hello and thank you for joining us on this edition of nhk "newsline". i'm raja pradhan in tokyo. japan's prime minister spent much of friday in the diet denying allegations. shinzo abe tried to refute claims that he and his wife were connected to a political scandal that's been dominating headlines. nhk world's ayumi chikaraishi has more. >> reporter: shinzo abe sits before the diet to defend himself and his wife akie. >> translator: regarding the issue of 1 million yen, it is regrettable that he gave testimony which can't be proven and it is not true.

>> reporter: abe was trying to refute sworn testimony from yasunori kagoike, the president of educational group moritomo gakuen. he told lawmakers that he received a donation of about $9,000 from abe's wife on his behalf in 2015. kagoike also says he believes there was political involvement concerning the moritomo purchase of state-owned land to build the school. the group got the land for a fraction of its estimated value. the deal has been questioned by lawmakers. abe denies any wrongdoing. >> translator: the issue originated with the problem related to the state land sale and licensing of the school. regarding those issues, i believe it was made clear that no specific politician was involved. >> reporter: while the prime minister issues denials, his wife is still in the spotlight for her connections to moritomo. she was listed as the honorary principal for the new school being built on the controversial

land. she stepped down from the post when the scandal broke in an apparent effort to distance herself from the group. but on thursday, kagoike pulled her back into the scandal because of a fax. it was from a government official who worked as akie's aide. the official made an inquiry about the land with the finance ministry as per kagoike's request. the opposition said such an inquiry could have led to a preferential treatment. in the diet, the prime minister said he takes no issue with the fax. >> translator: i understand that the fax sent by the official clearly says that the government cannot meet mr. kagoike's request. it is a flat rejection and i'm confident that government officials did not give any favorable considerations because of the inquiry. such an inquiry does not mean that my wife had anything to do with the sale of the state-owned land. >> reporter: a member of abe's liberal democratic party released online correspondence

between akie abe and kagoike's wife. they had a discussion one day after prime minister abe announced his wife's resignation as honorary principal. >> translator: a diet member came and asked me to stop using your photo in order to protect the ldp. >> translator: it must have been that extra caution was necessary to prevent raising any doubt that there may be something behind my involvement. >> reporter: they exchanged these messages on the day kagoike told lawmakers he received money from the prime minister. >> translator: i can't tolerate that citizens like us are being left hopeless. we'll turn to the diet. >> translator: i don't know what to do either. i don't remember anything about 1 million yen. >> translator: mr. kagoike is using part of the text messages to claim that my wife asked him not to tell anyone about the alleged donation. that's extremely regrettable and full of ill intention.

>> reporter: opposition parties are demanding that akie abe testify at the diet to clear up the matter. they also want to summon seven other people including the governor of osaka, from whom kagoike was seeking a school license. but the ldp says the government has given sufficient explanation on the matter. ayumi chikaraishi, nhk world, tokyo. japan's defense minister has ordered ground self defense personnel to withdraw from u.n. peacekeeping activities in south sudan by the end of may. the country gained independence in 2011 and deployment started the following year. we met with senior defense officials for discussions. >> translator: ending the mission without any trouble is the most important challenge and also the most difficult. we must work together. >> she said the unit's efforts have been commended by the u.n.

and south sudan's government. the defense ministry plans to send additional personnel and transport aircraft to the capital juba to assist with the withdrawal. about 350 personnel will head home in stages starting with those who completed road paving and other duties. the situation in the capital is relatively calm but could once again become unstable. the controversial relocation of the world famous japanese wholesale market could be decided by economics. nhk has learned that calculations by the tokyo metropolitan government show that keeping open the tsukiji market will exceed the amount for operating the market in a new location. officials estimate that keeping the tsukiji open will cost more than $75 million a year. they say the amount could rise to $90 million. this includes renovation and maintenance work as well as compensation for the delay in relocating. the tokyo government is already

