welcome to nhk world "newsline." japanese prime minister yoshihiko noda is gearing up for a fight stay in power. seven opposition parties are joining forces to submit a no-confidence motion against him. they are trying to block passage of a bill to raise the consumption tax. your party, communist and social democratic party leaders met friday and invited four other parties to co-sponsor the no-confidence motion. they intend to submit it before the upper house takes a vote on the consumption tax bill. noda's ruling democratic party pushed the legislation through the lower house late last month.

political heavyweight ichiro ozawa left the dpj to protest against the bill and formed his own party. prime minister noda has staked his career on raising the consumption tax. he's vowing to stand his ground. >> translator: if the motion is submitted, we will do our best to defeat it. >> analysts say it will be difficult to pass a no-confidence motion without the backing of the two main opposition parties. the liberal democratic party and new komeito have so far cooperated with the prime minister and his party. but they are threatening to change their stance if the government doesn't hold the consumption tax bill vote next week. kofi annan says he can't want peace more than the people fighting in syria or on the united nation's security council. he's resigning as the u.n. arab league envoy to the country at the end of this month. he spent half a year in the job

but his cease-fire plan went nowhere as did his attempts to unite world powers. the former u.n. secretary-general made the announcement on thursday in geneva. he condemned the government of syrian president bashar al assad and also criticized the security council for being locked in a standoff with china and russia on one side and western nations on the other. >> at the time when we need -- when the syrian people desperately need action, there continues to be finger pointing and name calling in the security council. >> annan took on his role last february. since then he's worked to resolve of the syrian crisis by mediating between the assad administration and members of the anti-government opposition. u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon says he accepted annan's resignation with deep regret and will start looking for a possible successor. the united states and russia blamed each other for annan's resignation.

u.s. ambassador to the united nations susan rice said some members blocked the security council's actions and caused annan's mission to fail. russia and china vetoed resolutions against syria three times. russia's ambassador to the united nations renewed his criticism of the u.s. and the council's european members. >> some members of the council continue their routine of the past 15 months, the government fighting against the population, using force against its population. this is just a propaganda line. u.s. president barack obama is starting his day off sifting through a mixed bag of economic data and trying to find out how it will affect his re-election campaign heading into the fall. the latest employment data is out. the jobless rate inched up to 8.3% last month. it's been stuck around the 8% level for the last few months.

the brighter spot involves nonfarm payroll. u.s. labor department analysts say employers added 163,000 jobs. that's approximately 60,000 more than economists had forecasted. the manufacturing sector gained 25,000 jobs while employment in food services also rose by 29,000. this data was released just as the u.s. central bank announced that it will take additional measures if the economy continued to show signs of a further slowdown. but the mixed data may force the fed to have second thoughts. japan's toyota motor has reported brisk earnings in the april to june quarter. group operating profit topped $4.5 billion in the three months. that's in sharp contrast to a year earlier when the carmaker posted losses totaling more than $1 billion due to the yen strength and the march disaster. sales came to $70.5 billion, up about 60% from a year earlier

when calculated in yen. also, toyota's parent company earnings showed a profit for the first time since the financial crisis that followed the collapse of lehman brothers. that's owing to the eco-car subsidy program and brisk sales in the united states and asia. this year they plan to produce ten million units. despite the strong latest quarter, a toyota executive was guarded about the outlook. >> translator: various risks lie ahead, including a strong yen. so at this moment, we can't help to be cautious on our outlook. >> the company plans to intensify cost-cutting efforts in order to overcome these difficulties. japan's financial regulators have issued an order to nomura securities to improve its

operations. this comes after the firm's employees were involved in leaks of privileged market-related information. salespeople at the japanese brokerage allegedly leaked confidential information in 2010 to third parties, including banks. the insider stories were about three firms that plan to issue new stocks. the third parties then made illegal profits through insider trading. the financial services agency says that sales staff at nomura gained confidential information. generally people on the front line are banned from such access. the agency ordered nomura to take measures to prevent a recurrence. the firm's management information system was inadequate. the top executive of nomura has stepped down to take responsibility for the information leaks. "newsline" this week is bringing you reports on the

