glad to have you with us on this edition of "newsline." it's tuesday, august 20th. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. ed leeers of ja man and russia will meet face to face on a long standing territorial dispute.

prime minister shinzo abe and president vladimir putin will talk next month on the sidelines of a summit of the group of 20 nations. they'll try to find common ground over four russian-held islands claimed by japan. deputy foreign minister sugiyama and igo morgolov met in moscow. japanese officials say they didn't make much progress toward resolving differences but the diplomats agreed to make arrangements for abe and putin to talk early next month at the g-20 meetings in st. petersburg, russia. the leaders agreed in april to restart negotiations over the islands. they said they would work towards finding a mutually accept solution and conclude igiing a peace treaty. china's defense minister has warned others not to underestimate the chinese. chang wanquan issued the warning after a meeting with chuck

hagel. china is caught up in a number of territorial disputes in the east china seas. hagel pushed for negotiations to resolve them. chang said no one should fantasize that the chinese would barter away what he called their core interests. >> translator: no one should underestimate our will and determination in defending our territory, sovereignty and maritime rights. >> chang denied u.s. allegations that the chinese military is involved in cyber attacks on u.s. firms. he said the chinese are opposed to taking technological advantage to weaken other parties. still, he and hagel agreed to expand military cooperation. next year chinese personnel will take part in a maritime warfare exercise among pacific rim nations hosted by the u.s. supporters of ousted president mohamed morsi have heard warning after warning to end their protest. they've seen 850 people killed over the last six days. still protesters have taken to the streets of cairo yet again.

security forces have tightened their cordon around central cairo to prevent rallies. they've motorized armored vehicles to discourage protesters. now the leaders of the interim government are calling morsi's support base the muslim brotherhood a terrorist organization. they say they intend to detain the heads of the group. military leaders overthrew morsi last month. prosecutors are holding him on allegations he participated in violent acts. now they say they'll detain him for 15 more days. morsi's predecessor may soon be released from jail. judges have ruled that hosni mubarak can no longer be held. mubarak has been detained since he was overthrown two years ago. he's 85 years old. he was given a life sentence in june of last year for failing to prevent the killing of protesters during the uprising.

he's appealing the sentence. the deputy foreign ministers of japan and russia have met to are. there is another deal people talking about, eye uchida joins us to talk about it. >> this is asean led and involves a few heavyweights in the region that aren't current tpp members. delegates hailed from proulx my, south japan, and south korea and india. they were attending the ministerial talks on the economic partnership on rcep. they talked about reducing tariffs and liberalizing trade and services across the region. >> we're making good progress, the moment up will be sustained. thank you.

2015 years. >> reporter: >> chinese delegates are not involved in the u.s.-led tpp negotiations. the rcep offers an alternative. >> translator: we have always paid attention to the process of tpp negotiations. we are analyzing the situation. >> the ministers agreed to start subtannial talks on tariff cuts next month. they said they want to sort out the issue before next year's ministerial talks. u.s. long-term interest rates on monday hit their highest level in two years and one month. investors continue to sell bonds on speculation that the federal reserve will soon start to scale back on monetary easing. the yield on the benchmark ten-year treasury bond climbed to 2.89% at one time in new york. u.s. long-term interest rates

have surged since early may, gaining over one percentage point, the rise took a point after ben bernanke suggested the central bank would maintain its credit easing measures for the foreseeable future. the rates started climbing again after that. some analysts say market players may have assumed bernanke's successor would reduce monetary easi easing. over night in new york lowest levels were tumbled against the u.s. currency in more than four years. analysts warn that continued selling off of the currencies of these countries could accelerate their economic slowdown. u.s. stocks declined following those rising bond yields, investors were concerned that u.s. treasury yields may

hurt the economy and corporate earnings. the dow jones industrial average fell half a percent to close at 15,010 and the tech heavy nasdaq fell around 0.4% to 3359. 3589. now we go to ramin mellegard standing by at the tokyo stock exchange. are we seeing further losses at the open? >> good morning to you, ai. yes. rising interest rates and as well as the currency modes you were talking to continue to play into shares here. let's look at the opening levels for august 20th here in tokyo. both indexes starting in the negative down 0.75% for the nikkei so investors now really having digested earnings in the u.s. and japan as well as key data here in japan, such as the trade data we had on monday, the next thing to really watch out for to move markets is going to really be the fomc minutes from the july 30th to 31st meeting,

and really to gauge what federal reserve officials are thinking about the u.s. economy. that's going to be crucial. domestically obviously here also the big question is whether abnoma abenomics is kicking in and whether the yen has been supported through the prime minister's policy but we've seen the rising cost of imported fuel and energy and that's clearly evident from the trade data that we saw on monday, which showed a 13th month of deficits, so some concerns is there domesticcally. japanese imports from asia which account for 50% of the total exports in value terms have been hampered by slowing growth in certain economies in the asia-pacific as well. further volatility may also come from the eurozone and that's after the bundes bank said in its monthly report monday that the european central bank wasn't

