welcome to nhk world "newsline." i'm gene otani. tokyo prosecutors say leaked video clips that appeared on youtube were uploaded from an internet cafe in kobe. the videos show a chinese fishing boat colliding into japanese coast guard boats near the senkaku islands. the footage was posted on the

internet site last thursday. it shows the collisions that took place in japanese waters off the islands in early september. on tuesday the tokyo district public prosecutor's office collected communication records on the videos as evidence. they were taken from the japanese office of google, the operator of youtube. after analyzing the internet protocol address, prosecutors located a pc at a cybercafe in central kobe. an ip address is a number assigned to any device connected to a computer network. tokyo metropolitan police are also investigating the case. they will analyze security camera footage and question cafe employees to identify the person who posted the videos. ministers from the 21 apec members have begun discussions in yokohama on how to achieve further growth. the ministerial meeting of the asia-pacific economic cooperation forum opened on wednesday.

>> translator: as a center of growth, the asia-pacific region has helped repair the damage caused by the financial crisis. but apec needs reforms to adjust to the structural shifts in the world economy. >> apec ministers are discussing ways to promote trade and achieve growth without damaging the environment. the focal point is to discuss protectionist moves including delays in china's rare earth shipments as such issues are becoming global concerns. the top leaders of the apec members will hold summit talks on saturday and sunday. regional economic integration and a common growth strategy are on the agenda. japan is hosting apec meetings for the first time in 15 years. attention is focused on how japan will take the initiative in leading the discussions and reaching an agreement. the european union says it

will not start free trade negotiations until japan does more to deregulate its mark. japan has asked the eu to hold talks on an economic partnership agreement. the demand was made in a report released tuesday by a european commission, the eu's executive body. the report lays out the eu's trade policy for the next ten years. it says it's a major obstacle for european companies entering the japanese market. auto safety standards were one area singled out for criticism. the report says unless japan is willing to remove these obstacles and relax its rules the eu cannot negotiate -- begin negotiations on an economic partnership agreement, or epa. earlier this year the two sides launched a working group to explore the possibility of concluding an epa. the japanese government was hoping to begin talks early next year. japan is hosting the apec summit this weekend in the leadup to the meeting we're taking a closer look at japan-u.s. relations. our business reporter ao yochda

spoke with stoms clark, apec task force co-chair at american chamber of commerce in japan. he gives his insight on economic relations between the two countries. >> hi. >> hello. >> reporter: i met thomas clark at the accj office in central tokyo. in addition to being on the apec task force there, clark is vice president of government relations asia at ge capital. u.s. president obama has set a goal to double exports from the united states by the year 2015. how will this be realized and what kind of role does japan play in this? >> well, japan plays really a vital role. i mean, japan is, obviously, a great partner of the united states in the asia pacific region. you know, japan and the united states share so many values in terms of the commitment to the rule of law being democracies. it could do more, we think, to stimulate direct foreign investment. you know, unfortunately, if you look at the oecd countries,

foreign direct investment into japan is only about 4% of japanese gdp. and that's quite a bit below what the average is for oecd countries. but looking particularly in this year of japan's apec leadership and next year to the u.s. leadership year, we think apec, an initiative like that that will stimulate japan's embracing a inclusive trade architecture in the asia pacific can actually stimulate trade and growth. and by doing that, i think it will very much be in line with president obama's export initiative. >> the accj has urged japan to join the trans-pacific partnership pact, otherwise known as tpp, but some argue that this could adversely affect industries here in japan. for example, japanese agriculture. what are your thoughts on this? >> well, we believe that the tpp would be a very effective

mechanism for promoting growth, and in fact, the accj has endorsed japan's entry into tppp on the same terms that would apply to other countries joining it. i don't have a specific comment about, you know, particular sectors and how those issues would be dealt with. obviously, that's for the japanese government to work out. but overall, joining the tpp, particularly in a scenario where that becomes a nucleus of an eventually broader free trade area of the asia pacific, i think would be a very important step for japan to take. not only to improve bilateral trade with the united states, but also to secure japan's strong integration into the emerging asia-pacific market. >> reporter: i also asked about china and recent concerns about its export restrictions on rare earth metals. clark explained apec's role to resolve such differences. >> a general approach, i think, to these issues that we would want to see would be one

