nhk "newsline." i'm ross mihara in tokyo. finance ministers and central bank chiefs of the group of 20 economies are discussing global economic challenges. they began two days of talks in southwestern germany on friday. it gave japan's minister a chance to meet for the first time. it's also the first occasion for all of the leaders to get together since u.s. president donald trump took office. attention is focused on whether they can abide by earlier agreements to promote free trade despite the new protectionist tendency of the new u.s. administration. the japanese finance minister taro aso had one-on-one talks

with the u.s. secretary of the treasury, steven mnuchin. >> translator: i told him that free trade greatly contributes to economic prosperity and i said that countering protectionism is necessary. >> however, aso said mnuchin had no specific reaction to his remarks. u.s. secretary of state rex tillerson had strong words for north korea on the second leg to his trip to asia. at a news conference in seoul he said if pyongyang keeps pursuing its nuclear weapons program, he won't rule out taking military action. tillerson said the policy of strategic patience has ended. he said north korea must understand that the only path to a secure economically prosperous future is to abandon its weapons program. >> certainly, we do not want

to -- for things to get to a military conflict. we're quite clear in that, in our communications. but, obviously, if north korea takes actions that threatens the south korean forces or our own forces then that will be met with an appropriate response. if they elevate the threat of their weapons program to a level that we believe requires action, that option is on the table. >> tillerson also called on china to stop opposing the deployment of the u.s. missile defense system, thaad, in south korea. >> while we acknowledge china's opposition, its economic retaliation against south korea is inappropriate and troubling. we ask china to refrain from such action. instead, we urge china to address the threat that makes thaad necessary. that being the escalating threat from north korea. >> south korea's foreign ministers said they want to

deploy the system to deal with one specific threat. >> translator: the government of south korea and the united states have been pursuing the deployment of thaad to deal with north korea's threat, which is more serious than before. we'd like to make it clear that this is only a defense against the north's missile threats and not an action against any specific third country. >> earlier on friday tillerson visited the demilitarized zone and greeted u.s. soldiers. the u.s. secretary of state arrives in beijing, china on saturday. it's the last stop of his tour of three asian nations. tillerson will have talks with xi jinping and two others. he is expected to urge china to put more pressure on north korea. they are expected to arrange the dates and agenda for the summit between u.s. president trump and

president xi. japan's political parties have reached consensus to allow emperor akihito to abdicate. last year the emperor expressed an apparent desire to step down. the parties discussed the issue and submitted a report to prime minister shinzo abe. the report recommends legislation applying only to emperor akihito and it says in other cases in the future the diet could make a decision based on public opinion. the report says that any legislation should note what led to abdication such as public understanding for the emperor who said his advanced age makes it harder for him to carry out duties. the report also recommends a clause on the emperor's future status and title. >> translator: i told prime minister abe that each party is committed to enacting legislation during the current diet session. >> the prime minister said the opinions presented in the report

will be taken into consideration as the legislation is drawn up. prime minister abe has denied donating money to a school operator in western japan that's in the center of a political scandal. the head of the moritomo gakuen says abe donated $9,000 to help build a new elementary school. on friday abe denied the claims. >> translator: i have never met with him one to one. i would never give such a large donation to that kind of person. i have never made a donation through my wife or any other third party, including my office. >> abe added that his wife has never donated money either. last year, moritomo gakuen purchased state-owned land for less than 20% of its appraised value and there are suspicions that it also received a subsidy based on false documents.

abe's wife was a honorary principal but resigned since this developed. he says they did not talk about the sale. abe has implied he will resign if it's established he was involved in the land deal. lawmakers have decided to summon the gentleman to testify at the diet next week. opposition parties had previously demanded his testimony but the ruling coalition rejected the call saying there were no issues with the sale of state land for the school. but the allegation that abe made a donation has both the government and opposition asking questions. >> translator: there are many questions to be asked, including what the truth is. we have to closely examine the issues in doubt.

