hello and well com to "newsline." i'm keiko kitagawa in tokyo with the latest at this hour. japan's prime minister naoto kan is leaving office barely a year after taking power. kan officially announced his resignation on friday. he's the fifth prime minister to quit in as many years. kan spoke to the nation about a couple of hours ago. here's what he had to say.

>> translator: earlier, as of today, i decided to step down as the ruling democratic party of president and also as long as the new leader is elected, i'm going to step down as the prime minister. >> kan apologized for failing to prevent the nuclear crisis that followed the march 11th earthquake and tsunami. he said japan must reduce its reliance on nuclear power. >> translator: japan is a great, proud country, but we do have a lot of nuclear reactors, nuclear plants, in the land, and that is what we have experienced this time, and that is the incident in which i felt the powerlessness as a prime minister because we were not able to prevent losing many

lives at the time of the earthquake and how to contain that aggravation of that nuclear accident that i was full of here every day, to be honest. as the nuclear disaster once started to expand and the large size of the evacuation, as well as theong term of the damage through the local community and how to grapple with that, that the possible distraction of the nation is my conclusion is to create a society that is less dependent on the nuclear energy. >> the outgoing prime minister also urged japan's political parties to work together to help boost the country's lagging economy and tackle its steep debt. >> translator: the social security and tax system, the

sustainability of social security is very important and this is something that any government cannot avoid. and so in order to realize the minimum unhappiness society, we need to establish these reforms as the basis, the foundation. when we look at other nations, we cannot postpone the reform any longer. it is a difficult task but we need to obtain the understanding and support of the people and i do hope that the ruling and opposition parties will cooperate with each other to realize this. >> we asked people on the street of tokyo about what they think about kan's resignation. >> translator: if he resigned earlier, the recovery from the disaster would be more advanced. >> translator: that may be

public opinion. i personally like him. >> translator: i don't think foreign countries are particularly interested in the fact that japan is changing leaders again. this concerns me a lot. >> translator: i hope the new prime minister will come up with a plan to deal with the country's fiscal reconstruction and power shortages. >> translator: i want the new prime minister to establish an environment where we can easily raise our kids. >> translator: the new prime minister should clarify their vision and take responsibility for it.

a huge explosion rocked a united nations building on friday in the nigerian capital of abuja. there are a huge number of casualties but an official number of dead hasn't been released. the blast killed several people. nigerian security authorities told reuters a car rammed into the building and exploded. nigerian authorities are saying the attack is mostly the work of an islamist extremely group. the office of the u.n. development program is inside. several embassy including the american embassy are located in the area. more than 2 million people live in abuja. in june islamic extremists targeted the capital's police headquarters in a suicide bombing. the situation in the libyan capital tripoli remains tense even though opposition forces

have transferred their base into the city. groups loyal to libyan leader moammar al gadhafi continue to carry out attacks against the national transitional council forces on friday. this comes despite an early announcement by the council that it had moved its headquarters from the northeastern city of benghazi. pro-gadhafi forces have deployed snipers around the city and infiltrated opposition forces in an attempt to launch surprise attacks. resistance also continues in the besieged leader's birthplace of sirte in central libya and the southern military of serbha. on thursday night opposition groups captured a building in southern tripoli after a fierce gun battle. gadhafi and his family members were thought to have been in the building. their whereabouts remain unknown. the national council's number two official, mahmoud jibril, told reporters on friday that the top priorities are to collect the weapons used by both sides and bring the situation in tripoli under control.

now this week's "the road ahead" will visit the front lines of japanese robot technology. the fukushima daiichi disaster highlighted robots that could work in rideiation contaminated environments. in spite of robotic technology the first robots to enter the reactors were american made. let's see what japan is doing to develop disaster relief robots. >> reporter: the huge earthquake followed by giant tsunami on march 11th caused a level seven disaster at the fukushima daiichi power plant a level on par with the chernobyl disaster. the first machine to enter the site was the u.s. made pac bot, a military robot, followed by

another foreign made robot, warrior, which to lift up objects. it was four months later quins, a japanese made robot was finally introduced. why were japanese robots ineffective immediately after the accident? professor satoshi tarokodo says japanese robots were not designed to work in a nuclear facili facility. >> translator: japanese disaster response robots were almost always developed to operate among debris. they were never intended for use in a nuclear reactor. it was beyond imagination. >> reporter: but there was a time in japan when robots were developed for use in nuclear reactors. on september 30th, 1999, a nuclear criticality accident occurred at a fuel processing facility. it prompted government to start a project, financed with a $32

million subsidy. it was to develop robots with nuclear accidents. takahisa mano was in charge of the project at the tile. he has a video showing robots being tested which offers insight into the program. in this project, four companies, including hitachi and toshiba, employed cutting-edge technologies and created six robots in just six months. but the robots were never used. in 2006, the project disposed of the robots. >> translator: the nuclear industry had a view that robots were not capable of doing things that were easy for humans. they thought workers could do the job faster, so robots were not necessary. >> reporter: the government project had concluded that human

