hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm keikichi hanada in tokyo. with the latest at this hour. an adviser to japanese prime minister shinzo abe is back in tokyo after a four-day visit to pyongyang. no details have been released on his talks with north korean officials, but he says he conveyed japan's determination to resolve the abductions of japanese nationals by north korea. isao iijima returned to tokyo on saturday. he briefed chief cabinet secretary yoshihide suga about his trip at a hotel.

while in pyongyang, he met kim yong nam, president of the presidium of the supreme people's assembly and he also met kim yong-il, secretary in the workers' party of korea in charge of international relat n relatio relations. iijima told suga he met other important people. he said he told them the japanese government is serious about wanting to resolve the abduction issue along with north korean missile and nuclear issues. he said he told the north koreans that japan will not budge on the abduction issue until all japanese abductees return home. the truth behind the cases are revealed, and those who carried out the abductions are transferred to japan. foreign minister fumio kuchida says japan will work closely with the united states and south korea in dealing with north korean issues. he made the comment following a visit to pyongyang.

>> translator: japan, u.s. and south korea share the view that peace and stability in the region are common benefits for the three countries. and that it's important for them to work together. >> he says the three countries will seek a comprehensive solution to the abduction issue as well as missile and nuclear issues. on the same day iijima returned from pyongyang, south korea's defense ministry reported that north korea fired three short range missiles toward the sea of japan. the launch was confirmed in seoul. >> translator: north korea launched missiles in a northeastern direction on saturday. two of the missiles were fired in the morning and one in the afternoon.

all of them are believed to have landed in north korean waters. the spokesperson says the missiles are believed to have been short range missiles, not medium range such as musudan or long range missiles. japan, the united states and south korea have been keeping a close watch for any north korean medium range missile launch. north korea has repeatedly test-fired short range missiles in the past. experts see the latest launches as part of efforts to test the country's missile capability. south korean military officials say they will analyze the launches. japanese leaders have made a made africa's resources. leaders have made a five-year investment to pledge 2 l00 billn yen or about $1.94 billion. economy, trade and industry minister announced the plan on saturday at the japan conference. ministers visited tokyo from 15 african countries, including

south africa and mozambique. they explained the funds will be invested in japanese companies working to develop natural resources in the region. he said experts will be sent to help transfer knowledge. japanese leaders are looking to diversify sources of gas and natural resources for the future. >> translator: japan will not only secure stable supplies, but also support african countries to develop in a self-sustainable manner. the conference chair summed up calling for new phase of collaboration between japan and africa. two major explosions near a sunni muslim mosque in iraq have killed at least 40 people. the blasts occurred in a town about 50 kilometers northeast of baghdad. local police say people had

gathered near the mosque in baqubah after friday prayers to take part in a rally opposing prime minister's nuri al maliki's shia-led administration. sectarian strife has been intensifying between the shia-dominated government and minority sunni militants as well as demonstrators. clashes between the two sides claimed more than 700 lives last month. the worst violence in five years. iraqi security officials are becoming more vigilant in fear of possible retaliatory attacks by sunni extremists. world wrestlers could be facing their toughest fight to keep the sport in the olympics. the delegates have shaken up the sport a bit to keep it alive. they talked about simplifying rules and reforming the sport's organizational structure. olympic officials announced this

february, wrestling was one of the events to be excluded from the 2020 summer games. now, the game's representatives competing for one last chance against seven other sports, including baseball and karate. the delegates came up with steps for convince the ioc, like changing the length of rounds and encouraging more attacking play. ioc officials will decide at the september assembly if wrestling will live to fight another day. >> meanwhile, iran's national wrestling team has pulled out of the goodwill tour of the united states and returned home without competing against an american team in los angeles. the iranian team was if the u.s.

as part of an effort to keep the sport in the olympics. usa wrestling, sports u.s. governing body said in a statement on friday that iranian teams schedule had changed. an iranian representative confirmed to nhk that team members departed for iran on friday night, saying the decision was made because of a team matter. on wednesday, iranian wrestlers took part in an exhibition match in new york. is wrestlers of the two countries were to face each other again in a friendly match on sunday in los angeles, the city with the largest iranian community in the u.s. conservative iranian media say the match may have been canceled as exiled iranians critical of the islamic system could converge on the event site. thousands of people have gathered in a town outside of tokyo to take part in an event honoring one of the greatest

leaders in japanese history. tokugawa which ruled japan for more than 250 years. he's enshrined in a unesco world heritage site. about 1, 200 people dressed in samurai took part in the re-enactment of the funeral procession. the parade is held every spring and autumn. the procession featured a portable shrine, weighing more than one ton. the parade included people dressed in full honor and childrenwearing headdresses adorned with one of the zodiac symbols. spectators crowded the parade route to watch the event. >> it was a spectacle. >> i could imagine how people traveled in the old days. >> it took about 40 minutes for the procession to reach the shrine.

up next, the world weather forecast. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> and that's all for now. i'm keikichi hanada. on behalf of our team, thank you for staying with us.