>> translator: we continue to demand summoning not only mr. kaguike but also the finance minister in charge of the sale. >> they say they will thoroughly discuss it at the diet. we have more details on the controversial handling of the logs. they told nhk that the ground self-defense force deleted computer data right after a lawmaker requested the reports. the gsdf unit working as part of a u.n. peacekeeping mission keeps a daily record of its activities and the situation in south sudan. in december the ministry announced that the ground self-defense force had destroyed reports filed in july of last year when there were major armed clashes. the ministry later said the records were found at the joint staff office, however, it has been revealed that the gsdf had

possessed the logs in digital form the whole time. the senior officials say bureaucrats at the joint staff decided in late january it was too late to disclose the fact that the gsdf had the data. such an admission would have contradicted earlier officials statements. the bureaucrats may have made the decision after consulting top ministry officials. in february, a lawmaker asked for computer records of the daily reports. the senior defense ministry officials say that immediately after that request, computer terminals were taken out of the gsdf command and their data was scrubbed. one of the senior officials says this was to hide the existence of the daily reports. the defense minister says she has ordered an immediate review. >> translator: the probe will cover not just the ground self-defense force, but any other entity that's considered necessary to get to the bottom of the matter.

>> in july of last year, the south sudanese government and opposition forces clashed fiercely leaving nearly 300 dead. the daily logs of the gsdf unit included the word "fighting." opposition lawmakers asked whether the situation met japan's strict criteria for the self-defense force taking part in peacekeeping operations. a robotic survey begins on saturday inside the number one reactor of the damaged fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant. tokyo electric power company will send a remote controlled robot into the reactor's containment vessel to check the state of debris. it's a mixture of molten fuel and reactor parts. the material is believed to be under contaminated water at the bottom of the vessel. the utility had planned to start the probe on tuesday but it was called off when images from a camera monitoring the robot could not be seen. it was later found that the cable connecting the camera to the monitor's screen was broken.

tepco has replaced the cable and plans a four-day survey to use a camera attached to the probe. a lower court in japan has ordered the government and tokyo electric power company to pay damages to some evacuees of the 2011 nuclear accident. the ruling is the first to order compensation in several suits that are ongoing across the country. 137 evacuees who mainly live in a prefecture northwest of tokyo filed the suit. they were seeking damages for emotional distress suffered after losing their livelihoods. tens of thousands of people have been unable to return home. at issue was whether the government and plant operator tepco could have foreseen the massive tsunami that struck and if they could have prevented damage. another point of contention was whether the compensation tepco is paying evacuees is enough.

it's not clear yet whether tepco or the government will appeal the ruling, the lives of the people who left their homes have changed forever. nhk world tells us about two of them. >> translator: i desperately want to go back home. i wish everything would return to how it used to be before the accident. i really want to go back and live in fukushima. >> reporter: when the disaster struck this woman and her family were forced to evacuate. she doesn't want to be identified because she fears discrimination over being an evacuee. at first, she wanted to return home, but since, her concerns about radiation, a lack of infrastructure, and medical services have mounted. >> translator: i'm really worried about my little kids and now i'm reluctant to return. >> reporter: so she decided to stay in their new town and the family gave up on their house in

fukushima. it had been built before the accident. even though she received money from tepco, she says it doesn't make up for the distress she's suffered by effectively losing her hometown. she joined over 100 other evacuees to demand roughly 13 million more dollars from both tepco and the government. they all claim they were forced to make the difficult decision to leave and move to a neighboring prefecture. some of the plaintiffs decided to leave even though their homes weren't in evacuation zones. this is one of them. she's been volunteering as a guide in the evacuation zone hoping that as many people as possible can understand the current situation.

