thank you for joining us on this edition of "newsline." i'm raja pradhan in tokyo. south korean health authorities say people suffering from mers contracted the disease at the same hospital and they have issued a warning. >> translator: people who visited st. mary's hospital between may 15th and the 25th for any reason, please call the ministry of health and welfare hotline. >> the ministry officials say 30 of the 41 confirmed mers patients can be traced back to the hospital.

it's the first time since the outbreak came to light that the name of the hospital has been made public. the officials say conditions inside the hospital may have made people vulnerable to infections. they say the room where the mers patient was admitted was inadequately ventilated. the corona virus was detected in an air conditioner in the hospital. the president visited the hospital where mers patients are being quarantined. the president offered words of encouragement to the staff and pledged efforts to contain the virus. the government says it's quarantined about 1600 people in a move to contain the outbreak. four people have died of the disease. world health organization officials say they'll send a team of experts to south korea. japan's prime minister shinzo abe says the region in central japan will host next year's summit of leading nations. eight parts of the country were in the running to welcome the delegates.

>> translator: i chose the ise-shima region because it's a place where world leaders can enjoy the beautiful nature and the rich cultural heritage of japan. >> the cities of ise and shima are in the southeastern part of the prefecture. they face the pacific ocean. the area is famous for its natural beauty and historical sites. members of the imperial family as well as the prime minister and other government leaders often visit the ancient ise shrine. it draws 10 million visitors every year. the ise-shima summit is likely to take place on the small island. local officials say it would be easy to secure the safety of the leaders there. residents in the region welcomed the announcement. >> translator: really? that's great news. i hope the summit will vitalize the region. >> translator: i hope the summit will be a great success.

>> abe made the announcement just before he left for ukraine and germany. he'll attend the group of seven summit on sunday and monday in the southern german resort. g-7 leaders are set to discuss everything from climate change to the global economy. nhk sat down with this year's chairperson. to discuss what progress see hopes to see on key issues for japan. nhk reports. >> reporter: german chancellor angela merkel spoke with nhk on thursday in berlin. she says finding a way to resolve the russia/ukraine conflict is on the top of the agenda. >> translator: we will, of course, discuss how to address this situation in ukraine. japan is located beyond russia but we are close on this issue. we'll also discuss other important issues including efforts to eradicate terrorism.

>> merkel gave her thoughts on another dispute, issues of sovereignty over islands involving china and its neighbors. >> translator: we're facing lots of wars and military conflicts such as the war in syria. i expect all the parties involvedn the south china sea disputes to fine a way to solve them peacefully. >> reporter: but she says this meeting is more about diplomacy, nhk obtained a draft of the summit declaration. it said the global economy is on a path to recovery but faces challenges. the leaders will pledge to create reliable, sustainable and viable conditions for economic growth. they will strive to wrap up negotiations on free trade agreements, including the trans pacific partnership deal. merkel also spoke about this year's 70th anniversary of the end of world war ii.

>> translator: germans have dedicated themselves to confront their past and we've also made a lot of effort to be a good partner to our neighbors. i think japan has been following similar steps. >> the leaders will meet in the southern german resort on sunday and monday. nhk world. top officials with japan's ruling little rab democratic party are defending security bills that would expand the role of the country's self-defense forces. some scholars have called the bills unconstitutional. opposition members are grilling the government over the issue. >> translator: given the fact that three academics called the bills unconstitutional at the lower house panel yesterday, i think that the government should withdraw them. what do you think?

>> translator: the right to collective self-defense will be limited to the minimum extent necessary to protect the country and its people. it would never be used for the sole purpose of defending other countries. >> nakatani said the proposed legislation will remain within the boundaries of the constitution. the ldp's vice president also defended the bills. he claimed constitutional law scholars tend to be too strict about the wording of japan's basic law. >> translator: the right of collective self-defense is allowed solely for the protection of our country. it falls within the legal principles and logic set down by the supreme court. >> koumura signaled that the coalition will try to enact the

bills during the current diet session. lawmakers heard opinions from three academics on thursday. the scholars said the proposed legislation is unconstitutional because it would allow japan to exercise its right to collective self-defense. one of the professors was invited to speak by the ruling coalition. crews on china's river continue the search for hundreds of people still missing from a capsized cruise ship. authorities have now confirmed 103 deaths. the ship overturned on monday night in a storm. 456 passengers and crew members were on board. 14 were rescued. state run china central television says cranes have managed to bring the vessel upright. authorities plan to begin searching for those still unaccounted for but there's little hope anyone will be found alive. they're planning to collect dna samples from family members to help identify bodies.

