hello. there welcome to "newsline" on wednesday, september 29th, 8:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. north korea's state-run media say kim jong-il's third son kim jong un has been named vice chairman of the korean worker's party. the announcement suggests kim jong un has officially been chosen as kim jong-il's successor. the wednesday morning report says the decision was made at the conference of the workers party in a general meeting of the central commission, the party's leadership body. no images have been made public so far. members of the party's central

military commission lead the korean people's army. 19 people, including kim jong-il have been chosen as members of the commission. kim jong un who was earlier given the title of four star general has been named vice chairman of the central military commission, a new post. 30 years ago when kim jong-il first appeared in public as the successor to his father, he was also chosen as a member of the central military commission. jim jiang ill's younger sister kim kyong hui has been named a member of the politic bureau and her husband jang song thaek is a candidate for a polit bureau post. they are expected to act as kim jong un's guardians. kim jong un is to succeed his father as leader but little is known about him. even basic facts have long been shrouded in mystery.

>> such things as the year of kim jong un's birth cannot be asser tainas ass asser -- acertained with certainty. it is widely thought the heir apparent was born in 1983 but some experts suggest 1984 is the more likely year. in the late 1990s kim jong un studied in switzerland for several years. at school, he used the name pak u.n. and it is said he identified him self as theon of the north korean ambassador to switzerland. one of his former classmates says he was polite and quick to learn the german language. kim jong un apparently enjoyed playing basketball and dreamed of becoming a professional player. kim jong un is said to have returned to pyongyang around 2000 and to have attended university in the north korean capital. no information has been available on his whereabouts since that time.

there is speculation that kim jong-il has chosen jong un to succeed him due to his son's leadership abilities and strong mindedness. china's special envoy to the six-party talks has said he heard that kim jong un is tall, like his grandfather, kim ill song who established communist rule in north korea. >> we are covering issues regarding the korean peninsula and thank you very much for joining us. north korea has named kim jong-il's third son vice chairman of the central military committee of the worker's party, a key post. tell us a little bit behind this. >> kim jong-il plans to transfer power because of his poor health. he has been suffering from a stroke which hit him two years

ago. kim jong-il took over the power from kim il-son more than 20 years ago and during the intervening years strengthened his hold on the worker's party. however, kim jong un suddenly appeared in public as a four star general and vice chairman of the central committee. kim jong-il and his family act as guardians for kim jong un because he has no immediate experience and is still in his late 20s. but the transfer of power will not be smooth. north korea postponed a party conference originally set september 7th. there is speculation of dissatisfaction among some party members. but now it has been the purpose of the conference was to show the succession of power. >> so the change of power continues, what do you foresee happening in the future in north korea? >> well, the country is now faced with many tasks and much international controversy.

north korea has been suffering from a devastating economy and the priority is to get aid and a guarantee of political stability from the united states. at this moment there is no sign the obama administration will lift economic sanctions. in order to get foreign aid, they may return to the six party talks. however, they cannot stop nuclear disarlington national cemetery because it is the negotiating card with the united states. after the sinking of south korea's war ship in the yellow sea in march the tension worsened and will cause stabity in the north. in order to get economic cooperation from japan the north has to first solve the abduction issue. there is no sign of starting bilateral talks with japan. attention is now focused on how kim jong-il will handle ploe

diplomacy with his son who has little international experience. >> we'll keep you updateded on how the story develops. thanks very much for joining us how the story delops. thanks very much for joining ow the story develops. thanks very much for joining us. in other news the governor of okinawa says he'll call for a review of a u.s./japan agreement to relocate an american military base within his prefecture. he wants futenma air station to be moved out of okinawa entirely. he spoke on tuesday at an assembly in okinawa. as it stands the futenma base is supposed to be moved to nago. the governor pointed out he has repeatedly said the u.s./japan agreement is very regrettable and that it would be very hard to accept the current relocation plan.

>> opposition to the futenma relocation is getting stronger in okinawa. after an assembly election in nago city the majority of seats went to candidates who are against the base move. researchers say classic smoking claims the lives of 6800 people every year in japan. a team at the national cancer center announced their findings at a symposium on second-hand smoke held in tokyo on tuesday. the team analyzed data on nonsmokers who had died from lung cancer or cardiac infarction. the nonsmokers were separated into two groups, those who had inhaled second-hand smoke and those who had not. the study found that the risk of

dying for the first group was about 30% higher than for those who had not been exposed to second-hand smoke. the researchers say about half of the estimated 6800 deaths resulted from exposure to second-hand smoke in the work place. he says a total ban on smoking in all work places is essential to reduce the health risk. the russian president dimitry medvedev has sacked the veteran moscow mayor yuri luzhkov. he ran the capital for 18 years and was the last of the powerful officials. medvedev told reporters during his visit to shanghai tuesday that he lost trust in luzhkov. russia's presidential office said it asked lhkov to

