welcome to nhk world "newsline." i'm gene otani in tokyo. japan's transport ministry suspects that an explosion at close range caused damage to a japanese oil tanker in the strait of hormuz last month. the ministry says data from the tanker's radar shows that two small boats were moving suspiciously around the vessel. one of them reportedly sped away shortly before the tanker sustained a huge dent on its right side stern.

one crew member was injured in the incident. the officials believe that the boats carried out an attack. they say soot radiating from the dent and numerous scratches on the stern indicate that the tanker was not directly hit but something exploded a short distance away. the transport ministry sees the incident as a threat to maritime security as more than 80% of crude oil imported by japan passes through the middle eastern strait. on wednesday, the ministry will convene the first investigative panel of government officials and experts to discuss the incident. north korea has offered free use of a port in chongqing to a chinese transport company in exchange for equipment. the company will install a loading crane in september and will be exempted from port fees. chongjin and tumen city in china where the company is located will be linked mainly by existing rail routes. a test run of the freight trains

is scheduled for early next month. tumen officials have expressed hope that chongjin will become a new base for chinese exporters. china has earned the right to lease one of the piers for ten years. it's located in north korea's northeastern port city. the latest agreement came about as china wants to increase its export routes while north korea needs foreign investment to revive its economy. yukio hatoyama and chinese premier wen jiabao have agreed that their countries will work together to fight global warming. hatoyama said japan's government must help its countries firms looking to do business in china. the two also agreed that joint environmental efforts are important for promoting the east asian community. hatoyama has been pushing for such a regional community to achieve stable economic and security frameworks.

wen said he looks forward to prime minister naoto kan's visit to china as early as possible. >> it's essential for japan and china to work together to tackle environmental issues and build a community for the east asian region. a new u.s. defense department report says china's military is trying to expand its operational reach in theest and south china seas. it says the united states will continue to monitor the chinese military's development. the defense department's annual report to congress came out on monday. it notes that china is close tom of the world ap hot spots. it raises the issue of the spratly and senkaku islands both of which are subject to territorial claims. the report says the army is

trying to expand its operational reach in order to address territorial and regional energy concerns. the report also argues china could start construction of its own aircraft carrier by the end of this year. the defense department says the country's continuing to develop ballistic missiles with the potential to attack u.s. aircraft carriers in the western pacific. it estimates that china's overall military spending rose sharply last year to $150 billion. in the face of this, the department's report says the u.s. is planning to strengthen alliances with some other asian countries to secure stability in the region. in southwest china, floods and mud slides triggered by heavy rain since last week have killed 16 people in areas struck by the 2008 sichuan earthquake. china's state-run xinhua news agency says a massive mud slide washed away houses in the wenchuan area.

in yingxiu one-third of the houses were hit by mud slides trapping the residents. rescuers are still trying to free them. a massive mud slide claimed another life near chengdu. more are likely possible in gansu. they're telling people to be on alert. people in gansu province say a huge mud slide in zhouqu county left 270 people dead and 474 missing. hundreds of thousands of people in pakistan are in desperate need of food and other aid in the wake of devastating floods. pakistan's ambassador to japan says the country urgently needs medical supplies to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. torrential rain since last month

triggered flooding and landslides in the country. the disaster has killed more than 1400 people and affected more than 14 million others. the united nations estimates pakistan needs $460 million in emergency aid. pakistan's ambassador to japan, noor jadmani, made his appeal on tuesday at his country's embassy in tokyo. jadmani is stressing the need for japan to send a self-defense force helicopter unit to assist people in flood ravaged areas. a japanese government fact finding team flew to pakistan last week to assess the situation and decide how it can help out. trade between japan and china hit a record high in the first half of this year. the japan external trade organization or jetro says bilateral trade for the period amounted to more than $138

billion, up 34.5% from the same period last year. japan's exports to china were up 41.7% due to shipments of electronics, construction machinery and auto parts. imports from china were up 24.2% due mainly to surges from mobile phones and food products. china is japan's largest trading partner. accounting for 20% of the volume. increased demand in china is supporting japan's economy and bilateral trade this year may hit a record high. china has formed a new government post that will be responsible for trade talks with other nations. the move comes after increasing trade friction. the chinese government announced on monday that vice minister of commerce gao hu cheng will become its first international trade representative. the new office will mainly negotiate economic and trade issues relating to china's overseas business.

the post was created due to more and more trade disputes between china and other trading partners. these include the u.s., the eu and emerging economies such as india. the trading countries complain about china's protected policies. china, in turn, criticizes them for imposing anti-dumping taxes on chinese imports. last year china became the world's top exporting nation overtaking germany. china's exports were worth $1.2 trillion in 2009. the japanese government is considering economic stimulus measures after the latest economic growth figures show that the economy is slowing down. the cabinet office said that the gdp grew at 0.4% from april to june. naoto kan asked his ministers to assess the situation. he wants to determine the impact from the scheduled end of the current stimulus programs.

