threatening consumer boycott targeting japanese products. >> translator: because of the senkaku issue, i'm going to buy a german car. >> translator: given the political problems, i don't think it's a good idea to buy a japanese car now. >> reporter: one dealer of european cars is offering what they call the patriotic service. it's a discount offer customers who purchase japanese vehicles get more than $700 off the sticker price.

>> reporter: declining sales are now affecting others. toyota and nissan scaled back local production from september through october. some plants cut the number of operating days or shortened operating hours. more assembly lines could follow suit. managers of japan's automakers say they hope that this is just a bump in the road for the chinese operations. but that could all depend on the improvement in japan/china relations. and there's no sign of that happening anytime soon. akihiro mikoda, nhk world, tianj tianjin. >> toyota announced it will shut down most of the production lines at its tianjin plant for five days starting next monday. people in okinawa are angry over the deployment of the

controversial military aircraft. now they're even more furious. police have arrested two u.s. servicemen in connection with an assault. three-quarters are stationed in the southern prefecture. investigators say a woman was walking home and she was attacked. she sustained a neck injury. the suspects belonged to naval air station ft. worth in texas. the woman has reportedly told police she's never seen the men before. the mayor of the city hosting many u.s. bases made this comment. >> translator: this clearly trampled on women's human rights. we will not tolerate this heinous crime. >> authorities in okinawa have dealt with seven cases since 1973 in which u.s. servicemen were arrested on charges of assaulting women. the case in 1995 involving a 12-year-old girl sparked large-scale protests. u.s. ambassador to japan john roos says he takes the matter very seriously and

promised to cooperate with japanese authorities. . u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton says she takes responsibility for the attack on the u.s. consulate in libya last month. the ambassador and three other americans died. clinton made the remark in an interview with cnn. she stressed that president obama and vice president joe biden weren't involved in security decisions related to the consulate. the administration is facing criticism over precaution preca. the state department did not respond to requests for extra security at the consulate in the months before the attack. during thursday's vice presidential debate, biden said they weren't told they wanted more security there. clinton says normally the president and vice president would not be briefed on such matters. the attack and the obama administration's response have become a major issue in the upcoming presidential election. the government of myanmar has surprised the world with the speed of its reforms after

decades of strict military rule. people want to know how committed the government is to its new democratic goals. we try to answer that important question on day two of our special broadcast from myanmar. here's patchari raksawong, >> hello from yangon. we're focusing on the dramatic political reforms that have generated so much hope for meaningful change in myanmar. since taking office last year, president thein sein has set a new course for the country, and pro-democracy leader aung san suu kyi, she's been elected to parliament, and western countries are in the process of easing sanctions. the questions on everyone's lips are, how committed is the government to this new path, and how far is it prepared to go? we'll, i've been to some of the iconic locations of the democratic struggle here in yangon to find out. i'm here at shwedagon, or the

golden pagoda, which is a symbol of yangon. now the gilded pagoda is more than 99 meters tall. and they say that it's decorated with jewels at the top. the pagoda is an important religious site for buddhists in myanmar. but in the past, it has also been a lightning rod for protests against the former military regime. in 1988, aung san suu kyi made a famous speech demanding democracy in front of a huge crowd said to be half a million strong. she was banned from political activity and confined for more than 15 years. this is where aung san suu kyi used to live while under house arrest. back then, walking along this street was prohibited. but now, it's become a bit of a tourist attraction.

>> it's interesting. you can also see that people are extremely positive about changes, and that is a really good thing. >> reporter: images of aung san suu kyi used to be banned. but her face is everywhere at this souvenir shop at the headquarters of her national lead for democracy party. from coffee cups to umbrellas, these items earn the party about 500 u.s. dollars a day. that's about half the amount most ordinary people in myanmar make in a year. visitors from overseas seem happy that myanmar is opening up. but what about democracy activists inside the country? i visited min ko naing. he was a key member of the '88 generation, the group that led the anti-military movement of 1988. he spent more than 15 years in prison.

>> translator: whether or not people say these changes are real, we must be active and force them to become real. actions are more important than words. aung san suu kyi chose to enter parliament and is moving forward. and that encourages me, too, to do what i can in my own way, because i want everyone in myanmar to join this movement for democracy. that's my motivation. >> one of the recent reforms of the thein sein administration has been the abolition of prepublication censorship. but as nhk world reports, journalists here in myanmar are still trying to gauge how free they really are. >> reporter: at this new stand in yangon, an array of newspapers is on sale. people's interest in social affairs has been growing since political and economic reforms were launched last year.

>> translator: the press used to be controlled, but now it's different, so it's better to read. >> reporter: "the voice" is one of the nation's most popular weekly magazines. under military rule, the magazine had to submit draft articles to the censors one week before publication. but the new government has abolished free publication censorship. the magazine is working on a daily edition to be launched within this year. the editor in chief became a journalist about ten years ago. he was tired of military rule, and wanted to encourage change. but his publication house was bound by restrictions and censorship. officials slapped it with publication bans six times. once was in 2010 after the magazine reported aung san suu kyi's release from house arrest.

