welcome to nhk world "newsline." i'm gene otani. here's a look at the stories we're following this hour. a boat carrying rohingya muslims who were fleeing a tropical storm has capsized off western myanmar. the u.n. food agency wants more people to consider the benefits of bugs as eco-friendly source of protein in an answer to future food shortages. the sumo spirit is spreading in russia as more wrestlers move from a homegrown martial art to

japan's national sport. rescuers are searching the waters off western myanmar looking for survivors of a boat accident. about 100 row ming ga muslims had evacuated their temporary homes, and were trying to flee a tropical storm. patchari raksawong in bangkok is following the story for us. patchar the boat hit rocks after hitting pauktaw township. aid workers called for an evacuation because the storm is expected to tear through the camps that dot the coast.

most that live there are rohingya muslims who fled there last year. >> we're worried there is no protection for us here. the government has just announced that a storm is coming soon, but there is no support for us. >> u.n. officials estimate about 69,000 people are living in low lying areas that are at high risk of flooding and landslides, authorities fear the cyclone could make the humanitarian crisis in the camps worse. they say the damp conditions could lead to a outbreak of disease. a cyclone hit this part of myanmar two years previously.

it killed more than 140,000 people. >> state run media shows the case of online whistle blowing in the fight against corruption. they are saying they suspect him for issues that require serious discipline. he used the social networking site to accuse him of wrong doings. they say he threatened a mistress while he was working in tokyo. since it came to light, people have been posting saying that social networking has exposed corruption. officials from a nuclear power plant in taiwan have invited the media to see the

safety features of their facility. there is political squabbling that has delayed the project for ten years. it is in new taipei city. they have six other reactors, most are in the populated area near taipei. they true the japanese made reactors and they saw the pools for the store reasonable and the generators. they stressed the plant's resistant to earthquake and tsunami. watertight steel gates protects it. company officials explained a system that sending cooling water to the reactors from a reservoir that can operate in a total power outage. public protests have increased. people complaint about construction problems and concerns after fukushima.

they took a survey and 70% of people said they wanted the construction suspended. >> an american serving jail time in north korea has reportedly phoned his family back home to send a message to washington. the associated press says kenneth bae wants the u.s. government to fight for his release. bae visited a special economic zone in rason last november as a tourist. they arrested him and accused him of what they call hostile acts. the supreme court sentenced him last month to 15 years of hard labor. north korean legal academic told the associated press that bae called his family and the u.s. last week. bae reportedly said he couldn't appeal his sentence and asked his family to urge the obama administration to demand his amnesty. analysts say leaders are using bae to win diplomatic concessions from washington. pyongyang has released several u.s. citizens in the past after visits from influential americans.

executives at the associated press blame the u.s. government for blatantly violating their constitutional rights. they say federal investigators secretly obtained phone records of ap journalists. >> on friday we got a notice from the justice department that they had seized the records of 20 of our telephone lines, work and personal lines, belonging to ap journalists and connecting to ap bureaus in several locations. >> the records were from april and may last year. they include an incoming and out going calls from ap offices in new york, washington, and elsewhere. the agency's senior vice president says government officials have not offered an explanation. but an ap article suggests investigators were looking for the source of a story about a foiled terror plot. it ran last may. the story contained details of a cia operation in yemen. agents stopped al qaeda members from blowing up a u.s.-bound plane.

ap president and ceo gary pruitt says there can be no justification for seizing records. they demanded they return them and destroy all copies. sharp posted a record net law in the business here that ended in march. sharp executives say the loss came to about $5.4 billion. that's bigger than they originally forecast. the executives noted that the liquid crystal business suffered an additional loss. they're upbeat about this year though. they expect a net profit of nearly $50 million. that would be the first profit in three years. they also announced top management changes. they will have a new chairman effective june 25th.

