i'm ross mihara in tokyo. you're watching nhk "newsline." negotiators have again given themselves more time. they spent the past two weeks together, now they've extended their deadline for the third time. top diplomats from the u.s. iran and the eu held talks just ahead of the previous deadline. then negotiators from the five permanent members of the u.n. security council plus germany gathered without the iranians. representatives of the u.s. and eu announced the next deadline is monday. british foreign secretary phillip hammond has admitted

slow progress. >> we're making progress. it's painfully slow as you've observed over the last week. but we are making progress. there are still some issues that have to be resolved. >> one sticking point is whether the iranians would allow inspections of military sites where they're suspected of developing nuclear weapons. another is whether the u.n. security council will lift a ban on sales of weapons to iran. the negotiators are due to gather later saturday. india and pakistan are taking full membership of the shanghai cooperation organization. the group consists of russia china and four countries in central asia. leaders gathered with those of five observer states including india, pakistan and mongolia. they agreed to start procedures to promote the indians and pakistanis. they also signed a statement for china's plan to develop an

economic belt along the silk road and remarked on the victories that their countries won 70 years ago in world war ii. russian president vladimir putin said he will visit beijing in september to help commemorate the defeat of japanese militarism. leaders in moscow are increasingly at odds with the government of the united states and countries in europe. analysts say the russians aim to boost the shanghai cooperation organization's influence by strengthening their ties with china, and promoting india and pakistan. vietnamese state media report one of their country's fishing boats have sunk in the south china sea. they say it was rammed by a ship at the islands both countries claim. the newspaper says the boat was operating near the parasol islands. it encountered two chinese ships, it got rammed and went down. it said all 11 crew members got

rescued by vietnamese fishermen working nearby. vietnamese fishing crews have experienced frequent chinese harassment near the parasols. the country's media reports six boats have suffered damage since last month. mission controllers from japan and the united states have been practicing docking ahead of next month's launch of a cargo ship. an unmanned japanese spaceship will lift off on august 16th to take supplies to the international space station. officials from the japan aerospace exploration agency plan to launch a rocket carrying the freighter kounotori-5 from southwestern japan. the transfer vehicle is scheduled to dock with the iss six days later. the media were invited to watch the joint training session with nasa in scuba, north of tokyo. the controllers confirmed procedures to get the freighter to approach the space station. they also practiced instructing

astronauts onboard the iss to use its robotic arm to capture the cargo ship. japan, the united states and russia currently have spacecraft capable of delivering supplies to the iss. but two of the u.s. freighters and a russian one have failed to reach the iss since last october. >> translator: i'll try not to get too excited. i'll keep calm to make our mission a success. >> all four japanese cargo ships have successfully reached the space station. japan's ruling parties are moving to enact security bills that would allow the country to exercise its right to collective self-defense under certain conditions. a lower house special committee is discussing two counterproposals submitted by opposition parties. the japan innovation party submitted one counterproposal and jointly submitted the other with the democratic party. democratic party member hiroshi ogushi explained the party's

stance. >> translator: the government wants to make it possible to exercise the right to collective self-defense to remove mines in the strait of hormuz and protect u.s. vessels around japan. but we don't see the need to change the interpretation of the constitution in order to allow the use of the right. >> ogushi said the contingency scenarios laid out by the government would not constitute imminent, urgent, or substantial danger. sakihito ozawa of the japan innovation party said his party shares the view with the governing coalition that japan should protect the troops of its ally, contributing to japan's security should they come under attack. but he said there are some differences between the government-sponsored bills and his party's proposal. >> translator: the biggest difference is that our proposal focuses on the possibility of an armed attack against japan. it would not include economic crises. as for the nature of the use of force, we don't rule out the possibility that it could be

considered as the use of the right of collective self-defense under international law. >> the ruling liberal democratic party and its coalition partner komeito hope to get the legislation to clear the lower house this month. officials in china's auto industry are reporting data that highlight weak domestic demand. they say sales of new passenger cars fell for the third month in a row. industry representatives report sales last month came in at around 1.8 million units. they say that's a drop of 2.3% from the same month last year. the main reason is a 15% drop of sales in sedans. automakers are cutting their prices in china as the economy slows. more and more customers are putting off purchases in the expectation of more discounts. japanese manufacturers achieved the highest sales by country.

