hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm ross mihara in tokyo. the leaders of japan and china will likely meet one-on-one early next week. government officials from both nations have agreed to arrange the meeting on the sidelines of the asia pacific economic cooperation forum in beijing. it will be the first official summit between the two countries since may of 2012. prime minister shinzo abe has been seeking a meeting with chinese president xi jinping. and he's been laying down the groundwork for the talks. he sent a senior government official to china this week for coordination. the head of the national security secretariat, shotaro

yachi, met with chinese state counselor yang jiechi. japanese officials want to hold the summit without any conditions. but their chinese counterpart said japan should first recognize there is an issue of sovereignty over islands in the east china sea. japan controls the senkaku islands. china and taiwan claim them. the japanese government maintains the islands are an inherent part of japan's territory. it says there is no issue of sovereignty to be resolved. china also said it wants abe to state clearly that he won't make any more visits to yasukuni shrine. the shrine in tokyo honors japan's war dead. those remembered include leaders convicted of war crimes after world war ii. prime minister abe will fly on sunday to join other world leaders at the apec meeting in beijing. japanese officials say they have been engaged in quiet negotiations with their chinese counterparts on how to improve

bilateral ties. they released the document that lays out their four-point agreement. it says that both governments have affirmed they will uphold principles and spirit of four bilateral documents. they include the joint communique signed in 1972 when japan and china normalized their ties. the first point says the two sides have agreed to continue to develop a mutually beneficial strategic relationship. the second point states they share recognition to some extent that they should overcome political obstacles affecting their relations in the spirit of facing history squarely and looking to the future. the third point notes japan and china acknowledge they have different views on tensions in the east china sea, including areas around the senkaku islands in recent years. it says they've agreed to prevent the situation from worsening through dialogue and consultation. they've also agreed to create crisis management mechanisms to avoid any unexpected incidents. the final point says the two sides have agreed to gradually resume political, diplomatic and security dialogue through

various multilateral or bilateral channels to build mutual trust. u.s. president barack obama will join the talks in beijing next week. susan rice is helping to lay the groundwork. she's been talking to human rights campaigners to learn about the situation in china. white house officials say rice met chinese and american activists. they say she spoke with them about the role the u.s. can play to improve human rights conditions in china. they report she expressed deep concern about the government's treatment of campaigners and they quote her as saying that respect for human rights is vital for china's stability and prosperity. the campaigners asked for president obama to make a public male for the re -- appeal for two prisoners. several u.s. government

officials have said obama will take up human rights issues when he talks one on one with chinese president xi jinping. chinese officials have been working to polish and shine beijing ahead of the apec summit and undertaken an aggressive campaign to cut down the smog before international leaders arrive. but they are finding the cleanup effort is no easy task. nhk world reports. >> reporter: it is about 9:30 a.m. and we should be able to feel some sunlight, but in beijing, it is quite foggy and i cannot see buildings clearly. as the apec summit nears, a new regulation has been enforced that restricts the city's traffic. residents can only drive every other day based on the last digit of their license number. the goal is to improve air quality. the chinese government is using

apec as an opportunity to enforce anti-air pollution measures nationwide. state-run tv has been running an awareness campaign. this video shows farmers burning all of the straw left after their harvest. in the farming region, which borders beijing, villagers appointed by the local government are monitoring the practice of burning of dead grass. >> translator: if i find someone burning grass, i will stop it. leaders in each village are responsible for their own areas. >> reporter: the farmers say they can't stop because they have been doing it for many years as a way of making fertilizers. the countermeasures have not taken root as the government had hoped.

