hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." it is wednesday september 19th. japanese citizens and businesses in china are bracing for another day of demonstrations. protesters led rallies against

japan on tuesday in more than 100 cities. many turned out to mark the 81st anniversary. fewer people are expected to turn out during the day. many chinese are angry the government nationalized territory in the east china sea. japan controls the islands and china and taiwan also claim them. roughly 2,000 demonstrators gathered. some threw stones and plastic bottles at the building. they shattered a number of windows. others tossed bottles at a nearby japanese restaurant. more than 5,000 joined a protest in front of the embassy in beijing and stayed there for 15 hours. some protesters threw plastic bottles and eggs into the compound. analysts say the chinese government wants to avoid demonstrations spinning out of control, and causing a political backfire. more security they have ordered

demonstrators to march in smler oups protests are planned in beijing and other major cities on wednesday, but fewer than before. the japanese coast guard crews spotted 12 surveillance ships in the area on tuesday. three boats sailed into japanese waters. they left later in the day. coast guard officers say one of the vessels is steered nearby. the state run media reported that 1,000 fishing boats are headed toward the area. coast guard personnel say they ha not spott it. u.s. defense secretary leon panetta urged japanese and chinese leaders to act calmly to resolve the dispute. he held talks in beijing with the defense minister. panetta said the united states is concerned about east asian maritime security.

>> the point of this is to send a very positive message to all the nations of this region and the world that we intend to establish a relationship that is healthy, stable, and reliable and continuous. >> he says he hopes to resolve the problem through peaceful kie log but japanese leaders are fully responsible for the unrest. >> translator: china is watching the developments very closely. we have the right to take further action. >> chinese state news reported he came out in opposition to comments panetta made in tokyo. the u.s. defense chief said the san can you can you islands lie within the area covered by the security treaty. he added china expects the u.s. to maintain the neutral stance regarding conflicting claims of

sovereignty. business leaders in china are responding in different ways. yucat how are business leaders and business people dealing with the situation? >> many japanese shops and ctories we csedesteay and protests continued to affect firms in the country and some businesses are to resume operations while others will remain shuttered. electronics maker sony will restart two plants on wednesday. they were closed on tuesday with more demonstrations expected. four auto makers also plan to restart local production on wednesday. they're nissan, mitsubishi, mazda, and suzuki. honda will keep offline five auto assembly plants. honda officials say protests will make it difficult to transport their products. another car maker, toyota will continue to halt output on

wednesday. retailers have also been affected. the supermarket and three department stores will remain closed. firms say it will take time to repair the damage caused by protesters. the head of a japanese business organization will visit shanghai despite growing fears about the safety of japanese and the country. the chairman of the japan businessederation says he wants to stress the importance of bilateral relations at this difficult time. he will attend a trade show in shanghai. more than 100 company from the two countries will display the latest environmental technologies in the japan/china green expo 2012. the three day event was expected to draw 30,000 visitors, but the organizers have scaled down the trade show and counselled the reception as a security precaution. he says it is important to take rt in the expo and maintain

good business relationships, especially in the current climate. apple shares have topped $700 for the first time on expectations the new iphone 5 will boost the firm's earnings. shares of the u.s. technology giant closed at $701.91 on the nasdaq market on tuesday. the iphone 5 will go on sale on friday in several countries including the united states and japan. the company says preorders and the first 24 hours will double the figureor the previous versio apple shares have advanced 73% since the beginning of this year. the recent gain has raised the company's valuation to a record high of $657.9 billion, more than five times the market value of japan's biggest auto maker toyota motor. let's check on the markets. u.s. stock prices ended flat and european shares fell in over

night trade on some uncertainties over the stimulus measures. for more detail, we go to to the dse. despite the strong after answer sin the markets are taking a bit of a step back from the recent runnup. >> that's right. u.s. traders are looking for further trading clues and they're pressured by concerns over whether spain will seek help from the european central bank. let's take a look at how moving tokyo stock this is wednesday morning. both the nikkei and the topix are higher, up 0.7% and t ix up 0.4 at 761. this morning we have japan airlines relisting on the tokyo stogz less than three years after going bankrupt. the opening price stood at 3,810 yen, against the initial public offering price of 3,790 or $48,

so it is quite a bit open for that stock there. this is the second biggest public offering after facebook, so keeping track on how that stock moves today. also the nikkei was way down yesterday by declines in china shares on theapanese prosts and sentiment that you mentioned earlier. we'll be keeping tracks of auto construction, machinery makers and retailers are chinese operations and will put a drive on those shares today. apple shares will also be focus on the record high closing price you mentioned earlier, and if that will help the chances of the manufacturing. let's take a look at the strong sales of iphones >> we also have a keybanc of japan two-day policy meeting ding toy. what can we expect from that? >> after the european central bank meeting and the u.s. fed meeting all eyes on whether the fed will take further monetary easing moves to boost the japanese economy. expectations are mixed as to whether they will feel pressure

to act. take a look at how it is moving currencies right now. 78.73 to 74 and the euro at 1.30 to 75 and gaining against the yen as they bought the dollar against the yen as safer asset. the yen is also pressured by expections of some military easing measuring by the bank of japan. the euro is still trading near a four-month high. the recent pullback in the yen may make the need for monetary easing seem a bit less pressing. the economic data, we do have some u.s. existing home sales due out later as well as some flash manufacturing data from the eurozone and china. those will be closely watched for today. >> thanks. at is l for me for now. i will leave you with a recap of the markets.

