welcome to nhk world "newsline." a well-known and influential figure in japanese politics is trying to give voters another option the next time they goto the polls. tokyo governor shintaro ishihara is preparing to launch a new conservative party. ishihara announced thursday he

will resign as governor. >> translator: i am creating a new party, and along with its members, my colleagues, i'll be returning to national politics. this follows the path i set as tokyo governor for the past 14 years. >> ishihara said japan needs political realignment. he had been trying to form an alliance with another conservative party, but the discussions fell apart. he recently talked with osaka mayor toru hashimoto about working together. hashimoto has just launched his own national party to field candidates in the upcoming election, expected anytime between now and next summer. ishihara is nope for his strong views. his actions sparked the recent tensions over territory in the east china sea. he raised money to purchase the senkaku islands from a japanese owner. he wanted to develop the islands, but the central government moved in to nationalize the territory. that prompted widespread protests in china. ishiha ishihara's party will offer voters an alternative to the ruling democratic party and the

major opposition liberal democrats. the japan/china territorial dispute is playing out in the sea around the senkaku islands. chinese government ships entered japanese waters thursday. they navigated in the area for about seven hours. coast guard officials spotted four patrol vessels sailing about 22 kilometers off one of the islands that's just inside japan's waters. they say the ships were as close as four kilometers off the island at one point. all of them left japanese waters later in the day. vice foreign minister chikao kawai launched a protest with chinese ambassador cheng yonghua. japan controls the senkaku islands. china and taiwan claim them.

assistant secretary of state kurt campbell, who arrived in japan on thursday, is in charge of u.s. policies on east asia. he said he met with china's vice foreign minister in the u.s. before leaving for japan. >> we talked about the importance of relations between china and japan are restored and improved, and that is in the best interests of not just the peoples but the countries and everyone in the asia-pacific, including the united states. >> campbell is scheduled to meet with japanese officials to discuss bilateral cooperation on situations in east asia. we interviewed a prominent british analyst on how he sees japan/china relations at the moment. professor michael clarke is director general at the royal united services institute for defense and security studies. >> for european, we understand the issue, i think, of the islands. we understand the delicacy of the issue. but it is a problem that can be

similar disputes all around the world, and they will flare up from time to time. the most important thing from tokyo's point of view is not to allow too many precedents to be set on either side, which lock both powers, both beijing and tokyo, into positions from which they cannot retreat. we are modern powers in the world. there are many powers in the world which really are not modern. china is a great 20th century power. it's not really a 21st century power. and so those of us who are post-modern century societies, who live in very 21st century ways in the world, have got to share our ideas about the legitimate and most effective use of hard and soft power, of robust diplomacy, but legitimate diplomacy. again, in the post-modern world, what we're looking at is a network of relationships, intensive bilateralism, and you can see this now in japan's

relations, growing maritime relations with india, its relations with australia, japan, australia, the united states. there are a whole series of triangles and four-pointed diamonds that one could imagine to do different things. and it seems to me the most flexible organizations and the ones that are probably most productive in the world are not the grand alliances with grand charters and treaties but the very practical arrangements for cooperation. >> that was michael clarke, director general at the royal united services institute for defense and security studies. japanese officials say the united states must do more in the wake of a rape case in okinawa than impose a nighttime curfew on its servicemen. the demand was made at meeting in tokyo of the two countries' foreign ministry officials. at a meeting of the joint committee, japanese officials said the incident is extremely regrettable and should never

have happened. they also called for greater discipline not only for servicemen stationed in japan but also for those on temporary assignment like the two arrested. japan also ask that the u.s. undertake a drastic review of its rules regarding the offduty activities of its troops. u.s. officials said it was an inexcusable incident and that they take it very seriously. they suggested that they would consider additional measures. the commander of the u.s. marines in okinawa has told his troops to act as good friends to the people of the prefecture. lieutenant governor lieutenant general kenneth glueck said the recent rape incident has made the situation surrounding the u.s. forces in okinawa very difficult. >> you need to take it to heart, take it out of the classroom, take it and discuss that and make sure we comply with it, because the future of our corps depends on it. the american people depend on it, they expect it, and our