they surpassed their german rivals to gain the biggest share of the market for the first time in six months. the greek government has submitted a structural reform plan to its eurozone partners and it appears to have conceded to many of the partners' demands. the focus now is on how greek citizens will react. the government has not released details, but local media reports the plan includes a review of the country's early retirement system system, and the rise of the pension eligibility age. higher medical payments for pensioners is also reported. value-added taxes will also be raised as the eu wanted, except for the tax on hotel stays. taxes are currently lower for remote islands, but the reform plan will gradually end this tax break by the end of next year. greek prime minister alexis tsipras has apparently conceded the structural reforms to get the massive financial aid the

country needs over the next three years. japanese and u.s. officials have wrapped up their latest round of free trade talks. later this month, the 12 participating nations in the transpacific partnership will resume negotiations. a japanese negotiator said divisive issues remain, and indicated there would be further discussions with u.s. counterparts. the working level negotiators held talks for two days in tokyo. tariffs on farm products including rice beef and pork were high on the agenda. tariffs on cars and auto parts were another topic. negotiators worked on these and other remaining issues ahead of the ministerial talks scheduled to begin in hawaii on july 28th. >> translator: we strive towards our shared goal of finalizing a deal at the next talks. i feel like we have done a lot to prepare for the next meeting.

>> we will be working very hard between now and the ministerial with japan and our other ttp partners to lay the groundwork for a successful ministerial meeting in hawaii. >> the japanese government hopes to reach an agreement with the u.s. and pave the way for political decisions at the trade minister's meeting. japan's minister in charge of the ttp talks is scheduled to meet his u.s. counterpart later this month. the ceo of toshiba allegedly urged executives to pad profits in the company's accounts by postponing the costs. he is said to have instructed employees to do so via e-mails. they noted irregularities, and reportedly said the e-mails suggest top management was involved. tanaka told the investigation his e-mails were not

instructions to conduct irregular accounting. the sources also say toshiba swris chairman gave repeated orders to executive to achieve targets at whatever cost while he served as ceo. sasaki denies such instructions. the panel members are said to compile their reports soon. the sources add that employees were under a lot of pressure. toshiba canceled dividend payments in may. it is expected to revise downward its operating profit by more than $1.2 billion for the five-year period that ended in march this year. residents of japanese

descent have long provided labor for japanese manufacturing. more than 300,000 of them lived in japan at its economic peak. now the number has fallen below 180,000. where have they gone and what are they doing. >> reporter: the city is home to the largest number of japanese brazilians in japan. but even there, things are not what they used to be. the evidence is all around. including a housing complex where many brazilians live. >> translator: many apartments are empty. we never used to see this. >> reporter: there are fewer brazilian children in town. a brazilian school decided to downsize. >> translator: at one time, 30 kids filled up this room. the current situation is quite sad. >> reporter: most of the

brazilians returned to their home country. the economy is expected to grow as next year's olympic games draw near. more than 500 japanese affiliated businesses are aiming to break into the expanding market. this company has been hiring brazilians who have returned from japan. 23 employees have experienced working in japan. the majority of them are employed in full-time supervisory positions. seven years ago, he worked at a factory in japan. his current position employs a high degree of responsibility.

