spike in violence. fighting intensifies in syria as international observers wait for the go ahead to get back on ground. welcome to nhk world "newsline." syrians have been locked in conflict for more than a year now. and there are no signs the situation will improve any time soon. things have actually gotten worse since last week when u.n. cease-fire monitors temporarily suspended their activities. a human rights organization says at least 128 people died

thursday. violence has erupted almost everywhere in the country. the number of dead after 15 months of fighting is now estimated at well over 10,000. government forces tightened their siege of the city of daraa in the south and duma in suburban damascus. tanks blasted away at rebel strongholds. troops loyal to president bashar al assad also continue to hammer away at the central city of homs. they reportedly killed 13 people who had taken refuge in a school. a syrian air force pilot is seeking political asylum in jordan after crossing the border and landing his mig-21 jet fighter. reports say an increasing number of government soldiers have deserted their positions. the u.n. security council has confirmed its observers will stay in syria. the monitors will resume patrols once their safety can be assured. one two of candidates vying

to lead egypt is trying to raise his voice about the political noise. former prime minister ahmed shafiq has again said he's confident he will be the country's next president. egyptians are waiting to find out if he's right. election officials haven't released the result of last weekend's runoff vote. they say they need time to study complaints filed on behalf of the two candidates. shafiq is a well known political figure. he was in office last year when demonstrations forced president hosni mubarak to step down. his rival is mohamed morsi of the muslim brotherhood. he was the first to declare himself a winner with an announcement on monday. shafiq is criticizing morsi's supporters. he says they are continuing demonstrations to put pressure on the election commission. analysts say confrontations between the rival groups could escalate when the official election results are released. egyptians aren't the only ones waiting to find out who will be their next president. people in israel are also

following this political drama. we'll tell you why they are nervous later in the program. north korea is an unpredictable nation. its leaders often threaten their neighbors to the south. sometimes they attack them. south korean forces want to be ready for anything. so they've teamed up with members of the u.s. military to hold drills on land and sea. nhk world's fumitaka sato reports. >> reporter: i am 25 miles from the dmz. here the u.s. and rok carried out the biggest scale military exercise. the u.s. and south korean armies and air forces are putting on a coordinated show of force. they held exercises together at

the drill site in northwestern south korea. they invited the media and even members of the public to look on. commanders set up a scenario they fear. in the drill, north korean troops cross over the demilitarized zone and invade. south korean surveillance planes and f-16 fighters practice an aerial response. on the ground, crews of mobile rocket launchers demonstrated their defenses. more than 2,000 personnel took part in the two-day drill. one of the largest ever exercises on south korean soil. just last month members of the u.s. and south korean air forces took part in their largest ever joint drills. both sides want to show they are committed to deterring any threat from north of the dmz.

>> nhk world's fumitaka sato reporting from south korea. north korean officials have opened to the media what they describe as a cemetery for japanese nationals. they say it holds the remains of people who died in the final stages of world war ii. at the time of japan's defeat in 1945, the korean peninsula had been a japanese colony for some 35 years. the officials invited japanese reporters to the site in the suburbs of pyongyang. they say about 2500 japanese who died of starvation or illness during their repatriation were buried there. the bodies were laid to rest at another cemetery in the korean capital. they've identified five cemeteries holding the remains of japanese nationals. >> translator: we hope the process to resolve this issue will contribute to mutual understanding and friendship.

>> north korean officials have invited their japanese counterparts to hold talks on the repatriation of such remains. japanese officials are taking action to deal with a problem an ocean away. 1.5 million tons of debris generated by last year's tsunami is making its way across the pacific. some of it has already washed ashore in north america. the japanese government is sending experts to the united states to gauge the situation. >> translator: japan has been receiving generous assistance from many countries since the disaster, and we've been working hard on the recovery. it's important that we address the issue of floating debris in the pacific ocean. >> experts from a tokyo-based ngo specializing in ocean waste will head to the u.s. next month. there are no international conventions governing this type of issue, meaning japan isn't obliged to clean up the debris on the other side of the pacific.

