hello there. welcome to "newsline." it's friday, august 16th. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. egyptians are seeing things many have seen before. the leaders of the interim government launched a crackdown after more than a month of unrest. they say at least 578 people have been killed, more than 4,000 injured. and they say their forces will continue to use real bullets on groups that threaten peace.

supporters of ousted president mohamed morsi have been demanding that he be reinstated. on wednesday security forces stormed two sit-ins in cairo and removed them. protesters elsewhere responded by taking to the streets themselves. they, too, have run into security forces. the state-run news agency says some demonstrators set fire to a government building in giza near the capital. armed protesters in the southern city of beni suef occupied a government building and a police station. >> you have to impose order on the ground, public order is very, very important. >> morsi supporters in the muslim brotherhood are not backing down. they're calling for demonstrations across the country after friday prayers. now, members of the u.n. security council gathered for an emergency session to discuss the situation. they've been briefed on the latest details and are discussing possible responses.

u.s. president barack obama has condemned egyptian leaders. he's canceling plans to hold joint military exercises next month. >> while we want to sustain our relationship with egypt, our traditional cooperation cannot continue as usual when civilians are being killed in the streets and rights are being rolled back. as a result, this morning we notified the egyptian government that we are canceling our biannual joint military exercise, which was scheduled for next month. >> obama said the state of emergency should be lifted immediately. it allows military and police to detain people without a warrant. obama said the u.s. may take further steps if the violence continues. he did not mention what his government would do about aid to egypt. the u.s. provides about $1.5 billion a year. world leaders are urging peace after the crackdown. pope francis says he's praying for the victims.

>> translator: i wish to offer my prayers to all the victims and their families, the injured, and all those who are suffering. >> pope francis urged the interim government and the muslim brotherhood to enter into talks to resolve the conflict. french president francois hollande said citizens have a right to hold peaceful protests. he called for an immediate end to the repression. new iranian president hassan roweny made a similar demand and said that everyone should respect the wishes of the egyptian people. the military went ahead with the crackdown despite international warnings. nhk's bureau chief explains why. >> the egyptian military leaders have held power for so long and consider themselves as serving the foundation of modern egypt. they decided not to be tolerant

any more with the muslim brotherhood that they see as a threat to themselves. and you have to understand the history of the relationship between the brotherhood and the military. the muslim brotherhood is an islamist religious political movement that was founded back in the 1920s. it became increasingly influential among the poor and the former president, hosni mubarak. and mubarak was in power for almost 30 years. during his era, the west, especially the u.s., poured financial aid to the military which was the core of mubarak's power. thanks to the aid, the egyptian economy as a whole developed, but the gap between the rich and the poor widened. the brotherhood's support base

was the poor, and they were always the target of suppression by the military. they were forbidden to run for the office until 2011 when mubarak was finally ousted. but even since mubarak was ousted, neither the brotherhood nor the generals showed the willingness to share power since the arab spring. and after morsi was ousted in july, brotherhood supporters continued sit-ins. the military decided to crack down. i'm afraid the turmoil and the tense situation will be there for the long haul. the recent bloodshed has damaged the confidence among people in their democratic process. when i was there two years ago, people were so hopeful. i'm not sure now how long it will take to recover that hope.

indian prime minister manmohan singh says pakistan must prevent terrorists from crossing the disputed kashmir border. cross-border violence has increased since early august. five indian soldiers and two pakistani civilians have died in indian-administered kashmir. singh criticized the pakistani government saying it should take measures to stop the attacks. >> translator: in order to improve bilateral ties, pakistan must take steps to prevent its territory and sphere of influence from being used for the purpose of anti-indian activities. >> on wednesday, pakistani prime minister nawaz sharif called for self-restraint by india to ease the tensions. sharif is trying to hold talks with singh next month. but the latest violence has thrown the summit in doubt. police in afghanistan are

investigating the kidnapping of a female member of the parliament. they suspect taliban insurgents abducted the lawmaker. the kidnappers took fariba ahmadi kakar and her three daughters from a car at gunpoint last saturday in the southeastern province of ghazni. they also seized the driver and bodyguard. provincial government officials say the group later released the children as well as the driver and bodyguard. local media reports say the attackers are demanding the release of taliban prisoners in exchange for kakar. female workers in afghanistan are regular targets of threats and attacks by opponents of women's rights. china's first aircraft

carrier has left port. the crew has set sail to take part in a military drill. commanders put the lounging into service. it left the eastern city of checkdou. it will practice takeoff and landing exercises with fighter jets. other members of the military are conducting live fire drills. they're expected to continue those exercises in the east china sea through sunday. japan nationalized the senkaku islands in those waters last september. china and taiwan claim the islands and chinese vessels have repeatedly entered waters around them. they launched their largest ever destroyer. chinese media reacted with criticism. they say the ship can operate with multiple helicopters and that it looks like an aircraft carrier. derogatory comments by a senior israeli official have pushed japan to make an official