paying $45,000 a day to manage the unused toyosu market. it estimates the annual costs be nearly $70 million if the decision is made to move to toyuso. the market was scheduled to move last year but tokyo governor koike postponed the move over safety concerns. surveys found that groundwater there contained toxic substances at higher than permitted levels. a criminal case that shocked japan has ended for now. a 21-year-old woman has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a lower court. she was charged with the murder of an elderly woman as well as poisoning classmates. the woman's identity is not being revealed because she was a minor at the time she committed the crimes. she was a suspect in the killing of a 77-year-old acquaintance by striking her with an ax and then strangling her in 2014 when she was 19. she also faced the charge of attempting to kill two friends with the highly poisonous chemical thallium when she was a high school student.

at the time of her arrest she attended a prestigious university in nagoya in central japan. the focal point of the trial was whether she had the ability to tell right from wrong. the defense counsel entered a plea of not guilty because of serious mental disorders. the prosecutors demanded life imprisonment insisting that her criminal acts were well planned. in friday's ruling the presiding judge sided with the prosecution saying the defendant had hidden crucial evidence. in the poisoning case, the judge said she adjusted the amount of thallium by calmly observing the situation around her. the judge concluded that the defendant committed the crimes out of a selfish desire to witness what would happen when people are poisoned and how a person would die. in other news, the u.s. president has chosen a new ambassador to japan. william hagerty was in charge of trade policies in the bush administration. during the 2012 presidential

election, he joined the republican cabinet of mitt romney. yagashita says he has high hopes of trump's pick. >> translator: i understand the new ambassador is deeply trusted by president trump. he also has experience living in japan. the japanese government welcomes this appointment. i look forward to his official arrival in japan and working to enhance the japan-u.s. alliance. >> it won't be hagerty's first time living in japan. he lived in tokyo for about three years working for a private consulting firm. a major japanese jewelry company no longer wants to be a publicly listed firm. tasaki said it's planning a

management led buyout with help of an investment fund. they said they want flexibility and freedom to expand overseas. tasaki announced on friday mbk partners will buy back all of its shares except for treasury stock tender offer when trading starts on monday. mbk held a stake in tasaki for seven years until 2017. it will help them delist from the stock exchange this summer. slowing purchases by foreign travelers have been a drag on domestic's jewelry sales. tasaki plans to expand operations in europe and the united states. japanese electronics firm hitachi has announced they will post a loss of about $590 million for the fiscal year ending in march. hitachi and general electric

jointly created the firm to have uranium enrichment for a nuclear power plant. after reviewing the business value, they were unable to forecast growth in the future. hitachi will post losses for the 2016 fiscal year. it entered the business in 2007 expecting the construction of new nuclear plants. but the accident at the fukushima daichii plant put a halt to construction. the institution will help ease inflation. kuroda gave a speech. he said improvement in manufacturing facility and international trade has become evident since the middle of last year in both advanced and emerging economies. he said the global economy hit bottom in the first half of 2016. kuroda denied speculations that the boj may raise target levels

of long-term interest rates. >> translator: there is no reason for us to raise interest rates now. we should maintain the current yield curve to take advantage of improvement in the global economy to achieve our price stability target of 2% at the earliest possible time. the legalization of same-sex marriage is being hotly debated in taiwan. a constitutional court has heard arguments on whether it's unconstitutional for the island's civil code to state that marriage should be between a man and a woman. a panel of 14 grand justices heard from a gay rights activist and legal experts. the hearing was aired live on the internet. one man told the panel the current law is unconstitutional. he said there is nothing wrong with same-sex marriage.

protesters outside the courthouse said the law should not be changed without obtaining a common understanding among the public. taiwan's parliament is debating amendments to the civil code to legalize gay marriage. the court's decision is expected by may and could affect how lawmakers reach a decision. south korean authorities are preparing to transfer the sewol to a port. nearly 300 people died when the ferry sank three years ago. the oceans and fisheries ministry announced on friday that vessel had been raised and had been lying at a depth of over 40 metres. work to lift it started on wednesday. authorities had begun towing the ferry to a semi-submersible vessel which will carry it to the port. the "sewol" sank off the coast in april 2014. 295 people died and nine are still officially listed as missing.

