hello, and welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm ross mihara in tokyo. rescuers in western japan are continuing their search for people missing in landslides. police in hiroshima say 40 people have died. 47 others are missing or unaccounted for. search efforts have been temporarily suspended in some districts to prevent a second disaster. it has been raining on and off since thursday night, and authorities fear that could trigger more landslides. firefighters, police officers, and self-defense force personnel are helping with rescue and recovery. authorities have sent in heavy equipment, but the roads are narrow and the machines are too big to access some sites. rescuers have had to resort to

digging through the mud and debris by hand or with shovels. hiroshima city officials issued evacuation advisories about an hour after the first landslide. residents say that slow response had consequences. >> translator: the advisories were issued too late when i realized it was too late to do anything. using the community wireless system wasn't enough. >> translator: city officials should make the announcements earlier. people could have evacuated if they had issued advisories two hours earlier. >> officials in tokyo have issued a directive urging local authorities across the country to deliver more accurate evacuation advisories. rescuers have been hampered several times since the disaster struck. and experts say survival rates drop for those trapped after 72 hours. >> translator: we are working in a severe environment. we want to give it everything we have while keeping that 72-hour

limit in mind. >> it's a race against time for the rescue workers as the critical hour mark arrives saturday morning. landslides like the ones in hiroshima this week are not uncommon in japan. every year many parts of the country are hit by heavy downpours that last several hours. researchers at a facility near tokyo have been studying the mechanism of landslides to better understand why they occur and how to prevent them. nhk world's chie yamagishi has more. >> reporter: the researchers conducted an experiment at the facility in the city of zukuda. they built an artificial slope in a layer of sand to reproduce the side of a mountain. they began spraying water onto it, simulating 50 millimeters of rain per hour. the researchers have installed sensors to gauge the water

movement. they gradually increase the amount of water to 100 millimeters per hour. the sensors showed a marked increase in water. in the one meter surface layer and below it. 15 minutes later, cracks began to appear on the slope. it then collapsed. >> translator: rainfall patterns are changing recently. we hope our study will help municipal governments issue information for people to evacuate. >> reporter: the researchers say they plan to continue the experiment. they changed various factors such as rainfall and density, and sediment composition. they hope to create an accurate system that will allow them to predict landslides after heavy downpours such as the recent ones in hiroshima.

chie yamagishi, nhk world. a british newspaper has shed light on the identity of an islamic militant who beheaded an american journalist. it says the man is thought to be a u.k. citizen.the sunni muslim called the islamic state posted a video showing a member killing james foley. the wednesday edition of "the guardian" says the killer was identified by a former hostage. the paper says the militant was in charge of ransom negotiations. the former hostage said the man is intelligent, educated, and a devout believer in radical islamic teachings. "the guardian" says he also supervised negotiations for two spanish journalists. the islamic state group held them for six months and released them in march. "the guardian" quotes a linguistics expert as saying

the militant sounds as though he's from london. it says british police are analyzing the video. a spokesperson for the u.s. state department stressed the government does not pay ransom to terrorists. marie harf said doing so would finance the capabilities the groups the u.s. is trying to disarm. >> we believe that paying ransom or making concessions would both put all americans overseas at greater risk for kidnapping and in harm's way. >> u.s. media reported earlier the government had rejected a demand from members of the islamic state. they wanted more than $100 million for the release of james foley. the militant group has threatened to kill another u.s. journalist they're holding captive. they say his life depends on president barack obama's response. russian officials have announced a number of japanese

nationals will be restricted from epterintering the country, retaliation for japan's visa restrictions against russia over the crisis in ukraine. the russian foreign ministry made the announcement on its website. it says deputy morn minister igor morgulov handed a list of names of japanese nationals to japan's am bassdor to russia, harada. in april, the japanese government announced that it was restricting the entry of 23 people into japan. this came after crimea was incorporated into russia. in june, japanese officials stepped up sanctions in concert with other members of the group of seven. then last month, japan announced it was freezing the assets of russians and ukrainians following the downing of a malaysian airlines passenger jet over eastern ukraine. in announcing the latest countermeasures, russia stopped

short of freezing the assets of japanese. the move was apparently an attempt not to alienate japan too much. a japanese foreign ministry official says the content of the russian list will not be made public. the official says it's very regrettab regrettable, as the russian measure will have a negative impact on bilateral ties. russian authorities are investigating a japanese survey ship they say left its permitted route without notice. the ship was studying whales in the sea of okhotsk. a research body linked to the japanese government commissioned the shonan maru number 2 that began in early august. the study was based on a plan by the international whaling commission. the ship is anchored at a port in the far eastern portion of magadan. jap japan's fishery agency said russian border guard authorities have been carrying out the inspection since august 15th. none of the 20 people on board

