tv Newsline PBS September 6, 2016 12:00am-12:31am PDT
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declaration from 1956. it stipulates that the former soviet union, now russia, would return two of the four contested islands to japan after a peace treaty. but he added that the russian government may consider conditions for their return and their sovereignty. russia controls the four islands, japan claims them. the japanese government maintains the islands are an inherent part of japan's territory. it says the islands were illegally occupied after world war ii. g20 leaders wrapped up their summit by issuing a joint statement. they plan to implement policies to achieve sustainable and balanced global growth. xi jinping held a news conference after the summit.
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>> translator: the global economy's capability for recovery is still weak, and the influence of international and regional issues on the world economy cannot be overlooked. i believe the summit has achieved significant results through the efforts of member countries. >> the economy continues to recover but faces risks as the pace of growth is slower than expect. the g20 members expressed the importance of both structural reforms and fiscal policies and say they'll be proactive in implementing the policies. the leaders reaffirm excessive volatility in exchange rates could hurt economic and financial stability. and they agreed they will avoid competitive devaluation of their currencies. in an apparent reference to china's steel glut, the statement calls industrial overcapacity a global issue.
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the leaders agree to launch a global forum of ministers to share information and promote cooperation. also on trade, the leaders renewed their pledge to ensure a multilateral framework and say regional pacs such as the transpacific partnership will help liberalize trade. earlier in the talks japanese prime minister shinzo abe spoke about the importance of freedom of navigation and overflight. he said they're necessary to safeguard international trade. he also called on countries to abide by the rule of law to ensure peace at sea. his comments were made with china in mind. beijing has various territorial disputes with multiple countries. now, prime minister abe met with chinese president xi jinping after the summit. the first one on one talks between the leaders in almost a year and a half. president xi said there are sometimes complicated factors and soft spots in relations between the countries. he said both sides need to work
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to get their ties back on track. prime minister abe replayed he wants to build stable relations by managing the difficult challenges and promoting what he called win-win cooperation. he says it should be based on the idea of a mutually beneficial textra teej igs relations. chinese ships have repeatedly entered japanese waters in the senkaku islands. japan controls the islands. the government maintains the islands are an inherent part of japan's territory. china and taiwan claim them. china's state-run media report that president xi told abe that china and japan should use dialogue to address the east china sea issue and maintain regional peace and stability. north korean state media reports the country test-fired ballistic missiles under leader
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kim jong-un's guidance. the launch was timed to coincide with the g20 meeting and will raise tensions on the peninsula. the officials say the missiles came from north korea's west shortly after noon on monday japan time. they appear to be medium-range rodongs. japan's defense ministry say they were possibly rodongs or short-range scuds. they add they appear to have fallen into the sea of japan inside the country's exclusive economic zone. japan's foreign minister says he has launched a protest with pyongyang. >> translator: the launch is a great provocation and threatens the peace and security of the region including japan and the international community. it's totally unforgivable. >> he said japan will work with other countries to respond. pyongyang had been opposing a
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military drill between the u.s. and south korea which ended last friday. the country's media reports the launch was conducted by a troop with a mission to attack u.s. bases in the pacific region during an emergency. the launch comes ahead of a key anniversary. north korea will mark its national foundation day on friday. the main issue at the g20 summit was, of course, coming up with policies to help achieve global growth. the head of the international monetary fund has stressed what's needed to do that. ai uchida yoin joins us from t business desk. what message did they convey? >> she stressed the importance of structural reform over monetary and fiscal policies in raising global economic growth. >> there was clearly a consensus in the room around two facts.
