\s rough sees. officials on land spar over whether chinese navy crews aim their weapons radar at japanese forces. japanese and chinese authorities are asserting two different versions of what happened last month between their forces in the east china sea. china's defense ministry issued a statement denying that ever

happened. the state refers to two different incidents. crews on the chinese frigot approached a helicopter because it approached their vessel. a chinese ship monday stored a destroyer following it at close range. but the statement denies chinese crews used fire-controlled radar in either instance. it says officials in tokyo released false reports without confirming the facts with their counterparts in beijing. a spokesperson for the chinese foreign ministry also denied japan's claim. >> translator: all of our departments have published the true facts. the japanese claims are complete fabrication. >> later on friday, japan's vice foreign minister summoned china's ambassador to protest the denials. he urged chinese authorities to reinvestigate the case and to

adopt preventive measures. japanese defense representatives have provided more information to back up their version of what happened at the end of january. they say their data shows the crew on the chinese frigate used their weapons radar as they passed in front of the self-defense force destroyer. the two vessels were about 3 kilometers apart at the time, defense officials say the chinese crew trained what appeared to be artillery-guiding radar at the destroyer but they stress no artillery was pointed at the japanese vessel. the officials say the destroyer's electronic wave detecting system then captured high frequency pulses signaling the use of fire-controlled radar. the vessels were navigating more than 100 kilometers north of the disputed senkaku islands. security analysts are tracking the twists and turns of this story.

navy captain gave us his take on what china's denial means moving forward. >> translator: in a sense japanese leaders should be happy because chinese defense officials denied using fire-controlled radar. this shows china agrees with japan, that using the type of radar is potentially dangerous. using this radar would have invited international criticism. proving exactly what happened in the east china sea in january has turned out to be difficult. japanese defense analysts spent about a week going over the electronic data. in the end they concluded that chinese navy did use weapons radar. they can prove the radar came

from a chinese ship. but they cannot prove without a doubt where the destroyer was when the radar locked on happened or even when it happened. it's possible to tamper with this kind of data. that's why chinese officials said japanese analysts got it wrong. releasing false reports to hurt china's image. what we can take from the outcome of this instance is that chinese leaders will likely prohibit their military from using weapons radar from now on. but they cannot stop all of the aggressive behavior towards behavior. communist party leader xi jinping is the head of the military but chinese commanders have a lot of authority and could act on their own. japanese defense forces need to be cautious and continue to carefully monitor the movement of chinese armed force in this region. >> security analysts and former sdf navy captain bonji ohara.

government officials in solomon islands are mounting a relief effort for survivors of this week's tsunami. waves went rushing towards shore. nine people have been confirmed dead. a rescue team has arrived on the island of nendo to help the survivors. nhk world has the latest from the capital. >> reporter: emergency crews have gathered up what they'll need for a rescue mission. they see what happened to people in coastal areas and they want to do what they can to help. a magnitude 8 earthquake struck on wednesday off the island of nendo. tsunami reached more than 90 centimeters as it barreled into the coast. the homes of 3,500 people were either destroyed or damaged. many residents fled to higher ground.

local media say the survivors fear more tsunamis and are reluctant to return home. government officials dispatched a plane full of relief workers to the area affected by the disaster. the after shock magnitude 6.0 struck off nendo, so the plane turned around. and the team returned to honiara. later in the day the team of 20 relief workers from australia and other countries left for nendo. >> i think the medical teams should be there as soon as possible. >> reporter: the survivors are still concerned about strong aftershocks. six years ago a similar sized earthquake hit the region so residents are well aware of the power of nature. nhk world, solomon islands. officials in seoul announced earlier this week the discovery of a blueprint for a north korean nuclear test site. they said the plans appeared in the documentary three years ago on state-run tv. authorities in pyongyang are denying the claims. they say the diagram was pure fiction.

south korean officials say the blueprint unveiled monday represents a tunnel where a nuclear test was conducted in 2009. north korean authorities have denied the allegation through a video posted online. they say the diagram is part of an imaginary scene depicting a character's dream. they add it is foolish to believe north korea would leak such an important secret in a movie. south korean defense officials suspect north korean authorities are preparing another nuclear test. they say the test could be held in a tunnel with a structure similar to the blueprint. a new train has taken to the rails and includes features that increase safety in the event of a massive earthquake. the latest has upgrades that enhance safety in the event of an earthquake. i'm james tengan in tokyo. the first train left tokyo

saturday morning as a large number of railway fans looked on. the new model's top speed remains 270 kilometers per hour. it boasts an improved braking system. the new model emphasizes safety in response to earthquakes and other contingencies when stopping time is crucial. the n 700a's computer system maintains a constant speed regardless of terrain. the 2011 nuclear accident in fukushima prompted calls to change japan's approach to providing electricity. now a government panel's proposing key ideas that could potentially transform japan's energy. we have more on this story. >> reporter: after a year long

