hello, and thank you for joining us on this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm raja pradhan in tokyo. north korea's state-run media is reporting that the issue of abductions of japanese nationals by the north has already been resolved. the central news agency carried a commentary about japan on friday. it came just three days before the 71st anniversary of the end of japan's colonial rule of the korean peninsula. the commentary said reactionaries in japan are obsessed with the abduction issue. it claims the issue was resolved by an agreement signed by the two nations in 2002, known as the pyongyang declaration. the commentary added, japan is

shaping public opinion to make settling the matter the most important issue in the bilateral relationship. it said japan is using the abductions issue as an excuse to work with the united states to continue imposing sanctions and to carry out military provocations against north korea. in february, north korea announced it was suspending an investigation into missing japanese nationals, including those abducted by the north. the move came after japan imposed the unilateral sanctions on pyongyang. the commentary is the first time in six months for north korea's state-run media to claim the abduction issue has been already resolved. observers say the north may be trying to counter moves by japan working with the international community to step up the pressure as pyongyang pursues nuclear and missile development. japan and south korea have come to a preliminary agreement for measures to support wartime comfort women. japan's foreign minister fumio

kishida has spoken to his south korean counterpart yun byung-se by phone. >> translator: we came to a basic agreement with south korea on the scope of the foundation's activities. i believe the south korean government will sincerely execute the agreement between our countries. >> kishida says that under the agreement he presumes that japanese funding will go to medical and nursing care. kishida reiterating there's no change in japan's position, that the matter of claims in compensation over comfort women have already been settled. he added that japan will proceed to swiftly disburse the funds for the foundation. japan is contribute 1 billion yen, about $9.8 million. the two sides have been discussing details of the foundation since late july.

in december last year, japan and south korea reached a landmark deal to launch the foundation to settle the comfort women issue in a way they describe as finally and irreversibly. civic activists in south korea continue to oppose the agreement. despite a request from japan, there is still no prospect of a statue of a girl being removed from in front of the japanese embassy in seoul. the statue symbolizes the comfort women. a south korean foreign ministry spokesperson says yun explained that a support foundation was formally set up last month. >> translator: both sides recognize the importance of the agreement to heal the women's psychological scars and restore their dignity. >> the spokesperson says both governments will work together closely. u.n. ambassadors from russia and ukraine have traded accusations at the u.n. security council. the diplomats met behind closed

doors at the request of ukraine as tension mounts over developments in the crimean peninsula. russian authorities say they have detained ukrainian saboteurs who were plotting to destroy infrastructure in crimea. ukraine's government responded by placing its troops on combat alert along the border with crimea and in eastern ukraine. ukraine's u.n. ambassador, volodymyr yelchenko, said russia's accusations are false. he says all but one member of the council have pledged to respect territorial integrity. >> let's hope, and, well, this is my biggest hope, is that with this discussion or this discussion will help russian position to understand they cannot continue this kind of behavior. >> russia's u.n. ambassador, vitaly churkin, said he hopes ukrainians would be prudent enough to not further the

escalation and asked the united states not to meddle by seeking a security council resolution. the diplomatic spat comes as shelling intensifies between government troops and pro-russian separatists in eastern ukraine. in other news, a wave of coordinated explosions have struck tourist destinations in southern thailand. the blasts have killed four people and wounded 34 others. among the injured are ten foreigners in the seaside town. roselyn debhavalya in bangkok has been following the story. >> police have ordered a security clamp down following the chain of explosions that began on thursday afternoon in the province of trang and continued through friday morning in. continued through friday. at least 11 bombs were set off in five southern provinces. police say the attacks were hallmarks of previous bombings in southernmost thailand. we hear from nhk world's dhra

dhirakaosal in hua hin. >> reporter: the area right here is where the blasts went off earlier this morning. it's actually an area like a stop used for tourists to get on buses to different places. in addition, there's also a tourist center. hua hin lies around 200 kilometers south of bangkok. two bombs placed in planter pots on a main street exploded within minutes of each other on friday morning. one person was killed. police say the bombs were detonated by a mobile device. >> translator: i was totally shocked. i stepped back and looked around. there was another explosion less than two minutes later, so i ran away as fast as i could. >> translator: such atrocities have never happened here before. the explosions have terrified everyone in hua hin. >> reporter: the previous night another twin blast hit a street full of tourists in the popular beach town. elsewhere on friday morning, attackers set off two small bombs at a resort town on the southern island of phuket.