unconditionally committed to keeping key rates at record lows. so some direction from eurozone economies as well. ai? >> ramin, the euro rallied against the yeb and the dollar. where do we stand on currency this is morning? >> exactly. some volatility there, let's kick off with the euro/yen, 130.20-4, in new york, trading hours the euro jumped to a two-week high-rising to the 131 level after the bundes bank remines, 97.62-64, trading in a narrow range until we get the fomc minutes on wednesday. very little data until that point. the finance ministers in japan will be auctions 40-year government bonds and with the interest in japanese government bond yields, there may be a little bit more interest in that as we're not getting too many incentives so far for stock

placed today but a negative start so far today. back to you, ai. >> ramin, thanks for that update, ramin mellegard from the tokyo stock exchange. nowly have more business headlines for you next hour. i'll leave with you a check on other market figures. workers at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant are busy mopping up contaminants. they found that highly radioactive water was leaking from at least one storage tank. workers found about 120 liters of water just outside a low wall around tanks at reactor four. they detected 100 millisieverts per hour of radiation near the

surface of the water. the maximum exposure limit for nuclear plant workers is 50 millisieverts per year. the water was leaking through a pipe used to discharge rain water from the wall. the workers closed a valve on the pipe and the leak stopped. officials from the nuclear regulation authority are investigating the leak. they've instructed the people at tepco to collect soil samples and quickly determine the cause. crews tried to control the plant need to be on guard every day because of the hazards they face. two more workers have been exposed to radiation above the safety limit. it's the second such incident in a week. the workers were waiting for a bus in front of the plant headquarters when an alarm went off indicating rising radiation levels in the air. they went through checks as they were leaving the compound. the readings were up to three times the safety limit set by the operator. tepco officials say the workers are showing no symptoms of

radiation poisoning. a week ago ten workers were exposed to radiation in the same place. at that time some managers blamed a misgenerating machine designed to prevent heat stroke. but the machine was not in use in the latest case. people in south korea are worried about how the water seeping from daiichi might affect them. officials in seoul have asked their japanese counterparts for detailed information about the leak. the officials want to know how much water is leaking, how contaminated it is and what impact it's having on the ecosystem. they say south koreans are growing concerned about the safety of seafood imported from japan. the officials say they've been briefed on the situation three times since late july, but the explanations were insufficient. they may send their own experts were insufficient.

the collections of japanese museums dedicated to the atomic bombings of hiroshima and nagasaki are making their debut on google's online archive. items include photographs, documents and other materials passed on by victims of the atomic bombs. the google cultural institute website has listed 220 new items related to the atomic bombings. among them are farewell words written by some of the victims and the memoirs of relatives. in one document a woman writes she regrets being unable to fulfill her dying daughter's last wish for water. an overwhelming thirst was a typical symptom among those exposed to the bomb's radiation. a ceremony took part in hiroshima to mark the launch of the archive. >> translator: i believe this online service will help people

around the world share our wish for peace. >> google's visual archive service was launched last year. it showcases items from museums in 13 countries including the united states and poland. rescue workers faced a host of challenges in the aftermath of the disaster in japan. now a database is helped to identify victims through their dental records. >> reporter: recently, fumiko made a special service that records and stores teeth x-rays for 25 years. teeth are unique to each person. they do not decompose so they can be vital in identifying people. >> translator: that wouit would if my identity could be

established quickly and my body returned to my family. >> reporter: staff at a dental college convert the x-rays into data files. they are stored in a vault at the private security company. in the last year, about 300 people have signed up for the service. shimomichi's sons have grown up. now she lives alone. she learned her lesson 15 years ago. since then, she hasn't had much social life. when the earthquake and tsunami stroke smimomichi heard many bodies could not be identified and she decided to make sure that didn't happen to her. >> translator: i would be grateful if people could identify me by using my dental x-rays. >> reporter: japanese dentists

are setting you up a system, as the disaster motivated them. more than 18,000 people ended up missing. dental records work better than qui fingerprints in identifying bodies. right after the disaster, dr. aiko became involved in identifying those who had perished. the unique features of teeth preserved, even after being immersed in saltwater for a long time. still it took a long time to identify the bodies that's because the tsunami washed away a lot of medical records. as for those that survived, they needed uniformity. at least 13 bodies were wrongly identified. the examiners relied only on external appearances.

