it's the top of the hour in tokyo, and this is nhk "newsline." i'm ross mihara. we have an update on the damage left behind by a powerful typhoon in northeastern japan earlier this week. the full extent is still coming to light. the number of fatalities from typhoon lionrock has risen to 14. over 1,000 people are still stranded by flooding and roads blocked by landslides. police in iwate prefecture have expanded search-and-rescue operations. officials have confirmed that 12 people have died, two more are feared dead after being found without vital signs. another nine are missing. in hokkaido, northern japan, two people were found dead and another two are missing.

the typhoon also dealt a blow to a key regional industry, potato farming. a processing facility in the town of minami-furano is completely flooded. a nearby river overflowed sending muddy water into its buildings and destroying potato products. it's not clear when operations can be resumed. the storm also left damage on the korean peninsula. chinese media suggests that flooding along the country's border areas with north korea may have also caused heavy damage in the north. typhoon lionrock unleashed heavy rain from late august in china's northeastern region along the border with north korea. media reports say the storm caused the cross-border tumen river to overflow its banks. state-run china central television says chinese rescuers in the province saved three north korean citizens who had been trapped by the floods. a rescued woman said she had

almost given up hope. she expressed gratitude for being rescued. chinese microblogging site weibo has obtained a photo of north korea said to have been taken across the border. it shows many inundated buildings with some showing signs of structural damage. north korea's state-run media also report that flooding has left 15 people missing and 8,700 homes destroyed in the country. uzbekistan's government has announced that president islam karimov died on friday. he was 78 years old. karimov became the leader of the uzbek communist party in 1989, during the waning days of the soviet era. he became president after the nation gained independence from the soviet union in 1991 and held on to power for the next 25 years. he cracked down on militant islamists as well as political dissidents.

karimov sought to strike a diplomatic balance between russia, china and western countries. he also deepened bilateral economic ties with japan. karimov's daughter on monday posted a message only facebook saying her father was in intensive care after a brain hemorrhage. the post came one day after uzbek government officials announced that her father had been hospitalized. there is speculation that karimov's death may lead to political instability from factional struggles among politicians with regional power bases and militant islamists trying to expand their influence. after an extensive one-on-one meeting, prime minister shinzo abe says he and russian president vladimir putin have finalized a meeting in japan in december. they also discussed a political goal of abe's, signing a bilateral peace treaty. after their three-hour conversation, abe spoke to reporters. he said they discussed north

korea, syria, and ukraine, as well as a peace treaty between tokyo and moscow. >> translator: we had a candid discussion on the peace treaty. we agree will visit my hometown of yamaguchi for bilateral meeting on december 15th. >> the two countries didn't sign that kind of treaty after the end of world war ii and still haven't because of a dispute over four russian-held islands. they're known in japan as the northern territories. tokyo maintains they are an inherent part of japan. russia's foreign minister also spoke to reporters. >> translator: the two leaders agreed to continue the talks and results will be made public during the visit of vladimir putin to japan before the end of this year. >> abe and putin's meeting took place on the sidelines of an

economic forum. business deals are another one of their priorities. >> translator: we understand the development of the far east region is one of russia's most urgent priorities. we will enhance cooperation between our two countries in the region. >> translator: i think it is very important for the governments to support business development between the two countries. we're seriously examining various proposals japan offered us in may. >> abe focused on those proposals which include energy development and industrial assistance in the far east. nhk world's tomoko kamata gave us insights into the meeting. >> after we heard from the comments from both sides, abe and putin were able to go in depth. apart from confirming their next two meetings, nothing concrete was decided.

but it seems this meeting is adding to the positive momentum. this week, putin gave signals on the potential deal of the territorial issue. he told the media outlet bloomberg that he would like to find a solution. he said a compromise could be possible if russia reaches a high level of trust with japan. abe agrees, saying building such trust is the only way forward. he spoke about their upcoming meeting in his hometown. he explained he wants it to take place in a quiet and calm atmosphere. the fact they've confirmed this meeting is a step forward for abe. we believe they also discussed strengthening business ties, and that's important to both sides. for russia, it could help revive their flagging economy. various countries are still imposing sanctions over its annexation of crimea, and it's been hurting.

