welcome to this hour's "newsline". here are some of the stories we're following this hour. >> some residents on the southern japanese island of kuchinoerabu were allowed to visit their homes for two hours after friday's volcanic eruption. a british newspaper reports swiss prosecutors may question the president of world soccer's governing body. police in japan are out in

full force and they are using tougher new laws to crack down on bad bicyclers. authorities are closely watching an island in southern japan for signs of another volcanic eruption. they allowed some residents to make a quick trip to check up on their homes. >> reporter: mt, shindake erupted on friday. smoke and ash soared into the sky as high as 9,000 meters. a flow of hot gas and rock reached the shore line. nearly 140 people on kuchinoerabu island took refuge on the neighboring island of yakushima. most of them got out with just the bare necessities. authorities on monday allowed residents back for just two hours. nearly 30 people including firefighters and power company workers traveled to the island.

they made sure power and gas supplies were shut off and tended to livestock. >> translator: there were no traces of ash and things looked the same. i want to go back home soon. >> reporter: self-defense force helicopters and coast guard vessels were deployed to the area for safety. officials at the japan meteorological agency say the volcano is still highly active. officials are keeping the alert level at five, the highest on the scale. we'll keep you updated on that story here on "newsline". thank you for that report. deliberations over bills to expand the role of japan's self-defense forces are back on track. lawmakers picked up where they left off last week. >> translator: i would like to apologize if my irregular remarks the other day were a

little harsh. >> the main opposition democratic party demanded the apology. abe came under fire for comments he made to one of the party's lawmakers. diet members said again turned details to the proposed legislation. a former foreign minister pressed for answers on japan's participation in what he called of illegal wars. he raised the positive a war on the korean pns with the united states. >> translator: in principle the united states would need international understanding to act in situations such as contingencies on the korean peninsula. they would most likely seek discussions at the u.n. security council. they would likely work to be taken the council's support or resolutions by the u.n. general assembly. abe said japan would observe

international law. china was in the hot seat at the three day summit over the weekend. while the u.s. criticized the country's reclamation work in spratly islands, all eyes were on japan's response. >> reporter: one of the highlights of the meeting also known as the shangri-la dialogue was the strong stance u.s. took against china in the south china sea. they demanded the reclamation work stop immediately. >> with its actions in the south china sea, china is out of step with both the international rules and norms that underscore the asia-pacific security architecture and the regional consensus that favors diplomacy and opposes coercion. >> reporter: delegates from other countries also called for a diplomatic solution. chinese workers are turning

rooef reefs in to land masses. the u.s. has stepped up reconnaissance activities in the area. they deployed war ships and patrol aircraft. china's representative justified the reclamation work admitting it was partially for military defense in addition to fulfilling its global obligations for maritime rescue. >> translator: the work is reasonable and justified. and within our sovereign rights. it also does not affect freedom of navigation. >> reporter: a regional security expert who attended the forum questions whether china's rhetoric was accepted by delegates. >> china tried to insist this is for the humanitarian purposes and also to utilize for disaster relief. but we are not sure that whether

china can make things clear to convince the southeast asian neighbors. >> reporter: attendees fired questions at china's representative. >> china's policies and actions in the south china sea are widely seen by many of the same partners as being the polar opposite of these global policies. how do you explain the contrast? >> my question is if the south china sea policy is an example of win-win cooperation with whom are your cooperating, and who else besides china is winning? >> reporter: but china showed no intention of quitting the reclamation work. he warned other countries to stop stirring up controversy. >> translator: we stand resolutely against the u.s. and other country delegates fueling

antagonism over our legal activity in the south china sea, whether we can be trusted should be judged by observing our actions. >> reporter: security expert said the current dead lock could be broken by the chinese president's upcoming visit to the u.s.. >> we expect wide range of cooperation agenda may be available between the two leaders of the united states and china. so there has been i think, atmosphere that china would like to play down this south china sea issue before its top leader visits washington, d.c. >> reporter: he says relying solely on the u.s. to lead regional opposition against china's activities might not lead to a solution. he suggests an active second track, the association of southeast asian nations engaging with china around the issue.

australian military personnel held a memorial service for japanese sailors that were killed in an assault in world war ii. ♪ >> the june 1st 1942 torpedo attack killed 19 australian and two british personnel aboard a ferry. the ceremony was attended by sailors and the defense minister stewart robert. australian navy personnel and also the united states and britain were present. the japanese ambassador was on

hand. at the ceremony children from sidney's japanese international school read out the names of the six japanese sailors. they were aboard the three midget submarines involved in the attack. this is the first time the japanese were remembered at the annual memorial. a corruption scandal swirling around international soccer's governing body could go the very top. a british newspaper reported swiss prosecutors will question fifa's president. the "sunday times" says prosecutors investigating possible bid rigging in world cup tournaments wants to talk to sepp blatter. they are looking at how host countries for 2018 and 2022 tournaments were chosen. russia and qatar respectively won the rights to hold the competitions. the swiss investigation began with a criminal complaint fifa

