china's new president arrives in russia for a state visit. this is xi jinping's first trip abroad since he took office last week. a court rejects a compensation demand in one of japan's biggest food poisoning cases. thousands became sick in the 1960s and still suffer today. and people in the falklands islands see challenges ahead. they fear argentina and their demographics could mean stability is fleeting.

welcome to "newsline" i'm james tengan in tokyo. china's top leader is meeting its biggest neighbor. xi jinping's neighbor shares a border with russia. common views on foreign policy and thriving trade ties. it's the first stop on the chinese president's nine-day diplomatic tour. xi jinping arrived in moscow to an official welcoming. his wife accompanied him. she's a well-known military singer. president xi is scheduled to hold a news conference on friday evening after meeting russian president vladimir putin. during his three-day stay, he will visit the russian defense ministry and will meet students learning the chinese language. president xi will then fly to africa. he's visiting tanzania and the republic of congo. he'll also attend a summit in south africa of five emerging economies known as brics. brazil, russia, india, china and south africa. russia has turned down an appeal for aid by cyprus leaving

banks on the island country in deep financial trouble. cyprus sent its finance minister michael air isous to moscow to seek help from russia. many wealthy companies and people keep their money in russia because of preferential tax treatment. two days of talks ended up without any agreement. bloomberg quotes saris as saying cyprus will continue to gain some kind of assistance from russia. he says there's still possibility to get conditions eased for the loans russia has extended in the past. tensions are rising i representatives from japan and the uk sponsored it.

the three members of the commission will look into north korea's network of political prisons. japan's ambassador cited the abduction of korean nationals. >> japan strongly believes that a inquiry to investigate human rights will provide the council with con degree o-- concrete outcomes. >> the north korean ambassador criticized this. >> of the hostile forces, those human rights abuses have totally nothing to do with it. >> he has said that north

koreans face widespread and systematic allegations. last year, members of ansar dean. they were associated with al qaeda. it prompted french forces to intervene in the fighting in the former french colony. some security analysts suspect a link between it and a hostage siege at a gas plant in algeria. 10 japanese were killed. u.s. commanders decided to have a military presence in

niger. musharraf says had will return to pakistan for an election in may. he will reportedly fly back on sunday. there are mixed reactions of people waiting for him to arrive. musharraf took power in 1992 when he was the army's chief of staff. he went on too cooperate with the stof of president george w. bush in the fight against terrorism. however, he was handed a crushing defeat in 2008. in 2011, a pakistani court issued an arrest warrant for him that he failed to provide adequate security for the former prime minister in 2007, and he was subsequently assassinated.

he was granted protective bail allowing him to return from exile without being arrested immediately. >> he wants to come back to reinvigorate his political campaign. he wants to get them ready for that election, and hopefully win a number of seats. >> as for the political situation, the approval rating of the ruling pakistan people's party of president zardari is shrinking amid a poor domestic security situation, and a struggling economy. an increasing number of voters are calling for a new regime to take over against this backdrop. the possible return of the former president is drawing mixed reactions.

>> translator: after five years of the ppp government, people have started realizing that somewhere, somehow, he was better for us and the country. >> translator: musharraf should come back and go to prison. he's violated the pakistani constitution. >> opinion polls currently put the ruling party behind the opposition party led by former prime minister nawaz sharif. and there's another challenge to the status quo in the form of growing support for the party led by popular critic turned politician khan. >> the united nations main forum has urged sri lanka to conduct an investigation into alleged killings and disappearances during decades of civil war there with the tamil tiger rebels. the 47-member united nations

human rights council adopted a resolution on violations in sri lanka with 25 nations in favor, and 13 against. such resolutions are not binding, but the scrutiny by the unhcr maintains pressure on the sri lankan government to prosecute crimes committed in the conflict. >> what we are hoping for is a domestic credible independent investigation that satisfies the people of sri lanka. that has not happened to date. that's what's being called for this year. >> meanwhile, sri lanka has rejected the united states-led pressure as highly intrusive. >> what is important is that we have made it very clear that we are committed to moving further forward. we will, of course, continue to update our friends in the focus being made. >> the u.n. has said tens of thousands of civilians were killed in the final months of the war. the conflict lasted more than 20 years and ended in 2009.