japan is set to launch a new nuclear watch dog later today. the aim is to improve safety at nuclear power plants nationwide following the fukushima accident last year. the nuclear regulatory commission will start operations to replace the nuclear and industrial safety agency. the agency was criticized for its lack of independence. the new commission will be detached from the economy trade and industry ministry which promoted nuclear power. it will review safety

regulations for nuclear plants and set standards to resume operations. it will also determine if plants operating 40 years or more should remain online. the government initially wanted to launch the commission in april. the schedule is delayed after rejected member cabinets. a new government regulatory agency to support the commission will also be launched on wednesday. it is 500 officials will be taking instructions from the commission's five members. scientists from japan and the united states have launched a rge scale srt grid project in the state of new mexico. japan's new energy and industrial technology development organization and the new mexico government are collaborating on the experiment in lohse al most. in the project 2,000 households are connected to power line

networks that deliver electricity. this system can choose the cheapest available energy. this includes solar and electricity stored at night. the system can also source power from batteries even during electrical outages caused by lightning or tornados. >> translator: i hope we can work together with the united states, the leading country in this field to prove the stability of the system. >> the experiment will continue for another year-and-a-half. canada's natural resources minister says his country will promote sales of liquefied natural gas to japan. joe oliver said in tokyo tuesday that canada will likely start natural gas exports to asia as early as in 2014. >> for japan they need a safe, reliable source of liquefied natural gas for decades to come.

>> command for lng has been growing since the fukushima nuclear accident last year. almost all reactors in the country still remain offline creating potential needs for other sources of energy. canada is the world's third largest producer of natural gas. the country has been exporting its gas mainly to the united states but prices there have been falling recently. nato led forces have abandoned a centerpiece of the exit strategy from afghanistan at least for now. the afghan colleagues are militants dressed in afghan uniforms have killed 51 foreign soldier this is year. nato forces are halting joint patrols. >> reporter: the international forc announced on tuesday a major reduction in joint training and mentoring with afghan forces. operations with small and medium-sized units will

basically be stopped. although they may be approved on a case by case basis. on the operations of more than 650 soldiers will continue. the afghan defense ministry said earlier this month that hundreds of afghan troops are being dismissed or taken into custody as it steps up efforts to counter insider attacks. commander of the nato led international force insists afghan troofs ability to maintain security has been improving, but there are now concerns that reducing joint operations will limit their ability to counter terrorist threats in the future. a suicide bombing in kabul may have targeted foreigners. at least 12 died in the attack on tuday. local mia ror and antigovernment insurgent group claimed responsibility. they said they were retaliating

for a film released in the u.s. that insults the prophet muhammad. the attack occurred early tuesday on a highway that links central kabul with an airport. a car loaded with bombs pulled up to a mini bus and then exploded. the bombing killed foreigners as well as afghans. it wounded several other people. >> a car exploded near the mini bus which was carrying foreign passengerers from the airport. all the passengers inside the mini bus were killed. the mini bus reportedly belonged to an airline company and was carrying members of its staff. >> demonstrators turned out day after day to protest against a film mocking the prophet muhammad. foreign embassy are cautioning citizens to stay on alert. japanese government sources say they will give the green light to a u.s. military

aircraft in okinawa. many residents who live near u.s. bases are worried about the safety record of the osprey. government officials are expected to give their approval to the plane opening the way for test flights. japanese and u.s. officials have held several rounds of discussions over the osprey and osprey crashed in moe rock owe in april killing two marines and another in florida in june injuring five crew members. they say both crashes were due to human error. they say u.s. flight crews applied lessons learned from the accidents to their drills. they say u.s. troops will fly the aircraft at least 150 meters above ground and avoid densely populated areas. u.s. pilots are expected to start conducting test flights this week at the base in western japan. japanese scientists say they have developed a technique using an enzyme to help preserve ancient murals and other precious cultural assets.

relics kept in human places or outdoors are often infested with bacteria and mold. experts ha used ura violet raies and water to kill bacteria and remove dirt. this method can be harmful to the objects and only partially cleans them. the national research institute for cultural properties tokyo discovered the enzyme can safely restore cultural assets and uses the enzyme's ability to decompose microorganize michls. they will study ways to apply the technique to treat the murals at the burial mound in western japan. the tomb dates back 1,300 years and the paintings have been badly damaged by mold. now that the paralympics in london are over, many competitors are preparing for the next games. some athletes lost limbs in the

civil war in sudan, but they found a new fashion and it comes from wheelchair basketball. >> reporter: these athletes belong to the nation's wheelchair basketball team. it was formed last year when south sudan became independent. the captain of the 30 member team once fought in civil war. now he works for a government agency. he lives with 13 family members. during the fighting he was shot in the right foot. he was left on the battlefield for two days and the wound festered. now he walks on an artificial leg.

