welcome to nhk world "newsline." nhk has learned more about that potentially dangerous incident involving china's navy and japan's maritime self-defense force. the crew on board a chinese frigate locked their weapon's radar on a japanese destroyer in the east china sea. now, nhk sources reveal it happened 100 kilometers, or what they consider a long way from islands both countries claim. officials with japan's defense

ministry say the chinese frigate locked the weapons radar on the sdf destroyer ship a week ago. the ships were reportedly 3 kilometers apart. the officials say crews on a different chinese frigate locked their weapons radar on a japanese helicopter on another destroyer earlier in january. the frigate was reportedly a few kilometers away. these incidents are getting a lot of attention because the two countries are at odds over the senkaku islands. japan controls the territory. china and taiwan claim it. japan coast guard patrol ships monitor the islands. chinese surveillance vessels have navigated in and out of japanese waters around the territory for months, but the chinese navy has not. analysts say the fact that the most recent radar incident happened far away from the islands suggest both sides may have been trying to avoid creating more friction. >> japan's prime minister is calling what happened at sea regrettable. shinzo abe says this kind of action could trigger unexpected consequences.

>> translator: it's beyond deplorable that china carried out this one-sided provocative action. just as our countries were working toward holding talks to improve our strained ties. >> abe said he will urge chinese leaders to prevent this kind of thing from happening again. he added he wants japan to have a strategic and mutually beneficial relationship with china. chinese government officials aren't saying much about this weapons radar incident. we have the view from beijing. >> reporter: chinese's foreign ministry spokesperson says she learned about the incident like many other people did, in the media. >> translator: i saw news coverage on the incident, but i don't know any details. aid better ask the relevant authorities.

>> translator: you could say that's the case. we, too, learned about the incident from news reports. >> reporter: some of those reports appeared in chinese newspapers. editors published details of the incident in their wednesday editions. but most quoted reports by media in japan. the communist party-affiliated "global times" ran a story that included comments from a chinese military expert. the expert noted that incidents indicates the risk of armed conflict with japan, but cautioned that this feud is unlikely to escalate drastically. it is still not clear if they were told by party officials to use their weapons radar. xi jinping took the head of the communist party in november.

he said he wants to pursue peaceful foreign policy, but he also said china needs to protect safety and security. the comments from the foreign ministry suggest that some of the chinese government were in the dark on the circumstances surrounding this incident. but communist party lead xi jinping is the leader of the military would likely know. but he isn't talking. nhk world, beijing. japanese and chinese defense officials have been trying to establish better communication to prevent unintended events from happen bug the dispute over the senkaku islands has stalled their efforts.

>> reporter: a chinese submarine briefly entered the waters of okinawa in september 2004 but didn't surface. >> translator: i want china to do its best to prevent a recurrence of such an incident so that the issue will not hamper the growth of friendship between japan and china. >> reporter: the increased activity of the chinese navy prompts officials from both countries to discuss ways to avoid accidents. they first held talks in 2008. they discussed a number of preventive measures, holding regular talks between senior defense officials, setting a common radio channel and installing an emergency hotline. officials agreed to try to start

implementing the measures by december. however, no further meetings have been held since july when japanese leaders began considering nationalizing the senkaku islands. they conveniencely did that in september. chinese official says they have difficulties scheduling talks. but as tension between the two countries grows, the need for effective defense communication becomes even clearer. japanese defense ministry representatives say they are still waiting for china to find time. nhk world, tokyo.

people in the solomon islands have had another reminder of the dangers they face because of where they live. a major earthquake sent a tsunami slamming into the island chain. six people confirmed dead and four injured. four others are missing. analysts with the u.s. geological survey say the magnitude 8.0 earthquake hit around lunchtime on wednesday. the quake sparked warnings across the south pacific. observers from the pacific island center reported a wave about 90 centimeters high reached the coast of nando island. ngo workers on nando say it washed away at least 100 houses. they add the supply of electricity and water has been disrupted and some parts of the island have been flooded, including the airport. two major japanese automakers have revised upward their profit estimates for the fiscal year through march. the decline is a prime factor for improving their earnings

outlook. mazda motors says it expects to post $480 million in operating profit. that's up 80% in yen terms from its previous estimates. the weaker yen improved export margins. mazda's president is hoping for further depreciation of the yen. he says 100 yen to the dollar would be a desirable level for exporting firms to achieve a stable performance. meanwhile, fudgi heavy industries, making of the subaru cars, expects a higher operating profit of $1.14 billion. that's up 30% from earlier projections. toyota and daitsu revised upward their profit forecasts. japanese businesses are searching for more investment opportunities overseas and they are eager to hire more foreign students a unique career fair was held in tokyo.