>> translator: if i don't burn, someone else will. >> reporter: the authorities are also grappling with a dilemma, strict controls on air pollution tend to put a drag on local economic activities. tangshan is home to over 200 small and medium sized foundries now it's counted as one of china's ten worst polluted cities and seen as a source of beijing's air pollution problem. many factories are being forced to suspend operations because they cannot meet the stricter emission levels. >> translator: the factory was forced to stop because it didn't meet waste regulations and they can't afford to pay the fines. small businesses are gone. >> reporter: most of the workers who lost their jobs following

the foundry's shutdowns have returned home to surrounding villages. this restaurant has been catering to workers but its owner says sales have dropped by half. >> translator: the effects are felt both inside and outside the factories. workers won't come here to eat if they can't earn enough money. >> reporter: some factories are said to be operating at night to avoid monitoring. they play a game of cat and mouse with government authorities. >> translator: local authorities ought to comply with regulations introduced by the central government. we need to improve our environment even if it slows our economic growth. that's the way to reduce pollution.

>> reporter: beijing has been scrambling to fix its air problem. but since the pollution comes hand-in-hand with economic development, the question is whether the chinese government can come up with any long-term solutions. nhk world, beijing. japanese health officials a a man who had a fever after coming home from liberia does not have ebola. he told his doctor he had a high temperature a few days after getting back to japan. he was taken to a national medical institution in tokyo. the man told them he had no contact with ebola patients in liberia. tests on blood show he does not have the virus. officials are monitoring another case, a woman arrived at the

airport then complained of a fever. she's being treated at a hospital in osaka. staff there say she's tested positive for malaria. after the 2011 disaster$201 japan's government impose tougher requirements on nuclear power plants. now a plant is at a critical juncture, the first to meet the new requirements and has gained the approval of the governor to restart its reactors. >> translator: i thoroughly examined the situation from various angles. i've decided we have no choice but to restart the two reactors at the sendai nuclear power plant. >> a citizens group submitted a petition to the prefectural assembly calling for sendai's reactors to be reactivated. the assembly voted to support the petition and gave its approval for the restart. >> translator: i think it's important to gain the understanding of local residents

before the reactors are restarted. we should put all our effort into discussing the matter with them. >> anti-nuclear protesters gathered in front of the assembly building. some of them said the decision was too hasty. others said they will keep on fighting. japan's nuclear regulator would first have to approve the move and inspect newly installed facilities at the plant. officials at the plant have had to overcome many hurdles to reach this point. >> reporter: all 48 nuclear reactors at japan's 16 nuclear power plants have been offline. to get them back online, electric power companies have applied for screenings for 13 nuclear plants, including the sendai facility. they are required by the nuclear regulation authority, the nra, to see if their safety measures meet new government regulations. the screenings include checks on the safety of equipment, and on

measures envisioning possible earthquakes, and other disasters. officials at kyushu electric power company strictly revised the scope of a hypothetical earthquake which may hit the plant. the operator raised the maximum strength of the quake. the new scenario takes into account quakes that could be triggered by currently unknown active faults. the sendai plant is the first among japan's facilities undergoing screenings. its estimated earthquake level has been assessed by the nra as being reasonable. plant officials have also raised the estimated level of maximum tsunami height. it built 15 meter high walls to protect equipment that is pumping sea water to cool the reactors. the nra has put priority on screening the safety measures of the plant.

but, not everyone is happy with the government's nuclear policy. people opposed to the restart held a rally near the diet in tokyo. they were vocally against restarting the sendai plant. >> translator: i want government officials to reconsider their priorities. our lives and the lives of our children are more important than japan's economy. >> reporter: city council members from the area near the plant have been discussing whether they would approve the restart of the facility. last month, the mayor of the city, and council members, accepted the proposal from the operator. the mayor said government leaders are responsible for restarting the plant. >> translator: it's a tough decision when we consider the opinions of people who are cautious about the restart. but i'll do my best to ensure public safety.

