welcome to "newsline," i'm james tengan in tokyo. here are some of the stories we're following this hour -- a japanese court has ruled the fukushima nuclear operator was responsible for the suicide of evacuee after the 2011 disaster. u.s. commanders will host their chinese counterparts at the pentagon to discuss rules of behavior up in the air. and automakers are getting all revved up about the market in south africa and the rest of

the continent. considered the final frontier for car sales. a fukushima court has ruled that the 2011 nuclear accident was to blame for evacuee's suicide. it has ordered tokyo electric power company to compensate the woman's family. it is the first such ruling against the utility. the fukushima district court acknowledged causal links between the accident at the fukushima-daiichi nuclear plant and suicide. it ordered tepco to pay nearly half a million dollars in damages. the presiding judge said the accident caused the woman great mental anguish. the evacuationye was forced to leave home after the nuclear accident. when she was allowed to return for a short visit in 2011, she doused herself in gasoline and set herself on fire. watanabe's home is 35 kilometers from the nuclear plant. the area is a designated evacuation zone. her husband and three children say her death was caused by

depression. they say as evacuee she faced an uncertain future. tepco offered condolences and says it will study the ruling and respond to it. the government says 130 suicides are linked to the 2011 earthquake and nuclear accident. courts are now reviewing two other cases. over 125,000 people still cannot return to their homes. thousands are suing tepco and the government for damages. japan's prime minister is set to renew his team. shinzo abe has confirmed he will reshuffle his cabinet on september 3rd. he has had the same lineup since he launched has government in 2012. abe made the announcement on tuesday at a meeting of executives of the governing liberal democratic party. he said he want the change in order to launch the second chapter of his administration. he want the ministers to tackle national security and revive regional economies. the big focus of the reshuffle is the fate of ldp secretary

general shigeru ishiba. abe is expected to ask him to assume a new cabinet post in charge of national security legislation that will allow japan to exercise its right to collective self-defense. ishiba has suggested he will decline the offer and ask to retain his current post. u.s. military commanders are concerned about a series of near messes involving chinese fighter jets. they say the pilots are flying too close to u.s. planes over the south china sea, so they'll sit down with chinese military officials to try to establish some rules of behavior. the talks will take place on tuesday and wednesday at the pentagon. senior officials from the u.s. navy's operational headquarters are expected to attend.

u.s. commanders say last week a chinese fighter came within ten meters of a navy patrol plane. they lodged a protest with officials in beijing. a chinese defense ministry spokesperson rejected the claim and said the chinese pilot maintained a safe distance. u.s. officials say this isn't the first near miss. they say chinese pilots have come dangerously close to u.s. planes on at least three other occasions. 100 students from japan are preparing to head to china on a trip designed to build cultural ties at the invitation of the chinese government. the china/japan friendship association is organizing the week-long trip. the chinese government established the association more than 50 years ago. the students are scheduled to leave next monday. they'll visit beijing and other cities and meet chinese university students. authorities in china and japan canceled many exchange programs after japan nationalized some of

the senkaku islands in 2012. japan controls the islands. china and taiwan claim them. a japanese city assemblyman has pleaded not guilty to smuggling stimulants into china. a two-day court case has begun. he was detained at an airport. the assemblyman was caught carrying three kilograms of drugs in a suitcase. two men from mali and begin reaccused of handing him the suitcase and are also on trial. he said they had been business acquaintances for three or four years, and he knew them well. according to lawyers, he said he was given the suitcases but did not know they had drugs inside. anyone caught transporting or selling 50 grams or more of stimulants in china faces the death penalty or a prison term of between 15 years and life.