two more blasts hit the province north of phuket. the twin blasts are familiar to many of thailand's three muslim majorities' southernmost provinces. insurgent violence there has killed more than 6,500 people over the past 12 years. experts say there are strong similarities between the two styles of bombings. police have detained several suspects and are trying to identify others using surveillance video. they say it's too soon to jump to conclusions but insist the attackers are not linked to any international militant group. >> translator: we are positive these blasts are nothing like the terrorism we see striking other countries. these are what we call local efforts of sabotage as the attacks are limited within each province.

>> reporter: the bombings revive memories of the attack in central bangkok in august 2015, which killed 20 people and wounded more than 120, including foreigners. thai police said then they suspected the involvement of a network that helps minority uygurs escape china. thailand's interim prime minister prayut chan-o-cha expressed fury at the attacks and ordered a thorough investigation. >> translator: why should this happen now when conditions in the country are improving and everything is settling? the economy is getting better. tourism is getting better. why now? who did this? who doesn't want to see thailand get better? which group? go find out for me. >> reporter: police responding to the latest bombings say they're working around the clock to identify the suspects. the attacks are not only causing casualties and fear but damaging the image of the tourist

friendly country. dhra dhirakaosal, nhk world, hua hin. a former philippine president says unofficial talks with china have shown some encouraging signs. fidel ramos is acting as a special envoy to help break the two countries' deadlock over the territorial dispute in the south china sea. ramos spoke with reporters about his meeting in hong kong with fu ying, the chairperson of the foreign affairs committee of the national people's congress. ramos said the two agreed on the need for further discussions to build trust and confidence. he said a decision on formal talks will be made by president rodrigo duterte. >> i hope that there is a phase two coming up. and as to where this will take place, we don't know yet. we have to go back to manila to

find out what are the latest developments on the official side. inasmuch as there is concurrent activity ongoing at that level. >> the philippine government regards last month's ruling by the arbitration tribunal in the hague as a basis for talks with china. the tribunal has rejected china's claims over the south china sea. china opposes the ruling, as well as any discussions based on the decision, but it's indicated its willingness to discuss with the philippines the possibility of talks. a chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said this week that china would welcome a visit by a special envoy at an early date. people in thailand marked the queen's birthday on friday. it's also mother's day. because the queen is the one woman everyone in thailand calls mother. this year, queen sirikii turned 84. as people pay tribute to her, they celebrate their own mothers too. nhk world's tayamon huttaporn reports from bangkok.

>> reporter: people across thailand have put up images of the queen. the whole country celebrates this day. and the color of the day is light blue. colors are important in thailand. each day of the week has its own colors. friday is light blue. the queen was born on a friday, so light blue is her color. people honor her by wearing it. jasmine flowers are mother's day tradition. vendors sell gallons. the pure white blossom with its lasting scent is a symbol of maternal love. jasmine is essential to accompany any gift. >> translator: i give my mom jasmine every year.

we also light candles. >> translator: i think of her all the time. i was just so little and she raised me. >> reporter: teachers and students mark mother's day, too, such as this bangkok elementary school. because mother's day is a national holiday, many schools invite mothers to celebrate one day early. children offer tributes. on this day, more than 500 mothers of children from first to third grade are attending. ♪ a performer sings a traditional mother song. at the end of the performance, children kneeled at their mother's feet and give hugs.