beings could perform the same tasks and that the robots would not be useful at the site of a nuclear accident. refusing to give up on robot development, the professor saved some of the robots and displayed one at a science museum in tohoku. >> translator: the robots may not have been up to par the first time, but if we had continued our development efforts, we would have been able to improve them to be really useful at accident sites. >> reporter: until then, japan had only concentrated on developing robots that could rescue people from debris caused by natural disasters. for example, hitachi construction machinery holds debris and steel rods with one arm, and cuts it with the other arm but it lacked the ability to perform actions

requiring a more delicate touch. the machine did prove its worth in clearing away debris from the tsunami, but better control was needed at the nuclear accident site so it was not used. but finally, after the u.s. robot, one japanese robot went to work at the radiation contaminated site. it is quince, a search robot developed by a semi-governmental research institute. quince was chosen for its operating abilities. it can tread over rubble and go up and down stairs and can even open doors. in the last four months, quince has been upgraded. its camera was mist-proofed to operate in the high-humidity environment and the computer was made heat resistant. professor tar dokoro comments

that in order to respond immediately to a nuclear accident, it is important that a robot is ready to go inside the site rather than waiting for a robot to arrive from overseas. >> translator: the machines would be ready for actual use only with highly trained robot operators. they would need to drill over and over again. i think we need a dedicated government organization to oversee nuclear accident response. >> after the march earthquake, three ministries have started to share information on disaster relief robots. they aim to set up a government organization to develop robots that can respond to nuclear plant accidents. we need to follow this move closely to ensure that japan will be prepared for any kind of emergency that might happen in the future. "newsline" is the place to turn to for the latest on japan, post march 11th. we have two segments offering two unique perspectives on the fallout from the earthquake and tsunami. "nuclear watch" brings you insight and information on the

impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis, and "the road ahead" examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline." now to new developments in fukushima prefecture, home of the crippled fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. residents whose homes are within three kilometers of the plant were allowed to briefly return home for the first time since the accident in march. the government allowed residents of the towns of futaba and okuma to visit their homes on friday as radiation levels in these areas appear to have stabilized. >> translator: i left my house with the windows open so i want to check the situation there. >> translator: i hate to think i might never return home but i want to be able to remember as much as possible. >> some 150 people gathered outside the restricted zone in the morning.

they included officials from the retirement home that was evacuated after the disaster. since may, residents living between 3 and 20 kilometers from the plant have been allowed to make home visits, but those living within the three-kilometer perimeter were not. the group was given two hours to collect necessary belongings before leaving the zone. newly declassified diplomatic documents have put an unwelcomed spotlight on japan/u.s. relations. the documents show japan limited its right to prosecute military personnel stationed in the country. the documents released on friday refer to negotiations over a bilateral agreement on the status of u.s. troops in japan that was effective from 1953 to 1960. sundayed pact japan had the right to try u.s. personnel who committed crimes while offuty in japan but the document dated october 195. show that a representative of

the justice ministry told the u.s. side that japan had no intention of exercising its right except for important cases. the paper suggests the two sides had a secret deal to limit the number of legal cases involving u.s. troops. former minister matsumoto commented on the document. >> translator: the documents only reflect japan's jurisdiction on the issue. the two countries never made a formal agreement. >> matsumoto also said japan makes no distinction involving u.s. personnel and other suspects. the current agreement also stipulates japan has primary jurisdiction over u.s. service personnel but legal experts say japan has not fully exercised its right. japan's national police agency is asking china to cooperate in an investigation following a series of cyber attacks that targeted government

websites last month. on the 10th and 11th of july, the police agency service responded with large amounts of data forcing the website to shut down for over three hours. the agency traced 85 of the computers invoed. it says 92% of the internet addresses originated in china. investigators also found messages posted last month on a chinese website calling for cyber attacks against the agency. they included a video clip showing japanese fighter jets scrambling after a chinese reconnaissance plane approached disputed islands in the east china sea. japanese police filed a request through interpol asking chinese authorities to cooperate in the investigation. the websites of japan's finance and defense ministries were also targeted by cyber attacks about the same time last month. north korean leader kim

jong-il has arrived in china. he expected state-run factories in the country's northeast on friday. following a six-day visit, kim crossed into china on thursday night aboard a special train. after a stop over in the inner mongolia autonomous region, he he arrived in in the province friday morning. a convoy carrying kim headed to a machine factory. nhk reporters saw kim getting out of a factory and shaking hands with plant officials. later in the day, his convoy was seen entering a dairy factory. kim then traveled to the industrial city of daqing, home of some of the largest oil fields. police officers were seen standing guard every 100 meters around the expressway. observers say by showing his willingness to learn from china's economic development, kim is confirming north korean's close ties with china.

now we go to a bureau in bang kong, patchari raksawong has the latest on what's going on in the region. >> now a powerful bomb blast has killed at least ten people and wounded dozens more as a crowded marketplace in volatile northwest pakistan. people shopping for a festival that marks the end of ramadan were among the victims. the bomb went off in the town of risalpur on wednesday night. police say the device was placed on a parked bicycle in an area busy with shoppers preparing for next week's festival. of aiyed. >> translator: after a breaking the fast meal, we came out to sit with friends. there was a blast. we came running and saw around ten dead bodies. >> a wave of attacks over the past year has rocked pakistan, despite increased operations by the military. the violence intensified in recent months as insurgents vowed revenge for the killing of osama bin laden.