okinawan brothers here on okinawa as well as on the main land expect the same. >> the commander says he's sorry for the japanese women. he told the troops to make sure that each of them learns a lesson from the incident. the territorial dispute with china is leading many chinese consumers to shun japanese cars. makers that are facing lower sales are taking various measures. mitsubishi motors is releasing new exports to china. mitsubishi unveiled its new outlander sport utility vehicle on thursday. about 3,500 of them were originally bound for china, but the company president says that number has been cut to half. >> translator: we think it's too risky to export such a large batch of cars to china given the current sales environment. >> masuko said the company will further review its export volumes based on sales.

meanwhile, industry sources say toyota motor will reduce output at its factories in china. they say the auto maker will cut reduction in the country by 35%, through the end of this year. that's due to grim sales prospects. toyota says it sold over 44,000 new cars in china last month. that's about half compared to the same month last year. the disputes with china and also south korea are affecting the japanese travel industry. bookings for package tours to the two countries are at the lowest levels in years. the japan association of travel agents surveyed seven major japanese travel agencies. officials say the surveys show package tour reservations to china in october fell more than 70% from a year earlier. bookings for november are down over 75%. tourists to south korea also dropped by nearly 50% this month and are down more than 60% for november. in contrast, tour reservations

to guam and saipan are on the rise. bookings are up over 40% this month and more than 80% in november. virtual reality is becoming more of a reality these days due to advances in technology. some of the latest innovations are on display at the digital content expo in tokyo. and they've put a new spin on driving, making music, even eating. nhk world's rena that kato takes us there. >> reporter: anyone hoping to peer years into the future just needs to drop by japan's digital content expo. the event features 22 booths filled with high-tech toys designed to change life as we know it. >> translator: previously, digital content was just a flashy display of the virtual world. now it's becoming a reality. i believe every industry is experiencing a digital revolution.

>> reporter: japan's digital content industry is the second largest in the world after the united states. it's worth more than $150 billion annually and includes everything from animation and gaming to software development and multimedia. the best part of this expo is the number of prototypes you can sample. the very latest ideas and devices that haven't even hit the market. can't read sheet music? no problem. researchers at tokyo metropolitan university created something that does it for you. users write notes then scan them with this device. a microcamera turns what it sees into data and inputs that data into an algorithm. the digitized sheet music is played back in realtime.

>> translator: i want people to have fun and experience something new when they add digital technology to an analog format. >> reporter: researchers at the university of tokyo focus their efforts on helping people control their weight and their cravings. they created these goggles, which change the size of your food according to its nutritional value. take this cookie, for example. digitally enlarging it alters your psychological perception. the bigger it looks, the more you think you eat. the result -- you feel fuller faster. >> translator: i know that the cookie isn't changing, but it really felt like it was growing and shrinking in my hand. >> reporter: even parking your car is now easier. researchers and students at keo university created something they called optical camouflage technology that makes backing into a spot even simpler. car seats are covered with a

retroreflective fabric which acts as an invisible cloak. drivers look through a screen to see a computer-generated image of what's behind the vehicle reflected on the fabric. the digital content world isn't just behind television or computer screens anymore. in fact, it's quickly becoming something that's very much a part of our everyday lives. rina nakano, nhk world, tokyo. all right. here are the latest market figures.