voluntarily resign amid recent corruption charges but he refused and opted for dismissal. since taking office medvedev has been replacing provision governors and republic presidents with ethnic minorities in an effort to rejuvenate regional leadership. observers say he appears to be solidifying his political base ahead of the 2012 presidential election. luzhkov is strongly opposed to his dismissal saying it is an attempt to remove him from politics. he indicated he'll continue his political activities. a massive landslide caused by heavy rains in colombia on monday has left at least 20 people missing. the landslide engulfed a mountain road in the northwestern town of giraldo. footage of the disaster shows vehicles swept away by a river of rock and earth and people scrambling to escape. local authorities say a smaller landslide blocked the road bringing traffic to a standstill. passengers had gotten out of their vehicles to walk when the bigger landslide struck.

about 100 rescue workers are searching for survivors but their efforts have been hampered by intermittent rain. a group of refugees from myanmar have arrived in japan. the three families have been living in a refugee camp in thailand. they're the first to enter the country under japan's new resettlement program. the 18 arrived at narita airport on tuesday morning. they had fled persecution by the myanmar military government and were living in refugee camps in northwestern thailand. they were given a warm welcome by their fellow countrymen livi in japan who came to meet them at the airport. . >> translator: i'm happy to come to japan. i'm glad my children will be able to go to school.to japan. i'm glad my children will be able to go to school. >> for the next six months they'll attend courses to learn

the japanese language and about its culture. the government plans to accept about 90 refugees from myanmar over the next three years. it has been a long journey for the refugees. after years ofighting for inpendencethey eventlly fled myanmar to escape persecution by the military regime. many of them evacuated to refugee camps along the thai border. the thai government has been reluctant to accept the refugees on a permanent basis, so many have left the camps for countries including the u.s., canada, and australia. now japan has become the first asian country to admit the refugees. >> we are going to support them and guide them to integrate in japan. we will give them the japanese lessons and other information which is necessary to live in japan but the decisions for their lives we would like to let them do by themselves. we'll much more actively involve

ourselves to listen to their difficulties so once a month at least we are going to listen to their difficulties, what kind of difficulties they are facing in their daily lives and that is the pilot project. if there is anything that we can improve, we'll consider that for the next fiscal year. >> before the refugees left thailand, nhk world visited their camp to see what kind of environment they have been living in. >> reporter: this refugee camp was built 26 years ago. shelters for refugees crowded together on rugged mountain slopes. many of the refugees here are minority people from myanmar. the fighting and the government

oppression forced many from their villages. refugees sheltering in camps in neighboring thailand want to go back when peace returns to their homeland but their dream has yet to come true. o as a child, this family left to escape the offensive. the family moved from one place to another before settling in this camp about ten years ago. >> translator: government troops destroyed our village. there was no way to return. we had no choice but to cross the border into thailand. >> he married a woman he met here. the couple now has two daughters.

russn food doesn't fill their stomachs. they go into the mountains in search of food to survive. educating their children is a matter of great concern to the couple. and the schools at the camp don't provide higher education. all along ehler has been seeking to escape the hopeless life in the camp. >> translator: i don't want to live in this camp anymore. i must get out of here. >> reporter: in february, japanese government officials came to visit the refugee camp. ehler made a desperate plea, telling them how keenly he wanted to move to japan for his children's future. his wish has come true.

>> translator: at long last, i'm overjoyed, more than anything else. ♪ >> reporter: refugees took part in the training program to study the japanese language, culture, and skills needed to survive in japan. they mainly started essential expressions like ones used when communicating with hospital staff. on september 22nd, the day came for the family to finally leave the camp and head for japan. eleher had mixed emotions. he was happy to be free but at the same time uneasy about going all the way to japan to start a new life. >> translator: i'm jubilant and

sad at the same time leaving the refugee camp. once in japan i'll do my best to abide by japanese rules and become a good citizen. >> reporter: many friends who shared their hardship were on hand to see the family off. refugees left the camp with a feeling of hope and anxiety. earlier nhk world spoke to a professor at the university and the former representative in japan of the united natis high commission for refugees. >> professor, the japanese government determined to make this third country resettlement program work. do you think you'll be a success? >> well, it must be a success.

