it's the top of the hour here in tokyo. this is nhk "newsline." i'm ross mihara. french prosecutors investigating corruption in the sports world have set their sights on japan, linking a $2 million payment to tokyo's winning bid for the 2020 olympics and paralympics. nhk world's moshe komata has details. >> tokyo is pushing past roadblocks and moving ahead for the games. the government chose this new design for the main stadium after the initial plan was scrapped because of construction costs.

second official logos were revealed, replacing the ones alleged to have been copied. now there's a probe by french prosecutors into the question of a $2 million payment. >> translator: i don't believe there were any illegitimate payments. >> translator: i was involved in the bid myself, but i'm not aware of the entire bid process. >> translator: we will hear from the tokyo government and the japanese olympic committee to understand what's going on. >> reporter: the prosecutors are looking into bribery of money laundering. they suspect the money was transferred from a japanese bank to a singaporean firm in two installments, one before the international olympic committee chose tokyo. and the second after. the company was located inside a government-run condominium. but according to public records,

it was shut down in july 2014. the firm is linked to the family of now-disgraced lamin diak. who was an ioc member when tokyo won the bid. the head of the global governing body for track and field. he was arrested on suspicion of receiving money for covering up systematic doping by russia's track and field federation. the former head of tokyo's bid committee denied allegation that the money was used to buy votes. >> translator: we have confirmed that the payments were for consultation services. they were legitimate payments based on a business contract. i'm confident we have conducted bid activities, in a fair manner. >> reporter: fair play is one of the fundamental principles of the olympics. people in japan are hoping the games will play out that way despite the current chlees.

moe komatanhk worl tokyo. tokyo has come no the spotlight for the financial dealings of its governor, yoichi masuzoe has admitted using political funds for private dining and family trips. a weekly magazine alleges that vacatis with fundss for family earmarked for political activities. an expense report shows that his now defunct political organization spent 34,000 for two meetings at a hotel. the meetings were in january 2013 and january 2014, before he took office as governor. he says the expenses were for meetings in hotel rooms with his aides. >> translator: i used rooms where my family was staying for

meetings, which caused a misunderstanding. i am ashamed of that. >> masuzoe said the meetings were to plan strategies for the gubernatorial election and other matters. the expense report includes ten payments to restaurants. masuzoe said five were mistakenly listed as related to his political activities. he said he'll remove those five payments from the report and cover the costs himself. u.s. retail sales in april were higher than expected. they marked the largest gain in more than a year. economists say the figure indicates a recovery in consumer spending. the commerce department reported retail sales of more than $450 billion, up 1.3% from march. the figures had been weak since january, as cheap oil and falling stock prices dampened consumer sentiment. people bought more cars and spent more money online. a recovery in consumer spending could be a key factor in determining when the federal reserve may raise the key interest rate. many japanese companies have

released their earnings report for the last fiscal year. data compiled shows that profits of companies listed on the tokyo stock exchange more or less leveled off in the year through this march. pretax profits of about 1,000 listed companies decreased 0.2% to about $280 billion from the previous business year. that's as the stronger yen dented major exporters' profits in the january-to-march period. the steel industry suffered a 47% decline if profits, affected by the slowdown in the chinese economy. sea transportation reported a 44% drop. wholesalers including trading firms saw a 44% fall. in contrast, air transportation profits rose 39%, due to the drop in fuel costs. textiles went up 19.8%, due to

the lower cost of raw materials. and retail profits rose 28%, backed by active spending by foreign travelers. some analysts say many companies are likely to be affected by moves in the currency market in the current fiscal year. officials from japan's transport ministry inspected the head office of mitsubishi motors in tokyo. the investigation is in connection with the recent revelation that the company rigged data on fuel consumption. the ministry officials are looking into how the automaker manipulated fuel efficiency data for tests of four mini car models. the scandal involved a total of 625,000 vehicles. mitsubishi was told to submit the results of an in-house probe by may 11th. but the ministry concluded that the report was insufficient. the internal investigation found that a manager had instructed an employee at a subsidiary to fabricate fuel consumption data. the internal probe also found that some mitsubishi officials had repeatedly stated at meetings, they were determined to achieve their goal as other

