hello and welcome back to "newsline." i'm shery ahn. let's get started with the headlines. a politician who made a sexist comment at a tokyo metropolitan assembly meeting has offered an apology. japan's diet session has ended, but prime minister shinzo abe has unfinished business. his goal of enableling the country to exercise its right to collective self-defense. and policymakers in portugal are trying to attract foreign investment to beat deflation.

a member of tokyo's governing body has admitted shouting a sexist jibe at a colleague while she spoke at an assembly meeting. the jeer drew domestic and international criticism. please note the following footage contains flash photography. akay hero suzuki on monday apologized to your party member akay ya shiomura. suzuki is a member of the governing liberal democratic party. shiomura commented on government support for working mothers at a meeting last week. suzuki shouted, hurry up and get married instead of making inquiries. other hecklers questioned whether she was capable of having a baby. suzuki confessed to tending shiomura about being single after first denying that he had shouted at her. ldp top officials in the assembly said suzuki offered to resign from the party. they've accepted his offer. japanese prime minister

shinzo abe is watching time tick a way as he pushes to make one of his political goals a reality. but ongoing debate between his party and coalition partner means he'll have to wait longer than expected for approval of his plan to reinterpret the constitution. abe wants japan to be able to exercise itses right to collective self-defense so he can help allies under attack. nhk world's somoko kanata tell us where things stand. >> reporter: prime minister abe hoped to end the decision on a high. but he left behind uninfished business. abe ran out of time in his effort to get cabinet approval for a key policy. he wants to allow japan to use the right to collective self-defense when necessary. in the past, government leaders have interpreted the constitution to mean japan can't exercise that right. but abe has been trying to

change course. he's been pushing members of his liberal democratic party and their coalition partner, new koimeto, to speed up talks. the prime minister wants to include the policy change in the japan/u.s. defense guidelines which are scheduled to be deviced by the end of this year. the members met repeatedly to discuss national security and the future role of the self-defense forces. they agreed to hurry along procedures for deploying sdf personnel in emergencies such as if a known group occupies one of the country's remote islands. but they couldn't come together on collective self-defense. new komeito members have been cautious all along, and they wanted to shelf the debate at one point. they argue once japan is allowed to defend other countries under attack, it will be hard to draw a line on how far the sdf could

go. some analysts speculated the interparty talks could take months. but new komeito changed its stance this month. apparently in an effort to avoid damaging the coalition. they decided to accept using the right to collective self-defense with conditions. they want to put strict limitations on when japan can use force. government officials have been debating a draft plan. it says japan could help a foreign country under attack, provided the situation threatens its survival or that of its citizens. prime minister abe and the leader of new komeito agreed to continue discussions. >> translator: the prime minister has said the cabinet will make the approval only after the interparty talks come

to a conclusion. sincere discussion is essential for this. >> reporter: the new kome tirks o leader told the prime minister that members of his party are still debating the issue. still, the gap between the coalition partners appears to be narrowing. so much so that ldp leaders say they expect to reach common ground by early next month. tom o,ko kanata, nhk world, tokyo. young people in tokyo have voiced their opposition to the push for collective self-defense. they held a rally against the government's plans to reinterpret the constitution. the organizer says about 1,000 students and labor union members took part. one of the speakers was aide worker naoko takato. ten years ago she was detained by militants in iraq. she warned against members of the self-defense forces taking part in armed conflicts. she said it might result in them accidentally killing civilians. and she said this could put

japanese aide workers at risk. ♪ the protesters ended the rally with a march through the streets of central tokyo. sunni militants are swallowing up more territory in iraq as they press on toward the capital, baghdad. they're now in control of key crossings on the border with syria. and that puts them in a better position to fuel their insurgency with more men and more weapons. nhk world's craig dale reports. >> reporter: iraqi men are lining up to put their lives on the line. these shia muslims are joining the military to help stop a seemingly outof control insurgency by sunni muslim extremists. the threat posed by the islamic state of iraq and the levant is growing. isil fighters have captured more territory in the west, and there are reports they've carried out