economic situation in emerging countries in asia. nhk world's hiromi hirose joined us. i started by asking him if asia's economy will continue to grow. >> well, recently we are more likely to hear growth in asia is slowing. for example the growth rate of china's economy in the current quarter fell below 8% for first time in three years. there's data that clearly show that india's growth is also slipping. this economic outlook was released by adb. it's a further downward adjustment from its earlier projection. >> how much is the debt crisis in europe affecting asia's economy? >> well, i talked to the managing director general of adb about it. he thinks that effects are clear. the euro crisis will affect asia.

>> we are, obviously, interconnected. i think it's also important to say that asia is increasingly able to consume within its own boundary. >> what he seems to be saying is that there may be some ups and downs in the short term, but we don't need to be so pessimistic over the mid to long term. this is a long-term growth prediction as calculated by adb. in the 1970s, asia was only a small part of the world economy. but in 2050, 52% of the world gdp is forecasted to be concentrated in asia. the grand scenario in which asia is on the verge of reassuring its status as leader of the global economy, which was acceded to the west during the industrial revolution.

half of the world's population lives in asia. and the global economic picture will eventually reflect that fact. >> what would you say would be the risks involved in asia's significant growth? >> there's a scenario for the economy called middle income trap. and it's gaining attention among economists. some countries have attended a state of semi-disruptment with assistance from developing nations, but they can no longer compete against developing nations in terms of capital. their industries cannot compete against advanced technologies of developed nations. >> with some of these risks in mind, how can the asian countries have sustainable growth? >> as the adb says, for asia to continue growing, it will be crucial for nations to free themselves from uncertainties

that come with only an export economy. it's preferable for asian countries to build a cooperative of trading frameworks among themselves within the region. >> each year becomes a destination of its own production rather than just a source of producing for export to the west. >> there's also the aging of its societies. here in japan, there was once a time when there were fewer children and the elderly. and the more citizens who made up the working age population. during this period, it was possible to link the labor productivity of those in their prime with international competitiveness and growth rates. but today it doesn't necessarily apply to all regions in asia. >> this graph shows the aging rates of the countries and the regions. all of them will eventlly have

to deal with an aging of society. and this may come before they become developed countries. this is also part of the so-called middle class trap. >> is there any way for nations to avoid this trap? >> as a nation, we have to improve productivity and build full economies. economist paul krugman who has won the nobel prize published a series in 1994 called "the myth of asia's miracle." he predicted asia's rapid growth would eventually enter a correctional phase unless it came up with innovative technology or otherwise improve its productivity. what's happening now may be just as he predicted. asia needs to be cautious about only focusing on the capital and labor because without a maturing of the economies, they will

eventually reach their limits. >> all right. that was nhk's senior commentator hiromi hirose on asian affairs. hiroshima, nagasaki. the atomic bombings marked a brutal conclusion to a brutal conflict. world war ii ended 67 years ago this month. "newsline" is looking back on the lessons from 1945. from the efforts to abolish nuclear weapons and the efforts of younger generations to support peace, don't miss our special coverage, "war to peace: lessons of 1945," starting monday, august 6th. a relative of the man who authorized the nuclear bombing of hiroshima and nagasaki is hoping to help ease some of the pain of the survivors. clifton truman daniel is the oldest grandson of u.s. president harry truman. he's on his first visit to japan. he met with people whose lives were forever changed by the

atomic bombs. daniel is a 55-year-old former news reporter. he talked with a group of survivors known as hibakusha in tokyo. daniel decided to come to japan after he got to know a family of an atomic bomb victim two years ago in the united states. during the meeting, they said they are determined to keep on talking about their experiences so no one else will have to endure what they've gone through. >> translator: it's been 67 years since the terrible incident. the atomic bombing only lasted for a few seconds, but my suffering will continue until i die. >> translator: the u.s. president said he will make efforts to bring an end to all nuclear weapons. so from now on, we, the hibakusha, are looking forward to our new and better world.

