welcome to "newsline." it's monday, september 9th. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. u.s. secretary of state john kerry is still trying to get support for a military strike against syria. the top diplomat says inaction sends the wrong message to iran and north korea. kerry has been trying to convince arab leaders. >> assad's deplorable use of chemical weapons, which we know killed hundreds of innocent

people including 426 children on this occasion, this one occasion, this crosses an international, global red line. >> kerry was referring to last month's chemical weapons attack in the suburb of damascus. he earlier met with arab league foreign ministers. kerry said no reaction would be like sending a signal permitting the government of syrian president bashar al assad, the iranians, north koreans, and all terrorists to use chemical weapons. arab league members are divided over military action against syria. khalid al atia attended the conference. he said that arab nations will soon issue their own statements on the situation in syria. earlier, kerry met with his counterparts from europe. eu foreign ministers are urging caution.

they say attacks should not take place before u.n. inspectors release their report on the use of chemical weapons in syria. some eu officials are supporting kerry's push for a military strike in retaliation. >> the international community cannot remain idle. a clear and strong response is crucial to make clear that such crimes are unacceptable and that there can be no impunity. >> eu ministers released a statement saying intelligence indicates the syrian government is responsible for the attacks, but the ministers backed french president's call for them to wait for the release of the u.n. report. u.s. president barack obama has made an appeal to the american people. he laid out his reasoning for a strike in his weekly national address. >> this is not a decision i made lightly. deciding to use military force is the most solemn decision we can make as a nation. >> obama said a failure to act against syria would pose a serious threat to u.s. security.

he said chemical weapons are not only inhumane, they can also fall into the hands of terrorists, but many lawmakers are voicing concern. a cnn survey suggests 20% of u.s. senators are opposed to military action. more than half are undecided. the survey said that nearly a third of lawmakers in the house of representatives oppose a strike. about two-thirds are either undecided or haven't announced their position. hundreds of demonstrators in washington ever washington have weighed in on the debate. they gathered in front of the white house to protest military action against syria. the protesters carried signs and banners expressing opposition to war. they called on congress to reject a military strike. >> i'm not here to say that i have a solution. i am here to say that going in militarily is not a good solution. >> we are going in this war for humanitarian effort, but it will

actually kill more people and how will a missile strike benefit the innocent civilians. >> public opposition to the use of force is another hurdle obama must face in trying to get a green light from congress. the last remaining slot on the list of 28 sports to be played in the 2020 olympic games has been chosen in buenos aires. the international olympic committee has picked wrestling. the other sports vying for inclusion were a baseball/softball combination and squash. this came one day after tokyo was chosen to host the 2020 games. >> ladies and gentlemen, i will announce the results. wrestling has been elected. [ cheering ] >> wrestling has been a core sport since the first modern olympic games were held in athens in 1896. in the 2004 games in athens, female wrestling was added.

however, in february this year, the ioc's executive board announced it was one of the sports facing elimination. japan has won 62 olympic medals including 28 gold in wrestling events and is known as a wrestling powerhouse. japanese people are celebrating the news that tokyo will be the host city for the 2020 summer olympic and pa paraolympic games. >> tokyo. [ cheering ] >> translator: japan needs the power of sports to provide hopes and dreams for its people. we are looking forward to a successful olympics in 2020. now it's time to join together and move forward to revive the spirit of the region affected by the disaster in 2011.

[ speaking foreign language ]. [ cheers ] >> translator: i am so glad i live in tokyo. i'm really happy to experience this moment! >> translator: i am very happy. i hope we can promote tokyo. >> translator: i have to watch the olympics. i get stars in my eyes. >> translator: i am happy, but i don't want people to forget about us.

>> translator: i will make an effort to be a part of the 2020 olympics. i want to be a successful athlete. >> translator: it will be fun to watch the olympic games and i want to be in an olympic event by practicing hard. >> the olympic cauldron from the 1964 tokyo games was relit to celebrate the city's winning bid. many people said tokyo was the favorite going into the ioc vote. we look at the reasons why it beat out the two other candidate cities. >> reporter: japanese officials

had a clear message for the ioc, tokyo is safe, secure, and has the know-how to put on world-class games. >> a city blessed with infrastructure and still investing to prove further. >> reporter: the governor of tokyo says it has $4.5 billion set aside for the 2020 games. and that financial security was an advantage over revel city many drid. spain is still struggling from an economic crisis and olympic officials had doubts it could improve existing or build new facilities. the delegation stressed how having the games in istanbul could help bring peace to the

region. but unrest there earlier this year as well as the crisis in syria had ioc nebraskas worried about safety. that gave tokyo extra points since it is one of the safest cities in the world. >> you have described yourself as being a safe bearer of hands. as a surgeon this appears to me something i had felt myself. >> reporter: but they had to address one issue, the radioactive water leaking at the fukushima daiichi nuclearplant. prime minister shinzo abe told ioc there is no reason to worry. >> let me assure you the situation is under control.