>> translator: this street of cherry blossom, it's so beautiful in spring. >> reporter: she used to enjoy the blossoms with her family. she says she cannot forget the memories. people who left of their own accord receive much less compensation than those who were forced to flee. but she says just like the others, her hometown was completely taken away. >> translator: the nuclear disaster has caused all of our hardship. >> reporter: tanji said she wanted to win to give hope to other evacuees who filed lawsuits. but the court's recognition and the money won't be able to give them back the lives they were forced to abandon. nhk world. nhk has obtained new information about the plot to kill kim jong-nam, the slain

half brother of the north korea's leader. we have details on that and other stories from bangkok. >> reporter: kim was murdered on february 13th when two women, an indonesian and vietnamese allegedly smeared a highly toxic nerve agent on his face at kuala lumpur international airport. a cambodian official told us that the suspects who were involved in the killing some of them are believed to have carried out a dry-run of the killing at the international airport. malaysia has demanded that pyongyang hand over four korean suspects who are believed to have fled the country on the same day as the killing. the cambodian official told nhk that two of the north korean suspects arrived on january 13th from the vietnamese capital, hanoi with the vietnamese woman. on january 21st, the indonesian woman visited and on the same day one of the north korean

suspects left cambodia who has been identified by south korean intelligence as a member of the support team keeping track of kim's whereabouts and providing logistical assistance. those three persons were in cambodia for half a day at the same time. a source close to the malaysian investigation told nhk on friday that she said she smeared oil on the face of unknown persons three times at the international airport on january 21st. two north koreans were also there. the source said that they had never met before the plot. that indicates the north korean suspects were preparing to split into two groups. so far malaysian authorities have concern that three north korean suspects fled to indonesia shortly after the killing. and the cambodian official told nhk that the fourth suspect flew to phnom penh on the day of the murder.

malaysian police chief said on thursday that interpol has issued a red notice which is a request to locate and detain a person pending extradition for the four north korean suspects, but the investigation has hit a wall since the four suspects are believed to have already made their way back to pyongyang and the north is not a member of interpol. spring is just around the corner in pakistan, and farmers are rolling up their sleeves for work. another seasonal tradition involves racing bulls. nhk world reports. >> reporter: bull races are extremely popular throughout the country. winning is considered a great honor by many people. one of those people operates a large farm where he keeps four

bulls especially for racing. >> translator: my grandfather was crazy about bull races. it's a family tradition. >> reporter: the family is pinning its hopes on this 31-year-old son. he has taken on total responsibility for the bulls. he gives them feed that include highly nutritious bean and plenty of rich milk to boost their stamina. he puts the animal through final training before the big race. it will require two bulls and the handler to make eight laps of the track. >> great. they're running at a good pace. >> reporter: the family has a distinguished history in bull racing with many first prizes. he says the trophies drive his passion for the sport.

the day of the big race has come. the weather is perfect. the first two bulls head off as he and his family look on proudly. but they can't hit their stride, their time is disappointing. he must do better with the next two bulls. they pray for him. the second round starts. the handler and his bulls dash together around the track. they keep up the pace all the way to the finish line. about 50 teams compete and then they wait for the results. his team wins. his family is overjoyed. >> translator: i have no words to describe this feeling.

i can hardly wait for the race next year. >> translator: since it was a tough race i'm really glad that my son and the team did great together. >> reporter: bull races never cease to inspire pakistanis who wait for the arrival of spring. nhk world, islamabad. >> and that wraps up our bulletin in bangkok. the trial of an anti-u.s. base activist has started in southwestern japan. this man heads a group that's opposed to u.s. bases in okinawa. he was arrested last october for allegedly cutting a wire fence around a site at a u.s. military facility. he was later arrested again for assault on a local defense official.