>> reporter: the local government has given a green light to restart the plant. however, the sendai nuclear plant is not expected to be reactivated until the first part of next year at the earliest. young japanese whose health could have been affected by the disaster are worried. residents of fukushima 18 and younger are getting checkups, nearly 190 had ultrasound exams in september. then staff at fukushima medical university spent most of the results too the wrong addresses. two of the young people had lumps big enough to require another examination but the results they received said there was no need. university officials say they made mistakes when they created

their mailing list. they've apologized to the youngsters and their families. a japanese swimmer could find himself in hot water in south korea. he's accused of stealing a camera in september at the asian games. he retracted a confession. but prosecutors say they have evidence he's guilty. he got held by south korean prosecutors who suspected he'd stolen the camera of a journalist. he confessed. then he met the media in japan this week and said he was innocent. south korean prosecutors still believe tomita is still guilty. a video shows someone removing a lens from the camera and walking away and they say officials with the japan olympic committee identified him as the thief. the prosecutors say they passed the case to a court. they say he can file for a formal trial if he's not happy with the judgment. saturday marks exactly one year since typhoon haiyan devastated the central

philippines. the disaster left over 7,300 people dead or missing. violent gusts and storm surges, among the strongest on record, caused huge damage to leyte island and many other areas. nhk world's minori takao gives us the latest from tacloban on leyte, the city regarded as haiyan's ground zero. >> reporter: we are hearing music around the city of tacloban tonight because memorial events are already taking place. saturday is november 8th, the day the typhoon hit this part of the country. now the area you can see behind me is city property. right after the disaster, this place was turned into a temporary morgue. about half of the typhoon victims were concentrated in tacloban. the city is now getting back on its feet. buildings and roads are being rebuilt across the city, and big shopping centers have reopened. new houses are being built for

14,000 families back from the coastline which was pummelled by the storm. but construction of accommodation is crawling along. just 50 permanent houses have been completed. securing places for survivors to live is the big challenge of the recovery effort. another big challenge for some is not just rebuilding their houses, but coming to terms psychologically with the disaster. i met one family living in despair after having the loss of their loved ones. tacloban is preparing to mourn its dead as the first anniversary of the typhoon nears. ♪ >> translator: we want to move on with our lives. suffering is unavoidable in life. we must pray for the repose of the victims' souls. [ speaking foreign language ]

>> reporter: they are praying for lost family members. it is part of a catholic tradition called novena, involving nine straight days of prayer. when the storm surge came jenna lynn only managed to survive by climbing onto a roof. but her loved ones were not so fortunate. arlen, her daughter, and her grandson, who was just two weeks old, died in the deluge. jenna lynn says she remembers their last moments. >> translator: my daughter was holding the baby over her head. she called my name from the rising water. we couldn't even find their bodies for awhile. we found our daughter and grandson in separate locations between the trees and debris.

>> wooden crosses mark a mass grave where over 3,000 people are buried. many families don't know where their relatives are so they choose a cross and engrave a name on it. ernesto wrote his daughter's name on a cross. it serves as a place to remember her. >> translator: as parents, we have to accept what happened to our daughter and grandson. they are here in this mass grave. >> translator: we have to accept it because we cannot undo it. we are thankful to god we are saved, we are still alive, that we were left behind. >> reporter: the disaster carried away many loved ones. many children were orphaned too.

but that doesn't mean they are sitting back waiting for help. i was here in january and met one young survivor who lost almost everyone in her family. i visited her again to see how she is getting back on her feet. how are you? you are cooking now. >> yeah. >> reporter: 16-year-old shyra wastes no time preparing food for her community. she and other volunteers visit poor children to give them meals, clothing, even provide makeshift classes. my ride is a local volunteer group made up mostly of teenagers. relief work by groups like this one has been vital. to supporting the lives of residents in tacloban. for shyra, joining the group was vital. she says these people supported

her when she was in despair. >> translator: i've changed. i'm strong now. >> reporter: i first met shyra in january, right after she joined the volunteer group. she was devastated after losing her parents and all nine siblings to the typhoon. she was living with others displaced in the disaster. soon after, she was reunited with one of her younger brothers who had been missing. she now lives with him and their grandmother in temporary housing. >> translator: he's important to me because i thought i was the only survivor. it's hard because i still miss and think about my family. before, even when life was hard, i was okay as long as i had them. but now, they're gone. >> reporter: when the storm hit, she was with her family at home,

