welcome to nhk world "newsline." people in the u.s. northeast are facing an onslaught of heavy rain and strong wins from hurricane sandy as it pushes inland. several municipalities in the storm's path have declared a state of emergency. some residents of new york city have been forced to evacuate and officials have shut down the city's mass transit. the storm is unusually large in diameter and is likely to pound a wide area for several days. the hurricane forced evacuation

of some 370,000 residents from areas near the sea and new york city. officials have there have suspended subway and bus services. sandy is disrupting corporate activity with many companies not opening for business. none of the theaters on the city's famous broadway will be running performances on monday. the u.n. headquarters will be closed and the new york stock exchange will stop all trading on monday. internet trade willing also be suspended. we'll have more information on the hurricane from rash el ferguson of our weather team later in the program. with just nine days to go before the u.s. presidential election, the hurricane is altering the schedule and strategies of the two main candidates. president barack obama was set to campaign in three key states on monday, but he cut his trip short and returned to washington to monitor the storm. in 2005, obama's predecessor, george w. bush, was harshly criticized for his slow response to hurricane katrina. the storm devastated the south of the united states including

the city of new orleans. republican challenger mitt romney also canceled all campaign events in the state of virginia on sunday. both candidates are concerned about the impact on voting. united nations officials are urging the government of myanmar to stop an ethnic conflict that's displaced tens of thousands of people. buddhists are fighting a muslim minority in the western state of rakhine state. >> reporter: the conflict involves majority buddhists and minority muslims called rohingyas. local authorities say the latest wave of violence has killed 84 people and wounded more than 120 others. the international group human rights watch released satellite

images of muslim homes in the area. compared with photos from march, they reveal heavy damage. the united nations says the latest fighting has forced more than 22,000 people from their homes. the conflict flared in rakhine in may after a group of muslims allegedly assaulted a buddhist woman. the violence has displaced 75,000 people since then. president thein sein has made a policy of promoting reconciliation between ethnic minorities. the government signed a cease-fire in january with a separatist group called the national union, ending more than 60 years of armed conflict. reconciliation with ethnic minorities was the condition western countries placed on myanmar in exchange for easing economic sanctions along with

enacting democratic reforms. but the thein sein administration is finding that the rohingya issue is more complicated. many buddhists think of the muslims as intruders from neighboring bangladesh. the government does not recognize rohingyas as citizens. the opposition leader aung san suu kyi also has not mentioned the issue. u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon says in a statement that myanmar is striving to be an example of tolerance and moderation. he said recent incidents shouldn't be allowed to tarnish these efforts. myanmar's efforts at democratic reform and promoting human rights are still in a formative stage. the government's response to this humanitarian crisis will have a big impact on this international standing. nhk world, bangkok.

japanese prime minister yoshihiko noda is once again navigating rough political waters. his government needs to issue deficit bonds or public services will grind to a halt. in order to do that, he must nail down an agreement with the opposition parties. that could force him to call an election. japanese lawmakers gathered monday to start an extraordinary session of the diet. noda only delivered his opening speech to the lower house. the opposition who control the upper house didn't allow him to speak. that's never happened before. noda had an agreement in august that led to the passage of bills to raise the consumption tax and reform social security. he's angling for more agreements. he needs opposition support to help reform the electoral system to address the disparity in weight of votes among constituencies. a more pressing issue, though, is the budget. the prime minister wants opposition parties to vote in favor of a bill to allow the government to issue

deficit-government bonds. he says delaying this year's budget will affect people's lives and the economy. >> translator: every year we use the deficit bond bills as a tool to make political deals. we should give up this inappropriate practice. >> for more on this story, shery ahn spoke earlier with nhk world's senior political commentator masayo nakajima. >> masayo, how badly is the leader in opposition now? >> the government will run out of bills if the budget cannot be passed soon. many of the services will come to a halt. this almost happened in the united states in 2011 and this past summer. prime minister noda is telling voters that the opposition is not cooperating and will be delayed if funds stop flowing and services were interrupted. the opposing parties are

pointing fingers at the government, on the other hand. they insist that noda is not following through with his promise to call a general election soon, because he is unpopular, and they do not appear ready to cooperate. you know, if both parties, both sides, can not come to an agreement and the budget cannot be enacted during this month-long diet session, japanese voters will surely find -- surely lose their trust in their elected officials. >> so could these negotiations force prime minister noda to set a date for the general election? >> noda does not have to call a general election until next summer. he said he would call an election soon the last time he had a compromise, but that was in august. the prime minister and lawmakers in his ruling democratic party are in no hurry to dissolve the lower house. an nhk poll suggests that his

approval rating and that of the dp j. lo dpj is low. in contrast, the democratic party is riding high. his approval rating is double the dpj's. noda is watching the rise of the conservative so-called third and fourth parties. voters are paying attention to the japan restoration party, which was established by osaka mayor toru hashimoto. they're also watching the tokyo governor who announced last week that he plans to form a national party. the prime minister is in a jam. he needs the parties to get the budget passed and avoid a government shut down. but he can got give the parties what they really want, an election. or he and his party will find themselves driven out of power.

