looming deadline. japan's prime minister appears ready to make good on his proposition to call an early election, but he still faces many hurdles. welcome to nhk "newsline." prime minister yoshihiko noda could be closer to dissolving the lower house and calling a general election. his democratic party reached a preliminary deal with the major opposition parties to pass a bill to fund the budget. the enactment of the bill is one of the conditions that noda says must be fulfilled.

noda said during the summer that he would call an election sometime soon. he says he stands by his promise. >> translator: i feel very responsible for my own words. that means i will dissolve the lower house soon. >> noda told secretary-general shintaro ishihara that he's thinking of dissolving the lower house by the end of the year. the dpj's policy chief met his counterparts from the opposition liberal democratic party and new komeito on tuesday. they agreed on a revision to the deficit bond bill. it's now expected to be enacted soon, allowing the government to fund this year's budget. but some democrats are opposed to an early general election. they say dissolving the lower house would create a political vacuum. they also question the timing after low approval rates for the cabinet and the party in recent polls. one japanese politician can't wait for the election. shintaro ishihara is aiming to shake things up and steer his country right.

the former tokyo governor is trying his hand at national politics. he wants to review japan's constitution and strengthen its self-defense forces among other things, all under the name of his newly-launched sunrise party. nhk world's mitsuko nishikawa reports. >> translator: i will fight against the existing major older parties such as the ldp and dpj, and new komeito. we will challenge them, otherwise japan won't change. i am thinking of uniting other smaller parties in order to fight in the election. >> reporter: ishihara's new party calls for the establishment of a strong nation by building up its self-defense capability. it also pledges to give local government more power. ishihara has pursued politics for more than 40 years, of which he served as an outspoken tokyo governor for more than 13 years.

he stirred controversy this year by announcing a plan to purchase some of the disputed senkaku islands in the east china sea from a private land owner. his action prompted the japanese government to purchase the islands instead, triggering a dispute with china, who also claims the islands. in the press conference, ishihara addressed that existing major parties have not listened to public opinion. he said this is the next step for the new leader and he doesn't even care even if the sunrise party may disappear in the long run. people showed interest in his political initiative. >> translator: nothing had changed despite the changing leaders. i'm expecting ishihara to lift us out of this slump. >> translator: he performed well as a tokyo governor, so i have high hopes for him.

>> reporter: but ishihara's power base is uncertain. the new party has only five members, all from the former sunrise party of japan. so ishihara has already started seeking collaboration with the japan restoration party. whether ishihara can really become the major third power depends on if we can achieve the tie-ups with the other parties. ishihara also needs to appeal to many floating voters because they are one of the major determinants of the shift of power in the next general election. mitsuko nishikawa, nhk world, tokyo. the most powerful people in china are now busy deciding the country's future. communist party members have been in beijing since thursday at their national congress.

attendants are excited about the hottest topic on the table -- who will make up china's next generation of leaders. party officials will reportedly unveil the new lineup on thursday. but a human rights campaigner says the only way china can move forward is to move towards democracy. nhk world's makoto ota has his story. >> reporter: 29-year-old is one of the democracy activists being watched closely by the chinese government. he's been involved in environmental issues and also campaigned for the rights of hiv patients. in 2007, he was arrested after he criticized the government on the internet. he was charged with plotting subversion against the government. and in 2008, he was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison. he finally returned to his home

in beijing in june last year. >> translator: the communist party doesn't care about people's suffering, only protecting its one-party dictatorship and its own profits. we must transform this country into a democracy. this will lead to benefits for every chinese citizen. >> reporter: hu has not stopped campaigning. he was involved in helping the activist chen guangcheng leave for the united states in may. hu uses the internet mostly for his activism. >> translator: the communist party is the biggest violator of the rights of the chinese people. >> reporter: however, his activities are monitored closely

and he continues to be harassed. one time he was attacked without warning by police agents as he left his house. another time he found the tires of his car had been flattened. his wife, zeng jinyan, is also an activist. in this video she is being obstructed as she leaves the house. the harassment has extended to the whole family. the situation got so bad that his wife left for hong kong in september together with their daughter, who was 4 at the time. they were worried that they were no longer safe in beijing. >> translator: i'm happy that my wife and daughter will be

somewhere that's safe and free, but i'm really going to miss them. >> reporter: 11 days after they left, on september 18th, hu was placed under house arrest. a week later, on october 25th, ahead of the communist party congress hu was moved to anhui province, 1,200 kilometers south of beijing. the authorities are still watching him. speaking by telephone, hu had this to say.

