hello and welcome to "newsline." i'm hideshi hara in tokyo with the latest at this hour. finance ministers and central bank chiefs from the group of 20 nations have wrapped up the first day of meetings. they're discussing a proposal to set a numerical target for the size of national current account balances. the move is meant to discourage devaluing their currency to boost exports. the two-day gathering began in south korea on friday. the participants include japan's

finance minister yoshihiko noda and bank of japan governor masaaki shirakawa. the u.s. and south korea proposed each country should try to contain its current account deficit or surplus within 4% of its gross domestic product by 2015. to hit that target, countries with a massive current account surplus like china may be forced to let their currencies appreciate. observers say china and other emerging economies may oppose the proposal. negotiations are likely to continue until saturday when a joint statement will be issued. noda was cautious about the proposal. japan's foreign minister seiji maehara says beijing's

criticism of his remarks about the bilateral summit between his country and china is unwarranted. maehara has said there is no need to rush to hold talks with china. relations have been strained since early september after chinese fishing boat collided with japanese coast guard ships near the senkaku islands. speaking to reporters on friday, maehara referred to a senior chinese foreign ministry official who said the japanese side was making offensive remarks. the chinese official was apparently referring to maehara's comments when he said it may hinder the creation of the necessary atmosphere for a bilateral summit. on friday, maehara said japan and china are neighbors and both should work to resolve problems they have with each other. >> translator: japan and china should work to improve the bilateral relations based on a broad perspective that we should develop strategic and mutually beneficial ties.

>> maehara said he may discuss other urgent issues with the chinese foreign minister should the meeting take place in vietnam. some of the topics may include china's rare earth exports and plans to jointly develop gas fields in the east china sea. separately, foreign minister maehara has signed they'll sign a separate nuclear agreement with gentlemvietnam enabling ja companies to export equipment and technology for nuclear power generation to vietnam. vietnam plans to build nuclear power plants to meet a growing demand for electricity and to commission the construction of two plants to foreign companies. the japanese government has been promoting japanese companies for the project for some time. super typhoon megi is ripping through taiwan. in one county, the storm dumped more than 1,000 millimeters of

rain. taiwan's weather officials say megi's heavy rain clouds triggered the deluge in ilan county and the downpour swelled rivers and caused land slits sl the island's east. a tourist and driver are missing after their bus was buried in a mudslide. the typhoon barreled across the philippines earlier this week and left 26 people dead. some were swept away by rising waters or rising rivers. megi also damaged 188,000 buildings, 33,000 people are still also in shelters, mainly in the country's north. the u.s. defense department has nominated marine corps major general kenneth glock as the new military commander in okinawa, japan. on thursday the department said glock will also head the third marine expeditionary force, marine corps bases japan and

marine forces japan. he is a former helicopter pilot and served as the deputy commander of the marine corps in okinawa from 2003 to 2005. he's currently the director of operations and logistics for the u.s. africa command. his nomination shows the u.s. is looking for an officer who's familiar with okinawa. the picking of glock comes as japan and the u.s. deal with relocation of the u.s. hamah reason corps air station in okinawa. authorities in haiti suspect an outbreak of cholera has killed at least 135 people in recent days. the caribbean nation is still struggling to rebuild after a devastating earthquake earlier in the year. more than 1,000 people have flocked to hospital in the port city of st. mark 100 kilometers of the capital port-au-prince after developing high fevers and severe diarrhea. many have been treated outdoors because of a lack of proper care facilities. some of the patients are

reportedly from an area near st. mark where thousands are still living in makeshift shelters. more than 200,000 people are believed to have been killed in the quake. over nine months later, delays in reconstruction efforts appear to be causing even more deaths. representatives from more than 190 countries have reached a mid-term of their two-week meeting at the cop10 biodiversity conference in nagoya. but as nhk world reports, there seems to be still a long way to go before any agreements are finalized. >> reporter: the chairs of the working groups came together on friday afternoon. it turns out huge gaps remain between developed and developing