debate the panel presented its report to the government. >> translator: the government must successfully overhaul the electricity system to live up to the people's expectations. >> reporter: japan's energy system remains a monopoly. they operate independently and rarely provide power to one another. the utility companies have maintained that this is the best way to secure a stable power supply. but the nuclear disaster exposed problems with this approach. tepco failed to provide enough power dome pen said for the loss of fukushima. there were rolling blackouts in the capital. public confidence eroded. in response the former panel.ment set up the reform friday's report included three

main recommendations. one, increase competition by bringing new generators to the market by 2016. two, set up an organization to improve connections between power grids. finally split up power generation and transmission operations as early as 2018. the panel says these measures will give consumers more choice, that it will create better opportunities for more power sources such as renewables to enter the market but these are merely suggestions. how they will be implemented remains to be seen. last year's election brought the democratic party back to power. they failed to push through reforms in the 1990s. bowing to first lobbying from opposition. >> translator: power utilities wield a lot of influence over various stakeholders.

you can't move over with reforms like these without political decisions at the top, decisions at the ministerial level are insufficient. >> reporter: after witnessing one of the worst nuclear accidents in history, the question for many japanese is not whether to reform, but how. now all eyes are on the prime minister. people wondering if he will be able to shake his party free from old regulations and take the party down to a new path to reform. leading japanese automakers raised their annual profit forecast. the yen's fall is helping them

do better in overseas markets. toyota, suzuki, mazda and fuji heavy industries have revised profits up. toyota will be up $1.5 billion and fuji heavy industries to is to $250 million. makers are benefiting more from the japanese currency's weakness. sales of nissan and honda level ed off, but the earlier profit projections have been kept due to better export margins. mitsubishi motors have lowered its profit forecast, but the revision isn't as large as the carmaker originally expected. struggling semiconductor maker renesas is expecting to slide into the red. renesas says it's likely to report an operating loss of $280 million. previously it forecast $2225.

million. the chipmaker also revised down its sales for the year to $8.3 billion. company executives explain that demand for semiconductors for use in cars and computers is falling and hurting its performance this is the second straight year for them to post an operating loss. the company is expected to receive $1.6 billion in a government backed turn around fund in the near future. japan recorded a current account deficit for the second straight month. the first time the country has been in the red for several months in a row since officials started keeping track the way they do now. finance ministry officials say the current account deficit for december, $2.8 billion. the trade balance registered a deficit of $6 billion. exports fell 6.9%. imports up .8%.

in yen terms over the previous year. the current account surplus for 2012 is the smallest based on comparable data based on 1985. surplus fell 50.8% to $50.2 billion. china's total amount of trade soared 27% from january year earlier. but trade with japan posted much smaller growth. china's customs data shows exports totalled more than 180 billion. up 25%. the country imported 160 billion, showing an increase of 29%. the total amount of trade surged 27%. the jump is attributed mainly to dent in the same month last year. the lunar new year holidays fell in january 2012. trade with japan grew slightly more than 10%. china's trade with asean climbed

43%. the data showed that china's trade with the high-growth region is expanding further. and here is another key economic indicator from china. official statistics show consumer prices remained stable in jab. the situation in afghanistan threatens to feed disillusionment with the government and boost support for insurgents. from kabul, nhk's reporter files this story. >> reporter: the u.n. office on drugs and crime surveyed 6,700 afghan men and women age 18 or over. 50.1% of respondents said they were offered money in 2012. >> the afghan population considers corruption as the number two most important issue

immediately after the insecurity problems. >> reporter: the report reports how deep corruption runs in afghan life. respondents on average are offered bribes 5.6 times per year, making an average payment worth $214. hamid karzai has tried to reign in corruption. it's clearly not been made. after an aid conference in tokyo last july, the countries agreed to continue supporting afghanistan on the condition that the government tackle corruption. the u.n. report estimates $3.9 billion of bribes exchanged hands in afghanistan last year. that's equivalent to the annual aid that donor nations have promised to the country until 2015. the report highlights lax government discipline and the questions whether foreign aid is being properly distributed.

the report warns that the situation is getting worse. cases of bribery of officials increased compared with previous survey in 2009. the u.n. representative says corruption undermines trust in the government and strengths support for the taliban. >> the more corruption you have, the more corruption available, the less the population will connect with the government. that might not necessarily bring directly -- might not necessarily lead directly to insurgent as such but definitely towards aggravation, frustration. >> reporter: stopping corruption is critical for afghanistan's long-term stability. afghan forces are preparing to take over security control of nato combat troops leave the country by the end of 2014.