>> reporter: ahead of the party congress, many human rights lawyers and campaigners like hu were forced to leave beijing or placed under strict surveillance. as the world's second biggest economy, china's international influence is continuing to grow, but there has been no change in the way it treats citizens who speak out. makoto oda, nhk world, beijing. cradle of culture. economic powerhouse. many enjoy the fruits of pros r prosperi 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." two south korean

presidential candidate who is joined forces for next month's election are now thrashing out which one will stand. unaffiliated politician ahn cheol-soo and moon jae-in of the democratic united party struck a deal last week that they won't stand against each other. south koreans have shown in polls that a joint candidate would match the support rate of front-runner park geun-hye from the ruling saenuri party. members of both camps are currently discussing how to decide on who would stand. local media have vaunted the idea of a tv debate and an opinion poll. both sides say a decision will be made by this month's registration deadline. the north korean envoy for upcoming talks with japan has declined to say whether their abduction of japanese nationals will be on the table. he was talking to reporters in beijing on the way to the meeting in mongolia. >> translator: we are going to

have bilateral talks with japan in mongolia on thursday. there is no knowing what will be discussed until we start it. >> the representatives of the two countries are to hold bureau chief level discussions in the capital ulan bator. lower level officials met in august in beijing, marking the first official sit-down between the two sides in four years. north korean officials recently allowed japanese families to visit the graves of relatives who died there around the end of world war ii. they have repeatedly said the abductions issue is resolved. north korea's state-run media has reported the two countries are to discuss how to improve ties. satellite images show north korea may be pressing ahead with the development of long-range his ls. u.s. researchers at johns hopkins university say the country has conducted at least two tests of large rocket mortars since its failed launch in april.

one satellite image shows the removal of fuel tanks and the appearance of exhaust stains. the researchers say their science tests have been carried out. another image shows similar discolorations and stains in an object that appears to be a large rocket engine. the analysis also says construction activity is under way to launch an even bigger rocket. it warns that north korea may start a new round of nuclear and rocket tests in the first half of next year. several rockets have landed near sensitive targets in the capital of afghanistan. cholaphansa narula in bangkok is following this story. >> the afghan intelligence agency is one of the locations near tuesday's attacks in kabul. the incidents underline the security challenges afghanistan faces as nato-led combat troops prepare to withdraw by the end of 2014.

>> translator: it was around 6:30 in the morning. a rocket landed here and hit a car, wounding two people. >> app quotes afghan police as saying at least four rockets were fired into northeastern kabul on tuesday morning. some of them landed near a compound used by the afghan intelligence service and also near a private tv station. officials say one person was killed and three others injured. afp says the taliban has claimed responsibility. tuesday was the anniversary of the taliban's withdrawal from kabul 11 years ago following the u.s.-led invasion of afghanistan. an envoy from afghanistan has visited pakistan to try and make progress towards peace talks with the taliban. the envoy was expected to ask pakistan to use its influence to encourage the taliban to start a dialogue. progress seemed increasingly urgent for the afghan government before international forces and combat missions in 2014. nhk world's hideki yui reports.