countries. their opinions differ mainly on two points. on the use of biological resources, that may lead to new medicines, developing countries where many of the resources exist are demanding a stricter framework to prevent shepherd nations from exploiting the resources at will. developed countries, on the other hand, are insisting on more flexible rules. the participants failed to complete a draft protocol which was supposed to be proposed on friday and they decided to continue discussions. the post 2010 target is another issue. all the countries have agreed w to reduce biodiversity loss, but they have not agreed on how much land and sea they should put aside as protected areas. moreover, the developed countries want to set ambitious targets, but developing countries are insisting that

they need funding and technology to achieve the goals. >> translator: in listening to the report, the discussions of the week, i felt that for biodiversity in stable development, each party needs to take concrete actions to achieve new global goals. i had to be able to affirm this. the ministerial meetings will begin next wednesday. the success of the conference now depends on how much each country is willing to compromise. nhk world, nagoya. one of the top issues being discussed at the cop10 conference is bioresources because it is something that benefits all countries. japan imports more than 80% of the ingredients needed for traditional medicines from china, but that country's supply of medicinal herbs is rapidly

shrinking. so now japanese researchers and farmers are exploring ways to grow one plant that's high -- that's in high demand. nhk world has more. >> reporter: japanese people are very familiar with traditional herbal medicines. these products are covered by the country's national health insurance. hundreds of herbs are used as natural remedies. among them, dried licorice root is the most popular. it is effective in the treatment of a variety of illnesses from the common cold to liver disease. all of the licorice root for medicinal purposes is imported from northeastern china where the plant grows wild but it is becoming over harvested because it has become very popular in china, too. reserves of the plant are down more than 60% compared to 30

years ago. it is predicted japan might have difficulties securing enough licorice in the future. the plant is being studied in the hopes to preserve it. by using cloning technology, they are working on developing a variety of licorice with even higher medicinal properties. this researcher believes this will help japan secure part of its supply of the plant. >> translator: the new variety of this medicinal plant is something japan can introduce to the world. it will help the country take a lead in the production of licorice. >> reporter: japanese farmers are also exploring the

possibility of growing and selling licorice. three years ago, a group of farmers in hokkaido planted licorice seeds that have been kept in a research institute. hokkaido is about the same latitude at northeastern china. the farmers grew the plant in a greenhouse and on open fields to determine the most suitable conditions for raising the plant. licorice was harvested for the first time this autumn. during the experiment, the farmers found it wasn't that difficult to grow the plant once it took root. they believe the scarce medicinal herb could soon become a valuable crop. >> translator: many elderly people have abandoned farming, growing licorice may be a good chance to revive our farmland. >> reporter: but the hard part

of growing licorice is making sure its medicinal properties are strong enough so it can be used as a remedy. last month, the farmers sent some of their licorice root to the professor for examination. >> translator: these roots look good. >> reporter: the farmer said they incorporate once production increased. the future of natural resources is being discussed at the ongoing u.n. biodiversity conference in nagoya. china, along with resource-rich developing countries, wants to secure greater share of the benefits from products that come from nature by setting a new protocol. it's not certain whether the roots will cover traditional medicinal herbs such as licorice

but the outcome of the discussion could impede japan's efforts to preserve the plant and boost its productivity. nhk world, hokkaido. there seems to be no end to the downtrend. japan's supermarket sales in september fell for 22 straight months. the japan chain stores association says sales of more than 7800 supermarkets across the country totaled about $12 billion, that's down 0.3% from a year earlier. sales of autumn clothes dropped sharply as the summer's heat wave lingered into september. the scorching heat did some good, though, pushing up beverage sales. food sales increased due to higher vegetable prices and those of tobacco were brisk as consumers rushed to buy cigarettes before the tobacco tax was raised on october 1st.