executions. some of the towns now in their control are on the main highway leading to the border with syria. they're now better able to set up supply routes for troops and weapons. isil wants to create an islamic state that would be governed by strict islamic law. u.s. secretary of state john kerry said on a visit to egypt that the threat must be stopped. >> and none of us can afford to leave that entity with a safe haven, which would become a base for terror against anyone and all. >> reporter: iraqi soldiers have been carrying out raids and setting up checkpoints as they try to maintain control of the capital, baghdad. in the north, military commanders say they've been hitting targets around the city of mosul and, an isil stronghol. but day after day, western leaders have said iraqi prime

minister nuri al maliki must also work on a political solution. his administration is dominated by shia muslims. many want him to reach out to sunnis. john kerry hinted iraqis shouldn't consider maliki indispensable. >> if they want, they have an opportunity to choose leadership that could represent all of iraq. >> reporter: for now, the u.s. is sending around 300 military advisers to help iraq. president obama hasn't ruled out further action. but some americans have held rallies urging him to stay out of the conflict. and iran's supreme leader, i tole ya ali hamm nay says he, too, is against outside intervention. >> translator: we oppose any interference in iraq by americans or other foreign powers. >> reporter: iranian leaders have said what's happening in

iraq is a result of western power supporting anti-government forces in the syrian civil war. the growing conflict is putting more and more civilians at risk. some have fled iraq. others are taking shelter at u.n. camps. they've endured years of war. peace seems a long way off. craig dale, nhk world. u.s. vice president joe biden says he's concerned that pro-russian militants in ukraine aren't laying down their weapons despite a recent government cease-fire. he's also urging leaders in moscow to use their influence to stop the attacks. biden and ukrainian president petro poroshenko spoke by telephone. poroshenko said russian-backed separatists continue to attack government forces. last week he declared a unilateral cease-fire to try and end the fighting. white house officials say biden welcomes poroshenko's peace plan. biden reiterated that the u.s. is working closely with g-7 partners to prepare further

economic sanctions against russia. they're considering new punishments if moscow fails to stop the flow of arms into ukraine. and the head of japan's central bank has commented on the direction of the country's economic policy. ron madison has more from the business desk. >> yes, that's right, shery. bank of japan governor cur rhoda has stressed the importance of the growth strategy the government is now mapping out. cur rhoda made the comment at a speech in tokyo. he also said the effect of consumption tax increase in april have been limited. >> translator: many businesses see the impact of the tax hike as within expectations. and they say consumption remains firm as a trend. we think the influence of the higher tax is likely to wane gradually by this summer. >> kuroda pointed to a shortage of manpower as one of the issues in japan's economic growth. he also said it's necessary to bring more women, elderly people and foreigners with professional

skills into the labor market to enhance the country's labor supply capacity. he said the bank of japan will steadily pursue its ultra easy monetary policy to achieve its 2% inflation target. japanese government officials are giving a egg will up to people conducting innovative research. they are planning to establish a fund to help develop new technologies as a part of prime minister abe's growth strategy. the officials are setting up a fund worth more than $530 million to help make japanese industry more competitive. they've chosen 12 research proposals from 180 submitted. one group of researchers wants to find a way to recycle rare metals from highly radioactive waste. another group is trying to commercialize energy efficient i.t. equipment that can operate for many hours without a recharge. the officials overseeing the program will provide each group of researchers up to $50 million. that'll allow them to hire specialists or team up with advanced research organizations. the officials will announce their decisions on tuesday.

all right. let's get a check of the markets now. asian equities finished mixed after china's factory activity data came in a bit better than expected. hsbc survey shows the chinese manufacturing sector expanded for the first time in six months in june. the encouraging data gave a boost to both tokyo and sydney. the nikkei average, in fact, adding more than .1%. it rose to 15,369. the highest close in just about five months. but the buying momentum was limited today by profit taking. many investors were cautious as the market is technically in overbought territory. meanwhile in sydney is s&p/asx 200 index seeing gains of .6%. 5,453. heavyweight mining shares among the major gainers. hong kong's heng seng gave up nearly 2%. 22,804. selling pressure was pretty

strong as the index approached this year's high. zblmpkts. officials from 16 asia-pacific countrieses are trying to move closer toward a regional free-trade deal. they hope to conclude it by the end of 2015. chief negotiators from the ten asean nations as well as japan, china, india and others are holding the fifth round of talks on the regional comprehensive economic partnership. on the table during the five-day meeting in singapore are issues such as lowering tariffs and liberalizing services and investment. the officials hope to reach consensus on how to move forward on tariff cuts when trade ministers meet in august. but they're still divided on the issue. japanese negotiators hope to lead talks in the areas of intellectual property and fair competition. they want to establish rules that will help japanese firms expand their business in the countries taking part in the talks. the people at a leading japanese financial group are trying to help mold the future of a manufacturing firm. orix will take over a metal molds maker that has fallen on