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there must be more growth and growth must be more inclusive. >> she urged g20 countries not just to think about structural reform but to actually implement it. she also said it's necessary to keep working toward a more equal relationship among imf member nations. she was referring to a g20 agreement to give emerging and developing economies a more prominent voice. the top leaders of japan and britain spoke briefly at the g20 summit. shinzo abe asked theresa may for greater predictability with regard to her plan for a post-brexit britain. it was the first time the two had met and exchanged views since may took office in july. abe's aim was to ensure that the brexit vote will have minimal impact on japanese firms operating in britain and that their business activities will be safeguarded. may said she's well aware of the impact britain's vote to leave the eu will have on japan and
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other countries. she expressed her hope of maintaining and building on the relationship between japan and britain. and now let's get a check on markets. wall street was closed for labor day holidays, but to see how markets here in tokyo are kicking off this tuesday, we're going to go to ramin mellegard who is standing by at the tokyo stock exchange. what are you seeing this morning? >> a very good morning to you, ai. really in the absence of any guidance from wall street, as you mentioned there, hitting record highs, but for japan as well. but a lot of investors may take their cues from the energy markets. let's have a look at how the nikkei and the topix are opening, 17052 marginally in the positive there and the broader topix up 0.21%. as i said, in the absence of any direction from wall street, investors across asia pacific will likely get a check on how markets trade here at the tokyo
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stock exchange as the dollar has also fallen just a touch. so exporters may come in for a bit of selling. i'll track that sector especially after solid gains so far in early september. now, i mentioned energy markets. so let's get a quick look at crude oil prices as well. brent and wti benchmarks have gone up so far this week giving energy sector stocks a boost after losses that we saw last week, if you remember, on concerns over output caps being adhered to. here in japan, a big focus was also on the ten-year government bond. its yield rose close to zero percent. now that marks a turnaround as it had been trading well into the negative territory for the past seven months. a bit of a turnaround for jgbs. monday's comments from central bank haruhiko kuroda who tried to soothe markets by talking the
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benefits rather than the consequences of recent easing measures. >> in regard to the g20 meeting, where are some of the key currency pairs trading this morning because we did see another jump in the british pound? >> exactly. let's start with the dollar/yen. the key pair there. 103.45 to 48. it has fallen back just a touch before trading to 104. following the pop higher after the sell-off that we saw the u.s. jobs on friday. now, a lot of focus also on the yuan after the g20 meeting as investors remain concerned over its recent fall and any measures by china to address its weakness. and as you mentioned, the british pound, ai, the pmi services data for the uk showed further robust activity for the uk economy, actually sending the pound to a seven-week high against the dollar. it also jumped against the euro and the yen. however based on a media report, an interesting bump in the road ahead. maybe a japanese publication of a memo at the g20 summit meeting
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saying that its banks may leave britain if uk's access to the eu is blocked. very quickly, just want to see how some of the asian markets are trade sog far. seoul's kospi in the positive. >> thanks a lot for always keeping us up to date. moving on, japan is experiencing a construction boom. but there aren't enough workers to go around. so many firms are turning to information and communications technology or ict to reduce their reliance on human labor. a new expressway is being built in kushiro, hokkaido. a drone is being used to conduct surveys. the drone can take 800 aerial photographs in just 30 minutes. the photos are used to create three-dimensional blueprints. it used to take three people
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about two weeks to process and interpret the data and create the blueprints, but now one person can do it in a day. a computer network transmits the completed blueprints directly to the construction equipment on site. a display panel inside this back hoe shows the operator where to scrape away the earth with precision down to a millimeter. a worker standing outside the back hoe used to tell the operator where to move the shovel. but, thanks to the ict technology, that extra role has been eliminated. >> translator: i was surprised, to say the least. it's like working a game console. what an amazing world we live in. >> this small construction firm has 36 employees. it started using ict earlier this year. company managers believe the technology will allow them to
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improve efficiency and cope with a chronic reluctant to work in this industry because it's hard. so we need to do something about it. >> this man is a 40-year veteran of the construction industry. he knows how to operate heavy equipment quickly and efficiently. he took the ict-equipped back hoe out for a test spin. the blueprint data installed on the computer controls the main movement movements. all he needs to do is follow the ict's instructions. this job requires a margin of error of no more than a few centimet centimeters. can the ict put it off?