>> translator: i love mom. >> translator: everything mom gives me is great. >> reporter: 6-year-old sitthinon is a student here. he and his classmates learned to make a special present, a mother's day card. >> translator: i'm so excited. i want to see how mom likes it. >> reporter: as the only child, sitthinon has all his mother's love to himself. he's also grateful for her delicious food. after the meal, he fetches his present for her. he gives her a jasmine gallon and a card he made at school.

>> translator: i love mom because she always cooks for me. >> reporter: every year when parchiarapron hears her son say "thank you," she notices how much he has grown. >> translator: i'm so happy. every mother's day i see how he develops, how his skills get better, and his body and mind improve. >> reporter: as thais mark the queen's birthday, they pay tribute to the women who make everything possible. tayamon huttaporn, nhk world, bangkok. >> that wraps up our bulletin. i'm roselyn debhavalya in bangkok. emerging economies, powers still struggling with poverty. evolving citizens demanding democracy. the threat of violence. the push for peace.

the shadow of conflict. get news and insight on southeast asia every weekday live from bangkok only on nhk "newsline." people in japan are remembering the world's worst single aircraft disaster. the relatives and friends of victims are traveling to the remote site where tragedy unfolded 31 years ago. on august 12th, 1985, a japan airlines jumbo jet crashed into a mountain ridge in gunma prefecture north of tokyo. only four people survived. the other 520 people on board died. every august 12th since then, their loved ones have been climbing up the mountain to pay their respects. relatives also want to find a way to pass lessons from the accident on to future generations. nhk world's kazuaki hirama reports from the memorial service held about ten kilometers away from the crash site on the mountain ridge. >> reporter: today is similar to that day 31 years ago, a hot

summer day with the sound of skieras, but the families of the victims are growing older. that's what one of them shared with me. and the accident was blamed for faulty repair work carried out by the manufacturer, boeing, seven years earlier. the aircraft on this day 31 years ago suffered the loss of control, and 30 minutes later, it crashed into a mountain near here. and the families of the victims are concerned that the tragedy is fading from public memory because many of them find it difficult to climb to the crash site on the ridge. shigeko masunaga is one of them. she lost her father in the accident. the last conversation with him was that on the phone he said he was looking forward to having dinner with her. he was 67. masunaga turned herself 67 this year and she's afraid she may not be able to make it to the crash site next year.

>> i am healthy now, but i don't know what's going to be maybe next day or next week. maybe i get ill or a serious condition. so i'm really concerned about the aging for the families. >> reporter: according to japan airlines, for the 30th anniversary last year, 406 people made the journey. but this year only 273 people were able to participate. in the service, the families that gathered here had a moment of silence for their loved ones who were killed in the accident. and many children were on that flight, too. they were enjoying summer vacations, going away from home or coming back home, but most of

them never made it. and people attending this ceremony say they hope that every single person in the aviation industry remembers this day and pledges to work hard to make safety the top priority. kazuaki hirama, nhk world. many young chinese people are looking for ways to overcome a growing feeling of social isolation. some are setting up a new kind of private space where like-minded people can bond and share their thoughts. nhk world's daisuke azuma has more. >> reporter: nanchang, inland china. students from local universities set up a sanctuary a few weeks ago. they wanted a place off campus

where they could hang out, learn and speak their minds. >> translator: i hope this will be a platform where students can share knowledge and experience and interact with one another. >> reporter: they are planning to bring in experts to run lectures and seminars among other events. it's believed there are fully advanced spaces like this one across china, but models that inspire them is in beijing. four years ago, cheng baozhong was a research student searching for inspiration. >> translator: i was feeling the university was boring, formal, bureaucratic, and restrictive. so i wanted to create a space that's freer and independent. >> reporter: he succeeded in

setting up an oasis where people come to explore new ideas and possibilities. it makes money through membership fees, donations and by offering accommodation. so far, more than 10,000 people have used this space. today, 15 people are here to discuss their work. they'll spend two days together sleeping inside and sharing meals. most of them are strangers. an improvisation play and other games. before long, they are chatting freely. qin yongli is a data analyst at an i.t. company. he's been coming here for three years. he says it's fun to make friends who allow him to speak openly and honestly. now, it's time to make dinner.

