welcome to nhk world "newsline." i'm gene otani in tokyo. here's a look at some of the stories we're following this hour. union yan officials are looking for a way to break the deadlock over their country's nuclear program. forecasters are telling tokyo residents to be ready for heavy rain and intense winds, as a powerful typhoon races toward the city. a new nhk poll suggests

japanese prime minister shinzo abe remains popular, even after he announced his plan to raise the consumption tax. a proposal was made on the country's nuclear program, meeting with delegates from six major powers for the first time since president hassan rouhani took office in august. the two days of talks are happening in gin eve a. participants include mohammed sareef and foreign policy chief ashton. envoys from the u.s., russia, china, france, and germany are there, too. ashton's spokesperson said zarrif gave a 30-minute presentation to explain tehran's ideas. they propose to accept tougher inspections, in exchange they want western powers to ease economic sanctions on them. the u.s. and other nations have demanded the iranians stop

enriching uranium close to weapons grade. they say only then would they ease sanctions. a large and powerful typhoon is churning toward japan's biggest metropolis. residents of tokyo and the surrounding area are preparing to take cover from heavy rain and fierce winds. officials at the meteorological agency said wipha could be the strongest typhoon to hit the city and eastern japan in a decade. they're calling for people to stay home and be prepared to evacuate if necessary. airline companies have canceled more than 500 domestic flights scheduled for tuesday evening and wednesday. forecasters warn the storm could cause major disruptions to other public transportation systems. our meteorologist, robert speta, is tracking typhoon wipha for us. robert, tell us the latest. >> at this time the storm is really racing off towards the north, moving about 40 kilometers per hour, just at a very, very fast pace. really just ever so closely inching its way towards the tokyo metro area.

and really through the overnight hours, into the early-morning hours, we'll see the worst of the storm system. ahead of it, look at this huge cloud shield. we're seeing tropical storm strength winds heading toward tokyo and the islands off the coastline, about 80 kilometer winds have already been reported out there. and also rainfall totals, over about 50 millimeters in an hour's span. in the center of circulation at this time, winds at 200 kilometers per hour. it is expected to weaken, but that's still going to be relative, because we're still going to be seeing typhoon strength winds in the tokyo metro area. once you get winds that high, it is potentially going to cause some damage out here. a lot of the trains are expected to be running on a limited schedule. and i would highly advise people to stay home if you can here on wednesday. take a look at these winds, up to about typhoon strength, between 6:00 a.m. towards 9:00 a.m. rainfall totals about 60 millimeters in just an hour span in some of these areas. you'll be seeing this risk of flash flooding, even in tokyo.

and not to mention if you're out near coastal areas, these winds potentially could be a higher, up around 160 kilometers per hour. so a lot happening with this storm. not to mention the overall amount of rainfall, up to 200 to 300 millimeters is going to be expected from the key peninsula extending off to the north. a lot going on with it. there's more happening, because as that races towards the northeast, what we have is all this cold air spilling in behind it, from northeastern china. the upper levels, 20,000 to 30,000 feet above the ground, there's the potential of this very cold air running over this warm air at the surface being dragged in. that causes what we call unstable atmosphere, and there's a risk of tornadoes in japan as well. a lot to cover in the next 24 hours. >> robert, thanks. robert will be back with the rest of the weather later. workers at the damaged fukushima daiichi nuclear plant are preparing for the typhoon.

they've taken steps to stop leaks of radioactive water. the governor of fukushima sato visited the plant here, urging the tokyo electric power company to manage the risk. tepco officials said they're stabilizing ropes, attached to pumps and piping used to inject water into the plant's disabled reactors. earlier this month water breached barriers in tanks storing radioactive water. the company says it has more than 50 workers dedicated to the transfer of water. a bombing has struck a mosque in eastern afghanistan killing a provincial governor, and wounding at least ten others. >> no groups have claimed responsibility for the attack in the eastern province of loga. but the area is known as

strong-hold for taliban insurgents. the blast occurred after prayers for the muslim festival ended on tuesday. local police say a device hidden in a microphone was detonated. jamal died from his injuries. he was a close confidante of hamid karzai and served as his campaign manager during the 2009 presidential election. afghan citizens are growing increasingly uncertain about the state of security as international combat troops prepare to withdraw from the country by the end of 2014. omar, the secretive leader, urged his followers to step up their campaigns against afghan and nato forces. police in myanmar have detained a man in connection with a bombing that wounded one person at a luxury hotel monday night. yangon residents were shocked by the incident which struck a landmark of the city. the explosion occurred shortly before midnight inside a

nine-floor guest room in the traders hotel. a 43-year-old american woman staying in the hotel with her family was injured in the blast. investigators believe a handmade bomb was planted in the bathroom. police have detained a 25-year-old man, who checked out of the same room on monday. city residents had already been shaken by a parking lot bombing that killed two people on sunday. police found other timed bombs in yangon over the past several days. bombings often occur during myanmar's regime, but declined after the president took office in 2011. the traders hotel is located in the central business district and is frequently used by foreigners traveling on business. business people are calling for a full investigation to limit the impact of the attacks on the business activities. myanmar's president is facing pressing issues, including intensifying religious confrontation in the country and constitutional reforms called for by pro-democracy leader aung