the taliban has put the ball in the united states' court. while the insurgent group is fighting international forces in afghanistan, it says it wants to resume peace talks with the u.s. but their conditions would be did i feel to meet. nhk world's hideki yui reports. >> reporter: the u.s. government and taliban started peace talks in 2010 and carried them out in locations such as qatar. but negotiations have been in limbo since march this year. taliban leader mullah muhammad omar issued a statement on wednesday to mark the beginning of the muslim holy day eid al-adha. in his comments, he indicated the group's intention to resume dialogue with the u.s., saying the taliban would continue while

also taking political measures. taliban representatives in qatar who handle this political issue, spoke with nhk in august. they said the taliban halted the negotiations after the u.s. demanded that afghan president hamid karzai's government be included. he added that the taliban is ready to discuss peace if key taliban members are freed. omar's statement this week is intended as a direct call to the u.s. to resume direct talks which keep out the karzai administration. the taliban is displaying a sense of urgency now that negotiations are not moving forward. the united states is trying to withdraw combat forces by the end of 2014 and hand security back to afghanistan. all are eager to put the

long-running war to an end. the u.s. is in the middle of a presidential race and is not likely to respond to calls for dialogue at the moment. hideki yui, nhk world, islamabad. south korean president lee myung-bak is over more scrutiny in critical cases involving members of his family. his son appeared before a special council to face allegations he attempted to misuse taxpayer money to build his father's retirement residence. prosecutors believe lee used his own name and not his father's when he tried to buy land for the home. that's against south korea's real estate laws. the cost of the land would have been split with the government because the residence would need facilities for security personnel. lee is accused of trying to misappropriate taxpayer funds by fixing the deal so the government paid more for its share of the property and he paid less for his. president lee's brother is also

suspected of being involved. the transaction has since been scrapped. the president's other brother has been tangled up in a separate case and has been indicted on bribery charges. these legal matters are expected to have an impact on south korea's presidential elections in december. lee's term is up, but analysts say the controversy could harm the image of his ruling party and its candidate. two fresh nobel laureates are stressing the importance of a careful approach to translating research on induced pluripotent stem cells into clinical applications. shinya yakima ta and john gurdon were recently awarded this year's nobel prize in physiology or medicine. ips cells can be programmed to grow into a variety of tissues leading to high hopes that they can be used to treat illnesses.

yamanaka and gurdon were speaking at the gladstone institutes in san francisco on wednesday. it was their first joint news conference since receiving this year's nobel prize. yamanaka said gurdon has been an inspiration to him since they first met. >> he is an active scientist, still. so that's what i really respect. so i want to be like him 20-some years later with hair, too, of course. >> i'm full of administration for the work that shinya has done. in fact, as i said before, if it weren't for his work, i think we would have long since disappeared into obscurity. >> yamanaka spoke about the risks and benefits of clinical applications of ips cells.

>> balance between risk and benefit is what we have to consider. what we can do is to minimize risks as much as possible. >> gurdon said yamanaka is a strong believer in the individual having the choice between risks and possible benefits. >> in my experience, the whole of my life, i've never seen such an enormous impact of one discovery as with shinya's ips work. japan is in the middle of its rugby season, and competition is heating up in the university and professional leagues. this season a world-renowned superstar gave japanese rugby a shot in the arm when he joined the top league. >> translator: i really want to thank him for coming to japan. i can't wait to see the world's best player in action.

>> translator: i expect him to show us things we have never seen. >> nhk world's aya ham shee mattels us more about this rugby situation. >> reporter: williams is 27 years old and has been playing rugby since he was a child. in 2010, his dream came true when he became the key center of the new zealand national team. last year, his contributions helped the team win the rugby world cup. here at tokyo's rugby stadium fans from across japan have gathered to see the kiwi superstar play.

he's flown halfway around the world to play in japan. two months ago, he joined panasonic, one of the best teams, and is playing a key role. >> opportunities like this, coming to a new country and experiencing difference things in your life doesn't happen very often. i have been pretty blessed in my lifetime and coming to japan is a blessing. >> translator: i can watch the world's greatest player from close up. we're learning a lot from him. >> reporter: the signing of williams to the team has attracted a huge amount of attention to japanese rugby and is boosting the sport's popularity. in the 1980s and '90s, especially in the university league, the rugby stadiums were packed.