the united nations human rights envoy for meon march has wrapped up a five-day visit. speaking to reporters in myanmar on friday, he acknowledged some positive steps taken by the new government that could be viewed as political progress. >> it is evident that since its formation earlier this year, the government has taken a number of steps that have the potential to bring about an improvement in the human rights situation of myanmar. >> he pointed out the recent first meeting between the president thein sein and pro-democracy leader aung san suu kyi. he also mentioned that the government is allowing the media to have access to parliament. during his stay, he was able to meet aung san suu kyi for the first time and interview political prisoners detained in yangon.

myanmar previously allowed him to visit in february of last year, his most recent trip is seen as an effort by the civilian-led government formed in march to demonstrate its credentials. quintana did express concern over myanmar's detention of political prisoners, saying the immediate release of detainees would be a sincere and necessary step towards national reconciliation. now, a modern day gold rush is taking place in thailand as the price of the precious metal reaches record highs. every day throngs of people queue to buy gold in search of a quick profit and a sense of security. nhk world's dhra reports. >> reporter: bangkok's chinatown district is home to the country's main gold market. with more than 30 shops. wealthy locals flock here to purchase bars of gold.

it's common practice for thai people to collect gold as a traditional sign of prosperity. but these days, speculative buying has become a mainstay form of investment, seen as a safe haven amidst fears of a global recession. the price of gold is adjusted multiple times a day. the most expensive single purchase over the past few days was valued at about $600,000 cash. >> translator: i'm buying 196 ounces. i think gold is safer. i don't know what other investment i should try right now. >> translator: i think gold is a way of saving. and offers high returns. i'm not afraid of the risk. this is long-term investment. >> reporter: shops are doing so well that they have run out of

gold bars so basically what a customer will get is a receipt like this one stating how much they bought and they can come back and claim the gold bar in two weeks. for shop owners, these high sales are welcome. >> translator: business has been good. and buyers seem happy that they can make profits. some big and some small. >> reporter: economic problems in the united states and europe have led some academics to predict that gold prices will continue to rise, but other experts aren't so sure. >> translator: i have constantly warned thai consumers and investors that the higher the price goes, the bigger the risk.

so invest smartly, they need to monitor the news closely. >> reporter: but with the future of the world economy uncertain, there's little prospect here in thailand that gold will lose its shine any time soon. dhra dhirakaosal, nhk world, bangkok. >> gold seems to attract people all the time there and that will wrap up our bulletin. i'm patchari raksawong in bangkok. hi there and welcome back. here's your weather update. let's start off talking about this typhoon, this say strong typhoon moving in a northwest direction very slowly and threatening northern luzon. residents in low-lying and mountainous areas alerts against flooding is posted widely as well as people living in the coastal areas. these storms are bringing high waves up to about five meters in

some places so please do stay away from those coastal areas. it is heading towards taiwan. as it does so it may weaken just a little bit but it's already affecting taiwan with showers and strong winds and as this typhoon gets closer it will become heavier and stronger, affecting okinawa on monday as well. now apart from that typhoon, we have a severe tropical storm talas which is going to be intensifying as well on saturday morning it will become a strong typhoon and it will be affecting the ogasawara islands in japan on monday. it is heading towards the north and towards japan so we really do want to track this system as well. now the active front is, looks like it's going to be moving away from japan. we've already had numerous flooding reports in kyushu and kan t kanto regions. 94.5 millimeters per hour, high

for the month of august and nerima and haneda airport, lots of arrivals and departures were canceled and postponed on your friday. now we're looking at additional amount of 150 millimeters in kanto regions so warnings for flooding, landslides and mudslides are a critical concern. more rain in eastern china, all of the moistures surging up there, spreading toward the northeast and into north korea, and thailand is looking at very heavy rain as well. bangkok at 33 degrees, tokyo looking at 26, so a little bit cooler than yesterday, but beijing at 28 degrees. heading over to north america, let's start off talking about this hurricane irene, a very dangerous storm indeed, this is all the way in, well offshore of the florida peninsula, but now it's a category 2, and it looks like it's going to intensify

again into a category 3, which is a major hurricane, as it approaches and aims towards the eastern coast of the united states. it may even make landfall in north carolina, and then all the way up to massachusetts, we've got hurricane warnings and hurricane watches. dangerous storms surges, damaging winds are picking up those waves as well. we really want to stay away from the east coast as well and really be precautious of this dangerous storm. now the rainfall accumulation can be up to about 380 millimeters for the total just from this storm all the way up to massachusetts until monday morning. very life-threatening flash floods could be possible. here in europe, the british isles looking very unstable and then we've got few fronts that will be bringing stormy weather to central parts of europe. the bulk of heavy rain will be in switzerland, east, though, looking very hot and budapest looking at 34 degrees. vienna 32, rome at 32 and warsaw at 31.

here's our extended forecast.

that's all for this hour on "newsline." i'm keiko kitagawa in tokyo. thank you very much for joining us.