san suu kyi. he shared his thoughts on these and other topics during an exclusive interview with nhk. the president spoke to nhk following the end of the east asia summit on friday. religious clashes between the buddhist majority and muslims have occurred in myanmar since june last year. hundreds of people have been killed, while approximately 140,000 have been displaced during the country's four-month military regime. religious conflicts quickly came to the fore after the country introduced democracy. the president has been working to handle the precarious situation that could have a negative impact on the country's position of democracy. he visited a state where violent clashes continued between the religious groups. he said the perpetrators of the religious violence will be subject to severe punishment.

>> the leader also touched on the constitutional reform that pro-democracy leader aung san suu kyi has been calling for. he mentioned the liberations among a committee set in myanmar's parliament. he also hinted at the possibility of carrying out a national referendum over the issue. the present constitution prohibits anyone to be sworn in

as president. aung san suu kyi with british-born children is an example. >> myanmar hopes the meetings next year. member nations will participate as well as major economies such as u.s., china and japan. myanmar's diplomatic skills will be put to the test. members are working to strengthen their ties with china. a dispute has often disrupted unity between the asean member nations. thein seine commented on the issue.

. >> myanmar's expected to hold a general election in 2015, and will be part of the asean economic community when it is found the same year, with the milestones in sight they must tackle the issues of constitutional reform. thein sein is facing the crucial test of pressing ahead with reforms while winning the trust of the international community. that wraps up our bull ten. i'm cholaphansa in bangkok.

the push for peace, the shadow of conflict. fet news and ib r insight on south and southeast asia, every week day, live on "newsline." prime minister shinzo abe said he wants to show the world a strong and growing japan. he's again pledged to push forward his economic strategy in a policy speech before the diet. >> translator: my economic policies have triggered drastic changes, but still not everybody has sensed the recovery. the government is only halfway into its efforts to overcome deflation. >> abe said he aims to create jobs for women and young people, and boost their incomes. he noted this will encourage consumption and investment. abe said strengthening the economy would give hope to people in areas hit by the march

2011 earthquake and tsunami. he promised to speed up reconstruction efforts and be better prepared for disasters. abe spoke about the leaks of radioactive water at the damaged nuclear plant in fukushima, which have sparked concerns in japan and abroad. >> translator: fishermen in fukushima are suffering from rumors of no factual basis. the effect of radiation on food and water is far below the safety limit. that is the fact. >> abe said his government will take the lead on tackling the contaminated wat problem, and decommissioning the reactors. a new nhk poll suggests the prime minister remains popular with voters, even after his decision to raise the consumption tax. our interviewer spoke to more than 1,000 pple by phone. 58% said they support abe's

cabinet, 26% said they do not. 62% of respondents said they approve of the cabinet's economic policies. voters were divided overhe consumption tax from 5% to 8%. 46% said they do not support the hi. interviewers asked respondents if they feel anxious after the increase. 74% said they do. the sales tax has for years been a politically sensitive issue here in japan. how t prime minister made raising it part of his grand economic plan. >> reporter: shinzo abe inherited the plan from the previous administration. he spent month debating whether to stick to it. he announced his final decision two weeks ago. but he tied the tax hike to a

$50 billion stimulus measure designed to keep japan's economic recovery from slowing down. voters are still divided over a decision that will see them pay more for everything from food to real estate. >> translator: a tax of 8% may be pretty harsh for peopl with low incomes. >> translator: i think it's unavoidable. we need the financial resources. >> reporter: raising taxes has presented a challenge to past administrations. the prime minister enacted the legislation in 1988 to introduce the consumption tax, starting at 3%. his government collapsed the following year. the issue of wther to raise the tax has rattled subsequent administrations. sometimes even causing prime ministers to resign. abe returned to power in december 2012. and immediately put his focus on the economy. but he also wanted to change the

country's constitution, so japan could have a military, and the power to defend igts allies if they come under attack. he's setting that aside for now to concentrate on fiscal matters. the prime minister said he was committed to ending years of deflation and getting the economy on a firm recovery track. abe stressed in a speech before the diet that he's going to accomplish three tasks simultaneously. economic revival, fiscal reconstruction, and reform of the social security system. >> translator: we need to get our country's economy sound and strong again in order to pass a sustainable social security system to the generations to come. >> tax hikes are rarely popular with voters anywhere. japan is no exception. some people in this country say

they still remember the negative impact of past tax decisions. prime minister abe will give them more to talk about in the coming months. he still has to decide if he's going to implement part two of this plan, and increase the consumption tax to 10%. mayuko ambe, nhk world, tokyo. the latest technology for transportation and driving systems are being presented at an international conference in tokyo. researchers and car experts from around the world have gathered to exchange ideas for reducing accidents in traffic congestion at the top of agenda was an automated driving system. carmaker representatives pointed out that such a systemill help ease traffic jams. they say manufacturers should join hands to promote it. on display is a system that warns a driver that may be dozing off, detect and eyelid movements.