the leaders of japan and russia have found themselves increasingly at odds over the situation in ukraine. russia's foreign minister says it won't affect plans for president vladimir putin to visit japan this autumn. >> translator: our president has been invited. he accepted, and the japanese side confirmed the dates. we're not associating our relations with japan with the conflict in ukraine. >> putin discussed the visit with japan's prime minister, shinzo abe, in february in the russian resort of sochi. in july, japan's leaders announced sanctions on russian individuals and businesses. they restricted import was crimea and froze assets of people involved in annexing the region. russian leaders responded last week by blocking some japanese nationals from entering the country. japanese leaders say they'll consider various factors including the situation in ukraine before deciding whether to go ahead with the visit. >> translator: japanese officials will make a comprehensive decision that

takes into account japan's national interests. this is our stance. >> he said a date for the visit has not been set. time to put a business perspective on thing courtesy of ron madison. ron? >> thank you very much, james. officials at japan's health and welfare ministry will make their largest ever budget request for the next fiscal year to cover ballooning social security costs. ministry officials unveiled the request at a meeting of the ruling liberal democratic party. they say the total sum is $305 billion. now of this, $107 billion are earmarked for medical services. $105 billion are allocated to pension payments, while $27 billion will go toward nursing care services. the ministry wants $6 billion to help open more child daycare centers and hire more childcare workers. this is linked to prime minister abe's growth plan which is calling for more women in the work force. managers at japanese firms are feeling the effects of

growing demand for services they provide each another. they're seeing prices if up and up. analysts at the bank of japan says the cost of corporate services has been increasing for 12 months now. analysts say in july the services producer price index rose to 102.7, up almost 4% from the same month last year. they measured the index again the base of 100 set in 2010. the analysts say the index would have risen .9% without the increase in the consumption tax. government officials lifted that tax in april from 5% to 8%. the analysts point to an increase in foreign tourists. they say that helped to drive up prize for hotel services -- prices for hotel services by 8.6% and say the decision by some nonlife insurers to raise premiums on car insurance also contributed. bank of japan officials say some staffing agencies are also raising their prices due to labor shortages. and japanese government officials are concerned about the lack of workers. they want to train 2,000 people

to fill -- 20,000 people to fill a gap in the construction industry. members of a labor industry task force met to discuss solutions to the problem. in 1997, more than 6.8 million people worked in construction. that's when the number was at a peak. it has since fallen, though, by nearly 30%. experts say this has made it hard to pass on expertise to kru younger expectations. there will be skills such as reinforcing steel and concrete molds. hackers have infiltrated sony's online entertainment service and shut it down for almost a day. company official say the attack crashed their playstation network for games, music, and movies. official at sony computer entertainment say the hackers caused a system failure across the global network. they say the distribution service was unavailable for about 20 hours while they dealt with the problem. the officials say they found no evidence the hackers accessed the personal information of

network users. 52 million people have accounts. the same hacker reportedly claimed on line that there were explosives on a plane carrying the head of a sony subsidiary in the u.s. officials at the airline diverted the plane for an emergency landing. investigators with the fbi are looking to the matter. many investors in asia taking a break after pushing the region's benchmarks higher earlier in the month. as you can see, most markets have finished lower. the shanghai kpzity, the region's worst performer. investors in china locked in approveits after the benchmark came close to hitting a high, it finished at 2,-207. in addition, investors moved many out of the market on concerns that a flurry of scheduled initial public offering may put pressure on already listed shares. in tokyo the nikkei average at .6% finishing at 15,521. that was persian gulfing back from a three-week hit on monday.

investors took profit during a pause in the yen's weakening trend. in gentleman cart athe key index closed lower at 5,146. investors concerned about the possibility of an early cut in the government's fuel subsidy. that's a move that could push up inflation. automakers are setting their gps for what they consider their last major market. they've been introducing a string of new cars in africa. populations are growing as is the buying power of consumers, especially in south africa. more now from nhk world. ♪ >> reporter: in july, japan's nissan motors unveiled a new model suv in south africa. >> my name is joe, and i'm here to introduce -- >> want to target this new audience. >> reporter: most automaker here are targeting young people. a survey shows that 80% of south

africans in their 20s want to buy a car within five years. >> yes, i am looking for to buy a car. >> i will have something to rely on, and i can go anywhere i want to go any time. >> reporter: new car sale are rising steadily here. last year, 650,000 units were sold in south africa. both japanese and german models are popular, but new players are entering the scene. chinese automaker ggeely has ben offering products for five years now. with sweden's volvo under its umbrella, geely is also pitching luxury vehicles. it sells economy models, as well. this one is designed to look like a panda. its sticker price is kept low it attract young women. >> that appeals to the ladies in