most of the victims were high school students. a woman whose daughter is still listed as missing had this to say. >> translator: i hope this kind of accident will never happen again so that the deaths of our children won't be wasted. i want the "sewol" incident to forever serve as a cautionary tale. >> some relatives of the victims watched the operation from a nearby ship and embraced each other when they learned the ship had been raised. athletes and sports fans are being caught up in political tension between china and south korea. two soccer teams face off in the final round of the world cup asian qualifiers under tight security. china hosted the match thursday. in the southern province of kunan. 10,000 police officers were deployed to the stadium and the surrounding streets. chinese fans were seated first, then south korean.

the match will tell the mid-rising public tension over the u.s. deployment of the thaad missile defense system to south korea. china is worried the radar may be used to monitor its military. local officials appealed for calm on social media and public viewing screens in a nearby commercial district were turned off. china won the match 1-0. we go now to other parts of asia. the new academic year in afghanistan began this week, but an aid group says more than a third of all children across the country will be absent from classrooms this year due to growing instability. our bureau in bangkok has the details. the children warned the dire situation is likely to deteriorate as more than 1,000

afghan kids are set to return from pakistan this year. they are expected to drop out of school this year, adding to the 3.7 million already out of education. >> translator: the biggest challenge is insecurity in the country. people dare not send their children to school. they're afraid that their children will get kidnapped. also there is no encouraging aspect in schools to attract the children to come and study at school. >> more than 600,000 afghans returned from pakistan last year, and around 1 million more are expected this year after the tightening of regulations by authorities there. over half of all returning children are currently out of school, often working on the streets because the parents can't find jobs. >> translator: my father sells ice cream, and my brother sells plastic bags. so we only earn a little bit of money to eat. what can i do?

i can't go to school. >> along with a growing economic crisis, worsening security has preyed on the weak, especially children. the united nations says more than 3,500 children were killed or wounded in fighting in terror attacks in the war-torn country last year. that's up almost a quarter on the previous year. in myanmar, a power plant that runs on rice husks is running for the first time in a country where people have long shortages, the technology utilizing a byproduct of rice production is expected to improve power access in rural areas. nhk has more. >> reporter: a ceremony was held on thursday to mark the completion of the plant. it was built with japanese assistance in the capital. government officials have high

hopes for the technology which uses rice for fuel. >> translator: i firmly believe that this power plant is a good and effective idea for myanmar in enhancing the energy sector and environmental conservation. >> reporter: if they can conduct enough electricity for the division, it has the potential to supply power to about 1,500 households, including farms in its vicinity. >> translator: we hope to provide a system that can utilize what has been discarded to achieve a sustainable and environment-friendly recycling of resources. >> reporter: myanmar's officials are considering building the same facilities in the countryside where resources such as rice husks are generated

abundantly. the country's electrification rate is just over 20% and most of the rural areas have no access to power. by introducing the power plants, myanmar officials hope to kill two birds with one stone and make energy supply. nhk world. another country with a chronic energy shortfall is indonesia. the countris home to50 million people and is southeast asia's largest economy. economic growth there is hampered by electricity shortages and 12% of the population has no power at all. but a possible solution has appeared. nhk world reports.

