welcome to nhk world "newsline." i'm gene otani in tokyo. 3,000 delegates from across china are hunkered down inside a sprawling and secure complex in beijing. they're discussing the most pressing issues facing the world's second largest economy and deciding who should take up key posts in the next government. the national people's congress is happening at the great hall of the people in the chinese capital. when it's over, it is all but certain these two men will take control of this nation of 1.3 billion. next week congress party

secretary xi jinping will be confirm as president and li keqiang should become premier. this week we're taking a closer look at the country they will inherit in our special series "china, change and challenge." james tengan reports for us. the npc has wrapped up its third day and there are indications the incoming government will be different from those of the past. are you seeing any indications? >> reporter: yes, gene, delegates inside the great hall of the people are talking behind closed doors, but elsewhere in beijing we are seeing signs of how things are already changing under the incoming regime. business as usual in beijing, even with the biggest political event of the year under way. but unlike past years, you can't tell congress is in session just by looking around. when i was here last november, this area was full of flowers and decorations for the national party congress, but all that pomp and circumstance are gone, except for that red sign over there which says, long live the

people and long live the chinese communist party. authorities usually put traffic restrictions in place on the main avenue running across beijing. that made it easier for delegates to get around, but this year those restrictions don't seem to be in effect. npc's standing committee representatives announced in january they would cut expenditures for this political season. they're following orders from party chief xi jinping. he called for honor to frugality and shame to extravagance. it runs counter to china's growing culture of consumerism, but it's had an impact. liquor stores, for instance, usually do well during the political season.

delegates hold lavish lunches and dinner parties with expensive alcohol often presented as gifts. but business at this shop isn't booming as it has in the past. >> translator: i think xi jinping instructed party members to work hard after he became party chief at the communist party congress last year, so it's not acceptable to give expensive presents. as a result, our sales have gone down 10% to 20%. >> reporter: this bottle of spirit coincidentally shares the first chinese character as the surname of china's next president. during last year's party congress, sales of this spirit spiked, but it hasn't been selling well lately. the liquor store illustrates the dilemma facing chinese leaders. xi jinping could be pushing for frugality over extravagance, but his ideology could clash with china's rapid economic growth

and stifle business. still he says returning to the communist party's roots is essential to its long-term survival. and that seems to be a big concern for the president to be. now chinese learn about the ideals of communism from a young age when they go to school. we met some students who are helping with this week's big event. these junior high school students have given up their sunday morning to do volunteer work for the government. they stand outside subway stations near the city's center giving directions to anyone who asks. >> translator: i have time because there's no school today. i think this is very meaningful work. we have to help people who need it. >> translator: i feel great when i help people. and activities outside are also helping.

>> reporter: the students say they are given extra credit at school for volunteering. and even though they're still young, they are not short on ambition. >> translator: i will probably be a member of the communist party because then i can contribute fully to our society. >> reporter: xi jinping says embracing old ideals is vital to keeping the nation united. it is perhaps easy to teach the principles in school to the younger generation. but convincing a generation of increasingly well-off adults might be a tougher sell. one issue that has created disharmony between citizens and politicians has been the environment. we showed you earlier in the week how people are turning to high-tech masks to deal with the bad air in beijing and elsewhere. but the growing number of chinese also are worried about the water they drink.

in 2011 government officials tested ground water in 200 cities and they found the quality was relatively poor or very poor in more than half of them. they reported that contaminated water is behind a surge in cancer cases in more than 200 villages. many blame illegal dumping by factories, but as nhk world's michitaka yamaka reports, they feel powerless to do anything about it. >> reporter: shandong province, eastern china, it's a region with a strong sector and mineral resources which have led to industrial development. about 82 meters southwest of the province of jinan lies ginhan. its population is only about 600 but last month it became famous throughout china for all the wrong reasons. chinese media are reporting that the paper factories in the village are under investigation after being accused of injecting lead and other toxic materials into the ground under pressure. an official from the

