glad to have you with us on this edition of "newsline." i'm raja pradhan with the news in tokyo. japanese prime minister shinzo abe says the government will review plans to construct the main stadium for the 2020 tokyo olympic and paralympic games. the upward revision of the construction costs has sparked criticism. >> translator: i've decided to review the current plans for the new national stadium, which will serve as the site for the 2020 olympic and paralympic games. we will review the plan from scratch. >> abe made the announcement after he met the head of the

tokyo organizing committee. education and sports minister and minister in charge of the tokyo games also attended the meeting. the government announced last month that the construction of the new national stadium will cost $2 billion, about $700 million more than the initial estimate. that triggered calls for a review of the plan. until last month the former prime minister served as the chairman of the japan rugby union. he said some people claimed the plan was given the go-ahead despite criticism because the construction had to be completed in time for hosting the 2019 rugby world cup. he said the rugby championship can be held at different venues. the education and sports minister says contractors for the stadium will be selected within about six months. he says the government aims to complete a new stadium by mid-2020 because it will take

more than 15 months after its blue print is drawn up. the architect won an international competition to design the stadium. a spokesman for her office said the cost increases are not due to the design. and said in tokyo, there are steep annual increases in construction costs. her office said the design uses standard materials and techniques well within the capability of japanese contractors, and meets the proposed budget. the rising price tag for the new stadium has triggered much debate. nhk world has the report. >> translator: the purpose of the competition was to choose the idea for the main stadium. i don't think there was a thorough debate on the cost. >> reporter: ando chairs the committee that chose the design. he said he assumes the designer and japanese planning team would hash out the construction and cost details.

the stadium one was one of the main selling points in tokyo's olympic bid. it was designed by a british architect. the initial cost estimate was about $1 billion. the daring design featured two huge arches that require specialized advanced technology and materials. that means it will be extremely expensive to build. the cost of the entire stadium ballooned to nearly double the initial estimate. >> translator: it will cost about $2 billion. >> reporter: that's almost five times the cost of the main stadium for the 2012 london olympics. and it exceeds the total cost for the main stadium for the last five olympics. prime minister abe was initially reluctant to review the stadium plans. >> translator: i've been told that there's not enough time

before the 2020 tokyo olympics to hold another international competition to come up with a new design. >> reporter: the plan drew criticism, not only from within political circles, but also from the public. >> translator: i think it's too expensive. it's beyond comprehension. >> translator: i wonder if we need a stadium this big. after the olympics are over, how will we use it, and who will pay to maintain it? >> reporter: an nhk poll released this week reflects public discontent. about four-fifths of respondents said they disapprove of going forward with the current construction plan. abe's decision to revise a plan may help to appease some critics. but the stadium debate has kept a shadow over tokyo's golden olympic dreams.

a tropical storm has swept through western japan, causing floods and landslides. the storm nangka killed at least four people, and left dozens injured. police believe two people died after they fell into canals. they say a woman was found dead at the foot of a slope and seems to have fallen. a man died while wind surfing. nearly 60 people were injured. more than 20 buildings were destroyed or damaged. at one point authorities told 100,000 people to evacuate to shelters. nearly 200 domestic flights were canceled mainly in western japan. weather officials say the air mass over japan appears to be unstable because of the storm. they're warning of strong winds, storm surges, and tornadoes. japanese officials have regained a religious symbol that got spirited abroad. they've been pressing authorities in south korea to

give up two stolen buddhist statues. and now they're bringing one home. it's registered in japan as an importantly natural cultural asset. it got stolen three years ago from a shrine. so did a statue at a nearby temple. both later turned up in south korea. prosecutors there said earlier this week they had arranged to return the statues stolen from the shrine. staff from the japanese embassy went to a research center to get it back. whether they will get the other statue is unclear. a south korean court put an injunction on it based on a demand from a temple that claims to be the original owner. in other news the head of japan's national security secretariat has been building bridges in china. he began by meeting the premier. they agreed high-level talks are vital to improve relations. sources say they described this year as very important as it marks the 70th anniversary of

the end of world war ii. they quote him as saying chinese leaders want to build future oriented relations while remembering history, and they report he said chinese and japanese leaders should control differences of opinion. the sources quote yachi as quoting a peaceful development, and saying japan wants to proceed as a peace-loving nation. they report that he said he wants to promote oriented ties from a broad perspective. yachi met earlier with the defense minister. he told chang china's buildup lacks transparency. he also expressed concern about the natural gas development in the east china sea, and reclamation projects in the south china sea. chang voiced the concern about the security bill. he described them as unprecedented in the post-war period, and said they'll complicate regional security. they agreed defense officials

should swiftly start a hotline to prevent accidental clashes at sea and in the air. afghan president ghani said talks with the taliban are the only way to bring peace to his country. patchari raksawong at our bureau in bangkok has the story. >> ghani's message to the nation on friday signaled the start of the holiday celebrating the end of the fasting on ramadan. since assuming his post last year, ghani has made peace talks with the taliban a key pillar of his government's agenda. ghani spoke at the presidential palace in the capital kabul. he said negotiations are the solution, the way, and this is what our nation wants to end the bloodshed. >> translator: the issue of the taliban is different from others. they want to participate in the political process.

