hi i'm james tengan in tokyo. it's a tuesday evening here in japan. welcome to "newsline." we start off with a quick look at the hour's top stories. japanese officials are updating school textbooks to fall in line with the government's view on sovereignty as their asian neighbors watch developments closely. the u.s. defense secretary says his country is launching a new phase of his strategic shift toward the asia pacific.

and scientists say they've detected radiation from the fukushima daiichi nuclear accident in north america for the first time. members of japanese education ministry panel have just finished screening textbooks to be used in public schools. as a result references to territory japan controls or claims have more than doubled compared to textbooks now in use. nhk world's tomoko kamata has more. >> reporter: members of an education ministry panel screened more than 100 junior high school textbooks to be used next year. it was the first time they'd done this using revised guidelines the government introduced last year. japanese leaders say schools need to strengthen education on japanese sovereignty, and they want textbooks to clearly state that the senkaku islands in the east china sea, and takeshima islands in the sea of japan, are the country's inherent territory.

japan controls the senkaku islands. the government maintains they're part of the country's territory. china and taiwan claims them. japan claims the takeshima islands. south korea controls them. with the changes, all 20 social studies texted used in japanese junior high schools now reflect the government stance. panel members also urged one publisher to include the government's view in articles about those known as comfort women. the publisher decided to delay testimony by former comfort women and photographs. they've also added a statement made in 1993 by then chief cabinet secretary kono. it expresses sincere apologies and remorse to all those recruited to work in comfort stations during world war ii. the revised textbook also says

the government has found no evidence directly proving military or government officials took the women away through coercion. that's been the government's stance since 2007. >> translator: if there are descriptions that are different from the government's view we want them to state what the government says on the issue. we're not demanding they include the entire official stance. we're moving towards striking a total balance. >> reporter: south korean leaders have -- >> instilling a distorted perception of history and views on territory in the next generation is tantamount to repeating past mistakes. >> reporter: japanese experts are divided in their views. >> translator: the publishers

thoroughly inform students about japan's territorial claims. in that sense, i think their efforts this time can be appreciated. >> translator: historical and social issues are very complex, and have multiple aspects. and a single interpretation or view should not be justified. i think as a result the screening ended up being close to the government's point of view. or you could say it stresses the government's view. >> reporter: oicials with local education boards across japan will review each of the revised textbooks. they'll have until august to make their selections. then it will be up to teachers to decide how to use the textbooks in their classrooms. tomoko kamata, nhk world. officials with japan's foreign ministry say the nation remains committed to peace, as

the 70th anniversary of the end of world war ii nears. they've released their annual diplomatic bluebook that outlines policies and activities to the cabinet. and this year they've included a section reviewing japan's post-war path. the report says based on the deep remorse over the war, japan has built a society that honors freedom, democracy, and human rights. it stresses the credit remains a pacifist nation and will make even more pro-active contributions to peace under the principle of international cooperation. the bluebook's authors say a bilateral summit with china held last november was a step toward improved relations. and they say dialogue and cooperation are resuming gradually. but their report also mentions chinese government ships making repeated intrusions into japan's territorial waters off the senkaku islands. they say leaders in tokyo will respond based on firm determination to protect the nation's territorial land, sea, and air space.

the document notes that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the normalization of ties with south korea. it says difficult problems exist, but japan intends to build a future or gented and multilayered bilateral relationship from a broad perspective. the bluebook also refers to north korea's investigation into the fates of missing japanese including citizens abducted by the country. it adds that japan will continue to closely cooperate with relevant countries to seek a comprehensive solution to all pending issues including pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs. the u.s. defense secretary says washington is starting a new phase of its shift in foreign policy toward the asia pacific region. ash carter spoke ahead of his first trip to japan in south korea as defense chief. >> we will continue to invest in future capabilities that will be especially relevant to the asia pacific's complex and dynamic security environment.

