hello there and welcome to nhk "newsline." it is thursday, august 11th. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thailand may hold a general election by the end of next year paving the way to democratically elected government. an election seems likely after a national referendum on sunday approved a draft constitution by the military-led interim government. the election committee announced that more than 61% of voters approved it. over 38% opposed. the official result determined that the charter was approved by majority vote. interim prime minister prayut chan-o-chan called for

approval. >> he stressed that a road map is in place to allow a general election by the end of next year. he said it includes steps such as setting up laws. there has been criticism of military powers laid out in the draft constitution, including a requirement that all senators be appointed by a military backed council during the first five years of the transition period. government representatives and security experts from the asia-pacific region gathered in indonesia on wednesday to discuss counterterrorism measures. the meeting opened in bali where memories are still vivid of the 2002 deadly nightclub bombings. one focal issue of the two-day talks is how to cut off the flow of funds to terrorists in the region. officials from 20 countries took part in the ministerial

meetings. the security minister underscored the critical importance of deterring flows of so-called terrorism financing. >> translator: -- practicing extreme ideology through counternarratives should be promoted. of importance as well is blocking the flow of terrorist financing with cooperation for -- >> last month, four bangladeshis working in singapore were given prison sentences for funding attacks in their south asian homeland. the court said their targets were bangladeshis and they had pledged allegiance to the islamic state group. the meeting comes days after indonesian police arrested six militants. police believe they were planning to launch a rocket attack from an irndneysian island against sites in

singapore. waranto called on countries to share expertise on a number of fronts. >> the foreign terrorist fighters are to be monitored through cooperation on information sharing as well as best practices and border control. >> police suspect the six detainees have ties with nareem, an international fight with islamic state militants in syria. nayeem is believed to be one of the masterminds behind a deadly attack in jakarta in january. brazil's senate has voted to go on to the last stage of the impeachment trial of their president. dilma rousseff is currently suspended and is accused of manipulating government accounts. the trial is expected to begin later this month after the end of the olympic games in rio de janeiro. a simple majority was needed in wednesday's vote on whether to proceed to trial. the senators first examined evidence supporting charges

against rousseff. in may, the senate voted to suspend rousseff. at the impeachment trial, she will be allowed to make a rebuttal. a two-thirds majority is needed to convict her. if that happens, rousseff will become brazil's first president to be ousted. japanese police have set up a new facility to monitor gangsters. it is the first such facility near the known offices of a gang. there has been a spike in violence between the country's largest crime syndicate and a splinter group. the police facility is in hyogo prefecture western japan, just across the street from yamaguchigumi designated as an organized crime group. the new facility will help investigators gather new information and monitor crime

syndicates more efficiently. >> we have been on high alert. tensions between the groups soared. we have to be vigilant to protect the public. >> last august, a splinter group called the kobe yamaguchi gumi broke away from the yamaguchi gumi. there have been more than 80 incidents val s involving the t groups. almost four months after deadly earthquakes hit the kumamoto region, police there have found a body inside a car there likely buried after the disaster. his family and friends have been searching for him. as our next report shows, their efforts led to the discovery. >> translator: it gives me peace of mind to know that my son is there. but it's frustrating that we can't retrieve the car even though it's right there.

it's so hard. >> reporter: takuya yamato never gave up hope of finding his 22-year-old son hikaru. in april, the university student is believed to have been driving near a bridge in kumamoto when it was hit by a landslide and collapsed. search efforts began immediately, but rescuers had to suspend their operations in may because of the risk of secondary disasters. yamato's parents repeatedly asked them to resume the search. in june, 120 rescuers did, looking downstream from the bridge, but they were unable to find him. after six hours, they decided to put the search on hold again. his parents and friends didn't stop, though. they kept looking for him, almost every day.

