hello, you're watching "newsline." i'm ross mihara in tokyo. here's a look at some of the stories we're following this hour. leaders of some 50 african nations are getting together this weekend to discuss common solutions to pressing problems. chinese leaders are considering joining talks for the transpacific partnership, a huge free-trade zone that would include the u.s., japan, and other economies. and -- >> hello, nhk world "newsline."

>> japan's first pro sumo rikshi from africa is moving his way up and has his eyes on the top. dozens of african leaders are in japan to hash out some of the challenges they face. these prime ministers and presidents have access to a wealth of natural resources, but many have found sustainable growth elusive. delegates from 50 nations will attend the summit which runs saturday through monday. many of them will meet one-on-one with prime minister shinzo abe during their visit. abe set aside time to talk with ten leaders on friday. he sat down with the ethiopian prime minister. ethiopia currently chairs the african union. abe explained his policy of expanding investment in africa to contribute to growth.

he also offered to share energy-saving technology as part of japan's efforts to tackle global warming. prime minister abe then met mozambique's president. the leaders agreed on signing an investment pact. this will be japan's first such accord with an african country. abe also had a chance to get a taste of african culture. the police and coast guard have tightened security around the ticad venue. officers set up checkpoints at hotel entrances nearby. and they're on the lookout for suspicious cars or people. up to 1,800 police officers will take part in the security effort each day, along with up to 300

coast guard personnel. japanese government officials hope that they will develop stronger ties with africa which is bursting with potential. japan has fallen behind other nations that have better footholds on the continent. our nhk reporter went to zambia to see how one japanese firm is gaining ground in the mining industry. >> this is changing color to this green. >> reporter: this man has spent much of his career working overseas. he's now the head of hitachi construction machinery, local subsidiary in zambia. his job is to increase sales in the african market. zambia is the world's seventh largest copper producer.

other countries helped develop many new copper mines in the last decade. he is just one of the firm's from japan playing catchup. he first made end roads in zambia ten years ago. it's been competing against a u.s. company who's hefry machinery has been favored at copper mines. the share of dump truck sales sits at 10%. dump trucks are in heavy use in mining sites. look at the size of the tire. it's about four meters in height. and they can carry about 170 tons of excavated materials. hitachi managers are trying to show their vehicles are more than just big, powerful machines. they say they're fuel efficient, too. one of their latest trucks uses technology found in japanese

bullet trains. the vehicle can link up to power lines to run the engine. electricity in zambia is inexpensive. so this innovation could allow mining companies to save up to 40% of their fuel costs. but with mines open 24 hours a day, operators also need machinery they can count on. a mine could lose some $30,000 if work stops for even an hour. >> clearly, i can say we have a fleet that personally is cost effective. secondly, is going to be an equipment or a fleet that's going to be durable and reliable. >> reporter: hitachi is also trying to fill that need. he stations hundreds of hired engineers at mine sites ready to provide service to new mines. and in april last year, the

company opened a vehicle parts repair factory in the capital of osaka. >> this market will be a very big market to us in the future. and i hope we can make profit a lot and supporting especially mining companies in south african companies. >> reporter: the demand for africa's natural resources is opening up new markets. the competition among foreign firms is expected to intensify. nhk world, zambia. nhk is just one of a number of media covering the ticad meetings. many journalists from africa have come to japan to report on the event.

some spent part of their time before the start of the conference touring an elementary school in yokohama. they attended history and physical education classes. the reporters asked the students what they know about africa. the children replied the continent has plenty of natural resources. they also said it's not just a hot place and that some countries have four seasons, like japan. that won them some applause. >> translator: now i feel africa is closer than before. and i feel like traveling there. i want to help africa in what little way i can. >> the education system here is good, so maybe we should -- as african countries, we should emulate that. africa, a continent of promise and plunder. more than 1 billion people in 50

countries form a cultural mosaic. many live in lands rich in minerals, a source of economic growth and conflict. don't miss our coverage june 1st through the 3rd at 8:00 p.m., japan time. vietnam's prime minister has called for a way to solve territorial disputes in the south china sea. he delivered the keynote speech at the opening of the annual asia security conference in singapore. he mentioned cases involving unilateral use of military force, unfounded territorial claims and violations of

international law. he said leaders should quickly come up with legally binding rules to settle disputes peacefully. they discussed the friction over the islands. government leaders in japan have acknowledged for years that north korean agents abducted more than a dozen japanese citizens in the 1970s and '80s. be a lot higher and could include people listed as missing at sea. they're launching a new investigation. the minister in charge of the abduction issue says police and japanese coast guard will investigate accidents where people meant missing at sea. >> translator: we'll recheck cases listed as accidents at sea but that might have been abductions.

