welcome to nhk world "newsline." i'm gene otani in tokyo. here's a look at some of the stories we're following this hour. prime minister shinzo abe has announced more details of his economic growth plan. they include bold deregulation moves aimed at revitalizing the japanese economy. more trouble at fukushima daiichi. tepco officials say they've found a leak in a tank storing contaminated water. turkey's deputy prime minister has met protesters to

listen to their demands in a bid to end unrest in the country. japanese prime minister shinzo abe has proposed what he calls three arrows he will use to revitalize the economy. he's already fired off one to get the central bank to pour more money into the markets and another to boost government spending to stimulate the economy. now he's shooting off his third arrow, a plan for growth. and the plan has been presented to a government panel for in-depth discussions. the draft has three pillars -- reviving the industrial sector, creating new markets and promoting cross-border economic alliances. timetables and numerical targets are included. to revive the industrial sector, the draft calls for designating the next five years as a period to tackle structural reforms. specific plans include implementing drastic deregulation and boosting private sector investments. the plan calls for raising

corporate capital spending by 10% in the next three years by expanding tax incentives. another aim is to create strategic economic zones. where regulations will be eased drastically, and tax incentives drastically, and tax incentives are to be offered. the second pillar is creating new markets. these include thermal power generation, next-generation vehicles and fuel cells. the new markets are expected to be worth $100 billion by 2020. the draft calls for more exports of advanced medical technologies and services to secure a market worth $50 billion by 2030. as for the third pillar, the plan says japan should promote cross-border partnerships. to boost trade with countries that have free trade deals with japan. the plan calls for increasing these transactions from 19% of the global total to 70% by 2018. another aim is to triple exports related to infrastructure by 2020. the government aims to obtain cabinet approval for the growth

plan on friday next week. investors have been keeping a close eye on the third part of prime minister's abe's economic platform. nhk world's business reporter talks about how people are evaluating the plan. >> we've seen seven growth plans in the past seven years. so it's pretty difficult to put something entirely new on the menu. but the government officials i spoke to said this plan is different from others in that there's a determination to get things done. to solve controversial issues that have plagued society for years. so they've set some numerical targets with clear deadlines. they said they'll boost corporate capital spending by more than 2 trillion yen within three years. bringing it back to peak global finance crisis levels. they'll try to set up day-care facilities for 200,000 children in the next two years.

mothers across the country have been demanding that for a long time. and officials say they aim to double both agricultural exports by 2020 and farmers' income in the next decade. however, the critics say the plan isn't ambitious enough. some members on the government panel initially demanded deeper cuts to corporate taxes to invite more overseas businesses and increase international competitiveness. the administration didn't go ahead with that, for fear of adding to the already huge deficit. business owners were asking for deregulation in the agricultural sector that would allow corporations to own farmland. but abe didn't approve that idea. he's probably being cautious, not wanting to put too much pressure on farmers ahead of the national election schedule next month. exports point out there's not enough deregulation, especially in the labor market.

and they say these reservations have made this plan quite conservative. abe is trying to keep his promises by adopting what's called the key performance indicator, often used in the business sector. instead of changing the goal as soon as you realize you can't achieve it, government officials said they'll pick up the pace or find other means to respect the target. abe-nomics has been considered fairly successful in its early stages. because it's winning investors back. abe was eager to show he can carry out what he said he plans to do, and that includes more public spending and more monetary easing. but the market has been shaky in recent weeks. some investors have called into question his determination to bring about change through structural reform and deregulation. abe is said to introduce his

growth plan at the g-8 summit later this month. whether he'll be able to win support will depend on if he can convince people he can deliver on his policies even after next month's election. the operator of the crippled fukushima daiichi nuclear plant says it has found a leak in a tank that stores water contomorrow natured with radioactive substances. officials at tokyo electric power company say they confirmed the leak shortly after noon on wednesday. the tank is used to store water from a reservoir where leaks were discovered in april. it's one of about 1,000 tanks used to hold contaminated water. tepco officials say water is dripping from a joint every three to four seconds. they say they're investigating the leak. they say so far there has been no rise in radiation levels at the plant. a tepco spokesperson says there is no possibility of the water reaching the ocean. tepco has been relying on external tanks to store the

contaminated water. workers pump more than 100 tons of water into three reactors every day to cool the spent fuel. the fuel then contaminates the water and the liquid has been leaking into the reactor's basements ever since the meltdown two years ago. water is also entering the buildings from the ground. about 400 tons of it seeps through cracks every day and becomes polluted. engineers keep pumping contaminated water from the buildings into storage tanks. tepco officials said in april that they're sticking with this method. they're also trying to decontaminate the water. they say they have a device that could remove all kinds of radioactive particles, but experts are questioning how long they can rely on tanks to store the ever-increasing contaminated water. leaders in france and the uk say they have proof that government forces in syria have used a deadly nerve agent in the

