welcome to "newsline." i'm michio kijima in tokyo with the news at this hour. tensions are high in bahrain following the funeral of three protesters killed in the crackdown by security forces. more than 2,000 people attended the funerals on friday morning in a mainly shia district outside the capital manama. the three men died along with another man on thursday when security troops used force to

clear hundreds of protesters from a square in central manama. more than 230 people were wounded. the mourners accused the sunni-dominated government of violently suppressing what they describe as a peaceful rally. they called for the ouster of king hamad bin isa al khalifa and his family. the protesters are expected to hold another rally after friday's prayers. the government has stepped up security by deploying military vehicles in manama. the gulf cooperation council has held an extraordinary meeting in manama on thursday. the four ministers of six gulf arab states pledged political economic insecurity for bahrain and rejected foreign interference in the country's affairs. concerns are rising in other gulf nations, including saudi arabia and kuwait that the protests may inflame their own minority shia populations or that shia-ruled iran could interfere in the affairs of arab states in turmoil.

japan's economy trade and industry minister banri kaieda. he will closely monitor the impact of anti-government demonstrations on oil production in the middle east. he expressed concern saying crude oil prices are rising because of the unrest. >> translator: i think we won't be able to avoid a democratization of the middle east. it's important that the situation stabilizes to ensure a steady supply of oil. a volcano in southwestern japan has shown renewed activity following four days of relative calm. mt. shinmoe has been making headlines every since it blasted its way back into the news last month. the friday evening explosion was accompanied by volcanic earthquakes.

the volcano is located in the kirishima mountain range. they have warned of potential property damage. the blast and smoke climbing as high as 3,000 meters while rock and ash were carried up to a kilometer south of the volcano. the agency also reports a phenomenon called air vibrations or powerful shock waves were felt after the eruption. the japanese government has canceled this season's research whaling mission in the antarctic ocean. it says harassment by anti-whaling activists is putting the whalers' lives in danger. fisheries minister michihiko kano announced the decision on friday.

kano called the interference by the sea shepherd protesters deplorable. he said the ministry will ask the group not to conduct such an activity again. he added that his ministry still has not decided on whether a whaling mission will be dispatched next year. the fleet of four japanese whalers hope to catch about 850 whales by mid march, but they have so far only caught about 170. since january 1st, the protesters have obstructed whaling operations on nine occasions. they include tossing stink bombs at one of the ships and throwing ropes into the ocean to entangle the ship's propeller. the ministry says the whaling vessels are not fast enough to flee from the sea shepherd's boats. australia has welcomed japan's decision to halt whaling activities for the season. the country's environment minister says he hopes it marks a permanent end to the hunt. tony burke expressed his joy and apprehension over the cancellation of the hunt to

reporters. >> australia's position remains the fact that they finished whaling for this season, that is good news. but we want whaling to finish for good. australia does not accept the argument that somehow this is so-called scientific whaling. >> the head of the sea shepherd protest group paul watson said japan's decision to end the hunt was a victory for the whales. >> well, we're certainly quite happy to see the japanese whaling fleet leaving the southern ocean whale sanctuary. we've been fighting this for over seven years. so it's good to see that there will be no more whales killed here this season. every whale saved down here is a victory for us. >> meanwhile, japan is urging the governments of australia, new zealand, and the netherlands to do something to stop obstructive protests in the future. >> translator: it is very regrettable that the anti-whaling group's activities could not have been prevented.

despite japan's repeated requests for effective measures to be taken. >> the foreign ministry summoned the three countries' ambassadors on friday to convey japan's concerns. the state secretary for foreign minister of affairs told ambassadors the sea shepherd's obstructive actions should be stopped. dutch ambassador to japan said his government does not support violent acts and the sea shepherd's protest activities should not in principle threaten the safety of the crew aboard research vessels. a newly declassified japanese diplomatic document shows that the united states once considered relocating all of its military facilities from okinawa to the u.s. territory of guam in the 1960s. the secret documents were written in april 1967 and quotes former u.s. ambassador to japan

