♪ hello, and welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in new york. leaders in russia and ukraine were engaged in a war of information even before the beginning of the invasion. now they're trading allegations that carry the weight of a potential global disaster. they're accusing each other of plotting attacks against the largest nuclear plant in europe. ukrainian commanders have seen russian troops occupy the zaporizhzhia plant for nearly a year and a half. now they say those forces have placed what look like explosives on the roof of the facility. they say their western allies should take notice and ignore

russian claims to the contrary. >> translator: we maintain maximum contact with our partners to ensure that no one in the world has even the slightest shortage of information about the situation. >> but russian officials say ukrainians are planning to sabotage the facility. they say they're taking every measure to prevent what they call a catastrophe. inspectors with the international atomic energy agency are trying to confirm the claims. they say so far they haven't spotted any mines or explosives, but they want greater access to rooftops and other areas. western leaders have been concerned about russia's nuclear threat since the early days of the war. chinese president xi jinping apparently shares those concerns. a report in "the financial times" newspaper says xi persuaded president vladimir

put ton back off his threats of nuclear weapons. russian officials have dismissed the reports as fiction. authorities in the philippines have accused chinese coast guard crews of harassment in waters that have become a flash point. they say the chinese carried out dangerous maneuvers in obstructing their ships. the philippine coast guard says the incident happened in the spratly islands on friday during a supply operation. it says two chinese coast guard vessels came as close as 90 meters to philippine patrol ships escorting boats carrying supplies to a military outpost on the second thomas shoal. manila effectively controls the reef. the coast guard says six fishing boats carrying chinese maritime militia forces blocked the entrance to the reef. it says two chinese navy ships and another coast guard vessel also obstructed the supply operation. the philippine patrol ships backed off, but the supply boats were able to deliver their cargo, including food and water. a philippine coast guard

spokesperson condemned the chinese side, pointing out the incident occurred within the philippines exclusive economic zone. the official said philippine ships will continue their patrols in the waters, regardless of the level of threats or the size of chinese vessels. leaders of the association of southeast asian nations have seen military rulers in myanmar restrict humanitarian aid to those in need. ascene secretary general has taken note of the plight of the most vulnerable. japan and asean marked 50 years of ties this year. >> we are able to determine how many people would need assistance. we're looking at roughly 2 million people, and how much would be needed, roughly $1 billion.

this would of course, require the support and assistance also from the community in japan. >> after the coup, asean members agreed on a five-point consensus on myanmar at a meeting attended by the junta leader. it calls for an immediate end to the violence and humanitarian assistance. but progress in implementing the documents has been slow. hao said he hopes delivering aid to the people of myanmar will facilitate dialogue with all parties in the country. ♪ the u.n.'s top nuclear inspector is keeping a close watch on cleanup efforts at the fukushima daiichi plant. they've been reviewing a plan to release treated water into the sea. now he says his group will maintain a permanent presence at the facility. >> reporter: grossi was briefed on how the treated water will be mixed with seawater and how the diluted water will be stored

before being discharged. he also toured the facility where fish are monitored as part of the plant's water safety testing. afterwards, grossi said all of the basic elements are in place if the government decides to go forward with the plan. the visit comes one day after the iaea released a comprehensive report that concluded japan's plan is consistent with international safety standards. earlier in the day, grossi met local government leaders and representatives from the fisheries industry. he assured them that staff from his agency will be stationed at a permanent office at the plant monitoring the procedure for as long as it takes. >> we are going to stay here with you for decades to come, until the last drop of the water which is accumulated around the reactor has been safely

discharged, and being here means reviewing inspecting, checking that water. called for the central government and the plant operator to provide more information so local residents and fishermen would have a better understanding of the plan. grossi is to travel to south korea on friday. he also plans to visit pacific islands. >> i am going to explain what the iaea -- not japan, but the iaea is doing to ensure that there is no problem and that the environment is not getting any negative impact. >> the iaea chief says he's aware the chinese government is concerned about the ocean release plan. he says he's available if beijing wants to seek more clarification from his agency. >> officials in south korea say

they trust the iaea's assessment of the plan. >> translator: basically, the government's fundamental position has been to respect decisions made by the iaea. as it is an internationally recognized organization. this remains the same this time, as well. >> he says south korea's currently in the final stages of its own analysis of the plan. he adds that assessment includes the findings of an on-site inspection by experts from seoul in may. the plan is raising concerns in south korea. a senior official of the country's largest opposition party on wednesday said the safety review is insufficient and untrustworthy. japan's prime minister kishida fumio is making arrangements to sit down with south korean president yoon suk-yeol next week on the sidelines of a nato summit. observers say kishida seeks to gain yoon's understanding of the plan.