japanese government officials are moving ahead with plans to relocate a military base. they formally complied for permission to begin reclamation for the land. >> we obtained consent from local fishermen this afternoon. so we immediately submitted our application. >> japanese and u.s. officials agree to move the air station from a densely populated area to a coastal area. the plan has been stalled because of opposition. the local majors want the base moved out of the prespefecture

completely. >> it's virtually impossible. i told local officials they better change their plan and move it outside of okinawa. my view remains unchanged. >> they will decide in the next eight months to whether to approve the application. prime minister shinzo abe promised president barack obama last month he would see to the quick relocation. here are the latest market figures.

a group of victims of one of the biggest food poiseenning cases ever in japan have received disapointing news. they have been trying to get compensation, but too many years have passed since the poisoning occurred. >> this woman has suffered from asthma and joint pain for several decades. she is a plaintiff in a case against a japanese company. >> translator: the taints

cooking oil ruined all my dreams. >> it is one of the biggest food poisoning cases. a company produced cooking oil in the 1960s. the oil was tainted with toxic substances, including with pcps. symptoms of this vary and take time to pinpoint. thousands of people complained of health problems. from skin disorders to numbness in their limbs. >> a woman here says she took a test three years ago, and was officially recognized as a victim. >> translator: the victims are people like us who did nothing wrong. we have nowhere to lay our blame.

59 plaintiffs including victims and relatives of victims are taking part of this lawsuit. they demand compensation of $115,000 each. judges proposed an out of court settlement in jan of about $3200. the plaintiffs said the offer was too small and rejected it. the court handed down it's ruling on thursday. judges said they were responsible for the poisoning, but they said the plaintiffs couldn't collect damages because their claim was made more than 20 years after the incident. i'm disappointed and angry at the ruling. >> the ruling virtually tells the plaintiffs they should have filed suit before they were

recognized as victims of the oil poisoning. the verdict demands something that's impossible. >> reporter: the plaintiffs say they'll appeal. they'll have to wait longer to find out whether they'll get any compensation. nhk world. 31 years ago next month, britain and argentina went to war over a group of islands in the south atlantic ocean. the british controlled the falkland islands, but the argentines claimed them and called them the maldines. they invaded but surrendered after a short but bloody battle. the end of the war didn't end the dispute over the territory. islanders faced a key vote earlier this month to decide their political future. and they're seeing new challenges up ahead. nhk world's adrian durwood explains. >> reporter: leanne harris'

family has called the falklands home for six generations. the married mother of three says the islands are without a doubt british. >> we're happy as we are under british, as a british overseas territory and hopefully our neighbors across the water will get the message and leave us alone. >> reporter: harris is 1 of 3,000 people who live on these rocky wind-swept islands off the tip of argentina. the falklands are rich in wildlife. home to penguins and other birds. more than 50,000 tourists visit each year to take it all in. britain and argentina have been arguing over who owns this territory for nearly two centuries. they went to war in 1982. the british won. and they keep about 1,000 troops here along with fighter jets and

other weapons. but the argentines haven't given up their claim. especially since undersea oil resources were discovered near the islands. in earl why i 2010, tensions rose when a british company began exploring for oil. authorities in buenos aires reacted by tightening restrictions on ships traveling through argentine waters from the falklands. the latest move in this ongoing dispute came from the politicians on the islands. they held a referendum on march 10th and 11th. asking residents if they wanted to remain a british territory. more than 99% said yes. >> i think as to resolving the dispute, that will take argentineans to finally wake up and start living in the real world.

>> reporter: stewart wallace voted in favor of remaining a british territory. he runs a fishing company. six years ago, argentine authorities seized one of his ships. saying he was fishing inside their country's exclusive economic zone. something he denies. he's afraid the referendum result could have consequences. >> i think it's quite likely the existing current argentine government would be actively looking for other ways to harm our economy, to do what they can to stop us developing. >> reporter: the people of the falklands face another threat. residents aged 65 or older have surged 14% over the last several years. some feel there won't be enough workers to support the oil industry.

there are also concerns immigration could change the way of life on the islands. >> to change, to make sure we can ensure that the islands manages that growth, but in a way that doesn't destroy the fabric or the culture of the islands. >> reporter: leaders in london have defended this distant territory since the 1800s. they spent blood and treasure keeping it british. but the referendum result hasn't stopped argentina's president from pressing her country's claim. islanders have seen this dispute play out for generations. they know a resolution will take some time yet. adrian durward, nhk world, the falkland islands. manga and anime represent a sub culture in japan that has gradually become mainstream. businessmen can regularly be seen reading manga comic books

on the train. the the two art forms have also spread overseas where they've developed a strong fan base. in recent years, though, business hasn't been going as well as in the past. the people attending the 12th annual anime fair in tokyo hope to change that. nhk world has more. >> reporter: some colorful characters have gathered to sell the stuff of fantasy. exhibitors from around the world and from all parts of the industry are here to demonstrate their approaches to anime. businesspeople are meeting for talks. but many share common complaint. that business has taken a turn for the worse. >> translator: in 2005, our partner company overseas made more than $326 million. in 2010, it made less than $180 million.

