out on a limb with falling support. japan's leader is fighting an uphill battle for political survival. welcome to nhk world "newsline." japan's prime minister is fighting headwinds. an nhk survey shows public support for the governing democratic party is at its lowest point since the party took power in 2009. nhk conducted a phone survey between friday and sunday. 1,039 people aged 20 or over responded.

people are losing faith in the prime minister's democratic party. support for the dpj was down 1.1 percentage point to 12.7%. that's the lowest since the party gained a majority in the lower house. the opposition liberal democratic party, or ldp, fared better. 25% of people supported the party, almost double the figure for the dpj. 45.8% of people say they don't support any party at all. respondents also gave noda's cabinet a support rate of 23%, the lowest since he formed his cabinet in september last year. that's down three percentage points from last month's survey. the cabinet's disapproval rate is also at its highest ever at 59%. nhk also asked respondents if they want japan restoration party leader toru hashimoto to ally with the former tokyo governor ishihara. 47% said they favor an alliance. 48% say they don't seek an alliance.

5% couldn't answer either way. the japan restoration party leader and the former tokyo governor have played big roles in different ways in japan. earlier i spoke with michael ambe, who has covered japanese politics for years. michael, so why do you think these men attract the kind of support they do? >> both hashimoto and ishihara are outspoken politicians, and voters see them as strong leaders. hashimoto is the mayor of osaka, but this summer he started making moves to found the conservative japan restoration party. ishihara, on the other hand, is a veteran politician. he's 80 years old. he resigned as tokyo governor last month saying he, too, wants to launch a party. both men aim to establish a so-called third poll, meaning an alternative to the main parties, but they're not rivals, you see.

in fact, they are exploring a partnership for the next lower house election. some voters believe neither the ruling dpj nor the major opposition ldp has brought about change for the japanese people, and hashimoto and ishihara are trying to appeal to those voters. and our poll indicates the ldp is in a good position to defeat other parties in the upcoming election, but the two politicians present voters with another chance. >> so such an alternative could be a threat to the main parties. when do you think the election will be held? >> the decision lies with prime minister noda. he's the one to decide. the current diet term does not expire until next summer. but noda promised opposition members back in august that he would hold the election in the near future. he used the word "soon," and noda has been trying to find a suitable time to dissolve the diet. but the election can take place next month at the earliest. but as the polls suggest, this

may not be a favorable time for noda or his party. he knows that an election held now could lead to a dramatic drop in the number of lawmakers sitting alongside him. but there is no guarantee, on the other hand, that the outlook will improve, even if he postpones the vote. sooner or later noda will have to make that decision. china's hu jintao has overseen an economy that's expanded year after year during his ten years as president. but many rural chinese have missed out. they've watched their neighbors get wealthier and wealthier. that's left many seething with resentment. and some are trying to find solace in their faith. nhk world's michitaka yamaka explains. >> reporter: about 300 people live in this village on the yellow river in gansu province.

more than two-thirds of the residents work the ground. that includes this man. he lives with his wife. their life is close so self-sufficient. they make less than $100 a year farming. they also receive money from their son. he's a migrant worker 350 kilometers away. but despite the extra money, their annual income is only $500, 1/20th of the average income of beijing workers. he suffers from a heart condition. he makes regular visits to the village clinic. but he says if he were ever to need an operation, it would be

impossible. the health insurance from the local government does not cover the cost. the clinic is short of equipment. there isn't enough medicine. and only one doctor works there. >> translator: i'm very worried about my future life. how can i live? >> reporter: the quality of the medical care here is typical of so many areas in rural china. it does not match what people in cities receive. government figures show much doctors, nurses and other health care workers in the countryside. compared with city dwellers, rural people have only one-third the number of health care workers for every 10,000 people.

