weather from our studios here in tokyo. we start off with a quick look at the hour's top stories. officials around the world are voicing concern about china's expanding maritime ambitions in the south china sea. japanese lawmakers have start ad heated discussion over the possible use of the right to collective self-defense under new security legislation. and major restoration work

has been completed on a castle, a unesco world heritage site in western japan. many people are eager to see the castle's fresh new look. chinese government leaders are breaking ground on a controversial construction project in the south china sea. they are building lighthouses on the spratly islands. world leaders are taking notice and voicing their concerns. >> reporter: state-run tv in china is reporting what will be the next major project on the disputed spratly islands. it says two large lighthouses will be constructed on the reef. a foreign ministry spokes person said the project is for peaceful purposes. >> translator: the lighthouses will provide vessels with efficient navigating and other

assistant services and thus will greatly improve their safety. china will continue construction of civil facilities on relevant reefs on the spratly islands to better serve countries of the south china sea and different countries vessels operating in the waters. >> reporter: but officials in neighboring countries say they are skeptical. china is locked in a dispute with six other parties over the islands. but leaders in beijing say there's no issue to be resolved. they say though compromise on maritime claims in the south china sea and they released a white paper telling their counterparts around the world to stop interfering in the matter. >> translator: the chinese military will take necessary measures towards u.s. military aircraft that are conducting reconnaissance activities near china in accordance with the

law. >> reporter: their paper doesn't directly make reference to the u.s. but they say some external countries are meddling in affairs in the region. and they say leader will place priority on maintaining military preparedness to defend the country's sovereignty. a japanese military analyst says china has no choice but to assert control for its national security. >> china and the south china sea is the last sea, last waters china can have. vietnam wants international society to criticize china. but china will not compromise to them because the south china sea

is the vital interest for china because their target rival is united states not other countries. >> reporter: some american lawmakers are voicing their concern about china's action in the south china sea. congressman mike rogers is a senior member of the house armed services committee. he said the speed at which china is advancing is a threat that can't be ignored. and he emphasized the need for neighboring countries to work together. >> if we continue to work collaboratively and are successful our efforts to meet whatever effort they bring so they know ultimately it's not going to be successful in achieving the ends that they desire. >> reporter: taiwan's president says tensions must be eased. he's proposing a regional dialogue and a piece initiative that would include a code of

conduct. european counsel president said china's activities would make it more difficult to deal with territorial disputes in the area. leaders around the world are keeping a careful eye on the construction project on the spratly islands and they are calling for dialogue to try to diffuse what's becoming an increasingly tens diplomatic issue. thanks for updating us. japanese leaders have been answering questions in the diet over proposed security legislation. the head of the largest opposition party pressed the prime minister on details on exercising the right to collective self-defense. members of the special committee took up the debate on wednesday in the lower house of the diet. prime minister shinzo abe attended. katsuya okada referred to a comment the prime minister made previously. abe said the self-defense forces

might provide protection to u.s. military vessels transporting japanese nationals on the high seas in contingencies surrounding japan. the government set three requirements. katsuya okada he asked whether legislation might allow the use of force in other countries territorial waters if the requirements are met. >> translator: in cases that meet the three criteria it seems there's no difference whether the use of force takes place in another country's territorial waters or on the high seas. what is the difference between territorial waters and high seas? >> translator: as a general rule the overseas dispatch of troops is banned in territorial waters. the question of whether to use force or no will be judged carefully if the case meets three criteria. the dispatch of self-defense force for the purpose of using

force is not allowed. >> committee members are scheduled to meet again on thursday. the governor of okinawa is taking his state to the united states and urge american lead towers scrap plans for a new military airfield in the prefecture. he pledged he would would not allow construction of the airfield to proceed. the governor is traveling with nago mayor. the city has been chosen to host the new airfield. it would replace futenma air station. he said u.s. officials traded the base as an issue for people in japan to resolve but he said it's also an american issue. >> translator: i'm going to tell u.s. officials that they cannot ignore the will of the local people. and say it's a domestic japanese

issue. i will tell them that they should reconsider the plan. >> his first stop is hawaii where he'll meet the governor. some u.s. marines are scheduled to be transferred there from okinawa. he'll then fly to washington. he's scheduled to be in the u.s. for about a week. now experts looking at the state of japan's economy got some insight today with the government report. here's the details on this and more. break it down for us. >> more like steady as she goes but there were some positives in the fine print. japanese officials say the economy remains on a moderate recovery path overall assessment in the monthly economic report is unchanged from april. the cabinet office release this monthly report for may. the report upgrades its take on personal consumption for the first time in ten months.