consistent with, you know, the rule of law internationally, consistent with level playing fields and access to markets among all of these countries. and that's why i would probably even come back to apec and say that one of the importances of apec is as a mechanism to promote a more open and fair trading regime among countries to resolve whatever differences there may be in a fora which is not a binding fora like the wto or some others but instead relies on consensus and permeating global best practices. and so we think that, again, here apec has a role to play in developing sound relations and sound trade architecture throughout the asia-pacific. >> nhk world's ayi uchida speaking to thomas clark, apec task force, co-chair at the american chamber of commerce in japan. u.s. president barack obama

and indonesian president seuss'll lowe bambang yudhoyono have agreed to establish cooperative ties between their countries in a wide range of fields. obama arrived in jakarta and met yudhoyono on tuesday. the two presidents held a joint news conference after their talks. >> i barely recognized it as i was driving down the streets. the only building that was there when i first moved to jakarta was serena. now it's one of the shorter buildings on the road. >> obama called indonesia a leader of southeast asia that has been achieving remarkable economic development. he said the united states wants to inaugurate a comprehensive partnership with indonesia that will include cooperation on trade, investment, climate change and security. obama emphasized that the u.s. will increase its commitment in asia, saying that he hopes next year's east asian summit will focus on security in the region. the u.s. leader will attend the summit for the first time. obama also said that the u.s. has no intention of containing china, and it welcomes the

nation's prosperity, but he called on china to abide by international rules. american defense secretary robert gates says the u.s. is ready to discuss keeping military forces in iraq after next year's deadline for withdrawing troops from the country. gates made the comment at a news conference in kuala lumpur on tuesday. he said the u.s. is ready to have a discussion if the iraqis want to raise it. gates called on iraq's political groups to reconcile to form a government. iraq's political parties are still unable to reach a compromise and establish a government eight months after the national assembly election. the current agreement stipulates that all u.s. forces will leave iraq by the end of 2011. they ended seven years of combat missions in iraq at the end of august. a total of 50,000 u.s. troops remain in the country to train and support iraqi forces. myanmar's pro-democracy opposition parties have complained that sunday's general election was blatantly rigged.

it was the country's first in 20 years. the official result has not been announc announced, but the opposition national democratic force said on tuesday that it lost badly in the election. the ndf was founded by former members of the disbanded pro-democracy party led by aung san suu kyi, who is under house arrest. the ndf contested about 160 of the 1,159 seats in the two-house national parliament and regional assemblies. the opposition party says it's likely to win only 16 seats. it says the military-backed union solidarity and development party seems to have won most of the seats. the pro-democracy party claims that the election was rigged and has accused the usdp of illegally collecting votes in advance for the poll by threatening or bribing people. on monday military government forces and ethnic minority karen militants clashed near the southeastern border with thailand. myanmar's state-run tv reported four deaths and 28 injuries. the fighting has subsided, but

as many as 17,000 refugees have crossed the border into thailand to flee the fighting. the strong yen is having a major impact on japanese companies. about 40% of the 813 firms listed on the tokyo stock exchange posted foreign exchange losses in their midterm account settlements. a credit research firm, tokyo shoku research, says losses from foreign exchange posted by 323 firms total about $3 billion, more than double marked one year ago. topping the list is japan's game giant, nintendo, with about $760 million in losses due to the yen's appreciation. this is followed by mitsubishi heavy industries with about $171 million and fujitsu with about $124 million in losses. the dollar has traded between 88 and 93 in september last year

compared to 82 and 85 yen this past september when the japanese currency marked a 15-year high. the research firm says that the true impact of the stronger yen on listed companies as well on small and mid-size firms will become clearer in the coming months. the european union is cracking down on airlines for price fixing. the eu has fined 11 airlines nearly 800 million euro, or $1.1 billion, for fixing air cargo rates. the eu commission, the administrative body, said the carriers coordinated their action on surchallenge for fuel between february 2009 and february 2006. the airlines include air france, klm, british airways, singapore airlines. klm was fined the largest amount. jal was fined about $50 million.