have been detained. japanese and russian researchers were on the ship. japan's fisheries agency says there are no clear rules on how detailed notifications for changes in navigation must be. the agency said it's communicates with the ship's crew and asking russia to complete the investigation or inspection as soon as possible. police in egypt are trying to figure out why two tourists buses smashed into each other. the collision killed 33 people and injured at least 40. egypt's state-run news agency says the accident happened near the red sea resort. it said the buses hit each other head-on. the vehicles were carrying 80 people between them. four foreigners are among the injured. they include citizens of yemen and saudi arabia. about 13,000 people die in road accidents in egypt every year. many routes are unpaved and undivided. police don't deal thoroughly with traffic violations. turkey's outgoing prime

minister has tapped a close ally to take over for him when he moves to the president's office. recep tayyip erdogan has been prime minister for 11 years. he won the country's first direct presidential election earlier this month. erdogan nominated foreign minister ahmet davutoglu as chairman of the ruling justice and development party and the next prime minister. davutoglu was a professor of international relations before serving as erdogan's diplomatic adviser. he became foreign minister in 2009. erdogan is apparently aiming to strengthen his power as president by nominating a close aide to the prime minister's post. despite davutoglu's efforts to improve ties with neighboring nations, relations with syria and egypt have soured since democratic uprisings three years ago. opposition parties are expected to oppose the nomination. united nations officials

have clarified the scale of killing in the conflict in syria. they say the number of deaths exceeds 190,000. u.n. human rights officialed identified people killed since the assad administration began cracking down on anti-government protesters. they say number from march 20 11 to april this year stood at 1 , 191,369. >> the total has actually together more than doubled the number documented a year ago which we announced in june 2013. >> the u.n. officials say the part of syria with the most killings is the capital damascus. they estimate the number there is over 39,000. they report the next biggest figure is for the northern city of aleppo and the central city of homs. they say around 8,800 victims were under the age of 19. u.n. staff based their estimates on information from the syrian government and human rights

groups. they counted every case where they'd confirmed the victim's name and place and time of death. they say the actual number is probably far higher. coffins carrying some of the victims of the downed malaysia airlines jet have arrived in their homeland. the plane was shot down over eastern ukraine last month. nhk world in bangkok is following the story. >> reporter: many people in malaysia wore black on friday, as a sign of respect on the national day of mourning. a plane carrying the remains of 20 of the 43 malaysian passengers and crew touched down at kuala lumpur international airport. malaysia's king, and prime minister najib razak were

waiting to receive the coffins. a solemn ceremony was held on the tarmac. flight mh17 was en route on kuala lumpur international airport from amsterdam when it was shot down over eastern ukraine on july 17th. all 298 people on board were killed. a team of international experts launched an on-site investigation earlier this month, but shelling and other security risks forced them to halt their mission after just one week. malaysians who lost family members and friends are trying to make sure their loved ones are not forgotten. nhk world's takuma yoshioka reports. >> reporter: just over a month has passed since the shooting down of the malaysia airlines passenger jet. friends and family members of the malaysian victims have been longing for their return home of the bodies of their loved ones. mohamad ghafar abu bakar was a steward on mh-17.

the 54-year-old had one eye on retirement. in between his busy work schedule, he found time to take a training course to start the new career as a tour guide. he wanted to share the charms of his country with people from around the world. raja shaharil nasir was one of his classmates. he said ghafar had a good sense of humor and was a popular member of their class. >> it makes the group very energized and very active. he shares his story. and all these stories outside to share with us. >> reporter: since the crash, ghafar's friends and classmates have been posting messages on his facebook page. his body has not been brought

back to malaysia in time for the memorial service. shaharil says he will wait for ghafar's return, no matter how long that takes. he strongly hopes that people responsible for downing the passenger jet will be brought to justice. >> i want him to be with us as a best friend. the thing is right now, we need justice, which would be blamed for the tragedy. and we want the russians to be in a court. >> reporter: through unexpected circumstances, malaysia became caught up in a tragedy involving the conflict in ukraine. friends and family members of the victims are waiting patiently for the truth behind the mh-17 incident to be fully

revealed. takuma yoshioka, nhk world, kuala lumpur. >> that wraps up our bulletin. i'm cholaphansa narula in bangkok. people across china have seen their economy grow year after year over the last three decades. they've also seen a wave of environmental destruction. now president xi jinping is trying to turn things around. but local governments don't seem to be following his lead. nhk world's daisuke azuma traveled to a city in inland china to get the view from there. >> reporter: a massive construction project is under way in the capital of gansu

province, lanzhou. workers are building a new city near the airport. >> reporter: the new industrial and residential zones were planned in 2010. they will cost $200 billion. their purpose is to boost the economy. economic growth still reflects well upon local leaders. >> translator: we must first develop this area. development is our top priority. we can address other issues later. >> translator: but a change is in the air. president xi jinping is putting new limits on such huge public works. his policy now promotes conservation. his government said it will reward those who protect the

environment while achieving growth. this concern for the environment has brought some major construction projects to a halt. this building site in central lanzhou is known as china's largest ever development of a mountainous region. the plan calls for the demolition of 700 mountains. but insiders tell us the project will be suspended by the end of this month. workers say construction has already stopped. >> translator: when i came to work here more than ten days ago, but i've had nothing to do since then. >> reporter: but even though the project is suspended, environmental problems remain. the land had been left bare. a cloud of dust floats in the air.