>> i think it was a totally different feeling i had that time. a lot of them, one was to think about myself that i am not going to work any more. >> reporter: the civil war dragged on for over 20 years. inouthudan the government offers no financial support to wounded soldiers. many feel society has abandoned them. some have even taken their lives. he admits he almost lost the will to live but thanks to a lucky break he is thriving and it is all because he came across wheelchair athletes playing basketball. >> i have my future, so i got to thk of something dferent that i can do, and this is what and we are able to form this

wheelchair basketball after realizing disability is not inability. >> reporter: once a week the team practices and there is very little money to operate the team as the country's economy is in poor shape. support groups donated the wheelchairs and uniforms. the team gets by with only four basketballs. the players take turns using them. even though they operate in such trying conditions, they believe basketball will connect them to society. >> the life is very difficult but when you involved in this

sport you know how the world is going and you must go to school and you must run. >> it is a unifying factor. without the will to have come together therefore i would have stayed at home idle. >> the players enthusiasm is catching and attracts many locals who enjoy watching the team practice. >> translator: it is a new team for our country. >> i think they have great fure. ey be doing good things. >> if wheelchair basketball is strongly supported, strongly encouraged, it will change much attitude in the republic of south sudan. >> reporter: the players have suffered because of the long civil war and the next paralympic games they hope to compete as a celebration of

peace. thrgh the greatest tragedies they found their greatest strength. a french magazine has been banned from republishing or distributing photographs of the duchess of cambridge sun bathing topless. the civil court near paris ruled that the french magazine closer must not issue the photos again either in print or online. prince william and his wife katherine filed for a court injunction against the magazine after it published the pictures last week. their lawyer says the couple welcomes the court's decision. the couple accused the magazine of violating their privacy. the photos were taken when the couple was on holiday in southern france. the court also ordered the publisher to hand over all of the original images to the prince and his wife within 24 hours. many people in tokyo have to

commute to work or school in heavy rain this morning. rachel ferguson fills us in on whether that is going to be a problem for areas of japan hit hard over the weekend. >> there has been some very heavy rain oef the last several ys. itas associated with that typhoon sanba and now we have a stalled out front helping to bring some more very heavy rain. let's go first to video where our nhk broadcaing center is located. torrential rain and thunderstorms battering there and other parts of central japan and a surge of moisture coming up from the south is causing the drenching rain and parts had 56 millimeters of rain in just a span of one hour this morning. the total rainfall since saturday exceeding 400 millimeters and that has in turn caused swollen rivers and flooding. now, an additional 120 millimeters of rain is forecast

for the tokai and cantu regions and so the flooding will remain high risk. we take a look at the maps. the rain is moving to the north and we're getting a little bit of drying, much clearer conditions across the west and these western locations were hit hard over the last several days by heavy rain. at least that is some good news. this is the front that's responsible for the rain. you can see it stalled out across the north and that's the stream of moisture just flowing into it. that is what's responsible for the drenching downpours. the korean peninsula looking drier. in fact, there are going to be showers moving through. it is not going to be on the heavy side. it still is very unwelcome rain as south korea was very badly hit by that typhoon just on monday. hi pressure keeps things clear across much of china once again the southwest monsoon is active across parts of myanmar into ben gal and the philippines.

temperatures starting to cool down a little bit. 24 in seoul and 30 in tokyo. it looks a lot cooler towards the north of japan after a very unusually hot day yesterday. let's go to the americas. very clear and calm across much of northern mexico up through and into the u.s. and central canada. there are a few things to talk about today. one is going to be a system dropping down out of central canada and coming towards the great lakes region and then we have this very well develed low and frontal system coming down across from quebec right down into florida moving fairly quickly. looks like thursday will be a better day for many of you, but before that happens, flooding potentially rains hitting the eastern seaboard and we also have the potential for some severe weather from new jersey down into eastern virginia, particularly you can be dealing with damaging winds and the potential for tornados to occur. behind this system cooler air is going to drop temperatures, 22 in chicago, 12 in winnipeg and

the pential for frost in the early hours of the morning in the northern plains. okay. as we go into europe, still wet and wild across the north. a scandinavia will be dealing with a couple of low pressure systems over the next several days and then we have the front moving all the way from finland towards the pyrnees. we're talking about berlin, 16, will fall by a couple of degrees into thursday. vienna cooling down as well. athens 27 degrees and you can expect that to drop down, too. down here where it is a bit warmer in the southeast, this is where the storms are going to be a little bit more on the violent side. now here is your extended forecast.

that's all for this edition of "newsline." do stay with us. we'll be back with more updates at the top of the hour.