it's the top of the hour in tokyo, and this is nhk "newsline." i'm ross mihara. japanese prime minister shinzo abe has made his policy speech to the diet. he spoke of international relations, the 2011 disaster, and the economy. pledging to create a new path for growth in both japan and the world that is challenged by weaker momentum in emerging countries. >> translator: we must tackle and resolve various challenges including economic growth, the low birth rate and longevity as well as a deteriorating national security situation. i will face any issues boldly, no matter how challenging they are.

>> abe said he'll pursue growth through the trans-pacific partnership free trade pact and by helping all japanese people participate in the job market. he also said he plans to discuss the future of the world economy and launch new initiatives for growth at this year's g7 summit in japan. on international relations, abe mentioned working to strengthen ties with south korea, china, and russia, and he called the alliance with the u.s. a linchpin of the country's diplomacy. he promised he would use the strong relationship with the u.s. to do his utmost to reduce okinawa's burden of hosting u.s. bases. at the same time, he said he would ensure that military deterrence is maintained. abe also touched on the 2011 disaster saying the next five years will see continued assistance to rebuild and restore affected areas. he hopes the communities can become self-sustainable once again. after abe's speech, members of six opposition parties stormed

out of the chamber. it was to protest the following address by an embattled minister in charge of the tpp free trade deal. the parties criticized akira amari for failing to answer allegations that he didn't report all of his political donations. >> translator: i'm very sorry for causing confusion over a report in a weekly magazine. i will have a thorough investigation to check the facts. i will make a full explanation at the right time to clear the suspicion about the matter. [ applause ] >> a magazine reported thursday that a construction firm gave cash to amari's office. it was reportedly in return for helping negotiate compensation from a government-backed agency. the weekly said amari personally received a portion of the money.

amari told reporters earlier in the day that he will explain the case within a week. south korea's president park geun-hye is calling for an international meeting to address north korea's nuclear program. talks on the issue involving the two koreas, the u.s., china, japan and russia have been stalled for over seven years. now park is pushing to move on without north korea. >> translator: we should find diverse and creative approaches such as five-party talks without the north. >> president park wants the international community to send a clear message protesting north korea's fourth nuclear test earlier this month. she says the six-party framework would be meaningless if it does not help denuclearize the country. she said she expects china to urge the north to change its course. beijing is considered the closest ally of pyongyang. >> translator: the six-party talks should resume as soon as

possible with the aim of denuclearizing north korea to create stability in east asia. >> the spokesperson indicated the chinese government hopes to maintain the current framework that includes north korea. security forces in somalia have ended a siege at a beachside restaurant. a group of men had been on a shooting rampage and taken hostages. at least 17 people were killed. the attackers showed up on a beach in the capital. they fired indiscriminately and detonated bombs. then they stormed into the restaurant and took hostages. security forces gained control about seven hours later. the afb news agency reports there were five attackers. it says security forces shot four dead and detained the other. witnesses say the attackers shouted "god is great" in arabic. the somali-based islamist group al shabab claimed responsibility.

somali troops and peacekeepers are trying to drive the group out of the country. the militants have been striking back with terror attacks on hotels. people calling themselves a branch of the islamic state group have claimed responsibility for a bombing in cairo. the explosion killed six people during a police raid on an apartment. the victims included police officers and local residents. people calling themselves a branch of thclaimed responsibil online. they say they planted explosives in the building, then tricked the police into launching the raid. interior ministry officials say the apartment was used by an islamist group called the muslim brotherhood. the bomb exploded when a police officer tried to defuse it. monday will be the fifth anniversary of the start of the uprising that led to the fall of president hosni mubarak. security authorities are increasing their vigilance.

the government of myanmar's outgoing president thein sein has released scores of prisoners including political detainees. patchari raksawong in bangkok has the details. >> the move by the military-backed government came just weeks before an historic transfer of power to an elected government. ap news agency says 20 political prisoners were released from the prison. the jail gained notoriety under the former military regime for the harsh treatment of detainees. >> translator: i'm not fully happy as the government is releasing them separately. i want all the activists, political prisoners, students, farmers and workers still left behind in prison freed. >> translator: i believe that we'll be able to work out our problems because the country will soon be under aung san suu kyi's party. things will be different. that's what i believe.