the latest data showing the association said that japanese people remain reluctant to spend because of the weak economic recovery. toyota motor said on thursday it will recall more than 930,000 vehicles overseas due to a problem in the brakes system. the recall affects ten models sold in the u.s., europe and china including the 2005 and 2006 avalon, 2004 through 2006 highlander and lexus rx 330. toyota says the vehicles have a defect in the brake control. brake fluid that does not contain enough polymers could cause fluid leakage. this damages brake performance. the automaker says it has received 14 complaints about the defect from u.s. drivers, but no accidents have been reported so far. while some models recalled were assembled in the u.s. and china, others were mainly made in japan. on thursday, the carmaker notified the japanese authorities about a recall of over 590,000 cars in the

domestic market. japanese casual clothing chain uniqlo has opened underwear outlets inside train stations, the first of their kind in the country. the outlets both in tokyo started selling the popular thermal underwear on friday. that's part of the company's strategy to draw millions of commuters in the metropolitan area into its stores. uniqlo is offering more regular shops in train stations and plans to increase the number of underwear stores if sales are strong. japanese researchers may have discovered a substance that helps prevent the onset of alzheimer's disease. it's a chinese herbal medicine made from the peels from sun-dried mandarin oranges. a team tested whether the mandarin peels are effective against the disease.

mandarin peels are known to contain an ingredient that promotes nerve cell activity. researchers used two groups of mice. one group was fed a mandarin peel solution over a one-week period while another group given a salt solution. symptoms of alzheimer's disease were artificially induced in all the mice. the mice were then put into separate boxes an given an electric shock. when placed into the box again, this time without a shock, the animals were checked to see if they were shaking, thinking they were about to get a second jolt. based on this memory response, the groum fed the chenpi was reportedly better at remembering the shock. a nagoya university professor is an expert on alzheimer's disease. he says the results offer hope that chenpi can be used as a preventative measure against the disease but he says further research is needed to find out if the substance is effective in humans. a two-day festival showcasing the latest

developments in japan's anime opened on friday in tokyo's akihabara district. that's the spiritual home of japan's so-called cultures, fans of anime, manga and video games. nhk world went to find out more. >> reporter: the tokyo international anime festival has gotten underway in tokyo. home to a number of japanese subcultures. day one of the two-day event is focusing on the business side of anime with a lot of wheeling and dealing going on between producers and buyers, many of whom are from overseas. about 20 companies and animation studios have taken part in the event. the festival aims to promote new japanese animation for television and cinema, particularly to overseas

markets. one production that caught attention of people was a short, humorous film titled how to japan, which explains japanese culture and lifestyles in english and chinese. japan's animation market has been shrinking since its peak in 2006, mainly due to the falling birthrate. with one exception that continues to post steady growth is the distribution of anime by cell phone networks. new technology to distribute high quality images to mobile devices is on display at the festival. >> i want japanese animation. i am really excited about some of the new titles that are coming out. just overall impression, i am just very happy to be here and see the new things that are coming. >> especially australia, they know japan for their animation

and everyone loves it for a reason. it's so excellent. >> it's kind of a developing market in the u.k. still. the dvd market is still quite small but developing and it's very interesting. >> translator: japan's anime seems to be all the rage overseas. in fact, only a handful have actually been successful. this is not the situation we want. anime that are not big hits here in japan may turn out to be big draws in other countries. we want foreign buyers to understand this possibility. so, first, we want them to see our products for themselves. >> reporter: on the final day on saturday, the festival will be open to the public. it is expected that crowds of people will swarm the event to see what's going to be hot in the world of otakus in the coming year.

nhk world, akihabara. here's some of the news received from broadcasting stations across asia. we begin with this item sent by cna singapore. singapore has again been enveloped in a smokey haze. the pollution comes from seasonal forest fires. thursday's pollution standard index hit the 108 level. anything above 100 is considered unhealthy. authorities have urged people with heart and lung ailments to stay indoors. about 3,000 people have visited hospitals about throat and eye problems since last week. singapore has offered to help indonesia put out the fires.