time is running out for the government to prove this. nhk world, kabul. police in india have arrested at least three people japan's northern island of h hokkaido is known for extreme weather. tomamu combines both. we have the view from there. >> reporter: we're here today in a village that is part of a ski resort. it is 150 kilometers east of hokkaido's capital. we saved the coldest for last. it is 10 degrees below zero. that is perfect for a place called ice village. like the name suggests, the village is made completely out of ice. it includes an ice rink and a few dome-like buildings called ice shells. here you'll find a restaurant,

over there a souvenir shop and as well to my right you'll find a place where you can make your very own snowflake key chains but over here it looks like a lot of people are having fun. so let'sheck this out. this is called the crystal bar. as you can see, the outside looks exactly like an igloo. everything is made out of ice. let's take a look inside as well. everything from the walls, check this out, the walls are just rock solid. it is made completely out of ice. to the table, come on down over here. look how translucent it's become. it's like shave ice. you can see some artwork, which gives this igloo a club-like feel. at the same time you can also get a little cozy, if you come up here. these benches are cold but, look, there's deer hyde right up here so you can stay cozy and have a nice, relaxing time. over here at the bar, let's talk

to some people who are here today. excuse me. hi, guys, how are you? >> fine. thank you. >> reporter: great. where did you come from? >> taiwan. >> reporter: great. how is ice village so far? >> amazing. >> reporter: great. what about you? >> it's very shock. >> reporter: yes? >> for me. because we live in taiwan. it's always very hot. but i stand here, i feel it's very surprising, ice village. i like it here. >> reporter: sounds good. enjoy your time, guys. >> yes, very enjoy. >> reporter: all right. there's another place you can

also go to that's part of this resort that a lot of people go to. it is called the ice church. across the courtyard and at the end of the street you'll find a church made completely out of ice. builders say the theme of the church is eternal love, an analogy to the water cycle. they say that the theme resonates with many coups. organizers say about 40 wedding ceremonies are held there every season. well, the ice village will be open until the end of march. like many other things we introduce to you in this one week hokkaido season, it all depends on the weather. if it warms up a bit early, it won't last too long. but if you're into a yew north korea and cold winter vacation, hokkaido may be the place for you as long as you're quick. in tomamu, i'm rina nakano. that concludes our hokkaido series. if you missed any of the coverage, just log on to our website, www.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld.

people in northern u.s. are bracing for the worst winter storm to hit the area this season. robert speta is here with the forecast. robert? >> that's right. this is going to be one of the storms for the record books. continuing to push off the coastline here. already into new york. you're starting to see the snow fall. it does look like going into massachusetts, all the airports in and around this area have been closed. over 3,000 flights canceled on friday and even into saturday as well here just due to the two storm systems. you can start to see them on e analysis on saturday. one storm coming in from the west and across the great lakes, this is dropping some heavy snowfall. but at the same time, we have this moisture inflow from a separate low pressure area that started to move in from the south. it is just heavy snowfall.

60 sent meters of snow in and around the boston area. that will be absolutely crippling. actually, into new york city, the mayor has asked people to stay indoors. just call in if you plan on having to go out here to work. all the schools have been closed in and across this area. if you have any flights in and out of the northeast, really, you're going to have to wait on it until at least sunday by the time the conditions start clearing up here. that's the good news. the storm system is rapidly going to move off here into saturday evening. friday into saturday in boston, you're still going to see the blizzard conditions. it is by the evening hours. then it really will start to affect the canadian maritime with the hurricane-force winds which could even bring storm surge off to that area and accompanied by what these high winds and heavy snowfall. let's take a look at japan here. we have a storm system here as well which is continuing to spin across hokkaido bringing blizzard conditions. we're talking about the high winds in the united states. we're seeing it here as well.

winds already reported up to 108 kilometers per hour. let's show you video coming out of hokkaido. waves are crashing on shore. some of the waves upwards of seven meters high. not to mention these winds continuing to kick up. we have the heavy snowfall. up to 60 meters into the next 24 hours. still could be seeing an additional 30 to 50 centimeters across this area. the good news here as well, though, that storm system is going to start to push off there towards the north and towards the east. thnditions will start to wind down into saturday. still through the overnight hours friday into saturday morning, you'll still see the blizzard conditions, especially there in hokkaido. temperatures are going to be cooling off. all of that cold air continuing to pull in from the north here into tokyo. you're going to be seeing the windy conditions, even the wind chills. over to seoul, high pressure is going to be dominating with the northerly winds. we're seeing winds gusting up here rather cold in and across the southern japanese islands.

that high pressure continues to push towards the south. really mild conditions working in behind it. as far as the tropics, the northeast monsoon is dominating here making for some fair weather. we still have a few isolated storms in manila. but nothing too severe. high of 29. if you want to go somewhere warm, take a look at bangkok, 34 for your high. beijing at 1. the cold spot yet again on the map here on injure saturdyour ss 23 you're looking at going into your weekend. there's your world weather. here's a look at your extended forecast.

for you nature lovers, some birds are able to swim underwater to catch their prey.

much less documented is the ability of squid to jump outside their comfort zone until scientists in japan managed to capture these rare images. the graduate school students took these photos in the pacific ocean 600 kilometers east of tokyo. squid were known to jump out of the ocean by expelling water from their bodies. the researchers say they use the same method to accelerate in mid air. they stretch out their fins to maintain balance. >> translator: squid jump out of the water when they run out of options to evade a predator. they fly tens of meters away. >> the researchers say the squid can travel an estimated 30 meters in a single flight. and with that, we conclude

this hour's "newsline." thank you for watching.