>> carter said the u.s. would invest in advanced weapons to cope with changes in security situations in the region. he said the u.s. is deeply concerned about some of china's activities. he said it's defense budget actions in cyberspace and behavior in the south china sea raise serious questions. he said he hoped that military exchanges between the two countries will reduce risk with china. carter also referred to the ongoing review of guidelines on u.s./japan defense cooperation. he said the new guidelines will allow more cooperation in areas such as outer space and cyberspace. u.n. officials have issued a message to militants who are battling for control of a refugee camp in syria. security council members have demanded the warring sides allow people access to food, medicine and water. islamic state militants swept into the yarmouk camp near damascus earlier this month. they seized control of most of the area which has been home to

palestinian refugees for more than 50 years. but palestinian insurgents are fighting back. and u.n. officials say the clashes are intensifying. syrian government forces have surrounded the camp which is just kilometers from the power base of president bashar al assad. they're conducting airstrikes against the militants. the u.n. officials say 18,000 refugees are trapped and unable to receive aid. the head of the u.n. agency for palestinian refugees pierre krahenbuhl, described the situation as desperate. >> all of this has been turned upside down by the escalation of conflict. currently it is simply too dangerous to access yarmouk and even the distribution points that we had previously. >> jordan's u.n. ambassador dina ka war is the president of the security council. she condemned the islamic state group and called on both sides to allow the refugees access to help. scientists say traces of radioactivity from the nuclear accident in japan four years ago

have washed up on canada's coastline. it's the first time they've detected materials from the accident in north america. but they say the amounts don't pose a threat to living creatures. scientists at the woods hall ocean graphic institution tested samples of sea water collected in ucluelet british columbia, two months ago. they found traces of cesium -- 134. they say the levels were 1.4 becquerels per cubic meter. well below the international safety threshold for human and marine life. cesium-134 is produced only by human activity. the scientists say the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant has been the only place where the material has been released in recent years. the team has been collecting samples from along the north american coast for more than a year. they had previously detected radioactive materials offshore. but not along any beaches. researchers expect to find

detectable levels of cesium-134 in other areas in the coming months so they plan to keep monitoring the situation. okay to join or not join china's proposed infrastructure development bank it's a hotly debated question here in japan. gene otani has the latest. >> james, we've been reporting about how japan and the united states have been careful about joining this particular bank. now foreign minister fumio kishida is adding his caution. he says japan may be asked to contribute a massive amount of money to the asian infrastructure investment bank. >> translator: if we decide to join the aiib we will almost certainly be asked to invest hundreds of millions of dollars. >> kishida said joining the bank would require spending public funds. he stressed the structure of governance beforehand. he said the japanese and u.s. government share this view. south korean giant samsung electronics has seen its

operating profit fall year-on-year for the sixth straight quarter. analysts blame sluggish cell phone sales but the first quarter results were better than expected. executives at the south korean firm released preliminary eerngs figures for january through march. sales for the period fell more than 12% in won terms from a year ago to about $43 billion. operating profit fell by 31%. samsung's mainstream smartphone business has suffered from competition with apple and chinese makers. the latest quarterly earnings were above market expectations. operating profit was also higher than the previous quarter. south korean analysts believe the declining trend has come to an end. samsung is scheduled to launch its new galaxy s-6 smartphone in south korea and the u.s. on friday. investors weren't convinced with the results, however. the stock slipped by 0.5%. tokyo stocks rebounded on

tuesday following a rally on wall street. investors bought back shares on speculation that the u.s. federal reserve will wait longer to raise rates. the nikkei average ended up 1.25% at 19,640. that's the highest it's been in two weeks. the stronger dollar also boosted market sentiment, and moving on to chinese markets, the shanghai composite jumped 2.5%. hit another 7-year high on hopes of more government stimulus measures. shares of two major railway carmakers were brought to the day's limit after the government approved the firm's merger plan. over in australia, benchmark index erased some of its earlier gains after the central bank decided to keep the key interest rate unchanged. the s&p asx finished up 0.46% at 5,925. higher commodity prices supported shares related to resources and energy. most markets are up and running again after holidays. the asia pacific region indonesian shares gained by