but the leaders have said they are ready to help areas confronting this problem. japan's disaster and nuclear accident scared tourists away, but they've been coming back. and now tourism officials are excited about the numbers. the data suggests things are better than they've been and show the origin of the visitors is evolving. mitsuko nishikawa has more. >> reporter: one of tokyo's most popular destinations, asakusa, is once again enjoying a continuous flow of tourists from across the world. >> translator: we see more and more foreign visitors every day. >> reporter: the government's tourism organization says 669,000 travelers visited japan in may. that's 87% up from last year, right after the march 11th catastrophe, and about 7% down from 2010. visitors from asian countries such as china contributed

dramatically to this return to pre-march 11th figures. but tire uft -- tourists from the united states and europe have yet to make a comeback. tourists from other countries are filling their places. tourism officials say more people from emerging economies in southeast asia are coming to japan. the number of visitors from thailand, indonesia and vietnam hit a record high for the month of may. >> i bring my kids. i bring to disney yesterday. and maybe tomorrow will be going to the -- yeah, all ready for vacation. >> last year they don't want to come because of fukushima problem. but this year, i think that it will be popular and they want to -- because food and culture and people.

>> nowadays, yen is quite high. >> yeah, that was we -- >> that is what we know. but you have to have your chance when the time is right. can't wait more so -- >> reporter: the japanese government is aiming to attract more and more tourists from asian emerging economies. this month the foreign ministry launched a program to issue multiple entry visas for thai tourists. >> translator: the recovery of tourism isn't happening that fast. the government, the private sector, and municipalities have to roll up our sleeves and work closely together to attract more visitors. >> reporter: the strength of the yen means a trip to japan could be expensive, but many visitors i've spoken to say cost isn't a concern. the japanese economy still has a long way to go before it fully recovers from last year's disaster.

but with the help of visitors from emerging economies, it might get back on track faster. mitsuko nishikawa, nhk world, tokyo. people in japan's northeast are focused on overcoming the challenges of the 2011 disaster. but it won't be easy. they have to rebuild homes, businesses, entire communities. we'll show you their struggles and their successes on "the road ahead" every wednesday at 1:00 p.m. japan time here on "newsline." politicians in japan are debating a tax reform plan that would generate revenue to help pay for the aging population. these seniors put a strain on the social security system. collecting pensions and requiring more health care. but they are also doing their part to fuel the economy. take a look. people older than 60 accounted for 44% of overall personal

spending in 2011. adding up to about $1 trillion. that kind of figure grabs the attention of retailers. some are starting to tailor their services to seniors. nhk world's akiko okimoto takes us to a major supermarket that's caught on to this gray power trend. >> reporter: take a look at this lineup of healthy side dishes. the green soybeans, cucumber salads and other dishes have been placed in very small containers. they've been specially made for health conscious elderly people. most seniors live in small family units and don't need big portions of food. even in the meat section, the packages of pork contain only a few slices each. these products are being sold at this new type of supermarket that opened in the suburbs of tokyo in april. the store's designed to better

serve the needs of elderly people. here at this clothing section, retailers are trying to appeal to senior customers using special mannequins to display their product. take a look at this one. see how the mannequin has been modeled after physical features of a senior citizen. according to the store, seniors now have very sophisticated lifestyles and a discerning eye. to appeal to these tastes, the store's expanding its liquor section to include such treats as quality imported wines. even the speed of the escalator has been slowed down. >> translator: my back and legs are weak, so i felt reassured coming down on a slower escalator. >> reporter: the store wants to avoid accidents on the escalators involving the elderly or people with disabilities.

in addition, the supermarket invited a general clinic to open next to the store. it's open all year round and has 13 different medical departments. >> translator: i came to see an optometrist today. i usually shop at this supermarket after my doctor's appointment. it's very convenient. >> translator: since we started our special services for senior customers, we have been making better sales than we originally aimed for. it's important for all of our stores to expand such services. >> an executive chief economist at a leading research institute said seniors tend to be affluent with pensions and adequate savings. their spending can help boost japan. >> translator: the idea is that the money seniors spend will boost japanese firms where young people are employed.