>> reporter: 60 international students from over ten countries attended the job fair on wednesday, but these students were not there to get interviewed. they came to sell themselves to recruiters in japanese. the students were chosen by a job center to do a six-minute presentation. >> translator: after the disaster occurred on march 11, 2011, other foreign students left japan but i continued to stay and became a volunteer. i would like to work in japan to connect people with people. >> reporter: companies are interested in students that understand the japanese language and culture, and naturally, the customs of the countries where they come from. >> translator: i like japan very much.

i want to do a job to introduce japan's techniques and services to other countries. >> reporter: sarah is from malaysia. she's a sociology major. she wants to work for a japanese firm. >> really, we just listen to what the company talks about, and the company listen to us. so i think through this event i can promote myself directly to the company so i can have better chance. >> reporter: automakers and logistic companies were especially interested in talented students from southeast asian countries. firms are eyeing economic growth and an increase in the working population across the region. that's especially as labor costs are on the rise in china. >> translator: we need students that can manage our southeast asian businesses. they need to be able to communicate with our local staff.

we need someone who understands both cultures. >> reporter: about one-third of the students that did presentations last year were offered jobs. students this year are strongly hoping to find work at the event as well. nhk world, tokyo. a movie about family ties between myanmar and japan is finally picking up attention, ten years after it was made. the film hit screens in myanmar last week, a reflection of how the country's political and economic reforms have also improved, cross-cultural relations that is. nhk world reports from the capital, napidor. >> reporter: about 500 invited guests attend a special movie screening. this is the first time ever that the movie has been shown in the parliament building.

politicians, military officers and members of the public are in the audience. they're here to watch a movie called "thway," which means pratt in bali. the film is based on a best-selling novel by an author from myanmar. it's a story of how siblings born in japan and myanmar during world war ii. the tale begins in the 1960s. a female japanese graduate student visiting myanmar searches for her half-brother. she finds him and his checkered life.

>> reporter: 82-year-old koji chino is the director. he hopes the film will help with ties between myanmar and japan. >> translator: i want people to rethink the history that exists between japan and myanmar. >> reporter: the film was completed in 2003 and was screened at film festivals, but without adequate funding, it never reached theaters in myanmar or japan. ten years later, the film caught the attention of some people. myanmar is starting to open its doors to the world. and the government wants to boost the culture exchanges with japan. >> translator: it was a wonderful film which could deepen friendship between

myanmar and japan. it also made me think about the lives of the soldiers. >> translator: i felt we shouldn't start war. but i also thought that it's possible for people to reconcile. >> reporter: this woman had the lead. she now lives in myanmar. while filming, she became fascinated by the country and the simple kindness of its people. she enrolled at the university in myanmar. she married a local man and now works at the travel agency in yangon.

>> translator: i was helped by so many local people. i want to release the film in myanmar as a token of my gratitude. >> reporter: "thway" depicts ties that remain between countries that experienced the tragedy of war. ten years after it was made, the film is finally helping to bring two cultures closer. a farmer from northeastern japan is putting down roots far from home. he survived the dissas two years ago, then he decided to rebuild his life no matter how far he had to go nhk world has his story on today's road ahead. >> reporter: australia, the sunny climate attract people from far away. some are tourists, others are looking to start a new life. this is where he is growing japanese rice in the paddy, just like the way they do in japan.

fukushima rice groan by a fukushima native. he is already bringing in his third harvest. he has never shied from a challenge. back in his hometown of ewacky city in fukushima prefecture, he worked hard to revive the farming community. the 2011, left his home badly damaged. fares worse was the melt down at the nearby nuclear plant. radiation spread and farmer also to stop growing rice. down at the nearby nuclear plant. radiation spread and farmer also to stop growing rice. i didn't know what to live for anymore. he wanted to keep farming but didn't know how. then he found out about opportunities in townsville, ewacky's sister city. land for rent. land that might grow rice.

>> translator: there are many farmers who lost their land and can grow rice. the climate is warm here so you can grow rice year round. >> reporter: his major challenge was growing rice the japanese watch one day, he saw something u.n. expected in his paddy. >> translator: interestingly enough, the ecosystem here creates conditions exactly like those found in japan's rice paddies, beetles, dragon flies and snails eat the algae. and fire flies begin living in the paddy. i was so surprised to discover these. >> reporter: townsville was warm year round and has an abundant sun is ply of water. he believes if he can take advantage of the climate, he can boost his harvest to four times a year. his hard work has already attracted the interest of australian farmers. sugarcane is a pamain crop in ts

region there is hope that rice could become a specialty product. >> now the issue for him is to grow commercially so we can grow t in the long run, and i think we are looking probably five years down the track, there's opportunities for rice to be introduced as a complement crop to sugarcane. >> reporter: townsville may not be the only area to benefit. he hopes his work will inspire old friends afflicted by the disaster. >> translator: i startlost everg but started working again with only one strand in my hand. i hope this gives regular people courage. if a regular guy like me can do this, you can do it, too. so just take that first step.