0.8%. seoul ended almost flat on profit taking. executives at a major japanese convenience store chain say they're starting a home delivery service to serve senior s lawson and sg holdings will set up a joint venture in june. it includes the sagawa express delivery firm. the new service is aimed at older people who find it hard to go out shopping. >> translator: the need for home delivery will rise with the aging society and increasing nuclear families. >> the service will deliver goods to households within 500 meters of lawson outlets. the new company says it won't charge for deliveries. it plans to launch the service in tokyo and expand it to 1,000 outlets around the country by 2017. youtube has teamed up with a japanese film company to help aspiring video artists make samurai dramas. executives at youtube operator google and toei announced the new service.

toei is well-known for its films on the samurai theme. youtube has built a special set at its tokyo studio for the service. they will start shooting samurai videos this week for about two months. video producers can use the set for free. and toei specialists will be on hand to get advice on costumes and props. toei officials say they will offer a similar service at their studio in kyoto. they say they hope to boost knowledge of japanese historical drama films overseas. especially among young people. youtube officials say the new content will help them increase use percent. nato is a japanese food made from fermented soybeans known for its sticky some might say slimy texture. consumers outside japan often don't care for it. so one japanese foodmaker is trying to give the dish a wider more international appeal. >> reporter: people on the streets of lyon are trying a distinctive japanese food for

the first time. and they're finding the texture challenging. >> translator: i don't like it at all. really. >> reporter: it's slimy. >> translator: it's weird. it makes me feel ill. >> reporter: a nato maker is trying a different approach in an attempt to change people's perceptions. people from this company arranged to give the dish a debut at one of the world's largest food fairs in france. they used a special bacteria to produce nakto that's less sticky than usual. they hope to market this new variety in order to get it on to dining tables all over the world. >> translator: do you have a sample?

>> reporter: one french chef was very interested. he took the product back to his restaurant and tested it. he beat the nakto until it was almost liquid then added fresh dairy cream and lemon to turn it into a sauce. the chef served his creation with vegetables boiled in garlic. >> translator: it's a superb dish and a wonderful combination with very good texture and flavor. >> translator: i think if it's used subtly nakto can enhance western cooking. >> reporter: the president of the japanese company yukio nagata got in touch with a potential client. a major french quiche maker with

a worldwide sales network wanted to know more. >> translator: how do you eat this? with meat? in soup? >> reporter: the manager wants to test out the nakto in his cooking to see if it goes well with other ingredients. nagata demonstrated a variety of combinations with other foods. this one is with blueberry. >> translator: super. wonderful. >> reporter: next the quiche company taste tested natto with olive oil used to marinate truffles. >> translator: the flavor exploded in my mouth.

>> reporter: they decided to use natto in a quiche that would be suitable for vegetarians. >> translator: people in europe showed a deeper understanding of natto than we had expected. that was a big difference and a nice surprise to what we had imagined. >> reporter: nagata isn't standing still. next he hopes to have business talks with companies in italy and germany. and that's all for business. schoolchildren across china are helping their president shoot for a new goal. they're undergoing intensive football training to help turn their country into a sporting superpower.

nhk world discovered how the kids and their coaches are pitching in. >> reporter: starting from march, football has become a compulsory part of the curriculum for all grades at this school. the children now play once a week. all 1,000 students play football regularly at this school in the suburbs of shanghai. it was designated by the government as an intensive training school for the sport. >> translator: football is great fun. i want to become a national team member in the future and become a football player like messi. >> reporter: president xi jinping is known for his great love of football. he says he wishes to hold the world cup in china. but china's national team has

continued to do poorly ranking 83rd in the world. it took part in the world cup only once in 2002. >> reporter: the 50-point plan includes the introduction of football classes into more schools. its goals include transforming both the men's and women's national teams into global football powerhouses. currently, 5,000 elementary and junior high schools are designated as intensive football training schools. the government plans to increase that number tenfold by 2025. this school sends football coaches to a nearby kindergarten. it's looking to sculpt future

