welcome to "newsline." i'm keiko kitagawa in tokyo. people from across japan and around the world will soon fill a park in nagasaki to remember the city's darkest day. 68 years ago the u.s. military dropped an atomic bomb there three days after it attacked hiroshima. the mayor of nagasakiy is expected to urge the japanese government to do more to rid the

world of nuclear weapons. survivors and rel toivs the victims arrived at peace park near ground zero ahead of the memorial ceremony to offer prayers. >> translator: an atomic bombing should never happen again. i hope there will be no more victims. >> the memorial ceremony will begin at 10:35 a.m. japan time. about representatives from 44 countries will attend along with prime minister shinzo abe. the park will fall silent at 11:02, the moment the bomb was dropped. nagasaki mayor tomihisa taue is expected to read a peace declaration. he's expected to criticize the abe administration for refusing in april to sign a statement by the nuclear nonproliferation treaty. the statement called for nuclear weapons never to be used under any circumstances. that wording conflicts with japan's national security policy which places the country under the so-called u.s. nuclear

umbrella. and we'll have live coverage from nagasaki. we'll take a break from our regular programming to bring you the peace ceremony. it begins at 10:30 a.m. japan time. for decades japanese have used the bombing anniversarieses to talk about the destructive force of nuclear weapons. some have spoken about the risks posed by nuclear powers since the 2011 accident at fukushima daiichi. japanese leaders are getting more involved in the work to control the plant. and they're trying to accelerate the cleanup of contaminated communities around the damaged facility. environment ministry representatives say they plan to add some higher ranking officials to the workforce of 430 government employees assigned to the cleanup. the new additions have expertise in public works projects and land purchases. they'll take the lead on the difficult task of building intermediate storage sites to hold contaminated soil and other

waste. municipal leaders are reluctant to allow the facilities to be built within their borders because of fears about radiation. government officials are helping the operator of fukushima daiichi to try to stop hundreds of tons of radioactive ground water from seeping into the pacific ocean every day. crews with tokyo lech tripower company or tepco are working on temporary measures to contain the leak as engineers map out a more complicated long-term solution. government officials say about 1,000 tons of ground water may flow from a hillside into the soil below the plant every day. of that, about 300 tons filters through a contaminated area and is laced with radioactive substances. then it seeps into the sea. another 300 tons bypasses the contaminated area. the remaining 400 tons of water is leaking into the basements of the buildings housing the facilities for reactors.

that water is also contaminated and is being pumped out and stored. crews at the plant have been injecting soil hardening chemicals into the ground on part of the site to stop the water leaking into the ocean, but there are concerns that effort hasn't been enough to stem the flow. tepco managers say crews will bore a well as an interim measure and then pump out some of the water starting friday. they're also planning to sink about 35 meter-long pipes into the ground. workers will use the pipes to pump out ground water starting next week. they hope to drain 100 tons per day. long term they're considering freezing the soil beneath the buildings. crews would bury pipes and inside them circulate coolant kept at minus 40 degrees celsius. the frozen soil would act as a dam to prevent ground water from reaching the contaminated area. but it could take one to two years to complete the project. and maintaining the cooling

operations would be extremely costly. the industry minister said the government will take the lead in drafting a new plan to completely halt the leakage of contaminated water. toshimitsu motegi urged the members to work out a concrete proposal by september. >> translator: we have to speed up our efforts to compile feesable measures including the possible release of water below the legal limits of contamination into the ocean. >> motegi called for a study on how to pump out ground water from the mountainside of the sites.r buildings and other he also suggested creating underground walls to stop the water from reaching the ocean. in may, tepco officials announced a similar plan to release ground water into the sea before it gets into the plant's compounds. fishermen are against the idea. they say it's hard to tell ground water and contaminated

water apart. a japanese scientist is questioning the way government officials have handled the nuclear crisis. hess been studying the impact of radiation on the ocean since the accident nearly 2 1/2 years ago. he said officials should have got involved with the ground water problem much sooner. >> translator: the government should not have left tepco to investigate the problem on its own. waiting until now to get involved. they should have taken the lead in finding the solution and clarifying what needs to be done. >> professor ishimara said they should pay more attention to the impact of radiation on marine life. >> translator: levels of radioactive cesium have come down in a lot of fish, but we still sometimes see the same high levels as before. we need to find out exactly why.