they hope he can use his techniques he learned in japan. >> translator: i want to advance in my job while making continuous improvement. >> reporter: he makes about $2,500 a month. that's six times the average salary at his workplace. >> translator: they used to work at japanese companies. as a result they are able to use their know-how to go above and beyond our requests. >> reporter: other japanese-brazilians have returned in search of different opportunities. pedro is a student at the university foffof sao paulo. he moved to japan at the age of 9. after he dropped out of school he worked as an automobile person, where his parents were

employed. at the time, he thought he had no choice. one day he decided something had to change. >> translator: i wanted to learn about the machinery while i worked. someone said just do your job and don't touch the machines. that really shocked me. >> reporter: he went back to brazil four years ago. he set his heart on what is accepted by the university. these days he said he has no intention of returning to japan. after he graduates. >> translator: i think people from other countries are considered nothing more than laborers in japan. i don't see it getting any better. >> reporter: japan's birth rate means they will continue to rely on workers from overseas. but keeping these workers to

integrate them better into the company and the community. the united states has condemned the thai government for its decision to send uyghur migrants back to china. patchari raksawong in bangkok has more. turkey and china are locked in a diplomatic tug-of-war over the migrants who entered thailand illegally on their way to turkey and other countries. they have offered shelter to the migrants who are strong ethnic and ties to turkey. on wednesday, the thai government returned about 100 uyghurs to china from a military airport in bangkok. the international community responded to the thai government's decision as soon as it announced the extradition. >> we condemn thailand's forced deportation today of over 100 ethnic uyghurs to china where they can face harsh treatment.

and a lack of due process. >> the office of u.n. high commission of refugees also condemned the thai decision. it pointed out that forceable extradition is a violation of international law. a thai government spokesperson told reporters on friday that thailand refused china's request that it send all uyghurs back to china. the country agreed to accept them. the chinese foreign ministry dismissed the criticisms from the international community. >> translator: foreign powers are interfering in china's internal affairs regarding ethnic and religious issues. this is damaging china's internal security. we strongly reject these thoughts which will never succeed. >> uyghurs in china autonomous region have become frustrated by the widening economic and political disparities between themselves and the chinese.

they're also unhappy with china's policies on religion. many uyghurs have left china illegally for years and most head through southeast asia to countries such as turkey. thailand's decision sparked demonstrations in turkey. riot police dispersed about 100 protesters who gathered in front of the chinese embassy in the capital ankara on thursday. in istanbul, protesters attacked the thai honorary consulate. many people in turkey see themselves as sharing a common cultural background with the uyghurs and regard them as brothers. the thai government's decision angered turkey which has been keeping an eye on how the uyghurs are treated in china. thousands of tourists are stranded after a volcanic eruption in indonesia forced authorities to close down five airports on friday, including one on the famous holiday island of bali. mt. raung in east ja spewing lava and ash since late june. the volcano blasted ash and

debris 3,800 meters high. about 230 flights at bali's international airport have been canceled according to the afp news agency. at the airport, hundreds of passengers have been lining up seeking assistance from the information desk. >> i heard there was a volcano, an ash cloud or something, so we haven't heard about it until yesterday. and so we didn't really know what was going to happen until we got here today. >> the closures came during bali's peak tourist season which attracts millions of foreign tourists every year. the 3,300-meter high volcano is one of 130 active volcanoes in the country. the head of vietnam's communist party fuchong will wrap up his official trip to the united states on friday. he's the first top vietnamese leader to visit america 40 years after the vietnam war ended in 1975. the two nations, which were once enemies, are now strengthening their ties.

nhk world's kazuomi reports. >> reporter: he met with president obama at the white house on tuesday. the meeting took place, and it's amid concerns about china's recent activities in the south china sea. china has been claiming land and building military facilities at several locations in the spratly islands. >> we discussed the importance of resolving maritime disputes in the south china sea and throughout the asia-pacific in accordance with international law. >> translator: vietnam and the u.s. were once enemies, but have become friends and partners. i'm convinced the relationship will continue to grow. >> reporter: the u.s. and vietnamese navies held a joint drill. the two nations are

strengthening military ties amid china's growing maritime activities. the moves are thought to be making china nervous. chinese president xi jinping invited nguyen pho trong to beijing for talks to counter the united states influence. china's invasion of vietnam in 1979 sparked war. for over 2,000 years, vietnam and china have engaged in hostilities on many occasions. despite their bitter history, however, the two nations have maintained close relations in the economy and cultural fields. an expert suggests that the obama administration is aware of the complexity of vietnam's position in terms of its relations with china. >> i think the u.s. will try to make sure they don't say things that will be needlessly

