welcome to nhk world "newsline." japanese leaders have decided to loosen long-standing restrictions on arms exports. they say the government will allow japanese firms to participate in the u.s. led production of f-35 stealth fighter jets, but some lawmakers are concerned they'll one day see arms jointly developed by japan used in conflicts abroad. nhk world's jun yotsumoto reports. >> reporter: engineers at lockhead martin designed the f-35 as a weapon of war. it has a more advanced air warning system, missiles and

guns. japanese leaders plan to make the f-35 their mainstay fighter jet. they are buying 42 of them. the first arrive in 2017. traditionally helping build or provide parts for this foreign-made weapon would counter the country's past stance but the prime minister says things are changing. >> translator: joining the new production system will help secure the stable purchase of this jet. >> reporter: his chief cabinet secretary said the change will benefit japan in many ways. >> translator: the participation in the production of the f-35 will nurture, maintain and enhance the technological expertise in defense equipment

production. therefore, it will greatly contribute to japan's defense. >> reporter: japanese lawmakers brought in something called the three principles on arms experts in the 1960s. they essentially banned weapons exports to communist bloc nations, countries subjected to arms export embargoes under u.n. security council resolutions, and countries involved in or likely to be involved in international conflicts. exporting arms parts or technology to make arms was also in principle prohibited. some exceptions were made over the years for the united states. in 2011, prime minister yoshihiko noda effectively relaxed the three principles and allowed the joint development and transfer of equipment under certain conditions. then last april, noda and british prime minister david cameron said japan and britain would start jointly developing defense equipment.

suga says even if japanese companies participate in the production of the f-35, they would only be manufacturing parts. but u.s. government officials have refused to create a system to get japanese consent before exporting the fighter jet to other nations. lawmakers are concerned, even members of the ruling coalition. >> translator: there's a worrisome possibility that the f-35 could be provided to a nation involved in conflict. the government should call on the u.s. to put strict controls in place. >> reporter: government leaders insist they will continue to uphold the principles of being a passivist nation but taking part in the production of the planes is absolutely necessary in order

to defend the country. jun yutsomoto, nhk world, tokyo. thousands of u.s. and south korean troops have begun an annual joint exercise. they're preparing for any fresh provocation by north korea. the drill hasn't gone unnoticed in pyongyang where officials are calling it a declaration of war. the "foal eagle" joint drill began on friday, that involves training for field combat and transporting supplies. the drill will last two months. officials from south korea's defense ministry say the north's military has been stepping up its winter time training and suspect north korean forces may conduct a large-scale exercise in early march. the u.s./south korea joint command notified north korea about the drills in advance. the north has come under intense criticism for carrying out a third nuclear test last month. it also launched a rocket in december which other countries suspect was a ballistic missile. the drill is being carried out amid heightening tensions on the peninsula. the north korea newspaper, "rodong sinmun," says the

country cannot allow a threat that will maximize the risk of a nuclear war. shop owners in south korea have launched a boycott of products from japan. they're responding to developments in a territorial dispute that's divided the nations. south korea controls islands that japan claims. a merchants group with an estimated 6 million members launched the campaign. representatives say they're protesting against japan's recent action regarding the disputed islands. a senior government official went to an event last week. people there marked the anniversary of the day in 1905 japan incorporated the territory which they call takishima. that angered south koreans. 200 protesters in seoul threw eggs at japanese products such as cigarettes and cosmetics and handed out leaflets urging people to join the boycott. >> translator: it's a very good thing.

i don't go to convenient stores that sell those products anymore. >> translator: i don't think this will have a great impact in solving this issue. i think it can only be solved diplomatically. >> south korean media have called for restraint. they say emotional behavior is ill advised. japan's trade minister is monitoring developments. >> translator: i hope the movement won't affect the bilateral economic relationships. a delegation from the olympic committee has arrived in tokyo to assess the bid to host the 2020 summer olympic and paralympic games. the ioc evaluation commission

was welcomed by a group of children at naurita airport. they will spend four days visiting planned sites for the olympic village and stadiums. the members were welcomed at the hotel. >> reporter: i want the ioc to know that something as spectacular as the london olympics and paralympics last year is possible in tokyo. >> the inspection period has been extended because they asked to visit the actual sites. the olympic bid committee wants to show olympic venues are close to each other and linked by transportation systems. shinzo abe says it will do all it can to get the country behind tokyo's bid. nearly two years after the tsunami, scientists are trying

to understand what exactly triggered such enormous waves professor stephan grille have been looking for clues under the sea and could have found the answer. waves of more than 20 meters hit the coast of iwate prefecture less than one hour after the earthquake. the professor's team studied the seabed 190 kilometers northeast of the quake focus. they noted it had changed shape after the disaster. researchers believe a landslide may have occurred under the sea immediately after the tremor. the landslide triggered a series of waves that came on top of the original tsunami. the team says the results of its simulations concur with the actual height of the waves that hit japan's pacific coast. >> if we can confirm this and

