hello and welcome back to nhk world "newsline." i'm raja pradhan with the news from tokyo. japanese leaders have decided to loosen long-standing restrictions on arms exports. they say the government will allow japanese firms to participate in the u.s. led production of f-35 stealth fighter jets, but some lawmakers are concerned they'll one day see arms jointly developed by japan used in conflicts abroad. nhk world's jun yotsumoto reports. >> reporter: engineers at lockheed martin designed the f-35 as a weapon of war.

it has a more advanced air warning system, missiles and guns. japanese leaders plan to make the f-35 their mainstay fighter jet. they are buying 42 of them. the first arrive in 2017. traditionally, helping build or provide parts for this foreign-made weapon would counter the country's past but the prime minister says things are are changing. >> translator: joining the new production system will help secure the stable purchase of this jet. >> reporter: his chief cabinet secretary said the change will benefit japan in many ways. >> translator: the participation in the production of the f-35 will nurture, maintain and enhance the technological expertise in defense equipment

production. therefore, it will greatly contribute to japan's defense. >> reporter: japanese lawmakers brought in something called the three principles on arms exports in the 1960s. they essentially banned weapons exports to communist bloc nations, countries subjected to arms export embargoes under u.n. security council resolutions, and countries involved in or likely to be involved in international conflicts. exporting arms parts or technology to make arms was also in principle prohibited. some exceptions were made over the years for the united states. in 2011, prime minister yoshihiko noda effectively relaxed the three principles. he allowed the joint development and transfer of equipment under certain conditions.

then last april, noda and british prime minister david cameron said japan and britain would start jointly developing defense equipment. suga says even if japanese companies participate in the production of the f-35, they would only be manufacturing parts. but u.s. government officials have refused to create a system to get japanese consent before exporting the fighter jet to other nations. lawmakers are concerned, even members of the ruling coalition. >> translator: there's a worrisome possibility that the f-35 could be provided to a nation involved in conflict. the government should call on the u.s. to put strict controls in place. >> reporter: government leaders insist they will continue to uphold the principles of being a passivist nation, but they say taking part in the production of

the planes is absolutely necessary in order to defend the country. jun yutsomoto, nhk world, tokyo. two members of the u.s. naval forces in japan are getting acquainted with life in jail. they were on trial for raping and injuring a woman in okinawa. both pleaded guilty. police arrested christopher browning and skyler dozierwalker last december suspecting she raped and injured a woman in a parking lot. judges gave browning ten years in prison and dozierwalker nine. prosecutors had demanded longer sentences. defense lawyers had asked the judges to be lenient saying they deeply regretted what they did. presiding judge suzuki said they treated her inhumanely and that the sailors acted more viciously than any defendants in any similar case.

judges at a war crimes tribunal in bangladesh have sentenced a politician to death. supporters of the politician's party reacted with violence that left more than 40 people dead. vice president of the opposition party, judges found him guilty of atrocities he committed in 1971 during bangladesh's war of independence. supporters of the party fought with police. local media reports 41 people are dead, including 4 police officers. they are calling for a three-day general strike. people in northeastern japan are reminded daily of what they lost march 11th, 2011. the earthquake and tsunami took away loved ones, homes and entire communities.

survivors are moving ahead but they still face obstacles at the damaged nuclear plant and all along the pacific coast. "newsline" will bring you their stories. don't miss "path to recovery: two years on." a delegation from the international olympic committee has arrived in tokyo. the ioc members will spend the next several days assessing the city's preparation to host the olympic and paralympic games. the ioc evaluation commission headed by the vice president was welcomed by a group of children at naurita airport. starting on monday, they'll spend four days visiting the planned sites for stadiums and the athletes' village. tokyo governor naoki inose later welcomed the commission members at a hotel. >> translator: i want the ioc to know that something as spectacular as london olympics and the paralympics last year is also possible in tokyo.

>> the inspection period has been extended. because the commission members have asked to visit the actual sites. the tokyo olympics bid committee wants to show the ioc that the olympic facilities are located close to each other and are linked by convenient transportation systems. prime minister shinzo abe says the government will do all it can to get the whole country behind tokyo's bid. icy relations of japan and china appear to be having a lasting impact. managers of toyota said chinese people are buying fewer of their new cars. the toyota managers said the sales in china last month down more than 45% on the year. they say the drop was unusually big because chinese people took holidays for the lunar new year. they got a bigger comparing the

sales of january and february with the sales of the same period last year saying number of cars sold down more than 13%. analysts say that drop shows chinese people are still angry about japan's handling of a dispute over islands in the east china sea. transport officials in the vietnamese capital of hanoi are building a rail network across their city. they want to make sure their train services are safe and punctual. they're getting advice from the people who run a subway network in tokyo. staff from tokyo metro joined hanoi city transport officials to celebrate the start of their cooperation. >> translator: we hope to be good partners to build a transit system that pleases residents in the city of hanoi. >> they will help the vietnamese figure out how to run rail services safely, punctually and properly. >> translator: we hope to learn from tokyo metro's expertise in order to ensure high levels of safety and convenience.