otherwise, we won't be able to ease the concerns of people in this country. >> the professor says government officials are not giving enough information to scientists in japan or other countries. he says they must be more proactive or lose international trust. the u.s. ambassador to japan is wrapping up his four-year assignment next week. john roos will be replaced by caroline kennedy. he spoke with nhk about the role of the u.s. military in his country. >> all the military personnel here in japan are here for a very, very important reason, and that is to defend japan. >> roos says leaders in tokyo and washington must implement the u.s. military realignment plans that have been agreed upon.

he argue us this would reduce the impact of american bases on okinawa. relocating the u.s. futenma air station in okinawa is part of the plan. roos became the first u.s. ambassador to japan to attend ceremonies marking the bombings in hiroshima and nagasaki. >> president obama, as you know, has promoted an agenda of elimination of all nuclear weapons. i had no doubt that the president would support that decision to go, which he did. >> roos says it will be an honor for obama to visit hiroshima during his presidency. chinese patrol vessels circled japanese territorial waters around disputed islands for 28 hours until they finally left. this was the longest intrusion by their government vessels since japan nationalized the senkaku islands last september. officials of the japan coast guard says four chinese coast guard patrol vessels entered

japanese waters in the east china sea on wednesday morning. they remained there until noon on thursday. a ship carrying a japanese local assembly members had been cruising in the area at the same time. the chinese vessels remained just outside japanese territorial waters. coast guard officials are warning them not to approach japan's waters again. chinese government ships have intruded on 38 days this year. japan controls the senkakus. china and taiwan claim them. >> translator: the latest intrusion was the longest so far. and is extremely deplorable. >> kishida said the intrusions are backed by force, which is unacceptable in the international community. he said the chinese government should acknowledge japan's protest. japan's top diplomat summoned chinese embassy minister to convey the message, but han

repeated china's position that the islands belong to china. he said china cannot accept the protest. activists in hong kong have postponed a trip to the islands which chinese call dalu. they planned to land on august 15th. that's the day japan commemorates the end of world war ii. members of the action committee for defending the islands spoke on board a boat anchored at a port in hong kong. their leader said they cannot leave in time because repairs to the vessel will not be finished. >> translator: we couldn't depart on august 12th, but once hong kong authorities finish the checks on the vessel, we want to leave within two weeks. >> last year, japanese authorities detained some members of the group and later deported them after they landed on one of the senkaku islands. activists based in taiwan say

they will leave by thursday for the disputed islands, even if the hong kong group cannot start its voyage by then. a taliban suicide bomber has attacked a police officer's funeral in pakistan. 30 people were killed and more than 50 wounded. the attack occurred just outside a mosque at the city's police headquarters in quetta, the capital of baluchistan. the bomber blew himself up just before a funeral for a police officer who had been gunned down. most of the dead and wounded were police officers. the pakistani taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. it's the country's largest islamist militant organization. a spokesperson told nhk taliban targeted the police because they are a u.s. ally. pakistani prime minister nawaz sharif says he wants to improve the country's security

through dialogue with islamist militants, but two months into office he hasn't found a way to end a string of terrorist strikes. leaders in north korea may be stepping up their nuclear weapons program. a u.s. think tank says satellite photos suggest they've doubled the size of their uranium enrichment plant. researchers say the north koreans may be able to build two weapons a year. the researchers work at the institute for science and international security. they analyzed satellite photos of a uranium enrichment facility in nyongbyon. the photos were taken from march to july. photos from the end of july show the north koreans have almost doubled the floor size of their uranium enrichment building. the researchers say workers are building another facility nearby and that facility may with connected with production of fuel for a light water reactor. north korean officials say they need the reactor for power generation. north korea disabled the