the struggling japanese carrier says the eu fine will not affect its reconstruction plans and will use reserve funds to cover the loss. huge fiscal deficits of ireland and portugal are rising -- raising concerns about another credit crisis in the n-year government bonds of the two countries have been declining since the start of this month, falling below the levels when the debt problem in the eurozone deepened earlier this year. prices of greek and spanish bonds are also dropping as both countries are saddled with huge deficits. investors are staying away from these bonds because they fear the economy -- the economic recovery in these countries could be delayed. >> the more they tighten fiscal policy, the more they will also impair growth. and you get to a vicious circle. and what is absolutely certain is that there will be further fiscal crisis in the eurozone.

and this news just in. a japan coast guard official has claimed responsibility for leaking the video of the collision between a chinese trawler and japanese patrol vessels in the east china sea in september. the official allegedly admitted the leak to the person's superior. once again, a japan coast guard official has claimed responsibility for leaking the video of the collision between a chinese trawler and japanese patrol vessels in the east china sea in september. the official allegedly admitted the leak to the person's superior. and back to more business news. one of the most popular uses for cell phones apart from making phone calls is playing mobile games. there's a huge demand for such games on the go. the mobile game market has more than doubled over the past five years to more than $1 billion. recently, the mobile gaming phenomenon has become a catalyst for boosting tourism and increasing traffic to local

businesses. >> reporter: this rice cracker shop in asakusa, tokyo has been in operation for over 100 years. the store signed up with a mobile game in october last year. since then young customers have been flocking here to fulfill part of the game's mission. >> translator: we're thrilled to see these new customers. the game has been a boon for our business. >> reporter: using the phone's gps system, players receive in-game currency based on the mileage they cover. the object of the game is to spend this virtual money to colonize an imaginary island. another aspect of the game encourages players to collect special cards. players receive the cards by shopping at participating

stores. when they enter codes printed on the cards into their cell phones, they're awarded collectible electronic images representing each store. >> translator: the best part of the game is that it gives me an incentive to travel, which is fun in itself. >> reporter: the game is the brainchild of gaming company koropuda, based in tokyo's shibuya ward. established two years ago the company pioneered the travel gaming concept, quickly gathering a 1.5 million-player following. there are now over 80 stores participating in the game, bringing in healthy commissions for its creator. >> translator: players can collect special images as they continue along their route, encouraging them to travel and get out there. we want to create an environment where our players, participating

shops, and our company are happy. >> reporter: the game has also helped breathe life into struggling businesses. like this traditional crafts store. the store in yamanashi prefecture, central japan, makes and sells deer skin wallets and travel goods based on traditional checkered patterns in japanese lacquer. but customer numbers had been dwindling over the years. hoping to turn things around, the shop joined forces with the gaming company in july 2009. >> translator: these are our game-related items. >> reporter: to entice as many players as possible, the store introduced a line of products featuring the game's iconic character, a teddy bear.

joining the game has proved lucrative, drawing many players to the store. on a good month sales are five times what they used to be. >> translator: it's hard to get young people interested in traditional crafts, and there are so few channels to promote them. i think this is a really effective platform. >> reporter: the company has also teamed up with travel agencies and railways to launch tours for the gamers. more than 22,000 purchase goods at affiliated shops every month. it's a way to channel virtual world vision into real world profits. and all it takes is a cell phone. here's the latest market figures. ♪

♪ as africa's population rises, the growing amount of garbage has become a problem. next we take you to rwanda, where locals are taking steps to reduce and recycle waste. >> reporter: this is kigali, the capital of rwanda. close to a million people live here, and every year the number grows by 3%.

the residents throw away 120 tons of garbage every day. at this rate the waste disposal site will be completely filled in two years. to reduce the garbage, the government introduced shopping bags made of recycled paper at the city's supermarkets. moreover, at the airports and borders the government confiscates plastic bags from people entering the country. even so, the garbage keeps piling up. but now a local npo has started a project to turn garbage into fuel. household waste is dried out and turned into a powder. then water is added and the mixture is hardened.