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the ict turned out to be more accurate than expected. he approves. >> translator: i'm very impressed. we've certainly entered a whole new technological era. >> but ict can't handle some tricky situations. he has to think of ways to move the back hoe on a muddy slope. he decided to use the shovel to pull the machine forward. he made a bed of dry sand on the ground for traction. ict can't cope with complicated or unexpected situations that require human input. >> translator: ict will get better over time. that's for sure. but at this point, skilled
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workers are still required. we should use ict as much as possible to help get the job done. >> ict may never entirely replace humans on construction sites, but builders are hoping it will help them keep pace with growing demand even as the supply of able-bodied workers continues to shrink. modest moves on asian markets this morning. i'll leave with you a check on those numbers. in hong kong's leaked, parties critical of china have
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retained their veto power. they secured 30 seats in the territory's legislative council, three of which will be held by three independent activists. our hong kong bureau chief reports. >> reporter: chiandidates of criticical of beijing are celebrating their win. they'll see if they're able to hold on to their recent power. it's the first vote since the so-called umbrella movement of 2014 when young people staged pro democracy protests for weeks. the one country, two systems policy, the city has more control over its affairs than those on the mainland, but protesters want to preserve that autonomy and maybe gain more. some of the movement's leaders gained seats. >> it shows how hong kong people wanted the change actually we
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were stuck in a democratic movement. >> reporter: sunday's results seem to reflect an increase in people's concerns over the territory's autonomy. in the past few years, beijing has been asserting stronger political influence. last year booksellers that sold titles critical of china's party were detained on the mainland. one says he was forced to confess to illegally selling the books. the incidents have sparked fears among the city's residents. and that led to more attention to this election. nearly 60% of hong kong's 3.7 million registered voters turned out. it was the highest figure since britain handed the territory back to china in 1997. however, the results won't mean rapid change. hong kong's electoral system
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allows only half of the seats to be directly elected by the public. that means pro-beijing camps will still be the dominant power in the legislative council. and with the rise of pro democratic forces, beijing is expected to pay even closer attention to hong kong's activities. reporting for nhk world from hong kong. twin bombings near the afghan defense ministry have killed at least 24 people and wounded 91. the taliban has claimed responsibility. on monday, a bomb on the roadside near the ministry building in the capital kabul exploded. police officers and civilians gathered at the site to see what had happened, and then a second blast was set off by a suicide bomber. government officials say those killed include police and military officers. the majority of u.s.-led international forces withdrew from afghanistan at the end of
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2014. since that time, the taliban has been steadily increasing attacks opposing a major threat to afghan government forces. multiple explosions in syria have killed over 50 people. the islamic state militant group has claimed the attacks through the news agency. on monday morning the city on the mediterranean coast was hit by a car bombing. around the same time blasts in far-flung parts of the country including the outskirts of the capital damascus and a city near the borders with turkey and iraq. a britain-based human rights watchdog says there were six separate attacks killing a total of at least 53 people including civilians. the islamic state militant group has announced through its affiliated news agency that it targeted areas controlled by the syrian government and kurdish forces. the militant group has recently lost ground in syria. last month turkish ground forces began crossing the border and
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kurdish forces, backed by a u.s.-led coalition, have strengthened their offensive in the north. now japanese bonsai have grown in popularity around the world. it's all thanks to a maker of model trains. nhk world reports. >> reporter: this bonsai is actually a model. it's even smaller than the real thing. the soil covered with moss, the shape of the branches, even the particular shade of green on the leaves, all skillfully mimic a real bonsai plant. it's the work of a small modelmaker in shizuoka. this is the president. his company makes model cars and railroads. three years ago he decided to
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branch out. the growing popularity of bonsai plants overseas. he launched a new range of products. 12 varieties of miniature trees. his company has sold 20,000 so far. >> translator: we took them to shows in france and elsewhere, and they were very popular. crowds of visitors bought up all of our display items. >> reporter: the technology is still evolving. previously pine tree needles were made from shredded coconuts. now, they are made of special fiber. it gives the needles a more natural look and feel. there's another twist. the length of needles are tlib rattly left uneven. that allows the model owner to trim their plant at least once