the marketplace in south africa, yeah. so we -- this is our actually most affordable vehicle in south africa at the moment. >> reporter: another chinese maker has decided to build cars locally. in early july, first automobile works opened a production plant in the eastern cape. south african president jacob zuma was among those attending the plant's opening ceremony. >> this instrument will assist us to position south africa as a destination of choice for the assembly of medium and heavy commission vehicles. >> reporter: japanese automakers are among those with the biggest market share in south africa. but with competition intensifying sharply, they need to find new ways to get ahead. steven brimelow, nhk world, south africa. >> all right, that's going to

wrap it up for business this hour. let's see how things are looking on the markets. ♪ every morning, investors turn our attention to asia, the tokyo market leads the way. and market 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." thousands of people is said good-bye to a black teenager in the u.s. state of missouri with calls for justice. michael brown was shot dead by a white police officer airlinier this month in the city of -- earlier this month in the city of ferguson. ♪ >> the mourners crowded into a church. family members, political leaders, human rights activist. they prayed and sang songs to celebrate brown's life. he was 18-years-old. >> we have had enough of the senseless killing. we have had enough of it. and what you guys can do to continue this is show up at the voting polls. [ applause ] >> let your voices be heard.

>> brown was unarmed when he was shot. his death has sparked protest after protest. demonstrators have been calling for the police officer to be punished and for an end to racial discrimination. the officer's supporters held their own rally. darin wilson has been put on paid leave. a grand jury has begun hearing evidence to determine whether to bring criminal charges against him. and the u.s. justice department has opened its own investigation. images of heavily armed police confronting demonstrators in missouri have caught the attention of u.s. leaders. president barack obama has ordered a review of a federal program that helps police acquire military-grade equipment. officers in ferguson have deployed armored vehicles and other military hardware when responding to protests. a program run by the u.s. government has made it possible for police to obtain the equipment to help fight terrorism. >> the question, though, is is

the program operating as was intended. are there situations in which local law enforcement organizations are getting equipment they don't actually need. >> earnest said official will look at whether officers are receiving the training needed to use the equipment correctly. some lawmakers have called for restrictions on the procure. of military hardware by police. when south sudan gained independence three years ago, there was a sense of optimism in the air. that's all but faded. loyalists of the president have been looked in a civil war against supporters of the former vice president. more than one million people have had to flee their homes. nhk reports. >> reporter: the violence between the two sides has

displaced people around the country. at this main u.n. base in the capital alone, more than 30,000 people have taken shelter. 29-year-old isaac rake wrote his wife and three children here. they've been living on this tiny plot since december. his wife has been confined to bed with malaria. ahmad says his forehead identifies him as being a member of the royal ethnic group. their home is only one kilometer away, but they cannot return because people from the rival ethnic group have occupied their neighborhood. >> identified by this mark. i was marked.

only the u.n. troops guide me here. if there's no u.n. troop, then our lives will be poor. right president kiir is a dinka. his vice president is not. the tension has take own an increasingly strong ethnic dimension. the dinka people blame them for the violence. >> translator: it's the former vice president's fault. he tried to steal power from the president. >> reporter: this man is 44 years old. he lost both his parent during the long civil war in the 1980s before south sudan became independent. he ended up in a refugee camp but still managed to continue

his studies in ethiopia and the united states. after the country won its independence, he returned with hopes for the young country. those hopes, however, began to fade last december kwh when he attacked by armed men. >> they say, "stay, we're going to kill you right now." >> he hasn't been able to find a job. he's still living with his relatives. >> i come here for something. this is my country. economic here to do something for my government. by the time i'm here, everything mess up. all the dream i have, all the vision i see, mess up. >> reporter: people in south

sudan longed and fought for independence for years. now that they've got it, many say their lives are even worse than before. and that they are living in fear of their immediate neighbors. yu kobayashi, nht world, south sudan. search and recovery effort are continuing in hiroshima. they were hit by rain again this morning. our meteorologist joins us now. how are things there now? >> yes, hiroshima was hit by rainfall early this morning, but as you can see, clouds are moving away. even sunny weather will come back starting wednesday in the city of hiroshima. now typically summer features nice weather all over japan because the pacific high engulfs