hard times. orix executives say they'll pay about $146 million for a majority stake in arrk corporation based in osaka. arrk does more than make metal molds. its engineers create 3-2rks prototypes and manufacture products for cars and home appliances. customers include the world's top car makers. arrk's executives once launched a strategy of rapid expansion, but they ran into financial trouble. they've been rebuilding the firm with the help of a corporate revitalization fund. analysts say orix's support will prevent the outflow of skills to other countries. japanese engineers have taken years to develop. policymakers in portugal have hauled their economy back from the brink. government bonds are in demand again and the current account is back in the black. now they're starting to reap the rewards of an immigration policy designed to attract high rolling real estate investors. nhk world's nato shimarura

reports. >> casse casse is a coastal town just west of the portuguese capital. its sandy beaches and harbor have made it appropriate for wealthy holiday makers. but portugal's leaders want the international business to put down stronger roots. two years ago, they introduced what's known as a golden visa. they are issuing renewable residence permits to anyone who spends more than 500,000 yus, or about $670,000 on real estate. this man sells high end real estate. he said sales have risen five-fold since the new rules were introduced.

he's taking a chinese investor to view a six-story property. >> they can rent it. they can sell it. this one. >> reporter: after a short time, the investor decides to buy. the price tag, nearly $4 million. >> then i think right now is a very good opportunity to invest here in portugal. because the price of the property is not very high. >> reporter: real estate prices collapsed when the financial crisis hit three years ago. high-end properties lost up to 40% of their value. that's when the government stepped in and introduced the

golden visa. >> the only way portugal can come back is with foreign investment. what happens is we are receiving some liquid money from foreign investment, which was exactly what portugal was needing. >> reporter: it makes doing business much easier. the country has signed a new agreement that allows -- within the block. about 600 people have taken advantage of the new system. together, they've invested around $500 million in the country. >> well, the golden visa is -- it's a door to reopen to europe for the people that are not in the -- people who live here, you

have all the rights of being a resident. it can be very interesting. it's the best door to be opened to europe. >> reporter: critics say the policy amounts to selling access to the eu. but the people running the struggling economies will be watching closely to see whether this immigration policy can help portugal out of its slump. naoko shs shimomura, nhk world. >> thatokay. that is going to do it for business hour. let's check in on the markets.

every morning, investors turn their attention to asia. the tokyo market leads the way, and markets around the world follow. >> from the decisions that could change the course of an economy. >> to the companies at the forefront of change. >> up to the minute market reports. >> and analysis by specialists from around the world. >> get all the latest business news and insight every day here on "newsline." the okinawa islands in southern japan saw some of the fearest fighting of world war ii. residents and leaders gathered on monday to observe the 69th anniversary of the end of the battle there.

more than 4,500 people attended a ceremony at the peace memorial park in itoman. the fighting in 1945 killed many r than 200,000 people. they included a quarter of okinawa's civilian population. people consider june 23rd to be the last day of organized battles between japanese and u.s. forces. okinawa governor hirokazu nakaima attended the ceremony. >> translator: we, the people of okinawa, have lived since the end of the war with a strong sense of legacy of that day. and with a desire for peace in our minds. >> nakaima pointed out that residents still bear the burden of hosting u.s. military bases. he urged officials in both countries to phase out the functions of u.s. marine corps futenma air station. he repeated his demand to

suspend operations there within five years. prime minister shinzo abe was at the ceremony. he expressed con dole lenlss for the victims and said he is committed to improving the lives of residents. >> translator: i pledge to do my best to relieve the burden of hosting the military bases as much as possible. while taking into account the feelings of the people of okinawa. >> people throughout the islands are holding events for more of the victims and pray for peace. tens of thousands of people once lived in what's now a no-go zone near the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. but the continues high radiation levels mean they still don't know when or if they'll be able to go home. and they'll be paying close attention to a new government estimate that suggests decontamination work could significantly lower the levels in the next few years. the cabinet office has estimated