it has never done and will never do any damage to tokyo. >> reporter: japanese officials stress the country's track record, having successfully hosted one summer and two winter olympics in the past. the pressure will now be on tokyo to maintain that reputation. nhk world, tokyo. >> officials in tokyo now have seven years to prepare for the games. we look at some of the benefits the olympics might bring and some of the potential challenges. >> reporter: one of the features that japanese bid officials promoted was tokyo's compact plan. 28 of the sports venues will be located within 8 kilometers of the olympic village. the games will be held over 17 days in july and august 2020.

the paraolympics will follow for 13 days. officials are expecting as many as 10 million visitors. many people in tokyo hope the games will boost the economy by attracting more tourists and adding infrastructure investment. but the organizers face many challenges. one question, as always, is the budget. national and local officials say they've set aside enough money. but the real cost of hosting the games remains unclear. some experts are concerned about budget overruns. this could put an additional burden on tax payers and divert resources from rebuilding communities and infrastructure affected by the 2011 disaster.

japanese authorities must also deal with the ongoing problems at the fukushima nuclear plant. the operator has been said to be releasing information too slowly and the road map for removing the reactors has yet to be finalized. the organizers are basking in the glow of the victory. but the games will invite both welcome attention and serious scrutiny from the japanese public and from people around the world. nhk world, tokyo. the german weekly magazine

says u.s. and british intelligence agencies can access private data on smartphones. the magazine cites internal documents obtained by edward snowden. he worked for the u.s. national security agency. he is now a fugitive from u.s. authorities and was given asylum in russia. the nsa and the british spy agency gchq can access a phone user's private data including e-mail addresses and gps data on android devices and smartphone. access to blackberry phone data after security was enhanced in 2009 but the gchq cracked the security code a year later. on saturday a pro test was held in berlin to shed light on the surveillance operations. people demanded privacy protection from the german

government. australia's conservative coalition has won the country's parliamentary election realizing the first change of government in six years. tony abbott is likely to become the new prime minister. >> i at both proud and humbled as i shoulder the duties of government. the time for campaigning has passed. the time for governing has arrived. >> he pledged to jap the carbon tax andrestore the nation's fiscal health and deal with the increasing number of refugees from southeast asia and elsewhere. he is 55 years old. he won an election in 1994 to become a member of the house of representatives and became the head of the liberal party in 2009. the conservative coalition will take over from the labor party which saw a big drop in public support after the former prime

minister introduced a carbon tax on businesses last year. cambodian officials have announced the results of july's parliamentary election. the ruling party won a majority. but the largest opposition party says it may boycott the parliament. the largest opposition force, the cambodian national rescue party says it will never accept the result. >> there will be a series of demonstrations. they will be larger, of course, because we will mobilize. mobilize people who are not happy with the results. >> the cambodian people's party declared victory the day the election was held with 68 of the 123 seats. the national election committee announced the same result on sunday. the opposition party says they will boycott the parliamentary session if no investigation is

carried out. emerging economic powers still struggling with poverty. emboldened citizens still demanding democracy, the threat of violation, the push for peace, the shadow of conflict. get news and insight on south and southeast asia every weekday on live from bangkok only on "newsline." iran's foreign minister says he will take the initiative in talks with western nations on his country's nuclear development program. heed me japan's foreign minister on saturday. he said they ran's president appointed him to take charge with nuclear talks with six world powers, germany and the five members of the u.n. security council. he urged the prime minister to review flexibility. he added if iran promotes

transparency and trust it will benefit both the country and the international community. former tokyo electric power company executives and former japanese prime minister naoto kahn may be spared a court battle. press criminal charges for their handling of the 2011 nuclear crisis at the fukushima daiichi plant. fukushima residents had filed criminal complaints against tepco and government officials. they include then-prime minister kahn. prosecutors have been investigating whether they were able to predict in advance such a massive earthquake and tsunami. they concluded that the former prime minister and top management at tepco were not able to foresee the effects of such massive twin disasters. the prosecutors concluded that they'll not press criminal charges for the actions of the utility and the government in the aftermath of the nuclear

crisis. 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." the final match of last month's little league baseball world series championship was an extra special event for a young japanese pitcher. his family fled their home after the fukushima nuclear disaster two years ago but he found the focus and determination to help his team to victory. >> reporter: the series decider