protest. he criticized japan's memorial ceremonies for world war ii victims. daniel seaman posted the comments on his facebook page last week, two days after hiroshima marked the 68th anniversary of the bombing of the city. seaman wrote, he is sick of the japanese over holding their annual self-righteous commemorations for the atomic bomb victims. he also said the bombings of hiroshima and nagasaki were the consequence of japanese aggression. the comments have already been removed. the japanese embassy in israel launched a protest with the israeli foreign ministry. they're asking for clarification. the israeli prime minister's office told nhk the comment did not represent the government's position. seaman was due to become the head of the national information directorate's interactive media unit but he's been suspended from his duties. people across japan have spent much of the month

reflecting on the past. this week they marked the 68th anniversary of their country's surrender in world war ii. last week they remembered the atomic bombings of hiroshima and nagasaki. a prominent american film director went to those cities for the first time to attend the memorials. oliver stone's movies include, platoon, born on the fourth of july and jfk. his recent documentary series has earned him more acclaim. the tun told history of the united states is a provocative account of american history over the 20th century. during his stay in japan, stone didn't shy away from promoting his views on the importance of memory and the need to look at the past with a critical eye. nhk world reports. >> reporter: oliver stone has spent a lot of time studying what happened in hiroshima on august 6th, 1945. when he made his first visit to the city, he timed it to

coincide with the annual commemoration with the atomic bombing. tens of thousands of people were killed in an instant, 140,000 by the end of the year. [ bells tolling ] stone went to the atomic bomb dome, one of the only buildings left standing on that day. >> can you imagine that moment? how far above the dome did it drop, did it explode? >> reporter: stone built his career on making films that showed the horrors of war. he's taken a deeper look at the past events with his documentary series, "the untold history of the united states."

he questions a belief held by many americans that the atomic bombings were necessary to end the war. stone met with some bombing survivors to hear their stories. he says we have much to learn from them. >> we must never forget the past because that is the link to our civilization, our heart. that is why hiroshima is important to me and to the world. >> reporter: stone later went to nagasaki to attend a ceremony marking the bombing of that city. he also visited a museum. the facility focuses on the japanese military action in china and the korean peninsula during world war ii. the director shared impressions of his trip in events in tokyo. >> i went to the museum in nagasaki, which i'm afraid is a private museum, is very small. it's not properly funded.

but it really is a shame that you do not have a museum that is about -- open about the japanese aggression. >> reporter: stone says he wonders why so little attention is paid to japan's actions during the war compared with the impact of the atomic bombings. he says japanese should question their knowledge and understanding of the past, especially when it comes to world war ii. >> translator: i came to realize that i've been misinterpreting distorted facts as the truth. mr. stone's activities make me understand that i need to study more by myself. i feel this is just the beginning. >> translator: relations between japan and the united states and other countries are based on history, so i believe it's extremely important for us to take a close look at it. >> without history we become

beasts, animals. we have no conscience. history is the only way we have knowledge and we evolve. if we know history, we can evolve to another level of understanding. >> reporter: stone traveled to okinawa before returning to the u.s. the southern prefecture has the largest concentration of american military bases in japan. his quest to show the impact of history on the present continues. reporting for nhk world. thousands of residents are still waiting to go home. vast tracts of land are still waiting to be restored. and more than half of fishing ports on the pacific coast must be rebuilt. people in northeastern japan still face challenges following the 2011 disaster, but step by

step they're moving forward. see their stories every wednesday on "the road ahead." right here on "newsline." let's take a look at the market figures now. thai kickboxing or muy that

i is the country's national sport, said to be the strongest standing martial art in the world. muay thai fighters begin training at a young age. they compete without head gear or pads. the medical experts want to ring in some changes. nhk world reports. >> reporter: little fighters kicks at his opponent. his muay thai is getting more and more popular in thailand. officially the number of fighters under age 16 is more than 900. but the actual number is said to be approximately 100,000. >> translator: child boxing is so exciting. it's not like adult boxing where sometimes people fake it. kid boxers just keep on fighting

until the end. >> reporter: he started muay thai two years ago. >> translator: i'm not afraid to punch. i'll win the match today. >> reporter: the fight captiv e captivates the audience. he gets his first victory after the second round. outside the ring, his mother looks on anxiously. >> translator: i'm afraid i'll see his opponent hurt him. i feel uneasy every time. i can hear my heartbeat during the match. that's how excited i am. >> reporter: he trains at this gym in the deprived area of bangkok. almost every day after school. there are six children under 16 who practice here.

muay thai boxers usually start training as young as 3 and begin competing before they are 10. >> translator: most child boxers come from poor backgrounds. if they have a match, they can earn money for their family. >> reporter: he lives near the gym with his uncle's family. his father died when he was 5, and he was pressed in his uncle's care separated from his mother. but the uncle's family struggles to make ends meet. muay thai was the easiest way for him to earn his keep. >> translator: our family is poor. that's the main reason i asked him to take up boxing and earn money by himself. i invested him by sending him to school and training him as a boxer, and he'll repay me with more when he grows up.