the current chairman is stepping down after a year on the job. >> we carried out an early retirement program for the first time in 62 years. we also cut bonuses. our employees have been forced to suffer and this is a fact. as the manager who has made these decisions, i seriously take this to heart. >> executive vice president takahashi will succeed as president. many business owners learned early on that they need to adapt more parish. those that own firmed have been forced to change with the changing fortunes of the yen. some benefits others are struggling to stay afloat. >> reporter: millions of tourists flock to takayama every year. many soak in the city's hot springs. since the beginning of the year,

more and more visitors from abroad have come to these old streets. like many, they're taking advantage of the weaker yen. the currency has not only dropped against the u.s. dollar, it is also dropped against the thai buck. and many business owners have seen more customers from thailand. some members of their staff are taking the time to learn a few handy phrases. those who work in second-hand stores are feeling pretty grateful themselves. managers at this store in nagoya have seen sales to customers from abroad shoot up. they learn some visitors prefer a bit more flash. >> colorful. >> and this year is pink color. >> reporter: managers found bags that meet the demand. they're offering 20% more to buy

them from their owners. they want to make sure they have enough in stock. >> translator: we try to be sensitive about the latest trends in the exchange rate, the economy, and society to grasp current demands. >> reporter: business owners who rely on imported goods have had to adapt in different ways. ready made dishes bring in $3.5 billion a year to one chain of convenience stores. but half of the ingredients are imported. managers decide to use salmon from northern japan. >> translator: so this salmon is from hokkaido? um, it looks delicious. >> reporter: the cost used to be

30% higher than imported fish, but with the change in the yen, the difference is now half that. the new boxed meal is priced at over $5, on the expensive side. but managers believe customers will pay for it. >> translator: if customers choose products because they come from japan, that would allow us to add value. >> reporter: japanese customers are trying to figure out how they will adapt. they say the changes some businesses are making are bound to drive up prices and they say they could end up losing out. here are the latest market figures.

a prominent politician in japan is under fire for remarks he made about an issue dating back to world war ii. osaka mayor hoshimoto has defended the so-called comfort women's system calling it necessary. many of the women were coerced to serve in japanese military brothels. nhk world reports. >> reporter: toru hashimoto has a reputation for making attention-grabbing remarks. now that he is also the co-leader of the national japan restoration party what he says has even more impact. his latest statement is no exception.

>> translator: the women's system was necessary for brave soldiers who were in the line of fire. anyone can understand that. >> reporter: hashimoto says the comfort women's system helped maintain discipline and that various countries have similar setups during the war. he argues the japanese system that forced women into prostitution hasn't been proven. at the same time, he says it was a tragic consequence of war if anyone served as a comfort woman against her will. the japanese government issued a statement in 1993 admitting comfort women were forced to work in military brothels. it apologized to the women. they came from japan, the korean peninsula, and other parts of asia. hashimoto made it clear he

supports the apology. his remarks also touched on u.s. military forces in okinawa. some troops had been involved in sex-related crimes over the years. hashimoto says when he visited the southern islands he made a suggestion to senior u.s. military officer. >> translator: i had asked them to let marines in okinawa use local sex-related services. >> reporter: members of the government have lined up to criticize hashimoto's views. >> translator: a comfort women's system is definitely a breach of women's rights. >> translator: i think his remarks come at a bad time. i'm not sure why he said that, considering the way the

situation is right now. >> reporter: south korean leaders have risen japanese politicians for their approach to japan's past wartime aggression. meanwhile, south korea has reacted harshly to his statement saying he used abusive words. the comfort women issue has long been a source of tension between the two nations. hashimoto's remarks will likely make navigating this delicate issue even harder. nhk world, tokyo. japanese corporate officials are beginning to restructure their business plans to take advantage of the yen's weakening trend. nissan motor plans to rev up production of export bound cars at a domestic plant. ♪ nissan ceo carlos ghosn disclosed the plan to nhk in the plant north of tokyo. >> we're going to be increasing at least 15 to 20% of the production compared to last

yea eating insects because they once faced a shortage of animal protein. >> it c >> reporter: the word's population surpassed seven billion in 2007. the united nations predicted it will reach nine billion by 2050. a source of protein just be secured to counter the risk of foot short ageshortages. they say you can find the same protein in 100 grams in grass as in beef. and they say insect farming

requires much less land and feed than raising cattle. they believe it could become a sustainable industry. first, officials say people in western nations need to be educated about the benefits of eating insects. they add that in countries where obesity is a big problem, bugs could be part of a nutritionally balanced and healthy diet. more people just need to develop a taste for them. >> tastes change. 20 years ago, nobody would have eaten sushi, and now everybody likes it. >> some restaurann europe are starting to offer insect based dishes. if the trend spreads, it will be up to customers to take a chance