subsidies for fuel efficient vehicles will expire in september and a plan for eco-friendly home appliances will be terminated at the end of the year. satoshi arai also in charge of economic and fiscal policies says he'll wait for the revised gdp data due out in mid-september. he'll then decide whether additional measures are needed. despite all the hype and hoopla around the ipad's release, not everyone's happy. for many local manufacturers, the gadget's arrival has touched a raw nerve. nhk world explains why. >> reporter: most of the ipad's key components including the liquid crystal display are made in south korea and taiwan. it includes few japanese parts despite the country's long held reputation for making high quality products. u.s. research firm i-supply

disassembled and ipad and analyzed its parts. it says only one of 15 key components is japanese made. for example, the touch screen is made by taiwan's wintech, the liquid crystal display is work of korean firm lg display. semiconductors and the mother board like the flash memory and application processor are from korea's samsung and taiwan's dainon pack provides the case. despite all the talk of the computing revolution, the ipad is basic technology that taiwan and south korea can offer at low prices. >> for the iphone japanese makers supplied 10% of its silico silicosill la con. they may be losing their competitive edge in pricing and sales. >> parts making isn't the only

production process that's shifting to other asian nations. the city of sunama in central japan is home to many metal polishing companies that were hit hard by this trend. a key design element for the iphone and ipod is the shiny surface. getting this effect requires skilled metal polishing. there used to be about 20 factories in this town that handle the polishing for apple, but nowadays this work is all shifted to china as part of a drive to cut costs. this man has been polishing metal for 60 years. it processes metals for all kinds of products from electronic devices to household items such as cups and kettles. for four years until 2005, the company worked under contract for apple polishing ipods. at one stage the company was putting a shine on 3,000 ipods a

day. business at apple accounted for 60% of the company's sales. but as ipod sales soared worldwide, the japanese contractor couldn't keep up with demand. hiring more workers to boost capacity would have been too costly. apple decided to move polishing work to china. >> chinese companies have masses of people working for much less. there's no way we can beat them in price. >> analysts say the offshore trend extends beyond apple gadgets. there is a growing sense of crisis across japan's electronics industry. experts say japan's obsession with quality and neglect of pricing have allowed parts suppliers in other asian countries to grab market share. >> emerging economies are leading the global economy right now. and products will be developed

for consumers in those countries. this means that manufacturers cannot disregard pricing. japanese makers will need to start paying more attention to pricing, not just product pricing. >> unless japanese companies up their game, apple's shiny template won't be the only that slips through their fingers. now here are the latest market figures.

the most famous vehicle in the philippines is being singled out because of concerns over global warming. the so-called jeepneys are made from the four-wheel drive troop vehicles that the army left behind after world war ii. they are major polluters so people want them off the street, but they're also part of the country's history. so the government came up with a clean and culturally sensitive situation. we have the story. >> reporter: you can't go a day in manila without seeing a

flamboyantly decorated jeepney. they offer rides on the city's smaller streets which aren't covered by buses, and they are much cheaper than taxis. but the diesel powered vehicles emit a lot of carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides. they're considered a major source of air pollution. the once popular form of transportation now has a bad image. >> the pollution always makes the streets have a terrible smell. >> my child often gets coughs and a runny nose because of the pollution. >> reporter: the government of the city in metro manila faced calls to get rid of the jeepneys, but some people wanted to preserve the iconic vehicles. so a politician came up with an idea. this is the jeepney.

basically this is an ordinary mini bus but it's painted like a traditional jeepney. the government adopted electric vehicles as an alternative. clean cars now run in manila's central business district. the government plans to increase the fleet. it's a pilot project, so taking a ride is free of charge. >> there's no pollution. it's easier to breathe. >> it's good for people's health. and for the earth. >> batteries underneath the jeepney seats are charged once a day. that gives the vehicles a maximum range of 55 kilometers. the electric jeepney doesn't emit harmful gases, but it does need electricity. it emits 7 kilograms of co-2 per

vehicle per day. compare that to the diesel engine jeepney which puts out about 16 kilogram of co-2 a day, that's less than half the emissions. city officials are planning on expanding the service. >> right now we have only two roads are e-jeepneys. still, the emissions inhaled by people have been reduced. we are planning on setting up additional roads, which will exclude the old jeepneys and increase the number of electric cars. >> several other cities in the philippines have also introduced e-jeepneys. there are high expectations that this automobile will become the symbol and lep the move to cleaner transportation. reporting for nhk world, manila. a suicide bombing in baghdad

has killed at least 48 people and injured more than 120 others. the attack dealt a further blow to security in iraq. a man wearing explosives blew himself up outside an army recruitment center on tuesday morning in the central part of the capital. iraqi police say the victim may include army recruits who were lined up to get inside the building and soldiers on guard. iraqi forces sealed off the site after the blast. insurgents have repeatedly attacked checkpoints and facilities of security organizations across iraq. they've been taking advantage of the ongoing political stalemate. a new government has yet to be formed five months after parliamentary elections because coalition negotiations are stalled. it was demanded on monday that nuri al maliki apologize for labelling the sunni bloc a rebel