>> the transport officials in hanoi are building eight rail lines, some above ground and some below. they plan to start running trains in 2015. japan's crowded tablet they plan to start running trains in 2015. japan's crowded tablet market will be getting more crowded soon. microsoft has announced it will start selling its original new tablet surface in japan beginning on march 15th. microsoft has been marketing mainly software and surface is drawing attention as a tablet developed by microsoft itself. the product was rolled out in the united states last october. surface is loaded with the latest windows version for tablets. it has a 10-inch touch panel screen and uses a detachable keyboard which serves as the

cover. tablets carrying googles operating system android are also selling well. that's in part due to their lower prices, low prices. microsoft plans to keep the price lower than comparable ipads in japan's competitive market. the political deadlock continues in italy with parties struggling to form a coalition government. these efforts are likely to be complicated by new accusations of corruption against the leader of the center right bloc, silvio berlusconi. the former prime minister is already involved in several trials on charges that include tax fraud. italian media report prosecutors will question berlusconi on tuesday as part of an investigation into bribery allegations. the former prime minister is suspected of paying 3 million euro or about $3.9 million to a senator in 2006. he allegedly tried to convince

the senator to switch sides from the then ruling center left government. prosecutors also launched a separate investigation into berlusconi's campaign pledge to return property taxes if his bloc won the parliamentary election. a senior member of berlusconi's party has rejected the accusations. he says prosecutors are resuming political attacks against the party. italy's parliamentary election has failed to produce a clear winner. the center left coalition became the largest bloc, but it needs to form a coalition with other forces, including berlusconi's party to launch a new government. separatist violence in southern thailand shows few signs of abating. two separate attacks have hit the region. patchari raksawong in bangkok has the details. >> two consecutive bombings left six people injured. the attacks came one day after a break through agreement between the thai government and muslim insurgents to hold peace talks as early as this month. the first bomb went off friday morning outside a busy market in one of the three muslim dominated provinces in

southernmost thailand. investigators found explosives on a motorcycle parked in the area. at noon, a separate blast occurred in front of the peace police headquarters. the site is about two kilometers from the location of the first bombing. local police told nhk that the bomb was hidden in a car. no one was hurt in this second attack. following the bombings, thai prime minister said that the agreement to start peace talks does not mean the violence will stop immediately, but all parties concerned see the deal as a sign of hope. malaysia brokered it. and wants to remain involved in the peace process. our nhk's tuan earn yee explains the country's role. >> reporter: a group of muslim insurgents and the thai government have decided to begin peace talks in an attempt.

the area has seen 5,000 people die in terrorist attacks since 2004. >> translator: god willing, we will do our best to solve this issue. >> reporter: following the agreement, thai prime minister met with the malaysian prime minister to continue to serve as a mediator in the talks. the malaysian leader accepted. >> let us hope all parties will accept the process and not do anything untoward in the southern provinces that would undermine and jeopardize the peace process. >> the thai authorities are willing to engage in the process of inclusive dialogue with the all relevant stakeholders and groups concerned. >> reporter: they share an area. separatist violence in the thai provinces continue. this costs a bottleneck in goods and people of production hubs of the asean region. last month, malaysia announced

plans to build a high speed railway connecting the capital with singapore. some asean officials want to see a high-speed network extending further to the north to connect to india and china by way of thailand. but railways near the border remain targets of terrorist attacks. stopping violence there is crucial for connecting the region. >> it is time for the area to be transformed into the growth area, bringing much social economic benefits to both sides of the malaysia and thai border.

>> reporter: this is not the first time malaysia has mediated conflict resolution in the region. last year, a militant group agreed to set up an autonomous government by 2016. following the success in mediating talks with islamist militants in philippines, malaysia has done the same for thailand. using the status as an islamic nation to its advantage. malaysia is trying to present itself as a peacemaker. malaysia is facing a conflict with another islamic militant group. gunfire broke out on friday on the eastern island of borneo. the incident took place in a village that has been occupied by philippine militia groups since mid. february. >> malaysian authorities had

conducted an assault at 10:00 this morning. two were killed and one wounded from the malaysian police. >> the militia group claims ten people were killed during the raid. about 200 members of a muslim group from the southern philippines landed in the coastal village last month. the group lays claim to the territory of sabah. they identify themselves as descendents of a royal clan that once reigned over the region where the state is located. the philippines also laid claim on sabah in the 1960s on the grounds that the territory historically has been controlled by the sultan of sulu. observers say the shooting may draw attention to the dormant