>> translator: i'm training hard. if i can become a famous boxer, i could also give money to my mother. >> reporter: full contact fighting without protective pads can cause occasionally severe injuries. some medical experts have begun a project to show how dangerous full contact muay thai can be for kids. they are holding physical checkups for young fighters including blood tests and mri scans. >> this research is to search for scientific evidence. we would like to know that repeated trauma to the brain for a long time has any effect upon the development of the brain. >> reporter: the medical team is planning to examine a total of

100 child boxers and compare their data with that of children who don't box. they will ask the government and muay thai associations to change rules regarding child boxers based on their findings. thailand's booming economy has seen the country's many changes, but its traditional martial arts are largely unchanged. voices are growing stronger demanding greater protection of children's rights. muay thai will have to find a way to find a place in thailand's tradition and the children who practice it. reporting for nhk world, bangkok. a dam in central japan is offering an unusual way to beat the summer heat with an annual event.

the dam is located in the japan alps. when the dam is open 15 tons of water gush out every second. visitors are enjoying a relief from the record breaking temperatures. the daily tourist event runs from late june through october. the dam was built in 1963 as part of japan's post war reconstruction. it was called the project of the century and partially financed by the world bank. other special events and tours will be held this year to mark the dam's 50th anniversary. time now for a check on the weather with meter ogs sayaka mori. it's a hot morning in tokyo, and many people in east asia are waking up to similar weather conditions. what can we expect today? >> catherine, hot weather will continue today. i personally like summer, but this year's too hot, sweltering hot. the weathermaker is still hot enough to cover most of japan,

korea and southeastern china with relentless conditions. we have heat warnings posted for a wide area. tokyo up to 35 for a high, kyoto at 37. and in this fame t famous bonfire events will be taking place tonight. they are at 36 and 38 degrees. very hot conditions. the heat will likely remain into the weekend. look at this. in the mid-30s in many places. not like last week, but much hotter than average temperatures will continue into the weekend. take care of your health. now, across the north, heavy rain is continuing in northeastern china and surrounding areas raising the potential for flooding even further. a couple of days ago the worst floods in decade os cured in northeastern china and towards the south the remnants of a tropical storm is still lingering across parts of china providing more wet conditions. we're expecting an additional

100 millimeters of rain to fall in guangdong province. across north america, a tropical disturbance is riding across the yucatan peninsula. this will likely pose a threat to the eastern u.s. for the next couple of days. the system will likely intensify over the gulf of mexico and probably hit the gulf states. within the next three days or so, probably more than 100 millimeters likely in the path of the storm system. not good news because this area has been dealing with days of heavy rain due to this frontal system. flooding risk will remain very high and likely increase day by day as this system approaches. dry weather for the northeast, however, lots of severe weather possible across the midsection of the u.s., the southern plains will remain on the stormy side as we go into your friday. dry weather across the west, wildfires have been reported in the northwest including idaho, utah and montana. more wildfires could occur due

to ongoing low humidity and also gusty winds. temperatures are going to be on the hot side once again. in lodge, 31 degrees, but across the east, cool air is dominating the northeast. 26 for you in new york city as well as chicago, but towards the south 32 degrees in miami with dry weather on your friday. in europe then, a series of loers molows are moving into the british isles and the scandinavian peninsula. the mediterranean countries will be peppered with thundershowers. but that dry weather thanks to a big high pressure system. temperatures will be slightly warmer than what we saw on thursday. london will be cooling down into 20 degrees on your friday. still hot across the iberian peninsula, especially madrid at 38 or 36 degrees for you on friday. here's your extended forecast.

there's one more story we'd like to share with you before we go. a record number of japanese companies and organizations are taking part in the hong kong food show.

expanding japanese food exports is one of prime minister's shinzo abe's strategies for growing the economy.ood expo op thursday. the event is asia's largest food show. it draws about 400,000 visitors every year. more than 230 japanese exhibitors are there. at the booth for j.a., an agricultural cooperative, buyers sampled peaches from yamanashi prefecture in central japan about. they also got a taste of melons from the northern island of hokkaido. hong kong is the largest importer of japanese foods in the region. more than 20% of japan's food exports end up there. >> translator: i really value japanese foods. they're high quality and beauty makes them very attractive. >> japan's farm ministry has been urging hong kong to lift its import ban on foods from

five japanese prefectures. hong kong officials imposed the ban after the nuclear accident triggered by the 2011 earthquake. and that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us. 

>> i'm the executive vice president of the wilson center. i want to welcome all of you today. the wilson center was chartered by the congress as the official memorial to our 28th president. it is the nation's key nonpartisan policy form for tackling global issues through independent research, open