he spent the last five months in custody. on friday, a district court started his trial. he has denied the assault charge. he says it was defense officials who broke the law when they tried to remove protesters' tents. amnesty international has denounced his detention as a human rights violation. it says his arrest has had a chilling effect on others who want to protest u.s. bases in japan. officials at japan's space centers have successfully launched a rocket and put a new information-gathering satellite into orbit. the h 2 a rocket lifted off from the space center in southwestern japan. information gathering satellites are designed to capture images of the ground and sea from several hundred kilometers away. the government uses these

satellites to monitor the north korean missile facilities, japanese waters and disaster areas. japanese businesses have decided to set a limit on overtime for their employees. the japan business federation agreed to the move on friday along with the government and rango, the country's largest labor organization. that means monthly overtime will be capped at less than 100 hours. the chairman of the board said had he agreed to the limit following a request by prime minister abe. businesses will also be asked to give their workers designated breaks between shifts to curtail excessive overtime. >> translator: the standard for overtime work is 45 hours per month, 360 hours per year. labor and management have agreed

to try to reduce overtime hours. >> abe said he eventually plans to introduce similar measures to sectors that currently have no overtime limits such as construction and transportation. over 90% of japanese university students graduating this spring are assured of employment. that's the highest ratio since 2000 when comparative data became available. the education and labor ministries jointly surveyed more than 4,700 university students. 90.6% had secured jobs by february 1st, up 2.8 points from last year. it's the sixth straight year of improvement. japan's drum-tight labor market is the reason. the labor ministry says 94% of about 175,000 high school seniors were promised employment at the end of january. that's the highest level in 24 years. labor ministry officials say

some companies are struggling to hire and are increasingly targeting high school graduates. japanese are wealthier than ever. the central bank says financial assets held by individuals in japan hit a record at the end of the 2016. rising u.s. stock prices and japan's recovering economy are the reasons. the boj report says personal assets rose nearly a percent to over 1,800 trillion yen. that's almost $16 trillion. cash and deposits grew to top 930 trillion yen. the figure accounts for more than half of all personal assets. investment trusts rose 0.2% as share prices rallied after donald trump's victory. stocks in other investments fell 0.4% but the pace of their decline slowed. the report shows that japanese government bonds held by the boj jumped 27% to 420 trillion yen. the bank has been buying the fixed-income assets as part of

its massive monetary easing program. the beautiful beaches of okinawa are becoming popular with international travellers. last year foreign visitors topped 2 million people for the first time. but as nhk found out, they aren't just going for the sea and sand. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> thank you. >> may i have your -- >> reporter: this is a car rental shop near okinawa international airport. since opening two years ago, it's become a magnet for foreign tourists, they now account for 60% of customers. many people want to enjoy driving while they are on vacation.

mini cars are another popular option. customers like them for their cute design. >> this brand isn't available in south korea. the engine is 660 cc but it was very powerful. i plan to drive it again when i get a girlfriend. >> reporter: thanks to foreign visitors this car rental agency sales doubled in its second year of business. >> translator: some customers change cars every day. many foreign visitors will actually check availability and reserve their cars first and then arrange their flights and hotels afterwards. >> reporter: instead of

using guidebooks, these tourists are looking online to find new ways of enjoying okinawa. even the small picture bookstore has benefitted from word spreading through the internet. it stocks 500 titles, ranging from popular favorites to newer works. on some days more than half of the customers are from overseas. they learned about the store online. it has been featured by overseas probes which also gives people information about how to get there. >> translator: the pictures in japanese books make it easy to understand the story without reading the text. >> the pictures are cute. and the size is not too big so that i could easily take that to taiwan. >> reporter: the internet is changing the way people travel. and there are new tourist spots waiting to be discovered in okinawa. taku ohashi, nhk world. >> here's a quick look at the weekend weather.

that's all for now on nhk "newsline." thank you for watching and have a good day. xx

.which is responsible for its♪ host: this week, global 3000 heads to zambia, to visit arescue centre caring for traumatized chimpanzees thathave escaped the clutches of poachers.and also to hungary, where volunteers are being recruitedto patrol borders and stop refugees.but we start in the philippines, where the president is waging abloody and merciless war on drugs.governmental power is usually divided up among differentbranches -- for exampl, one to pass legislation, one to decideif it's legal, and one to implement it.it's a way of keeping power in