>> the government is reportedly releasing about 100 prisoners in all. however, human rights groups say only half of them are political detainees. they say another 77 prisoners of conscience remain behind bars while 472 activists await trial for political activity. the prisoner release comes after u.s. deputy secretary of state anthony blinken earlier this week called on myanmar to free the rest of its political detainees. experts say the military-backed government hopes to create a favorable environment for lifting the remaining sanctions. a number of business people and companies linked to the former military regime are still on a u.s. blacklist. work has begun on indonesia's first high-speed railway system. china secured the contract after a fierce bidding competition with japan, but problems have

already surfaced, and the project is off to a rocky start. nhk world's yusuke ota has more. >> reporter: about 1,200 people attended a ground-breaking ceremony. >> translator: cooperation between our country and china does not only cover infrastructure but will eventually extend to other areas such as manufacturing. >> reporter: chinese state councilor wong yang stressed the significance of china's first high-speed railway project overseas. >> translator: the project will not only link two cities but will deepen bilateral ties. >> reporter: the 140-kilometer line will link jakarta with bandung to the east. they were scheduled to complete the project in just three years, but problems are already

appearing. an environmental assessment which is necessary to launch construction work, which would normally take about one year to compile, taking into account the opinions of local residents. but the draft assessment was submitted on december 31st and approved just one day before the ground-breaking ceremony. it was rushed through to conform to china's plans. a meeting to ask about local residents' opinions was held just two days before the ceremony. about 200 people attended. the seats were full, and officials from the development company stressed that the impact on residents would be small. >> translator: the construction work will not affect people's lives. it will be carried out safely. >> reporter: about 240 hectors

of farmland along the planned route remains in dispute. many people expressed concern. >> translator: problems are certain to arise over the expropriation of land. it won't be easy to find alternative plots for farming. >> translator: residents should be given more opportunities to voice their opinions. >> reporter: the question now is whether the developers will be able to acquire the necessary ground and financing. china's high-speed railway project in indonesia faces many challenges. the project may have gotten under way, but not everyone appears to be on board. yusuke ota, nhk world, jakarta. people in vietnam are mourning the death of a legend. a giant turtle that has long

been revered as a guardian of the country. the turtle lived in a lake in the capital hanoi. it weighed about 220 kilograms and measured 1.8 meters long. scientists estimate it was more than 100 years old. >> translator: i was a bit shocked hearing that he had passed away. hanoi has lost a bit of history. >> translator: unfortunately, he has died. it's such a pity. i, myself, mourn him as do many other people from hanoi. >> according to legend, a future vietnamese emperor used a magic sword found in the lake to fight off an invasion. after winning independence, he returned the sword to the giant turtle. >> translator: i considered him a living human. just like one of us. not a species of animal. i'm very sad.

>> the lake's name translates to "the lake of the returned sword." it's known as an historic landmark and a popular place to go and relax. the turtle was thought to have been one of the last yangtze giant soft-shelled turtles still alive. authorities suspect the animal died from a combination of old age and cold weather. that wraps up our bulletin. i'm patchari raksawong in bangkok. china's economy is growing at its slowest rate in 25 years. the slowdown has cooled demand for commodities and created an oversupply. china's steel industry is being hit particularly hard. we'll have analysis from beijing on how the government is responding, but first we'll hear a report by nhk world's takuma yashioka who traveled to a region that has seen its

fortunes decline, along with those of the steel sector. >> reporter: this province used to have a thriving steel industry. the northeastern city was known as the steel capital. this mining company stopped its operation last september because they are not able to make any profit anymore. now, trucks and power shovels that once worked around the clock sit idle. production at the nearby factory that processes iron ore has also come to a standstill. steel prices in china have plummeted since 2014. they are now at a record low. behind the collapse in prices is the problem of excess supply. china's annual crude steel production capacity is 1.1 billion tons.

that's half the world total. but domestic demand for crude steel has fallen to about 60% of capacity, in part because of the slumping property market. in china, it's difficult to lay off a lot of workers and scale down production because many steel companies are owned by the state. so, despite shrinking demand, production continued, and soon the market was flooded with steel. local economies have been deeply affected by this situation. this man has been working at the state-owned steel company for more than 30 years. over the past two years, salaries at his firm have dropped by 50%. he has to work as a taxi driver on weekends to support his family.

>> reporter: meanwhile, the city's glutted with unsold, newly built apartments and resort properties. >> translator: i have heard of a worker who killed himself. he had just gotten married and bought a home. but he couldn't afford his mortgage after his pay got cut. there isn't a bright future here. >> earlier we asked our reporter hiroki yajima in beijing what the government is doing to fix its oversupply problem. >> reporter: since domestic demand is waning, chinese companies are trying to export their excess supply. many people are hoping the

china-led asian infrastructure investment bank launched this month will help solve the problem. the government thinks if china leads the way in finding hidden demand in infrastructure, there will be more opportunities to expand into other foreign markets. for example, this major steel processing factory normally produces materials for domestic railroads and electric power plants, but last year, it ran a $30 million deficit. now managers are refocusing their business strategy on exports, and they are trying to boost productive quality to meet international standards. >> translator: firms never used to get government help to set up overseas, but promising firms can now succeed overseas with help from the aiib. >> reporter: it's too early to pass judgment on the bank which is the first international institution dedicated to economic development set up by

china. experts are watching closely to see whether it can run a transparent and fair operation. another big challenge is finding talented staff to work at the bank. an international finance specialist expressed his concern in this area. >> as for the transparency, i think it's important to have a good staff within the aiib. so since the aiib is a newly established institution, i think it would take some time for them to gather good personnel from all over the world. actually they are looking for candidates, but we don't know how it works. it could take some time for them to learn through trial and error within the aiib. >> a successful aiib will be a crucial factor in reversing china's economic slowdown. but the country still faces many

hurdles to return to sustainable growth path. >> that was nhk world's hiroki yajima in beijing. the pain of china's economic slowdown is being felt in many parts of the world, especially in those that produce raw materials. the african nation of zambia where copper makes up more than 70% of its exports is one of them. nhk world's taro mitamura reports. >> reporter: zambia. its economy has traditionally relied on the copper mining industry. and in recent years, roads across the country are being constructed by chinese companies. and this huge stadium was also built by a chinese firm. but things are changing drastically in the mineral-rich copper belt region.