irritating to the chinese and hurt the vietnamese more than it would help them. >> reporter: vietnam cannot avoid dealing with china. for vietnam, the united states is becoming increasingly important as a counterweight to china, but vietnam is now facing a tough diplomatic challenge. it requires the country to strike a balance between two major powers, america and china. nhk world, hanoi. that wraps up our bulletin. i'm patchari raksawong in bangkok. many children become infatuated with computer games at an early age. now some educators in japan are trying to help young people transform a hobby into a career path. nhk world's keiko yamamoto has the story.

>> reporter: last month in tokyo, a group of elementary school students took to the stage. they were showing off smartphone applications they had created. >> translator: my game is called battle rpg. >> reporter: 80 children took part. the projects include drawing apps and battle games. >> translator: it's fun to use my imagination to create games. >> reporter: more than 200 elementary school students attend programming classes that were launched by an i.t. company. university students help out. organizers want to familiarize children with programming to nurture their talent. they aim to address the growing qualified programmers. >> translator: we hope as many children as possible will not just approach i.t. as a game, but go on to master it, and see the many possibilities it

presents. it could affect their career choices. >> reporter: the students use software that spells out commands in illustrative blocks to guide them through the complex steps involved. the children combine commands to learn the basic concepts of programming. take these blocks, for example. they say, when the right arrow key is pressed, it will change x by 10. and when the student presses the key, the cat moves to the right. the children get excited when they see their work come to life on the screen. some move on to more advanced programs in about three months. this boy must learn the necessary mathematical skills to

create a program for a slot machine game. these are skills he cannot acquire in school. >> translator: the more difficult the project, the greater my sense of achievement. >> reporter: koutaro likes to play video games. he's been taking programming classes for over a year. he worked on the game that involved escaping from a locked room. >> translator: hey, why did it move? >> reporter: the character he placed at the center of the screen keeps moving. he's easily bored with things he has no interest in, but he was so determined to complete this project, that he spent 90

minutes working out the solution. >> translator: good for you. you found it. >> translator: i couldn't finish it today, but i'm happy it's almost done. >> translator: he appears to have realized he can get things done if he tries. he's more disciplined. he used to have a tough time sticking with activities, but he's learned to work hard. i'm glad i took him to the class. >> reporter: there are now more than 50 programming schools for children throughout japan. the number has more than tripled in the past few years, and many in the i.t. industry are hoping that these eager, young students will become tomorrow's talented professionals. keiko yamamoto, nhk world. here's a quick look at the

weather. giant pandas are some of the world's most fascinating vegetarians. scientists have long wondered how they survive on bamboo, which is low in nutrients. a group of researchers say they found the answer -- an extremely slow metabolism. the team includes researchers from chinese and british institutions.

they have published their findings in the u.s. magazine "science." they studied five pandas in captivity and three in the wild. they found the bears burn less than half the energy of a mammal of similar size. the pandas' internal organs are relatively small and require less energy. thick fur helps keep in body heat. the researchers say the slow metabolism is linked to genetics. pandas have a mutation in a gene essential to producing thyroid hormones. the scientists found the hormone levels were about half of what they expected, and lower than other species of bears during hibernation. the article says these factors work together to allow pandas to live on a simple diet. that's all we have this hour on "newsline." thank you for watching, and have a good day.

anchor: hello and welcome to "global 3000." product piracy is not just a problem for global fashion houses. in a moment, we'll hear from a textile producer in ghana who

feels the same pain as the guccis and pradas of this world. and here's what's coming up over the next half-hour. taxes are boring?! meet african trainees who want to change their country though -- through better administration. education is key -- how an indonesian social entrepreneur is giving young people hope and opportunity. and habitat alarm -- how mayan villagers in mexico are trying