automakers were working on improving their fuel economy. the officials said they wanted mitsubishi to be the number one automaker. honda motor has unveiled what it calls the world's first innovative auto assembly line. president takahiro hachigo announced the launch of a new fact ri factory during a ceremony in thailand. it consists of moving platforms. honda officials say a single worker can take charge of processes previously done by five and they say that will help improve job skills. >> translator: we have adopted this new system because it has the potential to greatly improve our efficiency and flexibility. >> the automaker claims the new system can raise efficiency by 10% and handle various models. the officials say the new thailand plant has an annual production capacity of 120,000 cars.

saturday marks a month since the first powerful earthquake hit southwestern japan. seismic activity continues in kumamoto prefecture. dozens of tremors are still hitting the region every day. 49 people died in two powerful quakes last month and search efforts continue for a university student still missing. it's believed he's buried underneath a landslide. authorities say around 10,000 people have been taking refuge. the disaster devastated many of their homes. the death toll rose by 19 after people evacuated. officials believe stress and other health issues may have been causes. government officials are focusing on rebuilding the region. cabinet ministers approved a budget of $7 billion. but it still needs to be passed in the diet. the money is earmarked for the construction of temporary housing and basic

infrastructure. as well as assisting local businesses. one of kumamoto's key industries, tourism, is struggling to entice visitors to return. many tourists have canceled trips to the region following the quakes. nhk world's noriko nakamura has more. >> reporter: the town of minu minamiaso in a normal year housed around 500,000 tourists in a normal year. but this is no normal year. a month ago, an earthquake struck the region. the focus for residents is trying to rebuild so they can get back to some sense of a routine. for the tourism industry, recovery seems a long way off. many hotels and inns remain closed. unable to open because of damage and continued aftershocks. for the few that managed to reopen, it hasn't been easy.

this station escaped major damage, but it has no guests. >> translator: our rooms were almost fully booked for the golden week spring holidays, but all the guests canceled after the quakes began. i feel anxious, really anxious, if visitors don't return, it means we'll have to give up our business. >> in neighboring oichi, a similar story. tourism is the prefecture's main industry. people come to be immersed in nature and for the hot spring resorts. but during japan's spring holiday week, there was a 45% drop in visitors from last year. and an association that promotes tourism in kyushu says more than 700,000 reservations were canceled at hotels and inns as of last sunday. the association estimates it means a loss of nearly $130 million.

the group tried to spark interest with travel agencies at an event in tokyo. the hope is that the agencies will once again recommend kyushu to their clients. >> translator: the situation is very serious as kumamoto, which is one of the pillars of kyushu's tourism industry, has suffered damage. i really hope the affected areas will be reconstructed quickly and further boost the economy for the entire kyushu region. >> reporter: getting life back to normal in the kyushu region will take more than rebuilding infrastructure. its key industries also need to be up and running, for tourism, that means convincing visitors, it is safe to come back and experience the charms of the region. noriko nakamura, nhk world, tokyo. nobel peace prize winner and indian human rights activist

satyarthi is in japan to expand his global campaign against child labor. his campaign won him the 2014 nobel peace prize, along with malala yousafzai. >> even if one child is forced to work because of social or economic reason, it's a shame on the whole mankind. i cannot tolerate it. >> satyarthi said many children are forced to work in mines. to meet the global demand for rare earth metals used in smart phones and other tie tech equipment. he says some japanese firms have decided not to use goods produced by child labor. >> that is very important. that such companies are taking action and they are demonstrating leadership. >> satyarthi said consumers need to take action as well. u.n. officials say 10% of children worldwide between the ages of 5 and 17 are forced to