>> authorities in china are expressing concerns about the iaea report and about the safety of the water release plan. they say they'll increase inspections of seafood imported from japan. >> reporter: a chinese foreign ministry spokesperson wang wenbin said the report was not able to calm voices in japan and abroad that oppose the release. he stressed china has strong concerns. >> translator: the authenticity and accuracy of the data have not been proven, and the long-term impact of the water on food safety and people's health is not clarified. >> reporter: wang said relevant chinese departments will step up monitoring of the marine environment, along with the inspection and quarantine of seafood from japan. ♪ many japanese reserve their kimonos for special occasions. they tuck them away and some

lose their luster, but one artist has given these garments a new life. nhk world's sato maria has her story. >> reporter: she sees something in the fibers of fabrics that may have grown thread bare. she transforms old kimonos into a new form of art. she preserves the japanese motifs in her medium, but her works speak of something novel. >> the way she uses paint and the kimonos, just gorgeous. >> it's great to see all of the materials and all of the beautiful old wearable art brought into a new life cycle. >> reporter: okada studied japanese painting in kyoto, but she felt the pull offing into something new. so in 2010 she moved to new york where she developed a form that's become her signature. she's relocated to switzerland, but she's come back to where she re-created herself.

>> translator: no one really wants to throw kimono away, but they can't wear it, and i'm sure a lot of people find themselves in that predicament. >> reporter: okada says kimonos are meant to be retailored, re-dyed and reused by the next generation. she preserves those that have not been damaged and she uses their textures and patterns as her palette. okada often imagines those who crafted the kimonos, and she admits she feels torn about cutting the cloth that carry so much of the path as they do for her. her grandmother introduced her to the beauty of such gowns and

she passed them down to her. >> translator: i was really close to my grandma. we would spend time taking out her kimonos to gaze at them and marvel. okada's works have convinced others from around the world to donate their heirlooms. this woman's aunt didn't have daughters, so she passed down her kimonos to her niece. she knew how much they meant to her aunt, but didn't know how to wear them. >> translator: i feel the love that your aunt gave to this kimono. >> translator: it would be tragic if kimonos that were so deeply loved were hidden away for so long, so it would be a pleasure if they were used by her. >> translator: i'll do my best to make use of their original beauty. >> reporter: and that's how okada always approaches her craft. she takes kimonos too damaged to be worn and dreams up ways to

conserve the memories woven into the fabrics. sato maria, nhk world, new york. just beautiful works of art there. people on wall street returned to work after taking a break on the july 4th holiday, but they quickly abandoned any semblance of relaxation. investors flipped through the minutes of a meeting last month of the federal reserve. they learned policymakers could raise interest rates further which weighed down the dow jones industrial average and the nasdaq. the analysts say the aggressive rhetoric around rates have made traders a lot more skittish. people here in new york woke up to hazy skies and yet another warning about air quality, but this one has nothing to do with smoke from wildfires in canada. forecasters say the haze settling over the city is residue from fourth of july fireworks. let's see if things will clear up here and elsewhere over the

next few days. ♪ ♪

♪ and that is all for this edition of nhk "newsline."

i'm catherine kobayashi in new york. thanks very much for watching. frmgts welcome to "newsline in depth." steve jobs needs no introduction. as founder of apple, he came up with amazing products and technologies that changed the world, from the macintosh computer to the iphone and the ipad. nearly 12 years after his death, his influence is all around us. his products are characterized by functionality that anticipates users' desires as well as a style that's pleasing to behold. how did he do all this? it turns out, much of his

inspiration came from japan. nhk world spent years exploring how steve jobs was deeply influenced by japanese culture and art. >> good evening. i'm steve jobs from apple computer. we're very glad to be here tonight. >> reporter: in 1984, steve jobs revolutionized computing. at launch, a familiar face. but another perhaps not. she's from a japanese woodblock print. and when it comes to jobs' love of japan, she's the tip of the iceberg. jobs spent his childhood in a san francisco suburb that later

became known as silicon valley. it was here he first encountered japanese art. bill fernandez was jobs' best friend as a teenager. he was also apple's very first employee. the pair met when they were 14. they spent their days tinkering with electronics. jobs was also mesmerized by the artworks hanging in the fernandez home. they were a style known as shin-hanga. they had been collected by bill's family. his mother had studied japanese art at stanford university. >> the three shin-hanga hanging over the white couch in our family room, the one when you came into the house, the first

thing you saw, he loved those. he was droawn to them. they appealed to him. >> shin-hanga is a 20th century take on an older form of woodblock printing, ukiyo-e. artists sought to modernize the appeal of their craft, which was already popular overseas. bill says shin-hanga was a starting point for jobs' appreciation of japanese beauty. >> our house was a catalyst for steve jobs' development of his aesthetic sense. a big part of that was the shin-hanga, because that's what you see. i think that was the beginning where he said, i like this, i like simple, i like clean, i like natural woods, i like this aesthetic, this sensibility and so forth. >> reporter: even after launching apple, jobs continued

to draw inspiration from shin-hanga. hello, mr. scully. john sculley was ceo of apple for ten years from 1983. jobs had recruited sculley from pepsi. the two quickly became close. sculley remembers a man who invented products but kept his own possessions to a minimum. >> his bedroom had just a simple single person bed. on the wall were three photos. one of einstein, the other of mahatma gandhi, and the third of a japanese woodblock print of a lady. >> reporter: the shin-hanga

