welcome to nhk world "newsline". i'm ross mihara. japan's prime minister met with one of the toughest opponents elected for the platform protesting the move. the first face-to-face encounter only underscored the gap between the central and local governments. nhk world reports. >> reporter: governor onaga travelled from southern prefecture of okinawa to shinzo

abe's office. onaga was elected in november and since then has been trying to secure a meeting with abe before the prime minister's end of april summit with the u.s. president. >> translator: during last year's elections people in okinawa showed an overwhelming opposition to the relocation plan. but neither side is willing to budge over the matter. >> translator: we believe the relocation of the base to this district is our only option. we will continue to clearly explain our position and try our best to gain understanding. >> reporter: futenma air station is located in a densely populated urban area. abe wants to move it to the coastal district to minimize the risk of accidents. but onaga argues the base should

not be relocated inside a prefecture. okinawa hosts more than 70% of the u.s. military facilities in japan. dozens gather near the proposed site of the new base in protest. >> translator: there are so many bases on such a small island. we are overwhelmed. >> translator: our wish is simple. okinawa doesn't need any military base. >> reporter: onaga meanwhile wants abe to take a message to washington. >> translator: there are differences in ways of thinking so we remain as far apart as ever. but the discussion itself was meaningful. i asked the prime minister to tell president obama that the people in okinawa are clearly opposed to the relocation. >> reporter: the top government spokesperson weighed in.

>> translator: i think the two sides had a candid exchange of views. >> reporter: central government officials say they will continue to move ahead with their plans. they are proceeding with a drilling survey and will start the process of land reclamation this summer. abe will travel to the u.s. to meet obama later this month. while still trying to break the deadlock at home. nhk world. the operator of the crippled fukushima daiichi plant released new foot angage taken inside a containment vessel. the video clearly shows there is water at the bottom of the vessel. last friday tokyo electric power company sent its first remote controlled survey robot into the number one reactor which underwent a meltdown in 2011. the robot came to a halt inside the reactor. on wednesday, the utility sent

in a second one. the second robot moved along a passageway around the inner wall of the containment vessel in a clockwise direction, it recorded the damage and measured radiation levels. this video taken by the robot. the camera looks down through slits in the floor of the passageway. the black section is the water. it's reflecting light from the robot. judging from the reflection, the water surface appears to be 2.8 meters above the bottom of the vessel. this tallies with the results of past readings. the footage shows severe deterioration to the exterior of various equipment. the surface of the passageway is badly rusted. tepco officials say the coating on the metal surfaces may have peeled off due to extreme heat when the meltdown occurred. >> top trade negotiators from gentleman fan and the united states are getting ready to talk. they are hoping to push towards

an agreement that's vital for the trans pacific partnership free trade pact. they want to show progress before shinzo abe and barack obama meet later this month. the minister leading the japanese team says he'll spend sunday and monday talking in tokyo with u.s. trade representative michael froman. >> translator: i want to make it possible for the leaders of the two countries to say at their summit that they welcome the progress made in our tpp talks. that's my goal. >> japanese and u.s. officials held three levels of discussions through friday and talked about issue including the amount of american rice japan would import and u.s. tariffs on cars and auto parts. the officials made some progress and says that's why he decided

to meet with froman. >> japanese government officials have drawn up bills that will outline situation that is would justify exercising the right to collective self-defense. for decades they agreed japan has that right, but they interpreted the constitution as forbidding its use. now, prime minister abe is pushing to expand the role of the self-defense forces. members of the ruling coalition are focusing on the definition of armed attacks that would fall under the collective self-defense umbrella. one of the bills stipulates that would include armed attacks against closely related countries and circumstances when japan would be in clear danger and rights of its citizens threatened. lawmakers with the ruling democratic partner, demanded one more stipulation. they want revised bills under which japan can use force when there is no appropriate

alternative. >> a prominent journalist has sentenced to seven years in prison. officials claimed she leaked state secrets. yu stood accused of giving a communist party document it a foreign website. her lawyer says she'll appeal. her supporters gathered in front of the court and demanded her release. police kept them back. they also erased videos taken by foreign reporters. diplomats from more than ten countries say authorities rejected their request to attend the trial. she was deputy editor of a newspaper in 1989 during the pro-democracy protest in tiananmen square and publicly supported demonstrators and later served two prison sentences. still she continue to call for democratization and freedom of speech and won the world press freedom prize in 1987. china watchers have been analyzing her latest conviction and said the xi jinping administration is restricting

freedom of speech by punishing intellectuals who advocate democratization. police have shot dead two people on the border of vietnam. officers suspected both were members of a group trying to leave the country illegally. the state-run china national radio reports police found the group in the border city of dongxing. two members got away. officers tracked them down hours later and shot them when they fought back. chinese authorities say many citizens cried to cross into vietnam illegally. they say they caught more than 1,200 from may to january. most of those people are thought to be members of the uighur enin this case min -- ethnic minority. officials say uighurs who leave illegally could join islamic militants and then return home and launch terror attacks. friday marked 40 years since khmer rouge forces marched into

