kilometers. the two leaders also share a desire to forge an economic relationship that is mutually beneficial. earlier, i spoke with nhk world's kaori nagao who is in meetings. >> reporter: the leaders covered a wide range of matters from economics to international relations. >> reporter: at the top of the agenda was economic relations. they agreed not only to increase mutual trade and investment, but

also to enhance the cooperation in areas such as energy and high-tech development. after the meeting, president putin made a keynote speech at apec's business forum. the three-day business forum is being held alongside apec sessions. businesspeople from 500 leading pacific rim companies attended friday's meeting. >> kaori, russia seems to be placing special emphasis on its far east which borders china's northeast. as you reported earlier, russia

has spent around $21 billion in infrastructure projects there over the past five years. >> reporter: that's right. businesspeople are closely watching what russia will do next. one-third of the people, the companies, attending the forum were chinese. i asked several chinese attendees what they think about the economic relation with russia. >> so coming here as a chinese businessman, you know, to learn more and also to find opportunities to work together. and i think that's, you know, china has a lot to offer for russia and so does russia. >> russia, we are a close country. the far east is -- it has a big potential. >> chinese business leaders are expecting that russia's development in its far eastern borderlands will benefit their activities. what about china's government?

>> reporter: hu jintao wants to strengthen economic relations with russia. china's economy is slowing down due to europe's credit crisis. russia's far east has great potential, both as a supplier of natural resources to chinese businesses, and as a market for their products. chinese officials underscored the need to cooperate with russia. >> translator: russia has accelerated development in the far east and eastern siberia. this development could also benefit neighboring nations, including china. >> reporter: i have attended several press briefings held by apec's delegations. many speak of the need to strengthen trade relations with china. the influence of chinese economy in the region is growing tremendously.

this includes the border area between china and russia. suifenhe is a small town on china's border with russia. there are signs in russian everywhere, and the streets are so full of russian people, it looks as if it could be in russia. every year around 500,000 people visit from across the border, five times the town's population. most of them are from russia's far east, and they come to shop for chinese-made clothes and shoes. >> translator: chinese products last long, and they're well designed. >> translator: i bought many things for my husband and our kids. i'm really satisfied. >> reporter: as china gears up for the economic boom in

russia's far east, more russian speakers will be needed. this language school is expanding its facilities with the assistance of the local government. by next year there will be a thousand students learning russian here, over three times the present number. the effects of russia's booming far east province are being felt as far away as beijing. this clothing manufacturer has developed a brand aimed at the russian market. the company's best selling items are down jackets. since opening a new showroom for russian customers in 2010, business has boomed. this year sales are up 40%. >> the economic boom in russia's far east is a big opportunity for us.

i think it holds a great potential for the future of both china and russia. >> reporter: the company's already finalizing its lineup for next year. it is confident that offering a greater variety will boost their sales farther. china is trying to capture the momentum created by the rapid development of russia's far east. on the other hand, russia -- russians are increasingly alarmed by china's strong production capacity and cheap labor. even so, they say chinese investment is essential to promote the development of far east -- development of the far east. i think russia and china is trying to maintain mutual beneficial relationship. but at the same time, they are engaged in a struggle for

influence in the area the two countries share. >> that was kaori nagao in vladivostok. she will be covering the apec leaders summit that starts on saturday. u.s. president barack obama has made a bid for re-election at the democratic party's national convention in charlotte, north carolina. he told the delegates the vote in november is a choice of a generation, and he called on supporters to join him again. >> our problems can be solved. our challenges can be met. the path we offer may be harder, but it leads to a better place, and i'm asking you to choose that future. >> barack obama wrapped up the democratic national convention by asking voters to consider what the election is all about. >> on every issue, the choice you face won't just be between two candidates or two parties.

it will be a choice between two different paths for america. >> obama delivered his message to delegates and to millions of americans watching on television. he responded to voters' concerns about the economy, promising 1 million new jobs in manufacturing over the next four years. >> yes, our road is longer, but we travel it together. we don't turn back. we leave no one behind. president obama's message provided a book end to several days of speeches by prominent democrats. obama's gift for speaking helped sweep him into power four years ago. he acknowledged that the road may be harder now. earlier, yuko otani talked with toshohiro nakayama, a professor of politics and economics. he's an expert on american politics. >> thank you very much for joining us. what was your overall impression of obama's speech? how did he differentiate himself

from mitt romney? >> as always, he ignited the arena, but the crowd in the arena was his supporters. i don't think it was a difficult task for him. the question is how his message will sort of translate and penetrate outside of the arena. and he did frame the election as a choice between two stark world views. i think as president clinton put it yesterday, it's a choice between, we're in it together philosophy -- that's the democratic philosophy -- and you're on your own philosophy, which is the republican philosophy. the conservative vision is a small government vision of the country. >> this time around, obama is entering as an incumbent. how will he reach out to voters this time compared to his last presidential election four years ago? >> yes. he can't run on the vague notion of hope and change as he did four years ago. the key phrase or the key term the obama campaign is sort of focusing on this time around is forward.