edmond reischauer who had quit the post one year earlier. the document says he informed the officials that a complete relocation was theoretically possible at a cost of $3 billion to $4 billion. the cable was declassified on friday and was sent by the japanese embassy in washington to the foreign ministry. the cable also quotes reischauer saying the u.s. congress felt japan was taking advantage of the security provided by the u.s. free of charge and was not making serious efforts attack -- tackling defense issues of its own. japan and the u.s. at the time were in negotiations that led to the 1972 reverging of okinawa. analysts say the u.s. was considering pressuring japan to assume a greater role in national security by suggesting that it would withdrawal its armed forces from okinawa. still on okinawa, japanese defense minister says his government has set no deadline for relocating the u.s. air base in okinawa. he points out that despite

remarks by u.s. defense secretary robert gates, japan's is putting a priority on getting people in the southern prefecture to back the current plan. gates said on wednesday he wants to reach an agreement this spring on an airfield runway that will take over th functions of the u.s. marine corps air station in futenma. the japanese and u.s. governments agreed in may last year to build an alternative facility for futenma in nago city also in okinawa. but the people of okinawa are strongly opposed to the agreement saying the concentration of u.s. bases puts a heavy burden on locals. kitazawa says gates must believe the issue will be resolved at the next meeting of the two countries defense and foreign ministries. that's scheduled to happen ahead of a meeting between naoto kan and barack obama in the first half of this year.

robert gates says china could deploy as many as 200 radar evading jet stealth fighters over the next 15 years. >> the latest estimates on the chinese side would be that by 2020 they might have 50 deployed. and by 2025, maybe a couple of hundred. >> gates made the comment at the senate armed services committee on thursday. he did not clarify how he had arrived at these figures. he said the united states will have deployed 1,500 stealth fighters by 2025. he stressed that the u.s. will continue to maintain a larger fleet of top end fighter jets than china. on the same day the chief of the u.s. pacific demand admiral robert willard told reporters in washington, the chinese ballistic missiles are increasing their range each year signal a threat to the region. the letter said china should clearly explain the intentions behind the military

buildup to the u.s. and other countries in asia. brazil is in the mood to celebrate. and no wonder, its economy is booming. the country's growth over the past decade has given birth to a vast number of middle income earners who spend lavishly. with this new economic clout, brazil has become a global player. and it's the focus of the second part in our series on latin american economies. brazil is the largest economy in south america, and as well the -- as one of the four countries collectively known as brics, it's helping to drive global economic growth. the commission for latin america and the caribbean says south america likely grew by 6.6% in 2010, but brazil is doing even better at 7.7%.

so we wanted to see how the country's rise is playing out among its people. nhk world ayako sasa filed this report from sao paulo. >> reporter: sworn in as brazil's first female president on january 1st. she was hand picked by former president silva, who oversaw the nation's rise as an emerging power along side china and india. >> translator: i will do all that i can to maintain brazil's economic growth, achieved over the past eight years. >> reporter: brazil's economy is estimated to have grown by more than 7% in 2010.

mainly due to a surge in the price of grains and natural resources such as iron ore. brazilians are spending briskly, too. sales of new cars in brazil last year reached a record high. brazil is set to become the world's fourth biggest auto market. at this car showroom even the cheapest car costs more than $30,000, but the place is crowded with customers every day. 36-year-old venisio is a third generation japanese-brazilian who works for an advertising agency. he came looking for a second car for his family. he lives in a luxury condominium in sao paulo with his wife and two daughters.