>> government officials suspect north korean agents abducted japanese crew members on fishing boats operating on the sea of japan. the government officially recognizes 17 people as abductees, but police are examining more than 800 missing persons cases to see if north korea played a role. a leading u.s. senator is urging japanese and south korean officials to mend fences. the countries should work together with the united states to deal with north korea's nuclear weapons program. cardon is on his first visit to japan as chairman of the senate foreign relations subcommittee on east asian and pacific affairs. he referred to the widely criticized remark that the osaka mayor made about comfort women. he said comfort women were necessary in wartime. many of the women were forced to

work in brothels for japanese soldiers. the senator says when someone makes an irresponsible comment, the political leadership should speak out. >> we appreciated the prime minister's comments after the mayor's comments. i think it's important that political leadership express themselves. it's also important that the political leadership tries not to accelerate or do things that are provocative as it relates to world war ii. that is known to cause problems in korea. >> cardin says the u.s. does not want to see people minimize or revise what happened during world war ii, but instead wants everyone to move forward. south korea's tourism organization has invited 100 female employees overseas to promote the country's tourism industry. officials in seoul welcomed the group from japan, china,

southeast asia and other places around the world. the head of tourism said he hopes the reporters will promote south korea's attractions in their countries. tourism surpassed 10 million for the first time last year but japanese numbers were down due to the yen's decline against the local currency. chinese government officials are looking into the possibility of joining the trans pacific

free trade agreement. they're studying the idea and suggestions the united states has been making since march. following the u.s. urging, the premier is said to have instructed government officials to start examining the concrete impact the country's tpp participation would have on its economy. a spokesperson for china's commerce ministry says the government is now in the process of studying joining the pact. in the past, chinese leaders have been cautious about taking such a step. that's because of possible disadvantages for their domestic economy. they have apparently changed their minds after japan has decided to join the tpp beginning in july. they appear to be concerned that their country may be excluded from the free trade zone in this region. the unemployment rate in the you're -- eurozone hit the highest level since 1999. the european union data office says the overall jobless figure

stood at 12.2% across the 17 eurozone countries. that's 0.1% more than the previous month. the job situation is worsening in countries that have adopted belt-tightening measures in return for additional bailout funds from the european union. spain had the highest rate at 26.8% followed by portugal at 17.8% and cyprus at 15.6%. latest available data for greece in february was 27%. the situation is especially serious for workers under 25. over 56% of youth workers in spain and more than 62% in greece are without jobs. the european union is now considering countersteps. officials want to come up with concrete measures by the time eu

leaders hold their summit meeting in june. officials with the operator of the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant are asking for more money. they need it to compensate people that had to leave their home after the accident in 2011. officials with tokyo electric power company are asking for an extra $6.6 million from a state backed public fund. they already have government permission to receive about $31 billion. government leaders have capped aid for tepco at $50 billion. tepco officials estimate their cost will ultimately exceed that figure. they say local governments near the nuclear plant will likely claim more to cover the cost of decontamination. japanese government officials suspended some sales of wheat from the united states. they learned unauthorized

genetically crops were discovered in the state of oregon. officials at the agriculture ministry say they stopped selling the wheat variety called western white to flower millers. they grew it as an experiment. it was found on a farm in oregon. government leaders in japan an'sbducted thousands of rth citizens. here are the latest market figures.

nnchts thailand, another likely insurgent attack caused a wide scale school shutdown in parts of the south on friday. the decision came after a school principal was shot the day before. security officials say that insurgents are demanding that children receive education in accordance with islamic teachings. the shut down of 28 educational institutions comes after the head teacher was shot and wounded in a drive by attack. educators and security officials decided on the closure out of security concerns. classes are set to resume next monday. muslim separatists in the south of thailand have been fighting the authorities for decades, seeking autonomy for decades. more than 5,000 people have been killed including 160 educators. in march, the thai government held their first official peace negotiations with one of the main leaders of the insurgent group. however, there is doubt being cast on the effectiveness of the dialogue. the third round of talks is scheduled for june 13th.