>> reporter: green shoots in foreign land, rice is growing again and so are the hopes of fukushima farmer forced to leave it behind. nhk world, townsville. japan's main northern island of hokkaido is famous for cool temperatures and winter sports. and its capital city is also the namesake of a world-renowned beverage. nhk world's rina nakano reports from sapporo. >> reporter: tourists from around the world visit sapporo for its famous snow festival. once they soak in the sights and sounds, many make their way here to this restaurant to get a taste. we're at a beer garden about a ten-minute drive from the city center. but it's not your usual beer hall.

well, it's just about lunchtime here in japan. and many people are already sipping on some ice cold beer while munching on a very special plate of barbecue. i'm sure when many people think of sapporo, they either think of the 1972 winter olympics or the beer. here's why. back a century ago, some resourceful people found a very key ingredient of beer growing right here in hokkaido. well, in the late 19th century, the japanese government attracted westerners to hokkaido to help modernize the island. and in 1872, the visitors discovered wild hops growing right here. they believed the plant would be used to create a homemade product to help build the regional economy. and four years later, the local government built a beer brewery. hokkaido's wild hops, cool temperatures and clean water were the key ingredients behind the first-ever lager to be brewed in japan.

now this complex includes a beer museum. and there, you can taste the old lager recipe along with other regional favorites. now let's talk to some customers who are here today. hi, guys, how are you doing? >> hi. >> where are you from? >> we're from australia. >> are you beer fans? >> oh, yeah. >> absolutely. >> you got this huge jug right here. what's it like to be in the berth place of japanese lager? >> it's definitely a pretty rare experience. we don't have anything like this back home. yes. it's just really, really tasty. smooth. nice barbecue. fresh crab. >> doing well. >> really good. >> great. what about you? you guys are drinking as well? >> yes. probably not as much, but it's a good experience, good food, good culture.

>> all right. >> we're in sapporo for a few days. it's good to come where it's actually from. >> reporter: beer in sapporo started out as an accidental discovery. but since then, it's become a household name to beer lovers around the world. in sapporo, i'm rina nakano, nhk world. >> on thursday, rina will be back outside to show you one of nature's wonders. another winter storm is heading for japan. robert speta with the latest on where and when it will happen. >> that's right. we saw one move away from the tokyo area, now moving off there to the east. we have this next one coming across korea. you can see cloud cover working its way into the picture, and this will be intensifying quite rapidly. thursday morning, you can see it deepening, but the long cold front extending well ahead of this is going to be gaining a lot of energy from the south in the form of very warm air.

what this also will be doing is warming up the temperatures quite rapidly. we saw the snowfall coming into tokyo this morning. on thursday, temperatures will be up more like late march into the mid teens. a warmup and fairly gusty winds and even off toward the north, as that storm system continues to intensify, hokkould see winds up to 70 to 75 miles per hour, accompanied by that heavy snowfall, it will create blizzard-like conditions. off toward sapporo, you are watching the ice festival. behind it, we are seeing another cooldown. all the cold air will seep in out of russia, bringing temperatures down in places like seoul, toward northeastern china and will mix in with the stationary boundary lingering around southeastern china, bringing snowfall in places like shanghai and seeing temperatures

around 10 degrees below normal average for this time of the year and also towards hong kong, rainshowers, high of 21. beijing, minus 3. cold spot, think it's cold where you are, ulan bator, minus three going into thursday. americas, a storm system out of southern texas. as it pushes toward the east, it's pulling in warm air from the south. cooler surface temperatures to the lower mississippi valley. off to the north, on the other hand it will be bringing up to 30 inches of snow to michigan, the glove portion of the state

as it pushes off toward the east, enhanced by the lake-effect snow in some areas. temperatures on the cold side. minus one for why your high in chicago. minus 1 in winnipeg. good news going into thursday and friday, warm temperatures to the south will eventually start to push off there toward the north around seeing a little bit of a warmup. now, here into europe, take a look at this, this huge swirl on the satellite pitch. what this is doing is bringing windy conditions off to the north and also pushing all that cold, arctic air down to the south. temperatures dropping off here but also creating rather wet and unstable air across the mediterranean, lit toward greece. seeing very gusty winds, severe weather firing up here as this storm system pushes through the mediterranean, to the east, into the higher elevations, could be seeing heavy smoker the risk of flash flood nothing the valleys. temperatures remaining on the chilly side, warsaw only 1 here. moscow just above the freezing mark as well. mild in london and paris.

5 for thursday. and down toward the south in lisbon, 13. here is a look at the extended forecast.

we're back in 30 minutes with more on the latest. i'm gene otani in tokyo.

have a great day, wherever you are.