this process can convert about three kilograms of garbage into one kilogram of solid fuel. that fuel is 25% cheaper than charcoal, the fuel that most rwandans use. this product is expected to become a new fuel alternative. >> translator: if we recycle our waste instead of just dumping it, we can make a big, big difference in reducing all the garbage that piles up every day in rwanda and we can put it to good news to improve the lives of our people. >> reporter: garbage recycling is also spreading to rural areas. bwamagana lies about 50 miles from kigali. the area is well known for its bananas. not long ago, people threw away the stalks after the bananas had been picked.

for the past two years, florence murikatete has been taking part in a government project to make han handicrafts from banana stalk fibers. she weaves the fibers into hats and bags. even though the products are lightweight, they are durable and are starting to sell. florence lives with her husband and five children. they used to live off the small income from selling produce they grew. but now they make about $85 a month, which is 16 times more than their previous income. >> translator: before, we didn't have any money. but now we have built our own house.

we can buy uniforms for our kids and send them to school. >> reporter: rwanda is working to find ways to recycle its garbage. these efforts improve the environment and the living standards of the people. hi there. welcome back to your world weather update. now, in east asia we've been seeing a lot of dry, clear skies for china. that's set to continue today, but then things will be changing. we've got a low pressure system just off mongolia. it's going to start dipping in toward the south a little bit, bringing in a little bit of precipitation for the northeastern corner here. nothing too heavy. mostly moderate, at most. but definitely could see some snowflakes in the mix as well. to the southwest, some light showers showing up. they will be minimal at most. and then toward japan it's been wet and stormy in the north. that continues this morning.

in the afternoon hours, slowly the winds and the rain should ease off, but out at sea sea conditions are going to remain rough well into the evening. down towards the southeast, meanwhile, showers continuing. some heavy rain spots showing up just off central vietnam here. and then still a pretty wet picture for areas like the malay peninsula throughout indonesia as well. and then for india's subcontinent. southern sections looking quite wet again. sri lanka too well under all those rain clouds. it could be a wet picture again today. wednesday's highs, 24 in hong kong, 23 degrees for chongqing, and 12 degrees in beijing, warming up to 18 in tokyo today. but breezy. a little bit on the cool side. over towards the americas, it is staying quite clear for the eastern half of the united states, and even in towards canada. we've still got that storm system off in the atlantic, but that is slowly going to be pulling away today. today should look a lot dryer for the new england states as well. out west, however, we've been seeing quite a bit of snow impact the rockies.

well, that's going to be easing in the overnight hours. however, fresh new system already coming in. it's already spreading rain towards coastal areas and then snow for upper elevations. that's going to move on in again. so snowfall easing just tonight. but expected to start back up again very shortly. highs on wednesday, on the cool side for the west. 9 in seattle and 8 degrees for vancouver. 22, meanwhile, l.a. on the warm side. up to 23 in atlanta. we've got 27 expected for miami. finally, getting a look at europe here, and it is still a pretty messy and unsettled picture all around. lots of clouds. lots of rain. and some pretty windy weather, especially in the south. winds remain strong from the iberian peninsula all the way in toward the balkans. rough sea conditions could pose a danger for parts of the coast of spain as well as coastal areas of northern portugal. and then thundershowers could threaten areas across the balkans and italy today. rome expecting some

thundershowers throughout the day. plenty of showers also moving up toward the scandinavian region. and it could get a little icy here. temperatures are definitely on the low side. more rain also will be heading into the british isles. so a little bit of sunshine today, but don't expect that to last too much longer. 7 degrees for london with some sunshine. 10 in paris with a couple of scattered showers lingering around. 16, meanwhile, in kiev. getting up to 23 in athens. and 18 for rome. all right. so that's a look at your weather for now. and here is your three-day outlook. ♪

♪ ♪ we're back to the story just developing this hour. japan coast guard official has claimed responsibility for leak the video of the collision between a chinese trawler and japanese patrol vessels in the east china sea. in september the official allegedly admitted the leak to the person's superior. once again, a japan coast guard official has claimed responsibility for leaking the video of the collision between a chinese trawler and japanese patrol vessels in the east china sea in september. the official allegedly admitted

the leak to the person's superior. that concludes this edition of "newsline." i'm gene otani in tokyo. we'll be back in half an hour with the latest news and weather. thanks for joining us on nhk world.