nyongbyon complex under a six-party agreement in 2007. they've since announced plans to restart an experimental reactor there and expand their nuclear development program. security cameras on a bus in china have captured a collision in progress. one person was killed and 23 injured. the accident occurred on a highway in lishui city in zhejiang province last week. the bus driver missed an exit and tried to back up on the highway. the bus was rear ended by a large truck. both vehicles overturned, the truck driver was killed. the video footage shows the interior of the bus rocking violently at the moment it was hit. the bus driver flies out of the side window as the vehicle rolls over. miraculously he survived. the passengers are also thrown into the air. the crash was the latest in a series of highway accidents in china involving bus drivers backing up after missing an exit.

chinese exports in july rose for the first time in two months, but the growth is still slower than in recent years. customs officials say exports last month stood at $186 billion. that's up 5.1% from a year earlier and reverses a drop of just over 3% in june. china's exports had risen more than 20% in 2011. the yuan has been appreciating against other major kurnscurren. the single-digit growth suggests exports have harmed chinese goods. imports are up 10.9% to $168 billion. that's the first increase since april. policymakers at the bank of japan have kept their monthly assessment of the country's economy unchanged. they also agreed to continue the

current monetary easing measures. the policy board members wrapped up their two-day meeting on thursday. the boj describes the state of the japanese economy as starting to recover moderately. the central bank has made an upward revision for each of the seven months through july. the bank officials say business investment is showing signs of improvement as corporate profits are recovering. personal spending is due to improvement in consumer appetite. the policymakers unanimously agreed to continue the monetary easing measures to achieve a 2% inflation target. the governor gave a statement after the policy meeting. he said a planned increase in japan's consumption tax next april will not interfere with efforts to end inflation. >> translator: the economy will maintain its positive cycle despite an expected short-term

spike and ebb in demand before and after the tax hike. and there's a high possibility of continued growth. >> kuroda said the boj's monetary policies might become less effective if the market sees the government falling behind in efforts to rein in debt. a new survey suggests japanese workers are feeling a bit less optimistic. officials at the cabinet office released the results of their monthly economy watchers survey for july. they say business sentiment among employees has worsened for four months in a row. the survey asked more than 2,000 workers about their views of the economy compared with three months ago. the score for july was 52.3. that's down 0.7 points from the previous month, a reading over 50 suggests optimism about the economy. some respondents said they saw a lull in seefls jewales of jewel

other luxury goods. sales in july were lackluster because many stores started their summer discounts earlier than usual. the survey results for future economic outlook remained unchanged at 53.6. cabinet officials say expectations for recovery remain high. workers anticipate a rise in demand ahead of a planned increase in the consumption tax. here are the latest market figures.

the seas of southeast asia are home to small ethnic groups continuing their traditional way of life. these people live in small colonies living over the ocean. it sounds like a permanent vacation, but modernization is transforming their traditional way of life. nhk world reports from a remote island. >> reporter: the indonesian island of wangiwangi lies 2,000 kilometers east of the capital jakarta. one of the world's laerjs coral reefs spreads out from its coast the water is so clear around the reef that divers can see fish swimming 20 meters away. the people who live over the sea have built a settlement near the

isla island. this man is 43 years old. he dives for fish using handmade equipment. >> translator: our family members help each other out while fishing. >> reporter: we went underneath the water with lauda to see him at work. his only equipment is a pair of goggles, but this is enough. he skillfully uses his feet to maneuver through the water ten meters below the surface. he spots a fish and approaches it with his breath held. >> translator: life in the sea

suits me just fine. living on land is simply impossible for me. >>eporter: the people dive almost every day and earn their living from the catch. but they say traditional fishing methods can't provide a comfortable life. the children here are so busy helping their parents that they can't go to school. but residents in other areas have time to a more normal way of life. this district is home to about 7,000 people. it was built on reclaimed land. paved roads now connect it with the island. water and electricity services are available and right here is

as convenient as on land. the people here help each other and fish. they purchased the boat with an engine and adopted the modern way of fishing using the net. the district has a seafood processing plant, too. >> translator: this is tuna. we're exporting it to japan and europe. it's nor sashimi. >> reporter: he runs a water processing company and exports seafood. he earns a stable income and his house is equipped with electric appliances. he enjoys a level of comfort equal to people living on land, but he has no intention of moving.