plays from among the children who like playing the sport. >> translator: if we can get them to develop an interest in football at a young age, they will continue to learn on their own. and their skills will develop. >> reporter: the school is also trying to learn how players are developed overseas. three years ago, it got a japanese citizen working at an electronicsmaker to start voluntarily coaching the current team. saito has extensive experience training children in japan. the chinese method involves training only those who are highly skilled. but saito tries to get all of the children to enjoy football. he believes it helps boost the

level of the entire team. last december the girl's team won the title at the tournament in shanghai. >> translator: the most important thing is for individuals to help each other grow. rather than the result of the match. i think that would be positive for their future whether they decide to pursue football, or do something else. >> reporter: the children now share president xi's dream. the ball is slowly rolling toward his goal of turning china into a global football powerhouse. nhk world, shanghai. >> thanks very much for that report. now, considering china's population we're certain to see superplayers emerge from china in the years to come. people in southeastern

europe are still having to deal with stormy weather conditions. our meteorologist sayaka mori is here with an update. >> it's a strong low pressure system has been affecting southeastern portions of europe like italy and the balkan peninsula, as well as turkey with stormy conditions. this system is a very strong one and also slow-moving system so it has been causing stormy weather in a similar location. and also this is packing very cold air in the upper atmosphere so the mountains are seeing snow and because of temperature difference between the sky and the ground severe weather, especially thunderstorms, are happening over the same location. now, there is a chance for tornadoes, actually in areas shaded in red. also thunderstorms and strong gusts will likely happen in the area shaded in yellow means there's that slight risk for severe weather. this is your outlook on your tuesday. very different story across the west. beautiful sunny conditions for the western continent. very good conditions for many people but those who have hay fever it could be a tough

condition. now across south america, floods have occurred in bolivia. to give you an idea i want to take you this footage -- show you this footage. sudden burst of torrential rain fell in bolivia's central city of santa cruz on sunday. large areas were flooded, and local transportation was brought to a standstill. intense rains began to pummel the city as residents scrambled to evacuate to dry ground. storm drains were unable to support the onslaught of water. as you can see this picture, main streets were completely inundated. but good news dry weather has returned so no more rain within the next three days but typically the wet season continues into may across central bolivia. now you can see a lot of heavy rains on the menu for parts of brazil peru ecuador and up into colombia as the flood is going to be very high risk. juth to the south a couple of weeks ago, the atacama region in northern chile was hit by heavy

rainfall but this area is actually one of the driest areas in the world. so a lot of heavy rain actually 14-year's worth of rain fell in just 24 hours a couple of weeks ago. so we're hearing lots of flood reports in south america. so far this season. drought is still going on across california. 93% of the state is under severe to exceptional drought conditions. but changes are coming. rain is falling for the northern locations, and rain will move in to the south, including l.a. where severe drought is continuing. so that's definitely good news. and mountains will see heavy snowfall up to 60 centimeters likely for some spots. dry weather continues for the four corners region so please watch out when you use fire. and to the north, snowfall for the u.s./canada border and heavy rain is on the menu for the ohio river basin. temperatures are going to be only 8 in chicago, but just to the south, extremely warm 22 degrees in washington, d.c. cherry blossoms are expected to come out in the national park sometime between april 11th to

14th. so let's look forward to that. cherry blossoms are at their peak in seoul, but temperatures are actually much lower compared to where it should be during this time of year. very cold air is gripping the northern areas, but warm air in the south, and in between. thunderstorms are happening over the pacific side of japan, taiwan, as well as central portions and southern portions of china. rainy weather will continue in taipei as well as hong kong. but cold conditions will likely linger in the north. here's your extended forecast.

and with that we wrap up this hour's "newsline."

for feature stories and special reports just logon to our website. for all of us here on the show, thanks for watching. ñ?ñ?ñ?ñ?ñ?ñ?

ation at a palestinian refugee camp and syria has been described as being beyond inhumane. those are the words of one you and official as an islamic state militants may 3 deepest moves near through damascus. forensic teams in iraq are excavating the site of 12 suspected mass graves thought to hold the bodies of up to 1700 soldiers mass acute massacred by the islamic state. and kenyans take to the state to demand more national security. today marks the final day of mourning for the 148