environmental protection bureau says groundwater in those areas has not been contaminated. no information is available on how investigators reached this conclusion. people in ginhan are complaining of problems with their water for years. sue yung yang and his wife farm their land about five kilometers from the factories. because they have no running water, they draw groundwater from the well in their yard for drinking and for growing their crops. they first noticed a change seven years ago after the factories were built in the

neighboring village. they say the groundwater turned murky and started smelling bad. >> translator: we don't want to drink this water. we are afraid it will make us sick. >> reporter: despite the smell, they still drink the water, after boiling it. but they've noticed that white crystals form around the rim the pot. they are very worried that the water contains toxic chemicals. >> translator: this is water drawn from a well. the other is mineral water. it's murky. i wish the dirty water could be purified. >> translator: the groundwater is contaminated. we want someone to clean it up. >> reporter: the villagers say they have called on the

factories to do something about the problem, but officials tell them there's no problem with the wastewater. and it is not causing pollution. the village leaders say they don't want the factories to set up in the area because it is the only way to get increased tax revenue to reduce the economic disparity between the village and other areas. an expert says little is being done to protect the environment in rural areas because of the ties between companies and local governments.

>> translator: it is very hard to enforce the environmental laws while the focus is on promoting economic growth in rural areas. sometimes local leaders will protect the interests of the companies and obstruct steps to protect the environment. >> reporter: civic concern is higher than ever before about the environmental pollution and the effect on health. in order to ease public anxiety, the chinese government will investigate the cause and look into the contamination and disclose information. >> reporter: michitaka yamaka is joining us now, you heard from farmers who say they don't want to drink the water from the wells and they want someone to clean them up right away. what can they do? >> they have little choice but some complain. some villagers have sent petitions to local and public officials demanding immediate action but they say they have received no concrete response.

and it is not just the villagers in ginhan frustrated. demonstrations against environmental contamination are spreading in many parts of china. some people are considering filing lawsuits against polluting companies or even the government. but they understand little chance of winning because experts say it's extremely difficult to prove the contamination is causing health problems. so it is an uphill battle for these people to get the government's attention and then to get the government to address the issue. >> reporter: how could things change once the new leadership is in place? >> well, xi jinping and li keqiang have both said finding ways for sustainable growth is a key priority. officials with the environment ministry say they are working towards getting a more accurate assessment of the situation by 2015. and by 2020 they plan to have an effective monitoring system to ensure factories properly handle their wastewater. but they say that's not good enough. still, xi jinping will register

within the party if he tells the polluters that they often have strong ties and huge political interest with communist party leaders. on the other hand, the pressure from the public could increase if he doesn't do anything. >> michitaka yamaka, thank you very much. >> reporter: government officials are offering insight on friday that people have been waiting for. the commerce minister will reveal his estimate on trade growth for this year. many are eager to see the forecast given that china's exports and imports began declining in 2012. also the host of the national people's congress will be giving

his speech. ubango is wrapping up his ten-year term as chair of the npc standing committee. we'll bring you updates from here along with analysis. so join us again. i'm james tengan in beijing. cradle of culture, economic powerhouse. many enjoy the fruits of prosperity. along the path to a new china. but millions are still missing out. and public discontent is growing. against that backdrop, officials are choosing a fresh slate of government leaders. "newsline" correspondents will bring you full coverage of incoming president xi jinping's new administration. don't miss china, change and challenge at 8:00 p.m. japan time. north korean officials have issued unite threat over u.n. moves to punish their country. members of the security council are preparing to vote for tough sanctions on the north for its nuclear test last month.