territorial dispute and could strain relations between malaysia and the philippines. and that will wrap up our bulletin. i'm patchari raksawong in bangkok. thousands of neglected children in russia are taking the brunt of a row between their country and the united states. the youngsters are among the estimated 650,000 children in russia that are badly neglected or orphaned. they rarely find a new family in their country and many are adopted by americans who take in more russian children than any other nation. in january, russian authorities closed the door on this arrangement. nhk world's reporter reports. >> reporter: 60,000 people took to the streets of moscow. they're protesting against a new law banning u.s. citizens from adopting russian children. lawmakers in russia's parliament passed it in december. it was drafted to retaliate against a new u.s. law that

restricts russian officers from entering the country if they are accused of abusing human rights. at a news conference, president vladimir putin spoke to russian and foreign journalists for 4 1/2 hours. many reporters were critical. >> translator: don't you feel guilty about getting children, the weakest, involved in political disputes? >> translator: russian children should be raised in russia. >> reporter: as president of russia, putin signed the legislation into law and authorities have already canceled adoptions that were in progress while the legislation was going through the system. to see how the law is affecting children, we traveled to a childcare facility in st. petersburg. 75 children live here. many are ill or have physical disabilities.

this boy has down's syndrome. the 4-year-old wants to be by a but with the new law in effect, timothy may not be going to the u.s. many americans have adopted children from this home. one of them is this little girl. she left the home when she was 7. she won a number of medals in wheelchair track and field events at paralympics. at the london games, she won gold in the 1500 meter race. many children with disabilities in russia don't lead the kind of happy life that jenna does.

that's why the home's director feels so strongly about not depriving children of any opportunity that may arise. >> translator: in the world of politics, numbers and statistics are calculated to advance national interests. but for the individuals affected, their fate is totally ignored. >> reporter: people in the u.s. also protested. two american women who were to parent russian children held a news conference in moscow. they appealed to authorities to let children leave the country if the adoption procedures had

started before the law was passed. >> all of our hopes and dreams started to come true, and we began to dream of a future with this little boy. >> reporter: as long as the two governments continue this dispute, the russian children and their adoptive parents may be deprived of a chance for a better life. eri okada, nhk world, moscow. air pollution in china in recent weeks has been getting worse by the day. it is now posing a health threat. to alleviate concerns, a service has been launched in shanghai that will allow them to check the air quality real time. there's a new word that people in china have been hearing a lot of recently, pm 2.5. they're fine pollutants found in diesel exhaust and industrial smoke. the new service in shanghai can

be accessed by cell phones or on pcs. this little character is called boa-boa. she informs people about the air quality outside their homes. when pollution levels are high, her hair changes color and her expressions also change. the chinese government is taking air pollution more seriously because of the growing number of complaints by anxious citizens. women in saudi arabia have to wear head scarves and long attire in public according to islamic law, but they can put on whatever they like underneath. with their purchasing power growing, more and more of them are focusing on fashion and beauty products. businesses from japan have jumped to take advantage of the opportunity. nhk world has the story. >> reporter: saudi arabia is known as one of the world's most conservative muslim countries. women here typically cover themselves from head to toe when

out in public. visitors at this event are getting a look at some decidedly more colorful options. this is an exhibition of japanese fashion products at a department store in riyadh. as you see, the store is full of saudi arabian women and the products are very popular among them. representatives from 17 companies have come to present their goods. the japan external trade organization or jetro is hosting the event. the fair is giving saudi women the chance to look at japanese bags, clothes and cosmetics. >> they are so inspired by the japanese fashion scene. japanese vogue and avant garde. >> i get that something's different, something unique and

colorful animation. all the happy things. >> reporter: japanese executives see an opening in the saudi market. high economic growth has opened new doors for women and given them more power to spend. >> translator: people outside tend to think that saudi women are shrouded in mystery and hard to approach. but actually, they have strong purchasing power and significant social status. >> reporter: dania is in her 20s and lives in riyadh. >> i think it's really cute and it's very adorable, you know, full of color. >> reporter: dania keeps a blog where she writes about fashion and beauty goods. she says japanese fashions

inspire saudi women. >> we hear about japan. we know it's something that has to represent confidence. when it comes to fashion, many girls here really adore japan and the way they dress themselves, and they kind of try to emulate them in that way. >> reporter: this woman is the president of a tokyo-based cosmetics company. this is her first visit to this part of the world. she has come to learn firsthand about what saudi consumers want. >> translator: i've realized this is a country of deserts. what matters for them is protecting their skin from dryness and uv rays. >> reporter: morita says the trade fair has helped her understand how to pitch her

products. >> translator: i found they are even kenner to maintain the beauty of their skin than japanese women are. they have a strong aesthetic sense. >> reporter: opportunities are gradually opening up for saudi arabian women. more of them are working outside the home and pursuing higher education. japanese marketers are counting on such trends to reach consumers in this growing market. sho beppu, nhk world, riyadh, saudi arabia. and now here is a three-day outlook on the weather around the globe.

and that wraps up this edition of "newsline." i'm raja pradhan in tokyo. and from all of us at nhk world, thanks for watching and have a good day wherever you are.