for japan, offering economic incentives could be a good way to move things forward. abe tried to send a signal to russia this week by appointing a minister to be in charge of economic cooperation with the country. and i believe abe will work to ensure projects that were agreed on in may are advancing. people in russia's far east are remembering world war ii on the anniversary of its official end. september 2nd, 1945, was the date japan formally signed its surrender. ♪ >> the deputy governor of sakhalin told people gathered for a ceremony that the soviet invasion of south sakhalin was responsible for liberating the island and nearby northern territories from japan. the ceremony did not include a military parade or military speeches as it did last year. attendance was down to 1,000 from 5,000.

people reflected on the island's post-war history. >> translator: i came to this island in 1958. i was 20 then and have lived here ever since. my children and grandchildren were born here. this is my home. >> translator: because russia and japan are neighbors, it is only natural to strengthen ties between the countries. >> the government of sakhalin has not given an explanation for why a military parade was not held. there is speculation it could be out of consideration for japan during abe's visit to the region. at least 13 people have been killed in pakistan in 2 separate attacks. the violence took place on friday in the country's northwest. patchari rakswawong in bangkok is following the story. >> the jamaat-ul-ahrar group has claimed responsibility for both attacks. last month the group was added to the u.s. list of global terrorists. the attacks came as the pakistani government is facing

mounting pressure both at home and abroad to deal with the threat of militants. one of the attacks occurred outside a district court in the town of mardan, in khyber pakhtunkhwa province. two bombs exploded killing at least 12 people and wounding dozens. the dead included lawyers, policemen, and civilians. earlier in the day, four gunmen wearing suicide vests stormed a christian colony near the town of peshawar, killing one person. a shootout left the attackers dead. three security officials and two civilian guards were wounded. jamaat-ul-ahrar is a splinter faction of the country's biggest insurgent group, the pakistani taliban. the group claimed responsibility for the easter sunday bombing in march in the eastern city of lahore. the attack in a crowded public park killed 70 people, including many mothers and children. jamaat-ul-ahrar's spokesperson said the target was christians.

u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon says the world body made a big mistake in the closing weeks of the sri lankan civil war. the 26-year-old conflict ended in 2009 when the minority tamil rebels were crushed by forces of then president mahinda rajapaksa. >> on the part of the united nations, i investigate -- i established internal investigations into what has happened, what our people of the united nations mission here had been doing at that time. we found a serious mistake in activities. had we been more actively engaged, we could have saved much more, many more human lives. >> the u.n. and human rights groups have accused the military of killing thousands of civilians in the final weeks of the war. most of the victims were tamils. ban has called on sri lanka to

continue its efforts to reconcile and scrutinize the human rights record from during the conflict. >> sri lanka is still in the early stage of regaining its rightful position in the region and in the international community. there is still much work to be done in order to redress the wrongs of the past and to restore the legitimacy and accountability of key institutions, particularly the judiciary and secret services. >> the sri lankan government agreed last year to establish a credible judicial process involving foreign judges and prosecutors to investigate alleged war crimes in line with u.n. recommendations. laos will welcome u.s. president barack obama next week when he attends the asean and east asia summits but the two countries share a difficult history.

the southeast asian nation became entangled in the vietnam war and millions of unexploded u.s. bombs still litter the country. nearly 50,000 people have been killed or injured by them since the war began, and clearing them will take decades. nhk world's patchaya thanaudom reports. >> reporter: the lush, green landscape of laos can appear peaceful, but the scars of war like these bomb craters are never far away. in this province, northeastern laos, the remnants of war are part of daily life refashioned as construction materials or garden planter. attempting to cut north vietnamese supply lines and disperse communist rebels, the u.s. dropped more than 2 million tons of explosives on laos during the vietnam war. it's believed up to 30% of bombs failed to detonate.