>> reporter: afghan envoy van ra banni arrived on monday. he was expected to ask afghanistan to broker talks between the afghan government and the taliban. >> translator: we will be talking to them about how to carry the reconciliation process forward and also about how pakistan can help in bringing peace and stability to afghanistan. this is an extremely important visit. >> reporter: the taliban has shown a positive attitude to talks with the united states, but it has so far ignored the afghan's proposals for a peace deal.

the insurgent group considers the karzai government a puppet of the u.s. before the u.s.-led invasion of afghanistan in 2001, pakistan was a supporter of the former taliban regime. afghanistan believes the country still has influence over the insurgents. a former head of pakistani intelligence says pakistan could play a significant role in the peace process, but the leader as a the directive of intelligence service, or isi, in the late 1990s. >> i'm sure it has context and can help. definitely they can help. they are the nearest one. >> reporter: intelligence forces training afghan soldiers to take responsibility for their security. but there is a high turnover rate, and many trainees lack adequate skills.

doubts have been raised over whether enough personnel can be made ready before the withdrawal of troops by the end of 2014. the latest move by the afghan government may reflect president hamid karzai's sense of urgency to get the taliban to the negotiating table. hideki yui, nhk world, islamabad. that wraps up our bulletin for today. i'm cholaphansa narula in bangkok. inspectors with japan's nuclear regulation authority are preparing to check if another power plant in this quake-prone country is sitting on unstable ground. they'll be examining the tsuruga facility in fukui prefecture to determine whether active faults run beneath it. this is the second plant of six undergoing inspections.

nuclear regulation authority official kunihiko shimazaki will visit tsuruga late thermowith four other experts. inspectors carried out a separate survey in april. they found one fissure could be linked to an active fault that runs beneath the compound. and they believe another fissure directly below reactor two could also be an active fault. following that, plant operator japan atomic power company started investigating six fissures. it was supposed to finalize the results of its survey this month, but spokespersons say the process will be delayed. government regulations state that if inspectors determine a fissure beneath a key nuclear facility is an active fault, the plant could be shut down for good. international energy agency leaders have lowered their growth forecast for nuclear power generation. some governments are starting to reduce their reliance on the energy source.

last year's iea report stated nuclear power generation could grow by 70% from 2010 levels. but this year, the organization expects 58% growth by 2035. agency officials say last year's accident at japan's fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant is a factor for germany and switzerland to reduce dependence on atomic energy. they also expect power generation from renewable sources like wind and solar to increase to about one-third of the world's total output by 2035. many countries are now seeking to diversify their energy sources. industry ministry officials in japan are aiming to launch the world's first futures trading market for liquefied natural gas. they hope to put it into effect by march 2014 to bring down lng prices. japanese imports of liquefied natural gas have surged since the fukushima daiichi power

plant accident led to shutdowns of all but two reactors in the country. and the dmod ti has been traded at a premium since its link to crude oil prices. ministry officials hope lng can be obtained at prices that correspond to actual supply and demand on the proposed futures market. the officials say they will form a council with power and gas company representatives and people from financial institutions. the council will look into how lng prices are set and ways to structure the new trading system. the ministry officials hope other asian countries that use lng will join the market. countries that catch bluefin tuna are trying to determine how much is too much. they're meeting in morocco to set quotas for this endangered fish, which is a see sushi ingredient. japanese consume 80% of the

global catch. they've watched stocks bounce back. they're wondering if it's time to cast their nets wider again. nhk world's virginia pinong reports. >> reporter: this is morocco, the main fishing place of the country. it is here that the future of blue tin tuna stock will be decided. >> if we keep on the right track, we can meet our goals. >> reporter: the big question for the international commission for the conservation of atlantic tunas, or iccat, is whether blue fish fishing quotas should be expanded. there are fears that stocks of the fish have been shrinking. some experts have said that atlantic blue fin may be on the brink of extinction due to overfishing and poaching. its fishing quotas have been cut by more than half from the level five years ago.