the effectiveness of decontamination measures in the area shown in red. radiation exposure levels in the zone exceed 50 millisieverts per year. currently no one is allowed to live there. and full-scale cleanup operations have yet to begin. the estimate is based on the hoip thet cal model of a person who spends eight hours a day outdoors and lives in a house with a wooden frame. its goal is to calculate to what degree decontamination could help cut that person's presumed exposure by 2021. in places with an annual radiation reading of 100 millisieverts today, exposure levels would be reduced to between 9 and 20 millisieverts. areas with 50 millisieverts now would see a decline to between 6 and 11 millisieverts. in both cases decontamination would help cut levels to below 20 millisieverts per year. that is one of the government conditions for lifting evacuation orders. officials say they'll use the estimate in considering the cleanup and how to deal with the no-entry zone.

and we have more unstable weather coming to japan. our meteorologist jonathan oh has details on that system. jonathan, i know that we are in the rainy season, but how much longer will we need to keep an umbrella on hand? >> shery, it looks like at least for the rest of this week you'll need to have the umbrella handy because the rainy season front is exactly that. it brings a lot more rain. it looks like it's going to be hanging around for the duration of the week. before we go to the forecast, i want to show you what happened this past weekend in kagoshima prefecture where heavy rains caused a landslide and a train derailment saturday. 15 people were injured after a sightseeing train hit the earth and sand from the slide in iwazuki. about 320 millimeters of rain fell during a 72-hour-period in kagoshima prefecture over the weekend. at times the rain fell at a rate of 49.5 millimeters per hour. can train's operator has suspended operations on participants of the line until the cleanup is completed. more rain is expected for western japan as the rainy

season front continues to hover over the area. now, let me explain to you what we are looking at. we have high pressure west of japan. while it typically means nice weather because it is bringing in some cooler air from the north higher up in the atmosphere, that's creating the unstable environment. so areas like the kanto plains will be dealing with pop-up thunderstorms during the afternoon as the heating of the day takes place. meanwhile, that rainy season front continues to extend down toward the western islands of japan. so because of that, we are looking at anywhere from 80 to 120 millimeters o f rainfall during the next few days. and you see here into tokyo, you'll be dealing with some rain as well because of that daytime heating. now, the front also extends way down into the southern coast of china. now, we've been talking about this for weeks now. typically around this point, it usually slides up farther north. but because of this remaining toward the south, flooding problems persist and landslide problems will continue. and it looks like that's what we

look forward into tuesday, more rain is expected for hong kong into the indochina peninsula. and so for east asia, have the umbrella handy. looks like anywhere from chongqing to hong kong, taipei, manila, seoul, tokyo, ulan bator, you'll be dealing with rain. have the umbrella handy for our tuesday. as we take a look at the forecast in the americas, we're also dealing with rain and storms. and you can see here the white clouds building up, popping up near oklahoma. in fact, oklahoma and also into colorado, tornadoes were reported over the weekend. and it looks like instability will remain in place. we have warm air surging in into the central portions of the country. behind it, cold air wrapping around. that real slamming of the cold air is creating this unstable environment. maybe dealing with some severe weather once again for colorado and also parts of oklahoma. so look out for that. the unstable air mass for the eastern half of the united states and also extending into portions of canada will be bringing some rain and thunderstorms. so winnipeg and chicago, you'll be dealing with some thunderstorms all the way down into miami as we go throughout

our monday. finally we take a look at europe. and we are seeing a low pressure system developing down toward the pyrenees. and this is actually bringing some possibilities of some severe weather once again for the southern portions of europe. so look out for the possibility of this rain and stormy activity to extend into portions of northern italy and once again into the balkan peninsula. finally, we wrap things wup wit a look at brazil. for the monday forecast for the world cup, rain expected for the eastern coast. hope you have a good day wherever you are. here's your extended outlook.

and that's all for this hour on "newsline." i'm shery ahn. thank you for watching. 'ño

>> welcome back to the france 34 newsroom. these are the headlines. u.s. secretary of state john kerry makes an unannounced stop in baghdad. he is there to try to personally convince the shiite led government to give more power to its political opponents before the sunni led insurgency sees even more console -- control. three more journalists from al jazeera are sentenced to seven years of prison in egypt. they were arrested last year during the crackdown on muslim brotherhood. meeting of eu a foreign ministers just days