and for that, there are three challenges. >> okay. >> first, the japanese language training of six months is by far too short. >> it is a difficult language. >> yes. as you know, many japanese university graduates can't even find jobs nowadays. >> yes. >> we know that in the last 30 years many refugees came to japan and had only four months training in japan's language. >> not a long time. >> they suffer from lack of expression in day-to-day life. secondly, the government has no policy on where the refugees should live after six months of training. the government says it's up to the refugees. they have to find their own place t ve. i think in this case most refugees end up in an area where

there are large numbers of myanmar people but as you know they have no experience in busy urban life. they came from villages. and i think all in one place could create a future problem. therefore, i believe the government should create a new policy where refugees are given options to find a place throughout the country, not only intokyo. >> and the third factor you said? >> the local governments and ngos are not involved in this resettlement program. for the resettlement program to be a success, not only government but the local governments and the ngos have to be involved. the absence of such a partnership could undermine the success of the program. i believe the government should start looking for cooperation with local governments and ngos. >> so cooperation between a team

of people is necessary. now, you've organized a citizens group that aims to help these refugees resettle in japan. tell us a little bit about some of your activities. >> last year in a city about three-hour drive from tokyo we've established a citizens group for international cooperation to find out ways to assist refugees locally. we have about 60 members and many of them are retired people who are willing to help refugees. we are trying to find out what we can do if the refugees wish to come to the area. we have no information about the refugees. one of the refugees from myanmar made a chart and we found out some have experience in

agriculture and wish to live in quiet, rural areas, so we are trying to find out if they could find jobs. >> so that would be good, they could have similar jobs. you were saying that even if they're getting computer jobs it is not something they would be familiar with. >> exactly. and these people in japan today have nowhere to go. they can't go back to myanmar. they can't gbacko thcamp. iope one day they will say we're happy to be here in japan. we have found a new life and a new home here. >> would be great for japan, too, because i know there is a shortage of labor in the agriculture industry and if they could be a happening hand to us all, too, i think it'll be easier for them to get integrated. all right. thank you very much for that.

now les tak a loo at the market figures. hi there. welcome to your world weather update. now across east asia we're seeing a lot of fine, clear skies today.

that's going to be the majority really across japan, the korean peninsula, and even the northern half of china, well under high pressure, so a lot of sunshine expected. now the exception is going to be this little system here across the north of the japan, very well developed system. it is pulling away. most of it is out at sea. but definitely going to be bringing some very, very windy conditions to the hokkaido region today. very strong winds, high waves for coastal areas. so do stay on the watch for that. down towards the south a little bit more rain will move in tonight and then it will likely look a lot wetter come thursday across japan again. meanwhile, also pretty wet picture for southern half of china, rather, scattered showers, still continuing to show up, although they do show signs of tapering off later on tonight. across the philippines, taiwan, even the indochina peninsula plenty of topical showers and downpours, thundershowers as well. today 35 degrees in hong kong. quite hot again.

33 in manila. we'reooking at 28 in taipei. 24 degrees for tokyo. a little warmer than yesterday thanks to all the sunshine. now for the americas, likely another calm, settled day for the majority of the united states and even in toward northern mexico. very little clouds showing up here. a little bit more activity here toward the east along the east coast of the united states and then all the way down and across the caribbean. in the caribbean we have a new tropical depression that has joined us showing signs of strengthening and organizing. it will likely become a tropical storm system within the next 24 hours so we are keeping close eye on this storm system. already, though, bringing pretty hefty showers across the region looking at warnings in effect across places like cuba, the bahamas, even for the florida peninsula already. could turn a lot stormier the next couple days so that is something to watch out for. also for central america, two showers continuing to pound the area. we are hearing of major landslides across the region.

so not good newssaturated areas. 30 degrees in miami. looking at a lot of 20s across the east. still hot for l.a. at 32 and up to 30 degrees in denver as well during the day time. finally, a look at europe here. continental europe is still looking at the persistent system here in the east. it hasn't moved a whole lot the past couple days but is showing signs of weakening finally so showers still lingering for eastern portions of europe in towards western russia but that does taper off in the coming days. however, we do have a new system that develops further across the balkans as it heads in toward the black sea. you can see some heavy rain spots showing up so it could turn quite wet for those of you here. out west, a new rain band is moving out of the british isles and heading in toward western europe now, so low countries, france, will see those showers move in on wednesday. 18 degrees for london and the same also for paris. rather cool for you. a lot cooler here toward the north, as well, 9 only for your

high in moscow and remaining at 12 degrees for stockholm. that's a look at your weather for now. here is your three-day outlook.

taking a look at our top stories this hour, again, north korea's state run media say that kim jong-il's third son kim jung u.n. has been named vice chairman of the central military commission of the korean workers party. the announcement suggests that kim jong un has been officially chosen as kim jong-il's successor. the wednesday morning report ys t decisionas made at the conference of the workers party and general meeting of the central commission the leadership body. no images of kim jong un have been made public so far. members of the party's central military commission lead the

korean people's army. 19 people, including kim jong-il, have been chosen as members of the commission. kim jong un who was earlier given the title of four star general has been named vice chairman of the central military commission, a new post. 30 years ago when kim jong-il first appeared in public as the successor to his father, kim il sun he was chosen as a member of the central military commission. kim jong-il's younger sister kim kyong hui has been named a member of the polit bureau. her husband is chosen as a member of the central military commission. the couple is expected toct as kim jong un's guardians. that wraps up this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks very much for joining us.