>> daniel said he appreciated the opportunity to meet the survivors. he said he's more hopeful about the future after the talks. >> i hope that i can do the same to work to hopefully rid the world of nuclear weapons. >> daniel will attend the memorial services on august 6th in hiroshima and nagasaki three days later. the u.s., british and french ambassadors to japan will also attend the service in hiroshima. years of economic growth have made many ties richer, but not everyone in the kingdom is enjoying the boom. in fact, for many people, the poverty trap is deepening. now a private foundation is giving underprivileged children an opportunity they might otherwise never have.

nhk world has more. >> reporter: children enjoying themselves just like children should. some for the youngsters sing and dance and everyone enjoys watching. the performance is taking place at a shelter in the province 16. these young children may look happy now, but before they moved in here, they either had a troubled past or lived an unfortunate life. the new life center is operated by local ngos to give underprivileged children a new start and the opportunity to go to school. making things like these key rings teaches them skills. their handiwork will go on sale earning money to supplement the donations that fund the center.

this 8-year-old came to the center seven months ago from her home in the bangkok slum community. >> translator: i'm painting my mom's face. >> fueng and her 5-year-old brother pham have found a new family at the shelter. even so, they still miss home. their mother got pregnant at a very young age. she contracted hiv from their stepfather, a drug addict. they relied on the children to find food. fueng and pham had no chance to go to school. their situation attracted the sympathy of neighbors who reached out to the new life project for help. >> translator: the two kids were undernourished, very thin and unhealthy and also looked hopeless. it took several months before i

could persuade the parents to let us take on the kids. >> reporter: official data suggests the number of people living in bangkok slums has soared 70% in the last 15 years. many slum residents became parents at a young age. the shantytowns are full of kids, often raised in unsanitary conditions surrounded by drugs and crime. those who end up at the new life project are among the lucky ones. surrounded by nature, they have the chance of a fresh start. by picking fruit and vegetables and watering plants, they learn how to take care of nature and themselves. fueng and pham are happy in this new environment, but as their mother's condition worsens, they may never see her again. >> i feel happy because i can go to school.

i like my friends, but i worry about my sick mother. >> reporter: the founder of the center insists that more needs to be done to help thailand's underprivileged children. >> translator: as we are just a small organization, we can only work with what's already happened. i believe the government should pay more attention to this issue. >> reporter: privately operated centers like this one give a few lucky youngsters a sense of hope. as the government focuses on economic growth, it needs to step up efforts to make sure all thai children can share a better future. nopparat, nhk world. the tsunami that devastated northeastern japan last year left many survivors traumatized.

one young girl decided to cope with the tragedy in her own way. it helped her realize a dream and raised the spirits of her community. ♪ >> reporter: 13-year-old misaki has just released her first single. despite her school commitments, in recent months, she's also been spending plenty of time in the studio. >> translator: great job. you sound perfect, misaki. >> translator: this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so i want to do it right. >> reporter: misaki's hometown is otsuchi in iwate prefecture. there are six in her family. her parents and two grandparents, plus her younger brother.

she began learning traditional folk songs when she was 8. as her singing improved, she began to dream about becoming a professional singer. then on march the 11th last year, misaki's hometown was devastated by the monster tsunami. her family survived and her home was safe. but her school caught fire and burned down. she also lost one of her closest friends. >> translator: it was really scary. everyone was crying. >> reporter: following the disaster, misaki didn't feel like singing for a while. >> translator: it was such a hard time for everybody. it didn't seem right for me to sing out loud. in fact, i really didn't like sing i singing anymore. >> reporter: but one day earlier this year, things changed. she was asked to sing again as

part of a performance for people who are still suffering from the disaster. even though she still felt reluctant to sing, she decided she should. but during her performance, she noticed that people in the audience seemed to be really moved by her voice. >> translator: at first, i just felt i had to go through with it. but when i saw some people with tears in their eyes, i understood that i'm doing something worthwhile. >> reporter: she realized that what she can do best is to sing. it didn't take long before a music producer heard of her and soon she found herself in a studio recording her first ever single. misaki's record has boosted the morale of people in her hometown as they struggle to rebuild their lives.