the country. but things are changing. cooler air is coming in from the north. that is hitting with hot air in the south creating days of unstable weather over the country. the worst is happening over the region this moment. we have reports of 110 millimeters of rainfall over the past 24 hours and more rainfall to come tomorrow. some of the heavy rain will spread to the tokyo area into wednesday. and temperatures will be cooling down. we'll show you the figures in a moment. now, heavy rainfall and flooding caused a loss of life in the southern parts of south korea, but weather is improving. the weather is not improving over the philippines. monsoonal rain is very active. they're used to 110 millimeters of rainfall. eastern parts had over 200 millimeters in the last 24 hours. rain also pounded northern vietnam. rain will likely continue at least for the next several days. temperatures are as follows -- 31 degrees in hong kong, as well as taipei. tokyo, 25 degrees for this time

of year. a 25 on wednesday. it should be about 31 degrees during this time of year. so a lot cooler compared to average. so at 29 degrees with sunny weather tomorrow, beijing cloudy weather with the high of 32. all right. across the americas, we have two hurricanes. one here will likely move away from mexico, and this one here is continuously sending ample moisture it the bahamas and turks and caicos islands. the system will likely get close to bermuda within the next 48 hours or so as a hurricane. about 100 millimeters of rain could fall in bermuda. the system will likely stay over the water, so the bulk of the heavy rain should stay over the waters. eastern parts of the united states will see some rough seas and swells for the rest of the workweek. if you're planning to go to the beaches, please watch out for rough seas. across the land, heavy rain is falling. areas from ontario, quebec, toward the four corners region. one tornado was sighted in

colorado and hail up to five centimeters in several areas. the system will likely move in to the northeastern u.s. into the next couple of days. rain is falling heavily over the four corners region, but no rain is in sight for california and surrounding areas. according to the national weather service, drought condition will likely persist or intensify as we go special fall. water shortages will be a continued issue. temperatures on tuesday nearly 30 degrees in los angeles. seattle, as well. hot across the east. hottest place is going to the mid part of the u.s. ft. smith, 37 degrees on tuesday. oklahoma city, 37 on tuesday. much higher than average. stay hydrated to avoid heatstroke. finally over toward europe, cooler weather is dominating the northern areas while hot weather is dominating the iberian peninsula. we have a system coming in that is also providing wet and windy conditions for areas like the

british isles, across germany as well as poland. even tornado cannot be ruled out in several places like the southern u.k., northern front, as well as the low countries into tuesday morning. temperatures are as follows. much cooler than average in the north. quite hot weather over the south. here's the extended forecast. ♪

our top story again -- a funk court has ruled that the 2011 nuclear accident was to blame for evacuee's suicide. it's ordered tokyo electric power company to compensate the woman's family. it is the first such ruling against the utility. the fukushima district court acknowledged causal links between the accident at the fukushima-daiichi nuclear plant and suicide. it ordered be at the co-to pay nearly half a million dollars in damages. the presiding judge said the accident caused the woman great

mental anguish. she was forced to leave her home after the nuclear accident. when she was allowed to return for a short visit in july, 2011, she doused herself in gasoline and set herself on fire. watanabe's home is 35 kill orms from the nuclear plant. the area is a designated evacuation zone. her husband and three children say her death was caused by depression. they say as evacuee she faced an uncertain future. tepco offered condolences and says it will study the ruling and respond to it. the government says about 130 suicides are linked to the 2011 earthquake and nuclear accident. courts are now reviewing two other cases. over 125,000 people still cannot return to their homes. thousands are suing tepco and the government for damages. we'll have developments on that story and more here on "newsline." "newsline." thanks for watching.

-- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

>> hello, a very warm welcome live from paris. here are the top stories this hour. forced to form a new government, france's prime minister gets to present a new parliament after the cabinet crumbles over the country's economic woes. the u.s. is flying drones to track mill about thes from the islamic state organization. and the president from ukraine and russia arrive as the crisis expected to top talks. they have sent them across the borders on a special mission.