>> reporter: in sumatra province, they said power plants can't be built, leading to frequent blackouts. they have energy standing by in their homes. even when they have power, they find appliances don't always work. >> translator: the voltage fluctuates every time there is a blackout, causing tvs to fail. >> reporter: people suffering from this problem hope a solution can be found. in indonesia, many volcanos have given the world's second largest geo thermal resources behind the u.s. it is estimated that if all these resources were used, it would provide enough electricity for a nuclear reactor.

one power plant is already in operation where it heats in the ground. in indonesia, they worked with a japanese trading house to build a plant seven years ago. the compound includes seven wells that bring us hot vapor from underground. >> translator: workers drilled about 2,000 metres under the surface to pump up hot water and vapor. >> reporter: the vapor is sent through pipes to the power plant

where it turns the turbines to generates power. japanese are known for their ability to consistently produce electricity. japan enjoys a 70% share of the global market. the plant puts out 220,000 kilowatts, enough to provide 200,000 households. >> translator: indonesia has ample geothermal energy. so we want to spread japanese technology to help boost the power-generating capacity. >> reporter: indonesia has begun to use japanese technology to tap into power supply that is renewable and stable. nhk world, indonesia. that wraps up our bulletin in bangkok. ♪

the japanese paranordic ski team is a medal hopeful for the paralympics. as we find out next, one key person is hoping to smooth their way to the podium. >> translator: sure, it looks like you can glide through the snow with ease, but talk to any experienced cross country skier, and they'll tell you it's all about the wax. wax is a big part of yujikato's world. he's actually japan's paranordic ski team wax specialist. >> if you think of a contest as 1 100%, wax is 30 to 50% of it. you won't win a medal unless the wax works perfectly with the skier's glides. >> reporter: whether they are freestyle skiing or the more traditional style, the kind and

amount of wax in performance varies. >> translator: at the shiny black part of the top and tail of the ski, we use gliding wax to smooth the surface. we use grip wax on this white part in the middle to prevent the skier from sliding backward. >> reporter: a perfectionist of his craft, sato isn't afraid to get his hands dirty. >> translator: i spread it by hand so i can feel the result. >> sato was an athlete himself. after hanging up his skis, he decided to wax skis for others. he's been to four winter olympics as japan's wax coach. in 2014, he got a call from the paranordic team, hoping he'd help them with his expertise. and his knowledge base is huge. sato spent years collecting data on factors that affect skiing,

such as the temperature, humidity and even snow temperature on event days. he uses this data to carefully tweak his wax applications for each athlete. utica abe is expected to medal next winter. she was born without the use of her left hand. so she only uses a pole with her right hand. that makes her weight unevenly distributed, and that means sato has to apply wax differently for each of her skis. >> translator: mr. sato understands both the habits of each athlete and the skiing equipment. we leave it to him. >> translator: with a one-handed athlete, you need a grip wax with a stronger kick, so we use one that's much stronger than we would use for someone without a disability.

>> sato is always gliding close behind his athletes, watching, checking and making sure the wax is working. sato says south korea uses artificial snow, which makes the course more difficult. but the team's goal won't change. >> translator: we're aiming for gold medals. >> sato will continue to tinker with his wax applications until the paralympic torch is lit and his team gets their chance to go for the podium. japan's meteorological agency has issued a rupture warning for an underwater volcano 400 kilometers around

the coast of tokyo. waters around the bayonnaise rock changed color, and that prompted the coast guard to urge vessels in the area to exercise caution. the volcano had a series of eruptions, including one that was deadly. in 1952, one killed all 32 people on board a coast guard survey ship. the last eruption was in 1988 and no unusual phenomenon have been observed until now. next is the three-day outlook on the world's weather.

and that's all for now on this edition of nhk "newsline". i'm raja pradhan in tokyo, and from all of us at nhk world, thanks for watching.

>>this week on "global 3000" wehead to panama to meet children on amission to save the mangrove forests.on cape verde, women have resorted to risky and badly-paidwork just to survive. but we start in the west bank,where the long conflict between israeli settlers andpalestinians is again headed for boiling point.the united nations' plan for the partition of palestine datesback 70 years. the state of israel wasenvisioned as a homeland for jewish people who had survivedthe horrors of the holocaust. but hopes for peace were quicklydashed, as violence broke out