india's supreme court has ruled that an unmarried woman in a live-in relationship is entitled to support from her partner. unmarried women have to meet several guidelines to be eligible for maintenance just like their married counterparts. first they have to act like a couple in public and society in general. second, they have to be of legal age to marry. third, they should be able to legally marry if they want to or not. lastly, they have voluntarily lived together like spouses for a significant period of time. but the court also ruled women who are in relationships only on weekends are not eligible for maintenance. china's largest motorcycle exhibition is under way in the country's southwestern chong ching municipality. about 450 domestic and overseas firms including harley-davidson, ducati and poo joe are showcasing their products until sunday. 70,000 business people are

expected to attend. honda, the world's largest manufacturer, is also attending the event for the first time. it is exhibiting its new models. the japanese company has two joint ventures with chinese firms. a 20-year-old student has been chosen as the new miss thailand. she is a communication art student at a university in bangkok. in her spare time the young beauty says she likes to meditate, work with children and the elderly, and help flood victims. she also enjoys classical thai dance. she has already won many beauty contes contests, including one earlier this year. hi there. i'm miwa gardner with the world weather outlook. let's begin with our typhoon megi here, still making an impact in the south china sea.

it is looking to head between taiwan and fujian province bringing winds of around 120 kilometer per hour near the center, but we could have stronger ones. so it is weakening. when it was a strong system earlier in the week. now it is going to be bringing more rain over the next 24 hours. keep in mind, places like taiwan, areas have seen over 1,000 millimeters since wednesday. so, of course, any additional moisture is really going to enhance any risk problems with flooding and mud slides. now, across the rest of east asia, we're going to see wet weather conditions also in southern japan. amami islands seeing that rain enhanced by megi in the vicinity. and then we have a cyclone as well here and that's going to be impacting much of myanmar. this is going to be giddy, giddy has been with us for much of the week, but now making its way on to land, very, very strong system. take a look at the statistics with this. wind speeds over 200 kilometers per hour, gusts much stronger than that. and, of course, the rainfall as it makes its way on shore will

be intense, over 100 millimeters in the next 48 hours. temperatures across east asia looking like this. very chilly in ulan bator, snow flurries. minus 2. 16 in beijing, clear skies for seoul and tokyo, in the lower 20s. rain moves into shanghai. wet in taipei and hong kong and also thundershowers in bangkok. moving along to the central america area because we also have another tropical storm here. this is richard. tropical storm richard isn't moving very much, pretty much stationary, and it is not whipping up the winds too badly, 65 kilometers per hour. but look what happens later over the weekend, it is looking to upgrade to a hurricane. so it might be a hurricane when it makes landfall in belize in the next several days here. we'll keep an eye on that. because it is moving so slowly, rain will be falling here a lot for the next several days. so that, of course, is another issue in terms of flooding and landslides here. now, across the u.s. into canada, we're going to see some storms across the lower central

plains, so those could be a bit on the severe side. eastern half, not too bad. another round of wet weather -- in across california and into british columbia. certainly seeing rain for you in vancouver, seattle. quite cool in chicago with a high of 18 but lows are going to be very, very low in the single digits. 9 degrees in toronto but warm in atlanta with a high of 25. finally, let's look at europe today, and it has been pretty messy across much of scandinavia all week long. we're going to get a little bit of a calmer picture into the weekend, but not so much for the british isles. an intense low will move on through parts of scotland, you're going to start to see that rain get pretty heavy on friday. to the south of that, we're doing generally fine. it is windy but not so wet here anywhere from spain all the way over to the black sea area. temperatures are certainly much cooler, though. going to feel like fall. 9 degrees in vienna. also in the single digits for moscow, stockholm and kiev. 11 in paris and a little bit on the warmer side in madrid, high

of 19. 22 in lisbon. all right, here's your extended forecast. a parade of people dressed in costumes representing various japanese historical periods took place in the ancient capital kyoto. the procession of about 2,000 people started at the kyoto imperial palace on friday and made its way several kilometers

to a shrine. the festival dates back more than 100 years and is one of kyoto's three main festivals. the parade was led by a military band dress band, followed by people dressed as popular revolutionaries who help engineered the restoration. at the end of the parade were people in costumes from a which in the late eighth century when kyoto became the nation's capital. about 70,000 people came to see the procession. it represents more than 1,000 years of japanese history. that concludes this edition of "newsline." i'm hideshi hara in tokyo. we'll be back in half-an-hour.

thanks for joining us on nhk world. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com