people of lanzhou must cope with constant clouds of dust from abandoned building sites. the white sand accumulates everywhere. water trucks try and keep it down. but the effect is limited. the environmental impact of the pollution is significant. the growth of many farm crops. >> translator: all our mountains have been demolished. development projects just lead to environmental destruction. >> reporter: china may be shifting away from its policy of growth at any cost. but local governments still see development as their greatest goal. and stopping or changing projects midstream is not easy.

people cannot quickly see the environment recover, and the economic effects are negative. those are some of the issues the xi regime is juggling. daisuke azuma, nhk world, lanzhou. some rice farmers in northeastern japan had to stop exporting their produce after the nuclear accident in 2011. now they're shipping once more, and people in singapore are getting the first taste. officials with the japanese agricultural association convinced singapore authorities that rice from fukushima prefecture is safe. staff at a japanese-run supermarket put bags of one brand on their shelves. they also put up a notice explaining how the rice was checked for radioactivity. still, some customers said they're concerned. the store managers said they don't need to worry.

>> our mission in singapore, sell delicious japanese food to the singapore market. >> officials with the japanese agricultural association are talking with authorities in other countries. they hope to see fukushima rice on a lot more tables around the world. some people who used to live near fukushima daiichi are planning to organize tours of their hometown. they want to keep memories of the nuclear accident three years ago alive. authorities designated seven municipalities around the plant as part of a no-entry evacuation zone. people need permission to enter the area, but some from the town of okuma have gotten approval to show visitors what's become the place where they used to live. they say participants would wear protective gear and would see the no-entry zone from inside a bus. the visitors would be checked afterwards for exposure to radiation.

>> translator: i want people to come and see the reality. i hope they'll stop and think about what happened and share their thoughts with friends and others around them. >> members of the group plan to operate the tour once a month starting in october. other people in northeastern japan are also trying to move on from the disaster while remembering all that was lost. one woman is demonstrating that spirit of recovery through her artwork. she's taken kimono from the ruins and given them new life. nhk world's miwako hoshiba reports. >> reporter: an auditorium filled with more than 1,000 tapestries, each of them stitched together to support the people of northeastern japan. every item has its own style, but they all incorporate fragments of kimonos spoiled by

the earthquake and tsunami of march 2011. the project is led by this eriko shiomi. she's been supporting the recovery of northeastern japan by sending musical instruments to children. the idea came after shiomi visited a kimono shop in one of the areas devastated by the tsunami. many precious garments lay spoiled by sludge and oil. the shop owner didn't know what to do with these items, and she handed them over to shiomi. one by one, shiomi proceeded to wash the kimonos and rolls of cloth, first by hand, then with a washing machine to remove the stains and stench. >> translator: it felt rather strange at the time, but when i

saw these kimonos, i had the strong feeling i just couldn't leave them like that. >> reporter: with the help of some friends, shiomi designed costumes for stage performers as a way of preserving the memory of the disaster. but soon she felt it wasn't enough. so in 2012 she started piecing together tapestries with small fragments of kimono. she invited neighbors and friends to pitch in. all of them live far from the disaster areas, but they were all eager to express their feelings and support. participants brought their own precious items to sew them together with the kimono. >> translator: this cloth was woven by my mother-in-law. isn't it beautiful? i feel like she's here with me.

>> reporter: shiomi also receives a steady stream of tapestries from other people who heard about the project. the initiative spread quickly by word of mouth, even beyond the borders of japan. hundreds of people got involved. >> translator: people put their feelings into every single stitch. the memories of the disaster are embedded in each piece of cloth, and by bringing them all together, i'm hoping to pass on these memories to future generations. >> reporter: volunteers helped installing the hundreds of tapestries in the auditorium. oil stains on a traditional cloth express the luster of a saxophone. kimono fragments combine to form

the miracle pine tree of rikuzentakata, a symbol of resilience after the tsunami. >> translator: so many feelings are crammed into this room. it's a very intense experience. >> translator: as a native of northeastern japan, seeing the tapestries breaks my heart, but i'm also very moved to see that these kimonos have turned into such beautiful and lovely objects. >> reporter: shiomi's project weaves together the feelings of hundreds of people. now she's hoping this collection can be turned into one large curtain for a stage in northeastern japan. miwako hoshiba, nhk world.

let's take a look at the latest market figures. we move on to the weekend weather forecast.

that's all this hour on "newsline." i'm ross mihara in tokyo. thank you for watching, and have a good day. óxñx

♪ this week on "moyers & company," award winning actor and writer, john lithgow as king lear. >> this is an interesting moment. i just entered into that window where you can play lear. when you're old enough to play him, and you're young enough to play him. 'cause you have to have the strength to play the part, and yet you have to have some sense of impending old age. >> announcer: funding is provided by -- anne gumowitz, encouraging the renewal of democracy. carnegie corporation of new york, supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of international peace and security at carnegie.org. the ford foundation, working with visionaries on the front lines of social change worldwide. the herb alpert foundation, supporting organizations whose mission is to promote compassion