the capital. patchari raksawong is following the story. >> the takeover marks the beginning of what would become the worst ever atrocities in modern southeastern asian history. by 1975 indochina has been torn apart by decades of unrest. in cambodia communist forces rolled in where they toppled the pro-u.s. government. in the years that followed more than 1.7 million cambodians died from torture, starvation or forced labor. the entire country turned into what became known as the killing fields. on friday, a group of people gathered to remember the victims at a memorial service. it was one of the most notorious execution grounds in cambodia. >> translator: i come here today to pray and offer good blessings to those who were killed during

the khmer rouge regime under pol pot. >> millions of cambodians were forcibly relocated after the fall. many of them were never seen again. one of the disappeared happened to be the friend of a japanese professor who refused to give up searching for him. when the professor finally uncovered what happened to his friend, the answer was not what he hoped to hear. but at least he has achieved a sense of closure. we report from phnom penh. >> the two men met at graduate school in yokohama 40 years ago. one was studying economics but a year and a half after the follow of phnom penh he decided to return home. he had to suspend his academic career in japan. the other man became a professor at another university. he was worried about his friend's whereabouts and decided to track down his old friend

several years ago. >> translator: i just wanted to look for him in the hope of finding him alive. that's how i felt. >> reporter: documenting the university archives reveals why he decided to go back to cambodia despite the political confusion. he wrote he was returning because the country was attempting to rebuild itself. he said it was a crucial moment for him as well. the cambodian student had a strong sense of mission, must have had misgivings but returned home at the urging of the new revolutionary government. >> translator: he kept telling me he was worried about his family and his country. >> reporter: the khmer rouge regime forced ahead with extreme social reforms. people from cities and the intellectuals were viewed as enemies of the revolution.

they were sent to the countryside to do forced labor. many of them were massacred. he visited cambodia several times to try to find his friend, but he wasn't successful. he came across some important information last autumn. the records kept at the museum in phnom penh, he discovered his friend had been one of those prisoners. the three volume deposition said his friend engaged in anti-government activities. nearly all the prisoners were tortured in to making

confessions and then killed. >> translator: he returned to cambodia hoping to see his family again and to help rebuild his country. but his wishes could not be fulfilled. he must have had deep regrets. i'm sure he was living in pain every day. it's such a tragedy. >> reporter: he has been supporting cambodians studying in japan for the past four years. >> translator: i just want to be part of something my friend would have dedicated himself to if he were still alive. be a bridge between cambodia and japan. >> reporter: he hopes to relay his friend's passion to help with his country's reconstruction to a new generation. nhk world. experts at a british research organization say china is making a full-out effort

complete an airstrip on a reef in the south china sea. the reef is located in the spratly islands which are at the center of a dispute involving china and several southeast asian countries, including the philippines and vietnam. researchers at ihs defense weekly says they've analyzed satellite images of the island. the photos were taken on march 23rd. the experts say the images confirm that china has begun to pave the runway on a reclaimed part of the reef. the reclaimed land measures about three kilometers long and several hundred meters wide. the experts say that the runway could eventually measure 3,000 meters in length based on the extent of reclamation. they say that china is also increasing its reclamation work elsewhere in the islands on subi reef. the experts say the country could be planning to build another runway in the area. a chinese official defends the

work in the south china sea. >> translator: the relevant construction is being conducted within china's sovereign territory. it is reasonable, understandable, and legal, and it is not targeting or affecting any other country. we hope relevant countries and relevant sides can put it into perspective. >> china is expanding the number of reclamation projects on seven reefs in the islands. the country's activities have aroused fierce opposition in the philippines which also claim sovereignty over the reefs. last week at talks in germany foreign ministers of the group of seven nations expressed great concern over china's activities. and that will wrap up our bulletin in bangkok. emerging economic powers still struggling with poverty. emboldened citizens still demanding democracy, the threat of violence and push for peace

and shadow of conflict of the get news and insight every weekday live from bangkok only on nhk world "newsline." the editor of "time" have named the 100 most influential pim people of 2015. two japanese people have made the cut. one is a writer who sold millions of books and other helped people clear the clutter from their homes. the u.s. weekly magazine has publish its annual list of movers and shakers, one is japanese novelist murakami. yoko ono contributed an article on his literary achievements. and wrote that he has enthralled millions of readers and while he spends much of his time in the u.s. and has earned international acclaim, he and his books are very much a product of japan. also on the list is organizing

consultant marie kondo, she wrote a book titled the life changing magic of tidying up and sold over 600,000 copies in the u.s. and made her a household name. they focused on her unique recommendations for organizing living space. for example she says possessions that no longer spark joy in the heart should be thrown out. but with a sense of gratitude for having once served a purpose. more people in the u.s. are living in smaller quarters and they find her tips useful. an event to promote her methods was held in los angeles. >> very excited, it's an easy read, it's simple, everybody can follow it. >> i almost think she brings some sort of like sexiness to organizing. >> "time's" editors selected kim jong-un, his name to be on the list for five years in a row as an example of negative influence. japanese government

officials are trying to find ways to deal with a demographic downturn. the population is aging and shrinking. and new data reveals a steady decline. nhk world reports. >> reporter: officials with the internal affairs ministry estimate that as of october 2014 the population stood at 127.1 million and say it's a 0.70% drop from the previous year. and it's the fourth straight year of decline. the data reveals children under 14 account for less than 13% of the population, hitting a record low for the second straight year. the number of people aged 65 or over makes a record high 26% of the population.