it cites improvements in sales at department stores and supermarkets as a major factor. the upturn follows wage hikes by many major firms. now also upgraded is the official view on housing construction. the report says the impact from the consumption tax hike in april last year has eased and housing loan interest rates are fouling. corporate production and exports have been downgraded. weakness can be seen in some sectors. exports are mostly flat. tokyo stocks hit another 15 year high extending their winning streak to a ninth day. the nikkei average ended the day higher at nearly 0.2% at 20,472. investors bought kprted shares on a stronger dollar against the yen. the dollar went above 123 yen for the first time in nearlying eight years. the u.s. currency surged

following comments by officials. janet yellen suggested the fed could hike its key rate within this year. in china, the shanghai composite extended its gains to seven days adding 0.6% to 4941. many investors cheered the strong data on industrial profits in april. the figure rose for the first time in seven months. seoul's kospi slid by 1.7% to 2107. that's its lowest level in nearly two weeks. some korean market players fear a rate hike. same concern weighed on many other markets in southeast asia. philippines currently down 1.68%. indonesia 1.27%. hong kong snapped its two days of gains closing the session nearly 0.6% down. sidney retreated more than 0.8% from a three week high hit the

previous day. energy related shares were sold on lower crude oil prices. the bank of japan has pushed back its deadline for achieving its 2% inflation goal. it says ill will take until the first half of fiscal 2016 to meet the target. some boj executives are unsure of the challenge. minutes from a bank of japan meeting show three of the bang's nine board members feel the target outlook is blooming. it released its minutes from its april board meeting. the officials postponed their forecast date for achieving the 2% inflation goal from the current fiscal year. bank officials said sluggish price increases were mainly due to slower pace of improvement in the output gap. they also cite ad slow recovery

in some areas of private consumption. transport officials from thailand say they want a high-speed rail service similar to the japan bullet train. they are currently in tokyo where they met with their japanese counterparts. japanese transport minute certificate akihiro ohta met his counterpart prajin juntong to exchange a memorandum of cooperation. japan has offered thailand assistance for the railway. the project is a 700 kilometer link between the capital of bangkok and shanghai. most trains in thailand run on single tracks and are not electrified. but with economic growth a rising priority the country needs fast trains to move large numbers of passengers. japanese officials plan to conduct on site inspections for the railroad starting next month. now officials at bank's

agriculture all ministry decided to import a record amount of butter. the additional order of 10,000 tons will be the country's single biggest butter import. the move comes as an organization of dairy product makers predicts a butter shortage of 7100 tons. butter imports are centrally controlled in order to maintain a stable supply. the shortage is due to a plunge in milk production and decrease in the number of dairy farmers. dairy in japan sell milk for drinking or processing into whipped cream rather than butter. japan suffered a serious butter shortage ahead of the christmas season last year. that's all for business news for this hour. i'll leave with you a look at the region's markets.

>> u.s. president barack obama criticized russia for its aggressive stance in ukraine. obama and nato secretary met in washington and discussed the continuing fighting between ukrainian force and pro russian separateists. >> we also reaffirmed the importance of impleamens the minsk agreement and ensuring that ukraine is able to enjoy the same territorial integrity and sovereignty as any other country. >> i urge all parties to fully implement the minsk agreement and russia to stop supporting the separatist and rove their

forces from eastern ukraine. >> obama also commented on the fight against the islamic state militant group. he said nato is playing an important role in counterterrorism efforts and is part of the military coalition backing the iraqi government in the fight against the militants. a nuclear power plant in southwestern japan has cleared government guidelines put in place after the disaster at fukushima daiichi. it's the first facility to meet the tougher rules. japan's regulator has approved all the paper work for the plant to go back online. officials at the nuclear regulation authority endorsed the emergency plans for the number one and two reactors at the sendai plant. the next step is for regulators to fin jush up their on site inspections and checks of emergency drills. then the plant's operator will be able to load the reactors with nuclear fuel.

training workers and holding drills is important to avoid serious accidents. they hope to begin loading fuel into reactor number one next month with an eye to restarting it in late july. it plans to bring the reactor back online in september. but inspections have been lagging behind. a group representing japanese zoos and aquariums have been under fire over methods used to acquire dolphins. now officials say hackers targeted their website. officials said police informed them of the breach in march. more than 2,000 e-mail addresses and phone numbers of employees at over 130 zoos and aquariums were leaked. data appeared under the name of the international hacker group anonymous. officials temporarily shut down the website as a precaution. they said hacker got the information by breaking into a

restrict the area of the site. it contains information how members obtains animals. >> tourists are flocking to western japan to get a new perspective on an architectural temple. the tower represent as soaring bird. thanks to a major restoration project this iconic structure is taking flight once more.