country's civil war. officials from the u.s. and the u.n. aren't ready to point the finger at president bashar al assad. nhk world has more. >> reporter: the french foreign minister says scientists have tested chemical samples from syria. he says the results show the regime has used sarin gas. he says french leaders will talk with their allies about what to do next, and all options are on the table, including military action. but they say the findings should not stop an insurance peace conference. u.s. and russian diplomats have been trying to bring together representatives of the assad government and opposition for s forces. the uk ambassador to the united nations says his government has more evidence. officials suspect government forces of using chemical weapons

on six occasions. >> our view is that there has been credible evidence that in small quantities chemical weapons have been used by the regime in syria. >> reporter: a japanese expert on the middle east says the accusations are part of a larger effort to help the rebel forces. >> translator: the assad regime has intensified its military attacks during the past month. if they're not stopped, the anti-government forces supported by the uk and france will be in an extremely disadvantageous position in the upcoming negotiations. diplomatic talks are affected by military balance, so the uk and france are playing their cards to contain the assad regime's activity. >> reporter: investigators from the u.n. released their own report on the issue. they said chemical weapons may

have been used in four attacks during march and april, but they don't know which side used them. they said they'd need to test samples taken directly from the battlefield. the u.s. is being even more cautious. government officials say they need to see more evidence to decide if chemical weapons have been used. president obama has indicated that he may take military action if proof emerges, but he's been careful about further involvement in syria over concern over his country's tight fiscal conditions and getting caught up in the turmoil there. so, the u.s. diplomats are trying hard to realize a peace conference. >> translator: western nations have been severely criticizing the assad regime, but i think at the same time they plan to keep the regime intact. they are aiming to create a

favorable situation for anti-government groups that they support. >> reporter: u.s. and russian officials are hoping to hold the peace talks as soon as possible. the accusations of chemical warfare may force them to make an even greater effort. nhk world, tokyo. turkish leaders are making new efforts to quiet the anti-government demonstrations spreading across the country. deputy prime minister is seeking dialogue. he has met with some of the demonstrationers. the one-hour meeting took place at the capital ankara on wednesday. the protesters say they demanded the government abandon a project to redevelop a park in istanbul. the demonstrations began last week in protest of the plant. they also demanded the release of protesters who had been arrested and the firing of police officers who led the crackdown against the

demonstrators. police used teargas and water cannons against those approaching a government office early wednesday. supporters of opposition parties and others out in the streets say the prime minister that esh wan gan is abusing his power. pakistan's new prime minister takes off on wednesday. he twice served in the 1990s. he reminded voters how he resisted u.s. pressure and made pakistan the islamic world's

first nuclear armed state. sharif has benefited from rising anti-u.s. sentiment amid america's use of unmanned drones over pakistani soil. even so, the obama administration has indicated it will continue the program. last week a u.s. drone targeted a civilian home in northwest pakistan killing the number two leader of the pakistani taliban, the biggest islamist group in the country. sharif said the incident gave him deep disappoint. pakistan receives large amounts of aid from the united states. managing this increasing fragile relationship will be a major challenge for the new government. dealing with the country's energy crisis will be another priority. fuel shortages and blackouts are major drag on economic growth. voters will also demand that sharif improve the security situation. terror attacks by islamist militants in pakistan have killed more than 40,000 people over the past decade. south sudan's president says his government is planning to

build a new oil pipeline that by passes its neighbor sudan. south sudan won independence two years ago. he made the remark. sudan controls the pipelines and ports for exports. as a result, south sudan has to suspend oil shipments whenever tensions erupt between the countries. >> we have been living together in one country for all these centuries that we have been one so by now the issues that are not resolved can only be resolved through dialogue. >> president kiir said the new pipeline will allow oil exports to bypass sudan. it will run between ethiopia and djbuti.

he says lack of farming technology is another challenge for building his nation. hopes for assistance from japan, especially in growing rice. more and more international companies are opening offices in myanmar as reform gathers pace in the so-called last frontier of asia. but the nation is moving slowly to improve the infrastructure necessary to host these new commerce, and it also has a serious shortage of power making the situation even more of a challenge. >> reporter: innian gone, myanmar's largest city, huge new advertising signs pop up in the city. the demands for electricity keeps growing, too, and the government is expand being the power grid beyond just the major cities. that last year frequent power outages sparked protests by

frustrated locals inni yangon a many other cities. >> translator: we need electricity to run our lives. how will the government provide us with power 24 hours a day? >> reporter: recently though though, urban areas have seen an improvement and blackouts have become rare. that has minimized the use of p power generated previously used for residences and businesses. >> translator: thanks to the upgraded power grid, we can save money by not using our own generator. >> reporter: the government is thought to have prioritized getting more reliable power to urban areas. it's shifted a considerable

burden onto corporate users. this industrial complex near yangon houses many plants belonging to japanese-affiliated firms. power in factories. it's for sewing shirts and other clothing. the power was cut just as orders from u.s. and european brands were taking off and the capacity of the plant had had been double. the factory now manages to operate by running four in-house power generators. >> translator: we're not in a position to directly negotiate for power supply resumption, so we have no choice but to operate our plant without mainline power in keeping with the government's request. >> reporter: one expert warned

that the fragile infrastructure may have surges before advancing into myanmar. >> translator: if the government can't offer a sign or introduce a policy that ensures long-term, stable supplies of power, i believe that foreign investors will be encouraged to make inroads and investments. >> reporter: the demand for power keeps rising, improving the infrastructure for getting the electricity flowing is an urgent task for myanmar. jun kobayashi, nhk world, yangon. southeast asia is grabbing the attention of the global sports industry. soccer fans in vietnam will soon be able to watch japanese league matches on cable television.