we're running additional simulations to verify that this is really what happened, then it means a lot for tsunami hazard assessment, for risk mitigation, for the future. >> the researchers say they want to work with japanese counterparts to inspect the site of the landslide. people in northeastern japan are reminded daily of what they lost on march 11th, 2011. the earthquake and tsunami took away loved ones, homes, entire communities. survivors are moving ahead, but they still face obstacles at the damaged nuclear plant and all along the pacific coast. "newsline "oil bring you their stories. don't miss "path to recovery: two years on." the latest statistics show that unemployment in the 17

nation euro zone edged up in january. it reached a new record highlighting the impact of the bloc's credit crisis. the labor situation continues to worsen in countries that have introduced austerity measures in order to receive aid from the eu and other creditors. the figure for greece was 27% although the latest available data from athens was for the month of november. looks like japan's crowded tablet market is going to be getting just a bit more crowded. microsoft has announced that it

will start selling its original new tablet called the surface in japan beginning on march 15th. microsoft has been marketing mainly software and surface is drawing attention as a tablet developed by microsoft itself. the product was rolled out in the united states last october. surface's os is loaded with the latest windows version for tablets. it has a 10-inch touch panel screen and uses a detachable keyboard which also serves as the cover. in japan apple's ipad accounts for around 60% of the tablet market. tablets carrying google's os android are selling well, that's in part due to their low price. microsoft plans to keep the prices of the surface models lower than comparable ipads in japan's competitive market. the political deadlock continues in it wli parties struggling to form a coalition government. these efforts are likely to be complicated by new accusations of corruption against the leader of the center right bloc. the former prime minister is involved in several trials on charges that include tax fraud.

italian media report prosecutors will question berlusconi on tuesday as part of an investigation into bribery allegations. he is suspected of paying 3 million euro to a senator in 2006. he allegedly tried to convince the senator to switch sides from the then ruling center left government. prosecutors also launched a separate investigation into berlusconi's campaign pledge to return property taxes if his bloc won the parliamentary election. a senior member of berlusconi's party has rejected the accusations and says prosecutors are resuming political attacks against the party. italy's parliamentary election has failed to produce a clear winner. it needs to form a coalition including with berlusconi's too launch a new government. a video on the internet shows a man in south africa being dragged by a policeman has sparked protests. it has raised deeper questions

about police brutality. the man later died in a police cell. several bystanders filmed the incident near johannesburg using their cell phones. the images show uniform police officers subduing a taxi driver. they then hand cuff him to the back of a police van. the van drives off with the man being dragged behind. the man was taken to a police station but died soon after from head injuries. police say the man assaulted an officer and tried to grab his gun. they've launched an investigation. the video has raised public criticism against the police and triggered protests. last year south african police opened fire on protesting coal miners demanding wage hikes. more than 30 miners were killed.

thousands of neglected children in russia are taking the brunt of a recall between their country and the united states. they're among the 6 auto th50,0 children in russia that are badly neglected oregon fan. they often find a new family in their country and many are adopted by americans who take in more russian children than any other nation. in january, russian authorities closed the door on this arrangement. >> reporter: 60,000 people take to the streets of moscow. they're protesting against a new law banning americans from adopting russian children. this passed in december. they retaliate against a new u.s. law that restricts russian

officers from entering the country if they are accused of abusing human rights. at a news conference, president vladimir putin spoke to russian and foreign journalists for 4 1/2 hours. many reporters asked about this. >> translator: don't you feel guilty about getting children the weakest involved in political disputes? >> translator: russian children should be raised in russia. >> reporter: as president of russia, putin signed the legislation into law and authorities have already canceled adoptions that were in progress while the legislation was going through the system.

to see how the law is affecting children, we traveled to a childcare facility in st. petersburg. 75 children live here. many are ill or have physical disabilities. this boy has down's syndrome. the 4-year-old wants to be adopted by an american couple but with the new law in effect, timothy may not be going to the u.s. many americans have adopted children from this home. one of them is this little girl. she left the home when she was 7 ch7. she won a number of medals in

wheelchair track and field olympics. at the london games, she won gold in the 1500 meter race. many children with disabilities in russia don't lead the kind of happy life that she does. they feel so strongly about not depriving children of any opportunity that may arise. >> translator: in the world of politics, numbers and statistics are calculated to advance national interests, but for the individuals affected, their fate is totally ignored. >> reporter: people in the u.s. also protested. two american women who were to parent russian children held a news conference in moscow. they appealed to authorities to let children leave the country

if the adoption procedures had started before the law was passed. >> all of our hopes and dreams started to come true and we began to dream of a future with this little boy. >> reporter: as long as the two governments continue this dispute, the russian children and their adoptive parents may be deprived of a chance for a better life. nhk world, moscow. air pollution in china in recent weeks has been getting worse by the day.