and i think the subtext, of course, is that if you choose the romney/ryan ticket, you would have to sort of go backwards. his record or accomplishments of the past four years are very controversial, i think. the unemployment rate hovering around 8%. the obama care did create a division within the country. so he had to show in his speech how he would govern differently, but he didn't quite do that, in my opinion. >> i see. now this race for presidency, according to recent polls, show that it's a very close one between obama and romney. how do you expect the final stages of the campaign will unfold? >> i think it's going to remain tight until the election day. i understand the job numbers for august will be coming out friday, so it depends on how the number is, but it might overwhelm the euphoria of the democratic convention and president obama's speech. and it's been told that many people have already decided who they're going to vote for in

this election. so the task of the two camps will be sort of consolidating their base and, at the same time, trying to sort of convince the small voters left in the middle. so that's going to be the strategy for the two camps, i think. the state of the u.s. economy will be front and center in the lead-up to the presidential election. the latest economic data reflects the two sides of this story. the unemployment rate showed slight improvement, but job creation was much lower than expected. officials at the labor department say nonfarm payrolls expanded by 96,000 jobs in august. analysts were expecting more than 120,000 jobs to be created. the manufacturing sector lost 15,000 jobs. this is mainly due to layoffs in the auto sector. the unemployment rate edged down to 8.1%. that's down 0.2% from the previous month. investors are closely watching

the u.s. central bank to see if it will change its monetary policy next week given the mixed results of the job data. a series of strong earthquakes in southwestern china has killed 50 people and injured more than 150. local authorities say more than 100,000 residents have been evacuated. china's state-run media say a magnitude 5.7 quake hit an area between the provinces of yunnan and guizhou at 11:19 a.m. on friday. a magnitude 5.6 tremor took place about an hour later. the focus of the first quake was 14 kilometers underground. the second one occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers. the earthquakes triggered landslides and caused many houses to collapse. many residents were seen staying outdoors immediately after the

tremors. the hardest hit area is the mountainous region in yunnan province. it's home to 550,000 people, including 16 ethnic minorities. japan's prime minister says he's ready for a second term in office. yoshihiko noda says he plans to run in the ruling democratic party's presidential election. dpj members will vote in two weeks' time. noda announced his candidacy friday. he expressed his determination to lead japan as it faces a number of pressing problems. >> translator: there are tasks that have yet to be finished and cannot be left as they stand. i bear the responsibility of dealing with japan's many challenges. they include a comprehensive reform of the tax and social security systems, as well as leading the country to recovery. i want to continue carrying the respsibility of what this country needs to achieve now and

in the future. >> noda has led efforts to double the consumption tax to 10% by 2015. he admitted there were some difficult times during the current session of the diet. but he says he has proven it is possible to work with opposition parties and vowed to bring about change with determination. japan and china have been at odds for weeks over a territorial dispute involving islands in the east china sea. tokyo and beijing are celebrating the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations. china's ambassador to japan says both countries need to keep in mind a broader perspective when handling sensitive issues. ambassador cheng yonghua spoke at an event marking the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations. >> translator: china and japan need to develop healthy and stable relations by paying attention to the mutual interest of their people and by dealing

appropriately with complicated and sensitive issues. >> cheng noted as both countries under go new phases of development, they face opportunities to deepen friendship and cooperation but also difficult challenges. the commemorative event features chinese traditional performance art and cuisine. one of japan's all-girl idol groups was invited to perform. the group is also popular in china. the latest exercise by south korean security forces is expected to further inflame a diplomatic dispute with japan. soldiers and police are taking part in a drill around takeshima islands in the sea of japan. south korea has controlled the territory since the early 1950s. the japanese government claims sovereignty over the islands. south korean military personnel and maritime police are involved in the exercise. the drill is aimed at preventing anyone from trespassing on the

islands. south korea staged a similar exercise about twice a year. the last one was in february. the current drill is on a smaller scale than originally planned. marines canceled a landing exercise at the last minute, and the maritime police are playing a leading role instead of the military. south korean officials have also reduced the number of vessels taking part. they say the exercise is not intended to prepare for a fight with a friendly nation. japan has launched a protest against south korea's military drill. a japanese embassy official in seoul visited friday the south korean foreign ministry. he said the maneuvers near japan's territory violate its sovereignty and called them unacceptable. the south korean official reportedly brushed aside the protest. the two diplomats also discussed ways to mend bilateral ties. the aid group save the children is known for its humanitarian work all over the

world. now in a controversial move, pakistan is abruptly expelling the ngo's workers. patchari raksawong at our bangkok bureau has more on the story. >> the pakistani government has provided no reasons, but they have ordered foreign staff of save the children to leave the country. the move follows allegations at the ngo helped the u.s. military operation that killed al qaeda leader osama bin laden last year. a local representative of the ngo says the government notified the group that its six international staff members stationed in the country must leave within two weeks. the ngo has come under government scrutiny following accusations in the local media that the group was in contact with pakistani doctor shaki shakil afridi. the doctor is believed to helped the u.s. identify osama bin laden. save the children completely denies the reports. a u.s. state department