on something new. some young wrestlers in russia are trying out new moves on the mat. they're making the transition to the japanese sport of sumo. >> reporter: this is vladivostok in russia's far east. some students and adults are practicing sumo. >> sumo appeals to me a lot because of its dynamism. it requires great strength and quick reflexes. >> sumo culture is very interesting. it's an honor to be connected. >> the number of sumo wrestlers in russia is said to exceed 10,000. this city organized the first

tournament in december. 100 wrestlers participated. not far from vladivostok is the home to the naval base and the strongest sumo wrestler in russia's far east. 30-year-old maxim used to be a sambo enthusiast. he trains at sumo every day despite holding down a job in security. >> translator: my current weight is 145 kilos. i was 120 when we started sumo. recently i gained a little weight. >> reporter: maxim was raised to become an elite athlete. his first training included swimming, football, boxing, and other disciplines. he took up sambo in junior high school, and his skills earned him a university scholarship.

maxim made the switch to sumo in 2012, after an association devoted to the sport was created in the russian far east. >> translator: i was asked to participate, so i said yes. i tried hard and succeeded. to me, a new kind of sport is always interesting. >> reporter: the secret of maxim's training lies in his diet. it's fueled with chicken but he eats it with pasta. more than 40 russian cities have their own sumo club. where new generations of wrestlers are developing their skills. maxim's conversion from sambo was motivated by a desire to improve the standing of sumo in russia. the far east sumo tournament in vladivostok. the best wrestlers have gathered

across siberia and the far east. maxim has come. >> translator: winning is all that matters to me. i want to win. that's it. >> reporter: maxim advances through the first and second rounds without difficulty. in the final, he prevails by thrusting his opponent out. maxim has won the tournament. >> translator: now i've become champion of the russian far east. my next goal is winning the championship of all russia. i know it's not easy to become a winner, but i will try my best with confidence and continue my training. >> reporter: maxim and his fellow wrestlers will continue training hard in hopes of raising the profile of russian sumo even further.

elena solodayka, nhk world. rachel ferguson has the weather team has more on the sigh colonic storm that's on the way to myanmar, rachel? >> yes, we'll get you another update on this cyclone. it is starting to move now. it's picked up the pace and it is moving at ten kilometers per hour. with gusts up at 93. it's expected to pick up the pace and continue this northerly movement, swerving toward the northeast before making landfall. it could be myanmar, it could be further towards the west. that looks like it will be happening on thursday. local time. it will be bringing in some considerable precipitation and that is going to be a concern because the last seven days have

seen significant rainfall here. what you're seeing in the red is very small there, but 300 millimeters plus has fallen in the last seven days. so as we add to that, as the system approaches, that will mean there will be a high risk for flooding and landslides to occur. we'll keep you updated with this story. northern japan is getting ready for some storms. it's a low coming across from the korean peninsula. it will move into hokido. tokyo will stay dry as well as the rest of the southern half of the country. it will be cooler, temperatures getting back to seasonal averages starts from the middle of the week. as for china, really heavy rain here, we went right up through southern portions of the shanghai area. we're going to see heavy rain along that front.

50 to 100 millimeters. so really heavy rain, nsk, in a 24 hour period. it will all be concerns with that. here are your temperatures. mid 20s in shanghai. you're getting your rain showers here. seoul and tokyo staying dry, but down to 22 degrees. it will be a little bit of a drop there and beijing staying hot and dry towards the north. on we go into europe. there is a large low, and really starting to dominate all of western europe. it will be chilly and wet for you. out to the east there is another system bringing you thunderstorms and right in the center of the continent, we have that dry, warm weather. very pleasant here indeed. i want to show you some video coming out of moscow.

to show you people there enjoying this early summer heat. it has been quite a heat wave, regard warmth surging in weeks after a period of world cold. many residents took advantage of record heat with advantages this week. they found the temperature was just about the same as at home. all right, things are going to be warming up for you in the center of the continent. kiev will be warm as well, thunderstorms, and temperatures dropping off towards the west. here is your extended forecast.

a canadian astronaut who posted from space is returning home. the 53-year-old captured several stunning images of earth. he shows snow capped mount fuji in tokyo on the right. ♪ ground control to major tom >> he even recorded "space

oddessy." he provided a running commentary on life in space. that's "newsline" for this hour, i'm gene otani in tokyo.

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