japan's two major stock markets, the yoke owe stock exchange, and the osaka securities exchange, are planning to merge next july. the two exchanges are trying to revive trading in japan in the face of their declining international positions. tse president saito announced the plan at a news conference on monday. >> translator: we want our company to maintain competitiveness in asia as well as the world. >> the two exchanges plan to establish a holding company next january. then they will integrate their stock markets in the tse to improve trading efficiency. their derivatives markets will be combined in the ose by the end of the next business year. but the exchanges for start-up companies, tse's mother's market and ose's securities exchange, will maintain their current

operations for the time being. japan's honda motors says its net profit for fiscal 2012 is expected to fall sharply from a previous projection. that's due to sluggish sales in china amid a continuing anti-japan movement over a territorial dispute. the automaker estimates that net for the business year ending next march will drop 20% in yen terms to about $4.7 billion. honda predicts that in addition to the worsening bilateral relationship. the yen's strength will also cut into its earnings. >> reporter: i think the impact of the worsening japan-china relations on our business will remain until next february. >> meanwhile, the company says net profit for the fist half of the fiscal year more than doubled from a year earlier to nearly $3 billion. major japanese truck maker isuzu motors has built a new plant in central thailand. the company is hoping to make

the country its export hub to the world market. about 600 people attended a ceremony to mark the opening of the plant east of bangkok on monday. they included government officials of japan and thailand. isuzu plans to produce 90,000 pickupaiwan and for export to e and the mideast. the isuzu present commented on the impact of the worsening japan-china relations and stressed the importance of southeast asian nations as production bases. >> translator: we can't say there are no risks in indonesia and thailand, but compared with china, the business environment, in these countries is relatively more stable. >> last year's massive floods in thailand forced many japanese auto plants to shut down, but their operations have resumed. toyota and nissan plan to expand

production in thailand. myanmar emerged from nearly five decades of military rule last year and introduced democratic reforms. now it's becoming a magnet for international investment. china is leading the way. thailand and south korea are also major investors. japan lags behind. but japanese executives are rushing to close the gap. nhk world's satoru aoyama reports from yangon. >> reporter: he's in charge of overseas operations for an osaka-based logistics company. up to now, the company has used a local contractor to do business in myanmar. but executives think it might be time to set up shop. they sent him to size up

conditions in yangon. >> translator: the country is full of energy. there is a sense of optimism. people believe tomorrow will be better than today. >> reporter: this japanese sewing factory is a client of kotaka's firm. it produces suits in myanmar that have sold in japan. the factory's output is up by 50% compared to three years ago. experts say labor costs in myanmar are about one-fifth of china's. that's a big reason global manufacturers are moving in. >> translator: we think our work would go more smoothly if you had an office in myanmar. >> translator: it's important to have japanese staff monitor operations. i'll do my best to set up a local office as soon as possible.

>> reporter: kotaka says doing business in myanmar has its challenges. basic infrastructure is one of them. the roads are bumpy. goods are sometimes damaged. the way goods are handled can also cause problems. >> translator: it's wrapped in just a single thin sheet. a rain shower could get the contents wet and cause damage. >> reporter: finding office space isn't easy either. businesses from around the world are rushing into myanmar. office space is scarce. >> you don't have any plan to rent an office anymore, huh.

okay. i got it. thank you very much for help. >> reporter: kotaka's employer gave him two months to assess the myanmar market. with less than a month to the deadline, the pressure is mounting. rival delivery firms already have branch offices. competition is heating up. kotaka visits a south korean client, but he soon learns that this firm has contracts with other shipping companies. >> your factory has not only the ttc but also has other operating companies -- >> yes. >> which is hovering on the korean border or the other japanese border. right? >> they are allowed to handle shipment from yangon to japan.

>> we look forward to having much more business chances. >> reporter: japanese executives call myanmar asia's last frontier. business people like kotaka want to stake a claim before they lose their chance. is a or the you aoyama, nhk world, yangon. a new energy source will be made in seas around the country. japan relies on imports for power. members of team say they have found deposits of methane hydrate. methane hydrate is a type of natural gas. the substance exists in the seabed and other places with high pressure and low temperature. the researchers say they found the deposits in the sea of japan and the sea of okesks. locations are 30 to 50 kilometers offer the coast. members of the team say an

ultrasound survey detected gas gushing out of the seabed in other areas of the sea of japan. they say a deposit of methane hydrate is likely to exist near these places called gas chimneys. the leader of the team says these reserves could be of great use for japan, which imports a large part of its energy. the ginowan municipal assembly in okinawa has held an emergency session following the alleged rape of a woman by two u.s. servicemen on october 16th. the assembly unanimously adopted a resolution in protest. the city hosts the u.s. futenma air station. the resolution says anger and the distress of the people of okinawa toward the u.s. military has peaked. it says the latest incident has occurred at a time when u.s. military officials deployed the osprey aircraft at futenma despite local opposition. the resolution also says okinawa is still bearing an unbalanced burden of hosting u.s. military insta leighs in japan's 67 years after world war ii. it urges the governments of the two countries to apologize to the victims and to take tough