everybody pitches in. soon, the hot pot is ready to eat. >> translator: we live in a society without much trust so you think it's impossible that more than ten strangers can get together and share a hot pot. but today we did that. this place has changed my view of society. i used to think people were cut off from one another. but not anymore. >> reporter: an expert in urban cultural studies says the internet age has weakened social bands. she says people feel more isolated than ever and that's a big factor in the success of these new spaces. >> translator: young chinese people don't have siblings, a result of the government's

one-child policy. chinese society has also undergone rapid development. there's a disparity in thinking between the younger generations and their parents. many young people want places where they can build emotional bonds. >> reporter: a generation of young chinese is increasingly turning away from traditional thinking and worrying. many are seeking richer lives in spaces that give them a new-found sense of freedom. daisuke azuma, nhk world, beijing. when it comes to fighting cancer, support and encouragement can be crucial for helping people cope. as our next story shows, one man in japan had the idea of starting a webcast to help others like him. >> translator: hi, and welcome to "cancer notes." >> reporter: this webcast

streams videos of cancer survivors and victims in their 20s and 30s talking about their hopes and fears. the "cancer notes" webcast was created by toru kishida, a young survivor of the disease. when he was 25, he found out he had testicular and lymphatic cancer. he underwent chemotherapy and had two surgeries over an eight-month period. the cure worked, but it has affected his chances of having children. >> translator: i thought i was going to die without having contributed anything to society. i thought it was my fault and i cut myself off from everyone. >> reporter: he became a recluse. but then, he came across articles on the net in which young cancer patients described their experiences. he wished he could talk with

them. this gave him the idea of inviting guests to speak and streaming the conversations online. >> translator: when i learned i had cancer, the only thing i could think of was that i'd be exposed to radiation. i thought i'd never be able to get married or to have children. >> translator: this is a show for people who are fighting cancer. they may not be able to go outside, but i hope i can cheer them up via the internet. >> reporter: the webcast is bringing young cancer patients and survivors together. taiki shiraiashi was diagnosed with thyroid cancer when he was 27. he says that when he told his company, he was expected to resign. it was around that time he discovered kishida's site. inspired by the stories of patients his own age, he decided

to go back to school and get new qualifications. he also asked kishida if he could appear on the show. >> translator: this is my message -- bad things happen, but keep believing that good things will come. i want to encourage people, even if it's just one person. i hope i can use everything i've learned from what i've been through to improve other people's lives. >> translator: we can fight this together. the aim of this webcast is to send a message of support, and i'm starting to think this was the reason i got cancer. >> reporter: kishida aims to keep pushing ahead with "cancer notes." he wants to bring young people together to share their messages of hope. and next, here's the three-day outlook on the weather for selected cities around the globe.

blahs here's one more story for you before we go. the height of summer is being celebrated across japan, and groups of energetic dancers are

taking part in the most rhythmic of the season's large festivals. the four-day annual event got under way friday evening in tokushima city, west of japan. the participants gathered at six venues in the city center. they performed traditional dances to the accompaniment of chimes, drums and flutes. ♪ >> the festival runs through monday, and organizers say they expect the number of visitors will surpass last year's record of 1.2 million. and that wraps up this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm raja pradhan in tokyo. and from all of us at nhk world, thanks for watching and have a good day, wherever you are.

announcer: welcome to "global 3000." this week we pay a visit to the south african coast to see the only penguins at home on the continent. but their numbers are dwindling. how can they be saved? in colombia, we meet motivated young people who want to develop innovative ideas to improve conditions in their country. but first, we take a closer look at a photo series. a swedish photographer has captured arresting images depicting the lives of children fleeing war. all of our heads are filled with pictures. images are a powerful force, we absorb their content 60,000 times faster than information conveyed in text. pictures appeal to our emotions.