work in harsh conditions. pakistan and afghanistan are squaring off over how to control the border between the two nations. pachari raksawong in bangkok has the story. >> pakistan has closed the border at a strategically important checkpoint. it's calling for a well-regulated border, claiming that illegal crossings and the unrestricted movement of people have destabilized regional security. the pakistan side has been closed since tuesday. local media say the two countries locked horns at the border, deploying tanks and carriers. afghan officials have protected the closure of what is an important traffic and logistic route. thousands of traders and scores of trucks are stranded on either side of the border. in january four gunmen attacked a university in northwest pakistan. the pakistani army says the militants trained in afghanistan

and crossed over into pakistan via torkham. they claim the assault was coordinated by a pakistani taliban militant from a location inside afghanistan. officials in the indonesian capital jakarta have officially revoked the city's car-sharing rule that required drivers to carry at least two passengers during rush hours. since 2003, private vehicles containing fewer than three people have been banned from central jakarta at peak times. but some people, known as jockeys took advantage by charging a fee to ride in otherwise passenger-free cars. allowing them into the restricted zone. in april the jakarta administration suspended the rule on an kparmt experimental basis

and officials announced thursday that the suspension will become permanent from next monday. they said they will look at other possible solutions to the city's traffic problem. jakarta's notorious congestion hampers productivity and causes distribution delays, costing the indonesian economy an estimated $2 billion a year. indonesia has maintained a neutral stance toward the territorial disputes in the south china sea. but with tensions growing between china and the united states both these countries along with japan are wooing indonesia in a bid to cultivate stronger ties. nhk world's yusuke ota has more. on how these three countries are jockeying to win the ear of jakarta. >> reporter: the indonesian navy organized a multinational exercise, about 10,000 personnel from 32 countries, including japan, the united states and the china took part. indonesia has stuck to a diplomatic policy of not entering into alliances with other countries.

but in recent years, china and the u.s. has become increasingly active in the efforts to win indonesia over to their own side as tension increases in the south china sea. chinese president xi jinping and indonesian president joko widodo agreed to step up cooperation between their country's supply industries. china provides anti-missiles to indonesia. the countries are also discussing radio equipment. meanwhile, u.s. president barack obama promised to cooperate in developing equipment for indonesia's navy. the u.s. has already supplied it with fighter aircraft and attack helicopters. japan is also reaching out to indonesia. last december saw the first meeting of the foreign and defense ministers of the two countries.

japanese self-defense force personal visited an advanced service belonging to the indonesian navy. japan offers to help the force develop the nautical charts it needs to deploy submarines. >> translator: depending on what the indonesian navy wants, we will consider helping them develop new skills. >> reporter: china is also offering generous support in the form of software. >> reporter: beijing has helped arrange chinese language lessons in the hope of making indonesian officers more sympathetic toward china. the country provided more than 30 state-of-the-art computers and other equipment for use in language studies. >> translator: i hope to be stationed as an officer in china

some day. these study materials are a great help. >> reporter: clearly, as all sides clammer for attention, competition between the u.s., japan and china, to secure better defense cooperation with indonesia is sure to heat up. yusuke ota, nhk world, jakarta. >> that wraps up our bulletin, i'm pachari raksawong in bangkok. chinese prosecutors have indicted an aide who served under former president hu jintao. ling jihua faces charges of taking bribes, illegally obtaining state secrets and abuse of power. the state run news agency reported the indictment. ling is a former deputy head of

the national political advisory body. ling served as head of the office that was responsible for delivering party documents. the position allowed him to handle huge amounts of classified information. ling's younger brother and businessman fled to the united states, reportedly taking some state secrets with him. beijing wants to put him in custody. u.s. tech giant apple has invested $1 billion in china's ride-hailing service. apple's ceo says investment will help the company better understand the chinese market. about 300 million people are registered for this service. executives say their company has a greater market share in the country than their u.s. rival uber. they say they will use funding from apple to improve the way the company processes the huge amount of user information. investors are watching to see whether apple will enter the self-driving car business while building on firm's artificial

