>> translator: there is no doubt that takeshima is part of japan, both in terms of history and international law. >> welcome to nhk world "newsline." prime minister yoshihiko noda has assured the public that he would protect japan's national interests and diplomatic rows with south korea and china, and he made an appeal for calm. noda stressed the importance of maritime territories for japan. he said authorities will ensure stable control over remote islands and increase security in the waters around them. he said government officials will make better efforts to explain japan's stance to the international community. noda criticized south korean president lee myung-bak for his visit two weeks ago to the

takeshima islands in the sea of japan. he urged south korea again to accept japan's proposal to refer the issue to the international court of justice. >> translator: south korea unilaterally occupied the islands after world war ii. the question is whether this act was justified and in line with international law. what's important is to adopt a peaceful and diplomatic approach based on international law and justice. >> noda said it's important for both sides to keep a wider perspective in mind. >> translator: wise people of south korea, our important partner and neighbor with whom we share common values, we need to remain calm despite our different positions. >> the south korean foreign ministry spokesperson has responded to noda's remarks.

>> translator: prime minister noda repeated an illegitimate claim over our territory. it clearly belongs to south korea, historically, geographically and in line with international law. we condemn the remarks and urge the prime minister to immediately withdraw the claim. >> the dispute over takeshima became front page news again earlier this month after the south korean president's visit. >> reporter: lee myung-bak is the first south korean president to ever step on to takeshima soil. south korea has controlled the island since 1954, despite japan's protests. the japanese government strongly denounced lee's visit. it reiterated that the islands are japanese territory. several days later, lee stated that if japan's emperor akihito was to ever visit south korea, he would first have to apologize for the koreans who died fighting for independence from japan.

the tit-for-tat dispute worsened in the days that followed. japan's government announced it wanted to bring the case to the international court of justice. but south korea rejected the move saying that no territorial dispute exists. then last friday, japan's prime minister yoshihiko noda sent a letter addressed to the south korean president calling for a peaceful settlement of the dispute. the south korean government refused to accept the letter. on thursday this week, a south korean diplomat in tokyo tried to hand back the letter to japan's foreign ministry, but he was not allowed to enter the premises. on friday, japan's finance minister june azumi said japan will consider postponing plans to buy south korean government bonds. the two countries and china agreed in may to buy each other's bonds to deepen economic ties. azumi says he will observe developments for the time being.

later on friday, japan's lower house adopted a resolution protesting lee's visit to takeshima and demanding that south korea's occupation end soon. >> nhk world's kengo okomota has been covering territorial issues between japan and south korea for years. i spoke with him a little earlier. i started by asking him about the timing of noda's remarks. >> i think noda felt he had to go on record and explain his position in his own words to take a firm stance. japanese government officials feel they have not been as assertive as their south korean counterparts. >> what did you think of noda's tone? >> yes, gene, i think the prime minister chose his words carefully. he emphasized his position that he has a responsibility to protect the country. but he said it serves no one to stir up public opinion. he said he would try to resolve

of the issues through diplomacy. >> what factors led to such a rapid deterioration? >> elections are looming in both countries actually. president lee myung-bak does not have to face voters himself. his term expires in february. by law, he cannot seek another term. still, he wants to hold onto power for his party. we should point out many south koreans still resent japan for its colonial rule. the government in seoul is opposed to making any concessions over the islands. on the japanese side, president lee's visit and his remarks about the japanese emperor angered many japanese. so did south korean's return of noda's letter to lee. many here agree that it was outside the norms of diplomatic protocol. noda's administration finds himself less and less popular and more vulnerable to criticism.

i think noda doesn't want to be seen as weak-kneed in his reactions. >> where do things go from here? >> yes, japanese and south korean officials have postponed a number of scheduled meetings. apec members will meet next month in brad slav, russia. that would prevent diplomats on both sides with an opportunity to discuss these issues. but officials from japan's foreign ministry say under current circumstances, such a meeting would only lead to arguments. >> prime minister noda also explained japan's position on the senkaku islands. earlier this month, activists from hong kong landed on one of the islands. the senkakus are uninhabited islets in the east china sea. they're under china's control but claimed by japan.

noda says china started to lay claim to islands after the 1970s when the possibility of oil deposits was raised. he says the senkaku are an integral part of japan, both historically and under international law. noda also emphasized that, unlike takeshima, there remains no territorial issue to resolve over the senkakus. the lower house has also adopted a resolution condemning the landing. it calls the act extremely regrettable and says the government should do all it can, including increasing security, to solidify its control over the islands. a court in norway has handed down a verdict for the man responsible for carrying out the country's worst ever mass murder. anders behring breivik has been sentenced to the maximum 21 years in prison.