along the coast of tacloban. she remembers the water coming up to her neck as she tried to save her younger siblings, but she lost her grip on them. >> translator: every time i come here, i remember what happened to us. when i see this place, my chest tightens. it hurts to see where we were living before. >> reporter: with her fellow volunteers she again realized it was her turn to support survivors. especially children. this week, the members of my ride were preparing to serve a traditional soup to the children in the neighboring town. it too was hit heavily by the typhoon. in front of a church, the volunteers played with children

to lift their spirits. for shyra, one of her main objectives was to talk with orphans of the disaster. >> translator: now, i'm sharing my story to you. i told myself that i'm ready to help my fellow survivors. >> reporter: she said she hopes her story will help other children move forward. >> translator: i see myself in her. her story made me realize that i need to be strong, whatever happens. >> translator: i'm willing and ready to take away the pain of what happened because of the disaster, typhoon haiyan. we should never forget those who

helped us children, especially orphans. otherwise, we couldn't have survived. >> reporter: shyra dropped out of school years ago to take care of her siblings. now, though, she started school again. one day she wants to become a teacher and inspire children to improve their lives. now, to help people like shyra, donors across the world have provided several billion dollars. but daunting problems remain with thousands of people still homeless and unable to work. the bright side is of course that the local people are determined to rebuild. foreign relief workers have been expressing their admiration at the amazing resilience and self-sufficiency of the people of the philippines. the country is recovering slowly. it is vital that the rest of the world continues to support it. minori takao, nhk world, reporting from tacloban.

people in the united states are seeing more job opportunities. data for last month show another drop in unemployment. officials at the department of labor say nonfarm employers added 214,000 jobs. analysts had been expecting 230,000. still october was the ninth consecutive month when new openings exceeded 200,000. that's a level economists see as representing solid growth. businesses created jobs in industries including health care and food services. the unemployment rate was down one tenth of a point at 5.8%. the number of people working part-time because they couldn't find full-time positions was almost unchanged. policy makers at the federal reserve revised up their assessment of the employment situation last month. economists are trying to figure out if the latest data will prompt them to raise interest rates. here's one view from michael

feroli at jpmorgan chase. >> in terms of the job growth number, we thought it was a solid number, consistent very much with the trend we've seen over the past year or so. we had 214,000 jobs created last month, which is, again, slightly below expectations. but i think in a statistical sense, you know, very little break from the trend that we've seen in recent months. suggesting continued above-trend growth beginning in the fourth quarter. in terms of the implication from the fed, we think the move down in the unemployment rate was significant. we once again surprised the downside in the unemployment rate. came down 5.8%. that's down 1.4 percentage points from a year-ago level and we think the fed will take that as evidence that the labor market is tightening and we continue to expect that the fed will begin hiking rates in the middle of next year. and we think this report today is strong for confirmation of

what the fed wants to see, which is less slack in the labor market. everything we see suggests that we're not losing any momentum in the strength of job growth. so, it's obviously hard to know for sure, but we would -- early guess would be a continuation of job growth in the 200,000 to 225,000 per month range. certainly, a lot of the short-term indicators we've been seeing in recent weeks suggest that forward-looking indicators remain relatively upbeat, so we would expect to see a continuation of reports over the next two or three months, like the one we saw this morning. let's check the weather forecast for the weekend.

that's all we have this hour on "newsline." thank you for watching and have a good day.

this week on "moyers & company," the creator of "gilead," "home," and "lila" says democracy is still a work in progress. >> there's something very excessive about human begins. they are brilliant beyond any imaginable use, you know? and i mean, who knows, if we live another hundred years, what we will have done? if we just, you know, refrain from violence a little bit, it's amazing. >> 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,