they got a taste on tuesday when a game took place in hanoi. >> reporter: a friendly match between the teams from the "j" league and the local vietnamese team is about to kick off. as the skills of japanese soccer team improves, they are winning new fans in asia. here in hanoi, people were again excited. japan's national soccer team on tuesday secured a part of the world cup for the fifth time in a row. the achievement shows how japanese soccer has improved since the j-league kicked off two decades ago. here in vietnam, people are taking notice. >> translator: japanese soccer players have superb technique and strategy, and they're very professional. >> translator: i'm looking

forward to watching "j" league games airing in vietnam. >> reporter: ahead of the friendly game, "j" league officials held a news conference. they are now vietnam's largest cable tv channel to broadcast "j" league matches twice a week beginning in july. >> translator: we want many vietnamese viewers to enjoy watching japanese soccer games. which show the best technique in asia. >> reporter: southeast asia has become an important engine of the world economy. and many consumers in the region love soccer. professional leagues from around the world are competing for new fans. the english premier league sold broadcasting rights to ten southeast asian nations for more than $600 million last year. germ in's bundesliga has opened

an office in singapore to try to sell its own broadcasting rights. the j-league has soccer coaches in other asian nations to train young players. and thai viewers can watch "j" league games on tv for free. the japanese league is even considering selling a club to hire for players from southeast asia. many japanese players are physically smaller than their rivals. but they are known for their skillful techniques. japan's challenge is to bring the powerhouses from europe and win the lasting majority of southeast asian soccer conference. nhk world, hanoi. here are the latest market figures.

rainy season is in full swing in china. meteorologist robert speta is here with more. robert? >> we haven't seen those showers come down across much of fujan, it has been quite the downpour the last several days. now that seasonal front that we've been talking about is going to start to develop some lows off of it. you see here one developing over

okinawa moving off toward the northeast. that's going to bring some coastal showers in and along the pacific coast of japan, even a pop-up thunderstorm on friday around the tokyo area. toward the west, this area of cloud cover moving through central china. as it does so we'll be seeing some heavy rainfall out of this. actually in southern portions of hui bay province, you could see rainfall thursday going into friday. it is going to be bringing widespread showers and precipitation just south of the river basin here. we have those two systems. mack dab in the middle for you in okinawa, you're going to be seeing showers not only in the next several days but extending out through the weekend. farther toward the west, right near the myanmar coast, northern thailand, that's the monsoonal flow we've been talking about here. widespread reports of 150 to 00 meters of rainfall. it is the time of year we see

the southwest monsoon kick in. still, even though it is typical pore this time of year, there is a threat for flooding out there. temperatures, bangkok, high of 35. manila, 34. tokyo, 28. offense towards the americas, while out here several areas we are watching as well. first that severe weather blowing up across the plains. legislation a low pressure area in the gulf of mexico. this one time will tell if this is going to develop into named system. rain now, doesn't look like it. florida peninsula, tampa bay, over the next several days you could see 200, 250 millimeters of rainfall. it is a very slow moving storm system. also looking at severe weather into the central plains. here you've seen strong storms in and around colorado. some reports of tornadoes yesterday in colorado. those storms are starting to drift down towards the

southeast, climate with baking heat over texas. as those two mix up together this will be blowing up those storms through wednesday around. around oklahoma city, extending down through northern texas. very well seeing a squall line set up here. now with that you don't see the threat of large tornadoes. maybe a small one or two. but you'll be seeing widespread reports of hail in these very gusty winds. farther towards the west behind it, just continuing to remain absolutely warm there toward the desert southwest as temperatures continue to climb above average. now here in europe, the big topic has been the upper-level low that's been sitting there cut off, still bringing some rainfall. about 40 millimeters in a few locations out here in the czech republic. what's happening is that all these rain showers in higher elevations that fell in the past week are flowing downstream now. just saw some reports just south side of vienna, some villages starting to be inundated with floodwaters. even after the rain has stopped, it is all coming downstream. we want to continue to watch this, the situation not quite

over yet. we've seen an upper-level low start to spin in the iberia peninsula, bringing rain showers toward spain and france. but look at these temperatures -- sunny skies out there. look at london -- 20 their on thursday. that's a look at your world weather. here's your extended forecast.

that's "newsline" for this hour. 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.

♪ from the four winds and the scent of the earth come the color of the seasons. exploring the four seasons of japan. the chugoku mountains, those peaks higher than 1,000 meters