major tuna consumers and fishing nations like japan have worked at restoring fish populations. for example, they introduced a system to strictly monitor when tuna is caught. the new report by iccat scientists say there are clear signs of a fast-moving recovery in the mediterranean and the atlantic ocean. in london last month, an exhibition featuring photos of celebrities posing with fish raised awareness of the issue. one of the show's organizers is nicholas. he runs a uk sushi restaurant. its policy is to only serve fish whose stocks are properly managed. he also holds sushi workshops for local children. the classes are one way of teaching respect for marine resources. >> okay. if everybody always eats cod, then the numbers of cod in the

sea are going to go down and down and down. >> and they're going to go extinct. >> that's right. well done. >> reporter: he is concerned that tuna may suffer from overfishing again if the committee in morocco approves an increase. >> i don't think it's the right time to increase a quota. i think the fishing stocks of blue fin should be given time to be rehabilitated. >> reporter: some member countries at the conference are, in fact, pushing for increased limits despite concern from the public. >> the quota amounts have been decreased. it is almost shrink to a very small amount and fishermen are struggling with it and suffering because of it. >> maybe it is true what they say in madrid, then i think that here's a way to go back to 2010. >> reporter: japanese officials have been criticized for their

lax attitude toward the level. they are consciously making the case to increase quotas. >> translator: the participants may not easily agree to increase fishing quotas for next year. we want good discussions on how to confirm the recovery of tuna stocks and how to expand fishing quotas for next year and beyond. >> reporter: observers say the quota debate is likely to continue through the meeting until november the 19th. virginie pinon, nhk world, mock rocco. tokyo has been enjoying a break from the rain. but that may not last with a storm heading this way. rachel ferguson has the latest in weather. rachel? absolutely. we have a storm moving into japan from northeastern china, which is set to bring as well some problematic conditions into the next few days. i want to show you what it's been doing in china, first of all. this is coming out of china. we're looking at heavy snow and also some pretty strong winds. now, those winds are bringing

temperatures down, also making for dangerous windchills, so it feels a lot colder than actually the figure on the thermometer because of the winds coming in. there is about 34 centimeters of snow accumulating in some areas, leading to road closures and suspension of buses. behind the strong winter storm is going to be high pressure. now, on one hand, that's good news because it means that the snow is going to be moving out and the skies will be clear. but it also allows for some very chilly air to hang around, and so things are not going to be getting much warmer. very, very chilly up here, but settling down. that is the forecast. as for japan, well, one storm moves out, and another one moves in. there is going to be some snow. it's not going to be quite like what we saw in northeastern china, and the upper elevations could be seeing some snow being buffeted around, though. and when that happens it can certainly lead to some problems with the driving. that's reduced visibility and some slick roads. most of the precipitation is

going to be rain, though. along western japan and up in towards the north. the wind are going to be very strong as well. in fact, gusts in nagasaki have been reported 106 kilometers per hour. so very, very windy. tornadoes can't be ruled out. we're talking about thunder and lightning, too. escaping all of that will be tokyo, good news for people living in the capital. across the rest of eastern asia here on the continent, it's looking very clear and dry. down towards the south, though, there is a tropical depression in the south china sea. now, it's not looking like it's going to organize further, but it will be bringing some heavy rain into southern vietnam and cambodia and also bringing some strong gusts across the philippines. here are your temperature, then. 26 in hong kong. the low 20s in taipei. meanwhile, just into the teens in shanghai and chongqing. tokyo looking for 16 on wednesday with just 6 degrees in seoul, 10 in beijing and minus

6, absolutely frigid, up in ulan bator. heading on into the americas, things are looking very clear for much of the u.s. up into canada as well as down through mexico. there is a small low sitting to the west. this one is weakening off at the moment, so you'll see showers at the coast and snow showers starting to clear up. out east, as well, we have another system that's pushing out over the atlantic. so a much drier day for you on wednesday, certainly, but it is going to be quite cold behind that cold front, so temperatures about five degrees below your average and also warnings for freezing fog around oklahoma, texas, and the lower mississippi valley. let's take a look at those figures then for your tuesday. you'll be noticing quite a drop in some areas like chicago, 4 degrees, on the toe, down to 9 degrees in new york city 1shgs 1 into d.c. all right. into europe, things are going to be clearing up across much of the continent, but there is going to be consistently heavy rain across the british isles, scotland, particularly, northern

ireland, ireland, and up into norway. that will head on into wednesday, as well. 50 mill meet imeters of rain ish to cause some flooding in the british isles and that's certainly what you're going to be getting. here are your temperature, and i will leave you now with your extended forecast. ♪ we'll be back with more

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