>> translator: i'm happy living on the sea. it feels natural to me to have a boat docked in front of our house. >> reporter: the people have always made the most of what it gives them. motivation through southeast asia may be changing their lifestyle, but not their spirit. reporting for nhk world, wangiwangi island, indonesia. scorching heat is hitting some parts of china. mai shoji tells us the latest. >> good morning. we had a sultry day already here in metropolitan tokyo, heating up to almost 30 degrees in the morning hours, but much of the heart of eastern az a ya is looking at record breaking historical ongoing story with the heat wave. let me show you pictures coming out from china and japan.

a historical heat wave have been affecting china and japan. in shanghai temperatures the soared to 48 on wednesday. this was the highest on record. so far the city has had 20 days of over 37 degrees. in this province many fish farms have already dried up. blistering heat is already affecting western and central japan. more than 700 people were sent to the hospital yesterday due to heat stroke. the highs were 38 degrees the over the past two days making it the hot nest the country. yes, the ice cream sounds like a very good idea, actually, because the heat is still here. upper level tibetan high is covering much of this heart of this continent and also the summer pacific high is so strong it's intensifying day by day. blanketing much of the region. so both combined is bringing heat warnings and advisories. i feel like a broken record for saying this, but it is posted widely across the area all the

way up to tohoku in japan. up to 36 degrees. shanghai at 40 degrees. the bad news is it's going to be an ongoing event. kyoto looking at 38 on friday, saturday reaching up to 37 again. ulsan and korea reaching 39 degrees, hangzhou will stay in the 40s until saturday. this kind of heat will really exhaust you. please try to reduce your outdoor activities if you have anything planned for the summer vacation. there's a tropical system that will intensify into tropical storm status into the weekend. but sunday the stormy conditions will be impacting much of the philippines. also the tropical low that is a remnant of the tropical storm mangut is also affecting the monsoonal flow. the risk of mud slides remains. we're looking at 35 for

metropolitan tokyo here. if it does reach 35 degrees, it will be the seventh day of the year so far. we average only about three days throughout the year with these kind of temperatures. now to north america. severe weather's impacting much of the central plains. now shifting towards the eastern areas, tennessee's hit by flooding conditions. looks like it won't alleviate any time soon. anywhere along this severe weather is possible. we're talking about large hail, damaging winds of 96 kilometers per hour and the drenching rainfall. mostly in the sudden burst of shower range. towards the west things are quite dry. we're talking about that dry and windiy conditions again across the areases where we're seeing wildfires, dry thunderstorms are also igniting new wildfires. if it does so, it will be widely spread very quickly. 39 in dallas and the heat index would even exceed about 43

degrees. out to europe, central regions are still seeing very bad weather. we have a tornado reported in italy, 5 centimeter diameter of hail reported in germany. along this cold front again another round of severe weather. due to that cold front passing through, the temperatures will dramatically drop. 38 to 29 in budapest, zagreb, 36 to 25 on saturday. it's very difficult for our bodies to cope with with these kind of temperatures. please take precautions for that. i'll leave you now for the extended forecast.

that wraps up this edition of "newsline." i'm keiko kitagawa in tokyo. thank you for joining us.

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>> you need to know that mark mazzoni wrote this that here -- of course it's the first thing i would tell you. he is going to tell you. even more interesting than the fact that he wrote it here, he was here or it was while he was here that max was born. we are a full-service lace. [laughter] we handle books, families, personal lives. we are very ou