and if they have some problems, they'll be solved through negotiations. other terrorists who have come from other countries, neighboring countries and other places, our security forces have responded to them with force. >> afghan government officials held talks on tuesday last week with representatives of the taliban. the meeting is the first dialogue officially concerned between the two sides. it was held in the hill resort of murree in pakistan. the government and the taliban agreed to restart talks after ramadan. the taliban supreme leader sent a message to the media on wednesday calling the dialogue legitimate. >> translator: i appreciate the announcement made by the leader of the taliban, mullah omar, who supported the peace talks as the only solution for afghanistan.

>> but violence shook afghanistan again. that day the associated press news agency reported that a bomb attack in a mosque compound in the northern province of balkh killed at least two people and injured a dozen. the taliban insurgents have shown no signs of scaling back their offensive. they carried out a series of suicide attacks in kabul the day the dialogue took place. observers are not overly optimistic that the dialogue between kabul and the taliban will lead to full-fledged peace negotiations. people in other parts of asia are heading home to eid. thousands of bangladeshis left on friday to visit their families and celebrate the festival. >> translator: the ferry terminal was overcrowded so i had to take this boat.

i'll go home to celebrate eid with dad and mom. >> train stations were jam packed. people clamored into trains through windows and packed onto train roofs. >> translator: every year we go home during eids. it's a hassle trying to get a train. there's too much of a rush. >> in indonesia, thousands of travelers were spending a miserable eid after failing to catch their flight home. several airports were closed following the eruptions of two volcanoes. the international airport in the country's second largest city reopened friday. but many flights have been canceled or delayed, leaving crowds of holidaygoers stranded. thailand is struggling with what's believed to be its worst drought in a decade. it's hit the country's rice farming hard. they're worried about the impact on the world's rice market.

>> reporter: this is thailand's largest dam located in the west of the country. usually the water comes up to the trees you see over there. but the water level is lower, due to drought, exposing rocks that are normally submerged. in thailand, the rainy season usually begins in may. and the dam fills up with water. but there hasn't been enough rainfall this year. the water level is getting lower and lower. >> translator: the water will last for only 20 more days. if it doesn't rain during that time, we'll face a serious problem. >> reporter: the drought is a calamity for rice farmers. this is a canal in a rice-producing region downstream of the dam. there is almost no water in it.

this farmer has been growing rice here for more than 40 years. he planted rice earlier last month, but his paddies have dried up since then. they are dying. the dry spell has crippled almost 50% of the country's rice paddies. >> translator: i've never experienced anything like this. in all my 50 years. >> reporter: he has two daughters. if he can't sell rice, he won't be able to pay for their schooling. to make ends meet, he started working at construction sites. but it doesn't pay much. he worries he might have to sell his rice paddies. >> translator: i just hope it rains. that's all i want. >> reporter: with thailand in the grip of the severe drought,

observers are concerned about the consequences for the global rice market. >> the production will be reduced. total demand will increase. therefore, by the end of this year if that happens, the rice price will increase. >> reporter: it's said el nino is to blame for the drought. its influence on the global food supply must be carefully watched. nhk world, thailand. that wraps up our bulletin. i'm patchari raksawong in bangkok.

a japanese-american physicist and nobel prize winner has died. doctors say the 94-year-old suffered acute cardiac failure on july 5th. nanbu was born in japan and became a u.s. citizen in 1970. the professor emeritus at the university of chicago specialized in theoretical studies in particles. a panel of experts in japan says a fault under an offline nuclear plant in the central part of the country could become active. if the nuclear regulator agrees, the plant's operator may have to scrap plans to restart a reactor there. the panel examined ground underneath one of the two reactors at the nuclear plant in ishikawa prefecture.

the panel presented a draft report on friday at a meeting of the nuclear regulation authority. the experts say there's no clear evidence the fault is currently active but they say strata around the northwestern part of the fault may have moved within the last 130,000 years. that could mean the fault will become active in the future. such faults are measured in japan's new regulations, which prohibit building reactor buildings and other key facilities over them. officials at the power company do not agree with the draft report, and are not considering decommissioning the reactor at this time. >> translator: i think the experts did not comprehensively consider the firm survey results and made their conclusion based on hypothetical calculations and assumptions. >> the company's considering whether to submit more evidence to the regulator. japan's government has announced its 2030 greenhouse gas emissions target. officials say they'll aim to cut

emissions by 26% from 2013 levels. a government task force on global warming reached a decision on friday. prime minister abe hailed the new target, saying it's in line with international standards. >> translator: the government will make all-out effort to help build a fair and effective framework to curb greenhouse gases that would involve all nations. >> the current goal is equivalent to a cut of about 25% from 2005, the previous reference year. 45 nations, including china and the united states have already submitted their targets to the united nations. china has become the world's top emitter of carbon dioxide as its economy rapidly expands. leaders in beijing have pledged to drastically reduce emissions. but with the u.n. climate change talks scheduled at the end of the year some analysts wonder whether the nation's quest for

growth will overshadow its commitment to the environment. >> chinese officials announced their 2030 reduction target for greenhouse gases. the host country of a u.n. conference begins in november, known as top 21. >> translator: we must cut carbon emissions by 60% to 65% compared to 2005. but this figure is pre-unit of gdp, which means the country's emissions could actually increase as its economy grows. premier li said the overall emissions will rise until 2030.