itself filed over bidding for two world cups. blatter has denied any involvement and won a vote on friday to serve a fifth term as fifa president. authorities in switzerland and other countries are cooperating with the u.s. investigation. the u.s. justice department has indicted 14 people including the fifa vice president on corruption and other charges. some world leaders and soccer experts urged blatter to quit and calling for an overhaul for the organization. workers in egypt are demolishing a structure that once housed the headquarters of hosni mubarak's defunk party. it symbolized 30 years of the former president's dictatorship. it has remained charred and empty since being torched by protesters in 2011 pro democracy movement known as the arab spring. the party was dissolved when the

government collapsed. some egyptians wanted the building to be preserved as a historical monument but leaders decided to tear it down. it's unclear how the site will be used after the three month demolition project. let's now see what's happening on the business and financial fronts with gene otani. gene? >> thanks. officials at japan's pension service say a computer virus has resulted in the leak of over 1 million personal records. the officials say they discovered the problem last thursday. they say the suspected leak of 1.25 million records include names, pension numbers and bitter dates. they say an employee's computer was the gateway for an unauthorized access. the head of the japan pension service said the employee opened an infected e-mail. japanese government officials are trying to decide on how to meet the country's future

electricity need. panel of experts has endorsed a final draft plan drawn up by the industry ministry. the plan cuts reliance on nuclear power to than before the 2011 fukushima nuclear accident. ministry officials submitted the plan proposal on monday. the plan says nuclear power should account for 20% to 22% of japan's total energy needs. the figure was about 28% before the fukushima accident four years ago. it also calls for japan to more than double its reliance on renewable energy sources up to 24%. renewables accounted for 10% of total supply in fiscal 2013. some of the panel's experts called for less nuclear and more renewables but the plan was approved. ministry officials say they will collect comment from the public and officially decide on the energy plan as early as july. new car sales in japan fell for the fifth straight month in may. industry officials blame a tax

hike that hit sales of many vehicles. officials say more than 335,000 new vehicles were sold last month down over 7% from the same month last year. sales of mini vehicles dropped almost 20%. once mini vehicles are exclueded new car sales rose more than 1.4% from a year ago. tax rise on mini vehicles is to blame for sharp decline in sales. checking the markets many investors thought tokyo stocks finally end their record breaking rally today but the nikkei average managed to extend a winning streak to a 12th day. the index ended flat at 20,569 hitting another 15 year high. some market players sold shares to take profits. but the losses reversed on speculation. bank of japan will buy exchange traded funds to support the

market. the total market value of companies hit 600 trillion yen or $5 trillion for the first time. in china the shanghai composite sharply rebounded from a plunge last week surging 4.7%. a wide range of shares were bought after the index had fallen. at least 7% in just two days through friday. seoul's kospi slid 0.59%. it hit a twleek low after the country's exports posted their piggest fall. hong kong recovered from a three day losing streak. indonesia looks like fell by a fraction down 0.05%.

that followed higher than expected annual inflation data. sidney recovered, ending down 0.7%. >> the finance minister called for cuts in spending to help balance the country's books. the panel is helping the government to draw a new fiscal reform plan. it will hand the proposal to the finance minister. the government is making the plan after postponing a hike in the consumption tax from 8% to 10% until 2017. it says it can to be done by expanding the use of generic drugs. the proposal urges the government to cap spending on public works projects. it also recommends cutting the number of teachers and staff at public elementary and junior high schools.

a team of young japanese entrepreneurs are trying to bring a traditional art form to the world. they've launched indigo dyeing work shops in new york with hope that expanded interest will revitalize the industry in japan. >> reporter: participants at a workshop in brooklyn are dipping their hands into a technique that's thousands of years old. >> i love the color. i love that it's a natural dye. i love the history. >> reporter: they launched the workshops last month. they want to spark interest in indigo among new york based artifacts sans in order to increase demand for their services including custom orders. >> translator: our goal is to spread the word about what we

do especially to people involved in the world of fashion and interiors. >> reporter: the company is based in the town of kamiita, the area is japan's largest producer of indigo. but the industry is in decline. an old barn is being renovated. the dyes used in new york are made here. this is the company's co-founder. local artifacts sans are showing them the rope everything from creating indigo dyes to the actual dyeing process. they view the new york connections as vital to their strategy. they feel that if they can make it, they can make it anywhere. >> translator: new york is a global information hub. if more and more people there

learn about japanese indigo dyeing things may start to change back home. >> reporter: he scans the city for business opportunities. this manhattan gallery deals in artwork and crafts from around the world. the gallery's owner has placed an order for indigo dyed decorations for a luxury hotel. >> i think there's a true appreciation of indigo as a trend and i think that people are curious and excited to learn about the techniques about it. >> reporter: back home the young entrepreneurs are also enlisting local residents in their indigo campaign. he visited an auto repair shop. he asked the owner if he could dye the workers uniforms with

indigo. >> translator: i'm more than happy to take part in the promotion. >> translator: it would be great if everyone used more indigo dyed products. thinking about that makes me happy. >> reporter: the entrepreneurs hope that by building a bridge between america's largest city and a small japanese village they will be able to color the world with a deep shade of blue. >> and that's it for business news. i'll leave you with the markets.