the local radio station has been playing the song on heavy rotation. >> translator: hearing the song really lifts my spirits. >> translator: misaki is still young, but she's trying so hard. she gives me confidence that we can pull through these hard times. >> reporter: with more performances scheduled, misaki keeps practicing late into the evening. there is one line in her song that has particular meaning for her. >> translator: it's here in the last section of the song. it goes, searching for happiness together one more time. there are so many people who lost their homes and their loved ones. my singing expresses my hope that everyone will be able to find happiness again. ♪

>> all right. for an update on the weather forecast, here's mai shoji. mai? >> hi. we have a newly formed tropical storm yet again over the pacific. this is the south of ogasawara islands. and it is going to become a severe tropical storm as it intensifies over the weekend over water as it nears the islands of okinawa. possibly about sunday. and then by monday, it looks like it's going to become a typhoon. so further intensifying -- this is very bad news -- to the area in and around taiwan where the flooding conditions still not alleviated at all due to the ex-typhoon saola that battered in and around taipei over the week. now it is already affecting the ogasawara islands with high waves and storm surge. it's going to be developing over the okinawan islands with some

rainfall accumulation which could be some staggering amounts. but the high waves will be as much as 5 to 7 meters high. even in the pacific coastal areas of western and eastern japan, we may see those high waves up to about 3 to 5 meters. and rain will be heavy at times across much of japan as well due to the copious amounts of moisture surge and dumping all these rain to these regions. so thunderstorms will be likely over the weekend in much of japan as well. but as this system develops, it looks like it will be moving towards southeastern china. if it does take this path, this is because we have a high pressure system that is very strong that will keep in this path. and another high pressure system will be developing over the weekend and into the next monday. so both of these high pressure systems will keep this to linger over the okinawan islands. stormy weather will be really continuing there for a long period of time there. and it's going to be bad news because we're going to be having a lot of rainfall due to this saola.

even though it's a tropical depression, downgraded already it will be accumulating rainfall up to about 150 millimeters. and also this damrey used to be a typhoon is now a tropical depression. still will be bringing about 250 millimeters of additional rainfall to some isolated regions. you can see the very bright pink moving through northeast of beijing there. temperaturewise, seoul is up to 35 degrees. you're going to be looking at a very hot day on your saturday. soaring into 31 here in tokyo as well. staying in the 30s in much of the tropics. and even in ulaanbaatar, well above average there. over to the americas, we have a tropical system to talk about. this is tropical storm ernesto which is already giving out tropical storm warnings and watches against the leeward islands. it looks like it's going to become a hurricane. it will be intensifying as it nears south of cuba and then probably heading towards

the yucatan peninsula and to the gulf, perhaps. so we'll keep a very close eye on this system. central canada and down into the central plains, we're looking at some severe activity. we cannot rule out the chance of tornadic activity here. temperaturewise, soaring into the 40s. again in oklahoma city due to the heat dome persisting in the similar areas, very bad air quality in eastern areas here in the coastal areas. new york, 33 degrees. soaring to 35 in washington, d.c. moving over to the european continent, we're looking at these temperatures. and the outlook for your london area. saturday, precipitation will be chances. some showers could be heavy at times on sunday and monday, but temperature really not bad at all. enjoy the games. here's your extended forecast.

we'll be back with more updates in 30 minutes. i'm gene otani in tokyo. from all of us here at nhk

world, thanks for joining us. have a great day wherever you are.