officials in malaysia say the earthquake on friday killed a number of climbers. they also say more than 130 who got stranded have made it to shelter. the mountain is one of southeast asia's highest peaks and popular tourist destination. footage posted online shows what appears to be a landslide. it's believed to have been shot right after of the quake. the 4,095 meter mountain stands north of the island of borneo. a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck friday morning with its epicenter in that area. state officials say 137 climbers including foreigners had been stranded. they say those people have reached shelter at an altitude of about 3200 meters. the mountain is considered sacred by the island's indigenous people. the park is listed as a unesco

world heritage site. government officials in thailand declared june 5th as national anti-human trafficking day. the interim prime minister vowed to eradicate the heinous trade. the announcement came amid growing appeals from the international society to crack down on human trafficking. he stressed the government would do its best to tackle the issue. thailand is getting a dishonorable reputation as the main staging point for human trafficking in southeast asia. >> translator: the government is united and seriously committed to the fight against human trafficking. we will be resolute in our efforts to stop and punish the traffickers. >> since may 10th more than 3,000 migrants on boats have landed in indonesia and malaysia. many of them are a member of a minority in myanmar who had

suffered persecution in the mainly buddhist country. they were trying to reach muslim countries through thailand. but police have been tightening down their crackdown on the practice. lieutenant general of the royal thai army was arrested on wednesday after turning himself in to police. he is facing multiple charges including human trafficking and illegal detention and ransoming. the interim prime minister suppressed his intention to eradicate human trafficking. >> translator: officials found to be involved in human traffi disciplinary penalties and be interrogated and put through legal procedures. >> human rights groups have been criticizing thai authorities for their tacit approval of human trafficking and occasional complicity. more than 50 people, including mayor of a southern city have been arrested in the crackdown. the chinese communist party says the leader of myanmar's

largest opposition party, aung san suu kyi, will visit china five days next week. >> translator: this will be a significant visit for interparty exchanges between china and myanmar. we hope the visit will foster understanding on both sides and that it will move bilateral relations forward in a variety of fields. >> >> aung san suu kyi's national league of democracy or nld says this will be her first official visit to china. china has been strengthening ties with myanmar's government since the country was under military rule. the opposition nld is expected to make big gains in the next general election scheduled for november.

japanese government are highlighting the lingering impact of the fukushima nuclear accident. they say radioactive materials at the reactors released four years ago is still japan's biggest environment catastrophe. staff at released their annual white paper. they say some parts of the country report high levels of radiation. they say communities near the crippled nuclear plan are suffering depopulation and the economic damage resulting from rumors and misinformation. the ministry staff proposed ways to help those communities recover. they urged municipalities to generate more power from renewable sources and they suggest using some of the revenue to support businesses that help evacuumies move back. members of an international environmentalist group have given japan an award that doesn't come with bragging rights. they have given a satirical

fosse of the say for what they say is a weak target for cutting greenhouse gas emissions. the ngo climate action network international announces the award to the country it negative li jen in responding. -- >> what we think is that japan needs to recover discover that leadership if it wants to be heard on the world stage and create a climate agreement in its national interests. >> japanese officials zaded on tuesday they will aim to cut its emissions by 26% from 2013 levels by the year 2030. the group thinks the target is not sufficient, and they say japan funds cashon-intensive coal projects in developing countries. a jpz government delegate to the u.n. meeting said the nation's new reduction goal is ambitious enough to be accepted internationally. staff at one of japan's newest hospitals have reported

the latest in a string of patient deaths. they opened their doors in november and have since lost five liver transplant paigs patients of the they suspended the prigs operations earlier this year and resumed them with promises of improvements. officials at kobe international frontier medical center say a man with liver cancer died after a transplant surgery. they suspended the operations in april at the urging of the medical association because they had lost four patients in four months. they resumed the surgery this is week with help from doctors they drafted from outside. the man who died was the first person they gave a liver transplant after they got back to work. the hospital director said staff made thorough preparation force the operation. he says they told the patient and his family the success rate was about 50%. he says he feels a heavy responsible for not fulfilling the patient's wish to live with his family.

hospital staff say they will still perform liver transplants if patients want them. kobe city officials say they will conduct an on site inspection as early as monday. in another news a key indicator of japan's economic health rose in april for the first time in three months. the coincident index is based on corporate production, employment, consumer spending and other data. officials at the cabinet office say the preliminary figure for april stood at 111.1. that's up 1.9 points from march. the base reading of the index was set at 100 in 2010. officials say sales of clothe food and beverages improved from a slump the consumption tax hike in april last year. shipments of smart phone parts to other asian countries were also strong. the officials left their overall assessment of the index unchanged at improving. the leading index, which projects the health of the economy a few months ahead was

at 107.2 in april. that's up 1.2 points from march. now over in the united states people are against seeing more chances -- again seeing more chances to work. data for last month show employers created over 200,000 openings for two months in a row. u.s. labor department officials say employers added 280,000 nonfarm jobs in may. that's the biggest increase since december. average hourly wages also rose 2.3% from a year earlier. the unemployment rate rose from 5.4% to 5.5. analysts say that's because more people including new college graduates, have entered the job market. policy makers at the federal reserve have mentioned it would be appropriate to raise its interest rates before the end of the year. they highlighted expansion of the u.s. economy, including an improvement in employment figures and the inflation rate.