and in july they found part of a car matching the color of yamato's about 400 meters downstream from the bridge. kumamoto prefectural officials used a drone to assess how accessible the site was, and they decided to search the area this week. >> translator: i hope they'll get to work as soon as possible. and i hope they can recover the car quickly. >> translator: it feels as if >> translator: it feels as if time stopped on april 16th. >> reporten wednesday, police officers and firefighters found a dy and clothes around the driver's seat. they say the vehicle is badly crushed and most of it is buried under rocks and soil. they plan to continue working to recover the body on thursday. that could be the day yamato's

parents are finally reunited with their son nearly four months after he went missing. today, august 11th, is mountain day. the first new national holiday to be created in japan in 20 years. mountain climbing is a popular pursuit in japan but there's been an increase in the number of accidents. last year saw the highest number of accidents ever. it exceeded 3,000. local governments and volunteers are looking for ways to protect as many climbers as possible. nhk world's mashashi kato reports. >> reporter: mt. fuji is a tourist mountain in japan, and also one of its most

recognizable symbols. so it's no wonder close to a quarter of a million people tried to scale it last year. at night, this trail is crowded with people attempting to climb. they rush up to the summit overnight to be able to see the sunrise. because of their speed and lack of rest, many experience altitude sickness. it can cause headaches and nausea and in severe cases death. local governmental authorities post signs and hand out flyers reminding climbers to be careful. >> translator: a lot of people think mt. fuji is easy to climb, but it's a dangerous mountain. >> reporter: they even requested bus companies decrease their number of trips to the trail. but people are still coming.

>> translator: i take full responsibility for myself. >> translator: my male pride won't let me give up until i make it to the top. >> reporter: in the past few weeks, a new problem has surfaced. pokemon go. a rumor spread that fans of the augmented reality game could catch rare virtual monsters on mt. fuji. local officials now have to consider the possibility of new accidents caused by climbers looking at their smartphones. mt. fuji is not the only mountain that can be dangerous. the 3,000-meter hotaka range is attracting a growing number of international climbers, especially south koreans. >> translator: my climbing friends recommended to come here. >> translator: i really want to see the beauty of hotaka range. >> translator: kaori uchino

offers online climbing information in korean to support the country's visitors. she often receives questions from people planning trips. uchino began updating realtime information in 2013 after four south korean climbers died on the mountain. one fell. the others died of hypothermia, a result of not having the proper cold weather gear. >> translator: most climbers in south korea usually climb mountains averaging about 1,000 meters high. you can climb them in a day. if the weather is bad, the climbers just stay home, so they don't feel that having things like rain gear is important. >> reporter: despite her efforts, uchino still receives sad news from time to time. less than a month ago, a south korean climber slipped on her way down hotaka range and fell to her death. uchino quickly posted a map of

dangerous spots in korean. >> translator: i do my best to reduce the number of foreign climbers who come with no proper preparation and get injured or die. >> reporter: famous mountaineer sir edmund hillary once said the complete climb of a mountain is reaching the summit and getting safely to the bottom again. for uchino and japanese officials, those are words they hope climbers will never forget. masashi kato, nhk world. tuesday mark ed 71 years since an atomic bomb was dropped on nagasaki. today the word hibakusha, meaning atomic bomb survivor in japanese, is recognized around

the world. to be acknowledged as hibakusha, survivors need a special notebook. nhk world's aki shibuya reports. >> translator: let us work to achieve the elimination of nuclear weapons together. >> reporter: toyokazu ihara is a hibakusha. he has an organization that supports survivors like himself. we visited him in his office. ihara has been active in his efforts to promote one specific thing -- >> translator: the hibakusha notebook is issued to people recognized as atomic bomb survivors. >> reporter: the hibakusha notebook is a certificate that proves one is an atomic bomb survivor. it's given to those who suffered from bombs dropped in hiroshima and nagasaki. information like the holder's location at the time of the bombing and medical history is written inside.

