hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm ross mihara in tokyo. japan coast guard officials say a crack down on coral poachers appears to be working. for two months they've been monitoring and warning crews off islands south of tokyo. now they say the boats have all gone. >> reporter: coast guard officials stepped up nighttime patrols of the ogasawara islands. 1,000 kilometers south of tokyo. they were keeping track of chinese crews taking advantage of the darkness to enter japanese waters.

the officials first noticed the boats in the middle of september. then they saw a dramatic increase late last month of more than 200 vessels. >> translator: poachers tear out the coral completely, leaving nothing behind. i don't know when we'll be able to harvest coral like we used to. >> reporter: the chinese crews are believed to be targeting coral varieties known as precious corals. jewelry made from it fetches high prices in china. fishermen there cannot harvest it because it is a protected species, so they come to japan. the japanese government

discussed it in beijing. >> translator: we hope that cooperation between regulatory authorities in china and japan will properly resolve this issue. >> reporter: japanese lawmakers took matters into their own hands. they increased fines for foreign fishing vessels operating illegally in territory waters and the exclusive economic zone by more than seven times. and coast guard officials stepped up their vigilance, especially at night. they've arrested nine captains since last month for illegal operations or ignoring orders to stop. they reported seeing 40 chinese boats last week. then fewer each day. they say they will keep a close watch for illegal activities. nhk world. japan coast guard officials

are also tracking chinese incursions further west. they say a research vessel conducted surveys without permission for the second day in a row. the chinese ship was sailing in japan's exclusive economic zone off the senkaku islands. crew members threw something into the ocean. coast guard officials told them to stop what they were doing, as they didn't have permission. the chinese retrieved an object. an hour later, they threw it in the water again. the ship was still sailing in japan's exclusive economic zone later in the day. it was spotted off of taisho island. japan controls the senkaku islands. the japanese government maintains they are part of japan's territory and china and taiwan also claim them. officials gathered to discuss environmental issues. they held the talks in beijing where water and air pollution are big problems. some 150 experts and government officials took part in the

forum. a senior chinese official says a better environment means a better economy. >> translator: improving the environment will lead to new investment into the country. >> reporter: japan's ambassador to china expressed willingness to use the country's technologies and experiences. >> translator: i believe the achievements of japanese companies will help china conquer environmental problems. >> reporter: an official from southwestern japan explained how his city overcame serious air pollution. and a south korean expert stressed the need for cross border efforts showing at site photos of atmospheric movements. a u.n. resolution denounces human level rights abuses.

japanese delegates co-sponsored the resolution and the text says north korean leaders commit human rights violations that may be crimes against humanity and urges the security council to pasz the issue to the international court and have the perpetrators punished. they say they can't avoid severe counter measures and denounced kishida, he said the resolution reflects grave international concerns over north korea's human rights abuses. a community in australia is recovering from a freak hail storm that bombarded homes and injured residents. the eastern city of brisbane got hit by raging winds and hailstones the size of golf balls. local media say the on slaugt

left 98,000 households without power and left 12 people in the hospit hospital. residents began counting how many homes would kneeled repairs and how much prorlt they would have to replace. weather that causes so much damage only hits once in decades and estimate the cost at 85 million u.s. dollars. indian authorities have tightened security a day after a deadly gun battle. the clash between indian troops and gunmen wearing military uniforms left ten people dead. india and pakistan claim kashmir and they each control different sections of it. patchari raksawong has more. >> reporter: the worst violence in the state in over a year. ten people were killed, including three civilians.

the indian army says fresh gunfire erupted friday while troops searched for remaining militants. india has been accusing pakistan who helped militants and the pakistani government denies the claim. >> translator: the operation is continuing right now. bodies of three civilians killed yesterday have been recovered. and a search operation is on. the battle erupted while a summit of the south asian association was under way in nepal and indian prime minister modi and sharif shook hands for the first time in six months. it happened the day before a visit was planned for a local

election campaign. the polling is divided into five stages and ends on december 20th. the chief minister suggested on twitter it was no coincidence the attack occurred during the summit. observers say the assault was i. sharif attended modi's inauguration in may when they showed a willingness for better ties but dialogue has since stalled. it could become an hurdle in efforts to improve the relationship. the taliban has been escalating attacks in the afghan capital kabul causing sharp rise in civilian deaths and injuries in recent weeks. now, the authorities have tightened security in the diplomatic quarter a day after militants launched a fierce gun battle there. afghan police locked down streets surrounding the area which is home to foreign embassies and compounds housing