group. worries are growing that insurgents are likely to intense tie attacks as the united states reduces troop levels toward an august 31st deadline to formally end combat operations. an explosion at a fireworks fabtry in northeastern china has killed 20 people, more than 150 others are hurt. china's central television says the blast happened in yichun city in heilongjang province. four people are still missing. the force of the blast shattered windows in buildings within one kilometer radius of the factory. efforts to put out the fire continued until tuesday morning, but the 300,000 meter factory was burned to the ground. chinese authorities revoked the company's operating license this year for safety violations. a court has found a japanese

former manager of a taiwanese professional baseball team guilty of game fixing and fraud. the district court on the outskirts of taipei on tuesday sentenced shin nakagomi to 20 months in prison, suspended for four years. the 40-year-old former japanese pro baseball player was also fined about 5p,000. the former manager of taiwan's brother elephants was indicted for accepting about $47,000 from a gambling group and fixing five games in 2008 and 2009. the court said nakagomi's involvement in game-fixing as a manager seriously damaged taiwan's baseball league and the community, but the court said the defendant has admitted to all the charges and regrets what he did. nakagomi's case helped bring to light systematic game-fixing in taiwan's pro baseball for which 24 people, including active players, have been indicted. japan's heat wave is getting hotter and deadlier.

temperatures in central tokyo topped 37 degrees celsius for the first time in three years, and so far 100 people have died in the japanese capital. the meteorological agency says a high pressure system covered much of the country on tuesday. temperatures in central japan and the kanto area in the east climbed above 35 degrees. the highs as of 2:00 p.m. in central tokyo was 37.2 degrees and up to 38.2 degrees in the suburbs. the tokyo medical examiner's office says heat stroke has killed 100 people in the city in the past month. that makes this tokyo's deadliest heat wave since records started being taken in 1946. 90% of the victims were 65 or older and died in their homes. 40% of them died between 5:00

p.m. and 5:00 a.m. the medical examiner's office says there are many cases in which elderly people develop symptoms of heat stroke during the day when it was hot and died of dehydration overnight. hi there. welcome back to your world weather update. now we're keeping an eye on the heat across japan. high pressure once again dominating the country today, so that's really going to boost up those temperatures. here's a look at highs that we're expecting. about 29 degrees in hokkaido. so not too bad, but definitely hitting the mid to upper 30s for the rest of mainland japan. central sections coming in at 37 for so sack ka as well as nagoya. strong heat as well today. tokyo at 32 for your high. not quite as high as yesterday but strong heat and dangerous conditions for you here again.

here's a look at the rain forecast that is going to lead to afternoon showers and downpours across the region. kanto region as well to the south seeing the high threats. be on the watch for sudden downpours that could develop today. as for the rest of east asia, showers are expected to move into the korean peninsula. that could trigger thunderstorms. then looking at a long line of showers forming up across china today. heavier spots expected in the north. then for the southeast as well. areas like the philippines across the indochina peninsula. here's a look at highs. 30 degrees in manila and 34 for bangkok and 34 for chongqing. extreme heat for you as well. then 14 degrees only for your high. cooler air coming on in. it is going to be on the chilly side, actually about 10 degrees cooler than seasonal averages. as for the americas, looking at low pressure system still in the

gulf coast. it will continue to bring in rain for the deep south. expected to stay wet for the next couple of days. frontal line also bringing a couple showers to the northeast. the tail end of that line bringing strong storms tonight. expected across the central plains. also northern plains to areas like dakotas, wisconsin, looking at possible severe storms to develop. meanwhile, out west it's going to remain fairly dry again and fire weather will remain quite critical. a lot of warm conditions for you here. 37 degrees in houston and 33 in miami. on the other hand, 28 degrees only for chicago. over towards europe and we're going to watch that rain across continental europe start to head northward. rain will move out of areas like germany and poland head for scandinavian peninsula. baltic states, too, will be on the wet side. a couple showers showing up on the british isles, but nothing too widespread. also for mountainous areas,

alpine region looking for showers and thunderstorms that could develop today. as for highs, get a look at eastern areas. 27 in kiev, 31 in moscow, finally starting to see that heat start to settle. for moscow, you can expect much cooler conditions in next couple of days. finally getting a break from all the extreme heat. meanwhile, 26 degrees for vienna. 22 in paris. 28 degrees in madrid and also the same in lisbon. here is your three-day outlook.

before we wrap up, we want to show you a traditional and

colorful summer dance festival in northern japan. ♪ people held the festival on monday night in yamaga city, kumamato prefecture. 1,000 women dressed in cotton summer kimono and carried gold paper lanterns on their heads. they moved gracefully in circles performing the bon-odori dance. the lanterns are made of washi paper and lace. they cast a wavering light in the darkness creating a magical atmosphere. visitors enjoyed taking photos and watching the dancers in the night breeze. ♪ and that concludes this edition of "newsline." i'm gene otani in tokyo. thanks for joining us on nhk world.