home to the champasac center for health sciences. the college trains doctors and

nurses and more recently, mid wives. since 2009, midwifery courses are offered at 19 schools across the country. qualified nurses graduate after one year. those who complete the courses are then dispatched to different regions around the country, so far, 1,200 mid wives have been trained and licensed. the government plans to increase the number to 1,500 by the end of 2015. laos is one of the poorest countries in asia. the country still lacks adequate medical facilities and it's the

worst among all the underdeveloped nations. this woman completed her midwife training three years ago. she now has sole responsibility for 16 villages. she provides pregnant women regular health checks and teaches them about the importance of diet as well as what to expect before and after childbirth. old customs run deep in laos, and sometimes clash with the modern world. many expectant mothers choose to ignore the advice of modern day mid wives.

we follow a laotian midwife in her tireless efforts to provide care and support to mothers and their newborn babies. laos sits in the middle of indonesia. the farming village of kapou and is home to around 1,100 people. kapu's health center is the only medical facility in an area of

16 villages. the center's three doctors are only general practitioners, if a patient's illness is serious or surgery is required, they are sent to a hospital 10 kilometers away. midwife lotchana was dispatched to the health center a year ago. she was the district's first ever midwife. laisuk is three months pregnant. she's 19 and has come here for her first consultation. she traveled on the back of her husband's motor bike from her village, sticks kilometers away.

lotchana begins checking the baby's position in the womb. she also measures the pulse. she then asks laisuk about her lifestyle and offers advice.

>> after the consultation, lotchana weighs out 10 kilos of rice, a gift for every woman who comes in. as well as providing nutrition, it also encourages them to keep coming back. >> in the afternoon, lotchana heads out for a home visit on her moped, she's concerned about a woman in the late stages of her pregnancy who didn't show up for her consultation. the woman lives in a village 12

kilometers away from the health center. lotchana currently cares for 70 pregnant women and is frequently called out when they unexpectedly go into labor or develop complications. 20 minutes after leaving, lotchana arrives at her destination. the village of aling is home to 260 people from the katu minority. the village chief shows lotchana the way to the expectant mother's house.

aling is very near her due date. aling says she forgot the date of her appointment. lotchana discovers that aling could give birth any day now. aling is 40 and is expecting her fourth child.

>> aling promises lotchana to have her baby at the health center. on weekdays, lotchana stays in a

room next door to the health center. her husband jitthavong is used to the arrangement. he is a civil serve vaant at th agriculture bureau and always gets home before lotchana. health care professional when she was in her teens and had a condition causing her legs to swell making it difficult to walk.

>> there were no mid wives at the health center where lotchana used to work. when she found the government was conducting the classes, she became a qualified midwife.

>> seven different ethnic groups live in the 16 villages that lotchana covers, on this day, she's individuals s ee's visits are two ethnicities. many members of these ethnic minorities maintain long known traditions. one of lotchana's major challenges is to change their beliefs about giving birth and raising infants. neivone has just had a baby boy two days ago at the health center. the c burns under her bed. it's part of a traditional medical practice in post pregnancy treatment. the burning coals are sent to

speed up the mother's recovery by warming up her body. women also often go on a diet. it's often a cause of concern for lotchana. >> she belongs to the group who has a custom to avoid eating fruits and vegetables after giving birth.

>> lotchana explains that a healthy balanced diet is essential for recovering from childbirth.

>> the following day, her husband prepares lunch. he puts a large amount of greens in his chicken soup. heeding lotchana's advice, she told him she has to eat plenty of vegetables and other foods.

>> her mother isn't so happy with the change of diet.

>> once a month, the 16 village chiefs all gather at the health center. representatives from the health bureau are also there. they talk about the role of mid wives and the facility and how to better serve the community.

>> lotchana stresses the importance of coming to the health center for examinations.

>> it's been three years since lotchana became a midwife.

when she first started, only about ten women came to the health center for regular checkups. now thanks to steady efforts, that number has risen to 70. in the evening, lotchana travels to the village at the edge of the area. she is 27 and pregnant with her second child.

>> lotchana goes over the precautions the woman should take during her pregnancy.

>> it's dark by the time lotchana finishes her regular day. >> the villager warns her of an emergency. >> lotchan rushes back.

>> the woman's waters broke while she was working in the fields. her husband brought her straight to the center. it's her seventh pregnancy, but she's concerned because she miscarried the last time. approximate . >> the woman refuses to put her

legs in the stirrups. the woman says she gave birth kneeling upright to each of her six children. >> the woman feels uneasy and wants to go home to have her child. >> lotchana gets the husband to

support his wife to keep her as comfortable as possible. the baby starts to move down the birth canal.

>> three hours later, the woman is stable enough to return home with her baby. all of her family has come to pick her up.

>> efforts to improve maternity care in laos are still in the early stages, but lotchana and other mid wives will continue leading the way.

hello. this is nhk "newsline." i'm keiko kitagawa in tokyo. nhk has learned that the u.s. military has told japan's government it wants to resume midair refueling training in early january. the drills were suspended after a crash landing in southern japan involving a u.s. osprey aircraft earlier this month. the tilt-rotor aircraft was badly damaged in shallow waters off the coast of okinawa prefecture. on december 13th. the military says the crash landing was caused by a hose from an air tanker hitting one of the osprey's propellers during an aerial refueling drill. it restarted frights of ospreys six days later, saying the