this will create more jobs and increase the earnings of young employees. all of this will strengthen the social security system and stimulate the economy. spending by seniors is expected to rise even more this year as those born in the post-war baby boom start receiving their full pensions. this generation helpedurn japan into an economic powerhouse in the '70s and '80s. now it's poised to once again boost the nation's growth. akiko okamoto, nhk world, tokyo. >> japan has the highest proportion of elderly citizens in the world. but many countries face similar shifts in aging. experts with the world health organization say nearly 1 out of every 4 people on the planet will be over 60 by the yr 2050. vietnam and china are taking steps to assert their competing claims over islands in the south

china sea. patchari raksawong has the details. >> reporter: south kleina sea territorial dispute has taken another twist following vietnam's passage of a law asserting sovereignty over contested islands. china is protesting the law while making new assertions of its own. nhk world's akiko ishihara reports. >> reporter: vietnam the national parament passed a law on thursday with overwhelming support. the law outlines the boundaries of vietnam's territorial waters and exclusive economic zone. it's due to take effect next january. it states that vietnam has sovereignty over the islands. china and some other southeast asian countries, including the philippines, also lay claim to the islands. the law seems designed to strengthen vietnam's claim over the islands ahead of an expected change in china's top leadership

this autumn. the chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on thursday strongly criticized vietnam's move. >> translator: any attempt by any other country to declare sovereignty over the islands is illegal and invalid. >> reporter: also on thursday, china announced it was concentrating its administration of islands, integrating them into a new city. a recent standoff in south china sea involving from chin and the philippines lasted over two months. confrontation is escalating again. this time between china and vietnam. akiko ichihara, nhk world,

hanoi. >> myanmar's pro democracy leader aung san suu kyi has made a rare address to british lawmakers. she said the parliment in london could be a role model for myanm. more than 700 members from the two chambers gathered in westminster hall on thursday. aung san suu kyi is the only nonhead of state and the first foreign female to receive the honor of addressing the house of parliament. >> the british parliament is perhaps the preeminent symbol to oppressed peoples around the world of freedom of speech. our new legislative processes which undoubtedly are an improvement on what went before are not as transparent as they might be. i would like to see us learn from established examples of parliamentary democracies elsewhere so that we might

deepen our own democratic standards over time. >> aung san suu kyi was sworn in as a member of myanmar's own parliment in may. the country has made reforms to improve democracy, but a quarter of seats are still reserved for the military. aung san suu kyi is on an 18-day visit to europe. on tuesday, she'll head to france for the final leg of her five-nation trip. and that's going to wrap up our bulletin. i'm patchari raksawong in bangkok. egyptians are waiting anxiously to find out who will be their next leader. and israel also remains watchful. the two neighbors went to war four times before a peace treaty in 1979 began several decades of stability. now the rise of the muslim brotherhood threatens to turn back the clock.

nhk world's kohei tsuji reports from jerusalem. >> reporter: along the border with egypt, israel hurries to construct a barbed wire fence. the 240-kilometer long barrier should be complete within a year. israel and egypt have maintained peace for more than 30 years, but israel is increasingly alarmed at events taking place across the border. anti-israel sentiment has been growing among the egyptian public since the ouster of former president hosni mubarak. last september the israeli embassy was mobbed. in israel the soaring -- souring relationship with egypt is starting to affect people's daily lives. israel purchases low-priced natural gas from its neighbor

for a power plant that used to meet 25% of israel's electricity needs. but the pipeline connecting the two countries has been attacked 14 times since last year disrupting supplies. on top of that, an egyptian state-owned energy company notified israel in april of plans to cancel the contract. >> israel is in an island concept. we don't have any from any other country in the world. we don't buy, we don't sell electricity. we depend on ourself. >> reporter: israel has to depend more and more on oil. the fuel costs ten times as much as natural gas. electricity bills have risen more than 20%, hitting ordinary people hard. >> you get the bill, the bill is a little high. much higher than it was, so you think twice. >> reporter: in egypt there are

worrying signs that relations with israel could worsen still. a high-ranking memr of the muslim brotherhood made alarming remarks during the presidential campaign. jerusalem is i cit, elhad

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we'll be back with more updates in 30 minutes. i'm gene aotani in tokyo.

from allf us here at nhk world, thanks for joining us. have a great day wherever you are. >> robert frost was a farmer in afbu, rmt ene wrote this poem, maybe the most famous of the 20th century. on a summer morning in 1922, testinupllight, he saw the sun rise and wrote a poem about a snowy evening as if, he said, he'd had a hallucination.

>> stopping by woods on a snowy evening. whose woods these are i think i know. his house is in the village though; he will not see me stopping here to watch his woods fill up with snow. my little horse must think it queer to stop without a farmhouse near between the woods and frozen lake the darkest evening of the year. he gives his harness bells a shake to ask if there is some miste. the only other sound's the sweep of easy wind and downy flake. the woods are lovely, dark and deep. but i have promises to keep, and miles to go before i sleep, and miles to go before i sleep.