>> in march they teld peace negotiations with one of the main insurgent groups. however, the continuing violence is casting doubt on the effectiveness of the dialogue. the third round of talks is scheduled for june 13th. two of cambodia's former leaders denied legal responsibility for atrocities in the 1970s that left more than a million people dead. they appeared on thursday at a tribunal set up with the cambodian government. the former leader spoke in response to testimony by representatives of victims families about atrocities that took place. one of the defendants was head of stake at the time.

he apologized to the families but denied his involvement in any brutal act. >> i would like to express my apology. i apologize from my heart, and i, even though i did not play any role in the decision making body. >> the regime implemented social reform policies that forced urban residents to move to rural farming villages. they're accused of genocide. the other defendant known as brother number two says he feels remorse, but he added as he was just an -- others are exempt from prosecution due to health problems. he he says that he had no responsibility.d by many factors. ores are exempt from prosecution do to help problems. the families are keen to know the whole truth and are demanding clarification of the defendant's responsibilities. slow progress at the trial is leaving most increasingly frustrated.

myanmar is foraging ahead with democratic and economic reforms. and as part of the drive toward a free market. it's calling on the know how of one japanese firm. the country's central bank granted the high-tech business a contract to build a new i.t. system. japan's institute of research and the central bank of myanmar signed a memorandum on friday. they will set up a state of the art data center. operations are expected to start next january. >> this system will greatly contribute to myanmar's economic development.

>> this is one of the business areas where japan can beat asian competitors looking for a way into myanmar. >> the planned system is compact and can be installed and brought on line quickly. it will ensure the high level security expected of a nation's central financial institution. the technology will also be used in myanmar's first stock exchange due to open in 2015. emerging economic powers still struggling with poverty. the threat of violence, the push for peace, the shadow of conflict. get news and insight every weekday live from bangkok on nhk world "newsline." >> russian scientists say they extracted liquid blood from the remains of a woolly mammouth. it could increase the chances of

bringing the extinct creature back from the ice age. members of the university team working in saka discovered the mammouth with the lower bod stuck in ice. it was frozen despite temperatures of minus 10 degrees celsius. they estimate the animal is 50 to 60 years old, weighed three tons, and walked the earth 10,000 to 15,000 years ago. scientists mapped much of the code of woolly mammoths. people in the office of the french president are putting the country's financial needs before the pleasures of the table. egypt is making a big splash in the japanese national sport of sumo. he is the first african ever to rise to the second highest division of judo. he says he's not stopping there.

>> he is big in stature and potential. the 21-year-old is 189 centimeters tall and weighs 143 kilograms. the egyptian-style sumo is aggressive. he takes advantage of the big body he's been blessed with. we've kept our eye on him since he started competing last year. >> congratulations. congratulations. >> thank you. >> he won all of his seven matches in the may tournament, taking the third highest division title. his family in egypt is also happy. >> translator: this is all thanks to his efforts.

i'm glad he's been rewarded. >> translator: i pray that he keeps advancing with the aim of becoming grand champion. >> reporter: he became interested in sumo as a teenager. and he watched matches on nhk world. he started competing at 15. he wanted to turn pro so he came to japan and joined a sumo stable. in the beginning, he struggled with the workouts that are designed to build flexibility in the hip joint.

they help keep the center of gravity low. have you ever thought about quitting? >> yeah, i thought maybe five times or six times, you know, it was because of sometimes, you know, i was so tired to complete the training. but where do you see yourself after quitting? you want to be a history maker? so if you are that person, you will never think about quitting. >> reporter: as muslim, he prays five times a day, no matter how tired he is from practice. >> in the upcoming july tournament, i think it will coincide with the period of ramadan. how are you going to deal with that? >> for me, ramadan, you know, i have something called license which means i can move the period of ramadan. but i'm not going to do it. i will first ramadan and i will fight at the same time. >> please write your dream. >> my dream? >> yep. >> it's my name, sumo name. but one day it will be yokozuma

which means the grand champion. and for me the first african sumo wrestler to reach the top, grand champion. here, it will be real. a real history maker, which will make my dad, my family, my country and my friends proud of me. good luck to him. here is the weekend weather forecast.

that's all we have this hour on "newsline," i'm ross mihara in tokyo, thank you for joining us on nhk world. x0

>> "california's gold" is produced in association with kcet los angeles, and is seen statewide on california public television. this series is endorsed by-- well, hello, everybody. i'm huell howser. and, you know, here in southern california, especially here in los angeles, tourists and locals alike enjoy visiting the gravesites of movie stars, of celebrities. for example, right now, i'm in the hollywood forever cemetery in hollywood standing right next to the final resting place of the legendary actor tyrone power. but tyrone power