>> reporter: there are various reasons for the business slowdown. first, less programming. in the 1990s, animers enjoyed a string of international successes with hits such as pokemon. in recent years, there hasn't been any global blockbusters. nowadays, just getting a broadcast slot is a challenge for japanese animators. >> are there any -- for the japanese anime? to be aired? >> as i'm sure you well understand it all boils down to ratings. if the ratings are there, the shows are getting ratings, they will keep the shows on. >> reporter: people who work in the anime business has been working for years on crafting their work for movies and television. they're seeing more and more of their work being stolen by

people who share it on the internet. the anime industry is being hit hard by piracy websites. >> translator: it is said that internet piracy increased from around 2005 and 2006 and dvd sales and tv ratings went down. >> reporter: innovators from the u.s. came up with one solution. in 2008, they partnered up with producers at a japanese tv network. the idea was to stream online anime with subtitles for subscribers. this year, the number of paying members has grown to more than 200,000 around the world. >> we're known for streaming anime simulcasts. we have 43 simulcasts for the winter season. we make that content available up to 60 minutes after japanese broadcast. in up to four languages. >> reporter: using this as a model, japanese anime companies have launched a number of web businesses. distributors from the company are working with producers at several tv networks and

production companies to launch a free website catering to north american audiences. classic anime masterpieces can be watched free of charge, and fans are offered the chance to buy rare dvds, if they participate through crowd funding. >> they can use their own passion for the show to help collect other people like them to support the show monetarily directly themselves. and then that's the way we can get these classic shows legally into these markets that may not be able to get them. >> reporter: this company was established by three of the biggest anime production companies and advertisers. paying members can watch the latest and greatest anime and buy official merchandise. they're expecting to net about $18 million in the first year. >> translator: we think business will pick up within five years. first, we'll focus on english. if we do well, we want to add

more areas and languages. >> astro boy became the first popular an may hero when he flew across japanese television screens 50 years ago. times may have changed since then. but the heroes are still soaring. only now, they're trying to find their way across the internet. akane nakajima, nhk world, tokyo. >> for those planning to visit tokyo this weekend, you will be in for a treat as robert speta tells us in the latest world weather report. we're taking a look out of most of japan here, looks like weather will be decent on and off throughout the weekend. first i want to talk about farther towards the west. here in eastern china, you have been getting a mess of weather. we have a frontal weather.

that will push off towards the east, cause some thunderstorm activity, and it's going to drift to the south for the tail end of it. hong kong, you will get some whether too. that's not all that's in store over the weekend. northern china, we have winds coming in, that will kick up the dust out of the desert. that will reduce the air quality there across beijing, and douwn towards the south and the tropics, upwards of 50 milliliters reported. so this will press across southern japan into saturday and sunday off here towards tokyo. the good news, northern japan and england areas, saturday it

will be nice, even into sunday here as that front starts to push in from the west, and temperatures going to be warm. tokyo welcome look at that. up to 17 degrees. the rain showers near the coastal areas, it looks like kyoto is going to avoid most of this weather. 17 for a high, that is rare for tokyo going to late march. i want to show you what it looks like, the cherry blossoms are very early, in fact the second earliest. it is 15 days earlier than last year. sitting under the cherry blossoms and having a good time with your friends, so a lot of people getting out and about. let's look towards the americas. unfortunately you're talking

about springtime and nice weather, but here it is winter. storm systems cruising across the plains here. you will so severe weather here, maybe even a tornado. to the northwest, looking at snowfall into colorado, kansas, this will be accumulating rather high, about 25 centimeters in some areas. temperatures on the cold side. winnipeg minus 9d, toronto, 3. and also the same in eastern portions of europe. temperatures dipping down in central europe, vienna, you're towards central europe. so north portions and it's very likely here in the forecast. london you will be remaining

with some rain showers, but temperatures just hovering above the freezing mark. that is a look at your world weather, here is your extended forecast. thanks for watching "newsline," stay with us, there is more to come here on nhk world.