the government also says the number of infants who die in rural china is more than three times higher than in cities. about 3 out of every 10 infants in the countryside dies. in the cities, it's about 1 out of 10. if the government can't help them, some turn to the comfort of the christian faith. he has been attending services at the local protestant church since february. >> translator: going to church has gradually helped me accept the hardships of life. many people here believe that someday their suffering will end if they follow the word of the lord. >> reporter: this church

minister is influenced by his christian parents. he began missionary work here four years ago. but the chinese government has not officially sanctioned the church. officials can prosecute these groups even though china's constitution guarantees religious freedom. >> translator: the government, well, i have to say it watches us closely. just the same, we're going to press ahead, to press ahead with our activities because what wet want to do is offer as many villagers as possible peace of mind. that's what we want to accomplish. >> reporter: the number of christians in china is growing rapidly, especially in the rural areas. one estimate puts their number at more than 100 million. this trend, along with similar simmering discontent in rural

china, worries government officials. they fear it might undermine communist party control. michitaka yamaka, nhk world, gansu province. meanwhile, china gave media a glimpse of its military aircraft ahead of an annual air show. it showed off some domestically produced unmanned aircraft and a stealth fighter. the air show will open on tuesday in guangdong province. it will be the country's largest. drones developed by a state-owned company are on display for the first time. the nine-meter aircraft was covered by a cloth. its front tip is round, and there appear to be missiles beneath its wings. models of at least 15 other types of unmanned aircraft are also on display. the government says it plans to use drones for surveillance over the disputed islands in the east china and south china seas. a one-quarter scale model of a

new stealth fighter, the j-31, was also attracting a lot of attention. china reportedly succeeded a test flight of it in october. cradle of culture. economic powerhouse. many enjoy the fruits of prosperity along the path to a new china. but millions are missing out. at a time of growing public discontent, members of the communist party are choosing their new leaders. "newsline" correspondents are reporting from the party's national congress. don't miss our special coverage, "china: the next generation," 8:00 p.m. japan time here on "newsline." people living in central myanmar have been warned to stay away from buildings damaged by this weekend's powerful earthqua earthquake. dhra dhirakaosal in bangkok has more details. at least 11 people are confirmed dead after the quake struck central myanmar on sunday. people have been forced to seek

shelter as rescue workers struggle to reach those in need. residents of mandalay are living in makeshift shelters and tents. many people said they were too afraid to go back home. >> we're still afraid of earthquakes and can't even eat. we're staying in the field to be ready if another earthquake strikes. >> the magnitude 6.2 tremor was centered around 110 kilometers north of mandalay. hundreds of homes and buildings rr damaged or destroyed. the u.s. geological society reported a 5.8 magnitude aftershock later sunday. reuters says at least 11 people died, but that figure is likely to rise. several workers remain unaccounted for following the collapse of an unfinished bridge over the river. the shooting of a teenage girl in pakistan for defending

women's rights to education has shocked the world. the pakistani government is now under pressure to tackle issues including islamic extremism and poverty that prevent girls from going to school. nhk world's hideki yui has more. >> reporter: 15-year-old malala yousafzai was shot in the head last month by the taliban movement of pakistan. the radical islamic group said girls have no right to education. the teenager is currently in britain receiving treatment in hospital. one month after the attack, malala continues to remain under tight security from the pakistani military. two girls who were with malala and also shot that day describe what happened.

>> reporter: the two other girls have returned to school. they were traumatized by the incident but decided to come back to carry on malala's fight for education. >> reporter: people around the world have praised malala's courage. on friday, gordon brown, the u.s. special envoy of education and the former british prime minister, gave his support to her campaign for female education in a speech in islamabad. >> we in the international community want to say to you today that we will support you in your determination that no girl should be prevented from going to school out of fear. >> reporter: even after malala's

shooting, six schools have been blown up by militants. the attacks are believed to be the work of pakistani taliban. authorities say 751 schools were attacked by extremists in the past ten years, including 233 that were almost destroyed. but islamic extremism is not the only reason why many pakistani girls are denied an education. poverty is another major problem that needs to be addressed. malala's shooting has exposed the challenges faced by the pakistani government. it's under renewed pressure to crack down on extremism and take steps to help children of poor families get an education. hideki yui, nhk world, islamabad. myanmar is enjoying greater freedom of speech since the