kenji saito's aunt was swept away by the tsunami. mistakenly her body was given to another family right after the disaster. her remains were finally returned to the saito family, nine months after the disaster. >> translator: until the body is found, it's an awful feeling for the family, we kept on thinking what's up with her? what happened to her? >> reporter: how can i person be identified quickly? kosuge and her colleagues plan to establish a scheme to register people in a uniform way. they are considering a system to quickly match up dental information with data taken from bodies. >> translator: i want people to

know that they should register their teeth x-rays as proof of their identity, for the sake of their families and for themselves. >> reporter: governments are looking into the model but it's too early to assess it. however, it's important to set up a system, otherwise japanese will keep running into problems identifying people killed in disasters. sachi kirati, nhk world, tokyo. the summer holiday season in europe is in full swing. but vacationers say they still have to tighten their belts as they continue to be affected by the debt crisis. nhk world's yasushi kudo has more. >> reporter: europeans can take up to five weeks of work in the summer months, but many workers find they can't vacation like

they used to. still that's not holding them back from getting a taste of summer. this beach in greece may look like a paradise, but it's right by a residential area on the mainland. it took less than an hour for this man and his family to get here. dmitri works for the national railroad. his employer slashed his salary by 40%, compared to three years ago. as the government cut down on spending. he and his family used to go island-hopping in the mediterranean. but they can't afford to do that any more. >> translator: since we can't go very far this year, i'd like to bring my family here as often as possible. >> reporter: vacationers in

france are using another method to save money on summer travel. these people are headed south from paris. they are meeting today for the first time. >> translator: how old are you? >> translator: i'm 25. >> translator: what is your occupation? >> reporter: these travelers say driving together costs a fifth of the price of a train ticket. and there are lots of others getting on the bandwagon. carpooling is becoming more popular after the credit crunch. almost three million people now choose to split the bill. that's six times more than before the crisis. >> translator: we share a ride and divide the cost amongst ourselves. it's the best way to save money. >> reporter: others have figured out a way to save on

accommodations. this family's also made south of france their destination. there's even a pool for the kids. but, this isn't a campsite. it's someone's yard. and it only costs eight euros per person per night. >> translator: travel expenses for a family of four can get pretty high, but we can stay here for half the price of a regular campsite. >> reporter: they managed to reduce the cost of their trip and stretch their one-week budget to last two weeks. europeans find they still have to make compromises after the debt crisis. but that's not stopping them from going on vacation.

yasushi kudo, nhk world. time for a check of the weather. people in northeastern parts of china are dealing with flooding. >> good morning, catherine. well, i can give you good news for the latest conditions across the northeastern area where we have been seeing floods. let me show you a video for the aftermath conditions there. residents in northeast china's liaoning province are cleaning up after saturday's torrential rains. several people were killed due to floods. a river reversed its banks and a train track was left dangling after its supports were washed away. people are now actually welcoming the return of sunny weather with high pressure system dominating much of this region. so for the next couple of day, today and into today, you're likely to see clear skies and nice conditions, however, it will be a return of wet weather

on your thursday where the conditions are not completely improved yet. more rain to be battering much of these areas in southern china, especially with that remnant low of the ex-typhoon utor still lingering there. it won't be going anywhere. it will be bringing wet and wind y conditions into the next few days. we're seeing another storm system. this has intensified over the record high sea surface temperature. this is trami. making its way to taiwan and perhaps into southern china, but before it hits taiwan, it's perhaps into southern china but before it hits taiwan it's likely to maintain its intensity. it will be packing gusts of 126 and into tomorrow about 144 kilometers per hour. and that will be pick up the high waves along the coastal regions in any of these islands up to about seven meters high. very dangerous level. not only that but the total accumulation of the rainfall

will be staggering amounts. the southwestern monsoonal flow is dumping torrents of rain here in western luzon. that includes the metro manila area where the flooding has still not alleviated yet. this is a huge concern because any further precipitation could further worsen the situation. we see a lot of rain accumulations and even in japan. thunderstorms are likely to ignite across much of northern japan and down into kanto region in the evening hours. for now sunniy spells with tokyo at 34 same here in shanghai and chongqing with 34 for the high today. a hot day in southern regions of this continent. here we're talking about unstable conditions. we actually have a report of a tornado touchdown in germany yesterday which overturned several camp vans in a campsite. we have a report of 3 centimeter diameter hail. and strong gusts -- strong winds

of 90 kilometers per hour have been reported in the czech republic. this system is now in the weakening trend, however, it still can unleash the severe weather and be tracking towards the eastern areas. we cannot rule out the chances of tornadic activities. and back behind it, big atlantic pressure system will be -- high pressure system will be dominating much of the west in the central region, but the hot air is still pumping from africa. here madrid and lisbon are both looking at 36 degrees. that's all for me now. i'll leave you with your extended forecast.

aging of society isn't just a human problem in japan. a popular monkey park plans to close at the end of the year as the animals are getting too old to perform. the park in northeastern japan opened in 1992. at its peak it welcomed about 1 million visitors per year. but the park's foreign staff left the country after the fukushima nuclear accident two years ago. they included most of the animals' trainers. the 28 monkeys act as students and ninjas but nearly half are age 60 or more in human years. this summer's heat has left them looking exhausted. >> translator: it's a shame we can't see the shows any more. >> translator: we heard the park is closing and came to watch the performance.

>> translator: they are 60 in human years and have worked for a long time. i want them to relax and enjoy their lives as monkeys. and that is all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us.

captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> woodruff: an egyptian courtn, said today former president hosni mubarak could soon be freed from jail.