censors demanded the removal of her photo from the front page, but the magazine ignored the order. the government responded with a ban. >> we have no chance to put on anything. so i want to show that our audience of people, happy and we want to talk to the people. >> reporter: troubles continued, even after censorship was eased. the government is proceeding to sue the publisher for libel after the magazine printed an article in march about suspected corruption. the report covers the sum of $1.2 million spent by the government and a dubious deal between a firm and the ministry. >> translator: what they

reported was not true. we just want the truth to be told. we hold no grudge against them. >> reporter: at the regular editorial meeting, the looming trial is on everyone's minds. they have received a tip-off about $3 million of legally sold copper. the editors carefully discuss what to do with the story. >> reporter: the following morning, the allegations are on the front page. he and his fellow journalists see recent actions as a result

of their previous work. even so, he says he will keep fighting for a free press. >> translator: media will face more charges and pressure, for sure. but what we must do as journalists is to report accurately and ethically. >> reporter: myanmar has started out on the long journey to democracy. journalists here are still testing the boundaries of their newfound freedom of expression. nhk world, yangon oop. >> journalists getting used to a new era of lower censorship in that report. but just how far is the government of thein sein prepared to go towards an open democracy? well, i asked that important question to one of the president's closest advisers,

nay xin latt. >> the nature of the region is very much centrally centralized. we cannot make an improvement. we are -- we were much behind the other asean countries. in order to catch up with our neighboring, we need to change and reform political and public so that we can go the economic change to. >> is there a possibility at all that after the general elections in 2015 that we'll see president aung san suu kyi? >> president appears that in the states, right? they will regard what the people desire. it is necessary. and you know, people want, right? the government, they have strong idea. it is needed. all right. they might change the

constitution. being the democratic society, this is for the people, by the people, of the people, right? people-oriented system. right? the president definitely -- he will accept what people want. this new environment is based on the people. right? capitalism, the open market. in order to follow those systems, definitely we need to change political environment. >> political adviser to the president nay xin latt speaking with me earlier. myanmar's dramatic political reforms have drawn widespread praise. but there is a long way to go before the government, still influenced by the military, can call itself a fully functioning democracy. and we all have a responsibility to watch closely to make sure myanmar's leaders fulfill their promises of irreversible

political change and a brighter future for their people. thank you very much for joining us for this special report. i'm patchari raksawong in yangon. japanese convenience store change family mart has opened its first store in indonesia. it's the third japanese chain to tap into the asian nation's rapidly growing market. >> one, two, three! [ applause ] >> that store there located in the suburbs of the capital of jakarta. they will operate under a licensing agreement with a local firm. tape-cutting ceremony was held tuesday to mark its opening. the store will sell things like lunch boxes and other japanese dishes. the company plans to open three store in jakarta by the end of the year and aims to set up 500 stores in indonesia by 2017. >> translator: indonesia is an attractive market for us with potential for growth.

a large number of its population of 240 million is young. we want to run the kind of store that indonesian people can use every day. >> family mart's move is expected to accelerate competition in the indonesian market. two other japanese convenience store chains, 7-eleven and lawson, are already doing business in the country. here are the latest market figures. two storms are approaching

japan. for more on the weather forecast, here's mai shoji. mai? yes, gene. we've got a couple of storms to talk about still over waters in the south of japan. one is maria. maria is now affecting the islands, but it could soon be gone. it will be moving away from the landmasses, and it will become an extratropical low by thursday. still, high waves as much as 5 meters will be affecting these coastal regions. this is prapiroon. it had a very clear defined eye, but now that's going to be gone and it's going to be a very unorganized system. however, still the strength will be maintained as it stays as a tropical storm veering towards the islands of okinawa here and affecting these regions with high waves of about 8 meters high. storm surges, rip currents, these are all going to be at very high risk. looks like this will be veering towards the pacific side of japan, which is very bad news because this surges a lot of

moisture, really warm air, and dumps heavy rain towards western japan. and due to this storm which is up to the north moving over the korean peninsula right now, that brings in really cool air, which means that the two air masses will be really colliding and clashing in these regions. so kyushu will be looking at really heavy rain of about 100 to 200 millimeters in the next 24 hours. that's enough to cause some flooding, mud slides, and landslides in this region. you can see this covering much of japan so, very different scenario y from what we saw today. we had very sunny and mild weather across much of japan. that's going to be very wet and gusty and rain traversing across much of the region in the next 24. temperature, 21 degrees in tokyo. same digit here in shanghai. just 1 up there in ulaanbaatar. all right. moving over to the american continent, there are a couple of storms to talk about here as well. this is hurricane rafael. rafael is moving towards bermuda. it will be skimming the eastern

coast, bringing storm surges, dangerous rip currents as well as some heavy rain. but that will be moving away from landmasses by the end of the week. this is paul. this is another hurricane to talk about that will be actually making landfall in the -- over the baja peninsula on the western seaboard. you can see this hurricane warning posted out here. over land it will be downgrading into a tropical storm, which is good news, but the accumulation of this system bringing a significant amount of rainfall will be the key factor and also towards western coast of mexico as well. really gusty one, as well, so do watch out for this. talking act gusts, this system is a winter storm moving in from the pacific northwest, and that is capable of bringing about upwards of 80 kilometers per hour gusts. and that could actually bring some very high risk of power outages and downing trees that could pose a threat to especially motorists.

and the storm would actually bring a lot of precipitation as well. any precipitation found in the north or upper elevations could turn to snow. temperature-wise, we're looking at bismarck at 22, but that's actually going to be dropping down to low teens as that cold front passes through the area on your wednesday. here in the european continent, really messy across the north. we've got an atlantic system moving into the british isles, and flooding is going to be at very high risk here in the iberian peninsula. the ground is very loose already. temperature-wise, we're looking at athens at 30 degrees. but on the cooler side here in london and in paris. here's your extended forecast. ♪

we'll be back with more

updates in 30 minutes. i'm gene otani in tokyo.

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