known as unexploded ordinance, or uxo, they're scattered over one-third of the country's land. disposal teams from a government-affiliated agency called uxo lao have been working to clear them for 20 years. over 700 team members work daily to clear areas like this field which was found to contain over 20 uxos. disarming them takes time and care. workers manually plant dynamite and wire up detonators. >> translator: what we've managed to destroy so far is probably just over 2% of what was supposedly dropped on our soil. there is still a lot more to be done as we continue trying to eliminate them. >> reporter: even now, four decades after the war, uxos kill or maim dozens of people every

year. khoua lor was severely injured when he was 12. a detonation ripped open his stomach and left other scars. his cousin, who was playing with the bomb, was killed. >> translator: my scars still hurt, especially when it rains. i feel sad because of the war that left so many bombs in my country. >> reporter: this bomb disposal official says the province is littered with cluster bombs like this. they are the size of an orange and contain hundreds of steel balls that fragment upon explosion. locals call them zombies. >> translator: it's vital that the government speed up the clearance, but it's very hard. we mostly rely on financial support from foreign countries. what our own government can contribute is limited. >> reporter: a new project is under way funded by japan.

this zombie crushing machine was developed by a japanese industrial machinery maker. it chews up unexploded zombies, cutting out a need to defuse them manually. the manufacturer expects it could double the pace of uxo clearance and reduce costs. >> translator: this machine can take uxos safely and quickly and speed up the clearance process. we do hope this new project will succeed. >> reporter: operating the machine requires extensive training. a japanese ngo with more than ten years experience in laos is helping do that. the group was founded by retired mine disposal experts from the japan self-defense forces. >> translator: we would like to do our best to clear the

contaminated areas so that people in laos can live peacefully and safely. >> reporter: it's thought that making laos uxo-free will take more than a century. this is a small step towards that goal. patchaya thanaudom, nhk world, laos. >> that wraps up our bulletin. i'm patchari raksawong in bangkok. nhk has learned that the japan aerospace exploration agency will delay the launch of an unmanned spaceship. the kounotori-6 was scheduled to launch on october 1st but has been postponed until december due to mechanical problems. the spaceship was being prepared for launch at the tanegashima space center in kagoshima prefecture, southwestern japan. it was to deliver supplies to the international space station. but last month engineers discovered a gas leak in one of its pipes.

japanese astronaut takuya onishi is currently stationed at the iss. he was going to be responsible for intercepting the craft with a robotic arm. with the change of schedule, it will not arrive by the end of his mission in late october. the craft will deliver japan-made battery cells that will serve as the main power source at the station. agency officials had hoped that onishi would attempt a space walk to install the batteries, highlighting japan's technological achievements. the operators of japan's power utilities have found that all the reactors used steel components made in the same way as supposedly weak french products. they will check the durability of the components and report their findings by the end of october. the utilities examined the makers and production methods of key components as instructed by the nuclear regulation authority. the probe came after steel in some parts of reactor walls made in france was found to contain more carbon than intended.

steel with high carbon content can become brittle. the french products were made using the forging method. the japanese utilities say all 46 reactors used some parts made by forging. japanese regulators say the method itself is not a problem, but they say poor manufacturing quality control could result in higher carbon content in products. the utilities plan to examine production records and other factors as they check the strength of the metal. a south korean tech giant is suspending sales of its newest smartphone model. the reason is a defect that can cause the battery to catch fire. samsung electronics made the announcement on friday. company officials say they've received 35 reports of the galaxy note 7 catching fire. they say the culprit causing the troubles is its battery.

samsung sold about 2.5 million devices with the possible defect. company officials also said they will replace the phones with new, problem-free units. the problem came to light only two weeks after the firm started selling the products in the united states, south korea and other markets. the galaxy note 7 smartphone features an easy-to-use touch pen. it also features a function that unlocks the screen with a glance. members of an international fisheries panel met in japan to discuss dwindling numbers of bluefin tuna in the pacific ocean. japanese delegates proposed emergency restrictions on catches of the fish, which is prized in sushi restaurants across the country. but they were unable to get other participants to back their plan. panel members ended five days of talks in fukuoka, western japan, on friday. japanese representatives called for drastic limits on catches when stocks of young tuna are low for three years.