japan is known for cars yet many japanese have another means of getting around. the bicycle. accidents involving bikes have been on the rise. so authorities have revised the relevant law and imposed tighter control. >> reporter: the new law went into effect on monday and police took to the streets. they cited violators at 100 intersections. in central tokyo officers cited a cyclists for failing to stop at a red light and endangering

pedestrians. they warned them about riding too fast on the sidewalks, wearing ear phones and explaining revisions to the law. >> translator: bicycles are environmentally-friendly and convenient, but careless riding can lead to accidents. >> reporter: the national police agency says there were 542 fatal accidents nationwide last year involving bicycles. cyclists were responsible for 78% of them. the revised law defines 14 categories of dangerous bike riding. they include ignoring traffic lights riding under the influence of alcohol, ignoring stop signs and riding without brakes. ignoring the obligation to ride safely is another violation. an example is causing an accident while using a

smartphone. cyclists charged with two or more breaches of the law over three years must attend a cycling safety course. anyone who skips it will face a fine of up to around $400. the course includes videos about victims of bicycle accidents and their families. and the instructors teach cyclists how to ride more safely. >> translator: i think it's necessary to improve the bike riding environment, because roads in japan are narrow and there are so many illegally parked cars. i'll use my bicycle as if i'm on a motorcycle and ride safely. >> reporter: police say they recorded nearly 700 cases of dangerous bicycle riding in tokyo between january and april. that's about 100 cases more than the same period last year.

cycling is good for your health but dangerous riding can lead to serious accidents. at worst it could be fatal. no one needs a lie stones ride a bicycle. but police say bike riders in japan must obey the rules. authorities hope the revised law will help prevent accidents and encourage safer cycling. >> looks like biker friendly roads are in order for future city planning. thanks for that report. for us here in tokyo sunny summer-like weather prevails until tuesday but cloudy to wet conditions are forecast for almost a week. from wednesday. here is this hour's weather update. >> the rainy season starts around june 8th. gloomy and wet weather will likely happen from wednesday. so the rainy season is just around the corner.

until tuesday sunny weather will continue thanks to this high pressure system over japan. meanwhile rainy season over okinawa, taiwan and central portions of china due to seasonal rain that's sitting here and more heavy rain is likely. provinces in china will see the heaviest rainfall into tuesday. temperatures extremely warm over many parts of china. take a look. 30 degrees in beijing. chongqing 30 degrees. hanoi scorching hot on tuesday your high will be 38 degrees. so it's going to be very hot out there. now it's the start of winter for the southern hemisphere on june 1st. we're looking at the first snowfall of the season for mountains in victoria as well as new south wales and temperatures are much much colder. can

canberra your low will be minus five degrees. sidney also. please bundle up. we have the first major hurricane over the eastern pacific. this will move away from the mainland, more concern is a couple of low pressure systems over the united states. now one of them caused heavy rainfall over the southern plains. i want to take you to texas. show you the flood situation. the rivers in southeast of houston were the main concern. rivers are at their peak on saturday. many storms have resulted in 29 deaths with 25 of those in texas. several people are still missing and dozens of residents have been taken to shelters in houston. now good news is heavy rain has erased the drought but still floods are occurring over the

southern plains. the severe weather maker has shifted towards the east and we have another severe weather maker over the north this, is capable of bringing more severe weather, damaging winds and tornadoes. there's marginal risk for severe weather over the south into the mid-atlantic coast that includes washington, d.c. watch out for that as well as large hail. heavy rain in the east as well. heavy rain could cause significant airport delays over these areas on monday and tuesday. so please watch out. temperatures are going to be quite hot over the south. 30 degrees in the capital but much colder in the north, only 12 in chicago, 14 in toronto on monday. let's go to europe then. a storm is affecting the north, very windy conditions for the british isles as well as scandinavia peninsula. as the low moves in we're looking at wet weather over many parts of the british isles. rain will increase as we go into late monday.

temperatures are in the teens over the west. much higher than normal over the east. here's your extended forecast.

for all of us here at "newsline" thanks for watching. more to come on nhk world, so stay with us. wwñwñwñwñmx#ó

agency in the united states loses the right to collect phone records as senate republicans fail to reach a reform deal. the italian prime minister may be declaring victory, but the real winner is the northern league, showing strong gains around the country. beijing bans smoking indoors. lighting up in offices, shopping malls, and airports in the chinese capital are now all off-limits in hopes of stemming the growing health crisis.