if it detects something wrong, it will sound a voice alert. >> you look sleepy. shall we fake a break? please pay attention forward. >> visitors can also try an automatic parking system. it will enable a car to sense parking space on its own and automatically eases itself into the spot. the latest technologies will be on display at the tokyo big site until friday. > japan's cabinet has approved a bill to reform the country's electricity supply system. the new legislation aims to allow households to choose power suppliers. the new bill will establish an organization that will control the supply network of all power companies. the organization will order the interchange of electricity among power companies. it will be built in two years. the new bill includes a plan to submit bills to the diet next year to completely liberalize power retailing. it also proposes the diet

discuss in 2015 the splitting of power generation and transmission. the government hopes to change the current power supply system by 2020. here are the latest market figures. city officials in shanghai are trying to make neighborhoods there more green. they're making some areas more

attractive. and as they do, they're creating new business opportunities. nhk world has more. >> reporter: this is the rooftop of a waste disposal plant. this is the top of a shopping center. they grow vegetables on top of a junior high school. shanghai promotes green areas like this. they want to banish the city's ima image. more people have be become more aware of the environment. the trend is good for some businesses. this man who runs this construction company, he's

promoting a condo. greenery on the roof and other areas. it makes city residents feel like they are in the countryside. there is even greenery inside. most think the condo units will sell higher than the normal price. >> translator: this condominium is eco-friendly and comfortable to live in. it allows residents to enjoy greenery at home. my company wants to construct high-grade buildings. >> reporter: last month they were invited to a convention about green. he was awarded the prize for his buildings.

>> translator: we are shifting from the economy-first policy and aiming to balance development and environmental protection. pushing for rooftop greenery will help make china more beautiful. >> reporter: the temperature should be at 20 degrees celsius. in summer the temperature could rise to almost 40 degrees. so the company uses these for air conditioning. but that increases costs. to save money, the company turned its rooftop into a rice paddy. the rice plants take sunshine.

it decreases the temperature by 7 degrees. it also helps reduce costs. the company now pays only half the amount of its former power bill. >> translator: the paddy greatly benefits the operation. it has sharply reduced our energy bill. tsunamis will enjoy our rice because of its eco-friendly image. >> reporter: more companies in china are expected to switch to rooftop greening. in doing so, more business opportunities will emerge. nhk world. meteorologist robert speta joins us once again for the rest of the weather. robert? >> as we continue to watch wipha, continuing to inch towards the tokyo metro area here on tuesday into wednesday, we still have a lot of other things going on across much of

eastern asia, and western pacific. i first want to talk about now tropical depression nari moving over vietnam toward laos and into eastern portions of thailand. this has already been bringing heavy rainfall. it's still going to be, but the good news is that we have seen these winds weaken down strong enough to, it is no longer a tropical system, and really no more track is going to be expected from this as it moves off to the west. still pretty heavy precipitation coming out of it. also looking at the risk of flooding toward portions of the philippines. we're still watching heavy rainfall here. it's not so much the heavy rain i'm worried about over here, it's these afternoon thunderstorms combined with aftershocks following the earthquake earlier on this morning. the problem is, you get heavy rainfall that sat rates the ground. you get that to shake and it increases that risk of landslides out here. something to continue to watch through the coming days. the afternoon thunderstorms are something you continue to deal with there, day in and day out, across the philippines. now, behind wipha, as that rolls

off to the northeast, we have a high pressure over northeastern china. that will continue to work down to the southeast. it's ushering in colder air. a clear indication of that actually seen on the visible satellite imagery here. wipha is racing off to the northeast, then you have the strong northwesterly winds. this is an island just off south korea, and then look at that line right behind it. that's what we call a von carmen vortic vortices. there's an indication of the cooler, drier air being driven south. thursday going into friday, we'll see some of the coldest temperatures across not only korea, but japan yet this fall. temperatures are going to dive down there, into the lower teens in tokyo in the overnight hours. you can see 24 on wednesday accompanied by the rain showers.

just 17 in seoul for the high. let's talk about the americas. as far as the tropics, well, it was fairly active, but things are really weakening out. we have priscilla dying out toward the southwest of baja, california. we have octave moving over northern mexico. this is really a remnant low at this time as well. just some heavy rainfall coming out of it. that risk of flash flooding in northern mexico over towards texas here as well, really just being pulled off to the east because of this cold front which is diving in from the north. you'll be seeing pretty heavy precipitation here. also, that low pressure area over towards the northern plains. that's bringing snowfall there as well. take a look at your temperatures, though, just 7 there expected for you into denver. let's talk about europe really quick. we have a low pressure area over the low country. that will work off to the east, bringing rough weather for northern portions of the balkan peninsula. on its wake, typical for october, another one will be ushered right in. that's a look at your world weather. here's the extended forecast.

that's "newsline" for this hour. i'm gene otani in tokyo. from all of us here at nhk

world, thanks for joining us. until next time, good-bye.

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