but a preventive detention clause means he'll likely spend the rest of his life in jail. the court ruled the 33-year-old defendant was sane enough to be aware that he was committing a crime. in july 2011, breivik detonated a bomb in central oslo. shortly afterward he opened fire at a youth camp of the ruling labor party on an island near the capital. he was charged with killing 77 people. throughout the trial, breivik argued that he was acting in self-defense and that he was protecting norway from a muslim invasion. he maintained he wanted to deal a blow to the pro-immigrant government. the life sentence allows the court to detain breivik longer than the maximum 21 years to prevent him from repeating a serious crime. allied troops in afghanistan face a growing threat from some of the same people they are supposed to be helping. afghan security forces. blame often falls on rogue

individuals, but a top u.s. military officer now says that's not always the case. patchari raksawong in bangkok has the story. >> reporter: as many as 40 coalition lives have been lost so far this year as a result of so-called insider attacks. now the top u.s. commander in afghanistan says many of the incidents have received support from the taliban. reuters reports that general john allen claimed on thursday that taliban infiltration was evident in about 25% of cases. isaf later issued a clarification suggesting allen was referring to data going back to 2007. it says the taliban has been involved in 11% of attacks so far this year. also known as green on blue attacks, the incidents involve violence against coalition forces by their afghan partners or those impersonating them. u.s. president barack obama says

the united states is deeply concerned following the deaths of nine american soldiers in 12 days. the incidents are causing growing mistrust between nato and afghan forces. taliban infiltration of afghan units would add to questions about the preparedness of local security forces as coalition troops withdraw from afghanistan by 2014. in south asia, monsoon rains have led to dozens of deaths and wreaked havoc in india and pakistan. torrential rain has been pounding districts in northern pakistan since wednesday. officials say at least 34 people have been killed by floods. bridges and homes are severely damaged. residents have been placed on alert for flash floods amid predictions of more rain. it's a similar situation in neighboring india. people in the northwestern state of rajistan have been forced to

leave their homes after heavy rains inundated low-lying areas. 27 deaths have been reported. residents of angry at the waterlogged roads and breakdown of local infrastructure. officials are promising compensation to those who lost their homes. like many countries in southeast asia, thailand's rush towards economic development threatens to eclipse its religious traditions. interest in buddhism is declining, especially among young people. but one very young boy in a quiet corner of northeast thailand has some buddhists feeling hopeful for the next generation. nhk world reports. ♪ >> reporter: they call him a miracle boy. like most 3-year-olds, he can't

yet read or write very much, but already he can chant difficult buddhist prayers that monks take months to remember. even though he's too young to be ordained, he looks and behaves like a novice monk from streaming holy water to bless people to praying for happiness. aspiring admirers say he was probably a high ranking monk in his past life referring to the concept of karma. one of the key tenets of buddhism. >> translator: i don't think it's only a talent. i believe he's carried over some blessings from his past life into this life. >> translator: now that i see what he can do, i respect him

and so i prostrated. it came from my heart. i feel this is real miracle. ♪ >> reporter: his exceptional talent has made international headlines. in june, he and his family were invited to appear on a popular television news show. >> reporter: buddhism is one pillar of thai society providing thais with core values for their lives. some buddhist schools like this can be found across thailand. monks are taking part in the teaching of basic concepts of buddhism to young children. thailand has about 3,800 of

these sunday buddhist schools. supported by the government, they help bring children into contact with religion. but in recent years, the situation has been changing. the number of attendees is dropping. at this temple in a suburb of bangkok, about 400 students have enrolled this year. that's a big drop from more than 1,000 a year in the 1980s. >> translator: these days if we ask children to learn buddhism, they won't easily be interested. buddhism may sometimes appear boring to them. >> reporter: amid worries about the fading influence of buddhism in modernized thailand, the young boy is regarded as something of a role model. and so is his beloved grandmother who gets credit for

taking him to the temple often from a young age. >> translator: i didn't expect him to be this great. if my grandson wants to be a monk, i would be glad because he'll be able to absorb everything from this very young age. >> reporter: whether or not he does eventually become a monk, he has already achieved success offering hope to thais who want buddhist teachings to remain as a guiding light for the nation as it rushes toward modernization. nhk world, northeastern thailand. >> and finally for today, we turn to singapore. the city state is home to increasing numbers of millionaires with a taste for fast cars and the high life. but there's a problem -- how to