>> this copper mine is owned by chinese company. some production lines have stopped recently. as china's demands for raw materials have closed, the international price of copper has dropped by nearly 20% since last may. the company that owns this mine recently laid off more than half its workers. this man says he was temporarily laid off. he is now forced to get by on 30% of his regular pay until further notice. he has three daughters to raise. in order to survive, he started growing vegetables at home. >> translator: i can only afford to buy soap and detergent with this little income. life has become really tough. >> reporter: some business people are increasingly critical

of their government for not diverseifying the country's economy and sources of investment. >> they have also been negatively affected. therefore, the people, they now have got no income at all. >> reporter: china, as well as the united states, is africa's biggest trading partner since 2009. as china's demand for commodities has diminished, other mineral-rich african countries are facing similar challenges. taro mitamura, nhk world, zambia. business and political leaders are gathering in davos, switzerland, for the world economic forum. many participants turned their attention to south asia, and the serious agenda got some lighter

relief with a feast of japanese food and drink. nhk world's masahiko sakai reports. >> reporter: the party scene has become -- in recent years, but it's still going strong. organizers of the world economic forum hosted a special event on thursday called japan night. the japanese government and private sectors sponsored the promotion of some special cuisine. this year, ten saki brewers from fukushima prefecture offered a taste of their premium rice brew. fukushima experienced a sharp fall in exports after the 2011 tsunami and nuclear accident. but brewers say their exports are recovering thanks to the growing popularity of japanese food. on a more serious note, business people are worried by the global market turmoil and chinese slowdown. but countries in south asia are

maintaining momentum. regional political and business leaders met to discuss economic conditions. a business executive from india said growth of the country's manufacturing sector should give rise to about 90 million jobs over the next ten years. >> i think in terms of creating jobs, we are shifting from being only services focused to getting manufacturing and innovation and technology focused. >> reporter: former prime minister nawaz sharif spoke about china's $46 billion plan for pakistan's infrastructure. he said the china/pakistan economic corridor will boost the economy. >> this is not only going to benefit pakistan or china, this is going to benefit the entire region. i think pakistan is on the right track. >> reporter: asian development bank president said south asian countries should strengthen their economic ties and then extend them to other parts of asia.

>> not just within asian -- southeast asian countries. but connecting between south asia and central asia and also in terms of trade, how to connect to the east asia is so important. >> reporter: countries of southern asia could set up a new framework for further growth taking up their model, southeast asia's creation of the asean economic bloc. masahiko sakai, nhk world, davos. in most cities around the world, chances are you're being watched. security cameras are in banks, subway stations, even in people's apartment buildings. people may realize they're being filmed, but do they know who is watching? nhk world's shunsuke ida has more. >> reporter: in tokyo's bustling neighborhood of harajuku,

cameras are everywhere. it doesn't seem to bother most people. >> translator: they're useful when an incident happens so they're better to have than not. >> translator: i don't really pay attention. >> reporter: but they may not realize who is watching them. it turns out it's not only the owners of some of the cameras who can view them. it's anyone around the world. nearly 30,000 security cameras from streets and buildings around the world have been available on an overseas based website. they can be viewed any time. >> translator: there are more than 3 million surveillance cameras in operation in japan. this website claims images taken by over 6,000 such cameras are available to the public. >> reporter: the website is raising concerns over safety and privacy. >> in parks or on the streets,

you think you're alone, but somebody could be watching. it does get a little scary. >> translator: my privacy isn't protected. i can't go outside anymore. >> reporter: this building owner discovered her camera was hacked this week. she reported the incident to her security company immediately, and then had it removed. >> translator: the images have been online without my permission. it's so scary. it's dangerous that the footage has been freely accessed from around the world. and nothing has been done to stop it. >> reporter: this camera shows the waiting room in a hospital. and this one is believed to be taken at a dental clinic. it shows a patient on the chair with their mouth open. most of the footage is believed to have been captured by what are known as network cameras. they are capable of sending

images over the internet. their footage can normally only be seen by the owner who needs a user i.d. and password. but a website shows it's possible for them to be hacked. especially if passwords are not made strong enough. security experts warn against leaving passwords at their default setting and advise being familiar with the technology to help protect everyone's privacy. shunsuke ida, nhk world, tokyo. let's look now at the weekend weather forecast.

that's all 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 to save what's left of their forest.