>> reporter: the cast simple located about 150 kilometers west of the ancient capital kyoto. many tourist from around japan and also different places around the world. now the biggest draw is that central tower. the tower looks like it did 400 years ago. take a look around me. see those openings in the holes. those are very deadly holes. they are where, if i'm an enemy approaching the castle i would be met with bullets and arrows shooting out of those holes. after that i would have to go through a gate this is another trap. this is where samurai warriors hid behind the ceilings to drop

big rocks and hot water on me. even if i break through that gate i would have to go through a labriyth pass cigarette with tricks and traps waiting for me in order to approach that central tower, almost possible. now himenji castle is known as a beautiful architecture. but you have to remember it's also a unique fortress with all kinds of defense designs. all that included it's recognized as you a necessary could world heritage site. let's go to that tower now. that central tower is 47 meters high. it's the largest of its kind still in existence in japan. and because the tower resembles a heron soaring in the skies it's known as the white heron castle. that whiteness comes from

plaster. when you look through the window you notice the scenes between all 75,000 roof tiles are filled with this plaster. mold discolors it. the whiteness only last as few years. if you want to see it you have to see it now. you hear what i hear? watch out. thank you very much. [ speaking japanese ] >> reporter: yes these are samurai from a local volunteer group. they entertain tourists by walking around the castle

grounds dressed in armor. this armor they prepared themselves. it weighs about 20 to 30 kilo kilograms. let me introduce you to the leader of the group. mitsuyoshi tanaka. [ speaking japanese ] >> i asked why they volunteer. he says of course they want to show the tranquillity of the castle but also the movement that must have been seen around here 400 years ago. and if you book in advance you too can borrow this armor. [ speaking japanese ] >> a very exuberant group at the

castle. mongolian sumi wrestler has been promoted to its highest rank. >> terunofuji won the grand tournament ending on sunday winning 12 of 15 bouts. the 23-year-old made his professional debut in 2011. he practiced with the grand champion in the same stable who is also from mongolia. >> translator: i'll work hard to attain the highest rank of grand

champion. >> he's the fifth mongolian champ. here in tokyo fair summer-like weather prevails with highs reaching around 30 degrees celsius or 86 degrees fahrenheit. jonathan oh joins us now with this hour's update sorting with the u.s. southern plains. jonathan. >> hello. i don't think we'll see any type of relief at least for the next day or so because we still have this persistent weather pattern bringing a lot of rainfall into region. look at the satellite perspective. you see clouds popping up right there. we have instability of the warm air coming in at the lower levels and when air is cooler higher up and dryer the warmer air rises and that's when we

have these bigger clouds these thunderstorms popping up and that's when we have these types of situations. the wettest may on record so far for some of these locations. oklahoma city back, the time we had records for this area for the month of may of 369 millimeters. we're up to 482. we're not done with the month of may. wichita falls and dallas way past the last may record that's on the books and we're going to see even more rainfall once again. we have a cold front that is dropping in from the north and that is slamming up against the warm air coming from the south and, in fact notice the pattern all along the eastern seaboard. we have this warm air moving along the coast and that's going to produce even more rainfall some thunderstorms, maybe even some severe thunderstorms will be a part of the picture as we go throughout the day wednesday. again, look at all of the thunderstorm icons popping up in toronto, atlanta, houston, denver and oklahoma city all expecting some thunderstorms as

we go throughout the day wednesday. be weather aware because we are going to see the instability go throughout the day and that will produce the possibility of severe weather. now we're talking about a very different type of severe weather, we're talking about deadly heat in india. look at the satellite perspective. we have nothing when it comes to rainfall. maybe a few clouds trying to pop up but not much in terms of precipitation. these are the highs for wednesday. once again very very oppressive heat. 45 degrees on the eastern side up to 47 back towards the west and these are going to be a continued pattern for the next several days and we're having heat warnings in place with some of these in red alert levels. the reason why we have the humidity in place. when you have humidity your body cannot really cool down from the sweating that takes place and then we have this dry heat with temperatures in the mid-to-upper 40s. very oppressive conditions in place for thursday and that will

last longer because we're waiting for the southwest monsoon but not likely to take place until mid-june which means the relief pattern is not in the picture. thursday and friday highs in the mid-40s and windy conditions that's not going helpful at all. already hot as it is so it's just going to blow-out even warmer hotter air into the area. this is definitely a grave concern because hundreds of people have died from this oppressive heat. now take a quick look at the forecast for east asia. warm conditions for the northern portions of east asia. temperatures made it up to 30s on tuesday, repeat on wednesday. this pattern will continue as high pressure dominates the weather. down south rain is part of the picture. southeastern china into taiwan and southern islands of japan you'll see heavy rain from time to time as the rainy season continues. temperatures around 30 degrees for tokyo coming up on thursday with rain from beijing to taipei. hope you have a good day

wherever you are. here's you extended outlook.

logon to our website for future stories and special reports. i'm james tengan in tokyo. thanks for watching this edition of "newsline".

' the headlines. nine of the most powerful people in global football indicted on federal corruption charges. most of those officials at world's football governing body, fifa, were arrested in a dawn raid in zero. queen elizabeth ii opens the new british parliament. she says the conservative government will pass an early law to hold the in-out referendum on the eu by the end of 2017. four heroes of the resistance to the nazi occupation in france are set to be buried in the