officials say counter measures will be necessary if the united states does not change its hostile attitude toward the country. north korea will exercise its right to create preemptive nuclear attacks on what it calls the headquarters of aggressors. it says they're trying to trigger nuclear war. american forces in south korea held a large military drill on thursday. this follows north korea's threat on tuesday to scrap the 1953 armistice agreement that ended the korean war. the drill took place at a u.s. base in the northern part of south korea. about 250 american and south korean soldiers participated in the maneuver. they practiced coming down ropes to the ground from three transport helicopters hovering

at 20 meters. the american forces say this is their first major landing drill in south korea involving a special airborne unit from the u.s. mainland. >> we are able to strengthen our bonds and relationships by working hand-in-hand on this training and these exercises and just building those bonds of relationships and keeping the peace and stability. >> the top u.s. military commander in south korea says the armistice agreement has ensured peace and stability on the korean peninsula for 60 years and that america is ready to defend its ally. japan's central bank policymakers have upgraded their assessment of the economy saying the decline has bottomed out. they have unanimously agreed to maintain existing monetary easing measures and monitor their effects. bank of japan officials concluded their two-day policy

meeting on thursday. they confirmed the weaker yen had halted declines in corporate output and exports in autos and electronic products. they also cited firm consumer spending. supported by rising stock prices and optimism over prime minister shinzo abe's economic policy. they also referred to lingering uncertainties about the global economy. they are concerned about whether italy can stay on track with fiscal reform after the recent parliamentary election, but they also pointed to signs of recovery in the u.s. and elsewhere. this was the last board meeting for boj's governor. he's stepping down later this month. after the meeting, he said that the boj's easing measures over the past two and a half years through bond-buying operations have brought down long-term interest rates. he said the effort had been leading the economy toward the exit from deflation. but he added the government should do its part and restore

fiscal health. >> translator: once market players both domestic and abroad consider that the boj's bond-buying operations are aimed at financing the government debt, that's when long-term yields will rise. this would hurt the real economy. both the government and central bank should be maintain strict discipline. >> shirakawa was asked about the possibility of the central bank's long-term monetary easing pushing property prices higher. he said the central bank is responsible for keeping a real estate bubble in check to avoid its negative impact. the people in charge of weather alerts have overhauled japan's tsunami warning system. they have made the alerts faster and easier to understand, taking lessons from the march 2011 disaster. actual tsunami heights after the great earthquake turned out to be much greater than meteorological agency estimates. it takes time to determine the exact scale of massive tremors. it causes problems with tsunami

forecasting. under the new system they will designate as high and huge in their initial alerts. they will later update the warnings with estimated heights. the change is being made to encourage speedy evacuation. agency officials tested the system on thursday by sending mock-up data to emergency response centers across the country. they say they will continue the drills to improve disaster preparedness. when the disaster hit, people grabbed their gadgets to capture what they saw. those images along with broadcasting footage provide record of the events as they unfolded. the problem up to now was that no one had gathered all the information in a single place. the creators of a new website have a solution and a way to preserve the data for future generations. nhk has the story.

>> reporter: a tsunami floods a community. people pick up their lives. this houses more than 20,000 photos, clips and other documents related to the disaster. the website is a joint project between japan's internal affairs and communications ministry and the national diet library. officials launched it on thursday. they say anyone anywhere can use it. the website provides an online clearing house for mountains of data about the earthquake and tsunami. until now, the records were scattered. academics, government officials as well as members of the media and nonprofits each looked after a portion, but that created challenges. people had a hard time tracking

down information and there was a risk that materials would be lost. the website makes it much easier to search for images. just punch in key words like tsunami and the name of a town and click on a thumbnail you're interested in. a map pops up with links to photos and video, along with details about exactly when and where they were filmed. people can also access recordings of witnesses' accounts and learn how the region is recovering. the website managers say they'll keep adding data as it becomes available. >> translator: we want people around the world to really understand just how extensive the damage was. we think the database will help people in other countries make their own disaster preparations. >> reporter: the website's creators say they want it to be more than just a record. they hope the archive will help turn japan's disaster into something meaningful for people the world over.