international agencies and companies. some senior afghan government officials also live there. the authorities have deployed a heavily armed security force and large numbers of armed vehicles. >> translator: it is not acceptable in islam. the attackers are not muslims. >> reporter: explosions and gunfire bursts ripped through the district on thursday evening. the government confirmed that the target was a guest house, though no foreigners were reported killed. hours earlier, a suicide car bomber struck a british embassy vehicle in another part of the city, killing five people, including a british citizen. more than 30 civilians were injured. the taliban claimed in a text message the attack targeted foreigners. u.s.-led international forces are scheduled to withdraw most of the troops from afghanistan by the end of the year, handing security duties over to afghan

forces. next, we go to indonesia. more commercial facilities are being built inside train stations in the southeast asian country. they can attract many customers and are highly profitable. railway company officials are trying to provide better services for their passengers, but some indonesians are not happy with these changes. nhk world reports. >> reporter: train rails operated by the state run railway criss-cross indonesia with jakarta as the hub. local vendors used to do business on the platforms. residents would flock to the stands for inexpensive food and to take a break from their busy lives. but two years ago, the railway company began kicking the vendors out to modernize the

stations. the familiar stands disappeared from all 65 stations. major fast food chains from abroad began to move in. coffee shops and convenient stores are also replacing the traditional vendors. passengers now have to assess whether stations that looked like this in developed countries. some people are happy with the development, but quite a few miss the vendors who have been part of their lives for so long. >> translator: the food they sell at the new stores is too expensive. >> translator: a woman ran a stand at the station near the university of indonesia for about 20 years, but it was removed without her consent last

year. she didn't get any compensation. she talked about starting a business at other station, but the rent was too high. she is afraid she will soon be unable to support her family. >> translator: we were kicked out because the railway company wants to modernize the stations. that makes me really sad. why are we not allowed to do something that the foreign firms are allowed to do? >> reporter: railway company official says there was no choice. the vendors had to go. >> translator: i know some people are criticizing the move, but in fact, many others have expressed favorable views. the number of passengers

continues to grow. we are just trying to improve our services for them. >> reporter: some young people are helping her restart her business. gery is a law major at the university of indonesia. he used to drop by her stand to get a quick bite on his way to school. he was one of the regular customers. gery and his fellow students support a lawsuit she has filed against the government and state-run railway company. they say the vendors should be allowed to do business at stations. >> translator: the vendors are like our family. many students are eager to help them. we want to make good use of our legal knowledge to help them win the lawsuit. >> reporter: familiar sights are

disappearing from indonesia as its economy continues to grow. but the students don't want the vendors to join the list of vanishing traditions. they want to join them for future generations. nhk world, jakarta. that wraps up our bulletin. i'm patchari raksawong in bangkok. tuna has long been one of the most popular fish to eat in japan. people just can't seem to get enough of it. the fish's future on menus is in question. experts say pacific blue fin tuna is at a high risk of extinction, and it's placed on

the red list. nhk has more. >> reporter: japanese diners are never at a loss for words when it comes to explaining what they think of tuna. >> translator: yummy. >> translator: the taste of blue fin tuna is unexplainable. i love it. >> reporter: but they aren't the only ones who enjoy a tuna dinner. iucn officials say the fish is in demand in countries throughout asia and around the world. this love affair has placed incredible pressure on the species. with fewer large tuna remaining, fishermen are catching younger fish which decreases the species chance for reproduction. recently, officials from 20 countries and regions, including japan, met in the u.s. state of california to discuss measures to help preserve the remaining stocks. they decided to cut the annual catch quota of blue fin tuna by

40% to 3,300 tons in the eastern pacific starting in 2015. they also agreed to try to keep the catch of young fish to less than half of the quota. there's still hope for the fish and for the people who enjoy eating it. tuna farming. japanese trading house has joined forces with a university in the tuna farming business. the first farm-raised blue fin tuna will appear on the market next month. the company plans to triple the combined output by 2020 to 240 tons. >> translator: the campaign to protect wild blue fin tuna is certain to gain momentum. that obviously means demand for sustainably cultivated tuna will grow. >> reporter: efforts to preserve the fish don't stop there.

for the first time, a joint research group from japan and panama is growing yellow fin tuna from eggs. yellow fin tuna is used in canning around the world. the researchers this week showed off young raised in a facility in the village of pedashi. >> translator: a growing number of people in panama are coming to understand and appreciate the significance and future of the project. i look forward to its success. >> reporter: the eventual goal is to farm tuna from eggs. the researchers from kinki university are hoping their technological help will lead to the cultivation of tuna and the preservation of an important and well-loved source of food. nhk world.

japanese actor ken takakura spent his career portraying tough men facing difficult situations. he died earlier this month. now people in china are remembering a man whose characters reflected their hardships during decades of upheaval. >> reporter: when ken takakura died at the age of 83, he has been on chinese screens since the '70s. his performances were a favorite with fans. his first film shown in china was adopted by a production company in shanghai. the company's building houses a movie museum. at one attraction, visitors can try dubbing parts of a takakura film.