people with these notebooks can receive four free medical examinations a year and have other medical expenses paid, too. they also receive a monthly allowance. ihara takes medication daily for high blood pressure, which is one of the symptoms of hibakusha. in nagasaki alone, about 70,000 people were killed in the bombing. and still, a large number of people suffer from aftereffects. the notebook is used to help the survivors who have long been affected by radiation. >> translator: this is like my lifeline. it's possible i will get late onset leukemia. i'm always concerned about my future well-being. >> reporter: at 11:02 a.m. on

august 9, 1945, the atomic bomb was dropped on nagasaki. i'm now standing at the epicenter. this here is a memorial for all of the hibakusha who have passed away. this is a hibakusha notebook. it's not given to everyone who survived the bomb. whether or not a person qualifies for one depends on how far he or she was from this spot. the japanese government decided that people who were present within the range of about 12 kilometers north and south and about seven kilometers east and west of the blast epicenter could be considered hibakusha. isamu taniyama and shizuko shimokawa are siblings who were both home at nagasaki at the time of the bombing. >> translator: i saw a plane pass by. and soon after, i saw a huge blast behind the mountain over there.

and then i threw myself over my brother to protect him. >> reporter: although they were located about one kilometer out of the determined range, they worry the exposure to radiation could affect their health. both siblings were denied their request for the notebook. so they filed lawsuits against the government hoping to reverse the decision. shimokawa won her case, but her brother lost. >> translator: i was wondering why i won and my brother lost. >> translator: you can't draw lines between the tragic experiences of atomic bomb survivors. i hope the government will support everyone suffering from the effects. >> reporter: we spoke with a municipal official who deals with the application process. >> translator: we issue the notebooks according to law that supports war victims.

we want to continue to work towards supporting applicants' needs by listening to their stories and looking at potential evidence in an objective way. >> reporter: the average age of hibakusha is over 80. many of them are still requesting a notebook. for hibakusha, the notebook is not just about compensation. it's evidence of what they have been through. aki shibuya, nhk world, nagasaki. love him or fear him. godzilla is one creature that movie watchers cannot get enough of. the series has sold more than 100 million tickets over the years, including the newest version that opened at the end of last month. nhk world's marie yanaka reports on godzilla's return.

>> reporter: tokyo's kabuto area rolled out the red carpet ahead of the opening. >> translator: look! the cast and production members of "godzilla" are walking towards us on this long red carpet! >> reporter: the length is the same as godzilla's height in the movie. 118.5 meters. hiroki hasegawa has a starring role alongside the creature from the deep. >> reporter: in the new film. godzilla suddenly emerges from the pacific ocean, setting off panic. cooler heads try to devise a

plan to stop the advance. the outcome will determine the fate of the people of japan. the director wrote the script himself. he wanted to create a convincing setting that reflects present day japan. >> reporter: the director of special effects decided to make the first full computer graphics godzilla for the latest installment.

>> reporter: an exhibition allowed fans a close-up look at how the series has evolved. in earlier times, actors inhabited full-body costumes, running rampant across dioramas. longtime godzilla watcher shingo ogawa remembers it well. his room is crowded with memorabilia. >> translator: godzilla goes where it likes, defeats whatever stands in its way and protects what it needs to protect. we can understand why it does what it does. that's why it's admired. >> reporter: the latest rendition, though, left a different impression. >> translator: until now, whether godzilla was a symbol of terror or an ally of mankind, we were able to see its intentions clearly. in the new version, it exists,

but we can't see what its intentions are and can't figure out what it's thinking. it doesn't even seem angry. the effect is eerie and quite a change from previous godzillas. >> reporter: marie yanaka, nhk world. >> okay. i'll have to watch the new version. over in the philippines, boxing icon manny pacquiao has confirmed he'll be returning to the ring. pacquiao issued a statement on wednesday saying he will fight wbo welterweight champion jesse vargas on november 5th in las vegas. the filipino is 37 years old. he announced his retirement before his last fight in april. he was elected to the philippines senate the following month. the boxing star dismissed a report in july on the possibility of a comeback, saying his legislative work took priority. some sources say pacquiao will