he says his annual income has increased ten-fold from $25,000 to $250,000 over the past ten years. >> translator: i never imaged myself having a family, a condo, and living a stable life. i am happy with my life and hope it continues. brazil has a huge potential. with its population of 190 million, there are many people to support further growth. >> reporter: but it is also true that more than 20 million people in brazil live in poverty, accounting for over 10% of the population. president roussef has promised to eliminate poverty by carrying out major infrastructure projects leading up to the 2014

soccer world cup and the 2016 summer olympic games that brazil will be hosting. >> translator: it is essential to increase public works spending for regional development. >> reporter: but many people point to the need for fiscal reform to pay for the infrastructure development that is expected to cost $560 billion over the next four years. there's also concern that increased domestic spending may cause the economy to overheat and lead to higher inflation. the inflation target set by the brazilian central bank is 4.5%, but brazil's inflation rate has risen to nearly 6% for the year 2010. >> translator: containing inflation is a key challenge for

the new administration. the booming economy will push up inflation beyond government targets, so authorities must work to maintain stable economic growth by further raising the interest rate. >> reporter: the world will be watching closely to see whether brazil can continue stable economic growth under its new president. nhk world, sao paulo. to get an idea where brazil's economy is going, we spoke to louise alberto moreno, president of the interamerican development bank. the bank has been contributing to the development of central and south america for half a century. >> i think brazil is the poster child of the success of latin america. without a doubt, there are many good things that have happened in brazil over the last few years.

the one that impressed me the most is how in a period of eight years, there were over 30 million brazilians that moved out of extreme poverty. brazil is concentrated around the idea of moving as many brazilians as they can from low income earners to the middle classes. that is going to make brazil a very strong economy. the commitment that she has to improve the quality of vision in brazil i think is a critical thing. this is more of a long-term thing, but it's fundamental to be able to prepare the labor force of the future for a country like brazil. >> that wraps up our two-part series on latin-american economies. if you have missed any of them, rest assured, you can always find it on our website.

electronics companies everywhere are racing to development new three-dimensional technology. last december, a large japanese country released the world's first 3d television that can be viewed without wearing a pair of special glasses. it's good news for the company and also good for the inventor who once lacked self-confidence. >> reporter: toshiba started selling the new 3d television last december. it attract add lot of attention, because viewers did not need special glasses to watch it. this senior researcher played a crucial role in its development. she discovered the fundamental principles nine years ago when she was 31. >> translator: i remember figuring it out was like solving a puzzle. i felt the pieces fall into place. >> reporter: when she was in her 20s, fukushima worked on the team that developed lcd tv

screens. but she had trouble making headway. the anxiety began to stress her out. >> translator: the people working around me were all so brilliant. i really had no idea what contribution i could make. i felt like i couldn't keep up with my colleagues. i had been feeling that way for a long time. >> translator: but she reached a turning point when she was 30 and home on maternity leave. getting away from the office helped her renew her passion for research. when she returned to work, she joined the team that develops 3d technology. six months later she came up with her ground breaking idea. back then it was possible to make 3d tvs that didn't require glasses. but only the person directly in front of the screen, where the light waves overlapped, could see the images.

fukushima found a way to tilt the light waves toward the center. this widened the range of the 3d effect, making it possible to show three-dimensional images to all viewers. >> translator: i was certain i was onto something. having been in a different project before really helped. >> reporter: but the hardest test was yet to come. fukishima was put in charge of seeing the project through to mass production. with such advanced technology, it was difficult to keep costs low. so she faced a stiff challenge. >> translator: i think it's difficult to find what i really want to do when i get apprehensive and depressed. so i'm trying to think more positively about what needs to be done. my favorite thing to do is eat snacks right out of the bag.

i allow myself to gain weight. i don't want to restrict myself because that makes me tired. >> reporter: fukushima started to meet with researchers in other departments who tended to hold themselves up in the lab. as well as sharing her own know how, she also asked for advice. >> translator: in a way, she is my competitor. i may not open myself to everyone, but for some reason i always end up cooperating with her. >> reporter: after eight years of hard work and support from her team has made the world's first 3d television that all viewers can watch with the naked eye. >> my personal work traits sometimes have been viewed as the standard for a woman researcher. so i am conscious about what i

do for the sake of those who follow. >> not wanting to rest on her laurels, fukushima is working on making a bigger 3d television for viewing without, of course, wearing any pair of special glasses. let's look at some of the news we've gathered from broadcasting stations across asia. we begin with this item sent by cctv china. a blizzard dumped up to one meter of snow in tibet, china's south region paralyzing the local road. local police rescued 30 people who were stranded on the st. john tibet highway. some of them suffered altitude sickness and frostbite as the temperature dropped to minus 30 degrees celsius. by thursday soldiers had cleared about 160,000 cubic meters of snow along the highway but many sections remained closed to