sculley talks about is likely a work titled "morning hair." sculley says the production process for the computers reflected that used in shin-hanga. japanese woodblock prints were produced by separate people -- artists, carvers and printers. but shin-hanga artists conveyed their plan directly to the carver and printer. the aim is to keep the results as close to the original idea as possible. the number of layers increased as artists pushed the boundaries. in some cases, more than 30. this kind of self-expression resonated deeply with jobs. >> i do remember distinctly that he was very excited when he came back and we met in new york at

the end of march, talking about the shin-hanga. because he said, i really was so excited on this trip because i thought that the woodblocks were made by different people and it was a collective process. and then i was introduced to the shin-hanga where it was the individual expression of a person from artist to carver to printer. and he said, that's exactly what we're trying to do with technology, with macintosh. he was working on what he called desktop publishing, giving people the creative possibility to print on their own desk. >> in a 2001 interview with nhk, jobs spoke of how computers could open the doors of self-expression. >> i shoot some footage. and i remember making my first

imovie where i could edit the clips together and i could put some cross dissolve and title. i made a three-minute movie. i showed it to my wife. she started crying. some of the movies are maybe not -- are better than others, but they all are very emotional. can we help you express yourself in richer ways, in your music, in your movies, in your photography and these kinds of things that people want to do? >> reporter: in 1998, the item imac became a worldwide hit. the smooth curves of its body had never been seen in a computer before. the design was influenced by another form of japanese art. sculley recalls how jobs was intrigued on a visit to kyoto. >> sometimes we would stay at an

inn. it was a very quiet experience watching steve jobs touch a japanese ceramic, hold it in his hands, you know, feel the texture of the surface. >> reporter: sculley observed that jobs was always mindful of how users felt when they had a product in their hands. >> i would watch him back in silicon valley where he would pick something up in his hands. it could be a mouse, pointing device, and how he would hold it in his hands, feel it and look at it from every different angle. he was interested in his own ability to be able to determine what materials, what products, what shapes. so he had a lot of self-confidence in that. >> reporter: another person we

spoke to revealed how jobs was captivated by a particular piece of pottery. robert yang is an art dealer based in japan for decades. in the late 1990s he brought job to s to ceramic gallery in tokyo. jobs was immediately enamored with a 16th century jar. >> he was very interested in these. he would take it and turn it and kind of rub the shoulder a bit, see how it felt, the curve. he really, really loved the slope of the shoulders. he goes, yeah, i want my products to have that smooth shoulder feel. i think he got a lot of hints from looking at these old jars.

>> jobs took the dedication he saw in japanese art and brought it to his own products. >> steve was fascinated by the fact that artisans would spend a lifetime creating a certain kind of product, whether it was a print or whether it was a ceramic. he just had so much respect for that. what he wanted to do as a business leader was to commercialize those ideas. >> reporter: a single woodblock print hangs on the wall. this is an image of steve jobs relaxing in his study. according to the biography his daughter published after his death, there was shin-hanga on the walls of his room until his final days.

>> kentaro is with us here in the studio. so, steve jobs was much more influenced by japan than i had imagined. >> ceramics and shin-hanga were his passions. he was a private person and didn't share them with others, even with close colleagues. that's why sculley's observations are so valuable. jobs wanted sculley as ceo, even though they fell out later on, i think in the early days, jobs opened up in a way that would allow sculley to get a glimpse into his mindset. jobs also learned about craftsmanship and design from the sony walkman, a global hit in the 1980s. jobs had many questions for morita akio, sony's chairman at the time. he disassembled a cd walkman presented to him and examined every part.

>> is that so? if jobs were alive today, do you think he would still be interested in japanese craftsmanship? >> yes, i imagine so, because jobs had a lifelong passion for japanese craftsmanship, but it is interesting to note, the art that inspired him is increasingly forgotten by the japanese themselves, whether it's ceramics or shin-hanga. he discovered continuity in these things and incorporated it into his designs. jobs had his own aesthetic vision and brought it to products that changed the world. following his footsteps in japan made me feel the japanese people should pay more attention to the treasures around us. >> so that we'll be able to appreciate them, too. thank you for your insights, kentaro. if you are interested in learning more about this topic, you can watch a longer version

called "steve jobs and japan" on nhk world's website. thank you for watching, and see you again next time. ♪

love and respect. i'm michael render. i'm so proud to be here on atlpba because pbs helped raise me. mr. rogemesersee t shesa hr atic gave e me a window el thth into a wonderful world, featuring people and mentors that help teach me about love and respect. tonight, i'm honored to kick off our first show with the mayor of this great city, keisha lance bottoms. mayor bottoms, tonight on her time in office, her decision not to run for reelection, and her plans for the future. thanks for joining us. atlanta mayor, keisha lance bottoms coming up right now. - love and respect with killer mike is made possible by: cadillac. monster energy. ledger. and by, ressler gertz family foundation.