participate in a press tour in los angeles in september. his latest statement says he will return to the philippines straight after to fulfill his political obligations. pacquiao fought his way out of poverty to become a national hero in the philippines and one of the world's wealthiest athletes. time now for a check of the weather with robert speta. it's another hot wop. people across japan are experiencing hot conditions. will it continue to be this way? >> it looks like heading into the weekend, temperatures are going to stay on the warm side across much of japan. the big reason for this is this high pressure which has been dominating out here across the korean peninsula stretching through western japan. in tokyo through the morning hours you've been seeing some cloud cover. that's keeping temperatures somewhat at bay. still expecting over 30 degrees. back toward the west, for example, you can see highs around 38 to 39 degrees.

widespread heat advisories in place as well across the korean peninsula with temperatures into the mid-30s. today, another day. it's the national holiday across japan, but you do want to be extra careful about heatstroke. definitely stay hydrated and stay out of the sun as much as possible. want to talk about the rough weather towards the southwest. a tropical depression coming onshore here across parts of taiwan and over towards fujian province. the threat of flooding in some of these mountainous areas. also upwards of 80 to a little over 100 millimeters of total precipitation across much of this region. this is part of a bigger process going on here with the southwest monsoon. several low pressure areas and all of this is something we're going to be watching over the next week now. one thing it is doing is enhancing the southwest monsoon across the philippines bringing that threat of severe flooding. the last several days, widespread school closures into

the manila metropolitan area. it's expected to continue with strong southwesterly winds coming in. some areas, 200 millimeters the next 72 hours. i expect this to continue well into next week. the threat of urban flooding and low-lying and poor draining areas. showers in the southeast. back towards the north. still hot into tokyo. seoul at 35. let's talk about the olympics now. weather often plays an important role, especially for the outdoor events, obviously. but the events on the water. the rowing events have been postponed. right here on the satellite picture, look at the cloud cover from the northwest towards the southeast. low pressure area just off the coast and that forced some rather rough conditions on wednesday. the regatta had to be postponed. on sunday it was postponed due to high winds. today winds and also rainfall and foggy conditions. they had to take the boats out

of the water. not just the regatta, but also tennis postpone ed because of t rain as well. take a look at the forecast. more showers expected heading into thursday. low pressure area still lingering. it's going to pull toward the east. by friday, slowly improves. saturday, partly cloudy skies. rain now, the delays there toward friday. saturday at least things are going to look much better shaping up once that low gets a move on. cooler, by the way, than we've seen a week ago. temperatures into the mid-20s. toward the north, some strong thunderstorms flaring up into the midwest through the high plains. some large hail up to baseball size into the dakotas. that's going to drift toward the east. toward the southeast, heavy showers, tropical moisture coming onshore. a few location 120 up to 150 millimeters along the coastal areas. could see delays at the airport. and also into atlanta, expecting showers for those of you on

thursday. all right. i'll leave you now with your extended outlook. before we go, thousands of people in the western japanese city of koichi are shrugging off the summer heat through dance. ♪ the city's annual festival kicked off before noon on wednesday. it's named after a modern

energetic take on traditional summer dancing called yosakoi. the festival was started in 1954 to revitalize the community after world war ii. competitors are allowed to dance in any style they like, as long as they use a tool called a naruko, a wooden clapper used to scare birds away from rice fields. and they can select their own music but must use part of a song called yosakoi naruko dancing. >> the festival will continue through friday. and that is all for this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us.

>> welcome to "in good shape." coming up -- why a concussion is more dangerous than you might think. how well do houseplants actually purify the air? and what helps when you've sustained hearing damage. and here's your host dr. carsten lekutat. dr. lekutat: hello and welcome to berlin, a city which is pretty loud. it is hip and happening, full of artists and nightclubs. open night and day, sounds like fun, but there is a downside -- noise. and too much noise can damage your ears.