intelligence and map data technologies. i.t. firms and auto makers around the world are forging partnerships to gain an edge in the development of self-driving vehicles. more and more people in china are discovering a passion for stamp collecting. an estimated 20 million people pursue the hobby. as our next report shows, the competition is driving up prices and investors are starting to notice. >> reporter: china's most serious stamp collectors head to a narcotic beijing where 1,000 vendors are offering rare items. the stamps feature all kinds of chinese themes, there from icons like the great wall and silk road, to pandas and britain's handover of hong kong. some even commemorate the end of the deadly sars outbreak. this man has been collecting

stamps for 20 years and has just picked up a piece featuring mao zedong and a series dedicated to steel mill workers in the old days. >> translator: stamps are colorful and i also like to learn about the histories behind each stamp. >> reporter: collectors like shao go after new year's stamps. people queue up for days before a new edition comes out. this year's design features a monkey holding two babies. it symbolizes the government's decision to end the decades-long one-child policy. these days, there's serious money flowing into the market. savvy investors are turning profits as prices of rare stamps keep surging. >> translator: i used to buy beautiful stamps, but now i pick the ones that are the best

investments. >> one of the most sought-after pieces is china's first zodiac stamp issued in 1980. the red represents good luck in chinese culture and it was a very limited edition. its original face value was about one cent. but it sells for about $1,800 now. even rarer, and much more expensive, is a stamp dating back to the time of the cultural revolution. it was about to go on sale in 1968 when authorities blocked its release. people speculated that officials were unhappy with the stamp's map of china. taiwan was shown in a different color to the mainland, and there was no sign of territories beijing claims in the south china sea. but some prints slipped through the net. dealers say that at least eight are in circulation. one fetched more than $1 million at auction. one of the market vendors is offering red monkey stamps at surprisingly low prices.

and a close inspection shows why. the characters are korean and it was issued in 2013, the zodiac year of the snake. collectors say north korea issued the stamps to earn money from china. >> translator: as long as it's a red monkey stamp, it will do in china. >> translator: i like the ones with monkeys, and north korean stamps are cheap. >> reporter: the prices for the rarest prints have rocketed beyon beyond belief. people who auction antiques are starting to sell little squares of paper alongside jade and porcelain.

one of the u.s. president's closest aides has met with war veterans to discuss barack obama's historic trip to hiroshima. the meeting was to address their concerns that the visit signals an apology for the 1945 atomic bombing. white house officials say national security adviser susan rice spoke to the veterans thursday. she told them obama's visit is to honor the memory of everyone who died in world war ii. and she referred to strengthened security and economic ties between japan and the u.s. obama will be in japan later this month for the group of seven summit. he is not expected to give a major speech during his may 27th visit to hiroshima. hiroshima's mayor, kazumi matsui said he wants obama to meet atomic bomb survivors in the city. >> translator: i will ask the japanese foreign ministry to arrange an opportunity for president obama to meet

survivors so the president can show he has acknowledged their wishes. >> matsui reflected back to obama's 2009 speech in prague. he said he wants the president to reassure people he is still working toward that vision of a world without nuclear arms. one of tokyo's biggest festivals is in full swing with people parading down the streets of the asakusa district. about 1.5 million people are expected to join the sanja matsuri before it wraps up on sunday. the festival opened with a procession of about 400 musicians, geishas and people decked out in colorful costumes. they made their way around the grounds of the asakusa shrine. the spectacle drew thousands of locals and tourists. >> translator: it was amazing. >> lots of people from the world coming here to enjoy this party. not only japanese. this is great.

>> the festival is being held a week earlier than usual as police prepare for the g-7 summit later this month. let's take a look at the weekend weather forecast.

that's all we have for now on nhk "newsline." thank you for watching and have a good day.

anchor: today, global 3000 focuses on drug use around the world, like afghanistan, where addicts undergo treatment. uruguay has legalized cannabis. and, we check out the internet, where you can order new, dangerous drugs with a click of a mouse. a drug-free world by 2008 was once a goal. the war on drugs has failed. there is an annual turnover of 380 billion euros.