>> and if you want to find out more about this, visit the website you see on this screen. kn.nld.go.jp. japanese foreign ministry officials released a classified document that could shed light on incidents leading to japan's attack on pearl harbor in hawaii. then u.s. president franklin delano roosevelt sent a telegram calling for last-ditch efforts to avoid war. the message arrived in tokyo around noon on december 7th japan time, but it was not delivered to u.s. ambassador to japan joseph drew until about ten and a half hours later. the ambassador asked the foreign minister to allow him to see the

emperor to hand over the telegram. the requested meeting did not take place and the attack began around 3:30 a.m. december 8th japan time. the newly disclosed document shows that after japan's surrender, allied forces investigated the delay. they interrogated japanese foreign ministry officials who were in charge of telegrams. the investigators insisted the war could have been avoided if the telegram had been handed to the emperor. they allege that he must have read it. a professor emeritus says the japanese imperial army must have deliberately delayed the letter's delivery. >> translator: i think the military, especially the army, was afraid that if the emperor read it, he might decide to delay the start of war or even avoid it. >> he says the u.s. officers wanted to trace who was responsible for the pearl harbor

attack. unseasonable warm temperatures across east asia today. meteorologist robert speta is here with the forecast on how long this will last and the weather for the rest of the world. robert. >> well, yes, gene, we've been watching this one for a few days now. 48 kilometer winds from the south is what's really been causing the warmup here. we've been seeing strong southerly winds all due to a frontal area pushing in overhead. out ahead of it just that southerly wind behind it. another system, very similar setup will start to move through the area on friday and still bring in much warmer temperatures across korea into japan. but you'll see some snowfall action in some of the higher elevations and accompanied by that even some 100 kilometer per hour winds so a very complex system here but definitely that warmer weather that will be working its way in as the systems push in overhead.

unfortunately, all these warm southerly winds are coming at a cost and that is the yellow sand coming out of the desert. so you get these very gusty winds, it picks it up, suspends it in the atmosphere and reduces the air quality. actually in beijing expecting this to move through throughout your day on your friday, eventually extending over towards south korea, even seoul, western japan. this is the forecast for friday. but even into saturday, tokyo will get in on this too. now, if you are in tokyo, don't expect to go outside and find a layer of dust on your car, but definitely anybody with respiratory issues and also if you are out and about in the evening hours, it's going to be a rather fantastic sunset, that orange and red haze in the sky. now, temperatures reflecting

that. actually in all these areas here you're going to be impacted by that yellow sand. temperatures in tokyo going up to 23 degrees here on your sunday. that's about 10 degrees above the average. now let's take a look over towards the americas where we're watching several systems. the first one now moving off the northeast coast. it's actually been bringing some gusty winds here as well, up to 98 kilometer winds in nantucket, along the east coast of massachusetts there. a little farther inland you still could be seeing snow here into central massachusetts, about 20 centimeters. but the good news is throughout your day on friday and especially around noon time, conditions are going to be rapidly improving as that system pushes off towards the east. high pressure ridging in behind it bringing much fairer weather. it's going to gradually get back to normal by the end of your weekend. and then to the southwest, we're also seeing some rain showers, even snow around the los angeles area in the higher elevations outside the city. that same system is going to push off toward the northeast, impacting you there in denver and cool off, some snow into the central plains over the weekend, definitely the next storm system to watch. so for now warm here in the

southwest, cold into chicago, just 1, but like i said it's going to be warming up. now, across much of europe we are seeing some messy weather in the west. widespread rain showers france into germany and poland, you'll be expecting this as the next developing system starts to pull through. warming up temperatures here, but on the other hand, things are cooling off towards the north. we have this high pressure here that has that clockwise rotation around it so it's pulling the air out of the arctic. it's kind of the reverse of what we were seeing in japan. but temperatures are cooling off. moscow minus 4 for your high on friday. by sunday, that's going to get colder, minus 12. same here in berlin, that's dropping down well below the freezing mark throughout your weekend. that's a look at your world weather. here's the extended forecast.

we're back in 30 minutes with more of the latest. i'm gene otani in tokyo. from all of us here at nhk world, thanks for joining us. have a great day wherever you

are.