>> a group of volunteers in syria is risking their lives to help save others. they are among those caught in a bloody civil war that's claimed the lives of thousands of people. the rescue workers have taken a job that puts them on the front lines of the fighting. nhk world has the details. . >> reporter: a baby can be heard crying under this rubble. the baby is pulled out alive. he's just 2 weeks old. the rescuers are from a group called the white helmets. they rush into action immediately after a bomb

explodes. the assad regime is targeting all areas held by the anti-government forces. there are no functioning police, fire, or ambulance services. there are about 2,300 white helmet volunteers. since 2013, they have saved almost 18,000 lives. they rescue anyone they can, whether they're syrians, assad soldiers, or islamic state militants. sometimes they get caught in air raids as they work. >> translator: i'm okay. go help those people over there.

>> reporter: almost 90 helmets have lost their lives so far. last month a team travelled to neighboring turkey for training. this recreates something that has become familiar to syrian people. the members of the white helmets are being trained about how to save lives of those caught up in the civil war. also, the white helmets are unpaid volunteers their numbers are growing. >> translator: i used to be a barber. i volunteered because i was seeing women and children getting killed right in front of my eyes almost every single day. >> translator: my own family is now safe in turkey, but there are syrian people who need help. i consider everyone in syria as members of my family.

>> reporter: many of the volunteers are in their 20s. but one, muhammad, is 44 years old. he used to work at the hospital, but then his son, ahmad, was killed working as a white helmet. ahmed died last october in an air raid while trying to rescue a bedridden william from a building. he was only 22. >> translator: i'm proud of my son. i volunteered because i want to continue the mission that he gave his life for. >> reporter: muhammad trains hard with the younger members to acquire skills he'll need during real operations. >> translator: i'm fed up with this situation. so many syrians are killing each other, losing their homes, and

becoming refugees. the one thing i can do is to help save as many lives as possible. >> reporter: hundreds of days of fighting, but the while helmets vow they'll continue their dangerous mission. nhk world. the investigation into the off field conduct of fifa is spreading. the head of ireland's football association says fifa shelled out millions of dollars to stop legal action over the country's defeat in world cup qualifiers in 2009. the chief executive of the football association of ireland says the deal was worth $5 million. john delaney made the claim in a radio interview. on the irish state broadcaster rte. he said the payment was a good deal for his association.

>> it was a payment for the association not proceed with a legal case. >> fifa officials say they provided the money as a loan for the construction of a stadium. at the say the deb was later written off. ireland was knocked out by france in a qualifier for the 2010 world cup in south africa. the irish association protested an illegal handball by a french striker. that set up the decisive goal in extra time. the referee did not call a foul. irish officials demanded fifa replay the match or allow the team to play in south africa. but their demand was rejected. fifa's problems come as soccer fans gear up for this weekend's kickoff of the women's world cup in canada. japan's national team is there, and they're getting down to business in defending their championship. more from nhk world's reporter. >> reporter: a plane arrived in vancouver on monday. and out stepped the japanese

team nicknamed nadeshko japan. 6:the game we play against, switzerland in its first match of the world cup. about 30 japanese fans welcomed the team at the airport. the japanese team has grabbed the attention of international media, including the host nation canada and their upcoming opponent switzerland. >> i saw some of the players playing, so i think they'll have a good chance to go very far in this tournament. >> reporter: in the last world cup, four years ago, the team's quick passes and unified defense led it to victory. but the world power houses have been carefully studying japan's

techniques. that means they will face some challenges in the upcoming tournament. the players have to keep a watchful eye on germany in first place, the u.s. in second, and france in third. the coach says he wants his team to get the better of these strong opponents. the japanese players are known for their quick passes and their domination of the ball. he is aiming to supplement the strengths with the ability to speak to a more offensive type. the player who holds the key to a possible vick tee is this 36-year-old, a veteran soon to be playing in her sixth world cup.

she was the top scorer and most valuable player in the last world cup. she was the driving force behind japan's win. this will be her first time on the field in a year. but she has a strong presence and there are high hopes for her in both defense and offense. >> translator: we're honored that people are paying special attention to japan's team. we hope we can meet high expectations. >> translator: we want to play to the best of our ability, and we're confident in our preparation. we shouldn't rest on our laurels following our success in the previous tournament. we are hoping for a good result. >> reporter: the japanese women's team says the first match will be important.

they want to make a good start by winning the game so this year too, they can lift the world cup trophy up high. nhk world, vancouver. >> best of luck to japan in their first match. next, here's a three-day outlook on the world weather.

>> all it took was twenty seconds. the earth shook, and when it stopped shaking everything was different -- even the height of the world's tallest mountain had changed. two weeks after nepal's devastating earthquake, we take stock of the ongoing humanitarian crisis. welcome to global 3000, where we have the following stories coming up. nepal after the quake: remote communities still cut off from aid biodiversity in armenia: a poor country's struggle to save its ecological riches and welcome to the radio school: if you can't go to it, then it