show off your luxury wheels when they are parked down in the basement. well, one new condominium has the answer. the sky garage is the showkees of this new high-rise apartment block. a special automobile elevator delivers your car to a private parking area beside the living room. the developer says the eye-catching gimmick will appear to singapore's elite. >> there's buyers are very discerning. they have seen a lot. very well exposed in the world. so they are looking for something that's unique and different. >> each apartment gets space for two on-suite parking spots. but the sky garage comes at a sky-high price. basic units start from 7.5 million u.s. dollars. and that's going to wrap up our bulletin for today. i'm patchari raksawong in

bangkok. 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." many people who survived hiroshima in 1945 have a rather unusual name for the atomic bomb that fell that day. they call it pica, a japanese way of describing a flash and the sound of the explosion that follows. the word pica inspired an american poet. he's published a collection of poetry depicting the tragic consequences of the bombing. nhk world's tomoko kamata reports. >> reporter: the book is called "come search" in english. its 14 poems are illustrated

with photographs of everyday objects that belonged to people who were killed by the bomb that destroyed hiroshima. the poems depict the moment when the bomb was dropped and what happened to those who owned the objects. >> translator: i hung on the wall of a barber shop in a bustling quarter of hiroshima. everyone looked to me. it was my job to tell the time. but on the morning of august 6th at 8:15, flash! >> reporter: the author of the book, arthur binard, was born in 1967. he came to japan 17 years ago. he writes poems in japanese and has won a number of prizes. five years after binard settled

in japan, he visited hiroshima for the first time. he learned the word pica when a survivor described the bombing. >> picadon, that expression, was invented by people who were on the ground in hiroshima. so when you say picadon, the word itself puts you in that position. and you're looking up. so, for me, picadon was an important discovery. when i first learned the word picadon, it changed the way i looked at what happened in hiroshima. >> reporter: binard rented a room in hiroshima. he started visiting a memorial museum where items that belonged to the victims are stored. he selected 14 objects and began researching their history by interviewing relatives and reading documents. among the items was this pair of

little shoes. they belonged to a 14-year-old boy who was hit by the bomb while he was doing demolition work. e boy di three ds later. othmornugh, beguheame a h.had just we protected tosoks etsthe star ho yi tte t

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typhoon bolaven which has typhoon status due to the warm sue. that's going to be heading closer toward the main island of okinawa, possibly making landfall autuny teoo hours. and as it does come closer, y c. even at this position, about 6 meters high, but that will be about ten meters high. waves, plus the storm surge, dangerous surf conditions. you really don't want toe ayg near the coastal regions at all. anthhey inf me thunderstorms could be sever we cannot rule out the factors tnac tityitr. let's move over to the atlantic now and talk about thistm which is heading towards haiti. it could possibly make landfall on the island of hpaol prab othboerf haiti and dominican republic and that's going to moving over land. still

as a tropical storm until it hits gulf of mexico. the sea surface temperature here is pretty warm. huice at. the rain will be some torrential amounts as well. tol culaonou a u to become about 500 millimeters due to this storm. where we really nthara is going to be in and around the southern plains. so that could be a beneficial rain towdsherewhe e ongoing drought condition is pretty severe. oklahoma city -inhe0s and we're looking at a triplet of 30 in new york, washington, c.anatnt here into europe, still looking at this jet stream. so pretty se-elato. budapest, 35. look at athens at 40 degrees. but on the other side, just 20 in london. here's your extended foras

> here's a story we've been looking at. a court in norway hasanded down a verdict for the man responsible for carrying out the uny' worst ever mass murder. anders behrg breivik has been

sentenced to the maximum1 years in prison but a preventive detention clause likely means he'll spend the rest of his flf jail. the courrud e 33-year-old defend was sane enough to be aware he was committing a cre. in july 2011, breivik detonated a bomb in ctroslo. shortly afterward, he opened fire at a youth camp of the ruling labor party on an island near the capital. he washaedit killing 77 people. throughout the trial, breivik argued that he was acting in self-defense and that he was protecngory om a muslim invasion. he maintained he wanted to deal a blow to the pro-immigrant government. the life sentence allows the cot to detain breivik longer than the maximum 21 years to prevent him from repeating a serious crime. wel bk whore updates in 30 minutes. i'm gene otani in tokyo.