the new service in shanghai will be accessioned by cell phones or on pcs. this little character is called bo-bo. she informs people about the air quality outside their homes. when pollution levels are high, her hair changes color and her expressions also change. the chinese government is taking air pollution more seriously because of the growing number of complaints by anxious citizens. women in saudi arabia have to wear head scarves and long attire according to islamic law but can put on with whatever they like underneath. more and more are focusing on fashion and beauty products. businesses from japan have jumped to take advantage of the opportunity. nhk world has the story. . >> reporter: saudi arabia is known as one of the world's most conservative muslim countries.

women here typically cover themselves from head to toe when out in public. visitors at this event are getting a look at some decidedly more colorful options. this is an exhibition of japanese fashion products at a department store in riyadh. as you see, the store is full of saudi arabian women and the products are very popular among them. representatives from 17 companies have come to present their goods. the japan external trade organization or jeto is hosting the event. the fair is giving saudi arabian women a chance to look at japanese bags, cosmetics. >> they are so inspired about it japanese fashion scene. japanese vogue, et cetera.

>> i get it's something different, something unique, and colorful animation. all the happy things. >> reporter: japanese executives see an opening in the saudi market. high economic growth has opened new doors for women and given them more power to spend. >> translator: people outside tend to think that saudi women are shrouded in mystery and hard to approach. but actually, they have strong purchasing power and significant social status. >> reporter: dania is in her 20s and lives in riyadh. >> i think it's really cute and it's very adorable, you know, full of color. >> reporter: dania keeps a blog where she writes about fashion

and beauty goods. she says japanese fashions inspire saudi women. >> we hear about japan. we know it's something that has to represent confidence. when it comes to fashion, many girls here really adore japan and the way they dress themselves and they kind of try to emulate them in that way. >> reporter: this woman is the president of a tokyo-based cosmetics company. this is her first visit to this part of the world. she has come to learn firsthand

about what saudi consumers want. >> translator: i've realized this is a country of deserts. what matters for them is protecting their skin from dryness and uv rays. >> reporter: she says the trade fair has helped her understand how to pitch her products. >> translator: i found they are even kenner to maintain the beauty of their skin than japanese women are. they have a strong aesthetic sense. >> reporter: opportunities are gradually opening up for saudi arabian women. more of them are working outside the home and pursuing higher education. japanese marketers are counting on such trends to reach consumers in this growing market. nhk world, riyadh, saudi arabia. parts of japan are seeing rough weather this evening. meteorologist robert speta is here with who's being impacted here and the weather for the rest of the world. robert? >> yes, gene. across western japan we're seeing thunderstorm activity right now. out ahead of this front that's bringing that weather, though, we have been seeing some very strong winds throughout the day. i know many people here in tokyo, you would have noticed

those winds out there. actually about 60 kilometer per hour winds were recorded. i want to show you what it looks like on the ground here, where we've been seeing the gusty winds. we have a video coming out of here due to the low pressure system and all that southerly warm air that blew here friday morning, about 58 kilometer per hour wind gusts was observed there in nyashi city. this is the first spring gale observed. also here in tokyo, it really brought up the warm temperatures. actually, the high for where this video is coming out of was right around 19 degrees. typically you would see for there in april. so definitely some warm air. unfortunately, that is not going to be lasting all too long because as this front starts to push off towards the east, it's being fueled by the warm air

from the south and that cold air coming in from the north. that is going to be changing a lot of the weather here in western japan or around the west coast of hokkaido, over towards snow. let's take a look at the americas. high pressure is now starting to dominate the central u.s. it is behind the storm system pushing across new england. the snow is starting to taper off here. a few more centimeters likely across portions of western new york downwind of the lakes here. and then also some snowfall into tennessee. actually, you can see about ten centimeters into portions of northern georgia, northern alabama. all that cold air coming in from the north. any time you see snow into the deep south, very well could cause some problems. so definitely something to watch out here. on the flip side, some springlike weather there in california. today is the first official day of meteorological spring. you're going to be seeing it here, even though los angeles up to 30 degrees here for the high.

fortunately, accompanied by gusty winds, about 80 kilometers per hour. not too president and. definitely on the warm side. across europe, ally the low country, british isles, fair weather dominated now. this system i want to talk about. first it started here toward po portugal into spain. i want to show a video out of northern portugal here. you can see the snowfall coming down. weather definitely felt throughout the day to day as several roads have been closed and causing traffic jams. some drivers stuck in the snow. they had to get out of the cars and push their vehicles. all schools were closed across northern portugal. and just hazardous weather to say the least. now that rough weather will shift to the east. still 20 centimeters of snow in the higher elevations across eastern spain is likely. italy, you're going to get rain showers and thunderstorms off there towards greece as that system gets a move on. meanwhile, off here towards

portions of scandinavian peninsula, you're also going to see rough weather. temperatures on the cold side. snowy conditions and even bitterly cold in stockholm. that's a look at your weather. here is your extended forecast. we're back in 30 minutes with more of the latest. from all of us here at nhk world, thanks for joining us. have a great day wherever you are.