spokesperson said the u.s. has asked the pakistani government to allow save the children to continue its activities in the country. he said independent ngos are among the central building blocks of healthy democracies. thailand is facing an increase in violent street brawls between rival vocational schools, and now the government is taking steps to students from going down that path with the help of the country's most powerful institution. nhk world reports. >> reporter: at this army camp some 150 kilometers west of the thai capital bangkok, around 140 students from vocational schools are being drilled in military fashion. order and discipline are what

the military has been teaching these students in a bid to help solve the problem of street brawls. average students from nearly 30 vocational schools across the country have joined the so-called vocational gentlemen project. street fights have long been common, but statistics show the number is on the rise. in the past few months alone, at least three bystanders have been kill killed. educators couldn't find an easy solution and called in the army for help. >> translator: teenagers nowadays employ deadly weapons that hurt members of the public. we are not able to instill order and discipline. and that's where the army comes

in. participants go through real military training, including physical exercise. students from rival schools spend 24 hours a day together for ten straight weeks. the program is designed to create a feeling of discipline and friendship. >> translator: we have seen them become more focused. we want them to realize that street brawls are not good for anyone. not for themselves, their families or for society as a whole. >> reporter: 17-year-old has been involved in countless street fights. he says it was a matter of beating or being beaten. >> translator: i was chosen by

my teacher because hade a bad history related to street violence. actually, i don't know why we fight. it's all about the fact that we are from different schools. that's all. >> reporter: beer was chosen to join a paratroop drill after officers observed a change of attitude after a few weeks at the camp. as parents watched on, beer and his friends successfully touched down. he says he now feels reluctant to go back to street fighting. >> translator: now i know how to live with other students. i don't have any hostile feelings. we are all friends now, no matter where we are from. there's no more fighting. >> reporter: some observers point out that the program is too small to tackle the trouble

but many feel it will soon put an end to student violence. nhk world, central thailand. and that's going to wrap up our bulletin. i'm patchari raksawong in bangk bangkok. for an update on the weather forecast, here's mai shoji. mai? >> looks like again we'll be having unstable conditions over japan. much of japan will be seeing those isolated thunderstorms to pop up, especially during the afternoon and evening hours due to the low pressure system and the moisture surge. however, northern japan will be seeing some clear weather. it will be brief relief, however, though. we have a low pressure system that is distributing a lot of hefty rainfall over the korean peninsula. that's going to be bringing about 30 millimeters in an hour type of sudden bursts of rainfall. and then you can see that that

will be next taking aim toward hokkaido. as it en routes toward hokkaido, northern japan, again, we'll be finding those isolated thunderstorms and heavy rainfall. but rain actually in tokyo considering the total amount that we should be seeing that this time of the year. in the past two months, tokyo has only seen 32% of that. so some locations are actually wanting those rain to fall. however, yet again, these isolated thunderstorms only come to pop up in the confined areas. so we may actually not get the rain where we want it. heavy rain, however, will be found here in central china. wuhan especially, you may see 250 millimeters in the next 24 hours. generally speaking, these series of low pressure systems will be moving towards the east and bringing about 100 to 150 millimeters of rainfall accumulation. tokyo looking at 31 degrees. yet again, another hot day for us. and lots of 30s in the tropics.

ulaanbaatar, though, just 19 degrees for the high on your saturday. moving over to the american continent, let me show you where the hurricane leslie is moving towards. yes, it is moving towards bermuda, but it looks like it will be just skimming the edge of the eastern coast of this island. looks like it will be intensifying into a category 2 status before it will be reaching toward the canadian maritimes. next target is that. storm surges and rip currents are still going to be on the dangerous level, in fact, across much of the atlantic coast. so do watch out for that. the gusts already picking up to about 148 kilometers per hour. now across the north american region, the great lakes will be finding yet again this cold front passing through this region. so under that and ahead of that system, tornadic activity cannot even rule -- be ruled out. gusts of 100 kilometers per hour and hail the size of golf balls could possibly be erupting and targeting some of your regions, especially down towards the

south of the great lakes region. but behind that, cool air will be seeping in and dropping those temperatures down. you can see denver here, 23 degrees. you can recall yesterday that was 32 degrees so what a drastic drop. you'll be finding the same story here in the oklahoma city area. 36 degrees for your friday. but on your saturday, that will be dropping, plummeting about ten degrees. so mid-20s to be found there. all right. moving over to the european continent, things are pretty fine and hot and dry. mild temperatures across much of the eastern portions, but it will be very hot in the iberian peninsula. toward the north here in the scandinavian peninsula, the weakening atlantic storm will bring you wet and windy conditions. taking a look at your temperatures, paris, london, warsaw, you'll be feeling very warm temperatures. in fact, paris, you'll be seeing 30 degrees on your sunday. so we had a taste of that autumn weather and then back to summer again.

but moscow, a different story. it will be plummeting into the low teens for your two-day outlook. here's your extended outlook.

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.

>> "california's gold" is produced in association with kcet los angeles and is seen statewide on california public television. this series is endorsed by the california teachers association, the california school boards association, and the california library association. [bells ringing] their glory days were from the early 1870s to about 1910, and they literally revolutionized firefighting. they were mobile and fast and came in all shapes and sizes. they were drawn by horses and their water pumps powered s