but at a lower rate than before. he said it will then begin to decline. the country's c02 output has more than tripled between 1990 and 2012 while globally the number has risen by just 50%. china now accounts for a quarter of all global emissions, relying heavily on coal-burning for electricity and other purposes. introducing renewable energy is one of the key ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. at this electric company that's located in a historic part of beijing, officials have set up rooftop solar panels. this firm was set up in 2010. in five years, it's launched solar projects in almost 50 locations across the country. the work is subsidized by the chinese government which has a policy of promoting solar.

a university professor studies climate change, and serves as an adviser to the central government. he said china needs to step up efforts to introduce renewable energy sources. >> translator: we need to generate 1 billion kilowatts of electricity from renewables. that's equivalent to all power produced in the u.s. china's goal for cutting emissions by 2030 is far more aggressive than targets by the u.s. or eu. >> reporter: but, a japanese environmental expert doubts that efforts by the central government will be enough. he said local governments may have a different agenda. >> translator: growth is the top

priority in the mid-western region. an area that's economically lagging behind. it's difficult to realize c02 reductions in those parts of the country. >> reporter: analysts believe chinese authorities must strike a delicate balance between maintaining domestic growth and meeting global responsibilities. nhk world, beijing. populist prosperous pushing ahead, china's rise to wealth, powers and problem. an income gap divides its people. pollution threatens their wealth. and differences over territory, strained relations with its neighbors. find out the challenges china faces on "newsline." one year ago, a malaysia airlines plane was shot down over ukraine. the australian government hosted

a memorial service for those who died. about 40 australians were among the 298 people killed in the incident. families of the victims and government officials attended the ceremony at parliament house in the capital canberra on friday. prime minister tony abbott said his country will never forget the victims and the people they left behind. >> their passing leaves a void that can never be filled and a pain that still throbs. >> abbott said those responsible must be brought to justice. he unveiled a memorial with a plaque inscribed with the names of the australian victims. flight mh-17 was traveling from amsterdam to kuala lumpur on july 17th, 2014 when it was shot down over donetsk in eastern ukraine. officials of western countries and ukraine believe pro-russian separatists shot down the plane.

russian officials deny the accusations and say a fighter jet may have downed the airliner. australia has joined malaysia and three other countries on calling on the u.n. security council to set up an international tribunal to prosecute those responsible. shareholders of a company belonging to south korean conglomerate samsung have approved a plan to merge two group companies. a u.s. investment fund opposed the merger. elliott associates said it's only from the founding family. >> reporter: this is the company of samsung group. they said in may the chair would take over a construction company and trading house whose major shareholders including the associates. managers of the u.s. plan opposed the plan.

they said any reforms should be fair to all those who hold stock in samsung cnp. about 550 people on friday attended an extraordinary meeting of shareholders. but others said the firm should consider the interests of the shareholders. the plan was approved by a two-thirds majority. the meeting attracted widespread attention in south korea. that's because of the possibility that samsung group would have to change its ways because of an investment fund from overseas. samsung took out newspaper ads urging stockholders to support its management policy. >> translator: i request that shareholders today again support the bright future of the new samsung cnt. >> reporter: some stockholders

say samsung's structure isn't transparent. they say its founding family controls the companies with complex share holdings. an expert says south korean corporate culture needs a shakeup. >> translator: in the end, south korean companies need to change. i hope they'll appoint managers who are true to the company's core values while at the same time developing them. >> reporter: it would have been difficult for stockholders to mount this kind of challenge during south korea's era of high growth, but major companies like samsung aren't making big profits like they used to. more and more people are saying it's time for them to take another look at how they do business.

and now, here's the three-day outlook on the weather around the globe.

and that wraps up this edition of "newsline." i'm raja pradhan in tokyo. and from all of us at nhk world, thanks for watching.

>> hello and a very warm welcome to global 3000, where this week we'll be covering one particular battle in the fight to curb a global epidemic. no, we're not talking about a disease. this epidemic is a man-made

outbreak of violence against women. that's just one of the stories coming up on the program. learning made fun -- how radio-lessons are shaking-up the classroom in pakistan. within the privacy of their own four walls, brazilian women take steps to protect themselves from domestic violence. barren, salty soil -- senegal's farmers