but the recent soccer boom caused rugby to start to decline. amid the situation, japan is scheduled to host the rugby world cup in 2019. the japan rugby football union says williams is bringing fans back into the stadiums. >> he has brought the dream of rugby world cup. i think japanese fans start thinking that, oh, this rugby world cup is coming to japan in seven years' time. >> reporter: among the attractions are his remarkable strength and physicality which he gained through a completely different sport. he started boxing just in the way to get more fit, but in 2009 he became a professional boxer.

then in february of this year, williams captured new zealand's heavy weight belt. while the top league takes a risk next month, williams is scheduled to challenge the former world heavy weight champion. williams' ambition and dedication is inspiring his teammates. >> translator: he is successful in two sports and is bringing our team a lot attention. his influence means a lot to us and i am very happy about this. >> i just want to keep playing good rugby when i'm playing rugby, keep fighting well when i'm boxing, keep learning, a humble approach and a good work ethic, and things pay off, things will work. >> sonny! >> reporter: the humble way in which williams pursues his dream is a huge inspiration for many japanese fans. aya hamashima, nhk world, tokyo.

clear weather here in tokyo, but near the philippines it's a different story. meteorologist robert speta is here with the details. robert? >> well, yes. we are continuing to watch our tropical storm son-tinh moving off toward the west. it is bringing heavy rainfall and causing a slew of problems across the philippines. actually one report on a death now, and now up to nine people are missing all the way from luzon. in lieuson, a report of up to 209 milliliters of rain in the past 24 hours. and on fop of that, all this rain and rough seas are creating hazardous conditions as far as travel. 16,000 people have been reported stranded across this area due to airports being closed, especially in sabu here. that airport was completely shut down as the storm moved overhead. now it's pushing off to the west. you can see the rain totals adding up into vietnam over the weekend. look at this track.

on friday into saturday it starts to push up just north of da nang here, and that's where you'll be seeing a potential impact of the storm. you definitely want to be watching this through the weekend. it's not never yet. it could intensify to a severe tropical storm. now pull back and taking a look at this frontal boundary that's pulling out of eastern china, that's going to be impacting korea on your saturday. then eventually into japan going through your sunday. expect some rain showers across this region with tokyo on your sunday. for the time being, though, on friday, absolutely beautiful weather is going to be on tap due to that high pressure aloft. most of the region will see better weather through saturday. but it is going to start to work its way in from the west. temperatures are going to look like this, though, tokyo with a high of 22 on your friday. look at beijing, the high teens, and hong continue still rather warm there for you. bangkok with a high of 33 on your friday. now over towards the americas, we're talking about this storm in the caribbean. it is now hurricane sandy continuing to push across cuba and also made landfall over jamaica, caused two deaths there. well, now conditions are going

to be improving for you, but going downhill into the bahamas, even across the east coast of florida, you could be seeing some rough seas. rip currents are going to be exceptionally dangerous out here, even some heavy rainfall around the miami area. then as it continues to pull off towards the north, look at the east coast of virginia, also over towards the carolinas. you could be seeing some rough surf with this but even some rainfall and thunderstorm activity. still watching this storm system through the weekend into the next part of -- the early part of next week as this pulls off there towards the north. also we're looking at this frontal boundary which is coming in from the west, and that is really creating a sharp line of strong to severe thunderstorms on tap even around chicago. you can see some tornadoes, large hail, gusty winds, even frequent lightning. but really what's causing this, look at the sharp difference in temperatures. chicago with a high of 23, winnipeg at 3 for your high, denver, as well. chicago, you're expecting this to go down to the single digits as that front pushes across even over towards toronto where you're enjoying temperatures into the high teens at this

time. also looking at a dramatic drop-off in temperatures into northern europe. see that line of clouds here? that's associated with a long frontal area. all these lines really close together, these contours, these isobars, they're crete year to dating skwup wards of the 60 to 80-mile-per-hour winds. that's making travel treacherous. berlin, only a high of 5, stockholm at 1, and over towards the west, london, you're going to be cooling off, as well, on your friday. 9 expected for your high. here's a look at your extended forecast. ♪

we'll be back with more updates in 30 minutes. i'm gene otani in tokyo. from all of us here at nhk world, thanks for joining us.

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