pitted japan against california. >> a few more pitchers that they trust but they are finesse guys. i think they want the power arm. this one is fair. catch at first, throw to second. double play! japan wins the little league world series championship. >> reporter: was the sect year in a row that the japanese team came out on top. japan won 6-4. >> the double play to end the game. >> reporter: at the moment of victory, the pitcher on the mound, it was a crowning moment after years of enormous challenging. he and his family were forced to leave their hometown two years ago when the earthquake and

tsunami wrecked the nuclear plant nearby. he played softball in fukushima but after the nuclear accident, he was celebrated from his teammates. >> translator: suddenly, he was unable to be with his friends. there was no time to say good-bye. i'm sure he was worried because he didn't know where he'd be going to school. >> reporter: then one day he noticed the little league practicing near his new home. the team was strong. the coach led its former players to a world series victory ten years ago. when he first joined them he couldn't keep up with the rigorous training. >> translator: i had to catch up with those guys. >> reporter: he practiced with his father. he repeated the basics until he

mastered them. >> translator: did you ever want to quick? >> translator: never. i felt like i was really improving. >> reporter: life as an evacee was hard. but he never complained. he kept his eye on the ball. the coach was impressed by his perseverance. he not only earned a regular spot on the team's roster, he was named co captain. >> translator: he has amazing tenacity. his commitment and positive attitude have definitely influenced the other players. >> reporter: he has an old front rooting for him. he hails from the same town. he and his family also evacuated to tokyo from fukushima. he is inspired by the victors

and drive to succeed. >> when i heard his team took the championship, i felt i had to try hard too. i'll do my best in everything i take on. >> reporter: he doesn't think about the past when he dives into baseball. he says he'll keep working to become an even better ballplayer. time now for a check on the weather with sayaka mori. good morning. it's a very nice morning here in tokyo. what can residents expect up ahead? >> good morning, it's going to be a beautiful start to the workweek in japan. clouds are moving away and the high pressure system is drifting

in. it is originating from the continent packing warm and less moist air. pretty weather for the korean peninsula as well. but not the case over here. we have a rain storm that could drop about 100 millimeters of rain into the next 24 hours. the area of rain will spread east while expanding as we go into tuesday. and a monsoonal trough is active. we have widespread heavy rain in the indo-china peninsula particularly wet in the north. the floods and landslides are going to be an ongoing risk across this area. temperature wise, 33 degrees in bangkok with thunderstorms. in the north, chilly. with 2 degrees for the low and comfortably warm across seoul. 26 in tokyo, 28 degrees. in north america last week we

talked about a tropical storm that hit baja, california peninsula in mexico. i want to show you this video. ex-tropical storm lorraine tore through los cabos causing floods and wind damage. locals secured their boats in harbors. the storm has weakened but the leftover moisture will batter northwestern mexico. and the moisture combined with monsoonal showers are causing rain for the southwestern corner of the u.s. mainly in the four corners region. it could raise the potential for floods in this area. in the north there is a risk of severe weather from montana into minnesota. we cannot rule out the possibility of severe thunderstorms and tornados into tonight. other severe weather is expected in the great lakes region monday night. in the east looking dry in the

eastern half of the u.s. but showers in the canadian maritimes. the temperatures will be high in chicago. 32 degrees on monday for you. but across the east coast, chilly for this time of year, 22 in new york city. 26 in washington, d.c. but this will be expected to head to the east, affecting the east coast. new york city reaching 32 on wednesday and washington, d.c., amazingly hot on wednesday with expected highs of 34 degrees. finally in europe, then, clouds can be found across the west. we have a low pressure stem and a long frontal system from southern norway down to italy. conditions are severe in north italy, switzerland and southern germany. hail, gusty winds and thunderstorms are possible. ahead of the system is warm but behind it is chilly. temperatures will relatively low in berlin, 6 degrees.

ahead of the system, 24 in warsaw with plenty of sunshine. and in the west, seasonal temperatures in london will continue throughout the week. in the iberian peninsula, quite hot, 29 degrees for you in madrid. here's your extended forecast.

and that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in

tokyo. do stay with us. we'll be back with more at the top of the hour. 

- coming up, a refocusing of american politics. - what i want to do is restore two basic balances-- one is a balance within foreign policy, amd one is a balance within national security between the foreign and the domestic. - council of foreign relations president richard haass argues for a recalibration of america's domestic and foreign policies. it's just ahead on "global ethics forum." - mr. haass, as many of you know, is the president of the council on foreign relations. before he joined the council, he had a very distinguished career in government, having served in 4 presidential administrations, most recently in the bush administration as director of policy planning in the state department. he is also the author of several books. most of them have focused on foreign policy. we are delighted that he accepted our invitation to discuss his latest publication,