u.s. officials opposed the idea. they said restrictions should take effect sooner. panel members have already scheduled a meeting in south korea for next year. they say they'll take up the issue again then. japanese authorities have searched the offices of mitsubishi motors following new revelations of mileage cheating. executives at the automaker admitted this week to more cases s of rigged fuel efficiency data and suspended sales of eight domestic models. transport ministry officials inspected the mitsubishi headquarters in tokyo. they also went through the firm's research and development center. in central japan. mitsubishi's engineers reportedly used only the most favorable data when calculating mileage in the cases that came to light this week. they told the ministry they weren't aware they were going against proper procedures. mitsubishi officials have apologized to customers and promised to cooperate with the investigation. they say they'll ensure the

problem doesn't happen again. here is a look at some of the other business stories we are following. >> where can i get a souvenir? >> it is located on the basement level and the second floor. >> japanese electronics maker hitachi has developed a humanoid robot to help foreign tourists. officials are putting the artificially intelligent machine through a trial run at tokyo's haneda airport. hitachi says the robot will be able to speak a range of languages. the firm hopes to have it ready for the 2020 olympics and paralympics in tokyo. the owner of japan's uniqlo chain has opened one of the biggest clothing stores in southeast asia. fast retailing is calling the singapore outlet its first global flagship store for the region. it says the shop stocks about 500 items. chairman tadashi yanai says over the next five to ten years he

hopes to triple sales in southeast asia. china's gearing up to host its first g20 summit. it will kick off this sunday in the city of hangzhou. the leaders of 20 developed and emerging nations will discuss how to merge policies to achieve global economic growth. but the big question is how china will make this meeting a success, especially amid rising tensions with its neighbors over issues in the south china sea. earlier, mitsuko spoke to daisuke azuma about it. >> reporter: they see the summit as a most important diplomatic event of the year. so media here have been covering the preparations day in and day out. state-run tv has said they were 100 landmarks.

protesters are stressing xhi that will play a leading role in putting the world's economy on the path to recovery. security in the city is tight. lots of police are standing gaurd and traffic is restricted. schools and companies are closed for a week. authorities are even urging residents to leave, and it's not only acts of terrorists they are worried about. they fear people unhappy with the state of chinese society might stage a protest and that will be a great embarrassment for the government. >> china has been stepping up its diplomatic efforts recently. does that mean, daisuke, beijing is trying to improve ties with the participants? >> that's right, mitsuko. the government is making efforts to ensure the summit will succeed. but the timing of the summit is significant. in july, an international arbitration tribunal turned down

china's territorial claim over the south china sea. the case was brought by the philippines. some of the g20 members, including japan, have supported the decision. china also has tensions with south korea. seoul has decided to introduce an american missile defense system. they say it's to defend against north korean attacks, but china worries the radar system will be used to spy on its activities. last week, the chinese foreign minister wang yi visited japan for the first time as foreign minister. he met with his counterparts from japan and south korea. >> translator: we've agreed to strengthen cooperation and make sure the g20 summit will be a success. we've also agreed to pour energy to boosting the global economy through the joint efforts.

>> so, what specific measures will china take to ensure that success? >> chinese officials are emphasizing that the g20 summit is a forum for discussing the economy. they don't want any of these other issues to be brought up at the talks. this expert agrees. >> if you want to change gear, talk about your political international security issues, there will be a long list. and unfortunately, i don't think g20 has enough time and resources to be diverted into the international political issues. i think the better way is to let g20 do what it is best at. that is focusing on coming up with consensus view of steering the world economy in the right direction. >> as meetings are on the horizon, including an asean

summit, in beijing, a major reshuffle of the xi administration is expected next year, and he wants to look good on the diplomatic stage ahead of time. but with these meetings ahead, china will have no shortage of issues to grapple with. let's take a look at the weather forecast for the weekend.

that's all we have for now on nhk "newsline." i'm ross mihara in tokyo. thank you for watching and have a good day.

anchor: on "global 3000" this week -- a visit to the u.s., which had a tragic 2015. more young african american men died from police brutality than ever before. we head to chicago to find out why. diving into mexico's caribbean coast, home to the delicious caribbean spiny lobster. how do they catch them sustainably? but we start our journey in singapore, where it's all about learning and more learning, no matter how tiny you are. signals pass between synapses in a child's brain incredibly quickly. the process starts in the womb. at two years old, the most important connections have already been made. over time, the child develops their physical coordination, ry