>> translator: we recently heard about his death, so we came here today. >> translator: i'm 80, and my wife is 78. i remember we were working hard back then, and takakura's movie impressed us greatly. >> reporter: after his death, state-run tv aired a 25-minute takakura special. a famous newscaster praised the actor. takakura's death was even mentioned at the government's regular press conference. its rare for the reporters briefing to cover anyone other than a politician or other figure of power. >> translator: takakura made an important contribution in promoting cultural ties between the two nations. we offer our condolences.

>> reporter: from the mid 60s to the late 70s, millions of chinese were brutally oppressed under the so-called culture revolution. there was almost no cinema apart from propaganda. takakura's film "hot pursuit" was one of the first the people could see after the revolution. the film is about the prosecutor falsely accused. eventually, he triumphs and punished the crooked mastermind. many chinese identified strongly with takakura. >> translator: everybody turned his collar up like takakura. no matter if he was even wearing a coat, always. takakura's art influenced us. there's no border for art. >> reporter: the duty chair of

the shanghai film association says takakura showed another side of japan. >> translator: the first films after the cultural revolution opened a new window for us. the outside world was more wonderful than we imagined. takakura was one of the most precious visions of what was outside that window. >> reporter: takakura's legacy reached beyond borders and memories of the cultural changes china has been through. nhk world, shanghai. many fans have said a final farewell to takakura in nagasaki where his final movie was shot. a ceremony was held where the crews shot "dearest" three years ago. more than 1,000 movie fans from across the country attended. >> translator: ken takakura's

warmth, kindness and strength will stay here in hirado forever. >> reporter: it started raining when a fishing boat used in the movie was about to set off to scatter flowers offered by mourners. people described the rain as tears of sadness. >> translator: he was a great actor who had a sense of moral obligation, humanity, politeness. i said thank you to him. >> translator: i hope that he may rest in peace. >> reporter: at a ferry terminal nearby, fans remembered takakura by looking at props and costumes used in the film. students at one of china's top university have been learning more about japanese culture. they've been given the first reading room dedicated to manga comics. the japanese ambassador joined

the opening celebration at peking university so did staff from tokyo. they do a lot of research into manga and donated a collection from their library. it gives an insight into subjects such as japanese sports and food and history. students said they are excited about what they can learn. >> reading manga will help us understand japanese society and what young people are thinking. >> manga is a new way for us to conduct research into the japanese language. >> university officials say they keep expanding their collection and hoping to add japanese magazines and anime. >> there's been a meeting of the minds in sorts in tokyo. the master of shogi has sat down

with the former world chess champion. >> reporter: it was a true clash of the titans. kasparov, a former world chess champion, faced off against habu, a master of shogi, or japanese chess. they played two games of rapid chess at the event. at the age of 22, kasparov became the world's youngest champion. he went on to defend his title for 15 years. kasparov was also famous for being the first reigning champion to lose against a supercomputer, deep blue. habu has been a professional and is also a formidable chess player.

one of the best in japan. unlike shogi, when a piece is lost in chess, it's lost for good. toward the end of a chess game, different tactics from shogi are needed. >> translator: it's difficult to come to grips with checkmate in chess. you really have to use your imagination. >> reporter: kasparov defeated habu in style in the first game playing white. in game two, habu put up a good fight, but he was finally overwhelmed. the match was broadcast live over the internet. more than 20 million people visited the site to watch the event. >> translator: i hope exchanges between shogi and chess players will deepen through this event. >> more chess in japan and more shogi outside of japan. >> reporter: this kind of cross promotion helps get more shogi fans in japan interested in the

world of chess and vice versa. habu says he wouldn't be surprised if one day his shogi titles are challenged by foreign players. nhk world. >> here's a brief look at the weather.

a sign of the next animal in the chinese zodiac cycle. 2015 will be the year of the sheep. the shrine in is unesco world heritage site. the shrine's head priest spent a month painting the sheep which symbolizes affluence. >> the sign is so huge, i hope it will bring good luck in the new year. >> that's all we have this hour on "newsline." i'm ross mihara in tokyo. thank you for watching and have a good day.

this week on moyers & company, chevron tried to buy the election. >> as soon as you enter the borders of the town, you see that it's a battleground. you see billboards everywhere. you see signs on every corner and you can tell that someone is really trying very hard to win an election. >> we have a community that is clear that we cannot be bought and that is what the voters said this past tuesday. so it's been a real, real success for grassroots democracy. >> 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