and number of people considered working age is about 61%, a significant decrease. the crisis is hitting the rural areas the hardest. government officials in central japan have seen more people moving out than moving in for nearly two decades. officials plan to introduce the program designed to lure in a younger generation. they are offering allowances to young couples to help them settle. >> translator: we hope more households will come and live here to raise their children. we aim to strengthen the population measures. >> reporter: many local governments across japan have taken similar measures, results of an nhk survey suggest roughly $16 billion have been allocated to such programs. the money will be used to

revitalize local economies and keep residents from moving away and encourage more people to settle. some local governments have been forced to scale back on discontinued existing programs in order to fund these measures. an economist is optimistic about the country's future population. he says the most important thing is to boost financial assistance to help families with children. >> municipalities should reduce unnecessary spending and allocate the allowance for programs and such measures will help stop the population decline. >> reporter: officials with the internal affairs ministry say the country's population will likely continue to decline for some time. the pressing issue is how governments will balance budgets for child rising with other important costs.

>> government officials believe japanese people are becoming more inclined to loosen purse strings. consumer sentiment improved in march for the fourth straight 41.7 up 0.8 points from the previous month. it is based on a monthly cabinet survey of 8400 households of two or more people. officials say the improvement is attributed to pay raises as well as the improving job market. the cabinet office revised upward the assessment of consumer confidence for march. assessment went from showing signs of recovery to recovering. regarding the price outlook for a year from now, 87.8% of households said they expect prices to go up. that's up 0.5 points from the previous month. workers at major firms in japan won the biggest pay raises in 21 years this spring. many offered record level base pay hikes as earnings improved. the japan business federation is

compiling figures from annual wage negotiations and data were available from 62 large firms as of thursday. they gave an average increase in pay of $71.4. or 2.59% in yen terms, the biggest increase since 1994. by industry auto sector workers got the largest pay raise, up $82.6 on average, up 2.91%. officials say businesses posting increased earnings likely decided to raise pay to encourage a positive cycle. analysts are focusing whether the move will spread to small and mid-sized businesses. >> even people who don't drink tea may have heard how it's prepared and presented in japan the ceremonies take place in a sparsely decorated traditional tea house meant to focus the mind. one of the country's most

renowned designers set out to open it all up. >> reporter: the new design juts out from a temple in one of japan's oldest cities, kyoto. it brings the outside in and the inside out. the tea house is made of glass. >> translator: it doesn't look like traditional architecture. >> translator: tea houses never look like this, i wonder why it's transparent. >> reporter: the conventional approach involves establishing a haven from the outside world. the floor is typically covered with tatami mats and greenery is restricted to a single flower or leaf. the minimalism concentrates the senses and allowing participants to feel seasons and transitory

nature. the glass tea house looks open all around. it's a dramatic style in departure from the norm. he is responsible for the see-thru approach and recognized worldwide for designs that emphasize the invisible, using unconventional materials. >> translator: people might look at this and think i've turned the tea ceremony around but it's not as different as it might seem. the image that came to me is a space where people can experience the essence of this country's culture, a rich sensory appreciation of nature. and it ended up taking the form of a glass teahouse. >> reporter: he chose glass because he wanted to liberate the structure from the usual tatami and clay and flowers and relied on another tool for

stimulating the senses, light. the glass on the floor shows patterns that were created when the material became solid. they shimmer like waves when the sun shines on them. a prism in the corner of the ceiling refracts the light. >> translator: rainbow colors appear when a prism is exposed to the sun. you can imagine a beautiful flower of light blooming. >> reporter: the day of the inaugural tea ceremony was the occasion of a coming out party for the tea house. mild spring sun light showered the tea master and guests. >> translator: i felt the beauty of nature while holding the tea ceremony in this environment. it was like floating on a cloud

high in the sky. >> reporter: time passes and light varies by the moment, trans muting the surroundings. >> translator: nature is constantly in a state of change, just being in nature isn't important. the point is for people to feel the transitions of nature with their entire bodies. >> the glass tea house will reflect japan's changing seasons from now on. and next year, yoshioka intends to show case the structure in another setting. he plans to transport it abroad in the spring. now the weekend weather forecast.

that's all we have for now on "newsline." i'm ross mihara in tokyo. thank you for watching and have a good day.

>> his name is synonymous with television journalism with a partner of 20 years, robert macneil helped redefine evening newscast and brought in-depth discussion of current affairs to the american public. a former marine he has been called the "dean of moderators" for having conducted almost a dozen presidential debates. he has received an emmy award, a

national humanities medal and was inducted into the television hall of fame. beneath it all beats the heart of a young boy who loves telling stories and he's published two dozen novels plays and memoirs. >> hello, i'm ernie manouse. coming up our conversation with the executive editor and former anchor of "news hour" on pbs, journalist and author jim lehrer.