preventive measures. it also calls for the prompt return of the site of the futenma base to okinawa. the assembly says it will submit the resolution to the u.s. consulate general in okinawa and japan's defense ministry. tokyo's newly refurbished central railway station was unveiled to the public at the beginning of the month for people in the capital, it's an iconic land mark. but for people many the disast irarea, the station's rebirth has a deeper rebirth. nhk world has more. >> reporter: the red brick building of tokyo station reopened recently for a major refurbishment. it's been restored to the way it looked when it was first built a

century ago. the roof suffered severe damage from world war ii air raids. it's now covered with tiles that are made of natural slate. when the station was originally bill in 1914, the slate covering the roof all came from the town of ogatu in miyagi prefecture. for the recent refurbishment, the railway company decided to use slate from ogatu again. then the massive earthquake hit the region. ogatu was devastated by the tsunami. the entire building where 20,000 slates were being stored was washed away.

amazingly, many slates survived intact. after the disaster, this man was the first on the scene. he found slate all covered with debris and caked in mud, but he was convinced they were still beautiful. >> translator: it's a miracle they survived the tsunami. because tokyo station is a japanese icon, i wanted slates to be used on it. >> reporter: after the disaster, there is no electricity or running water. but all of the slates were washed down carefully by hand.

finally, they managed to ship the slates off to toky one by one, the slates were carefully put into place on the new station roof. back in ogatu, the tsunami wreckage has been removed, but the town has a long way to go to bounce back from the disaster. but the local people are slowly starting to rebuild their lives. sasaki is now busy working on a new house. s it's the first time since the

tsunami that sasaki has been asked to use slate produced in ogatsu. >> translator: i am really grateful to have been part of this kind of work. i think we are taking strong steps towards rebuilding. >> reporter: recently, sasaki has made a visit to tokyo to look at the reopened station. >> translator: it's wonderful. i feel overwhelmed. we feel proud that our slate has been used here. many people will see this roof. it's given us the hope and energy to move forward one step at a time. >> reporter: for communities in the disaster area, the rebirth of tokyo station is an inspiration for the revival. nhk world, ogatu, myanmar prefecture. >> rachel ferguson is here with the latest on hurricane sandy. rachel, how is the storm shaping

up? we're going to get you the most recent figures on this hurricane. it is a very intense system, and you can see here if i pull back to the front to see just how strong these winds are that we're going to be dealing with not just today but for the next several days. so this is hurricane sandy, currently a category 1 system. we have tropical storm warnings turning to hurricane warnings along the coast here, and then hurricane-force wind warnings in the blue to green there. not sure what to call that. now, the storm is going to be making landfall in new jersey in the evening hours of monday, and then it looks like it's just going to be lingering in the northeast for the next several days. the best part of the week we're going to see this storm or the remnants of this storm just move in towards the northeast and then curve around in towards new england. so it is going to be heavy rain over a prolonged period of time, and these strong winds, as well, will also be with us. let's talk about the rain, first

of all. anywhere you're seeing in the red is expecting upwards of 200 millimeters of rain from this storm. ice spreading pretty far inwards so, you can see that. even up towards the great lakes we're going to be seeing this rain, and in fact it turns over the snow, to a wintry mix towards the great lakes. you're going to be seeing the winds extending here as well. waves could reach 7 meters. and then we have blizzard conditions for the appalachians. you could see 20 centimeters of snow in the upper elevations. the storm surge is going to be a big concern, life-threatening storm surge, and where you're seeing in the red here, this is flashflooding potential. and that, again, is going to be very, very dangerous. so we have a lot of thing, a lot of elements to this storm to think about, not just on monday but for the next several days as the storm continues on its path. let's go now to another storm, this one in southern china. now, this was son-tinh, which was a typhoon and is now a tropical depression, but it's still bringing some very heavy

rain down through and spreading into guangdong province in the next couple days. you could see an additional 150 millimeters of rain or so, and that's in addition to about 200 millimeters in the last 24 hours. i want to show you some video briefly about what happened over the weekend. now, as ta typhoon, son-tinh hi on sad and the floods blocked roadways throughout the city leaving vehicles stranded. air travel was also disrupted. meanwhile, a tornado spawned from son-tinh hit wanting city in hainan province. houses sustained significant damage while trees came down as well. several people in the twister's path were injured. fortunately, there were no fa l fatalities reported from that tornado. all right. moving on, i want to take you to europe where we have a cold surge spreading out across much of the continent here. we've got storms hitting the

southeast, as well so, as they head towards western russia, that's going to be turning over to snow. and take a look at the temperatures here. we have the lows for you. bear in mind, these are the lows at one degree in beuerlein, just around freezing in stockholm, sinking just below zero in vien vienna. lots of single digits here, madrid, lisbon, 7, 8 degrees over your overnight hours, so it is going to be very chilly. even in athens, 15 for the low. you have a high of about 25. warsaw getting down to minus 3 with minus 6 in moscow. i'll leave you now with your extended forecast. ♪

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