government abolished prepublication censorship in august. the media is discovering new ways to question authority, and not only journalists. nhk world reports on a comic artist who has documented some of myanmar's changes. >> reporter: a newsstand in myanmar's largest city, yangon. it has a variety of newspapers and magazines. many publications include cartoons. some devote an entire page to these popular sketches. following the democratization struggle. he has drawn cartoons for more than 20 years.

>> translator: i have drawn the voices of people, what they want and how they feel. without democracy we are suppressed and oppressed. so i draw for democracy. >> reporter: he drew this cartoon during the military regime. it shows inmates talking about how they ended up in jail. >> i was jailed because i was caught gambling. >> well, look at him. his crime was the most serious. he fooled a blind woman in a card game. >> reporter: han likened the citizens of myanmar to a blind wom woman. it indirectly criticizes the previous government as a criminal that cheated the public. >> we love our president! >> reporter: but things are changing since president thein sein was sworn in last year.

prepublication censorship was abolished in august. now cartoonists can express their criticisms more directly. han brings his new cartoons to a weekly newspaper publisher. he brings his new cartoons to a weekly newspaper publisher. the editor in chief chooses one. it shows a legislator about to leave home, but his wife says he won't be able to forfeit his responsibilities without knowing about the lives of ordinary people. she asks him if he has forgotten about the conflict with ethnic minorities. the cartoon directly criticizes politicians who seem disconnected from ordinary citizens. >> translator: what i like the most about his cartoons is he could simply depict what is going on with ordinary people like us.

i think the cartoons are contributing to myanmar's process of change. >> reporter: han is a fan of japanese comics and owns many copies purchased from secondhandbook stores. he hopes to introduce japan's world-famous manga into his own works. to expand his skills, han participates in a comic-drawing event at the japanese embassy. he lands about 20 comic drawings from a japanese manga artist. he hopes that by improving his ability, he can support demock ra tiization. >> translator: i will draw the characters that will bring well-being to others. i would risk my to draw those characters. >> reporter: the world of

cartoonists like han is becoming more important as myanmar follows its path of change towards a more open society. hirosumi yamaguchi, nhk world, yangon. >> that wraps up our bulletin . i'm dhra dhirakaosal in bangkok. south korean prosecutors have obtained documents from the presidential office in connection with a dubious land deal involving president lee myung-bak's son. he's involved in being part of a purchase for land for his phat eer's retirement. on monday, prosecutors forced the administration to submit documents related to the deal such as hard copies of contracts and hard disks. that's after they were rejected from searching the presidential office even though they had

obtained a search warrant. prosecutors say documents that had previously been submitted were insufficient. they're considering questioning president lee's wife in the matter as well. a presidential candidate of south korea's largest opposition party says he wants to improve the country's strained relations with japan. moon jae-in of the democratic united party said he stands firm with south korea's position on historical issues involving japan, but he also showed a positive stance on developing bilateral relations. >> translator: the leaders of south korea and japan should make special efforts to keep historical issues from hindering the development of future oriented ties between the two countries. >> moon has usually taken a tough stance toward japan. experts say he likely softened his position to cordon a policy

on the company with independent presidential candidate ahn cheol-soo. moon is speaking to convince ahn to let him become the lone challenger in the december election. north korea says it's ready for better relations with the united states, but it says the u.s. must first end its policy of hostility toward the north. the message came almost a week after the re-election of u.s. president barack obama. experts say the result should be a relief for the north as his republican challenger, mitt romney, had presented a much harsher policy toward the country. in an editorial in monday's edition of the korean workers'party's rodong sinmun newspaper, the north urges the u.s. government to make the 1953 korean war armistice a peace treaty. it says that by doing so the u.s. can show its willingness to end its hostile policy towards the north. the north says it would be then able to work with the u.s. to