traffic. bangladesh prime minister inaugurated the cricket world cup on thursday. india and sri lanka are co-hosting the event. over 3,000 performers showcase the cultures of the three host nations. the capital's night sky was lit by an impressive show of fireworks that formed an impressive backdrop to the show. the first match will see bangladesh squaring off against india on saturday. a total of 49 matches are scheduled over six weeks. slrc has just send us this footage of a baby elephant that was born in sri lanka's central province on thursday. look at that. what a sight for sore eyes. other deliveries are expected over the coming days. hello again. time for another look at the world's weather. we'll head into australia where we're tracking that cyclone out

west. this one is dianne. actually some good news here. dianne starting to move west, away from the coast of australia. that's exactly what we want it to do. if it continues this way, shouldn't be too much of a problem. the rain is starting to move out of coastal areas. still need to keep an eye on it because these systems are unpredictable. but it started to pick up the pace, which is a very good sign. we still have ex-tropical cyclone carlos to deal with and this one could be a little more of a problem. it's right here just about to move onto the warm waters of the gulf. when it does that it will get a boost of energy, probably turning into a cyclone again, probably during the overnight hours of saturday into sunday. when that happens we'll see winds picking up again. anyway, we're seeing heavy rain at the moment continuing right across the coast, moving from the northern territory into western australia. you can see the heavier blob of

pink showing you where the heaviest of the rain will be. flooding continues to be an issue as we head on into the weekend. i want to take you to eastern asia and show you what's going on here. dry and mild across much of the region for the weekend. bright conditions, lots of sunshine across places like eastern china up into mongolia, korean peninsula and japan. we see showers for southern portions of china. heavier rain unfortunately continuing in southern portions of the philippines. so we're going to see more potential for flooding and landslides into the weekend. here are those temperatures. 10 degrees in beijing, 9 in seoul, and tokyo seeing 9 also. we've got 19 in taipei, 16 in hong kong, and 34 roasting in bangkok. let's head now to north america. well, things are going to be, i'm afraid, very miserable for many of you across the west. this big snowstorm continues to move. you can see what a mess we're looking at here. it's going to be rain up the coast, particularly for you in california.

could even see some flooding problems with rainfall. and lots of heavy snow, as well, you can see where it's going to be heaviest in the upper elevations where the deepest shades of gray are. and then out to the east, another snowstorm, and that'll bring you about 30 centimeters. in much of ontario, the gray there. the northern great lakes dealing with heavier snow. just south of it, maybe even freezing rain for places like maine and into new brunswick. as that system passes, it's also going to bring a blast of cold air, so you can say good-bye to these spring-like temperatures we've been seeing. 16 in new york city on your friday, saturday's going to be different. 9 in chicago, and 13 in denver. you can see winnipeg right back into winter as that snow passes. minus 15 for your high on friday. last, let's take a dip into europe and see what's going on. you can see that front just about to push into the british isles and iberia. that's another storm coming. mostly rain, in fact, and very gusty winds. the thunderstorms you'll find down in towards the mediterranean.

this is southern italy, into the southern balkans. that will come into turkey over the weekend. generally, things are looking fairly settled for central locations. this will be snow, this precipitation here, but most of it will be quite light. what you will notice, though, are those frigid temperatures just staying locked in place. minus 16 in moscow for the high, minus 8 in stockholm, minus 7 in kiev. minus 1 in berlin. i'm afraid, doesn't look like much change into the weekend. probably be with you right on through next week. a little bit better out to the west. 10 in london, 9 in paris, 18 in lisbon and 12 in athens. here's your extended for

>> that's going to do it for us for this hour on "newsline."

i'm michio kijima in tokyo. thanks for watching. we'll be back in half an hour. bye-bye.