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anyway. >> translator: they look much more realistic this way. it's fun as a final touch. >> reporter: he is looking for authentic looking trees. today he's taking advice from a bonsai expert. he gets important feedback. the expert helps him that white tree trunks don't produce green leaves. >> i accept his criticism. it's logical and our amateur's concept is incorrect. >> reporter: this commitment to accura accuracy impresses some who are visiting. >> translator: i'm proud that this work is being sent overseas as an example of japanese
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workmanship. >> reporter: gardening without the green thumb. bonsai models offer people a new way to contemplate nature and fine craftsmanship. reporting for nhk world from shizuoka. quite cute, aren't they? well, those of you who are in tokyo who have a green thumb, today may be a good day to tend to your outdoor plants. it's looking pretty sunny out. our meteorologist robert speta join us with more. >> yes, this morning, and heading into the afternoon, across the tokyo area, it's not going to be too bad out there. partly cloudy skies, temperatures in the low 30s. still a little humid and sticky. if you're out, you might want to keep a bottle of water with you just so you don't dehydrate. but back towards the west and towards the north we have, well, remnants of our tropical system this weekend and a new one developing. hokkaido and the southern japanese islands, you won't be seeing sunny skies by no means
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today. let's talk about the new storm developing down here towards the south. you can see about 150 to 200 millimeters of rain coming out of this. definitely strong thunderstorms out of this as well. it continues to roll through bringing those showers throughout the day and eventually into wednesday. tokyo out ahead of this heading into wednesday, you might see an increase in precipitation probably especially into the afternoon hours. i should say once you get that massive daytime heating. but for now things are staying relatively clear. then in hokkaido separately, we have the leftovers of our storm system that push through the past weekend now moving through and bringing some additional scattered rainfall out there for you. for tokyo, though, 33 for your high. partly cloudy skies, seoul at 29, beijing at 31 and a taste of autumn in ulan bator, 14 for your high. i first want to mention this storm system blowing its way
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across central and southeastern, here, this has been bringing already rough weather. 80 kilometer per hour wind. large hail, up to golf ball sized. frequent lightning as it dives down into the balkan peninsula. and also some fairly heavy rainfall. you can see where the heaviest is going to be taking place extending back to slovenia and southwestern italy. 100 to 150 millimeters of total precipitation. a different story is taking place here in western europe. you've been looking at strong southerly winds coming and it makes for dry and hot conditions out there. we're talking about the threat of wildfire, and that has been the case. i'll show you video coming out of that area in spain. these blazes are pretty incredible images. right near people's homes.
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actually, several homes have already been destroyed because of these fires. on sunday, the temperatures here actually spiked about 42 degrees celsius. now, that was combined with a very low humidity and some breezy conditions. not conditions firefighters want. the fire has become more severe moving towards populated areas on monday. you can see right there, the scorched areas and you have homes nearby. they are fighting to keep that back. it does look at least by thursday conditions should slowly improve but for now still staying on the hot side around madrid. berlin, that warm air is moving in. temperatures will be on the rise. nearly 10 over, 11 degrees above average expected by the end of the week. do want to leave on this note. our latest hurricane. this is newton, tracking off towards the north. hurricane warnings in place in baja, california and the threat of storm surge and damaging winds but also flash flooding over 150 millimeters of rain expected.
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megan: hi everyone and welcome to our highlights edition, bringing you the best picks of the week. here's a look at what we've got in store for you today. wind and waves -- german filmmaker andi jansen and his spectacular surfing videos. whiskey and windbreakers -- we'll take a trip to the scotland's loch lomond. and see and serenity -- a dutch couple and their home in a lighthouse. the popularity of our home city of berlin has been growing steadily over the past few years, making it one of europe's top destinations. now is certainly a good time to visit since the weather's warmer and the parks are in full bloom. and if you have the money, a fun way to see the cit i
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