seek better relations and resolve nuclear issues. in february, if two nations agreed on a food aid program for north korea. in exchange for a moratorium on its nuclear and missile development. but the u.s. suspended the program after the north carried out a rocket launch test in april. winter is quickly approaching northern parts of asia. rachel ferguson is here with the weather. rachel? all right. yes, we have a snowstorm to the north and east of china. now, it has been bringing significant snowfall, blizzard conditions, in fact. you're still likely to see an additional 10 sent meters of snow before the system heads across to japan. now, we're just getting rid of one storm system up towards the north, this one bringing rain rather than snow, but with the new system, we will see that colder air ushering in. so potentially snow for you in hokkaido and certainly seeing some very strong gusts as that cold air comes in across the west and across the north.

so 100-kilometer-per-hour gusts are possible as we head on into tuesday. much of the country will be seeing showers, but here in tokyo, we should be staying dry. most of the continent, in fact, is looking dry. however, there will be some heavier rain across the philippines, and that could lead to some flashflooding concerns over the next couple of days. here are your temperatures. well, that cool air is certainly descending across mongolia, minus 10 for ulan bator, tokyo sees 18, with the temperature falling to 15 by thursday. shanghai already in the midteens. we have 25 in both hong kong and taipei. all right. let's see what's going on in across the americas. now, there's a low-pressure system pushing in across the west. this one is going to be bringing mountain snow, maybe up to about 30 centimeters in the upper elevations and about 10 down in the valleys. as for you in coastal locations, you'll be seeing rain. high pressure ahead of that until we run into this low and frontal system. now, it could be spreading a mix of rain and snow into quebec,

maybe some freezing rain, as well, and along the front it's going to be rain showers down towards the gulf of mexico here. however, as that cooler air comes in, parts of pennsylvania as well as new york state, you could be seeing some light snow showers. after the system passes, however, high pressure will be moving in. temperatures should return to normal by midweek and should be staying nice and dry. plenty of sunshine for you through towards the weekend. before that happens, though, we have some pretty chilly temperatures, 2 degrees in chicago, 7 in denver, minus 5 in winnipeg, 8 in new york city, and 16 in toronto. that will be coming down as the system passes. but as i say, we should be seeing things getting back to normal as we head toward the end of the week. all right. europe is seeing some pretty blustery conditions across the north. we've got a couple of low-pressure systems. this one for the atlantic is going to be spreading in some heavy rain to parts of scotland as well as northern ireland and up across the western coast of

norway, you could see some snow in the upper elevations, as well. heavy rain has been focusing on austria and northern italy. now, that is startling to settle down and that is good news. venice is under water, as i'm sure you saw the video we had and pictures. very severe picture there. but the rain is easing up, so that's certainly good news. however, things will remain fairly unsettled. heavy rain across northern algeria could freed lede to flashflooding and we could see hail as well. temperatures across europe. 13 degrees in london, we're seeing 10 in paris, around 10 in berlin as well as vie yaen that, through to kiev, 6 degrees, 6 in warsaw, and also down towards the south, we're managing to stay in the 20s in rome as well as athens. i'll leave you now to your extended forecast. ♪

oyster growers in mia ga

prefecture, northeastern japan, are back in business. they've made their first regular shipment since last year's tsunami devastated their industry. the region is famous for its abundant seafood. the district in higashi is known for its large oysters. about 30 workers were busy shucking oysters at a facility on monday. last year's tsunami swept away most of the local farmers' rafts, seriously depleting the supply. growers were able to resume regular farming this season, but their output is about 40% of predisaster levels. >> reporter: we are proud of the oysters. i promise we'll be able to ship full-grown ones next year. >> the farmers say their oysters grew slower than usual due to the hot, dry summer. we'll be back with more updates in 30 minutes. i'm gene otani in tokyo.